Travel « Girly Muse

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Little Trip

December 4, 2012

I’ve been missing on here for a long while. It’s been chaotic. Lots of good stuff happening.

There’s also been some really difficult things going on~my dad is still not doing well at all. He has been in the hospital 7 times since his bypass surgery. A little over 3 weeks ago, he passed out and broke his leg…and, since he can’t seem to do anything halfway, he REALLY broke it bad in 3 places…had to have surgery. It just complicated what was already complicated.

Last week he was told he has a defect in his central nervous system. It’s just never-ending. Please pray for him.

Anyway. I’ve been worried sick. Dying to get there. And also trying not to go WHILE he’s in the hospital because when I rush there when he’s IN the hospital, he rushes to get OUT of the hospital before he really should so he can be with me.

This past Saturday was his birthday and Greyley and I surprised him with a visit. He had NO idea we were coming.

I’d like to say right off the bat that my dear daughter is such a fine traveling companion. She was a happy spark of joy every single moment. It was such a treat to have this time with her.

She is also a very fine moving walkway model. I think she could go big-time with this, don’t you agree?

My dad can’t put ANY pressure on his foot at all. And he’s on oxygen full-time. So this is a rare moment with him unattached to any machines or walkers. I like it. I want to keep it like this…not just for a picture. For REAL.

He is the sweetest daddy. He really is.

I didn’t leave the house while I was there, but when it looks like this, why go anywhere?

I missed my boy so bad it hurt. He’s my heart and I like to hear his running soundtrack that has become my own. So I took a picture of his picture. How pitiful is this mama.

Picture by Jennifer Bong

At least I could eat away my sorrows.

The homemade pies were delicious, but wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t get a picture of them.

SO good. Raisin Cream Pie and Sour Cream Pie. Yum.

But these S’mores were also wonderful. Look at the cute little arms!

The chocolate melted to perfection. I didn’t get a picture of that either. Had to eat that goodness.

My mama is hanging in there. She’s weary. But she’s not showing it. She’s so concerned for my dad and doting on him, taking care of his every need. I don’t know what he would do without her. I’m just hoping she will keep her strength, get rest in all the spaces and sleep the sleep of the angels when she goes to bed at night. And that joy will be in her every step, even in these hardest times. That’s my wish for her. She needs a humongous crown with lots of jewels in heaven. But that’s MY wish for her, not her wish. heehee

It was so hard to leave. I’m not a crier, but I cried. And cried. And cried some more. I hate seeing my dad suffer and I hate being so far from him, period, much less while he’s going through this.

But this cat kept trying to lighten the mood.

And it worked.

Posted in Birthdays, December 2012, Family, Travel | 10 Comments »

TFEiC

October 5, 2012

It’s been hard to settle down after such an exciting weekend~ I went to an Indie book event last weekend and met a ton of new friends. A lot of these friends are ones I’ve been talking to through writing groups on facebook, so I felt I already knew so many of them. It was great to finally meet in Real Life.

Did you know Tosha is a book blogger now? She is! She’s part of the panel of The Indie Bookshelf. You should check it out. They get the skinny on all the new books coming out~ definitely a blog to bookmark. Plus, Tosha looks really pretty in the cover picture.

So…Tosh and I set out on the road~ she was just as I excited as I was to meet some of the bloggers she’s been working with, not to mention all the great authors. And you know, anytime we get together, there will be fun and hilarity non-stop. Whether we mean for there to be or not…

I’m so happy we’re doing this together, my sisterfriend…

Bright and early…

The trees were in outstanding colorful display…

The weather was perfect. Downtown Chicago was stunning. I’ve been there several times, but have never seen this side of Chicago. Gorgeous. I wish I’d had more time to really explore (and see some dear friends who live there), but it was jam-packed every minute.

This is one of the prettiest skies I’ve ever seen in my life…took my breath away.

Tarryn Fisher, author of The Opportunist, and Rebecca Donovan, author of The Breathing Series

The foursome of the weekend:

Tarryn, Trish, Moi and Tosha~ otherwise known as The Three T’s and Me

A most delicious burger~ with a buttered bun…I want one of these right about now.

Or this would also suffice…

Oh my goodness, it was delicious.

These two were a hoot together.

And of course, me and my girl. I do love her so.

