Category Archives: Family Life

First day at school…

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Today began a new and big chapter in Gwennie’s life. She started Kindergarten.
I was quite sure that I wouldn’t get upset as she has been in preschool since the age of two and a half.
But I was wrong!

I think G could sense I was feeling a bit emotional first thing this morning as she kept holding my hand and giving me big random hugs.
So cute!

Ready for school!

I had to fight the tears back all the way to school (I didn’t want to upset her as she was so excited!).
She hopped out of the car as I blubbed, “I love you! Have a good day!” and she didn’t even look back.
Cue me driving off with tears streaming down my face!

I couldn’t wait to pick her up again.
Her teacher came up to me and said that she had had a wonderful day and that she was such a happy little girl.
That made me feel better!

G was full of beans and managed to tell me all about her day before crashing out in the car!

Sooooooo tired!

Mission accomplished!

She also started back at ballet yesterday. She has gone up to the next level and was very proud to wear her new uniform… a black leotard!!!
So grown up!

Tiny dancer!

Our little girl is growing up!


On the Other Side of the Door
I can be a different me,
As smart and as brave and as funny or strong
As a person could want to be.
There’s nothing too hard for me to do,
There’s no place I can’t explore
Because everything can happen
On the other side of the door.

On the other side of the door
I don’t have to go alone.
If you come, too, we can sail tall ships
And fly where the wind has flown.
And wherever we go, it is almost sure
We’ll find what we’re looking for
Because everything can happen
On the other side of the door.

-Jeff Moss

A letter to teacher…

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I was inspired by a friend yesterday who told me that her Pediatrician had recommended she write a letter to her child’s upcoming Kindergarten teacher.
What a great idea! I hadn’t even thought to do that myself, so I jumped right on the bandwagon.

Dear Miss H,

Firstly, may I begin by saying how excited Gwennie, my husband, and myself are for her to be starting Kindergarten at LH. This is a very new and thrilling adventure for all of us.

We have several friends who have/had children at LHPS. Every single one of them sings great praises of the school and how their years there have been a solid and positive foundation for their children.

We don’t know each other yet but we are going to share something precious in common- both of us are going to make an incredible difference in the life of Gwennie in the upcoming year. I know that you will have a classroom full of beautiful children just like mine, and I know that there will be days that will feel less “beautiful” than others! On these days I wish you patience and grace!

Gwennie is a sweet girl with a caring heart and soul. She is very sensitive and has a tendency to take things very personally. She is very affectionate, is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and is a real helper. She has a great sense of humour and loves to entertain.

But like every child, I know she will have her moments in class. I want to thank you in advance for shaping my daughter and preparing her for the unknown and uncertain future that is ripe with possibility. I do have a few selfish requests though and I do hope they are not hard to fulfill. If Gwennie misbehaves or becomes troublesome, I need to know. I don’t want to be the “helicopter parent”, but I will always want to be involved and help make your life easier. I am only a phone call away. Also, if she is struggling with any of her work in class, please let me know so that we can work together to help her.

I would like to be involved in as many opportunities as I can for parental involvement. I will sign up for the holiday goodies, I will chaperone field trips when I can, and I will help you as much as possible for as long as my daughter is in your class. Never hesitate to reach out to me!

So, here’s to a wonderful year in Kindergarten! We are very much looking forward to all it has to bring!

Yours sincerely,

Sarah P

Vegas Baby!!!!

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We had a truly wonderful time in Vegas. Talk about getting spoilt thoroughly by my amazing husband… and some other very special folks! I am such a lucky girl!

(Just to let you know you can click on the photos below to see them larger!)

We drove up to North Carolina with Kate on Saturday. It is such a long drive and I was so glad that we hadn’t done that with Gwennie in tow. We already have the “Are we there yet? This taking for aaaaages!” after just 40 minutes. Kate, on the other hand, is a trooper and slept the whole way up albeit for a few potty breaks.

I couldn’t get over how tall Gwennie looked when we arrived. She came running out of the house and I was taken aback! I swear she grew a few inches in just a week. Ginny had made a lovely dinner for us… Mexican pizza followed by delicious cupcakes from a new bakery in town, Oh My Cupcake!

With my bright little spark!


“Look at Miss Kate up there!!!”

