A new member of the family!

While he's not officially ours, my parents just adopted Simon on Sunday from the Rover Rescue organization. Simon, a Terrier Mix male is 1 1/2 and is described as:

"A happy, friendly, and loyal boy. Alot of fun. He has the cutest smile and underbite! Good with other dogs. Seems to be housebroken."

To say my kids were excited would be putting it mildly. You see, we don't have a pet in our house and the fact that my parents have adopted a dog and are "sharing" him with us has put my three kids into orbit. They are beside themselves with excitement... as am I. Having grown up with dogs myself as a child I have missed having one all these years. The plan is that Simon will live at my parents house but will have frequent visits to our house since we only live 10 minutes away...including sleepovers. He's kind of like an extended family dog to be shared with my parents having senior ownership. I like this arrangement and think it will work out just great for all of us...and Simon too, of course. We had our first meeting with Simon on Sunday afternoon after the adoption was complete and we are all officially in love with this little cutie. We spent the afternoon playing with Simon in the park across the street from my parents house, taking him for a walk and just hanging out. My kids couldn't believe it when Simon jumped in our car as we were leaving. A hearty laugh was had by all. I think this is going to be the start of a long a beautiful relationship.

50 Years and Still Going Strong!

My parents, Betsy and Jerry Biggins, just celebrated a milestone occasion on April 8th....their 50th Wedding Anniversary!! They are not only great parents and grandparents but are wonderful role models to all of our family. They are generous too! In celebration of their Golden Anniversary they brought me, my sisters and our families on a 7-day Princess cruise to Mexico aboard the Sapphire Princess. We just got home yesterday and had a fabulous time spending an entire week together on the ship and making stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan along the way. I highly recommend cruising, it is such a fun family vacation because everyone can do what they want in a safe and fun environment during the days in port and at sea and then gather together at the end of the day and share adventure stories. Kids get to have a real sense on independence on board as well. Having worked for Princess Cruises for 14 years (before my kids were born) I may be a bit biased but I think cruising is one of the best ways for families to travel, especially for reunions and celebrations such as ours this week. This cruise was filled with so many great times and great memories and a fun time was definitely had by our entire party of 12! Now, sadly, it's back to reality and unfortunately for the kids it's back to school tomorrow. I think they would rather be dropping anchor in Cabo in the morning and spending the day snorkeling and at the beach!! Come to think of it, so would I!





Did I mention my parents are adventurous too? Well, they are.


Thanks for a fabulous & memorable anniversary cruise for all of us Mom & Dad. Here's to many more happy years of fun and adventure together.