Happy New Year!!

Happy Holidays to all!! Wow! 2008 already?? I hope this coming year finds your life filled with God's BEST!! Here are a few reflections of my December... lots of smiles and warm memories. The main reason for my big smile?? Just look at the photo below... two of the greatest "treasures" in my life... my lovely daughters... truly two of my best friends... I am humbled by their love for me, am so very proud of the women they have become and I'm so grateful for all that they bring into my life.
My youngest daughter was the "Ideal Hostess"... watch out Martha Stewart!! It took very little effort for older sis Becca and me to help, and there's no place we would rather be than all together!! What FUN!!
I have to mention my son-in-law as well... he treats me like a queen... who wouldn't love that? A young man of strong character & integrity... plus he puts up with all of us women! ha!! Shall we sing? These photos are the reason for our "gathering"... the annual Christmas party!! The pianist was hired and I was recruited to lead Christmas Carols... we had a blast!! Over 50 people enjoyed the festivities, including neighbors, family & friends... it was fantastic!! "Jingle Bells" was a favorite with the kids!!
Joe & Emma start off the "kids" portion of the party downstairs! It was crazy!! They all had so much fun, but we definitely will have someone assigned to "kid duty" next year! Toddlers, kids and boys, boys, boys everywhere!! Ha!
Auntie Becca & "Cassie" (her alias!) sported a new fashion in the kitchen! Too funny! Another generation of jokesters!! I LOVE it!! Can you ever laugh too much??

Michigan grand babies in their new Christmas dresses.... does it get any cuter??

A highlight of our visit in MI?... a trip to Frankenmuth, where we visited the largest Christmas store in the U.S... It was freezing cold outside, but we had a ball anyway!! I picked up a few new ornaments that reflect some of the special places I've traveled this year. And in this little town?? Jesus is alive and well and they are proud to display the "Good News" everywhere! And how happy was I to be surrounded by grand babies?? I was in "Nonnie Heaven"! grin!

Back in NJ, Becca, Joe, Emma and I took the train into NYC.... look out Big Apple... here we come!!! Becca is my "energizer bunny" girl and we always do NYC in a BIG way when she comes to visit! Thanks to her I'm ready for "willing and able" (ha!) visitors who are anxious to enjoy the City!...

Baby Emma was all smiles taking in the sights and sounds of the city... it was pretty special too to put on Nonnies fur hat, but I think she still wonders if Nonnie is a little "nutty"... ha!!
Dinner in Time Square at Bubba Gumps, the beautiful tree and decorations at Rockefeller Center, window treats at Macy's and Saks... it was magical!! Joe walked for hours without a word about being tired... what a trooper! But by the end of the night we were all ready for a "long winter's nap"!! Happy New Year everyone!!

Merry Christmas from Limerick!

Merry Christmas from little Limerick, Ireland!! As many of you know, this is one of my favorite places on earth!! So cozy, charming and the people are the nicest! And at Christmas? Magical! Every street has a different decoration... Christmas music with Bing Crosby, etc. plays throughout the town... so lovely!




Always wonderful to spend an evening with my friend John. Born & raised in Limerick he has such an interesting life here. He does accounting for a local church here, and also lectures all over (including the U.S.) on the history of Irish music, as well as reviewing Irish bands for local publications. We have enjoyed Irish concerts, wonderful conversation and good meals as well. We share our faith in common and he has been such a blessing!

Christmas blessings to you ALL!! xo Jackie

Belfast Part II

I couldn't help but add a couple more photos! I enjoyed Belfast so much that I was glad to pick it up again this week. And what a treat to have a "fly-girl friend" along! More Christmas market fun at Belfast city hall with Shawn! We had the best scalloped potatoes with smokey ham for dinner and some divine mulled hot wine that warmed up the chilly night. Delicious thin wafer cookies were bought for Christmas gifts and some summer sausage & Bratwurst for Mom. Oops! The sausage & Bratwurst was confiscated at customs when I returned... OK... none of us knew, but now I do.... NO meat, fruits or vegetables allowed from overseas!... even if vacuum sealed! NOW I'm travel savvy! ha!! On a side note... we had a really great crew, which always makes our job a pleasure!
(p.s... click on the photos to enlarge)

Belfast, Ireland

I hope this finds all of you happy and healthy this holiday season! I wanted to share a bit of Belfast with you. What a blessing to see cities around the world preparing for this wonderful Christmas season and the birth of our Savior! Belfast was no exception and was decorated from top to bottom. I even got lucky and enjoyed a Christmas market in the center of the city! What a treat!




