Just Two Things

Two Names You Go By:
1. Kaywana
2. Kerry

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:

1. Jeans
2. Brown & Pink polk-a-dot baby-doll blouse

Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a relationship:

1. Communication

2. Love

Two Things you like to do:
1. Go on a date with my husband

2. Curl up in my chaise and read a good book

Two Things You Want Very Badly at the Moment:
1. more date nights with my husband Greg
2. more alone time (kid-free)

Two things you did last night:
1. Cleaned the kitchen
2. Watched House Hunters

Two things you ate today:
1. Granola bar
2. Apple

Two people you last talked to:
1. Greg
2. My kids

Two things you are doing tomorrow:
1. taking care of my kids
2. cooking dinner

Two longest car rides:
1. Florida to New York

2. Florida to Atlanta

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. New Year's

Two Favorite Beverages
1. Fruit Punch
2. Vanilla/Banana Milkshake

Two things you may not know about me!
1. I have a glass eye

2. I only have one ovary which the Lord has used to produce 2 beautiful children

Two jobs I have had in my life:
1. Substitute Teacher/Teacher
2. Domestic Engineer (stay-at-home mom)

Two Movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Color Purple
2. Dirty Dancing

Two places I have lived:
1. Negril, Jamaica
2. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale & Tampa,FL

Two of my Favorite Foods:
1. Jamaican
2. Italian

Two places I'd rather be right now:
1. in Jamaica
2. at a spa

The Most Amazing

thing happens when you are not expecting anything and you receive something. I recently received a card in the mail that really touched me. It touched me because it was simply a card that lets me know that I am appreciated. The card was really significant just because someone thought enough of me to send it but it was also significant because God thought enough of me to remind me just how special I was. It was in His gentle whisper--the words from the card resonated in my heart and it was like a breath from God.


Approximately a day before I received the card, my daughter asked me what "appreciate" means. She asked me that because I was frustrated with them (her and my son) and I kept saying that I'm tired of not being "appreciated." Ladies you know how we sometimes feel this way. Well, I had to explain to her what "appreciate" meant. Then God decided to let me know that I am appreciated!


When I got the card and read the front of the card, I was thinking that it really didn't apply to me because it was speaking more about struggles and promises of God. Here is what it said:


Wouldn't you love to have a hope-filled heart?


Wouldn't you love to see the world through the eyes of Jesus?


where we see unanswered prayer,


Jesus saw answered prayer.


Where we see the absence of God,


Jesus saw the plan of God...


God never promises to remove us from our struggles.


He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.


Then on the inside it says:


May the Lord

reveal his plans


and purposes


to you in every


situation


of your life.


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV





So at first I was a little confused as to why I was the recipient of this card. But the person who sent it simply stated:


Kerry,


We appreciate your work with ______________. You are such a blessing. We love you!


And there is was again.


In a word. Appreciate.
Thank you God for your gentle whisper, your still small voice.

Our Disney Trip Part II

Our second day in Orlando started with us having breakfast in the hotel we were staying at. We were actually very impressed with the breakfast because it was not continental like they usually give you at some hotels. It was a hot breakfast buffet. We all filled up on eggs, bacon, fruits, toast, bagels, waffle, juice and of course for me.... coffee. They had Wolfgang Puck's coffee which was really good! The staff was also very friendly and helpful. Then we returned to our hotel suite and just hanged out for a little while because everyone was still tired from the day before. We knew we would not get much done with 2 tired kids so we decided it was best to wait until after they took naps before we did anything else. Eventually we all took a nap, yes, even me. Can you believe that?

Later we went to Outback for dinner. We enjoyed the food but I didn't think our waitress was very attentive. Greg's a fast eater so he was done before me and Arjay was a bit fussy so he took him out and left me to finish eating and get the check. I decided that I was not going to give the waitress a big tip because I didn't think she was that great. She wasn't exactly rude but like I said she was not very attentive. I guessed I was not "feeling her." Anyways, I gave her about 15% in tip but Greg usually likes to tip 20% so he thought I didn't leave a good tip. I didn't think she deserved a 20% tip but I didn't want to be really mean and leave 10% because like I said she wasn't really rude and nasty. I tried to point out to him that even when you have a large party and you go to a restaurant and they automatically add gratuity they only add 18%. Anyways, we totally disagreed and spent about 15-20 minutes discussing this. I personally believes that Greg "over-tips" when he tips 20%. I feel that even automatic gratuities are no more than 18%. Here's some research on tipping. Anyways, luckily our night was not ruined because of this.

