Sea Day #2

Today was our second sea day. We started out with a bit of breakfast followed by a bit of Rainforest Room. I left my phone in the RR, but luckily when I returned to find it, the lady occupying my former chair had it. Whew!

We proceeded to lunch, followed by naps (duh!) and a movie in our stateroom. The rest of the day we spent reading and attempting to update this blog (I’m going to do it!)

Tonight we eat at Palo, and will be seeing Amanda. I’m going to tell her out lifeboat story. Although the problem seems to be resolved, I certainly want to cover all the bases!!

And now for a view from our little verandah!!

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Blessings today include: another beautiful day at sea; Rainforest Room time; finding my phone thanks to nice lady

Sea Day #1

Today was a day a sea, which means doing stuff around the ship. For us, that meant watching “Dr. Strange” in the movie theater, relaxing in the rain forest room, and eating. I also played Bingo, but won nothing. As usual. Sylvia and George’s son Max was working Bingo, but I didn’t speak to him, less I actually did win and my fellow cruisers think I had a secret weapon.

This morning we met our room steward who told us that he was informed by his superior that we had not attended the lifeboat drill. We showed him our photo and told him we would go to guest services and get it straightened out, which we did. We went to guest services and talked to some disinterested dude, told him that we had indeed attended the drill, showed him our photo, and asked if he would fix our permanent cruise record of this infraction. He said he would, which I’m not sure I believed due to his “I’m bored” attitude, but we took him at his word and left.

At some point later in the day, we got a call from guest services, and the poor unfortunate lady said she was calling to inquire about our missing the lifeboat drill. I’m afraid I was not very patient, and told her of all our attempts to make this right. I told her we had already been down to Guest Services, and Bored Dude said he would make the necessary notes, and apparently didn’t. She was very apologetic and said she would fix it. I have a feeling we may be out on a lifeboat soon …

Tonight was the “Captain’s Reception” before dinner, which means you get free drinks (mine was some multi-colored thing, of which I know not the name nor the ingredients). Rather than mingle with all the fancy-dressed folks in the lobby (of which I was not one), I decided to sit on the jogging deck, which has some of the best deck chairs. It was a bit windy, which I’m sure contributed to my lovely hairdo when I decided to head to dinner.

Our remaining two dining companions were at dinner tonight – but you’ll have to wait for their names, since I do not remember them. They are a married couple from the Orlando area. They are probably in their late 60s, with two grown sons and a few grandchildren. George and Sylvia were there and we all had a good time chatting during dinner.

After dinner, we returned to our cabin to await the “Thor” event for adults that was being held in the kids club. Basically, Thor showed up, went through some activity of making us all worthy of wielding a hammer like his, and then posed for photos (we chose not to get in that long line and spend time waiting). Instead, we returned to our room and went to sleep. We’re used to the engine noise now, and promptly fell asleep – the gently rocking certainly helped!

Tomorrow is another sea day – another day to relax!

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Blessings today include: beautiful day at sea; shrimp, shrimp, and more shrimp; meeting our other tablemates

Hello Disney Fantasy!!

Today we board the ship! After Molly got in last night, we talked a bit and finally fell asleep. We woke up this morning, got our bags packed for DCL dudes to pick up and transport to the ship, ate some breakfast, and then proceeded to head for the cruise bus. Our bus driver was amusing as you can see in the photo, and promptly delivered us to the port.

Once there, we got at the back of a long line to go through security. I knew they usually open a side door, so I kept my eye on the security dude manning that door, and sure enough, soon he waved us over. Once they got the x-ray machine working, we got through and headed up to check in.

Once we checked in, we headed over to the help desk, just in case we could upgrade – and to our surprise, we could! We thought the ship was sold out, but apparently it wasn’t, so we were able to upgrade from a porthole room to a navigator’s verandah (that means little verandah). No matter, it’s nice to have a verandah for a chance to go outside and to get a lot of light in the room. Basically, there's a small bench and we get to see Dumbo's butt - technically we're at the back of the ship.

The rest of the day, we spent getting our rainforest room passes, having a Dole Whip (that would be Molly), getting unpacked, and participating in the lifeboat drill. We checked in and headed for some chairs (we were lucky having an indoor muster station instead of standing outside in the sun). A cast member was showing us seats and then said, “Do you remember me?” Sure enough, it was Amanda, our server from Palo several times. I would never have recognized her with her emergency gear on! Anyhow, we made a photo, listened to the drill speech, and then headed back to our room.

