Christmas at my place

The week before Christmas was hard as I kept thinking that Mom would not be with us for Christmas. Also I took a box of cookies and went to the assisted living to wish a Merry Christmas to the ladies who were taking care of Mom. Going back to the place where I visited her every day was horrible. I hardly stayed half an hour. To distract myself, I cooked a lot and prepared the Christmas Eve's dinner and Christmas Day's lunch.
But I had a wonderful Christmas time with my four grandchildren playing, screaming, running, and having the time of their life in spite of grandpa ordering them to stop running every ten minutes. We have two gay scrooges leaving on the floor beneath us. When the kids run, they hit their ceiling with a broom, or call and yell to "stop the damn kids from running". Thank God, they didn't do it this year, so I will give them a box of cookies for New Year to thank them for their new understanding.

On Christmas Eve I had twelve adults and the four little ones for dinner. They told me everything was delicious. The kids opened their presents before dinner and later entertained us with a special show they put together.
On Sunday, we all went to Mass, my children, their spouses and their children. The young parents spent their time whispering to their little ones to be quiet and behave. I thought my grandchildren were perfectly well behaved, their intermittent chats blissfully covered by the choir's songs. The people in the rows behind us must have thought the same as they constantly smiled at the little ones. We had lunch early as my daughter was leaving at 5 and driving three hours to Melburn. A neonatologist by profession, she's on call for four days and has agreed to cover the delivery room of that hospital during the Christmas holiday.

An hour before she left, we took the kids to the park. Little Madelyn, (4) jumped on the monkey bars, got scared and called Mommy. Well, Mommy ran, jumped up and tried to come down carrying her. I was running behind her and caught Madelyn from her just in time for Mommy not to fall on the ground. But she twisted her back and fractured a rib. She hadn't yet recovered from a reconstructive surgery on her ankle. In spite of that, she left for Melburn after swallowing a Motrin for the pain.

Yesterday my daughter-in-law and I took the three girls to see the movie, Tangled, the story of Rapunzel. We ate pop-corn and then went to Target to buy books about Rapunzel, and a nice Rapunzel brush for their hair. The stores were packed with parents and children, as if shoppers have decided to do their shopping after Christmas rather than before. With the lousy economy, it's not surprising.

After the kids finally slept, the adults played cards. With drinks, appetizers and a lot of laughter when five adults, with competitive minds, are determined to win.
And today my son and his family left. The house is suddenly too quiet, but I still have my two little girls.

God bless the children who make Christmas such a joyous time.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.
BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/

Women Leadership

Do you believe in women leadership? I always did. During my career as a chemist I continuously fought to improve women’s conditions and status at work.

I remember the quip of one of my male employees. “Hey boss, I am a young white male. Why do I feel like a minority here?” The whole staff burst out laughing. But Jim had a point here. In my lab there were a few more women than men. Not that I hired more women on purpose. Qualified chemists were difficult to find. We had to train the new hires. The hours were long, the job difficult and highly stressful with many government regulations, strict quality control and deadlines. Some chemists couldn’t cope with the pressure. Women seemed more resilient. [Jim, if you read this. Know that you were one of the best chemists I ever had. You survived.]

When I started my own career I had two small children and I worked at a time when a woman was asked questions considered discriminatory today.
Who will take care of your kids when you are at work? The best daycare, not that it is any of your business!!.
Are you going to take off when they are sick? What do you think, am I going to let them stay alone at home!!
Can you stay long hours and overtime if necessary? Yes, sir, I am a professional. I have the feeling I will work harder than any man here to prove myself!!

Yes, I did work harder to prove myself. And I succeeded in my career and got promoted.

But I always understood how difficult it was for a woman to make it in a man’s world. As a result I ran my the Analyitical Division and the laboratory in my own way, differently from other work places.

Young mothers could take off when their kids were sick. They could come later or earlier than the classical 8:00am. Providing they put their forty hours a week and delivered their results on time, I didn’t care how they manage their schedule. A young mother with a sick kid could work in the evening when her husband was back from work and stay home with the sick child during the day.

Flexibility was the name of the game. With good salaries and regular increases, my employees didn’t mind hard work as long as they organized their hours themselves. As a result, chemists stayed for years in my lab which was famous for its low turnover and reliable staff.

Exhausted by my heavy responsibilities to corporate, to my staff and to the laboratory’s clients, and burnt out by the incredibly long hours of work I imposed on myself, I took an early retirement. A year later, the lab closed. My employees had no trouble finding jobs elsewhere, thanks to their thorough experience and the excellent references we gave them. After being the boss for many years, I am now the good old friend who likes to hear about their family news.

In my new career as a published author, I create heroines who believe in women leadership and have successful career as chemist, doctors, architect,...