Meeting some of my posse: Maggi Myers (her book will be out soon!), Andrea Randall, author of Ten Days of Perfect, and Melissa Brown, author of Bouquet Toss

Dear, sweet girls…

And more wonderful people~ Nina, Jamie and Andrea~ everybody scrunch and smile!

And I’ve long wanted to meet Fred, a former lawyer and now librarian and book blogger of Still Seeking Allies…

Fred was just as delightful and charming as I imagined. He has this way of making everyone feel like they’re his most favorite person in all the world. Long live Fred’s Baker’s Dozen!

I live to make her laugh…see below.

Okay, let’s try this again…

Melissa helped organize this event, along with Sarah Hansen from Okay Creations, and Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed and Point of Retreat

I’m wishing I had pictures of Sarah and Colleen…sniff. This is right before the chaos.

Melissa is a dolly.

And so is Maggi.

I can’t wait for Dirty Red to be out~ Dec. 28th. Mark your calendars.

Tarryn received some sweet gifts from the people who love her book~ look at this cupcake with The Opportunist cover! I love it! I did want to eat it really, really bad, but managed to refrain.

And then there was this gift, which shall remain nameless, but gave us a very good laugh…

Discussing Dave Newell’s Book~ Red Lory, due out Nov. 2nd.

And Tracey Garvis-Graves~ I had the privilege of meeting her briefly in Minneapolis at E.L. James’ signing two weeks ago and then, for this event, I helped with Tarryn’s table and Tracey was next to us. She is the nicest person ever. Her book, On the Island, is SO good. MGM has optioned the book for a movie~ can’t wait for that!

Tarryn, showing off my jewelry…uh, I mean, Colleen Hoover’s autograph.

My flash gave out the night before, so an entire night of pictures has a halo of light taking over the entire picture. So sad. But that would have made for an even longer post. ha!

Saying good-bye is hard to do.

That’s Happy in the front, on the right…love that girl.

Awww. I don’t like good-byes.

An unforgettable time. Thanks, everyone, for making it so special. Can’t wait to see you all again.

*Extra love notes…

I didn’t get pictures of everyone, but every single person I met was so great. Some authors I LOVE who were also there:

S.C. Stephens, author of Thoughtless and Effortless and many more… (sweetest person and creator of Kellan Kyle, oh my word!)

C.J. Roberts, author of Captive in the Dark and Seduced in the Dark (I love this woman.)

Michelle Mankin, author of Love Evolution and the upcoming, Love Revolution (Dreamy kind and lovely person~so glad we were able to hang out, Michelle!)

Abbi Glines, author of The Vincent Brothers and many more… (Sweet lady! I have to read her books still! Very fun to talk to)

J. Sterling, author of Chance Encounters and more… (Oh this girl. She’s a hoot. Looking forward to the next time.)

Jillian Dodd, author of That Boy and many more…(She’s one of the few I didn’t meet~ we were on opposite sides of the building and the throngs of people divided us. Sigh.)

Next time, I shall meet all the rest that I didn’t even mention here. XOXO, lovely people!

Posted in Adventure, Bloggers, Books, Oct 2012, Sept 2012, Travel | 13 Comments »

I’ll Take That Mansion Right There, Please. Next to Tarryn’s.

July 23, 2012

Besides seeing Jesus…and David, Joseph and Esther…Ruth too, she rocks…in heaven, I’m excited that I can see Tarryn every day. I love this girl so much. In heaven~ God, are you hearing this?~ I’d like my mansion to be close to hers, please. It will save on texting…

Tarryn’s mom, Cynthia, was married a week ago in a beautiful beach wedding. The hot, humid, rainy day cleared up and cooled off just in time for the sweetest ceremony. Jeff, the lucky man Cynthia married, is wonderful in his own right. No, we can’t say he’s a blond female Mary Poppins, but he is special too. For real special, not *wink* special…

Look at this little dream…

The food was spectacular. The candy bar was divine…

I’m so happy for this couple. They feel like family to me already~ it’s amazing how that can happen so quickly with some people, but it’s just the way it is with this whole family. For keeps.

Other very important things happened in my visit…just for one, I picked up my phone and found about 25 of these fabulous treasures:

Imagine every face possible and you will know what I’m talking about…

I think I might have met my face-making match.

She has my heart.

And this guy…oh, don’t even get me started on him. I can’t even take his cuteness. He makes my guts squeeze every time I look at him.