Then it was time for an earlyish night as Bill and I had to be up at the crack of dawn again to get to Asheville airport.

Picked up in a limo at Las Vegas airport!

We arrived safely in Las Vegas and grabbed a bite to eat and a drink whilst we waited on our suite to be ready. We then just chilled for a bit and settled into our room before heading out to watch Zumanity at New York New York. Our friends Lourdes and Gerald were due to join us in Sin City for a few days, so we met up with them before the show and had a drink. It was so good to see them!

Me, Gerald, and Lourdes


Me and my handsome man!

Zumanity didn’t disappoint. It truly is such an amazing and fun show! We had a blast. Then it was off for a special birthday treat… to Joel Robuchon for a “quiet romantic” dinner with my hubby. I had been dying to go there for years! I knew something was amiss when we arrived the hostess said, “Hallo Mr Porter. Party of 5?” I knew Lourdes and Gerald weren’t eating with us so was a tad confused! We took a seat and waited in the reception area and shortly I noticed BFF, James McKeown, popping into my vision, followed by his lovely girlfriend, Laura. Bill went out to get them and told them the game was up… I had spotted them… and who should walk in with them but my Dad also!!!! Such a lovely surprise! I was just so thrilled to see them all! We enjoyed an amazing meal thanks to my darling Bill. It really was out of this world. The restaurant itself was stunning and very intimate. Such a fabulous treat!

Bill, me, Dad, Laura, and James


My beautiful salmon


Dad completely overwhelmed by his dessert!


Me and my love!

Monday morning brought an hour or so by the pool with my Dad. Then we went to meet up with Laura and James at Cesar’s Palace. We had lunch at Beijing Noodle No. 9… very kindly treated by James’ friend, Bonnie, who is the hospitality manager at the hotel. We enjoyed a lovely feast of Singapore noodles and various chow meins.

Me, Bill, James and Laura


Ready for lunch!

Bill and I then took Dad to see the Bellagio and experience its beautiful conservatory and Chihuly glass sculptures.

Chihuly glass


Bellagio Conservatory




The hotel lobby

In the evening, we all met up (introduced Lourdes and Gerald to James and Laura) and hit the show called Le Reve at the Wynn. It really is another of my faves and is stunningly gorgeous.

The Wynn Lobby!


Gorgeous couple!


Ready for the show!

We all headed to Gordon Ramsey’s Steak in Paris for dinner afterwards. We had a semi-private room to ourselves that was fab. I had Gordon’s signature Beef Wellington, which was to-die-for! So tender! Much laughter and hilarity, of course!

Beautiful Lourdes got lucky and won $2.75!!!!



Tuesday brought rainy skies, so Dad and I hit the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile of Shops whilst Bill did some work at the hotel.

We then met up with Laura and James for lunch at the Wynn, at one of my fave lunch hangouts, The Terrace Pointe Café. We had to then sadly say goodbye to them as they were flying home that evening to the UK.

James and Laura gave me a gorgeous Pandora bracelet for my birthday!

Dad, Bill, and I walked back through Cesar’s Palace Forum of Shops. We got Gwennie a couple of cute outfits from Gap Kids.

In the evening, we met up with Lourdes and Gerald at Nobu at the Hard Rock Café. We had the most wonderful meal. Gerald and our waiter did an outstanding job of picking out various plates and dishes a la Tapas style. The flavours and quality of food was completely out of this world. I think we all agreed it was out best meal of the trip. So much fun! We wished James and Laura could have experienced it with us too.

In the MGM Signature Lobby


Oh Gerald!!!! I’m going to name my rock after you!


We kept our rocks as a memento of a fab night!


Happy birthday!!!!

Wednesday brought my big 4.0.
Crazy… I might look it, but I still feel 28 on the inside! Well, okay, maybe 32! LOL!

Dad, Bill, and I headed off to the airport and took a Maverick helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun.

Enjoying one of the seven wonders!


Looking all official!


Ready to take off!

Back in 2003, when Bill and I first went to Vegas, we took a helicopter ride to the Canyon and I thought he was going to propose to me. He didn’t until a good year later… but we always joked about it. This time, he grabbed my hand once we were out of “the bird” and proposed to me once again, finishing with “This time I brought a ring!” He proceeded to give me the most gorgeous amethyst David Yurman ring. It is absolutely stunning! Talk about being a spoilt lady! Dad bought me lovely pair of amethyst earrings to go with it. I was so delighted!

