It is already January 11th and I'm just starting to hit the blog again.  I had a great time and shared information with fantastic people at the Dallas SCI show last weekend. There was the usual, overwhelming groups from the world selling safaris, fishing, hunting...you name it - the adventures were plentiful.  There are always beautiful products from furriers, furniture makers, custom boot makers, jewelry, guns...an exhausting few days just looking at it all.

But this started my year off with a bang!  I had the pleasure of spending those days with Gary Sampson, the owner of Kodiak Sportsman's Lodge.  We had a lot of laughs and booked some new friends for 2012 Alaska fishing adventures. 

For the rest of the year I'll be doing some local fishing in Florida, then am heading to Costa Rica for a sailfishing tournament.  I'm also planning a trip to Kodiak (and of course Kodiak Sportsman's Lodge) in June to fish for the big Kings.  Who knows?  I may win the big bucks at the Kodiak King Salmon Derby!

Throughout the year I'll be working with my pals at Women's Prosperity Network, Ladies Let's Go Fishing, and Florida Sportswoman.  I'll admit, it doesn't seem like work when you have the opportunity to spend time with such great people.  I also have the privilege of ensuring that my clients have the most comfortable of travel days to and from their adventures. 

So what is on your list this year?  I didn't want to bore you with my ENTIRE list of to do's....but we all have some fun ones.  So SHARE!  What do you have planned that is going to make you sit up in bed each morning calling your name?

Mix up eggs, a little salt, milk, flour, and dump it into the pan with hot beef drippings from your Prime Rib and bake...either you love it or hate it. 
Wikipedia will give you the info on how the English love their puddings and this isn't REALLY a Yorkshire pudding unless it is 4 inches tall.  But I've enjoyed it although I didn't know any of that!  At some point our parents started making this with Prime Rib and that became the meal to have. (I think Mom just couldn't take one more turkey.)

In any case, the Yorkshire Pudding, Prime Rib, Twice Baked Potatoes, Caser Salad, Creamed Spinach and buttered Peas are our special meal.  As with many of us the anticipation of the meal is easily as enjoyable as the meal itself.  Having said that - we're all pretty stuffed afterward and fall asleep on the couch watching The Christmas Carol afterward - yet, another tradition! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Along with the Twice Baked Potatoes you've got to have Prime Rib.  I always bake it for Christmas but rotisserie it the rest of the year with a delicious rub that would tempt the most devout vegetarian.

In my opinion overcooking this roast should be a felony with some serious hand-slapping type of punishment accompanied by a lecture.  I've only done it once when my friend and I started having cocktails a bit too early and Bill wasn't home to help with the timing.  Yikes!  It was a giant, meat basketball!  We managed to choke it down but what a disappointment.

Our dogs smell it cooking and you can see them signaling to one another "It's Prime Rib Night! It's Prime Rib Night!"  Kind of funny as I could swear I see the kids doing that too. In any case it is truly a feast and another element of our Christmas Eve Dinner tradition.  What are some of yours?

We have some long-standing traditions in our household and many of them involve cooking. This is how it was for me growing up. My love of spending hours in the kitchen engrossed in chopping, roasting, and baking with my own family is a big part of our lives.

Our Christmas Eve dinner is no exception.  We must have Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, Creamed Spinach, Caesar Salad and...drum roll...the Twice Baked Potatoes. 

My children truly love the entire meal but the potatoes are coveted.  They are fluffy yet tangy, simply addicting.  After Christmas dinner they eat the remainders for breakfast, lunch and for snacks until the supply has been depleted.  The good part about that is the girls will wash potatoes, wash dishes - ANYTHING to allow me uninterrupted time so that those potatoes are perfect.  There are comments when the baking potatoes aroma fills the air, an empty skin or two ends up with some sour cream, salt and pepper and is an afternoon snack.

"It's only potatoes!" you say.  No, it isn't. It is being home again. It is the anticipation for that warm feeling of your family being around the table with everything as you remember it.  It is love and security and the feeling of simple happiness. 

So what have I been up to?  I picked up my daughter in Fort Lauderdale and headed down to the Keys. I was there to give a talk about Kodiak Sportsman's Lodge and was greeted by 60 lovely fishing ladies!  We all attended the Ladies Let's Go Fishing seminar in November headed up Betty Bauman.  I was so impressed with the quality of the break-out sessions and knowledge of the experts as were the other participants.                                                            

I always enjoy having the time to talk to people and find out what makes them tick. If you actually listen you hear about that person's loves, and hates and passions in life.  I spoke with a lovely lady who came from Grand Cayman, then lived in the Bahamas and now resides in Miami.  Her life was so interesting.  Discussing Grand Cayman and the Bahamas was interesting as well with her perspective and life stories attached.  I was blessed to meet her.

We had a great meal at the Green Turtle Inn the last night we were in town.  We didn't have a reservation and sat at the bar for dinner.  It was fun and the service and food was fantastic.  The selection was interesting and had great presentation.  We sat next to a man that I SWEAR was Jimmy Johnson's brother!  However, he had moved there from Evergreen, Colorado but it is hard to swallow when someone is such a look-alike! 