To new starts, adventures and chasing dreams…true wuv.

And now it’s back to missing…it’s hard to miss. Day after day, miss, miss, miss. So if we could hurry up on the heaven deal, God, that would be great.

Posted in Family, Friends, Fun, Grateful Heart, Heartwarming Events, July 2012, Travel | 4 Comments »

Happy Trails, Junk Food and Rockstars

July 11, 2012

Well, if you read any of last weeks’ posts, you might have picked up that my trip to Arkansas didn’t exactly go as I was imagining it. I knew it was really important that I get there and that I get there FAST, and that much was true.

My dad is out of the hospital, still on oxygen full time, still having complications with a handful of serious issues that will (LORD WILLING) be resolved SOON. We’re so ready for that. There was one super scary day with him midway through my stay and I thought we’d be taking him right back to the hospital.

Turns out, it was my grandpa that ended up in the hospital. His heart rate was 39 when he was admitted; his sugar was 400. They talked about a pacemaker one minute and letting him go home in the same breath. He was there for 4 days. I’m still really concerned about him too. It was really hard to see him suffering.

Many hard things were said and done, but it seems to have helped get things moving in the right direction. If that’s really the case, all the rough stuff was totally worth it.

I really (!!!) appreciate all the comments, emails and texts after I wrote that last post. Some even said that it helped them have those hard discussions with their loved ones that they’ve been avoiding. Thank God for that. If I can ever help nudge you to take brave steps by discussing my faltering, foolish, yet sometimes effective ways, then I’m all for putting myself out there.

Nate joined us after we’d been there a week~ on Friday night and we started the drive back home yesterday. We’re just a couple hours from home as I write this. Nate being there helped in every way. I’m so thankful he was able to come. He listened to me stew after talking to Dr. Caldwell from St. Vincent’s in North Little Rock~ I say these details about Dr. Caldwell to make sure you avoid him like the plague if you ever have to go there. TRUST ME ON THIS. Nate also put up with my Walmart-induced stupors and my rants on the crazy drivers of Arkansas. And he’s driven most of the way home. Yeehaw and Hallelu.

Any time with my parents is treasured time, so we managed to have fun, even while just cuddled up on the couch. It always goes too fast, is never long enough and will probably always be that way, no matter how long we’re there.

A few highlights on the trip:

Just thought you’d be interested to know that the radio stations in Iowa are mostly all country stations. The stations in Missouri are mostly all about crops~ planning soybeans, pruning trees. And I can’t get past 102.5 in Arkansas to know what else is there. I do like me some gospel music. That station almost makes me like Arkansas. Almost.

(Arkansas brings out the very worst in me. This has never been more evident than on this particular trip. I can’t even tell you.)

“That Harley store is in a BARN! Iowa is SO COUNTRY!”~ Greyley (Fabulous yellow barn, by the way. Oh the things I could do with THAT barn!)

“Is Arkansas the continent of Missouri?” ~ Indigo

The MapQuest lady needs to work on her pronunciation of the word toward. It sounds like tard when she says it. And when she says, “Tard Fort Smith” it is especially hilarious…because her Fort isn’t quite right either. Indigo tried to copy her and ended up saying, “Tard Fart Snart,” which you can just IMAGINE how funny that strikes a kid who isn’t supposed to say you know what…we’ve said it all the way home.

“Where the eagles gather, that is where you find the carcass…that’s the word of the Lord.”~ Nate (To which every time he’d point out an “Eagle!” I’d say, “Carcass!” Similar to the game Marco Polo, I guess.) You had to be there. It really is in the Bible and it really is funny when he pulls out random scriptures like that.

About our car, “These trips sure are messy!”~ Indigo (Sigh. SOOO true and just when I’d almost gotten down the art of keeping a clean car with children.)

I read How to Kill a Rockstar on the way home and then wanted to discuss it in detail with Nate. (I loved this book) It got us talking about Eddie and the Cruisers~ do you remember that movie? I think I’m going to have to read the book over again~ I liked it that much. And I also want to see Eddie and the Cruisers again.

We’ve eaten even more junk food on the way home than we did coming. My stomach might not ever be the same. Smoked Cheddar Cheez-Its? Not a fan. Spicy Nacho Doritos? Yes, yes, I like.

