Anna Skamarakas

Cereal is not my friend.  I have never - not even as a child - really enjoyed a bowl of cereal.  As someone who has had gastric bypass surgery, I find that something with too many carbs can sometimes cause a hypoglycemic attack, so I have tried to avoid foods like cereal - even when I am craving them.  But protein is protein, my gastrically altered amigos, and I have heard good things about Kay’s Naturals products.  It only took a free sample to convince me I really needed to try this cereal.

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I find myself crying today. 

My friend Kathy has a grandmother that she loves, admires, and cherishes, like all people should do with their grandmothers.  Kathy’s grandmother is very close to 100 years old.  A big celebration has been planned to mark this milestone birthday, and invitations have been sent.  And then Grandma Angelina had a stroke.  She was taken to the hospital on Sunday, and it has been determined that at some point, she has had a heart attack as well that has done some serious damage to a heart that has loved for almost 100 years.  As you can imagine, a heart that old has been broken a few times - because when you live to be 100, you suffer a lot of loss, a lot of sadness.  But if you are surrounded by people who love you and cherish you, like Kathy does, those kinds of heart breaks heal.  That is not always the case when a 100 year old heart suffers a heart attack.

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August 23rd 

Today will be an interesting day.  Jim, Brighid and Russell have tickets for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and since we’re not in Edinburgh, they have a pretty long bus ride, leaving at 3 today.  We have no excursions planned for the day for the rest of us, but after a leisurely breakfast in the dining room (love the eggs benedict), we decide to take a stroll through the town. 

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So, I started taking Italian lessons tonight :-)  I was glad to learn that I am an excellent speaker.  I pronounced everything perfectly.  Unfortunately, I had very little clue as to what I was saying! 

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NOW we’re talking MARTINI!! 

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The ultimate cooler cocktail is billed as the drink that will cool down your senses.  I don’t know about cooling them down, but I would say one too many of these, and your senses will be dulled at the very least.

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August 22 on the Grand Princess, and we are in Liverpool, England.  I have to admit, I don’t know anything about Liverpool other than the fact that is it the birthplace of the Beatles.  I even have a difficult time choosing an excursion here, because there isn’t anything that jumps out at me as something we would all enjoy doing.  There are 7 of us, and while I’d love some of the Titanic history, or even a walk in the Beatles footsteps, not all of us would.  We end up doing a city tour, and it turns out to be quite interesting.

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This really does have something to do with our recent vacation, although it comes a little out of order. 

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I’m just beginning to think there really is not one redeeming quality to a martini anywhere.  I just can’t handle them! 

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Ahhh, minty fresh; but I like it too!  Oh, wait, that’s Irish Spring soap.  Or is it this drink?  Never mind.

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