As I spent this trip doing a little Christmas shopping, I thought I'd include a few more photos from a prior visit. (Notice the leaves on the trees and blue skies!) My observations of Belfast? The Irish people are some of the warmest, friendliest people that I have found anywhere. On my flights they tend to be the most humble, polite, and appreciative passengers that I've had the privilege of serving. In contrast, within the city of Belfast there is still a presence of "unrest" with a "division" of the people still lingering from years past. Hotels and restaurants throughout the city have "security" men outside the doors once the sun goes down. It is such a contrast to the people as a whole. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse of Belfast.

Copenhagen, Denmark

What a thrill Copenhagen was! One of the most beautiful hotels I've stayed in, and both the city and the people were lovely . Interesting that I was there on a Sunday, and other than restaurants & convenience stores, ALL stores, shops and businesses were closed. Remember when OUR country used to be that way? A true "day of rest", family day, Lord's day? Although it wasn't the most desired for this "sightseeing" gal, I was glad to see it. The Scandinavians really do seem to have a higher quality of life in many ways. An obvious observation while traveling. They are "dressier" while out... many wear jeans, but they are dressed up... you can tell that it is a special thing to be out and about enjoying leisure time. And oh my! The waterfront area! With it's colorful buildings and docked boats! It looked like a post card! I only hope that I've captured the flavor of it all in my photos. An interesting side-note as a Flight Attendant? Because the cost of living is so high in the Scandanavian countries (a Big Mac meal can cost around $15!) they tend to enjoy our free beverages & cheap cocktails and on flights many passengers will order 2 or 3 beverages (per person) every service! Whew! It challenges my memory! Ha! We certainly earn our pay on those flights! High maintenance, but a very polite, classy group of people. Well, bye for now. I'd love to hear from you on my "comments" if you enjoyed this, ok? Love to all!

Life Outside of Travel...

I've been looking forward to posting some photos of my travels to Stockholm & Copenhagen, but first I wanted to share a glimpse of what means even more to me... my family & friends! What a wonderful summer and fall I've had making memories that I'll treasure always!!

First was family time at Becca's new home. What a blessing to see their family of 6 with 2 stories of comfort & beauty! I am so happy for them! It is well deserved! Julie, Mom & I threw a housewarming, open house and enjoyed meeting many of their neighbors & friends.

What fun I had in Chicago with Julie & family celebrating Julie's birthday! Always "first class" when Bryan is in charge! What a beautiful city! Julie even found a "Chocolate Cafe"... wow! Yummy! And I couldn't get enough of little girl time... I was in heaven!

I had a "whirlwind" trip to lovely Orange County and so enjoyed all the girl time there! (and Uncle Darrel! ha!) Barb & I strolled the Dana Pt. Harbor, with so much to catch up on, then I had a great lunch with my lovely "escrow daughter" Lisa. My cousin Tracy's daughters Bat-Mitzvah was a blast... a perfect party! Dinner with girlfriend Linda & family at CPK... yum! And as always, I cherish any time spent with my favorite Aunt & Uncle, June & Darrel, from AZ and look forward to their visit out east later this month.

Next came a few weeks with my Mom "beautifying" my little Condo! It's truly been transformed! Our whole family stands in "awe" of Mom's stamina & love of painting... an incredible gift to all of us! Check out my new "brick red" kitchen! I love it! Mom & and I enjoyed shopping & our meals together were the best!

Part of the above "beautifying" was in preparation of a visit from my best girlfriend of over 40 years! Wow! Is that possible? Linda and I spent 4 fun days of discovering NJ & NYC!! (Now I'm ready for the rest of you to visit!) We lunched at a beautiful tea house, shopped & took a "fall foliage" train ride in New Hope, saw Legally Blonde on Broadway, took a rick-shaw ride through Central Park, ate in Time Square and spent a warm sunny afternoon at the Jersey Shore. Even more we had HOURS of encouraging, deep "girl talk" and were so pleased to discover that we are studying the very same devotional right now! It means so very much to me that the Lord is one of the greatest gifts that we share in common. Sisters of the heart for sure!

Well, I hope this wasn't too long... there was so much to share! But now you know how much all of you mean to me... and if you're reading this and we haven't had a chance to get together, let's work on that for 2008, ok? Until next time, I hope you enjoy this, and I look forward to keeping all of you involved in my travels... because I really do take you with me in my heart! xo

Hi All! I'm hoping to stay connected and in touch with my new blog! I'm sitting "Airport Alert" today, which means a four hour shift here in the Crew Room, waiting to see if they need me for a last minute flight assignment. Definitely not one of my favorite things to do, but I have gotten some great flights in the past while sitting "AAA". Such is the life of a "Reserve" Flight Attendant! As you all know... I do LOVE my job and I'm so grateful to have enjoyed a regular schedule (we call it "holding a line") through the summer. Hope this finds all of those I care most about doing well... I look forward to sharing photos & thoughts from my travels soon!

My New Blog...

My new blog....