The Beast

In September we bought a 12 week old German Shepherd. We named him Titus. But his nick name is... The Beast.



The Beast enjoys being played with. He's very smart. He also likes to play with toys that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. He's good at it too.



He truly is a BEAST. He's huge, massive, ginormous and intimidating. He's still very much a puppy. He won't be one until July 3rd. Which means he's not done growing yet. YIKES!!!



The Beast is still being trained. My Knight believes he doesn't really need to "go to school". He feels we can train him here at our Castello. Being the submissive wife that I am, (through gritting teeth- which I guess really doesn't make me being submissive in my heart... I need to work on that) we are training him at home. We just need to remember to be consistent. He LOVES sitting on the first step. He sees us sitting on our couch, so he goes and sits on "his" seat. He's too cute. :)



He LOVES to play soccer and run. Good thing we have plenty of room to run and play!



He enjoys playing keep away too! My Knight and the Squires take him to the local doggy park. I have yet to go. I think it would freak me out to see him unleashed in a park. He's so playful, that I think children are going to run up to him and he'll want to "play" with them. He's in the "big clumsy" stage.



The Squires are trying to teach him to catch the frisbee. He's getting really good at catching it up in the air. I'll try to get a picture of that and share it. :)



The Beast only goes outside to do his "business" and to play. After running an playing, he enjoys laying on the grass and feeling the cool breeze.


Our neighbors have a little dog. What's funny is that we didn't know his name. So Soaring Amongst the Clouds dubbed him Harry. Turns out his real name is Eddy. But he'll always be Harry to us. Well, The Beast and Harry love playing together. They look so cute playing too. Sometimes The Beast will sit and look towards Harry's home. Hoping that Harry will come and play.



This is how big he is now. See, I told you he's HUGE! He's perfect for our family. He's protective, playful, smart and fun. He fits right in with our family. I look forward to our journey together.


faithfully His,
Lady G~

Foxes and Wild Turkeys!!!

The last couple of weeks we've been having visits from Mr. Fox. Well actually the other day we had two foxes visit us. They were so cute. I wasn't able to get a picture of them. :( But two days later, I was able to get a picture of this one...



I was able to use my sisters GINORMOUS zoom lens. Thanks Boss Lady! You are the BEST and not only because you gave me your lens. :)



I sure do love living out where we live.



Oh the things we see. A while back we saw some...



Wild turkeys!!!!



A whole flock of them!



I didn't know they could fly!!!



Yep, they flew above the pine tree tops! Who knew wild turkeys had ups?!


faithfully His...
Lady G~

How do I love thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning


I LOVE my Knight. I'm not just saying that. I mean I REALLY LOVE my Knight. The poem above reaches me deep down to my soul. When my Knight's heart is heavy laden, mine is too. Not only do I LOVE him, but I admire him. I do not worship him. For I know he is human. As a human we all fail and fall short.

Why do I LOVE him so? Why do I think so highly of him? Well, because he is a godly man. A man who strives to do God's will. A man who doesn't care what people think about him, but what God thinks of him. He loves me in spite of my downfalls and weaknesses. He loves his family. Works hard to provide for his family. He's wise and humble. I could go on and on with examples. But the thought of him overwhelms me. Makes me cry with tears of happiness for all he is and sadness because of all that falls on him.

I want so much to be the woman God wants me to be... for him. The woman he need for me to be. The help mate God is calling me to be. Lord help me be that woman.

faithfully His...
Lady G~

20 Years Ago Today...

... My baby brother went on to be with our Heavenly Father. He was 19 years old. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. One day, I will see him and his beautiful smile again. One day, I will hear his voice and laughter again. One day, I will feel his warm embrace, hug and kiss him again. I am looking forward to that One Day.

When I think of him, I think of snap shot moments. Not sure why. In the movies, you see flashback in action, not in snap shot moments. I wish I could think of him that way. Sometimes I do, but most of the time it's just fragments of moments. :(

In past posts, I've shared different things about him. I think today I will share 20 things I remember about him. They'll be in random order. Mainly because that's the way my brain works. One thought leads to another. So I'll just go with my brain flow. :) Sorry about that.

* When he was born, children weren't allowed up in the hospital room, unless they were patients. So the very first time my sister and I got to see him, was from my mom's hospital bedroom window. Even though we could hardly see him. We thought he was the most beautiful, cutest baby EVER!

* The home we mostly grew up in had granite floor. So he was allowed to ride his little Red Ryder tricycle around our home. He use to pretend he was a policeman. He had a little notebook and a pen. Even though he didn't know how to write (he was only 3 or 4 yrs old), he would give us tickets for "infractions". LOL! The infractions were anything from, not allowing him to come into our bedroom to not doing what he wanted us to do. LOL! Is that cute or what?! LOL!

* My dad use to keep his motorcycle inside our home, but in the florida room. I guess now, they would call that the sunroom. Well, no one was allowed to sit on the bike unless my dad was there. We all loved my dad's motorcycle. But my brother adored it. We would always want to sit on it. So against my dad's wishes, I would occasionally carry him and sit him on the motorcycle. I would also put the helmet on. He looked soooooo cute! Looking back, I realize how dangerous that really was. His guardian angel was always kept busy!