Dawwwwwwww!!!!!


My beautiful ring and earrings!


Thanks Dad!


2003/2012


I love it!!!!!



The Grand Canyon

We enjoyed a glass of champagne, took some photos, and all too soon it was time to fly back to the city.

Bill and I met up with Lourdes and Gerald for lunch by the pool at their hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. What a gorgeous place! We had a fabulous lunch and some wicked cocktails! Then we had to say goodbye to the dear O’Connors as they were flying back to Orlando that afternoon.

I then hit the pool with Dad for a bit before heading up to get ready for the evening.

I came back to our hotel room to find a bottle of champagne and dish of gorgeous chocolate-covered strawberries from my beautiful boss (and friend!) Karen! I was so touched! She is so thoughtful!

Thank you, Kawen!!!!

Bill and I went to see the show Absinthe at Cesar’s Palace. Wow! What a show! So different, funny, intimate, spectacular, and close-to-the-edge! Definitely an experience! We loved it! Not for the faint of heart, that is to be certain!

Afterwards we met up with Dad at Emeril’s in the MGM for dinner.
What a full and fabulous day!

Thank you for the beautiful dress, Lourdes and Gerald!

Thursday was our day to catch our breath a bit! We had a leisurely breakfast and then Dad and I cooked out by the pool for most of the day!

In the evening, we went over to the City Center and showed Dad Crystals and the Aria Hotel. We then met up with Bill’s friend and former employee, Brian and his sweet girlfriend, Monique, at the Todd English Pub. We had a wonderful meal (again!)… Dad and I were excited to share oysters and introduce Monique to them! We then had a walk through the Cosmopolitan and had a drink at the Chandelier Bar, which was a lot fun.

With Brian and Monique


Crazy Vegas nights!


The boys at Crystals


At the Cosmopolitan

Friday morning came all too soon and Bill & I were up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight back to Asheville.

What a truly amazing five days! I can’t thank Bill enough for all that he did to make it so very special for me… and so much gratitude to my Dad, James, Laura, Lourdes, and Gerald for joining us and making it that much more fantastic!

Happy girly!

As you can imagine, I am feeling a bit flat now!!!!!

It was wonderful to get back and see Gwennie and Kate again… and Ginny too, of course! We were so grateful to Ginny for looking after our girls for us!

Our little flower!

Great things that happened this week!

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Firstly, The Bar Method Winter Park turned 1!!!!

Secondly, Karen taught her first Level 2 class at the studio. She was absolutely fantastic. She taught the class flawlessly, with confidence and finesse.
We enjoyed 4 sets of thigh and two sets of seat. It was challenging and fun… and felt such an accomplishment at the end of class.
We were so proud of our seasoned clients who joined and conquered the class!

Thirdly, the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony in London! Wow! What a truly fabulous spectacular.
I have to admit, I got pretty teary watching it all. I am so proud to be British.
The hubby and I LOVED the Queen’s “entrance”… and Mr. Bean was an absolute hoot!
I wish all the athletes the very best of luck and here’s to a happy and safe Olympic Games this 2012.

Fourthly, we are off on holiday!!! Sin City here we come!
Somebody’s turning 40! I wonder who???

Sarah & her war wounds and buddy, Jingle!


Baby Sash

My husband.

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Gwennie talks a lot about meeting her “handsome prince”. She told me the other day that she just can’t find anyone decent enough and “OMG!” will she ever find the right one?

I told her that she has plenty of time. She needs to find someone kind, handsome, loyal, and true… and someone who is a good cook. Someone just like her Dad.

She now wants to marry Bill.

I’m so cool with that!

Oh if it were that simple.

Here are some of my favourite photos of G with her Daddy….

She had her first bug… Daddy was there to make it all better.

The camera doesn’t lie! Look at the love here!

Pool time!

Big grins!

Father’s Day 2010

Seattle September 2007 – Mel and John’s wedding

Lake Tomahawk Thanksgiving 2007

I hope she gets as lucky as me.

Of movies and sushi!

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Happy weekend!

