TRAVELS WITH TAM

christmas

Do You Know how Christmas is Celebrated in Germany?

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Typical wooden Christmas carousel in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, at a Christmas market.

How Christmas is celebrated in Germany! Many of Germany’s wonderful Christmas traditions have found their way into America’s traditions. The Christmas Tree, Tannenbaum, is a German tradition. It began with bringing in boughs and wreaths and yule logs, and then the whole tree came into the home on Christmas Eve. In the old days, trees were decorated with candles, but we all know what a fire hazard that would be! There are flameless candle tapers for Christmas trees now, though. Decorating the Christmas Tree is still a German tradition! It came to America through Prince Albert, the German prince who married Queen Victoria of England. England happily adopted the tree, and so did America. Some of our favorite Christmas songs come from Germany as well, like Stille Nacht (Silent Night), and Oh Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas Tree). 

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Christmas Movies for Empty Nest Parents and their Adult Kids!

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Here are my suggestions for Christmas Movies for Empty Nest Parents and their Adult Kids, and we certainly qualify! I don’t know when you stop being Empty Nesters and become the family patriarch and matriarch? Hm.

We have always been a movie family, in fact, there are Minton Movies that are classics in our family: The Royal Tennenbaums, The Whole Nine Yards, The Ref, Christmas Vacation, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (animated, of course!), the list goes on. Now that our chicks are adults and we have one grandchild with another one on the way, we don’t sit around and watch The Miracle on 34th Street anymore (actually, they don’t, but I do!). Here is my list of Christmas movies that my family always enjoys, no matter how old anyone gets! [Read more…] about Christmas Movies for Empty Nest Parents and their Adult Kids!

Have You Ever Wondered Why We Decorate Christmas Trees?

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The famous tree at Rockefeller Center.

Have You Ever Wondered Why We Decorate Christmas Trees? In the United States of America, decorated Christmas Trees are everywhere. You don’t have to be a Christian to know about the Christmas tree, they are in every mall and shopping center in the country, and every city square. The vast majority of us grew up with Christmas trees in our homes, and decorating it was always a major undertaking. My dad was the light man…and strong language always accompanied the putting on of the lights! [Read more…] about Have You Ever Wondered Why We Decorate Christmas Trees?

It’s that Time of Year…start Shopping for the Holidays!

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I cannot believe it, but it’s that time of year, when the world falls in love! I love Christmas, and I love suggesting gifts for fellow travelers and their families…I also enjoy pointing out some wonderful gifts that benefit our planet and make the gift recipient very happy at the same time! So let’s give, give, give!

First, check out my page, Gift Ideas, which has gift suggestions for your little fish, your readers, travel gear, cameras, electronics and travel clothes as well! In addition, consider these earth, ocean and animal friendly gifts:

that time of year, give, megafauna, marine megafauna
Save our endangered Sea Turtles!

https://seaturtles.org/support-us/adopt-a-nest/

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: MAKE A SYMBOLIC ADOPTION OF A SPECIES AND HELP WWF FIGHT EXTINCTION!

that time of year, give, megafauna, marine megafauna
The African elephant in Chobe, Botswana. Photo credit Alexandra Minton. Their numbers are crashing!

ADOPT A MANATEE FROM SAVE THE MANATEE!

that time of year, give, megafauna, marine megafauna
Don’t you love that face???

that time of year, give, megafauna, marine megafauna
Yummy!

that time of year, give, megafauna, marine megafauna
Nom nom nom!

CHARITY SCIENCE FOUNDATION allows you to donate to a scientific cause of your choosing. Always remember, SCIENCE MATTERS. #ilovescience #sciencematters

Support MARINE MEGAFAUNA FOUNDATION by donating, or shopping!

Each pair of leggings support research into their animal! Here I am in Waterlust‘s Whale Shark Leggings

For your Pet….or You! Encourage a green planet!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ICEDPMU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=travelwitht07-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01ICEDPMU&linkId=6c60afc52cb5b61e41cee5abd01274e3

 

 

all fish faces
10% of profits go to Marine Megafauna Foundation! Buy on my website and get a signed copy!

http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/giving-is-good-any-day-of-the-week/

15 Awesome Travel Gifts for Under $15

 

 

50 Things I am Grateful For: Bloggers Unite in a Flood of Gratitude

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Challenge: set a timer for 10 minutes and write 50 things you are grateful for, or that made you happy, during 2015.

