© 2008-2011 Farnsworth Clan Adventure All Rights Reserved

© 2008-2013 Farnsworth Clan Adventure All Rights Reserved
Please ask permission before using any portion of our blog. Thanks!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Carnival in Valletta, Malta

On our anniversary trip to Malta, we had a most pleasant surprise - it was Carnival.  Malta has a very strong Roman Catholic presence and the country was celebrating Carnival before Lent started.  We were in the town of Valletta when we came across the "Bands and Dancers Parade."  We have never attended a carnival before but it was fun to see.  Here are some of the pictures - I'm not going to comment on all of them because they pretty much speak for themselves.  We also got to watch the dance competition and saw the floats.  

 I was amazed at how ornate the costumes were.



 The hard part about watching this parade was the parents -
they followed their children down the street
(which I don't blame them - I would too)
but it made it kind of hard to see the kids!
 Cute little guy!  Some of the participants were so young, perhaps 3 years old.



 We tried to get a good picture of this guy in the middle of the photo -
he was on springs/stilts and would jump really high in the air.
We weren't quick enough to get the picture.



 This was at the dance competition.
I felt sorry for this group because they were so small and
also their costumes were plain compared to the other competitors.
 But this little girl made it all worthwhile.
She was having the time of her life.
 This little girl was not interested in the loud music 
and colorful costumes.
She was picking up confetti!


 These were little kids, probably 3 or 4 years old.
 This poor girl looks like she has had a long day.


 Here are some of the floats for the parade.
We didn't wait around for the parade to start -
it had been a long day!

 They are so colorful and ornate.



 This was the cutest thing we saw all day.  We were leaving and coming towards us
was Spiderman and Superman, holding hands.  We had already put our camera up,
but I still think these are cute photos.

Here are a few things we noticed about the Maltese people.  They seemed to be very family oriented.  This was a carnival made up of families.  Nothing like what I think it is like in New Orleans.  Of course we didn't stay for the night life but the entire crowd was made up of families.  The children were so well behaved.  It had to be a long day for them, because it was for us and we didn't have to wear costumes and march and dance.  Having said that, we hardly saw a child throwing a fit or crying.  We were amazed, and impressed.  We mentioned this to our taxi driver on our way to the airport to fly home.  He kinda snorted and said, "They're used to it.  We celebrate everything."  Still impressive!  The Maltese are a very friendly, happy people!

Monday, March 14, 2011

30th Wedding Anniversary!


Bud and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last week!

We went to Malta! We'll post about that later.  

 30 years . . .
You start to realize what a rare thing it is to be married for 30 years,
after you have hit the 30 year mark!
I feel so blessed to have found this remarkable man.
 I joke about how he drives me crazy, and its true.
He reminds me that men never really grow up, 
that they're kids at heart.
He makes me laugh, everyday!  
Seriously, he is one of the funniest people I know.
Bud, though, is a very, very moral person.
He is honest, faithful and devoted.
He tells me that I am beautiful,
which with almost 50 years of living on my face
and hanging around my middle, I appreciate it.
Bud is wise, smart and has oodles of common sense.
He has nursed me through a couple of serious illnesses.
Cooked, cleaned, held me when I struggled,
and told me to buck up when I needed it.
When I am tacky, naughty or just plain thoughtless,
he lets me know, just like any good spouse would.
He wants me to be the person that he sees me as.
Bud works extremely hard at everything he does,
and he has passed that on to our kids.
Speaking of kids, ours could not ask for a better father.
He would play with them, work with them,
teach them how to be good people.
Every night before bed, he either told them a story
about when he was growing up
(their favorite) or read them stories.  
Clear up until they were in their teens.  They love this about him.
Bud taught our kids to love God, their country and freedom.
How to make good choices and to recognize
how blessed their lives are.
Now they are teaching their children these important truths!

I look at this picture, and smile.
Look at the hope and excitement!
Is marriage this easy?
NO!
At times, it is one of the hardest, trying and soul stretching things you will ever do.
Yet it is also the most easy, natural, right experience a person can have.
But you have to fight for this experience.
You stick it out when it gets hard,
you celebrate it when its great,
and you work at it when its mundane.
You bite your tongue when unkind thoughts come to mind.
It is hard to take back hurt feelings!
You let go of the negative. Just like that. Don't hang on to it!
You realize that boring, unexciting and routine
is when marriage is at its best. Its real!
You are comfortable with the day to day and
are glad that there isn't any drama.
Steady, strong and healthy.

We married for time and all eternity!
I look forward to the future!