Even though my day of birth is not until Wed July 23rd, I am declaring we begin the festivities right now! Get the drinks ready bring out the shots and let's throw down. While most get freaked out by their Bday I am embracing it, and if I had the power I would make it a national holiday. Take the day off from work and do what ever it is that pleases you during this hot summer day. Me, I'd hop on a boat get on the ocean and just let the current take me. Hang on a sec, with gas prices so steep I may want to rethink that one.

For those of you wondering what exactly I am doing for my bday, I have been fasting because we have reservations at the Japanese Steakhouse. After I leave the station I have some errands I must handle, let out the dog, get a small workout in, and prepare for the feast.  I know Dawn has a few surprises up her sleeve so that should be cool. Since it's a school nite I cannot join you downtown to the keep the party going. That alarm clock hits @ 3.30am and I have another J&J Best of Show to work Thursday. I will play the Lotto though, who knows, perhaps for my B-day my gift is a few million bucks!

When you have time on your side to plan a wedding we were told that there would be a lull during the process. Make no mistake about we're back to planning this thing. This past week we met with the BBJ Linen company since everybody we came in contact with has the highest regards for them. As soon as you step into the unassuming business you are blown away with how they can transform a basic room into a work of art. Dawn's color scheme is apple red and espresso so when we asked to see what BBJ had to offer Mike Cruz literally dressed a table with the espresso table linen and the apple red seat cover and chair ties. When you visit be sure to bring swatches of your color scheme and DON'T forget your camera so that you can show off what they created for you on the spot and how you want it to look at your reception. This week we meet with Write and Style to make it "official" and order the invitations. I've said it before and I'll say it again nothing is more official than seeing your name in print on a wedding invitation.

WESH 2 A-List, Vote for the best in Orlando many that have been featured on my blogs.

Next Wednesday 7/23 is my Birthday and all I keep thinking about when I stare into the mirror is, "Wow, are you really 35?"  You don't look or feel 35? You certainly don't act 35!  After registering for my passport I had time to reflect while looking at that tathered birth certificate from '73 and I came up with few thoughts for my next 30 years, Thank you Tim McGraw.  

** I need to learn to say "No" more often. There is nothing more definate than a "No".

** I am going to work at "Listening" better. More often than not I'm just hearing you.

** I shall refrain from tailgating and talking on my cell while driving.

** Never picked up smoking so no need to quit.

**Owning a home of our own would be cool.

** I shall continue to push myself to learn new skills and hobbies. Sharpen my skills at sailing and ultimately  pick up aviation.

** I shall continue to admire each sunrise and sunset as the Lord's canvas.

** Keep my Faith in the Lord and Dawn as my only priority. Everything else will fall into place.  

Thank you for humoring me and reading my list and daily blogs. If you hear the banging gong at the Japanese Steakhouse more than likely that's me enjoying that Free Bday meal. Cheers!

"Reflections" art show will be opening Thursday July 10^th at The UCF Women's Research Center. I feel honored and flattered they are showing my work, and very thankful for this opportunity. These images were shot in New York City, and are very different from my usual photography body of work. You can find more information about the exhibit on the Women's Research Center web site at http://womens.research.ucf.edu/   I would like to extend an open invitation to anyone who would like to come to the opening reception Thursday July 10^th 3pm - 8pm, if you can join me please come by and have a New York City style hot dog, I'd love to see you there! If you cannot make it to the opening and would still like to see the work it will be hanging there until August 25^th.  

To see more works from Rinat click http://rinathalon.blogspot.com/

The holiday weekend is over and now I'm jones'n vacation later this month. You can't begin to imagine on how good it feels to sleep in, and sleeping in for us is 8.30a. It was awesome meeting many of you at RHB this past Thursday. The fireworks are by far the best we've seen in a long while. We were contemplating attending the Fireworks at the Fountain or the display at Lake Monroe on the 4th, but we opted not do deal with the crowds and kept the evening low-key at our home. It was good waking up on Saturday without a hang-over so it was off to the gym to work off some of the 4th of July BBQ indulgence. That evening Dawn and I had heard that a local restaurant had updated their menu and was under new management so we decided to give it a another shot and to our surprise it exceeded our expectations. Of the entire holiday weekend I must say that the most chill day for me was Sunday and we took a road trip to Brooksville where our friends have a river house and we spent the afternoon tubing down the river and playing in the springs. After many hours of splashing around we worked up an appetite and it was time for another round of BBQ.  After reading this you can plainly see why we are looking forward to vacation at the end of month where we are heading down to Captiva/Sanibel Island. Now I must go cash in my winning $5 Lotto ticket.

Can't believe it's the 4th of July weekend already! Swing by and say what's up later 2day at Cranes Roost Park behind the Altamonte Mall. The choas begins at 4p and we'll be at the bell tower interviewing our musical guests and waiting to light up the sky with Fireworks!

