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Hola everyone!

Well, I arrived in Florida safe and sound without any harrowing experiences on the plane. We did incur a bit of turbulence during the last 30 minutes of the flight, but nothing too dramatic. Actually, the whole flying experience wasn’t as frightening as I thought it would be; feeling quite relaxed and at ease. However, I think most of that had to do with the fact that I didn’t sleep but 30 minutes the night before because I was so worried I wouldn’t hear my clock alarm, therefore I was too tired to even care about being scared.

Once I arrived at the airport, everything went smoothly. I got my bag checked in quickly, got my boarding pass in a jiffy, and went through security in less than 5 minutes with no STRIP search.

Also, the plane ride was supposed to take 2 hours and 30 minutes, but ended up only being 2 hours and 8 minutes, so I arrived early.

Here are some photos I captured while on board the aircraft.

A view of my plane before boarding in Philadelphia.
View from my window seat, just after we took off. It’s ironic how that cloud formation resembles the wings of a bird, isn’t it? Oh, and btw, because the plane was only half full, the seat between myself and the other passenger in my row was empty so I had LOTS of elbow room. I had a very nice conversation with the woman sitting in my row during our flight, but I’m surprised she didn’t want to kill me because I had to climb over her TWICE to use the restroom. And is it just me, or have airplane restrooms SHRUNK over the years because I barely had enough room to whip out my 'ding dong' and take a PEE?
 Cotton ball clouds.
My in-flight entertainment setup on my laptop computer. I played several games of Solitaire while listening to some music I had downloaded for the trip.

My first sight of a Florida palm tree after not seeing one in 11 years!

Anyway folks, I just wanted to give you a quick update to let you know that I’m FINALLY here.

Alleluia!

It was soooooooooooooooo fabulous to see my mother and brother after so many years. And of course, I gave my mother a BIG hug from all of you.

Hope you ladies and gents are having a great week. I’ll update again when time permits.

X

P.S. Happy 4th of July!

53 comments:

  1. Hi Ron,

    I am happy to hear that you arrived safely and are up to the fun stuff now.
    I love taking pics out of the window. Sometimes, you get lucky and capture beautiful things, like the cool clouds you took or cities,mountains,etc.

    Wishing more fun and happy times with your fam. I can relate. My family reunions are very rare also due to distance. You just do your best when you are there to share and have the happiest meories you can.

    X

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  2. *waving from Florida*

    Hey there Barb!

    I just published this post not TWO minutes ago, thanks for stopping by!

    "I love taking pics out of the window. Sometimes, you get lucky and capture beautiful things, like the cool clouds you took or cities,mountains,etc."

    You're right, sometimes you just get lucky. I wasn't sure whether these photos would come out because the sun was shining directly in my window.

    "Wishing more fun and happy times with your fam."

    Thank you, my friend! We're having such a FABU time with one another. My brother and I spent yesterday hanging out with each other; riding around my hometown and taking photos. I'll be posting them the next time I update.

    Have a great week!

    X

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  3. YAY you made it! I'm so glad the flight was uneventful and you arrived safely. Enjoy your time with your Mom and Brother and I can't wait to hear all about it. xx

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  4. Good morning Pearl~

    Yaaaaay.....I made it!!!

    "I'm so glad the flight was uneventful and you arrived safely."

    Meeeeee too! For not having flown in ten years, it was a great experience all around.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, m'dear! I will update in probably a few more days because I've taken a TON of photos already.

    Hope you're having a faaaaabulous week!

    X

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  5. Oh yay! I'm so happy your flight wasn't terrifying, and that you landed safe & sound in Florida. And also, those sky photos are AMAZING!

    Have an AWESOME time on vacation! And send my love to your mom!

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  6. Florida... I would love to be there too! Family get-togethers are the sweetest.

    I commented a little less recently. I was dealing with some depression, I have to say. Now getting back on my feet.

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  7. Now wait. I'm confused. Are you happy or sad that you didn't get a strip search? I'm glad you rescheduled the flight and got an uneventful one. Can you imagine turbulence if you'd gone when Debby was still a threat? No, let's not imagine that.