Afterwards we went to the Prime Outlet Mall to get some shopping done. We got a few items but the best part of the evening was getting Haagen Daz ice-cream. It was a real treat for everyone. The kids were beyond excitement and Arjay couldn't even wait to get his. When he did, he so greedily slurped it that he "entertained" the staff. It was funny watching him.

The next day, our last day in Orlando was spent having breakfast then checking out of the hotel. After that we stopped at DisneyQuest. In my opinion this is not the most suitable place for preschoolers. Adryana was able to do a few things and seemed okay with that. Arjay was pretty much bored except when we did either the driving game or the Lil Hoops game. So, we ended up not staying very long. All in all, we had a great weekend.

Fabulous Fours

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Receptionist


2. Recreational Therapist at a Psychiatric Hospital


3. Sales Clerk/Cashier


4. Substitute Teacher/Elementary School Teacher

Four movies I can watch over and over and over:

1. The Color Purple


2. Dirty Dancing


3. Pretty Woman


4. The Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Four TV shows I like to watch:

1. 24


2. House Hunters


3. Big Brother


4. Bridezilla

Four places I have vacationed:

1. Orlando, FL


2. Jamaica


3. Norway


4. Bahamas

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Curry chicken


2. Pizza


3. Babyback Ribs


4. Seafood

Four websites I visit daily:

1. My blog


2. Facebook


3. Friend’s Blogs


4. Maybe Target but I don't visit it daily

Four places I would rather be:

1. Anywhere with my husband


2. Jamaica


3. On my chaise reading a book


4. At a spa

Our Disney Trip

As promised, I am going to write about our trip to Disney MGM. We left our home early Friday morning to make our 10:10am reservation at Hollywood&Vine restaurant in MGM. We had a scheduled breakfast buffet to celebrate Arjay's upcoming birthday. Disney has this play n' dine program that I think is phenomenal for young children. Arjay was ecstatic when we got there and he saw the characters. We were somewhat apprehensive because we were not sure if he would be scared of a life-size character. It's one thing when you see the characters on TV and a totally different thing when you are up close and personal to them. However, it was a welcoming surprise to watch his excitement. He was in awe of them and he couldn't get enough of them as they made their rotations to different tables. I have to admit I was just as excited watching Arjay and his interactions with the characters. He was giving them numerous amount of "bear hugs" and he didn't mind when they held him or even gave him kisses.

Even people surrounding us was enthralled watching Arjay. Adryana was a bit nervous in the beginning but Arjay's excitement quickly became contagious and she was right beside him handing out hugs and kisses to the characters. When it was time to dance and sing with the characters neither one of them hesitated. It was beautiful watching them!

Arjay was beyond excitement when they brought out a cupcake and gathered around him to sing "Happy Birthday to you!" Even his eyes lit up and danced. He was definitely on cloud nine through this whole experience and we couldn't be happier. Since we decided not to celebrate with a birthday party, I was very relieved to see that this alternative form of celebration was a huge hit among our family. It might have been nice to have members of our extended family with us but all in all I think everything worked out for the best.

After having all that fun in just one place, we couldn't imagine our day getting any better. I mean it would have worth it all just to watch our children enjoyed that one experience. So, could our day get any better? In a word, yes. As we were walking from the restaurant, we came to a place where lots of people were gathering and we inquired what was happening. We were told that in 10 minutes there was going to be a High School Musical Performance. Adryana absolutely loves this show and Greg and I are right there with her. We all enjoy both High School Musicals. So we were delirious with happiness when we got to watch a group perform all of the popular songs and dances from both shows. Adryana even went up on stage for a little while and did some of the dances. It was awesome!!

Later we did the Great Movie ride which I didn't personally think was so great but I guess if you saw all those movies then it would be great for you. We also saw The Little Mermaid which I loved. We stopped in to watch Playhouse Disney in concert. You sit on a carpeted floor to watch this. You have to be familiar with the Playhouse Disney shows, which we are. So we had a blast singing and dancing with the kids. Arjay started getting a little fussy and we knew it was because he was tired so we called our hotel to see if they could check us in early. And they said yes.

We left to go check in to our hotel. Before we did that we also grabbed lunch at Steak N' Shake, one of our favorite places to eat. Once we got to the hotel, Greg and the kids took a nap. I just read for a while since I'm not a big nap-taker.