Bill, Gwennie, & I went to see “Ice Age: Continental Drift” yesterday. It didn’t fail to disappoint.
Again, the reviews for it were a little mixed, but I think I look at these animated films now through different eyes… those of a 5 year old. I see the silly humour in everything and don’t take them too seriously.
The cast was a fabulous of array of stars… the old faithfuls of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Queen Latifa, and John Leguizamo. This time they were joined by Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj.
As always Scrat stole the show with his hilarious antics!
Gwennie’s favourite was JLo’s character, Shira, a beautiful sabre toothed tiger. I fell in love with Sid’s Granny, fabulously taken on by the wonderful Wanda Sykes.
Before the movie began, Maggie Simpson starred in a short called “The Longest Daycare”. It was absolutely brilliant! We all loved it!
The entire movie theatre enjoyed the entire entertainment and there were rounds of applause after both the Simpson short and the movie finale.

Afterwards we headed on over to a restaurant we haven’t tried before. Sushi Pop is located near UCF.
Bill had read good reviews about it and so we decided to give it a whirl. It is such an understated little place on the outside and we were so surprised when we walked in!
It is very spacious and modern and has a very cute ambience. There is Manga art on the walls and Gwennie was mesmerized by the TV screens playing Anime type movies.
Banzai trees are displayed all over the locale. The waiters and waitresses are all dressed up in cute little outfits. Lucy, our waitress, looked like a modern day flapper girl.
The food was tremendous. Bill and I both enjoyed the Pop Salads and then the Ceviche and Hot Mess rolls. The fish was super fresh, as were all the amazing flavours.
The chef put together a dish of tempura chicken with bok choy and rice for Gwennie, which she enjoyed.
Then we all shared two wonderful desserts… a coconut creme brulee and something completely decadent called PMS (think chocolate lava cake filled with chocolate and peanut butter… accompanied by sea salt caramel ice cream!!!! OMG!!!!). All washed down with a Japanese wheat beer (I don’t remember the name!) and a lovely glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which was deliciously apple-y and complimented the rolls perfectly.
Lucy was delightful and was super attentive, cute, and a hit with Gwennie… especially after awarding her with a bunch of chopsticks to take home, complete with a child’s chopstick “learner” tool!
We will definitely go there again.

Today we are getting ready to enjoy an afternoon with Grandpoo by the pool. Here are some photos of the crazy duo from last week!

Swim buddies!


Ready, steady….


Bubbles!


Blowhole!

I love family time!

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Spent a fun morning with my two favourite people. I decided to forgo my workout when Bill mentioned going to the Winter Park Farmers Market.
I love going there! It has such a great atmosphere. Families and locals trundle through the variety of stalls with their dogs.
There is a great selection of produce, plants, baked goods, cheeses, and so on. We made a beeline for our favourite stalls.
Bill bought me a beautiful phalenopsis from Ginny’s Orchids.

Ginny’s Orchid

Then we went and bought some pistachio pesto from the Pesto Diva lady.
We sauntered in to the “inside” area of the market and bought some fabulous Gloucestershire cheese laced with Stilton cheese. Yum!
We shared strawberry and lime-lemonade that had been freshly made right in front of us.

We then headed over to the Whole Foods Market on Aloma, where we stocked up on various delicious-looking pastas, chicken kabobs, and vino!
Yummy Dinner R Us this weekend!!!

After that we decided to hit our beloved Ravenous Pig for lunch. Alas, they were doing a one-entree only menu… and as it was clam bake, we declined.
I am sure it was delicious, but we didn’t think Gwennie would be too struck!
A few doors down was Dylan’s Deli. We hadn’t eaten there before so decided to give it a whirl.
It was a cute little place and the service was good. Bill had “The French” and I had “The Oslo” (smoked salmon with sweet onions and feta on a dill-sprinkled french baguette), which was delicious!
We enjoyed small house salads which came with yummy homemade French vinaigrette.
Gwennie enjoyed a spectacular ham, cheese, and egg crepe. It was to-die-for!

I love days like these.

Had a fun day yesterday too. Had a couple of dear friends, Emily and Lauren, come over with their little ones. We ladies just chatted, ate lunch, and generally caught up.
The four children just had a ball playing in the pool. They all played so well together.
I love Emily and Lauren. I feel that we can really be open with our hearts to each other on some tough subjects. It’s so nice and refreshing to have that comfort within a friendship.