I’ve rambled long enough. Tomorrow morning I’m flying out for a wedding in Florida. I’ll try to do a better job of taking pictures. I’m having a time with uploading pictures/computer/hard drive, etc. It’s putting a major damper in my picture taking agenda. Bear with me. This blog will be cool again one day. Hopefully.

Please keep my dad and grandpa in your prayers still. Things felt stable when I left, but for sure not resolved, so it’s more difficult than ever to not be closer. Over and out, y’all.

Posted in Family, July 2012, Life, Prayer Requests, Travel | 3 Comments »

Anonymous Blog, Mama Bear Claws and Denial

July 5, 2012

More than ever this week, I’ve wished this was an anonymous blog. I’ve wished it all year, because it’s been one of those seasons of having so much to say and not being able to say it. So on my favorite place to write exactly what is on my mind, when I go to write I end up talking grammar and other safe topics. Good grammar is on my mind, don’t get me wrong, but my head is full and this has always been my outlet. It’s been sad to feel like I’m, in a sense, avoiding this blog.

This year hasn’t been all bad~ there has been so much wonderful, but sometimes even great things have to be kept private. That being said, there has been a steady stream of hard lessons learned, gross life junk and altered relationships all along the way that would probably make for a multitude of fantastic blog posts. I’m being rather sarcastic, even though it’s the truth. It really would have helped to talk about it on here, feel the relief of writing it out and also get your input.

I’m not really going anywhere much further with that train of thought, only to say it’s why I’m here so rarely these days. I miss writing more often (so much!) but when I start a post, the things that want to come out aren’t so Girly Muse friendly.

Today, I will give you a censored version of an ongoing struggle…

I’m still in Arkansas and my dad had an awful day yesterday. We were up in the wee hours of the morning praying for him and trying to get him comfortable. Thankfully, he finally fell asleep when the chest pains subsided a little. Normally, we would have gotten him to the hospital in a hurry after 2 nitro, but he had been feeling like he couldn’t even make it to the hospital. It was really scary, so it felt miraculous for him to sleep and I’m grateful that by the time he went to bed last night, he was so much better. In the meantime, my grandpa has been suffering~ he keeps falling and each time is more affected. He didn’t know Greyley this visit. Yesterday, he didn’t know me half the time. He’ll say something that makes sense and in the next minute, he’ll be talking nonsense. But beyond that, he’s in pain and not able to take care of himself.

My grandparents have been amazing in their ability to care for their home and their yard. You can’t believe the gardens they’ve had. They’re both in their mid-80s and have suffered every disease known to man, but have always worked unbelievably hard. My grandmother’s health hasn’t been the best either and on Monday, we were at her doctor, trying to get relief for her too. They’re both struggling and it’s awful to watch. I’ve left bawling each time I leave their house this week.

Downsizing, Assisted Living and Nursing Home…these are the topics that have been on the table for a long time. And whew, it’s a complicated, volatile conversation.

The stress of it all has taken its toll on my dad and he cannot do it any longer. He’s the kind of man who took my other grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s, into our home and cared for him until the day he died. He was the one called when his pastor’s mother was getting sicker and eventually put in the nursing home. Some days she only wanted my dad and he was there faithfully. He was the one holding up my mom’s mother when she was struggling for her last breath.

With his parents, he has taken care of them at the expense of his own health. Again and again and again. And while he has the ability to say no, it is not in his nature to turn his head when someone is suffering. So he just keeps on~X, Y, Z, you name it, he’s doing it~ with my mom right alongside him.

So I come to town and go all Mother Bear for my parents. It’s hard to explain it any other way than that because I’d never felt such a FIERCE love until I had kids. I loved and I loved hard, but not fierce, until them. I didn’t dream I would ever be the one to have to have this conversation, but you know what they say…I guess things happen for a reason. And initially, I didn’t say anything that their kids haven’t said to them already, but I had it out with my grandmother yesterday, confronting her about getting help for Grandpa.

My little 84-pound grandmother is strong and mighty. I realized yesterday that everyone in the entire family is afraid of her.

It’d be hilarious if…well…I don’t know when it’s hilarious at the moment.

