Pack your bags, we're taking a trip!!!

I haven't had a vacation in over a year.  At least not a real vacation. Last time we took off, we went to Jamaica for a week.  It was fantastic, but it's been much too long since I've had more then about 2 hours of face-time with my husband.  Well, we are going to remedy that.  We are preparing to drive to Orlando to spend some time with my brother and his family.  And the mouse, or if not the mouse, at least his watery friends.

We were going to go on a cruise, utilizing the services of Autism on the Seas to do our booking, but given my grams' terminal cancer I just can't take a cruise right now.  At least with this we will have a car and God forbid we have to return home we can do that at a moment's notice.

So far our plans have included renting a condo for a ridiculously cheap rate, hiring a mother's helper/vacation nanny to give me some respite and help to keep the Beastie safe and reading a ton of books about Orlando & Autism.

The most helpful one I've found so far is The Child With Autism Goes to Florida: Theme Park & Resort Guide, Tips and Rides Review.  It's a nice pocket size guide and has been packed with useful info on every page.  As someone who has been to Disney World 14 times already, but never with an autistic child, that is saying something.

The one I am slowly plowing my way through is PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs: The Take-Along Travel Guide and Planner! (Passporter Walt Disney World).  It's almost overwhelming but very, very thorough.  It covers about every 'special need' you can think of for pretty much every attraction in the greater Orlando area.  And a few needs I never even considered!

Both books will be making the trip with us.  I've also seriously considered buying The I-95 Exit Information Guide: 6Th Edition.  The bits I've looked at online seem like it would be perfect for us, since we aren't making any reservations for accommodations on our drive down or back, just playing it by ear, based on Beastie's needs & mood.

And, in a moment of weakness, I purchased The Ultimate Disney Savings Guide .pdf.  I am currently on page 34 of 137 and so far I haven't learned a single thing I didn't already know.  Now, to be fair, I do have a degree in travel & tourism and am the Queen of Google Research (yes, it's a title I own, along with "Queen of Random" -- you know you're jealous).  So I am reserving judgement till I save the $19.95 I spent on it.  So far, no savings.

So, did I mention we are leaving in TWO WEEKS??? Oh, and I have a 3 day trip to MD Sheep & Wool thrown in there for good measure?  And a trip to take Beastie to the Center for Autism & Related Disorders at Kennedy Kreiger (read: Johns Hopkins) the day before we leave for vacation?

Hang on friends, it's going to be a wild few weeks!

Pride, Prejudice & Argus

So I finally started reading "Pride & Prejudice" this weekend. It was the first book I downloaded on my kindle nearly a year ago. Not sure why I was suddenly motivated to read it, other then the utter shame I feel when all my knitterly friends start discussing and I just sit there mutely or pretend to be digging through my knitting bag.

What's that you ask? Do I actually still knit? Smartasses. Just because I don't ever remember to share my knitting doesn't mean it isn't happening.

I've done THREE shawls so far this year. I have pics of two of them and sorta pics of the third (it is awaiting blocking -- maybe I'll do that tonight).

The first one was Argus from Wendy Johnson of WendyKnits. I knitted it out of Yarntopia Treasures WoolSilk yarn. The silk was more of a raw silk, so it should wear forever.  Sorry the blocking photo is so dark.  It was at night & with my cell phone, so ya know, you get what you get with that sort of thing.  It was my first time using the blocking wires.  I guess I didn't completely screw it up, because it looks pretty good now.

Scary Skew

So this is a SIP (sock-in-progress) photo, right before I started the skew's heel shaping. I was very afraid, because it seemed about a thousand times too big for my foot.

But miracles! I have done the "magic oragami" Kitchner part and it fits! Hooray!

Better pics tomorrow of it now actually fitting on my foot. I was sure this was headed to the frog pond. All hail knitty!

But they were on sale!

I stopped by AC Moore yesterday. I was looking for a size L Tunisian crochet hook. No luck, so I guess I will have to order one from somewhere. At any rate, I promised myself I would be good. Money is a bit tight this month since medium child wrecked his car & large child had some unexpected doctor expenses (they think it might be mono). BUT they were having an amazing bead sale. All the Blue Moon beads & all the Cousins stuff was $2. Anything up to $7.99. Of all the weeks! So I practiced as much restraint as I could muster and spent under $50; that's good, since I also got a few other non-bead things I needed.

Today I settled in and made my first masterpiece from my purchases. I realize I've never shown you guys my jewelry. I'm not that great at it; I usually just do earrings & stitch markers and generally I just do them for myself or as gifts for people I love. I have considered branching out and selling my stuff, but not sure if I have the desire to do that yet. So, for your approval...

All glass beads, approx 30" long. I think I love it.

For my husband

Seven years ago today you made me the happiest woman in the world. Thank you for being by my side, for better or worse. You are my one true love.

From our wedding ceremony...

I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.
I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.