Here’s my 10 minute list:

  1. Randy is alive.
  2. My kids are healthy.
  3. I am still moving and doing (after 2 back surgeries and psoriatic arthritis, it’s not always easy!)
  4. My darling rescue Goldens, Luke and Lucy.
  5. True friends.
  6. Family
  7. Traveling
  8. Christmas
  9. Christmas songs (I am a complete sucker!)
  10. Christmas movies
  11. My brother, Michael
  12. Looking at Christmas lights
  13. Parmesan Crisps from Whole Foods or Central Market! Yum!
  14. Greek Salad
  15. Healthy Food
  16. Not So Healthy food
  17. The ocean.
  18. Wildlife…on land or sea, wildlife makes me happy.
  19. Scuba diving
  20. Taking underwater photographs
  21. Getting a really good photo
  22. Instagram
  23. Reconnecting with friends on Facebook!
  24. Waking up in the morning and seeing Randy and two dogs by my side.
  25. A phone call or text from Alexandra.
  26. A phone call or text from Wesley.
  27. A visit with Alexandra.
  28. A visit with Wesley.
  29. Randy’s father being at both Alexandra’s and Wesley’s weddings this year.
  30. Getting comments, shares, likes on my blog or on HP or other site…I love these!!
  31. Hugs.
  32. Sunny days.
  33. Two beautiful weddings this year.
  34. Two new family members.
  35. Designing our holiday card.
  36. Making movies on AVID or GOPRO Studio.
  37. Watching (good) movies.
  38. Buying gifts for people.
  39. Holiday traditions.
  40. Contributing my time, energy or money to a good cause.
  41. Kindness in any form.
  42. Seeing love between people.
  43. Reading books.
  44. Sitting in front of a fire
  45. Hot Chocolate
  46. A REAL Coca Cola.
  47. Being adopted by wonderful people.
  48. My housekeeper, Irene. I don’t know what I’d do without her, my spine is not domestic friendly.
  49. Kitties and Puppies.
  50. Helping others.
  51. Support from those I love.
  52. Massage.
  53. Facials.
  54. Stretching.

Gratitude! And a wonderful excuse to post wedding photos!

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The four of us.

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We are now six!

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Rehearsal dinner with the Dons!

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Photo booth fun with the bride and groom!

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With their Popop!

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Family

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Friends

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My “boys”, the Fab Four!

gratitude, grateful, bloggers
Friends

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Family! So happy they were at Ally’s wedding!

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Randy’s side of the family

 

 

IF YOU ARE A BLOGGER AND WANT TO JOIN IN:

If you’d like to join in, here’s how it works: set a timer for 10 minutes; timing this is critical. Once you start the timer, start your list. The goal is to write 50 things that made you happy in 2015, or 50 thing that you feel grateful for. The idea is to not think too hard; write what comes to mind in the time allotted. When the timer’s done, stop writing. If you haven’t written 50 things, that’s ok. If you have more than 50 things and still have time, keep writing; you can’t feel too happy or too grateful! When I finished my list, I took a few extra minutes to add links and photos.

To join the bloggers who have come together for this project: 1) Write your post and publish it (please copy and paste the instructions from this post, into yours) 2) Click on the blue frog at the bottom of this post. (the original post at http://talesfromthemotherland.me/ 3) That will take you to another window, where you can past the URL to your post. 4) Follow the prompts, and your post will be added to the Blog Party List.

Please note that only blog posts that include a list of 50 (or an attempt to write 50) things that made you feel Happy or 50 things that you are Grateful for, will be included. Please don’t add a link to a post that isn’t part of this exercise.

http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=592585

Lung Transplant: The Unexpected Continues

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HA! I know how he feels!

My husband, Randy, is two years post a double lung transplant. A double lung transplant is a very serious surgery, and remains a very serious condition (for details, see Our Transplant Journey). The procedure, and a wonderful donor, saved my husband’s life, and I am grateful, but the unexpected can really catch you over your head in an instant! See what I mean?

Last week we discovered that Randy is having a rejection episode, and has e coli in his lung. Randy has had both conditions before, but this kind of news is always a shock. “Rejection” is never a good word…or condition.

More Christmas lights!
We love going out to see the Christmas lights every year.

On Wednesday Randy had a PICC line inserted so he can take IV steroids and antibiotics every 8 hours, along with breathing treatments through a nebulizer. The good news is he can be treated at home, which tells us that the rejection must be mild or they would have him in the hospital immediately.

There are so many things that can go wrong, and lung transplants have the lowest success rate of any transplanted organs. The lungs are exposed to the air, so the transplantee is always exposed to bacteria, germs, and viruses. It is, shall we say, a given. The unexpected is actually the norm when it comes to lung transplant…you can count on unexpected complications.

We should all strive to be children at Christmas!
We should all strive to be children, and to have gratitude, at Christmas!

I do my best to remain positive…relentlessly so. I know this rejection episode will resolve. It has been a long journey, and often a painful one, since Randy became critically ill in August 2013, but he is here, alive, and for the most part, doing well. These little episodes can be frightening…and sometimes they are not so little, but thank goodness he is permitted to stay at home for this one. It would be difficult through the holidays to have to go to the hospital to visit…but always better than the alternative! We are grateful this holiday season that Randy is alive and mostly well!

There are trials at every stage of life, and midlife has surprised us in many ways. We can plan, but we are always in the hands of fate. We count our blessings, and concentrate on the good things in our lives.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and remember, just breathing is a gift. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so for now, just breathe…and feel the joy it brings! It is the season of miracles.

 

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