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First posted July 24, 2008

I didn’t really crawl there.  That just sounded like a cool title.  A lot of cruise ships stop at St. Thomas, USVI, but as much as I liked St. Thomas, St. Croix had more of a draw for me.  I guess maybe that was because it didn’t have as much of a tourist feel.   I loved St. Croix.  Most of the time I was in port I just walked around the town, but once I rented a car and drove all the way around the island.  What a beautiful drive that is.  I would encourage you to do the same if you happen to be there for a day or two.  When you are get to Point Udall, the easternmost point of St. Croix, you’ve gone as far east as you can go and still be in the United States.

There are three things that make me think of St. Croix.  One is the Caribbean Hook Bracelet.  This first became popular on St. Croix as a way to celebrate love and good fortune.  If you wear the hook facing towards your heart, your heart is taken and good fortune will come your way.  If you wear the hook away from your heart, you are available and sharing your good fortune.  A good friend gave me my hook bracelet.  We both have one in the traditional horseshoe design. I have to admit that there are days when Consumer Man makes me want to wear my bracelet with the hook out.

The second thing that makes me smile and think of St. Croix is my slice of the ocean.  It’s actually a slab of Larimar, but I bought it because it’s like holding the ocean and it’s waves in my hand.  Larimar is an unusual gemstone mined from a remote mountain in the Dominican Republic.  The name Larimar was given to the stone by a Dominican, Miguel Méndez, who combined his daughter’s name LARIssa, with MAR, the Spanish word for sea.  I didn’t realize I was purchasing one of the world’s  rarest gemstones when this piece of Larimar became mine.  All I knew was that I felt as if I were holding the sea and it’s beauty in my hand.  It had to come home with me.

And what, you ask, is the third thing that brings back the memory of St. Croix?  It’s roti.  Actually, what I ate was a dish of stewed or curried ingredients stuffed in a roti skin.  The actual roti part is more of a flat Indian bread.  St Croix is the only place I’ve eaten that dish.  I’ve had the roti just as a bread here in the States.  I guess I’ll have to learn how to make my own.  Recipes, any one?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

First posted July 17, 2008

I suppose by now you’ve figured out that my mind can travel down some paths not frequently traveled.

While in Walgreen’s last week something caught my eye as I was passing the cosmetic counter.  I had to turn around and go back and get a better look.  I really just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  My first thought was, “Just look at that jungle.”

I can’t seem to avoid jungles.  I found myself looking at a display of nail polish.  Revlon’s Jewels of the Nile, to be more specific.  All I could see were jungle colors with innovative names such as Pink Orchard, Guava Glam, Primal Purple and Tropical Teal.  Don’t those names bring visions of tropical flowers and fruits?  And what about Exotic Ivory?  I’m thinking of all those wild elephants crashing through the jungle and trampling the gorgeous flowers and luscious fruits.  Smash!  Kaboom!  Oh, no!  It’s coming right at me.  I’m the next tropical bloom on the “let’s crush everything in our path list.”  Okay, I escaped that stampede.

Now I’m looking at Brazil Nut Brown and thinking about the mud at the edge of the Nile squishing up through my toes.  I wonder if this mud is as good as the Dead Sea Mud.  Maybe I should smear some all over my body and see if it beautifies me.

I really have trouble with the last color.  Lush Lime.  I don’t see trees with a bounty of limes for harvest when I look at that green.  I see maybe some moss, but mostly I see something rotten and molded.  Maybe those bananas I stepped in trying to get away from the elephants.

There’s a color Revlon forgot.  They could have called it Bold Bananas.  What’s a jungle without bananas?  I think I will  get on one of those tour boats going on down the Nile to see what else I can find to go with those nail colors.  Oh, look!  The tour company is named Jungle Jewels and my boat is called the Tropical Flower.

First posted July 11, 2008

Hate is actually too strong a word to use for the feelings I’ve had towards Home Depot, but I’ve had no reason to not have an active dislike for them.  The attitude at Home Depot should be that of wanting to assist the customer by providing expertise and knowledge of what is needed to complete the DIY project.  With that type of caring and attitude, these employees would produce happy customers, thereby, ensuring the person’s return to purchase all the goodies needed for all future projects.  I’ve been less than enchanted by the general attitude and ineptitude that I encountered since purchasing my money pit last summer.