None of us want to be bumped from a flight. We have plans; a meeting, a reunion, a funeral, a VACATION!  But it still happens and this information is great to take notes about  who gets bumped, how not to get bumped, and what you're owed.

This immediately brings travel insurance to mind.  Yes, I'm a Travel Guard agent, but I always have travel insurance on a trip. It has paid for itself many times over and has lessened the blow when things go awry.  From my personal experience travel insurance has covered: clothing when luggage goes missing, hotels and meals, reimbursed for missed time on vacations, paid for alternative transportation, provided medical assistance, reimbursed missed flights, and rescheduled everything for me to boot.  So while I will keep all of the tips in this article in my pocket, I will also have my travel insurance to cover the trickle-down effect of a step missed in the itinerary. 

I know this article will be valuable to you - it sheds light on the whole "airline bumping" process.  http://bit.ly/rW03cV.

I awoke this morning to a torrential downpour.  You know the kind I speak of...laying in bed, snuggling under the covers while it pounds on the roof.  It is speaking to you..."stay warm and cozy".  But as the scent of coffee beckoned to me I thought, "Boquette".

The girls turned 16 in 2007 and our gift was a trip to Panama.  We spent a day in Panama City and then a week on a boat by Coiba Island. We enjoyed six days of fishing Hannibal Bank, surfing, island exploring, snorkeling and diving.  We were exhasted after all of that fun and the last days were spent in Boquette, a rain forest village.

Boquette is absolutely gorgeous with incredible views - literally a botanical paradise.  Each afternoon there was a tremendous downpour.  The sky would open up and it seemed it would never end.  This brought an immediate calmness to everyone.  Some would nap or read or simply think and enjoy the view. I decided then that if I am ever to write a book it will be in Boquette.  The calm and beauty along with the kind people make it the perfect place to spend time in your own head, to let those thoughts, ideas and dreams out onto a piece of paper (who am I kidding, my computer). What kind of book?  It doesn't matter - this is the place to spend time with yourself.

I worked for Gerald D Hines Interests in Houston, Texas and I was one lucky gal.  The company had season tickets for the Astros on the 3rd base line.  When the big execs didn't want the tickets I would always take them, grab a friend and head to the Astrodome!  Many times they were day games and I was paid to go to the game...doesn't get any better than that when you're 20 years old. I saw Nolan Ryan pitch many times and there was just no comparison with the other pitchers - he was fantastic and a class act.

I eventually moved to Dallas and Nolan followed me there and played for the Rangers.  Imagine that!  In any case I'm very happy that the Rangers and Nolan are in the World Series. Unfortunately, I like the Cardinals too but must root for my Texas team.  Bill on the other hand grew up in Northern Missouri (Misery) and is constantly talking smack throughout these games. So while I'm sure we'll still be married by the end of the series it will no doubt, get intense.  But my wish is to see Nolan grinning from ear-to-ear drenched in champagne.  

Next March we'll be heading down to beautiful Costa Rica.  There is something for everyone there - no, REALLY!  Try offshore fishing, inshore fishing, canopy tours on zip lines, white water rafting, snorkeling, surfing, bird watching, hiking, golfing, relaxing, working on the almighty tan, nature tours...the list is practically endless. 

Bill & I will be joining our friends Rob Endsley & Rob Tobeck for a fun tournament that is the catch and release of billfish.  We will also be catching sailfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo, cubera snapper, roosterfish, and more!   Never fished before?  No worries!  The guides will teach you what to do and you'll be the one hooked on sports fishing.

This is being held at the beautiful Los Suenos Resort just 10 minutes north of Jaco.   Why Los Suenos?  This is a 5 star venue -  luxury condos, 7 restaurants, a world-class spa & golf course and all of the nature activities nearby.  They have a fabulous marina with experienced captains and a good selection of boats.  This also accommodates groups that would like to split up and participate in different activities!

So give me a shout if you're interested as this is an exciting adventure; new friends, fantastic sportsfishing, and beautiful location to break out of those winter blues.  Hey, they're coming...don't let this fantastic Fall weather fool you!

When in Grand Cayman earlier this year a car rental was neccessary so we chose a compact car knowing parking is limited on the island and it's only the two of us, right?
Driving on the left side of the road was challenging enough.  It was like some wierd adventure that just didn't feel right everytime we left the resort; fun and scary all at the same time!
Well we laughed each time we approached our little, blue wondercar.  Bill had to curl himself up to get in and it always took him a while to get out.  These cars aren't built for people over 6 feet tall.
All in all it worked out fine and he even let me drive on my DD night (the left side of the road thing had him terrified of me behind the wheel).  But I must admit that each time he wriggled into the car I couldn't help but think of Bubba Smith in Police Academy ripping out the front seat and sitting in the back to drive.  That would have worked for Bill as well!