My grandma has always called me the sweet one, but after yesterday, I’m not so sure she’ll ever speak to me again, much less call me sweet. I’ve never had one cross word with her, EVER, but yesterday we pretty much covered it all. At one point, I chuckled and said, “Well, I know where I get my stubbornness from, Grandma. YOU.” We were talking about her not letting a girl who’d stayed with them cook for her, even though she was there to do just that.

And I made her cry. Yes, I made my grandma cry.

She said I hurt her feelings and that nobody had never, EVER called her stubborn. Well, I apologized immediately because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I also know that everyone has always called her stubborn. I guess it’s been behind her back, so she’s apparently never been faced with the truth.

When I think about all we did talk about, I’m struck by the fact that this is what made her cry. Out of all we talked about~ and I’ll tell you, we covered some extremely intense and painful territory for about 5 hours~ but me calling her stubborn is the only thing that made her cry.

You know me~ it has my head whirling. Four hours of sleep and lots of thinking later and this is what has jumped up out of it all and consumed my thoughts. Our human nature~ how do we hide our true nature from ourselves? Sometimes even to the extent that everyone who knows us can see it, BUT us.

Denial is a strong, dangerous character, especially if you’ve entertained it your whole life. I’m tempted to say it’s right up there with bitterness, but I guess denial is really like the antithesis of bitterness and probably a way more peaceful brain space. I guess I can’t deny someone denial for that reason.

The saga continues. It wasn’t resolved yesterday. Today another attempt will be made to get help for them. I did the best I could and certainly paved the way. Now, I’m wrapping my protective bear claws around my mom and dad and bearing my teeth at anyone who blinks at them crooked.

I am, after all, my grandmother’s granddaughter.

Posted in Confession is Good for the Soul, Family, July 2012, Life, Touchy Subjects, Travel | 16 Comments »

Arkansas: The Bane of My Existence or Maybe It’s Just Walmart

July 2, 2012

What a difference a day makes…

My dad was in the hospital on Wednesday and Thursday of last week and by Friday, I was burning the pavement from Minnesota to Arkansas as fast as my Mazda Tribute would take me. By the way, thank you, Trib, for getting me places after 120,000+ miles.

My little road troopers joined me…

We like to eat as much junk as possible on a road trip. Krispy Kremes were also involved. And Coke Icees. And Cracker Barrel biscuits and gravy. And pancakes. We were ready for tuna casserole when we arrived. Why does traveling make you so hungry?

Can I throw in here that I wish I’d never introduced my kids to Cracker Barrel? It began when I would drive this trip with Greyley as a baby and wanted a nice changing table, along with a good meal. It turned into an hour of eating food that can be hit or miss, drinking bad coffee and getting sucked into buying some sort of toy because you feel ~~bad~~ guilty that you’ve had your kids in the car for hours on end.

Now I feel like a traitor for saying that about Cracker Barrel, but to top it off~ after I’ve eaten their food, I’m always SERIOUSLY drowsy. Not a good combination with driving. OK, rant finished.

We left at 6:55 AM and arrived at my parents’ house at 9:00 PM. If you’ve ever been in the car for this long, you know that some madness is bound to take over your brain.

Some hyperness has to come out. Some slap happy-ness. Some other words ending with -ness.

We got here and I have never been happier to finally make it. It was killing me to be so far from my dad with him being so sick. I knew if I came while he was still in the hospital, he’d be doing everything he could to get out (he’s done this before when I come while he’s in the hospital) so as soon as I got word that they let him come home, we hightailed it over here. He’s still not doing well at ALL, but he has perked up a little with us here, I must say.

Here’s what has been happening with him~ a year ago yesterday (!) he had triple bypass surgery and we just kept waiting for him to get better and recover from that, but he hasn’t. Every doctor he’s been sent to has said, “It’s complicated.” Ugh. It turns out, he has several things working against him and we’re still not even sure what’s hurting him the most. The latest thing is that he has pulmonary hypertension, which is a scary thing…coronary artery spasms, another scary thing. He’s on oxygen around the clock, which has helped him stop passing out, but he’s still not getting enough oxygen. His blood pressure is crazy low~ like 55/32. He had 2 back surgeries a couple years ago and they didn’t go well, so any tests they run on him put him in more pain than he’s already in…see? It is complicated.

SO…we’re kind of desperate here for things to change for him.

All I know how to do is provide comic relief, make mashed potatoes, watch Little Rascals and pray. So that’s what we’re doing so far. My dad has to go back in for more tests and we’re still waiting to hear about the ones from last week.