I told you about my little bathroom geyser last week. This is the rest of the story.  Handyman Joe picked up the vanity and drop in sink and counter top on Friday and put it in on Monday.  He hit a snag not too far into the job.  My faucets wouldn’t work with the sink.  It was either return the counter top/sink and exchange it or buy new faucets.  New faucets sounded easier than the exchange, so I went for the faucets while Joe kept on with the job.  It was a little enough problem considering that every job the money pit has needed so far turned into more of a problem than initially thought.  We were sure the floor under the old cabinet was ready to cave in or something.  The floor was in good shape, so needing faucets was no big deal.  Except that when I asked the guys in the bathroom goodies department last week, they said, “Don’t worry.  Your faucets will fit.”

I could either whine and get upset or go in and pitch a hissy fit.  If you don’t know what that is, ask your grandmother.  She’ll know.  She’s probably pitched a few in her life.  What I chose to do was go to the service counter, explain the situation and ask if they could put it on the 12 month, no interest plan with my purchases from last week.  The qualifier for that plan is to purchase something $299 or more and put it on your Home Depot card.  Now I want nice faucets since I plan to be looking at these things the rest of my life, but $299?  Get real. Besides, they were for my bathroom and not Consumer Man’s.  Don’t say anything.  I already used up most of my day’s allotment of nice at Home Depot.  But nice faucets don’t mean I’m about to pay anything near $299.

Dawn and Debra in the service department came through for me.  They called the credit card people, explained that I had been misinformed when I made last week’s purchase and now needed to purchase additional supplies.  Now I have an amount below $299 and so far above $100 that I don’t want to think about it added to my 12 month, no interest charge from last week.  I’m busy trying to dig myself out of debt and the money pit is trying to suck me farther into it.  That’s why I won’t charge anything without the no interest clause.  And I pay it off well ahead of time so that nothing odd happens at the end of the time frame.  It’s worked so far with all the things I’ve had to buy from Home Depot and for the central air conditioner.

This story has a moral.  Be nice and ask politely.  Sometimes it helps, but it never hurts to try.

Home Depot, I don’t hate you anymore, but I’m still not in love with you.  I surely do like you a lot more though.

First posted July 10. 2008

I was transferred from the ship that took me to Grenada every week, but the island kept calling me back.  I finally signed off my ship for a work break and spent a week in St. George.  Getting there was a bit of a struggle.  We started on our flight to Grenada via San Juan and hit turbulence.  We had to turn around and return to Miami.  That didn’t mean we were going to get off that plane any time soon.  What we didn’t know at the time was that there was also some kind of problem with the plane.  We spent what felt like forever circling the airport to use up fuel.  Now that was unnerving.  If we needed to use up fuel, that must mean there was a possibility of a crash landing.  Finally, we landed and without the crash routine.  We were told to come back to the airport the next morning and we would be put on another flight.

They didn’t know just how persistent a sea person with only a week’s shore leave can be when plans to relax on a beautiful island are delayed.  When I asked why couldn’t I be put on another flight the same day, I was told that all the flights to Grenada went through San Juan.  Give me a break.  I asked if every single flight from everywhere in the world had to go through San Juan to get to Grenada.   The lady admitted that not all flights went through San Juan.  Just theirs. After much persuading and telling the airline personnel that I had to be in Grenada as soon as possible because I had an important meeting to attend, they did the ultimate in sacrifice and put me on a competitor’s flight.  It would take me to Trinidad and they would put me up for the night and feed me.  Then I would fly out of Trinidad at six the next morning.  All right!  Of course, my luggage was going to visit San Juan before meeting me in St. George, but I had my toiletries, clean under wear, my word processor and a book in my carry on bag, so what else did I need for a few days?  And yes, I really did have an important meeting the next day.  I was meeting Susie Sunshine and Betty Beach for a session on relaxation techniques.

While in Grenada I stayed at a guest house.  Like I said previously, I travel as a visitor rather than a tourist and, therefore, avoid tourist hotels and ex-pat enclaves when in other countries.  I had a tiny cottage of my own with a kitchen.  Heavenly!  A Jamaican friend had taught me years earlier to cook West Indian style and I was eager to have some “home cooking.”  There was a grocery only about half a mile down the hill, so I walked down for supplies every day or so and cooked up a storm.

I was used to Jamaican brown outs when you might lose power for a short while, so thought the same thing might happen in Grenada.  It doesn’t.  They had “water outs.”  I learned to take my shower first thing of a morning and then make sure the tea kettle and a water jug were filled.