Soon it was time to head to dinner. We’re at a table for six, and two of our tablemates were there, George and Sylvia. They’re from Virginia, and are probably in the mid-60s. They have two grown sons and no grandchildren, and this is their first cruise. They chose this one mainly because their son Max works on this ship. George is not a fan of cruising because he doesn’t like the ocean. It might be a long 10 days for him! They are very nice and we had a good time during dinner. Their son Max obtained permission to have dinner, so we got to meet him. Our server Voltan told us our other tablemates were at Palo tonight, so we’ll meet them tomorrow.

Drill attendance proof!!

Once we were done with dinner, it was time for bed, so we headed to our room. We found a letter on our door saying that we had not attended the lifeboat drill, which we had. While it was non-committal and didn’t have any real instructions, it was an irritation because we knew we had attended (we had a photo to prove it). We decided to deal with it later if needed and it wasn’t long before we were asleep. Our room is very close to the engines, so there was some engine sound, but it didn’t seem to affect our falling asleep. Also, there was a bit of rocking, which also helped rock us to sleep. I’m not sure it’s going to help George sleep, though!

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Blessings today include: getting to the ship with fun bus driver; upgrade at the port; meeting our tablemates

Hello Tampa!

Today I am scheduled to fly to Orlando for my and Molly’s 10-night cruise to the Southern Carribbean. This was an unbelievable deal she got on a travel agent rate, and we couldn’t pass it up. Well, we could, but why? Anyhow, the plan was that I would fly down today mid-day with our suitcases and she would fly down on the last flight so she could work as late as possible.

All went according to plan, with the exception of having my house clean. Nevertheless, it was picked up enough to escape from being condemned or on an episode of Hoarders, so I headed for the airport on schedule. I left Molly’s car in the parking lot for Adam to pick up, because he was scheduled to arrive in Nashville an hour or so after my flight.
Anyhow, I got the car parked (even though the sign said that all floors were full) and dragged the suitcases to the terminal and checked them.

Now, in addition to not cleaning the house, I also ran out of time to get presentable for the flight. I had on the same capris that I had had on for 24 hours (including sleeping in them) and the shirt that I had worn yesterday (and pulled off the bathroom floor). I had planned to shower and change clothes and attempt to look human. But I ran out of town and left the house as is. Including having my hair pulled up in a bun somewhere on one of the sides of my head.

Luckily looking like a bag lady didn’t impede my getting through security and soon I was on the plane. Even though I had a “B” boarding pass, I managed to secure a window seat. My aisle seatmate and I hoped for an empty middle seat, but soon we had our third, and our plane took off.

Middle Seat Man apparently is even a lesser fan of flying than I am. When we started looking nervous as we were taking off, I asked if he wanted me to close the window – to which he replied no and closed his eyes.

The pilot mentioned that there was “weather” around Orlando, which I already knew but was hoping would blow on out before we got there. This plane had wifi, so I was able to keep track of the weather (which was only getting worse) and our flight path (which was headed to Tampa). As we neared Tampa, I pointed out to Middle Seat Man that we were flying over the ocean, to which he was not impressed. Eventually I noticed we were turning, and looked at the flight path. We were making a circle, and eventually the pilot came on the loudspeaker and announced that due to weather in Orlando, the airport was closed and we were in a holding pattern and going to circle until further notice. We kept circling and circling until eventually we seemed to straighten out and head east. The pilot said that the airport had opened and we were going to head there, but to expect some bumps. It wasn’t long until he came back on and announced that the airport was closed again, and we were headed to Tampa and land, wait a bit, get some gas, and head back to Orlando when given the go-ahead. So we landed in Tampa, and about six other planes headed to Orlando did the same.

 

Once we landed, about one-third of the passengers decided they would get other transportation to Orlando. Aisle Seat dude left, and Middle Seat Dude stayed, talking to his whomever was waiting for him in Orlando. The pilot came through passing out M&Ms. Eventually he announced that we would be heading back to Orlando, once air traffic control got all the logistics of all the delayed and diverted planes figured out. Of course, there was still weather, and our pilot reminded us that the flight would be very short, and he was going to try to maneuver through all the weather. And lo and behold he did! 

Although the outside looked ominous, there were very few bumps, and soon we were in Orlando – just three hours late.

As we got off the plane, the airport was filled with people who were on late-arriving flight and/or waiting for delayed flights. It was a madhouse, and I felt sorry for all the gate agents trying to manage the situation.