I’ll be posting more this week, so keep me company over here, all right? After posting about my dad on Facebook, I was so encouraged and grateful for all my lovely friends and family. I’ve shown my dad all the wonderful comments and he appreciates it so much. We will take all the prayers we can get.

In unrelated topics, it is Hotter than Hades here.

And when I went to Walmart, I thought that’s where I was.

Forgive me, but it’s the truth. Walmart in Cabot, AR, brings out the very worst in me. Actually, besides the Ozarks and the fact that my family is from here and several other nice folks are too, I cannot think of much to like about it. I like a lot of places, but…I think ARKANSAS might bring out the worst in me. So maybe it’s not Arkansas, it’s just me. I might just be having a bitter moment that this is where I have to come when I visit my parents instead of where I grew up in California…but imagine what THAT road trip would have been like…

Posted in Adventure, Family, Grateful Heart, July 2012, Prayer Requests, Travel | 13 Comments »

Florida trip

May 7, 2012

It’s been a week since I’ve been home from Florida and I’m still smiling over the memories. What a great trip…I love it when things come together unexpectedly~ everything about this trip suddenly lined up and worked OUT. All thanks to our respective husbands~ Nate, Matt and James. Tosha’s been wanting us to go on a trip for my birthday since last year and at times it seemed iffy that it would happen. Now I can’t believe it’s all over…

Tosh and I dragged our sleepy, excited selves to the airport and giddily talked all the way to Florida.

Our God-given SMFFL (Soul Mate Friend For Life) Tarryn, met us at the airport and then we all three did our part to ensure we got our 120,000 words in for the day. I never knew I could talk so much. There’s something about these two that draws it all out of me. That and the fact that I go days without talking more than 1,000 words a day, so it was time to catch up.

Tosha and Tarryn at Jaxson’s~ aren’t they both so pretty?

The BEST ice cream ever!!!

Crunchy Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Hot Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Topping~ OH MY!

We ran into two of these in different parking lots. I thought they were some kind of turkey, but they’re ducks and very common in Florida, I guess. Very interesting~ it looks like its eyes got hit by a turkey’s waddle and the duck was left with the repercussions.

The next day, we made our way out to Sunny Isles, which is a fun little jaunt. If you’re ever in the Fort Lauderdale area, you should go over to Sunny Isles just to see the skyscraper penthouses on the main strip. Unbelievable. Donald Trump has some landscape there and let me tell you, it’s spectacular. Tarryn found a Groupon for a spa day~Seven Seas Spa & Salon~ in one of the hotels and this tiki hut was involved. Also included: lunch, massage, and facial. Yes, I felt SPOILED rotten.

Glorious

All the cares melted away…

Look at the bubbles coming out of the ceiling…

After we were thoroughly relaxed and pampered, we met Madison and Traci at Tatu~ a gorgeous sushi place in the Hard Rock Hotel. DELICIOUS.

Look at our pretty dessert. (It was delicious too.)

The next morning, we took our time before checking out and then headed to Starbucks. We also went to Ross, as in, Ross Dress for Less…we don’t have these in Minnesota and I love them. Found some cute things! They have so many more dresses than TJ Maxx or Marshall’s…

The next couple of nights we stayed at Tarryn’s house. Her dog, Willow, found a home at Tosha’s feet…

We met Tarryn’s mom, Cynthia, who is such a lovely woman. I wish I’d gotten a picture of her. She is from South Africa and has the greatest accent ever. Cynthia reminded me of a blond Mary Poppins, only much, MUCH sweeter…

We laughed a lot and cried some too. We ate great food and played a game or two…we talked about God and life and trouble and writing and heartache and all that is good and bad and fantastic and sad. I’m pretty sure we could have covered much more…

It was hard to say good-bye.

On the way home…

My heart is full.

Thanks, girls. xoxo

Posted in Birthdays, Friends, Fun, May 2012, Travel | 2 Comments »

My Very Own Jack Sparrow

February 6, 2012

Vacation Chatter, Wrap-Up

After a wonderful day in Cozumel, there was a PIRATE party. I didn’t realize I was traveling with a bunch of hooligans, but let me tell you~ they were EVERYWHERE!

I’m usually the one who always dresses up, but I forgot my pirate gear!