It's such a good feeling knowing that Monday is almost over and we're a day closer to the holiday! This weekend was a chill one for me. Friday evening I had to work Wet-n-Wild's Summer Nights which was a blast! It had been a while since I'd been to the waterpark and it was Dawn's 1st. Just when we were set to ride the Disco H20 the ride had to be shut down due to lightening in the area :( That sucked. Saturday evening I wanted to romance my lady and since she loves Italian food I surprised her by taking her to a quiet dinner at an Italian cafe downtown and a slice of her favorite cake from the Dessert Lady. Sunday around the Diaz house I suffered a bit of cabin fever since it was too hot to do anything fun outside I had earned enough points to bug the hell outta Dawn and watch all my shows on the DVR while she played in the other room on the computer.  She found The A-List from WESH-TV and spotted that many of our wedding vendors are repeat winners! If you wish to see for yourself and vote click here and you'll see. We could even stack the deck and I let you know who to vote for at a glance. Dj's: White Rose Entertainment, Caterer: Magic Occassions, Photographer: Halon Wedding Photography, Flowers: Vinatge Vines, Limos: VIP Transportation, Wedding Dress: Formally Yours of Eustis, Wedding Planner: Just Marry, Videographer: Perfect Sky Productions, and lastly Venue: Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa. If you're done reading this, at least you milked 10 minutes off the clock and it's almost quitting time. Stay Dry.

When I received an email from Angela Bachelor from the Buena Vista Palace that we needed to meet on the nitty gritty details about upcoming nuptials/reception I had NO idea how in depth we would get. Talk about setting your vision in motion as if it was "go time" tomorrow! Susan Southerland, our wedding planner who has planned many weddings that this venue was by our side with questions and suggestions to help us along. Here is a timeline of our Saturday June 21st meeting. 11.30 am we greeted Susan at the Watercress Cafe for a lite snack before we enter, "The Meeting." Roughly a quarter til we step into Angela's office and notice that she has a long day ahead of her with not only us but 2 receptions later that afternoon. We kicked off the day with the actual ceremony which will be at the gazebo under the giant oak trees on the lake. How many guests are invited? How many will actually show? Then how many will be late are all things that had to be considered. Then the weather will also have to be factored in in the event of inclement weather. 12.06p I notice Dawn getting teary eyed, flushed pale, perspiring heavily. I ask her if she's okay and she claims she's getting light-headed and is about to pass out. We take a brief break to make sure the bride to be will be okay.  Four minutes later Dawn explains that she just had a sense of excitement and it overcame her. Quarter after twelve we were back on track working the fine details about the cocktail hour setup and decor. We moved on to the actual reception setup and decor round tables or square? What kind of linens and seat covers do we like? Where do we place the cake? The Dance floor? Meanwhile, Angela is setting up the room with her computer program on how it will look. By this point it's about 12.48p and we select our menu from appetizers, entrees, and bar. How long do we keep the bar open what liquour do we prefer, premium or call? Chicken or beef for our guests, but what about the vegetarians? So many questions and things to consider!!  Arrgghhhhhhh! I need to go to the mens room. I slide back into the meeting already in progress around 1.24p I thought I was safe and it was wrapping up. Wrong! Now we had to decide rehearsal dinner which will be at Twenty Seven overlooking Disney. What time would it begin, the menu, open/cash bar?? We ended up finishing up around 1.55p and the wheels are set in motion. Dawn and I feel so comfortable knowing that their is a timeline ready for our vendors to come in and set our vision. Next up on our list is meeting with Write and Style to select our invitations.

Between the writers srtike and the usual summer reality shows TV programming sucks at the moment. I find myself writing todays blog in a very relaxed state of mind. It was another awesome weekend of doing nothing. No plans, No commitments, Nada! With that said, Saturday I treated Dawn to her every whim. She's been working very hard working late evenings then buckling down to study for her state boards. We started our evening at one of her fav restuarants then to the movies. Yes, I finally had to suck it up and sit through 2 hours and 25 minutes of Sex and the City. Following the flick it was time to grab dessert and 1 spoon to-go. It should come to no surprise that on Saturday night it was a "Double Feature" at the Diaz Manor (wink, wink). Father's Day I woke up to a present by our nightstand with a card that read, "From the Dog", Athena and mommy got me a brand new pair of swimming trunks like she has each Father's Day. I felt like such a tool because for Mother's Day Athena did not get mommy anything. I suck at buying presents. I really do. The rest of Father's Day it was as calm and peaceful as they come. We laid out at the pool and dreaded the fact that soon our weekend would come to an end. This weekend plenty to do with wedding planning check back soon.

This week we have started to get that itch to go on vacation watching those Visit Florida commercials. We won't be on a break until the end of July so we've done the next best thing. Go on a virtual tour of where we are going on our Honeymoon! All this week Dawn and I have been playing on the Sandals site already imagining us on the sandy white beaches of Antigua, sipping sangria at the pool bar in Montego Bay. When you play on their site for an extended period of time a pop up chat instant messenger loads with a Sandals rep. I had nothing better to ask than, "How's the weather?" All in all, I am glad we survived another week and now I see the light at the end with our vacation inked on the calendar. If you are chilling at the pool this weekend and see a couple with a notebook computer and a tall drink that's Dawn and me picturing ourselves in the Caribbean feeling Irie!