We went back to MGM around 5pm and was able to watch the Muppets in 3-D. That was pretty much it because we didn't realize that everything was going to be closed down around 6pm. Since the park is opened until 7:30pm we thought we had more time to watch a few more shows, unfortunately that was a bit disappointing. So we just walked around for a while and then off to sit and wait in the stadium for about an hour until their 7:30 show Fantasmic. This was a water feature show with fireworks and boat performances. Most of it was very nice. However, as most of Disney's material seems to be now there were some scary parts to it. I was saddened by this because the kids were scared and we had to even cover their ears and eyes. I don't think I would recommend this for people with young children. I prefer the parade and fireworks at Disney's Magic Kingdom instead.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience with my family. I had never been to MGM before and the last time Greg was there was more than a decade so it was very exciting for us. I wish we had more time to see more of the other shows we missed but I think we'd definitely go back in years to come. I also think it's a great park for preschoolers. Our trip didn't end there so stay tuned to hear more about what we did the other 2 days we were in Orlando.

Birthday Boy

I couldn't let today pass by without wishing a Happy Birthday to my baby boy. That's right, my baby is now 2. Happy Birthday Arjay! He was thrilled this morning when he woke up to Adryana and my rendition of "Happy Birthday to you." He enjoyed when everyone sang happy birthday to him and he even sang along. Cute!

He seems like such a big boy now that he's 2. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was born. His baby days are gone...

It's a bitter-sweet feeling to watch him grow up.

It's so sweet to celebrate him today.

It's so beautiful to watch him learn and do new things.

It's sad to leave his baby stages behind.

I know he's only 2 but I also know that the years fly my quickly. I can still remember cuddling Adryana, and she's now on her way to being 5.

So, birthdays are sometimes bitter-sweet when you have children.

I'm just thankful that I have memories. Cherish all your memories and don't take anyone for granted. Celebrate life! Make every day special...

To Arjay--my baby boy. Mama loves you baby and no matter what you will always be a Mama's boy! Happy Birthday!

A 1000 Words

We got back from our Disney trip today. I'm posting some pictures of our trip. I'm really exhausted so I'll write about our trip tomorrow.

Fun Facts about Me & My Man

I "stole" this from a blog that I really enjoy reading. It's Pastor Deanna's blog. I really love reading her blog and I saw this on there recently and I thought it was cute. Enjoy!

1. Who is your man?? Gregory Adrian Todd ~ born in Kingston, JA and raised in Pembroke Pines, FL. He is co-owner and Physical Therapist of Renewal Rehab & Fitness andTherafit Services, Wesley Chapel, FL. He is my loving & devoted husband and the father of our two children, Adryana and Arjay.
2. How long have you been together?? We've been married for 6 years since March 31, 2001. (Total 11 years if you include all the time we've dated before we were married).
3. How long did you date?? 4 years and then engaged for a year.
4. How old is your man?? Just turned 30
5. Who eats more?? He does
6. Who said I love you first?? I did.
7. Who is taller?? He is
8.Who sings better?? It's probably a tie- we both sing great (if you are tone deaf--lol).
9. Who is smarter?? It depends on the issue. With some things he is, and with some things I am. Then again, I'm the one with a Master's Degree.
10. Whose temper is worse?? He does. I'm the most moody and I can keep a grudge, unfortunately. However, when you push his buttons far enough, he can be a royal jerk. Of course this rarely happens.
11. Who does the laundry? I do.
12. Who takes out the trash?? He does.
3. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?? Looking at the bed, he does, but sleeping in it, I do.
14. Who pays the bills?? He pays them and 100% deals with everything financially but I'm good at saving. (I've been called a penny pincher).
15. Who is better on the computer?? Setting it up? Knowing tech stuff? Him all the way, but e-mailing, blogging...me.
16. Who mows the lawn?? Neither one of us. We have a lawn guy. He also does the weeds, thank God! Greg used to do the lawn and I used to do the weeding but when my neck was sick I was unable to do it for a while and we finally got a lawn guy that takes care of the lawn 100%.
17. Who cooks dinner?? Me, but I don't mind when Greg "cooks" because it means we'll be having take out and he usually goes to pick it up.
18. Who drives when you are together?? He does.
19. Who is the most stubborn?? Him.
20. Who kissed who first?? He kissed me.
21. Who asked out who?? He asked me.
22. Who proposed?? He did - at the University we attended, and right in front of my dormitory where we shared our first kiss...Ahhh! It was an awesome proposal because he made a scrapbook about everything we did while we were dating. He even saved the piece of paper I wrote my phone number on!!
23. Who has more friends?? Hands down...me.
24. Who has more siblings?? Me.