I headed for baggage claim, grabbed out bags, and headed to the Hyatt to check in (it’s in the airport). Once I was settled in my room, I headed to the food court for food, and which was about to close for the night. I ended up with a hamburger and some cinnamon bites and went back to the room. After a nice shower, I began to feel a bit human again.

Molly’s flight wasn’t to leave Nashville until 9:30pm, so all the weather was cleared out by the time she left, and she arrived on time – after midnight. She did make a stop by Starbucks (it’s open 24 hours at the airport – who knew) and brought us some snacks. Now it’s time for bed – we have a ship to board tomorrow!

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Blessings today include: eventual safe landing in Orlando; great pilot who worked hard; Middle Seat Dude; weather moving out before Molly's flight

Doggie or Kiddie Door?

Today Everley and I went over to Molly’s so Everley could play with Rambo. We were sitting out on Molly’s patio, and casually mentioned to Everley that we wondered if she could fit through the doggie door. And the results are …

 

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Blessings today include: spending time with Molly, Everley, and Rambo

Closet Fixing Time!

Part of Molly’s remodel included transforming the former laundry room into a storage closet. It worked out really well, except that the room needed shelving. She ordered some large heavy-duty shelves and Adam put them together and placed them in the closet. He then filled them with the stuff they were going to store in that closet.

The only problem is that the shelves didn’t get arranged as Molly designed because the longer shelf, while it would fit in the closet, it wouldn’t fit in the closet with the baseboard. So, while Adam was out of town, we decided to fix that (and yes, we decided to do it while he was out of town so that we would be free of male advice while doing it).

So, I went over a little before Molly was going to get off work, and unloaded the shelves and the stuff on them. I then proceeded to start work on cutting the part of the baseboard that needed cutting so that the shelves would fit. I would tell you exactly how I did this, but you might not approve. Let’s just say it included a hammer, a chisel, and a jigsaw. By the time I had removed the necessary baseboard, Molly had arrived at home, so we set about putting the desired shelf where it was originally supposed to go.

Well, there was a slight problem. Or maybe two. Or maybe a few… First, the shelving unit couldn’t be put in the closet and twisted around as is. So some shelving had to be removed so the necessary twisted could take place. Then we discovered that we needed to cut a little more baseboard, so out came the chisel/hammer/jigsaw. And while it didn’t end up exactly pretty, we managed to fit it in. Then we had to put in the missing shelves. Which weren’t exactly level until Molly twisted and pounded them into levelness.

The other shelf was easy to put in, since it didn’t have to be twisted into place, nor did any baseboard need to be removed. And once all the shelves were in place, we loaded most of the storage stuff back onto the shelves, and now the closet is simply lovely! Now on to the next project ….

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Blessings today include: starting and finishing Molly's closet plan; nice cool shower on a warm project day

Rambo Time!

Part of my duties this week is to go over and hang with Rambo because Adam is out of town. Technically that means going over around lunchtime and letting him out so he can go potty (he being Rambo, not Adam). The only problem is that sometimes he doesn’t exactly want to go potty right away. Which means I have to sit around while he considers doing his business. Which he eventually does. It’s really some stellar bonding time …

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Blessings today include: playing with Rambo; starting packing list for cruise

Book Review

I am trying to read 60 books during this year (or two) of 60. I actually have checked a few books out of the library, and even managed to read them. So today’s book review is on “Below Stairs” by Margaret Powell.

Since I am a huge fan of “Downton Abbey,” this book seemed like a read I would enjoy. Basically, it’s the autobiography of a woman who actually worked “downstairs” at one of the estates represented by the television series (while I have never seen the series “Upstairs, Downstairs,” I think I may have to).

Anyhow, Margaret never really planned to enter domestic service. She actually got into a college program, but her family couldn’t afford it. The only job open to her (since she had no other real skills) was domestic service. She started as a kitchen maid, one of the worst jobs. I was amazed at some of the tasks she was required to do, such as scrub the front steps, and the materials she had with which to perform them. It clearly brings my lackadaisical cleaning skills to a new low.

Margaret was inspiring to me because she always looked for more. She was also very brave in speaking out for herself and asking for what she wanted. In this book, she describes the jobs she had and the families she worked for – some good, some not so good.

She does hope to get married, and she did, which brings a whole new thread to her life. She finds work and then decides to go after her education for herself.

I think what I took away from this book is wondering what would have become of Margaret, had she been able to continue her education when she was young. Like all of us, we have different paths to follow. While one may lead us into a certain way of life, sometimes we do wonder what would have happened, should we have chosen the other path.

