A Leap of Faith....

Julia jumped off the side off a cliff, this was her first time hand gliding alone. She had been on so many trips with her husband Kevin trying to help her get the hang of it , when one of her best friends Donna video the whole thing to show to her family and friends. Soaring high in the sky she remember this special moment looking out beyond the horizon.

Donna her best friend narrated on when Julia first started hand gliding by capturing her saying this in a video.

Panic and fear set in when Julia first started, watching others falling suddenly at taking -off or  crashing when landing. What was the enjoyment of this sport she thought, but Kevin would gently ease her fears by saying " You can do this , I'm right by your side, I won't let anything happen to you."

Happily in love both Kevin and Julia remembered when they first met and how he proposed to her in Las Vegas where they had the time of their lives. She was there with some of her friends gambling , drinking and just having fun when Kevin spotted her leant over throwing dice on the table calling for seven or eleven. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He knew she was his life and the woman of his dream.

As he approached the crap table, Julia blew on the dice and her eyes locked with Kevin. A long pause took place as they starred at each other , when suddenly a man yelled out, throw the dice and broke her spell. Kevin had taken out one hundred dollars to place a bet . He bet everything on Julia's roll as the dice rolled across the table. His heart pounded everytime she looked over at him. Seven was announced and they won.

He collected his winnings and gave her while Julia took it without hesitation. This was his time to ask for her name and could he have her phone number. Before she could speak her friend Joyce said " The party bus is here it's time to go ", Joyce grabbed  her hand and pulled  her away from the gambling table. Kevin had collected all her winning and ran after them.That was when Julia invited him to join them.

Music was blasting as girls were  half -naked and  sliding up and down on a stripers' pole. Kevin didn't know what to do with himself.  His only concern was Julia and how he could  know her better. Seeing men throwing money around and smoking marijuana as he tried to approach the woman who captivated his heart. Where was she, he wondered in the smoke filled bus, but standing behind him she whispered in his ear, " Are you having fun yet ?" as she handed him a drink.

Dancing around him and teasing with him, Julia was interested in getting to know him as well, with long beautiful brown hair standing six feet tall and high cheek bone , she could have been a model. The bus pulled up to their hotel after driving around town for hours. While exiting the bus they both  took a stroll down the Las Vegas Strip to talk and came  across a little boutique where   Kevin purchased a ring without her knowledge as she went to try on a dress in the store. 

 He waited patiently and as Julia came out from the dressing room  he lifted her up and twirled her around and asked " Will you marry me " She  too replied  "why not! Let's get married right now." Often she would tell her family and friends that she was tired of  loneliness . Now she met her perfect man, this young handsome man that she adored asked her hand in marriage.


 Looking for the right dress for the occasion. Kevin couldn't believe she said ''.... Yes!''. Pacing up and down the store, he was in disbelief.  He uttered  "She said yes", he clasped his hands together and went on his knees, he prayed first and said, "God please don't let her change her mind, I love her and want to marry her with all my heart. "

Coming out of the dressing room , Kevin raised his head up and looked at  her angelic face. ''Will you marry me?'',  as he held her hand. Julia looked  down at Kevin, spewed vomit all over him and laughed aloud and still said ''Yes''. This was one awkward moment for Kevin and needless to say he didn't care about what just happen. He was elated with the beauty of his future bride to- be even in her drunken state. 

After purchasing a new suit and cleaning up the terrible mess Julia made , they found a lovely little Chapel and got married.
 It was love at first sight. They went on to have two beautiful children and enjoyed traveling with family and friends, as she flew high amongst the clouds.

Thrills and Spills in Florida.....

When we arrived in Florida, my sister Renata said "Let's go shopping ". I didn't know I would end up in Florida for this wonderful shopping spree event for my aim was to go for tourism. Let's listen to Jai take in the video below on his experience in Florida.

Often times I hear how beautiful Orlando , Miami and Tampa are from tourists that visit. Margret said " Disney World and Universal Studio is the best place to visit, It's family oriented and the rides are awesome ".While Daniel said that Miami Beach and Daytona Beach is a must see with a diverse group of people , music, drinks and live events that take place. There's never a dull moment."


