Our facial reactions to Dad being "beardless". . .

Reminder. . .NONE of us (Rob, Dave, and I) have ever seen our Dad "sans" beard! Mom had her camera ready when we came home from deep sea fishing!

More PR pics. . .

The parentals on the beach relaxing --this might never happen again!

Yes, Carol was there too! :-)

View into the rainforest

Our private beach! No Joke!

One of Rob's many great photos! Dad in the waves.

Kev this one is for you- enough said

More PR pics!

Happy Sunday to all! Well now the Christmas season is official! I'm going to start the decorating process today since I'm behind for a normal Thanksgiving weekend! The tree is going up today no matter what! :-) Can't wait to see the lights again. . .I love the decorations, making this my favorite time of year! That and the fact that this is my slowest month of the year! Happy decorating to all of you - if you aren't finished already! Here are some more PR pics!

Mom and Dad (Dad shaved his beard -- first time in 37 years! None of his children have ever seen him without it!)

George and I at dinner

Rob and Sarah at din din.

Newlyweds on the snorkeling cruise!

Waterfall at the rainforest -- don't know who was posing for mom!

Dad and I on the beach, day one! (The only day I was on the beach! - too cloudy and high tides the rest of the time)

KT, Lisa, Sarah on the snorkeling cruise

Old San Juan -- SUS, this one is for you! Rob got some great shots there, I'll have to send some more to you!

Another for SUS, Old San Juan

Family photo at Richies (good restaurant with a killer view!) minus George, he had to leave early.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM PUERTO RICO!

Waters of the Carribbean!!! Really that blue -- I never believed it until now!

Rob caught a 50-lb Sail Fish on our deep sea fishing adventure! They always release these fish when caught because of their beauty!

Me deep sea fishing -- basically I paid for a boat ride!!

The marina for our fishing boat

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you have a great day with loved ones. I hope it's not stressful! I know sometimes being with family on holidays is extremely stressful, try to enjoy all of it! Puerto Rico has been great; not so sunny the whole time, but the company and the condo and the scenery is beautiful and fun! We've been deep sea fishing, snorkeling, and to the rain forest. We've had a lot of great meals (probably too many!), and are ready for turkey day today! Mom didn't want to make the meal, so we each took a piece of it to prepare. All she is making are the pies. I'm going to head out for now and try to get some sun this am before it disappears into the clouds again, and before I have to start my stuffing and green bean casserole. Have an awesome day! Some pics below. . .more to follow! Thanks to ALL of you for being so important in my life. You help make up who I am, you support, love and protect me. You guide me and give advice. You have all been given to me for a purpose and I am truly grateful for each of you.

the COUNTDOWN is ON!

Well, the countdown is on for everything, it seems! Holiday shopping is in full force, Christmas trees are everywhere (even though we haven't roasted the turkey yet), and Macy's is prepping for their annual awesome parade! I'm personally counting down for Puerto Rico! My immediate fam/spouses and I are meeting there for the holiday. ( I saw on the news today that people look for posts like mine and then go burglarize their homes while they are on vacation -- note to robbers. . .nothing good where i live!!!)

I looked back at emails that my family and I sent to one another and realized that we've been planning since MAY to go and do this! This is a major accomplishment for the fam to take leave of their lives and go away together! We haven't been together for this long since we took our Griswold vaca to Europe when I was in the 4th grade! We all did meet mom and dad in Austria for turkey day 2005, but we all came in shifts that suited our schedules-- we weren't in it together for the long haul. That is one of the reasons I'm so excited. When you grow up, sometimes it's hard to be with your family due to conflicts of the past, need for independence, etc.; however, now that we are all grown up in my family (well i'm still working on it sometimes), I am happy to report that we genuinely enjoy one another's company. Yes, we still fight (funny I know) like the brothers and sisters that we are, but we are FRIENDS. And I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I am and have always been a big family watcher. I love families. I have a tendency to implant myself into them. I love that they fight, hurt, love and give. It's amazing to me. I am so grateful that I still have my family intact after all that we've all been through. Most of what we've encountered has been personal and not involving one another. But we have persevered.

To my family I write this tonight: I LOVE YOU. I MISS YOU. I wish most of the time that we were not so far apart. But then I realize that we (as children) were all raised to be INDIVIDUALS, and that is what we've become. That is why we can't be neighbors just yet. We have our own lives to create and our own paths to travel. But I want you to know that regardless of the distance between us at any given time, you are never far from me. I see you every morning when I get up and every night before I go to bed on my dresser. And although that isn't the same as laughing on the sidewalk while grilling out on Labor Day or eating at my favorite sushi restaurant in the entire country in LEX vegas or enjoying the calm and serenity of your home mom and dad, you help me make it through. . .you all do. I appreciate you,(yes Sarah and Lisa, you are included and loved in this family speech). AND. . .I'm so glad I have a job that allows me to travel and see you! :-) One of the perks!!

To all of you who just happen to read my blog, HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving has always been one of my most favorite holidays (I think it might beat out Christmas if it weren't for the awesome decorations!!). No matter where you are on your path, stop and take a minute to assess your "thanks". Even when you are having a hard time, there is so much for which to be thankful. Hopefully, I'll have some updates from PR!!!

PS CONGRATULATIONS to Rebecca and Troy on Addison!! I can't wait to see her!

WHOOO says adults can't have FUN??!!!

VIEWERS BeWARE!

As promised, here are some pics from Halloween!

Above: Me (White Trash, yes again! and Kevin, the Beer Keg!)

Sean, White Trash Part II

Roger Rabbit and Jessica (Ray and his girlfriend Orialis)

Alexis's Artistry with the pumpkins! Way too much work for KT!

Momma Dillard (the Pirate Wench) and Patrick (the Monkey)!!

Back on the Mainland!

Aloha, Mahalo, etc. etc. I'm back! Actually have been back since late Tuesday, but things have been busy getting back into the swing of things! I finally after three years found a good Dr. in San Diego to be my primary physician! She's getting me fixed up and for that I'm grateful! For those of you who don't know, I've been battling depression for about 2 years (actually my whole life). I decided two years ago it was time to get some help! Well now, I'm on the hunt for a new medication. When I went to the Dr. in Colorado after crying everyday, I didn't want anyone to know because I felt weak for needing help. We all know I love to be in control. Now, a few years later, I don't mind you all knowing; I've learned that sometimes you just need a little help and it's ok! I'm getting better with age -- letting go a little! :-) Hopefully this new medication will be a good new start! I'll keep you posted.

The Halloween party was great fun, I'll try to get pics up of that tomorrow. Today is the catch up day! I've been putting off some work for weeks for no good reason and today is the DAY! Sleeping in until 10:30 didn't help me get an early start, but that's ok. Time to DIG IN! HAPPY NOVEMBER! The "holidays" have officially begun!

Maui October 2007 - PARADISE!