In a previous post I talked about the new sport that my husband and son took up-wakeskating. It has been a little over a month and I can now positively tell you that our family has a new love and I am not at all surprised that it has a board attached to it! So in the last month equipment has been purchased, passes have been acquired and riding has commenced…on an almost every day basis…
I spent last weekend decorating for Christmas here at the House of Root. The entire Root Family will be home this Christmas so we are all getting to take in the Christmas season together. When I think of Christmas the following thoughts and images come to mind: the smell of pine, hot cocoa, fireplaces, snow, log cabins, mittens, icicles, sleds, slippers, lights, boots, flannel pajamas-it is my most favorite season for all these reasons as I sit here in my shorts and flip flops thinking about how it was 85 degrees today in Florida. Last year we had a white Christmas in Eugene, Oregon with my family. We played in the snow, drank hot cocoa, wore our mittens…and Cody even snowboarded for the first time. So, I decorate and enjoy the “thought” of all those things. So how do the Aggies fit into all of this? Several years ago Cody began collecting the Texas A&M collectible ornaments-once we moved to Florida I could not find them anymore (not even online). So our “Aggie” ornaments are some of our most prized ornaments on our Christmas tree. The coziness of our home at this time of the year slips me away, temporarily, to a log cabin in the snowy mountains with a big, rock fireplace brewing hot cocoa over the fire (I can dream!)
Cody’s Aggie ornament collection
A Root Christmas
We have spent a lot of time over the last few years “on a boat” so I thought I would spend this Traveling Tuesday sharing some of our time “on a boat”. Jonathan, by far, has the most acquired hours on the boat (it is his job!), followed by Cody and then myself. The Root Family has celebrated every Christmas for the past four years on a boat (well, except last year because the boat was in South America)-this will be the first Christmas that we will celebrate at home, together, as a family and to be perfectly honest it feels a little strange to not be going anywhere. We have cruised to several amazing destinations that I will share in future Traveling Tuesday posts but I wanted to show you some of our actual time on the boat. And for the record Dad…I know…it is a ship!
Climbing the rock wall…on the boat
The Roots…on several boats
Team Rootberry working…on the boat
Cody and Jonathan playing…on the boat
Lots of Christmas…on the boat
A beautiful view and a little shuffleboard…on the boat
…on the boat
The colors, the tradition and the food made for a very memorable evening. The wedding took place at the Orlando Marriott Airport and began with a reception in the lobby for the guests, shortly afterwards the groom arrived and then the bride made her quiet yet grand entrance. The traditional indian dress of the female guests was stunning. Afsheen’s dress was amazing-it was actually shipped to her from Pakistan and she said it weighed approximately 50 pounds, which she wore on her tiny and petite body very gracefully. And can we talk about the food…I found two new favorites-paratha (a delicious indian type flatbread) and chicken tikka. For this wedding I second-shot alongside Linda Claveria of Linda Rose Photography and I would like to thank her for such a great experience and opportunity. Afsheen and Masroor will be leaving Orlando and I wish them well on their journey of life.
A few special details
A beautiful bride
Arrival of the groom
A new life together
Tradition
Memories
My Mom and Dad were in Orlando visiting for Thanksgiving and prior to them coming my Mom had told me that she wanted some pictures of her and my Dad. It was so fun planning the photo session with my Mom-what they would wear, where we would go, how I would have them pose (as my Mom reminded me that they were not “young” anymore-what did she think I was going to make them do!) We had a few challenges that day-it was hot, the sun was beating down and very bright and my Mom didn’t have her non-glare glasses…with all that we ended up with some amazing shots (and no “weird, young people poses!”) My Mom is getting an 11×14 of her favorite for her birthday and I can’t wait to order it and send it off, especially since her birthday was last month!
My parents left the Monday after Thanksgiving and they are missed so much…
A traditional Indian wedding…and here is a sneak peek.
In May of 2008, for my birthday, we decided to take a short trip to New York. It was my birthday but the intent was to make sure that Cody got to a Yankee’s baseball game their last year playing in Yankee Stadium before they moved to their new stadium across the street. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, especially knowing that Cody had fulfilled one of his lifetime goals at the age of 14! New York is a place that cannot be satisfied in a short trip! I HAVE to go back, there is so much more to see, so much more to do, so much more to explore. I know that this may seem strange, but I absolutely loved the subway and wanted to ride it everywhere-it is what I missed the most when we arrived home in Orlando. I also could not get enough of Central Park-we spent quite a bit of time there. The serenity of this massive park amongst the high rises and busyness of the city brought a sense of peace to me. I told my husband I wanted to go back so I could spend more time soaking it all in. So what did we do in our short trip-saw the Today Show taping and Alanis Morissette perform, went to the Top of the Rock, ate at Carnegie Deli, had canoli in Little Italy, shopped at H&M, went to a broadway show, visited Ground Zero, went to Wall Street, ate from a street vendor, shopped on Canal Street, had pizza, walked Central Park, at PinkBerry yogurt, saw the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, traveled by subway, bus and taxi…and yes, went to a Yankees game!