And while Margaret doesn’t bemoan the life she had, she does wonder what might have been. But the most important thing is that she didn’t sit around and wish the rest of her life away. She went out and did the things she wanted to do to create the life she wanted. Bravo Margaret!

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Blessings today include: actually finishing a book; sending some packages in the mail; marking a few things off my lists

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father’s Day. Sam was speaking at his church, so we went there to hear him. Afterwards, we all went to brunch. Sam and Lindley had plans afterwards, and Steve was planning to go to the Sounds game, so we all went our separate ways. It was a beautiful day, and a nice day to celebrate dads!

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Blessings today include: hearing Sam speak at church; brunch with some of the family; quiet afternoon at home; having a dad of my own who was a good dad

See Ya Real Soon!!

Today our flight home doesn’t leave until the afternoon, so we had the morning to do stuff. Again, we opted out of the parks and decided to go to Disney Springs instead. We checked our bags at bell services (hooray for airline check in) and got on the bus for DS. Once there, we spent time at the Lego Store and the various Disney stores.

Soon it was time to return to AKL to board our Magical Express bus for the airport. Molly’s flight didn’t leave until tonight, so she was going to the movies. Lynnette was in line for some last minute purchases, so I took Lindley and Everley and boarded our AKL bus. Once we were at our resort, I got our backpacks from bell services and went out to the bench to wait.

Meanwhile, Lynnette was still at DS waiting for an AKL bus, which wasn’t coming. It was getting to be tight – our bus was due, and she had yet to board a bus. There was talk of taxis and Ubers to the airport. We decided to wait for her at AKL, and we would all board the bus together – or not. It was becoming quiet exciting! Meanwhile, Molly was at the movies – I’m not sure if her movie had more drama or not.

Finally, Lynnette texted that she had boarded a bus. The bad news was that the bus would stop at Jambo House before it stopped at Kidani Village (where we were). And the badder news? Our Magical Express bus pulled up!

The bus driver asked if we were waiting for the Magical Express. I said yes, and told him our story. We discussed where Lynnette was, and he said he had 10 minutes to wait at Kidani. His next stop was Jambo, so if Lynnette could make it to Jambo, where he had another 10 minutes wait, when she could get onboard there. So the girls and I got on the bus and headed to Jambo. Meanwhile Lynnette texted that she was almost there. Was she going to make it? Then tension builds!!

Soon we are waiting at Jambo. The people waiting all get on the bus. Lynnette texts that she is at Jambo!! She gets off the DS bus and hoofs it to the front of the resort, where the other bus stop is. As she is walking to our bus, the driver says, “Are you the one we’re waiting on?” And she makes the bus!!

Soon we are at the airport, where we have a bit to eat and then head to wait for our flight home. All is good, and soon we’re back at home in Nashville. What a great vacay!!

The view from our room.

On the way to Disney Springs!

Everley and Lindley make a new friend.
Thank goodness this isn't a Lego set ...

I'm not sure how she went from 7 to a teenager ...

And she made the Magical Express!!!

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Blessings today include: shopping at Disney Springs; very nice and helpful Magical Express bus driver; Lynnette making the bus; safe smooth flight home; sleeping in my own bed

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Today we had to leave the ship. Apparently they have other people that want our rooms. So, we got up, ate a little breakfast, and headed for the buses. Maribeth and Emmatha are flying home, since Maribeth has work tomorrow and Mathieu doesn’t so he can take care of Emmatha. Lynnette, Lindley, Everley, and I are headed for the Animal Kingdom Lodge to spend one last night.

We boarded the AKL bus, only to find that it wasn’t going to leave for 45 minutes. Luckily Lindley and Everley had their ipads, so everyone was entertained. Eventually the bus left, and off we went for Disney World. Our resort was the last to unload, and guess what we found when we got off the bus – Molly!! She decided to fly down and spend the night with us!

Since we arrived at the resort early in the morning, I didn’t really expect our room to be ready, although I was hopeful. Molly had gotten to the resort before us, and checked, but it wasn’t ready. We hadn’t planned on going to a park, so we decide to go to the pool. We pulled swimsuits out of our bags, changed, parked the bags with bell services, and went to the pool. We had lunch (and maybe a few adult beverages), and stayed until the thunder started.

With the pool closed, we headed back to the lodge. By this time, it was after lunch, and we were really hoping that maybe our room was ready (technically check-in is at 4, but I was hoping it would be ready early). Lynnette went up to check on it, but alas it was still not ready.