I spent a lot of time just relaxing, cooking and writing but still got out and about the island to enjoy it’s beauty.  I went on a party cruise one night and danced and then danced some more.  Have I told you that I love to dance? One day my friend, George, drove me around the island on a tour.  Beaches, palm trees and even a rain forest.  Once while riding along, George all of a sudden stopped the car and we got out.  What was this all about?  A nutmeg.  Until then the only nutmeg I had seen was ground nutmeg.  Now we were parked under a nutmeg tree.  The nutmeg is very unique.  It’s actually two spices in one.  The nutmeg has mace wrapped around it in a lacy pattern.  Hey, George.  I still have that nutmeg.

The beauty of Grenada still pulls on my heart strings.  God willing, I will go back some day.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author and national speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith. She is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, author of 15 books, and encourages nearly 500,000 women worldwide through a daily online devotional. Her remarkable life story has captured audiences across America, including appearances on Oprah and Good Morning America. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and five children.

Visit the author’s website.

This Bible will help you live up to your God-given potential. Insightful daily devotions written by the women at Proverbs 31 Ministries help you maintain life’s balance in spite of today’s hectic pace. Dive into the beauty and clarity of the NIV Bible text paired with daily devotions crafted by women just like you—women who want to live authentically and fully grounded in the Word of God.

Product Details:

List Price: $34.99

Hardcover: 1536 pages

Publisher: Zondervan; Special edition (March 19, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0310439361

ISBN-13: 978-0310439363

ISLAND BREEZES

A devotional Bible for women by women of the Proverbs 31 Ministries.

As you spend time in your daily Bible study, this Bible leads you into devotions that go along with the passage you are reading.

I just read day 295 and will never again think of am and fm radio in the same way.

I’m looking forward to reading through the Bible and it’s 366 devotions. It speaks to a woman’s heart and is just right for a year of daily devotions.

AND NOW…SOME SAMPLE PAGES (CLICK ON PAGES TO ENLARGE):

First posted July 4, 2008

I’ve really been having a major problem getting motivated to exercise regularly.  It’s the getting started that seems to be the problem for me.  Once I get going a few times it starts being more of a fun thing rather than work.  We have a nice little gym down at the clubhouse.  We have a nice pool down at the clubhouse.  This is becoming reminiscent of a song about down on the boardwalk.  Well, I haven’t been able to motivate myself into going down on the boardwalk or down to the clubhouse to exercise.  But I was down at the clubhouse today.  No, not to exercise.  I was down there to party.  And during the party is when I remembered just how much fun exercising can be if you hit on the right kind.

I love to dance.  I’ve spent a large part of my life dancing.  My dancing has spanned decades and styles.  It began with ballet, tap and acrobatic dance, proceeded to jitterbug, swing, the twist, mashed potatoes, the jerk, waltz, ballroom, then on to disco, reggae and socca.  I’ve danced my way from childhood through my adult years.  I’ve danced my way from small town mid-America to the Florida sun coast; from the northeast and up the Saint Lawrence seaway to Montreal; from Bermuda to the Bahamas; from Mexico to Helsinki; across the Atlantic and all around the Caribbean.  Did I tell you that I love to dance?

I learned to dance disco and reggae style in Cozumel, Mexico at Neptuno’s.  Ship crewmen danced at Neptuno’s until a fire put the club out of commission.  Then we found this little local disco called Scaramouche which turned into our hangout.  While Neptuno was busy rebuilding, Scaramouch was busy expanding to accommodate all of us.  Eventually they started opening up earlier than regular time for us and stayed open until we were too tired to dance anymore or had to hurry back to the ship before shore leave expired.  Since that was an overnight port for us, we danced anywhere from seven to ten hours.  Did I tell you that I love to dance?

I got hooked on reggae when I first started working on ships  in 1985.  I was able to find reggae anyplace I went.  All over my area of Florida, Vegas, a Yellowman concert in Charleston, an Eek a Mouse concert in Boston, a Third World concert in Norfolk, a reggae place in Helsinki.  I couldn’t get over how many Jamaicans moved from the warm Caribbean to Finland.  Did I tell you I love to dance?

How ironic.  Consumer Man doesn’t love to dance.  We’ve danced only one time in the fifteen years we’ve known each other.  That one time wasn’t one night out dancing.  That was exactly one dance.  I wonder if he even knows that I love to dance.

It took a party today to remind me and to have my light bulb moment.  I don’t have to go anywhere to exercise and I’m not stuck with calisthenics, Denise Austin, Hanoi Jane or Richard Simmons as my exercise partner.  All I need is music and me.  I have plenty of both.  I have hundreds of cassettes and CD’s.  I need to audition all of these and downsize a bit.  I might as well get started now.  I’m going to have fun and the exercise will just be a nice benefit.  I did learn one thing today.  Birks are great for walking, but not so good for dancing.  I had to kick off those babies and get barefoot so I could get into the moves.  I may not be crazy about exercise, but did I tell you that I love to dance?