However, our gang was fully covered…ready to “ARGH” it up.

Our head ~~waiter~~ pirate, Deneval

Two of the Cutest Pirates

And a very Sleepy Pirate…

Let’s take a brief moment to see a common thread of the trip…

It’s called, Little Indie Sleepyhead and the Crocs

And oh, there are so many more…

Following the outrageous pirate party~ fireworks and everything~ we had a nice, mellow day at sea. I finally took a book to the deck and found my favorite spot on deck 4. The boys played shuffleboard nearby. The breeze was perfection. I can still see the waves…days 4, 5 & 6 had higher waves and I dug it.

Oh…we also took in a towel folding class…

That night, supper at Animator’s Palate…the room is black and white when you first go in and gradually as the evening progresses, the room becomes more and more colorful.

Lobster Night, oh my word. DELICIOUS.

The last port was Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. We enjoyed our day and stayed on the island until the very last possible minute, soaking up the sun and sneaking peeks at the manna rays.

Last night with the gentlemen who had been so kind to us all week…

Sad to say good-bye.

And then we had to say good-bye to the characters!

They were all out, but this was a favorite.

Indigo became fascinated with Stitch at Magic Kingdom on the Stitch ride, which is actually kinda creepy when you don’t know what to expect. I was holding my breath during the ride, thinking he’d be scared, but he LOVED it. He became obsessed with Stitch and had to buy the stuffed animal, so he was willing to get past his fear on the ship and go say hello. Stitch had helped break the ice earlier in the kid’s club when he came and danced with them. So fun. Indigo has decided he needs to see the movie now.

However, he didn’t want anything to do with this character…

Next came the yucky task of packing. Blech.

The poor guy who took our luggage…

Finally, after looking forward to something for so long, it was hard to believe it had already come to an end. We had a little more time to kill before our flight that night so we took in a couple rounds of mini golf at Pirate’s Cove…

And then, when we could stretch it out no longer, it was time to GO HOME~ with happy hearts, heavier bellies and gratefulness overflowing.

It is a vacation we will never, ever forget.

Posted in Adventure, Family, February 2012, Travel, Vacation | 9 Comments »

Tequila, Beaches and Conch Shells

February 3, 2012

Vacation Chatter, 5 days and counting

Loving the beach and all things tropical, I thought it might be really hard to leave the ports and get back on the ship. There was only one day I felt that way. Every other time, I was ready to get back on the ship, get cleaned up and get back in the middle of the ocean. There were so many fun things to do on the ship too, that there was always something to look forward to…

We met several great performers~ Buckets and Boards comedy percussion team and Daren Streblow from Thou Shalt Laugh 5 were our favorites.

We are always huge fans of someone who can make a great face…

Bunches and Boards

And they play great percussion out of random objects~ even better. I wish you could have seen my son’s shoulders shaking over these guys.

Daren Streblow is from Minnesota! We talked to him afterward for a while and he was the nicest man. Our friend Joey I.L.O. and Daren were on Thou Shalt Laugh 5 together and we’d been to Joey’s showing, so we recognized him as soon as he came out. Again, Indie’s shoulders shook and he wheezed from laughing so hard. He’d already known lines from Daren’s act by heart, so it was such a treat for us to see him in person. The fact that he was extremely warm and nice made it that much better.

During the show, Nate was selected from the crowd with 5 others for the funny face contest. I think he should have won. This is a recap of the face~ the first was far cooler…and this one is pretty good.

Sadly, Little Boy from Canada won by most applause. Nate was second.

Then Greyley was selected to NOT laugh. Not only was this not possible, but her laughing so hard made Daren laugh and it was a fun moment.

Good times.

I haven’t mentioned the food yet. Ahh, the food. We got our fill of seafood and steak and every kind of dessert possible…not to mention, all-you-can-eat ice cream. The eating experiences were delightful and the team of people that dote on you was hard to get used to at first, but also extremely fun. They cut my children’s meat and took the tails off my shrimp! I mean, how great is that!

Here’s just a glimpse of a mini sampler of desserts…

Next stop~ Grand Cayman Islands. We found a lovely spot on the beach and went snorkeling. It was Greyley’s first time to snorkel and she found this:

She picked right up on snorkeling and loved it. Indigo really tried and liked it…until he’d see something he wanted to pick up and went down to grab it, only to gag on salt water.