* One time I was really upset with my sister. I can't remember why, but I was. So I told my brother to pee on her. He was little (2 yrs old). Well, he peed on her. He laughed and I laughed. My sister cried and screamed. Boy did I get in trouble! And rightly so. That was wrong on so many levels.

* To my sister and I, he was our baby doll. We would pick his outfits and dress him up. One day we decided to put some of our mom's make up on him. We couldn't do anything with his hair cause my mom always kept his hair short. Needless to say, we got into trouble for that one too. My mom thought he looked cute, but my dad did not like it! You know how Cuban Machos are. LOL! I LOVE MY DAD!

* During the summer time, he use to work as a lifeguard at a local pool. He once had to dive in and rescue a little girl that was drowning. He said that was the most frightening and awesome thing ever. Frightening because the little girl's life was in his hands. Awesome because he helped someone in distress. He LOVED helping others.

* He ALWAYS LOVED the ladies. Even when he was a little boy. When he was little, he use to chase the girls around the playground and try to kiss them. I'm sure he would get in trouble today if he did that. But I must add, that he wasn't the only one that did the chasing. I remember him being chased quite often.

* When he would come to visit us at our Castello, we would have movie marathon nights. Sometimes it was James Bond marathons. Other times it would be Star Wars marathons. Yet other times it would be Clint Eastwood night. Yes, we LOVE action movies.

* Once when we were watching a movie, he was laying on the floor. While I was laying on the couch. My leg was dangling over the couch. He happen to touch it and said, "Ummm, Lady G, don't you think it's about time you shaved?!" LOL! Yep, he wasn't one to hold things back. I LOVED his sense of humor.

* When he was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, he decided one day to ride his motorcycle all the way back home... to Miami, Florida! At the time we lived in Orlando. So he made a pit stop at our home. Did I mention that his bike was a racing bike and not a cruising bike? Well now you know. It was not a comfy ride. For the return trip, he decided to fly back and have his bike shipped. LOL! Lesson learned at the tender age of 18. LOL!

* For my 15th birthday, my parents had a big celebration. For Latins, turning 15 is like turning 16 for Americans. That night, all eyes were on my brother. Why? Because he was a natural at dancing, among other things. He danced his little heart out! He stole the show and I didn't care. He was my brother and I LOVED him.

* When he was in elementary school he befriended three brothers who were new to this country. They were from Vietnam. My brother was their only friend. No one else wanted anything to do with them because they were different and ate different food. But my brother didn't care. They would often come to our house and play. I can still remember how they laughed and played, even though there was a language barrier.

* Sometimes when he and my sister would come to visit, we'd watch tv lying in my bed.

* When he started to grow hair under his arm pit, he didn't want to dry his arm pit after his showers. When we asked him why, he said he didn't want the hairs to fall off. Got to love the innocence of a child.

* His military buddies nicknamed him, The Outlaw. I once asked him why he was given that name. He told me, "You don't want to know." and he laughed. I never did find out. Guess I'll find out One Day when I see him again.

* He LOVED visiting us and spending time with our Fair Maidens. Which he always referred to as "his girls".

* I went into labor with Daughter of the King on February 13. When he found out, he kept telling me to hold her in. LOL! He wanted her to be born on February 14, Valentine's Day. He got to see pictures of her. But he never got to actually meet her or hold her. He passed away when she was 4 weeks old.

* On another visit, my brother, his girlfriend, my sister and I, decided to go to the mall. My Knight stayed home with our Fair Maidens. We left right as the mall was closing. He decided to drive. My sister told him to drive forward instead of backing out of the parking space. Well, turns out, there was one of those yellow (or white) concrete things that don't allow the car to go forward. But our front wheels did happen to make it over. The only problem is, the car got stuck. We couldn't drive forward or backward! Even though our dad knew everything about cars and how to fix them, my brother never learned anything about cars. Well, except makes and models. LOL! So we called... my Knight! He came to our rescue. But while we waited for him. We ended up have a "photo shoot". Boy did we have fun. Those pictures were always kept TOP SECRET! LOL! When he passed away, we put the pictures with him. To this day, my sister and I still laugh about that night.

* When we were younger, occasionally on the weekends, our family would get together with other family members and some old family friends. One of the families had a large backyard and a pool. On one of our gatherings, my brother was so excited that he ran and jumped in the pool. But the water was so cold, that it shocked him and he started to drown. My uncle had seen what happened and ran to rescue him. He became an expert swimmer after that.

* I was one week shy of turning 19 when I got married. My brother was 7 years younger than me. So he was 12 when I got married. My Knight was in the Army. So when we got married not only was I moving from home. I was moving to another state. As my Knight and I were getting in our car, my brother came running to me... crying. "I don't want you to go. Take me with you". He stood there as we drove off. He never saw my tears. I can still see him... standing there, crying...

I can honestly say I have no regrets about how I treated my brother when he was here with us. I KNOW that he knew that he was loved and cherished. I only wish that others would make the most of their time, with the ones they love. No one knows how much time we have left. Don't take it for granted...

