Our Scooter Adventure

Stay tuned for the next addition of Vacation continued……………… After taking a quick glance at the majestic ocean, we headed to MOGO’s scooters.  We pull into this cute beachy alleyway that had cottage like stores on its left and MOGO’s scooters and a happening restaurant on its right.  Outside the scooter shack there were a few different kinds.  There was the scoot coupe which housed 2 people and reminded me of a tricycle, there were the single scooters and also scooters that could fit 4-6 people.  When we sought out the employee, we inquired about the scoot coupe.  You see I had never ridden a scooter, or for that matter a 4 wheeler.  I had NO clue how to drive these things.  I knew I could probably learn fast but didn’t want to take that chance with someone else’s equipment.  We were told the pricing and decided to rent the scoot coupe for the day.  I was sooooo excited.  She retrieved helmets for us and led us to our scooter.  Upon looking at it, I started to have my doubts about BOTH of us fitting in it.  After squeezing into the tiny contraption we headed on our way.  She directed us out the back way which led to the lighthouse so we wouldn’t have to start out on the highway.  As we were driving down the narrow lanes I was terribly uncomfortable.  This scooter was simply not meant for people with our stature.  The scooter lacked the get up and go we needed to fully enjoy our little drive.  When we arrived at the lighthouse we both looked at each other and decided this was just no fun.  “Let’s go back and rent 2 scooters,” I suggested.  “You sure?”   Doug asked me questionably.  “Yeah, I think we would have more fun with individual scooters.”  We slowly turned around in the drive and headed back to the scooter shack.  When we pulled in, I would love to say that I jumped but it was more like peeled out of the coupe and ran into office.  I explained to her our dilemma and she agreed that it would probably be better.  Of course she agreed because we had to fork over 65 more dollars.  She and I hopped onto scooters and she gave me a quick rundown on the different levers and gauges.  We took a stroll around the block and let me just tell you, I couldn’t stop smiling.  The feeling I felt was exhilarating!  I felt like I was being surrounded by God’s beauty.  I know this sounds pretty corny but honestly that’s how I felt.  We pulled back around and Doug joined me.  “This is so cool!” I exclaimed and we took off…………

Our adventures on the scooter consisted of driving to the other end of the island and checking out the pier, exploring the many secret lanes that house the lucky inhabitants, and driving across the massive bridge to Fort Pelaski. 

The drive to Fort Pelaski was probably the scariest.  Little did we know that we had to cross a huge bridge to reach it.  As we came around a bend up ahead, the structure loomed ahead.  The bad things about the scooter is 1-it doesn’t go as fast as you would like and 2-if someone else is riding with you it’s hard to communicate back and forth.   I checked out my rearview mirror and noticed the traffic that followed behind us.  Thank goodness there were 2 lanes as we tried to let everyone pass us before we ascended.  I’m in the lead and Doug is following close behind me.  We start up the bridge and my scooter is topping out at 35 miles an hour.  The only thing I could think of was the feelings of the people behind us.  That’s just the person I am, always thinking of others.  As I top the hill my scooter starts to pick up speed.  On my way down, my scooter was topping out at 45 miles an hour.  Now this is the fasted that I had been and my heart was starting to beat out of my chest.  It was a mixture between excitement and terror.  I’m sure the people passing by me in the opposite direction could see the priceless expression on my face.  Finally we made it over the hill and I pull over so we could let the massive caravan of cars go by.  After the last car had passed we continued our trek to Fort Pelaski.

Blue Nail Polish

So I figured I would finish telling everyone about the rest of our vacation considering it’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve been.  We had some interesting things happen that we’d like to share.  I’m just going to highlight certain points or it would be a terribly long blog.

When we breezed into our final destination , we were very pleased.  We chose the Desoto Beach Hotel which boasted that it was the only hotel with beach access.  We were elated.  After being married for almost 4 years we had never vacationed at the beach.  Gatlinburg yes, Alabama? yes, but the beach no.  When we pulled in, you could immediately sense the power of the ocean.  Our room was located on the 3^rd floor and as we were walking down the corridor you could see the black outline of the ocean.  Our room was absolutely charming.  We had to get a room with a double bed but each bed came with 4 HUGE pillows.  Anyone who has stayed in a hotel will realize the importance in this.  Usually hotel pillows are so uncomfortable but not this hotel.  They knew how to get a good review.  There was a giant wall cabinet that held the T.V., drawers, standing cabinet, and a desk on the end.  Inside the cabinet door were 2 MORE pillows and a blanket!  2 more pillows?  Wow!  The bathroom counter was granite and housed a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker.  Now I know what you’re thinking………do they not ever get out???  But I honestly have to say this was the nicest hotel we’ve ever stayed at. J

After a much needed night’s sleep, we woke up refreshed and ready to start our adventure.  Doug’s first idea was to rent jet skis.  Of course I was up for anything so that sounded like a great idea.  After looking at some more brochures that we obtained in the lobby that morning, we came across MOGO’s scooters.  Doug thought it would be more enjoyable to just rent the scooters and cruise around the island.  Again, I was up for anything and riding a scooter definitely sounded fun.  We had a plan.