I love days like those.

Hope, Gwennie, and Taylor on their “boat”!


JD chilling with Larry!

Beach Break

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Spent a couple of days at Daytona Beach Shores with Gwennie and Kendra. We were lucky with the weather as the beginning of the week was on a real downer with Tropical Storm Debbie.
We drove over on Wednesday and it was still overcast and windy. Luckily the hotel we were staying at had an indoor pool, so we took Gwennie to have a little play in there.
Much hilarity ensued between Kendra and I at the temperature of the pool…. was it heated electrically or by all the kids pee??? LOL!

We stayed at Perry’s Ocean Edge Resort. The hotel is situated right on the beach front.
Our room worked really well for us. We had a great ocean view and there was a separate little area with bunk beds for Gwennie.
The hotel looked a little “tired”. I think they are slowly working on renovating and decorating and it certainly needs it.
The rooms need redoing and they need some new loungers by the indoor pool. It was clean though and had everything we needed.
The outdoor pools were nice and there was a Tiki Bar (we never tried it) and areas for shuffle board and mini-golf.

We went to Crabby Joe’s for dinner. It is positioned at the end of a pier over the ocean.
My friend Jenn came to join us after she had finished work. She lives in Ormond Beach.
We had good service and the food was nice. We shared crab cakes and enjoyed Mahi Mahi and Tilapia.

Thursday turned out to be a glorious day. The weather was perfect and not too hot after the storm.
We hit the beach and had fun making sandcastles and playing in the waves.
Kendra turned out to be an amazing sandcastle architect and sand sculptress! Very impressive!
Jenn joined us at the beach for a while until her porcelain skin sent her running for the safety of the indoors!
We also spent some time by the hotel pool and Gwennie, of course, made some friends.

That evening we went to Aunt Catfish for dinner. This is a cute little restaurant in Port Orange situated on the river.
We had tried to go there the previous night, but were told it was an hour’s wait for dinner, and as it was late and we had a 5 year old in tow, we went to Crabby Joe’s instead.
I had called during the day to make a reservation for 7pm. When we got there we were given a lobster buzzer and we waited for our table.
We waited and waited.
There was a nice little outside area with a mini-playground for the kids and there was a lovely girl playing the guitar and singing.
Gwennie thoroughly enjoyed herself playing with all the kids and dancing to the music.
Long story short, despite a couple of complaints from us, we still waited a good hour for our table.
Once we finally got seated, the food was good and our waitress was sweet. (The welcoming hostess at the door was NOT.)
The restaurant was cute inside but it seemed as though they were understaffed and a little disorganised.
I’m not sure whether I would go back there again. Maybe lunch time would be better???

Gwennie was a trooper despite having two very late nights. She is normally in bed and tucked up by 7:30pm.

Friday morning, we packed up our stuff and checked out. We hit the beach and pool for a couple of hours before heading out.
We went to a cute little place called Ocean Deck for lunch. We enjoyed fish tacos and the view of the beach.
Then it was time to head home.

It was a fabulous couple of days.
Kendra was amazing company and we had such a laugh. I really miss our late night chats!
She was an absolute gem with Gwennie too. Such a great person!
It was fun to spend some time with Jenn too. We don’t get to see each other enough.
She and Kendra got on really well too. I knew they would. We all have the same crazy sense of humour!

Some photos of the trip…

Room at Perry's Ocean Edge

Gwennie and the sea life!


View from our room!

View from our room


Kendra and Gwennie

Kendra and Gwennie – in matching bikinis!


Kendra, Jenn, and Gwennie

Kendra, Jenn, and Gwennie


Gwennie and I

Gwennie and I

Oprah’s Thought for the Day….

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“The greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are— without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are.”
— Debbie Ford

It’s been almost a week now since I have shut down my Facebook account. It certainly feels good to take a break and prioritize.
Maybe I will now have some more time to get back to my blogging! Imagine that!
One certainly finds out who one’s real friends are by the people who bother to either pick up a phone or write a letter.
There aren’t very many, but that’s okay. I would rather have a handful of good friends than 400 plus acquaintances.

The owner of The Bar Method Miami is coming to take and teach a class next Monday. I am excited as she is going to teach a Level 2 class.
I know it will be killer!

Work is going well and I enjoy teaching more and more every day!