As the corporate office celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, the actual officers surprised me with this certificate of achievement.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/

A priceless video

The birth of Jesus IF he was born in our time.

Click on the link for a good laugh!!! The one who puts this trailer is a genuis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vZrf0PbAGSk


All my books available at Amazon.con

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

A special person A special story

I remember seeing the movie, The Nun, staring Audrey Hepburn, years ago but I have never attended a real profession of perpetual vows. How many of you had attended such a ceremony?

Last week, thirteen members of my family headed to the boonies of Texas, and a place called Prayer Town built in the desert. Prayer Town is home to a Franciscan Charismatic Religious community. We stayed at the convent to attend the celebration of vows of a lovely opera singer who left the glitter of a promising career and became a humble nun.

Baskets of flowers decorated the big chapel as if a wedding was about to take place.

Her face radiant, Sister RM walked toward the altar between her mother and father, wearing her usual gray robe and navy chasuble and holding a bouquet of flowers. A beautiful corsage contrasted with her severe outfit.

While the music played, the guests sat on the left side of the church, and Sister RM sat on the right side with the congregation of nuns.
A bishop had traveled to Prayer Town to celebrate the special Mass and bless the new nun.

During the Mass, Sister RM knelt in front of the bishop and answered his questions. At some point, she lay down on the floor while everyone knelt and prayed.

The bishop blessed her. Her face glowing with happiness, she stood and pronounced her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Then the bishop slid a silver ring on her finger.

After the religious part, came the civil one. Sister RM signed official papers in which she renounced all her possessions and inheritance. Two witnesses signed the documents that would be sent to the county.

A catered reception followed the ceremony attended by the family of Sister RM, the nuns and about fifty friends from the neighboring areas.

After the buffet lunch, Sister RM cut her cake, a sumptuous cake decorated with a cross, and then the entertainment started.

Some of the nuns and family members related anecdotes about Sister RM. The nuns played music and sang. But at the general request, Sister RM sang a scene from Romeo and Juliette, and another from La Traviata. Her incredible voice filled the place and gave me goose bumps. Here is a sweet young woman who has dedicated her life and talents to the service of God and the needy.

Amarillo, TX. seen by a Floridian

Last weekend, thirteen members of my family and extended family flew to Amarillo, TX, to attend the Final Profession of Vows of my sweet niece, now Sister Regina Marie. It was a grand ceremony followed by a joyful reception. I will blog about it tomorrow.

Today I want to offer you a few pictures of Amarillo, a small Texan city surrounded by desert lands.

Amarillo's small airport is pompously named Amarillo International Airport because the Fed Ex plane stops there.
Today I will post a few pictures of Amarillo that reflects the real heart of Texas. I kept thinking of my friend Celia Yeary who loves so much her blue state and often blogs about it.

As soon as I landed, I broke into a large smile at the sight of handsome hunks wearing Stetson hats. No wonder so many authors like to write about cowboys.

We had lunch at an old saloon where the ribs tasted heavenly.

Here I am wrapped in a heavy coat, hat and scarf, trying to imagine what it would be like to travel in that last-century carriage.
Our group is posing in front of an unhappy cow.
Even the waitresses wear the famous Stetson.

Can you see the balcony, chandeliers and upper rooms? I can only guess what the rooms were used for after a good dinner and few drinks.

Celia, this post is for you and all our friends who live in Texas. Tomorrow I will blog about my niece's profession of vows.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/

St. John

Our third stop was at St. Thomas, an island well-known for the shopping of jewlry and liquors that are tax-free and at bargain prices. We bypassed the shopping, rented a taxi and went straight to the ferry for St. John Island.

A local taxi drove us to Trunk Bay -

The most renown beach on the islands, and probably in the Caribbean.

Certainly the most photographed and printed beach in the island magazines.
This is probably due to its picture perfect view from North Shore Road.

Notice the soft golden sand of Turk Bay beach.

We spent a lovely day swimming and playing with my grandchildren.

And then it was time to leave that piece of paradise and return to the ship.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/

Thanksgiving in St. Maarten

On Thanksgiving Day we docked at St. Maarten Island.

After admiring the beautiful turquoise color of the Carribean Sea, we enjoyed the day on the Dutch side of the island. Apparently 16,000 tourists visited St. Maarten on Thanksgiving Day. Can you count four ships?

We had a quick walking tour of the shore area.

This map of the island is made of marble tiles, inserted in the ground, at the entrance of the town.

Playing with the grandchildren was the highlight of my cruise.

No shopping for me. I was too busy holding little hands.

Although they had nice beach wraps, not expensive.

The Captain's Pub next to the boutiques.

Too soon it was time to go home to the ship.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/