Before we cleared out, I wanted to paint my toenails.  I didn’t get to paint them before we left.  It was really chaotic trying to leave the 3 girls and make sure they were all taken care of.  I decided to bring my blue and green nail polish.  After painting every other toe blue, I reached for the nail polish to put it up.  Suddenly, the bottle started to fall and I reached out to grab it.   A dragged out “Noooooooooooo” escaped my lips and time stood still.  The bottle hit the floor leaving blue wreckage in its wake.  The ivory colored nightstand and colorful rug showed the destruction from my blue nail polish.  I was in a state of stock. “Doug!” I yelled.  “What am I going to do??”  All I could think about was the $100 deposit we had put down because we had paid in cash.  My brain was rapidly adding up the cost of replacing the nightstand and the rug.  “Hurry!  Grab a wet washcloth!”  e ordered me.  I quickly ran to the counter and grabbed a wet washcloth.  I sprinted back to the disaster zone and quickly started trying to get the blue mess cleaned up.  Do you think it worked?  You guessed it.  The washcloth was useless.  What were we going to do???

Stay tuned to find out what happened to the blue fiasco……………………

Shark Steam Mop: life saver!

If you’re like me and have laminate or hardwood floors, you struggle to find time to fit mopping into your busy schedule.  Well have I got the product for you:  Shark Steam Mop.  Doug and I decided to purchase this after much consideration.  Truth be told it was only about 5 minutes.  But that doesn’t mean we hadn’t heard about it and thought that it would be really cool. 

A couple of years ago, I purchased a Hoover wet and dry mop.  It wasn’t really a mop though, it looked more like a rug doctor.  When I had visited the Ryobi store in the outlet mall, I was amazed at the functions of this machine.  There were no nasty strings to wring out, no getting your hands wet and no wet floors.  All you did was add water and a chemical cleaner and you were good to go.  You put it on WASH and you run it over your floors and then you turned it to DRY and it picked up the dirty water.  WOW………This would make me WANT to mop the floor!  I had to get it………..I decided to take the plunge and spend the $80 so I could take it home and try it out.  Let’s just say that I have used it about 5 times in the last two years.  I know what you’re thinking-jeez, does she not ever mop her floors???  Well, we won’t even go there.

This brings us back to the incredible Shark Steam Mop.  After we brought it home it sat in the kitchen for a couple of days before I decided to get it out.  I honestly was afraid that it would be too much trouble and it would be just like the Hoover.  Boy, was I wrong.  It only took about 5 minutes to put together and read the easy instructions.  The good thing was that it doesn’t use any chemicals.  All you have to do is add tap water and voila.  You have steam!  I noticed first thing how light it was.  Instead of pushing around a huge piece of machinery, this glides over the floor.  I started in the kitchen and about 20 minutes later I had finished the whole house.  Now grant it our house is tee tiny, but usually I’m breaking a sweat and quitting after the first room!  I really enjoyed mopping!  I wanted to do it again!  I loved watching the steam eat away at the dirt and grime on my nasty floor.  After mopping I inspected the pad at the bottom, which is washable and attached with Velcro, and was amazed at the dirt it collected.  It was gross but no fear, we have the Shark Steam mop here!

The Struggles of Today's Christian

As a Christian of today, I personally struggle everyday to be as Christ like as I can.  I know I’m not the only one that struggles with this which is the reason I’m writing about it. 

There was an incident that happened today to spark my thoughts.  Upon checking my facebook there was an article posted by a friend called “Who wrote the bible and why.”  Of course the title got me interested so I opened it up and started to read.  The beginning of it starts off saying how nearly everyone will admit that the bible contains errors, whether it be “a faulty creation story here, a historical mistake there, a contradiction or two in some other places.”  Of course that part kind of irked me a little bit.  I have been brought up as Baptist, knowing that the bible is word and that God sent his words to those men that wrote the bible.  The fact that people have questioned the bible and its contents was not ok with me.  Now I know that human nature is to be curious and try to find out “scientific proof” but I have faith that if God did not want something in the bible, it would not be there.  That’s what’s wrong with the world today.  People have to “see” it to believe it.  They try to find those differences and mistakes in something so pure.  The article continued to say the bible is full of lies.  It also states that some books of the bible were not actually written by the supposed authors, which in turn shows “deceitful practice.” 

Now after reading this article it honestly made me question everything.  Was this for real?  Is the bible deceitful?  Those thoughts only lasted a few seconds because MY GOD calmly informed me that it isn’t true.  God is omnipresent, all knowing, and a loving God.  People who question life, and are looking for the meaning of life, like to pick apart the bible and use it for THEIR gain.  Well I’m sorry but that’s not how it goes.  You can’t just pick a verse and determine the meaning without doing research.

2 Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  This verse applies to the Old Testament but like I stated earlier I fully believe that God would not have allowed any scripture in the bible that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Christians, especially Baptists, struggle everyday to defend our religion.  You have the Westboro Baptist Church who disgrace the baptist name by their actions and of course everyone thinks that’s ALL Baptists.  You also have Baptists who practice hypocrisy.  They are Sunday Christians.  The ones who practice being a Christian on Sunday but come Monday they are back to leading a sinful life.  Now I’ll be the first one to say that I’m a sinner, as we all are.  But the difference in being a true Christian and a Sunday Christian is that when you sin, you ask for forgiveness and you try not to repeat it.  God forgives as long as you ask.   You do not judge, you love your neighbor and you always think WWJD-what would Jesus do.

In conclusion, I first off have to say that God is the ONLY person who can judge.  One day we will all stand before him and either hear “Welcome my child,” or “I never knew you: Depart from me.”  I pray for the ones who will not be able to enter into those beautiful gates and stand before the Almighty.  I ask God to forgive those who do wrong and those who choose not to be a child of God.  But that is one of the gifts God has given us: choice.  I pray that you will make the right choice.  Hopefully I will see you all in Heaven.