Panama Canal Cruise 2013 – Part 3

celebrity infinity panama canal cruise april 2013 costa rica tarcoles bridge crocodiles

My last post discussed our stop in Colon, Panama and our crossing of the Panama Canal. After exiting the Canal we spent a day at sea before reaching Puntarenas, Costa Rica. My sister-in-law Tomoko set up a fabulous outing for us with Odyssey Tours, a local eco-tourism company.

Panama Canal Cruise 2013 – Part 2

celebrity infinity panama canal cruise april 2013 colon geoffroy’s tamarin

Last week I discussed life aboard the cruise ship and our first stop in Cartagena, Colombia. The next morning we woke up docked in Colon, Panama. We had 10 hours of shore leave, and Jim and I had chosen a ship-recommended excursion that took us on a lazy boat ride through a tributary of Gatun Lake to see monkeys and other wildlife.

Panama Canal Cruise 2013 – Part 1

celebrity infinity panama canal cruise april 2013

From April 1, 2013, through April 16, 2013, Jim and I joined the Ferguson clan [aka my husband’s wonderful family] on a 2 week cruise through the Panama Canal. My father-in-law surprised everyone with the 16-day trip aboard the Celebrity Infinity.

Holiday Spirit

christmas tree ornaments

Christmas never feels right until the tree is up and decorated. 4 years ago I bought a fake tree at Target on super sale – apparently no one wanted it. But I knew it was perfect the first time I saw it – it’s got pinecones and little red berries on twigs, and fake snow – it’s awesome! It’s tall and narrow, and sort of hard to decorate since the branches are all munched close together. But it’s my tree and I love it.

Painting While Intoxicated – Part 1

intoxicated drunken splatter paint art

I should point out that I rarely get drunk. But a couple times a year I come home from work on a Friday night and decide it’s time to get hammered. A couple of White Russians later and I’m feeling GOOD! Which is around the time I decide a “Goth Dance Party” in the girl cave is long overdue. I dig out my club clothes, crank the Industrial music, turn on the LED Christmas lights, and dance like no one’s watching.

Girl Cave Ceiling – Part 1

painting girl cave ceiling benjamin moore galaxy

At the end of October I started painting the girl cave ceiling, but didn’t get very far due to vertigo issues I’ve suffered from since May. I’m painting it Benjamin Moore Galaxy – a beautiful, rich, dark purple. I think it will look so cool once it’s painted and covered with tiny LED lights. I know it’s not typical to paint a ceiling, let alone paint it dark, but my girl cave is, well, my GIRL CAVE. And my art studio. And I can decorate it however I please 🙂

Painting the Girl Cave Built-In

girl cave built in cupboard door hardware rust-oleum metallic

After painting the Girl Cave walls Violet Mist, I decided to paint the built-in cupboard Amethyst Shadow, which is from the same color family. I decided on high-gloss paint because I love the look of shiny furniture! After 2 coats of BIN primer and 3 coats of Amethyst Shadow, it was done and looking fantastic! It took 2 weeks to fully cure before I could put anything on it. For the hinges & hardware I used Krylon Fusion Mystic Prism Effect spray paint.

Tilghman Island, MD 2012

tilghman island maryland osprey

Back in June 2012, a few weeks after getting married *happy squeak*, Jim & I flew down to MD to visit his Auntie Alice and her husband Ben. We stayed for a long weekend with them at their gorgeous home on Tilghman Island, MD. Auntie’s son Jeffrey was also there – he had been hit by a car in the city while walking [poor guy!], and was recovering from emergency knee surgery.