    I'm sitting out on my patio, sweating my boobs off. I'm sure it's as hot there, if not hotter. I hope you are cool and having a blast. We'll miss you while you're gone. And thanks for giving your mom a hug from us. A hug from Ron is the best, just sayin'. I know. I've been there.

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  8. Glad you arrived safely and that airport conditions were good. From what I understand, you'll be cooling down coming here! Have a great 4th with your mom and brother, I bet they are SO freakin' happy to see you!

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  9. Bonjour Susu~

    "Florida... I would love to be there too! Family get-togethers are the sweetest."

    They sure are! I keep saying to my mother and brother, "I can't BELIEVE I'm actually here!!!!!"

    We're all having a great time catching up and enjoying our time together. Tonight were going out to dinner with some friends.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, girl. So glad to hear you're feeling well and getting back on your feet.

    (((( You ))))

    Have a great week!

    Ciao.....X

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  10. Hey there Lady Nitebyrd~

    "Glad you arrived safely and that airport conditions were good."

    Thank you. Yes, I cannot believe how easy and quick it was to get through all the airport crap because I kept hearing how horrific it would be. I do think that because my flight was so early it might have had something to do with it because the airport was no very crowded.

    "From what I understand, you'll be cooling down coming here! "

    You're right because when I left Philly it was WAY hotter than when I arrived here on Monday.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, Sis! Happy 4th to you!

    I'll be giving you a call later this week. Can't wait to talk to you on the phone!

    X ya!

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  11. Hey there Meleah~

    "Oh yay! I'm so happy your flight wasn't terrifying, and that you landed safe & sound in Florida."

    Thank you! OMG...so am I!!!!! It was actually a really nice flight.

    I was surprised the photos came out because the sun was shining directly in my window, so I thought I'd get a glare.

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, girl. Have a great week!

    Happy 4th to you and your family!

    X

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  12. Hiya Kathy~

    "Now wait. I'm confused. Are you happy or sad that you didn't get a strip search?"

    Bwhahahahahahaahhaha!

    Actually, I was kinda bummed because the security guard was cute, so a strip search would have been FUN!

    Tee, hee!

    "Can you imagine turbulence if you'd gone when Debby was still a threat? No, let's not imagine that."

    OMG...no, I CANNOT imagine. I am so glad I rescheduled :)

    "I'm sitting out on my patio, sweating my boobs off. I'm sure it's as hot there, if not hotter. I hope you are cool and having a blast."

    If you can believe this, it's actually a bit cooler here than when I left Philly. It's definitely hot, but it doesn't feel as hot for some reason.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, girl! I'll be posting more photos later in the week.

    Happy 4th to you!

    (((((( Kathy ))))))

    X

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  13. I'm so glad you had a good flight. Those photos remind me of the times I flew. It is so beautiful up there isn't it?

    Have a wonderful time with your family, doing lots of things together. I'm jealous of that beautiful weather!

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  14. Hey there Babs~

    "I'm so glad you had a good flight. Those photos remind me of the times I flew. It is so beautiful up there isn't it?

    It sure is! I had forgotten how beautiful it was to fly above the clouds. And I'm so grateful that the flight was basically smooth and easy :)

    I'm so glad I rescheduled my flight to this week because the weather here is really, really nice. No more rain!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, my friend. Hope you're having a wonderful week. I'll be posting more photos later this week.

    X to you and Mo!

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  15. Ron, enjoy Florida my friend. I just back from nine days in Hilton Head. It was some nice R&R too. Have a safe and happy holiday my friend.

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  16. Hello! I'm glad your trip down was relaxed and uneventful! I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time in Florida.
    Ron is visiting with his mom now too and it's been probably 7 years or more since he saw her so he's really thrilled.
    Happy 4th, what's left of it anyway.
    Enjoy the rest of your time away. I'm real happy you were able to go.
    xo

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  17. Woohoo! You survived your flight!!

    Airplane bathrooms have always been small, my friend. Maybe your ding dong has just GROWN over the years?