But Henry has a different take as he looked down at the ground and paused a minute and shook his head full of pity and regret before he spoke. In tears he lamented  " I have lost so many things here such as my home in which my daughter resided and good friends from Hurricane Irma. It's still hard remembering what I lost , but still unwilling to move away from this great State of Florida.

We too have suffered....

It was  in 1939 when Gloria and her mother Anna tried to escape from her native homeland Germany. It was to many bad memories for those who struggled daily for their freedom being of Jewish decent. Many were maimed, suffered and died while some escaped the wrath of evil that loomed over their native country.

Gloria along with her mother Anna , son Neil and husband Liam  fled for their lives. Many were captured, separated, raped and brutally beaten by the Nazi. It was on this day when Liam who had watched this one guard for days working alone before he mustered up courage and strength to attacked him ,tied him up and then took off his uniform to wear. He walked right out of the courtyard, were he was bound.

Liam in army uniform looked for his wife and child as he gained  access to other holding camps for prisoners. Nobody demanded from him any papers as he went into the concentration camps and found his wife and son barely alive. He had lied to the other guards that Hitler himself wanted these two for questioning.  

As they put his unconscious wife and son into the back of the truck, his son Neil heard his father's voice and cried out Pa.. pa.. trying to open one of his badly beaten closed eye to confirm it was his dad. The guard became suspicious and then asked , " where are  your papers to release this woman and her child,?" Frantically Liam brought out his Jack knife and stabbed the Guard.

Liam jumped into the truck and sped off with blood still on his hands as his wife and child laid near death in the back. He came across a little shack in the woods where he nurtured his family back to health. His wife said  " Anna didn't make it , they beat her to death and threw her body in a ditch.  I couldn't stop it, I tried to stop it, when they struck me with a bat and knocked me into unconsciousness".

Liam knew they couldn't stay long at this place , He ditched the truck and all of them travelled by foot, still in the officer's uniform he thought it will deceive them as they went to cross the border.As they came near a junction he asked his family to hide in a bush. The uniform on him gave him confidence to approach and speak with the officers.  Liam asked for a smoke as the guard informed him they where looking for an escape woman and child. His hands started to shake when other guards  arrived. He knew he must make a mad dash from this place.

One of the guards asked him what regiment was he from  He replied'' the Gestapo'',  while all the guards looked at each other and laughed . One guard said ''we are all from the Gestapo''. When Liam turned to run back into the woods the Guards chased  him like a mad dog and  were shooting at him , all he could manage to say as he ran through the woods was R-U-N-. If his family could make it across the state line they would be safe .

Immediately his family took off and ran towards the border , they were just about to cross the state line when Neil was tackled by a guard , his mother shouted " Let go of him," as she jumped on the officer's back. Liam had heard her tormented voice and circled around to go helped them. He kicked and punched the officer's legs and face. Neil had broken away, his mother grabbed his arm to continue to run but looked back at her husband that was now fighting two officers. 

Gloria told her son to wait here until she comes back. Gloria couldn't imagine her life without her husband so she ran back to help him. Picking up a stone she bashed one of the guards on the head as Neil stabbed the other. They could hear more guards approaching . She shouted " We must leave now", carrying his son on his back Liam made it close to the border . He had to stop to compose himself as he went to speak to the Officers who protect the state line.  He knew he didn't have any legal documents to present but managed to get them to go inside to make a phone call.

As they went inside his wife and child crawled through a partial wooded area across the border, having seen that they were cleared and sighted they were brewing hot water on the stove to make tea or coffee. He then walked over to the kettle and flung the hot water at the officers . He jumped out of the side window and running to make it across the border, he was shot in the back. 

 Gloria and her son dragged him nearly a mile before someone came to help. She removed the uniform he was wearing to make it seemed like he was shot by accident when hunting for Game. Someone from town came across them and gave them a ride to the nearest doctor's office. The Hell they all went through and to lose her mother, she was praying to God that her husband will pull through. Days later Liam started to speak and held his wife's hand. He muttered these words" We Are Free."