We're off to Ft. Lauderdale

Today is the day. We will be leaving tonight to make the four hours drive to Ft. Lauderdale. We are on our way to visit our family. It is a special time because my parents just bought a house and I am so happy for them. It's been a very long journey for them. I'm happy that they are at this place in their lives. God has truly blessed them and provided them with this opportunity. This is not their first home or anything like that. However, several years back they were in a very tough financial situation after my Dad lost his job. They were at the point where they had no choice but to sell their home and move away from Ft. Lauderdale so that my Dad could take a job in Hernando county. While we enjoyed having them only 30 minutes away, they returned to Ft. Lauderdale nearly 3 years ago. We've missed them but we are very proud of this accomplishment. They finally have a home again after about 5 years of many moves. God is truly faithful. So, we will be there this weekend celebrating with them and also helping with the move to the new house. It is truly an awesome time!

It will also be nice to see several of our friends and family. All our families (from both sides) reside in Ft.Lauderdale. In many ways, Ft.lauderdale still feels like our home. We love Tampa but it's hard not having our family closer. It's very difficult to see everyone when we go but we do the best we can. The drive is the worst part of our trip because we have 2 young children that doesn't understand why it takes so long to get to their grandparents house. However, it's always nice when we get there. We are definitely looking forward to the trip. I probably won't get a chance to blog so have a wonderful weekend!

A look into my life today

First of all, I am just extremely thankful to be feeling a whole lot better today. I've had a really tough week and I'm glad I can see the rainbow in the horizon. lol. Since last Tuesday I've been struggling with a never-ending flu or cold. Whatever it was it was severe! It started in my throat and I have to admit there were times when I wished I could rip my throat out. Yep, it felt that badly. However, I'm thankful for a wonderful husband because having him around was the only way I got through such a terrible week. Being sick was only the half of it but that's all I can say.

My throat was hurting me and I was coughing so horribly. I was getting no sleep and even felt like I was choking at times because the cold was stucked in my throat. Of course then I would wake up in the nights and then couldn't get back to sleep. My chest was hurting so badly and I felt like there were a ton of bricks just sitting on there. It was so bad that by Friday I had lost my voice completely. I had to write instructions on a notepad for Greg. Of course he had to take over many responsibilities and became Mr. Mom over the weekend. We had already RSVP'd to a baby baptism and a birthday party on Saturday so he had to do both of those events. I was too sick and miserable to go anywhere. I also needed to get some rest which was very hard to do.

Sunday was my first day teaching Sunday school for the four & five year olds. Since I had already committed to it and it was my first time I did not want to quit. I do not like to go back on my word. When I make promises I like to keep them. If can can't do something I'll tell you no but truly I will make every effort to do something when someone asks me for help. That's just my passion; I'm a giver and I love to help people. Greg, knowing how much it means to me to keep my commitments, decided to help me. But in all honesty he ended up teaching the class. Sure I prepared the lesson and I wrote everything down for him but he taught the lesson and I only had to jump in a few times. The kids loved him. Adryana was also in our class and she was beaming with pride. She was so happy to have her parents teaching her Sunday school. She said she wanted us to teach every week. I was also happy that I was able to do it and I knew God would give us strength to do it and that's exactly what He did. With the help of my husband, of course. Everyone I tell the story to says Greg deserves some kind of Husband of the Year award for helping me so much when I was sick. I would agree too.

Although I'm not 100% yet, I already feel great just knowing I'm so close to be over this sickness. It really was one of the worst I've had in a while. I really don't like being sick and not being able to do all my responsibilities. I also don't like the fact that when I'm sick I'm really miserable and it makes me so frustrated that I tend to not be a very nice person. I hate admitting that but it's true. I'm kind of mean when I'm sick so I try to stay away from people so I won't have to take out my frustration on them. Therefore, Greg, Adryana and Arjay, I apologize if I was mean to you guys this past week. I love you guys lots and lots. Also, thank you Greg for everything you did to help me. You are the best and I love you! To everyone else, I'm really glad to be back and to be blogging. I hope you are having a great day!

I Am

I haven't been blogging for awhile. Right now I'm "under the weather." I've been dealing with a sore throat, fever and nasal congestion. Also last night I had a headache and my body also ache. I guess it's the flu. I heard today that flu season has started. So I guess I am one of the first victims. While I am recovering, I am posting a poem I wrote some years ago.

I AM

I am a goddess of love

I feel exotic and free

I think of peace, love and harmony

I am a goddess of love

I am a ray of sunshine

I am happy when I help others

I am sad when I hurt others

I am a ray of sunshine

I am a beautiful heart

I wish I could mend broken hearts and cure all illnesses and diseases

I believe in eternal life, peace and happiness through Jesus Christ

I am a beautiful heart