The Face of the Earth

By Deborah Raney

When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife of twenty years kisses him goodbye one autumn morning, he has little idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. Her conference in Kansas City is only a few hours’ drive from their little town of Sylvia, Missouri. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.”

Mitch sets the table with their best china and lights some candles, looking forward to their first weekend as empty nesters.

But at eight o’clock, the candles have burned to stubs and Jill still hasn’t shown up. Mitch tries her cell phone only to get her voice mail over and over again. Their two college kids haven’t heard from their mom either.
At midnight, Mitch’s irritation turns to dread. And later, when the police and Missouri Highway Patrol have turned up nothing, the Kansas City hotel calls to say they’ve found property belonging to Jill in a hotel maid’s possession.

Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, and together they search for clues to Jill’s disappearance. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer–and decidedly complicated with Jill as the tie that binds them together. Just when Shelley decides to finally reveal her feelings for Mitch, a clue to Jill’s whereabouts is uncovered. But every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.

ISLAND BREEZES

People really do fall off the face of the earth. Mitch’s wife Jill did.

It’s a life of grief and anger for family and friends when one disappears leaving behind no clues. How can the authorities find someone without  a single lead?

Mitch won’t take this lying down. He loves his wife deeply. After deciding to search on his one, he enlists the help of his next door neighbor and Jill’s best friend.

Shelley is doing everything she can to help Mitch and his kids deal with Jill’s disappearance. It isn’t easy. Shelley loves Jill like a sister and has been fighting her attraction to Mitch for a long time.

She’s going to end up with a broken heart whether Jill is found or not.

This novel will tug at your heartstrings and cause you to use some of those tissues before it’s over. Have a box nearby.

*** A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels, including “A Nest of Sparrows” and the RITA award winning “Beneath a Southern Sky” and its sequel, “After the Rains”. Deborah’s first novel, “A Vow to Cherish”, was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures’ highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb’s novella, “Playing by Heart”, was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, “Yesterday’s Embers”, appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women’s retreats and writers’ conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas.

Find out more at DeborahRaney.com

Pick 2 Day 7 winner is Pat. She will be receiving Rebekah and Picture Perfect.

Congratulations on your win, Pat.

First posted July 3, 2008

One of the ships I worked on had a cook everyone called Spice.  One day I got a chance to ask him how he ended up as Spice.  He told me that he was nicknamed Spice because he’s from the Spice Island.  Well, I had never heard of that particular island except for the brand name of herbs and spices that my father liked best.  I had never heard of it because that’s not really it’s name.  He was from the island of Grenada in the West Indies.

Eventually, I signed on a ship that had St George, Grenada as one of it’s regular ports of call.  The ship was too large to dock in St. George’s horseshoe shaped harbor, so we were tendered in by the Rhum Runner boats.   Once on the island, I would walk around the harbor into the downtown shopping district, nearly always stopping on the way for a delicious island breakfast and coffee.  Then I would proceed on around and up the hill through town.  Often I would just keep walking up that hill until I got to the top where there was a mental health facility and a terrific view of the harbor and of my ship farther out at anchor.  After enjoying the view for awhile, it was time to head back into town.  I stopped by the bank, changed dollars into EC and then stopped by the shops.  Sometimes I would need a spool of thread or just want to browse a bit.  Then I would stop by the market for provisions before heading back towards the Rhum Runners.

My last stop was the little place that sold Ting.  Actually, it was my first stop before going on into town, as well.  I would be returning my Ting bottles from the previous week’s purchases.  I have to tell you that Ting is a great drink on it’s own, but when you live on a ship, someone will find a way to put alcohol in just about anything.  One night during an illegal popcorn party (popcorn poppers were not allowed because of safety issues), someone came up with the idea of putting vodka in Ting.  That was Ting with a zing!  Everyone knew I wasn’t very good at the drinking thing, but that I was good for one zingy Ting.

After awhile I got to know all the crew on the Rhum Runners and got invited on one of their outings for snorkelers.  I wasn’t prepared to snorkel, or even swim for that matter, but got the opportunity to enjoy a nice little beach away from the tourist crowd downtown.  That was the day I met my good friend, George.  You can meet him, too.  Just go to Grenada Broadcast.

There’s so much to say about this island that it really isn’t going to fit in one post.  I’ll take you back again next week.  While you’re waiting, spend a little time with George.  I’ll be there, too.