    Yeah. That's it.

    More importantly...how were the peanuts??

    And, did you have a cocktail midflight to calm your nerves? That works wonders!

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  18. Hey Constant Complainer~

    Wow! Hilton Head....how cool! Never been there myself, but I hear it's an AWESOME place! Glad to hear you had a great time!

    Always great seeing ya, bud. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a Happy 4th of July!

    X

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  19. Howdy Mark~

    Whoohoo! I survived the flight!!!! I was so thinking of YOU just before I got on the plane. I thought, "If Mark could do it, I can do it." So thanks for the inspiration!

    "Airplane bathrooms have always been small, my friend. Maybe your ding dong has just GROWN over the years?

    Yeah. That's it."

    Bwhahahahahahahahaha! Yeah, maybe that's it! But I swear to god it seems like the bathrooms got smaller since I last flew?!?

    "More importantly...how were the peanuts??"

    Oh, you mean the microscopic bag of peanuts? Well, they gave us a choice of a bag of peanuts or a bag of vanilla wafers, and I chose the wafers.

    "And, did you have a cocktail midflight to calm your nerves? That works wonders!"

    It was way too early for a cocktail, so opted for a coke!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, buddy. Hope you're having a faaaaaaaabulous week!

    X to you and Tara!

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  20. Hellooooooooo Mary~

    Thank you, neighbor! I'm so glad that the flight was relaxing and pretty calm for my first trip flying in YEARS.

    "Ron is visiting with his mom now too and it's been probably 7 years or more since he saw her so he's really thrilled."

    Oh, how GREAT!!!!!! I bet he's having an AWESOME time!

    Hope you had a Happy 4th! I just got back from having dinner and watching fireworks with my mother, brother, and one of my mom's friends. We had a wonderful time!

    Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great rest of your week!

    XO

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  21. I'm so pleased everything went well, especially the flight. Thanks for taking time to take to send pictures. I agree about that cloud... incredibly like a bird's wing. Heehee are you sure it wasn't a phantom aeroplane flying alongside? Have a wonderful time x

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  22. Ron, Mark stole my thunder with “Airplane bathrooms have always been small, my friend. Maybe your ding dong has just GROWN over the years”. Although if I’m not mistaken the only body parts that grow as we age are our ears and nose, however, you could be a medical wonder! Next time, ASK for a strip search and have the cute TSA Agent give us a full report.

    Those pictures are just beautiful. Love the one of the airplane wing and matching cloud! Are you using a snap and shoot camera or an expensive one! If it’s the former, I REALLY need lessons!

    So glad your trip was uneventful and you didn’t have turbulence or stress and the end result was a big hug from your mom! What a nice treat!

    Enjoy yourself! I’ll be thinking of you!

    ((YOU))

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  23. The clouds look like a snowy terrain!
    So glad you arrived safely! Have fun!

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  24. you were so calm that you were able to take some great photos!!
    fabulous

    your ding dong doesn't fit in the bathroom!!?
    next time we visit you must show me this ;)

    hugs to Mom and Bro

    have a grand old time kid

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  25. hi ron, YAYAYAY! you made it. I have thought about you lots. hoping you were enjoying yourself with the fam and it sounds like you are! I am sooo thrilled for your mom. that you could be with her. stay a long time! xxxxxx

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  26. Hey there Valerie~

    Aw...thank you dear lady. I'm pleased that everything (especially the flight) went well too. I even thanked the flight attendants and Captain for such an enjoyable flight!

    "I agree about that cloud... incredibly like a bird's wing. Heehee are you sure it wasn't a phantom aeroplane flying alongside?"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Either that, or a phantom angel!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by. Hope you're having a wonderful week! I should be posting more photos later in the week.

    X

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  27. Hiya Suzi~

    Yes, you're right, they DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend! Hope your 4th of July was great!

    Have a super week!

    Talk to ya soon!

    X

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  28. Hello dear Linda~

    Yaaaaaaaaaaaay....I made it :) When the wheels of the plane touched down on the runway in Florida....I smiled and thought, "I'm FINALLY here!!!!"