For now, I am waiting for One Day.

faithfully His...
Lady G~

Missed Me?

Lots has happened since I last wrote. I'm not even sure where to begin. Since so much has happened, I think I'll just start fresh. I'll just share what going on now. :)

Yesterday, The Warrior was given the ok to play sports again. He is to wear his ankle brace for one more month while playing. After that, he's good to go. A week before Christmas, he fractured his fibula and tibia. It was a nasty fracture.



Since he had cuts and abrasions, they put his leg in a soft cast. That way his cuts would heal quicker without getting infected.



Yep, it's swollen.



So his time was spent on the couch or in bed. He was under strict orders to keep off his foot. He didn't get a hard cast on until mid January. He kept the hard cast on for 8 weeks. After that he was given a hard boot. After the hard boot, he was given the ankle brace.

Since he's been recovering, that means we haven't been making any trips to and from the baseball fields. Which feels really strange. Because he's been playing baseball since he was 5! I wonder what God has in store for him now. Whatever it is, I know The Warrior will rise to the occasion.



G.I. Joe is now 16! Hard to believe that my baby is 16! Time sure has flown. He's in the 10th grade and we are still homeschooling. He's always wanted to play baseball for our local public high school. But since the athletic association is considering him a "transfer" student, because he was enrolled in a private school last year, he is ineligible to play for one year. The private school he was enrolled with didn't even have an athletic department. They offered no sports at all. Which means he should be eligible to play. Urgh! This has caused him much heart ache. So for now, he is not playing baseball either. :( He is devoting his time his studies, playing the guitar and the piano. Which by the way, he's learning to play on his own. He's such a talented young man. He has already told us that his goal is to attend West Point.



Daughter of the King is now 20! My baby girl has grown in a blink of an eye. *sniffle... sniffle... wiping a tear* She's so busy with school and is doing a great job. One morning a week she works as a child care provider at our church for the women's bible study group. She loves being with the little ones. On one of the other days, she helps in the quilting ministry. She really enjoys making quilts and being around the quilting ladies. They love her too, but what's not to love?! :) After quilting, she goes and babysits a little girl from our church. She always takes an activity to do with her. She certainly knows how to have fun with the little ones. Softball season has started again and she's decided to play. I sure do love cheering her on. I'm so proud of my Fair Maiden.



Still Waters is officially legal now... she's 21! HOW CAN THAT BE?!?!? She was born just yesterday! She is BIG TIME busy with her senior project. We don't get to see her much. :( She'll be graduating in April or May. Can't remember when the semester is over. I know, what kind of mother am I?! I'm so very proud of her. She's been on the Dean's List since she started college. I don't know if she remembers this, but when she was younger, I thought she was dyslexic. So I took her to get evaluated. Well, she wasn't dyslexic. She outgrew the writing "problem" I thought she had. LOL! Turns out she was gifted! Who knew?! (I did) Her IQ was 139. (I didn't know that!) Good thing we homeschooled. She had the freedom to learn and grow without bounderies. She has always left me in awe.






Soaring Amongst The Clouds has met her Knight in shinning armor. The Gallant Knight has been courting our Fair Maiden since November. But they had a chance to observe each other during the summer when they would all go out in a group. I must confess. When she graduated from high school and moved up to the college/career Sunday School class, he was in that class too. He had been attending our church a lot longer than we have. So,we had seen him around church when he was younger, but their paths had never really crossed. Probably because he's 6 years older than she is. Any way, when she moved up to the college/career Sunday School class and I met him, I knew he was the one for her. I knew they were perfect for each other. For fear of rebellion, I didn't mention it. God has a way of always making things work out. :)

She's studying education. Since she's in her senior year, she's interning at one of the local elementary schools. First half of the semester, she worked with one of the kindergarten class. She LOVED it. Now that they are in the second half of the semester, she's working with one of the 5th grade class. She's enjoying that too. I'm so very proud of her. She's so smart and creative. She's going to be a great teacher!


My Knight and I are doing great. This year he celebrated 20+ years working for the same company. It was awesome to see that others have been there for 30, 35 and 40+ years. He loves working there and he really loves what he does. He's been busy umping baseball games on the weekends. Why? Cause we are working hard on trying to get out of debt. He's reading a book by Dave Ramsey and we've also watched some of his dvd's. We've tried different ways and nothing really seemed to help. But his ideas are soooooo doable! In a matter of months, we are almost done paying off one of our two cards! YAY!!!! I've never been this excited about budgeting! I've always struggled with sticking to a budget. But this is really working! :) I'm so hopeful!

As for me. I'm just cruising along. Doing what I need to do. Being who I need to be. I'm seriously contemplating whether to take my sister's offer of going to Italy with her. Out of all the places I've traveled to, Italy is my favorite. I would live there if I could. But my place is next to my Knight. Where he is, I will be. But taking a 13 day trip with my sister, her best friend and her sister is really appealing. What to do, what to do?!?! I'll just continue to pray about it...

faithfully His...
Lady G~