We sat around in the lobby for a bit, then I decided to take the girls to the Community Hall, where there are games and crafts and things to do. Molly and Lynnette stayed in the lobby, finding a few spots to relax. Eventually they came to join us and we waited. And waited.

Finally at 4pm, I went to the front desk to ask about our room. Cast Member Daniel and I discussed at length why our room wasn’t ready. He checked on it, and talked in muffled tones to someone and then told me that apparently one of the rooms was ready but the other part hadn’t been cleaned (we have a two-bedroom). He then said he would change our room. My question, that I didn’t ask but should have, was “when was this room ready and why couldn’t we have had it?” At any rate, we had a room and got our army together and headed upstairs. By this time, we were getting a big hangry. We found our room, and …. Our magic bands did not work to open either of the doors.

This required another trip to the front desk, this time by Molly, to discuss our problem and issues. Eventually Molly returned, we had enough magic bands to work, and we finally were inside our rooms! We ordered dinner for delivery from a few places, and settled in a bit. Once we had satisfied our hunger, we decided to swim a little more, and then headed in for the evening.

It’s been an eventful day – but a good one!

Playing in community hall - waiting for our room ...

More activity in the community hall - still waiting for our room ...

Moo waits for the room to get ready ...

If the Magic Bands don't open the door, one must find other spots to sleep...

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Blessings today include: Molly surprise at AKL; swimming and refreshment at the pool; Community Hall fun; eventually getting in our room - almost; evening swim party

Sea Day

For our last day, we just took it easy. Basically because the ship is so close to Port Canaveral, it sort of just floats along. The big girls and their mothers finished up whichever Detective Agency capers they hadn’t finished, some swam, some went to the clubs, some took naps, and everyone ate and played. We went to dinner and entertained our servers one last time (including Emmatha deciding that she wanted to lie down on the table). We packed our bags to be picked up and made sure we weren’t going to leave anything behind. It’s been a good cruise – guess we’ll probably do it again!!

Emmatha's preferred sleeping position -
or maybe she's protesting getting off the ship!!

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Blessings today include: swimming and splashing; one last night with our dining team; getting packed up to leave

Castaway Cay - Part 2

Today was our second day at Castaway Cay. It was still hot and still a lovely day. This time, I got off with the girls so Lynnette and Maribeth could get things together and follow (they actually caught up with us by the time we got to the tram). The girls obliged for a photo op with Pluto, and we trudged ahead. This time, we found a spot on a different part of the family beach, still under some umbrellas, but closer to the splash area. Maribeth took Emmatha to splash awhile and Lynnette took Lindley to get a hair wrap. That left Everley and me to go to the beach, to which she quickly decided she needed a float (and I needed a chair to stick in the water). Once those were procured, I saw Maribeth and Emmatha had returned from splashing, so I went over in hopes of switching jobs (and maybe heading back to the ship?). Maribeth and Everley headed to the water and then Lynnette and Lindley returned from the hair wrapping. Lindley wanted to play with Emmatha so we went in search of the splash zone (since LaLa didn’t go there the first day).

We played there for awhile until Lynnette and Lindley decided to return to the beach. Emmatha played a while longer until Maribeth showed up, and I decided it was probably time to return to the ship. I loaded Emmatha up, boarded the tram (which she decided would have been much more fun if she had been allowed to crawl all over), and started the trek back on board. And she fell asleep on the way. She slept all the way to room, then woke up a bit so we could get cleaned up and eat, and then we both decided a nice, long, cool nap was in order. And it was glorious!!

Eventually the rest of the crew returned from the beach. We followed our usual routine of playing, swimming, and eating, and before we knew it, it was time for bed again! Another great day at Castaway Cay!

Emmatha's not so sure about this big dog ...

But she is very sure about the splash area - she loves it!!

Pirate night tonight!!

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Blessings today include: beautiful day at Castaway Cay; splash fun for Emmatha; pirate night fun

Nassau

As usual, we didn’t get off the ship. It’s always a nice day just to enjoy the ship. There was clubbing (for the kids), playing, swimming, splashing, napping, and eating. Oh, and Lindley and Lynnette did the Aquaduck! And Lindley absolutely loved it!!