    Yes, my family and I are having a wonderful time. My brother and I are driving down to South Beach, Miami on Sunday for the day. Can't wait! I'm taking LOTS of photos :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by, sweet friend. Hope you're having a glorious week!

    ((((( Linda ))))))

    xoxoxoxoxo

    P.S. I thought of you last night when I went out to dinner and my mother ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. I said, "I have a blogging friend who grows pinot grapes!"

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  29. Hey there Lady Dianne~

    "you were so calm that you were able to take some great photos!!"

    As soon as the plane took off, I waited until the pilot announced that we could turn on our electrical devices and snapped a few photos out my window.

    "your ding dong doesn't fit in the bathroom!!?
    next time we visit you must show me this ;)"

    Bwhahahahahahahahahaha!

    Okay, I promise!!!!!

    Thanks oodles for stopping by, Di! Hope you're having an awesome week.

    Much X to you, Hope, Siren, and Isadora!

    P.S. Hope you had a great 4th of July!

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  30. Hello there Pam!

    "Maybe your ding dong has just GROWN over the years”. Although if I’m not mistaken the only body parts that grow as we age are our ears and nose, however, you could be a medical wonder! Next time, ASK for a strip search and have the cute TSA Agent give us a full report."

    Bwhahahahahahahahha! CRACKED ME THE HELL UP!!!!!! I'm currently sitting in Starbucks using there wifi and I just let out a big laugh when I read that!

    Aw, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the photos :)

    "Are you using a snap and shoot camera or an expensive one!"

    I use a Nikon Cool Pix point and shoot camera. But then what I do is upload them to Picmonkey and edit them. It's very easy, you should try it.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, dear friend. Hope you and your family had a wonderful 4th of July yesterday!

    Enjoy the rest of your week!

    (((( You )))))

    X

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  31. I'm so glad you made it safe and sound. It's wonderful when the plane gets in early. Have a wonderful time and take more pictures.

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  32. :-)

    I'm grinning from ear to ear JUST to know you got those hugs!!

    You go enjoy your time there.

    LOVE the photos, of course.
    LOVE that you thought of us and posted your arrival complete WITH photos.....and Love YOU dearly.

    Go enjoy....we'll happily be waiting!

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  33. Hey there Jen~

    Aw, thanks, girl!

    "It's wonderful when the plane gets in early."

    It sure is! I couldn't believe we arrived ahead of schedule. And it was so great because I had that extra time to pick up my luggage at baggage claim, so that when my brother picked me up at the arrival doors I was ready to go!

    Yes, I've already taken a TON of photos which I will be sharing this week and next.

    Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you had a super 4th of July holiday!

    X

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  34. *waving*

    Hiya Mel!

    "I'm grinning from ear to ear JUST to know you got those hugs!!"

    OMG...it was so wonderful to finally be able to give my mother a BIG hug from all of you!

    "LOVE that you thought of us and posted your arrival complete WITH photos.....and Love YOU dearly."

    (((((( You ))))))

    X ya too, dearest lady!

    Mucho thanks for stopping by. Hope you had a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

    I've already taken so many photos, which I can't wait to share with you guys this week and next.

    Enjoy the rest of your week!

    X

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  35. greetings my dah'ling ron. glad you made it there safely to your family. those photos are cool, but still make my stomach drop being so high up in the air with no darn strings attached. i love the clouds too, that one does look like a wing. that must be the one that held up the plane.

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  36. Greetings Val Girl!

    Aw...thank you. I'm glad I made it safely too :)

    "those photos are cool, but still make my stomach drop being so high up in the air with no darn strings attached."

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I know what you mean because I kept thinking to myself, "How the hell is this plane staying UP here?!?!?"

    "that one does look like a wing. that must be the one that held up the plane."

    When I first took the photo I didn't even NOTICE that cloud, but then after I uploaded it to my computer I saw it immediately. I initially thought that it reminded me of an ANGEL wing!