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Blessings today include: quiet day on the ship; swimming at night; Aquaduck fun

Castaway Cay - Part 1

 Today was stop #1 at Castaway Cay. To say it was hot is an understatement. The sun was out and the day was lovely – just way too hot for me. Nevertheless, I went with the group off the ship and we found a spot on the family beach close to a hammock (and with as much shade as possible). Maribeth took Emmatha to the splash area and Lynnette and Lindley followed. Everley and I went to the beach, where I managed to find a chair and plop it in the water. I stayed there until the splashers returned. Lynnette and Lindley came to the beach and I went back to our chairs, where Maribeth and Emmatha were. I volunteered to take Emmatha back to the ship for lunch and a nap (hooray) and Maribeth took me up on my offer, and soon Ems and I were headed back. Emmatha decided to go to sleep on the way, and stayed asleep while I had a quiet lunch.

Eventually the others returned to the ship, there was playing and swimming and dinner and shows, and eventually bed. A good day!

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Blessings today include: a beautiful day at Castaway Cay; afternoon naps

We're On The Dream!!

We all got up in happy humors. We got dressed, packed our bags, and headed down for breakfast at the food court of the airport. We obtained nourishment of some sort, and then headed for the DCL buses. That process went rather quickly, and we were the first ones on our bus. While waiting for the bus to fill, Emmatha decided to take a nap, which lasted all the way to the port. Soon the bus filled up and off we went!

Once we got to the port, we checked in and soon we were on the ship. We went straight to eat lunch and soon our rooms were ready. Then it was straight to the splash zone! We got Lindley and Everley registered for the kids club, went to dinner, went to the show, and soon it was time for bed. Tomorrow is Castaway Cay!

A pre-cruise nap ...

One of the portholes in our room.
And Emmatha's danger zone ...

Splash Zone!

Our home for the next five nights!!

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Blessings today include: breakfast at the airport; fun ride to the port; boarding the ship; splash time; meeting our dining team

Let's Get This Party Started!!

So today we begin our girls vacay. The girls in question being me, Maribeth, Lynnette, Lindley, Everley, and Emmatha. And where are we going? Wait for it …. Orlando! And why? Wait for it … A Disney cruise!! Woo hoo!!

A few months ago, we discussed this trip, and originally had planned to spend some time at Disney World. And then I got the bright idea that since the little girls really are fans of all the rides, why not go on a cruise where all the food is decided, there are clubs for the little girls to play in (and counselors to play with them), and someone to clean our rooms twice a day. It was a no-brainer!! And this particular Disney Dream cruise is for five nights instead of the usual four, with two stops at Castaway Cay, so it was a done deal. 

We waited to fly to Orlando until later this afternoon so Maribeth could work today. We all managed to get to the airport with all our luggage and boarded our plane and even found seats together. It was a smooth flight, even though the lady sitting next to Lynnette was nervous (and crying) that it was her first flight. And Emmatha was happy – that is, if she was allowed to crawl over the seat in front of us (luckily Lynnette and Lindley were sitting there), or get on the floor, or pull pages out of the magazine, or anything other than sit placidly in my lap.

At any rate, we landed in Orlando and headed off the plane. I took the little girls to the hotel (we’re staying at the Hyatt at the airport so we can easily board the bus tomorrow and have our bags taken from our hotel room) while Lynnette and Maribeth grabbed dinner. I got checked in, had bell services go in search of our luggage, and headed up to our rooms (we got two connecting rooms). Once I unloaded the kids, their crazy meters kicked in, and they spent the next 30 minutes running and jumping and playing while their mothers were getting a breather. Soon they returned with dinner, and we ate and soon went to bed. Emmatha and Everley decided to sleep with me, and once I got Emmatha’s sleeping rump off my face, I also fell asleep. Tomorrow we board the ship!!

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Blessings today include: safe smooth flight to Orlando; getting checked in; nice bell dude; dinner in the room; bedtime for all!!

Yup. Here Again ...

Yes, once again I am behind on blogging. Why? Well, there's the whole CNN thing that compels me to watch everyday to see what's going on in Washington. Then there's the whole lazy thing, which I shall illustrate in a few minutes. Then there's the whole sleep thing that I may or may not be getting, depending on how things have gone on CNN and whether or not I have a date with Insomnia. And then there's the whole list of things to do thing that we needn't even speak about...

Anyhoo, my friend Emily checks in from time to time to make sure I am still around, since my lack of blogging seems to coincide with my lack of facebooking. And so I shall try to catch up once again. Because I have places to go this month!!

And here are my current lazy excuses ...  And yes, I could have spent the time finding and copying and posting all these, to come up with a mind-blowing blog. And if you believe that, you are reading the wrong blog!!

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Blessings today include: an actual decent night's sleep; two miles in the hood with KB; Steve's safe travel to Columbus; successful Wal-Marting; party planning with KB