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by, girl! Hope you had a great 4th of July and a terrific week! I'll be posting more photos later this week.

    X

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  37. Awesome! After the storm it looks like the weather is fantastic. Hope you enjoy your vaca!

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  38. Howdy Herman~

    "After the storm it looks like the weather is fantastic."

    Yes.....FAN-TASTIC! It's funny after being gone for so many years, I just automatically slid into the Florida lifestyle.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, bud! Hope you and the family had an awesome 4th of July!

    X to you, Karin, and Mr. Tyler!

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  39. So glad to hear that you had a good flight, Ron. I was thinking of you on Monday. I bet your mother and brother were so happy to see you, and you them. Great photos! Love the one of the cloud that resembles a wing. That is so cool.

    Have a great time with your family and keep us posted, okay?

    Hope you had a nice July 4th!

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  40. Hola Denise~

    " I bet your mother and brother were so happy to see you, and you them."

    Yes, it was a GREAT reunion!!!! We were all so happy and excited to see one another.

    Thanks so much for stopping by, girl. Hope you had a Happy 4th of July. Enjoy the rest of your week. I should be posting more photo later this week, so stay tuned!

    X

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  41. Awesome, Ron! Glad to hear you arrived safely. Hope your vacation is relaxing and wonderful!

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  42. All right, Ron! So glad you arrived safetly. I know the feeling about being too tired to worry about the plane. I throw Xanax into the equation so I'm dead to the world for the entire flight! Love the photos! Have a great time, buddy!

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  43. That palm tree picture makes me feel relaxed just looking at it. So glad to hear you are with family. My mother joined us for Independence day and loved it. Enjoy the rest of your time!

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  44. *waving*

    Hi Bijoux~

    Thanks, my friend! I'm really enjoying myself. I can't believe I've been here almost a week already?!

    I'll be posting more photos soon! Hope you're having a great week!

    X

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  45. Hey there Rob~

    Thanks, buddy!

    "I know the feeling about being too tired to worry about the plane. I throw Xanax into the equation so I'm dead to the world for the entire flight!"

    Bwhahahahahahahhaha! I ended up not taking a Xanax because I forgot to get one from a friend of mine, so I flew au' naturel!

    Hope you had a grea 4th of July! Enjoy your week!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    X

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  46. Hey Bill~

    "That palm tree picture makes me feel relaxed just looking at it"

    You should have seen me when I spotted my first palm tree after not seeing one for 11 years. I acted like a little kid!

    "My mother joined us for Independence day and loved it."

    Oh, how faaaaaaaaaaabulous! I bet she loved spending the day with you and Paul!

    Thanks so much for stopping, buddy! Hope you're having a great week!

    X to you and Paul!

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  47. You made it!! Wow, that was wonderful. Now you can enroll into the school for Astronauts. I was so glad that you did not have to use the 3 pair of depends you had packed into your bags. It must have been so great to see you Mother and Brother for the first time you landed. You sound as if a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders. I will talk to you soon. Have a great time and be like a bird and fly back.

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  48. Dave, you KILL ME!!!

    "Now you can enroll into the school for Astronauts. I was so glad that you did not have to use the 3 pair of depends you had packed into your bags."

    Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Me too!!!! Actually, I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. I did some Reiki on the plane before we took off so that it wouldn't crash, and I guess it must have worked!

    Yes, it was sooooooooo great to finally see my mother and brother. We're all having such a great time! I can't believe I've been here almost a week already. Time is flying!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, buddy. Hope you had a great 4th of July! Have a super weekend!

    Talk to ya soon!

    X

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  49. It's never too early for a bloody mary, ya know! :)

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  50. I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip down. Sorry I haven't been around. We have been so busy I haven't had time to think!

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  51. *waving*

    Hey there Peg!

    It's sooooooooooooo great to see ya, dear friend!

    No worries, I figured you and hubby were very busy with the restaurant, plus I just got back from spending two weeks in Florida so I've been missing too!

    Yes, I a GREAT time! It was awesome spending time with my mother and brother!

    Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you're having a FAB summer!

    X ya!

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