Gorgeous view…

I loved the sand in Grand Cayman!

We got so tickled at Indigo riding the ferry back to the ship. He was worn out and sat across from us…needed a little thumb time, I guess. His next goal is to be done with it when he turns 7…just around the corner. Pray, saints, pray!

Next morning we woke up and we were almost to Cozumel! How about a little breakfast first…

We looked in a few shops when we got off and then took a little walk to see if we could get away from the touristy area. Right away we saw iguanas…just roaming around in a driveway…no big deal.

Nate and I had to see how close we could get…he won~ he touched it.

…and then they both darted away from each other as fast as they could go. Nate was much faster, by the way.

We took a tour with a guy named Gabriel, who told us all about Cozumel. Such a nice guy~ he’s lived there all his life and loves it. Saw a few Mayan monuments and learned how tequila is made. Then we stopped at a few shops out on the beach and met the REAL Tequila. And Greyley won the grand prize of the day…

Greyley and Tequila

Eek!

My girl loves water with all her heart.

Heavenly backdrop…

This is the day I didn’t want to get back on the ship. Look at this water!

There was an area that had massive waves and I was dying to get in it, but our tour was almost over and it was nearly time to get back on the ship…

Coral everywhere…

My happy boy…his shirt confused a few of the locals.

I loved how this was growing out of the crevices…

This is what my hair looked like 97% of the trip…that wind, it was a’blowin’!

And one last gorgeous view before we say good-bye…thank you, Cozumel. You treated us well.

Posted in Adventure, Family, February 2012, Travel, Vacation | 7 Comments »

Sail Away

February 2, 2012

Vacation Chatter, Take 4

One of the happiest parts of the trip was the fact that we couldn’t be too sad to leave one thing~ Orlando, for example~ when we had a CRUISE to go on next. Steve and Jill are cruise pros and Nate and I are cruise newbies.

There she is~ the Disney Magic~ waiting for us!

I was SO excited for the cruise, but did have some nervousness too. Would I feel claustrophobic in the small rooms or panic about being out on the water like that? Fortunately, no one told me about the ship going down in Italy…however, the night before we got on, I was packing to leave our condo and turned on the TV. 20/20 was playing, “Cruise Ship Confidential” and oh boy, it did not help. It briefly mentioned the ship going down, but also talked about the other awful things that have happened on cruises. Great.

Model Version

BUT…I loved it! We had a room with a balcony, which helped so much. The first day, when we were doing the safety drill and all filing down to the restaurant, I had to just not think about what it would really be like if it was truly going down. Nightmare…

Thankfully, there was smooth sailing. And when the sailing wasn’t as smooth, it was still kinda fun. I’m a klutz to begin with, so put me on a rocking ship and it can get interesting! I loved how it lulled me to sleep~ haven’t been able to sleep well since I got home~ I think I’m hooked!

We left from Port Canaveral, Florida and our first stop the next morning was Key West. My brother happens to be working down there for the next few months so he and his wife were there to welcome us as we got off the ship!

This lovely couple also greeted us…

The only two things I really wanted to do in Key West were go to Ernest Hemingway’s house and eat key lime pie. Anything else would be cake.

On our walk to Hemingway’s house, we saw these gorgeous trees…

One of the B&B owners saw us admiring her trees and took us around the back to see her favorite…

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have gone on this trip. Besides all the fun, the simple fact that we were in the heat, the ocean and green, living things…it’s like breath to me. It was wonderful.

And finally, after passing Harry Truman’s house (why didn’t I get a picture of that house?!), Ernest’s place…

Ernest lived here with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. Hemingway is such an interesting, tragic person. I have always been intrigued with his story…my brother and I have this in common.

It was fun to see the books he liked to read, his pictures, their rooms…he loved cats and they are all over his space~ on his bed, everywhere. They have full reign. I think 40 still live on his property. He was partial to the polydactyl (six-toed) cats.

I wanted to stay in his little writing cottage. It’s more spacious than it looks here and we couldn’t go all the way inside this room…

Minus the hunting decor, I’d take it! Apparently he used to have a catwalk from the veranda off his bedroom to his writing cottage. He spent most of his time out here, when he wasn’t fishing or traveling.

Very fun tour.

The six-toed cats are protected in Key West, as well as roosters. It was odd to see roosters everywhere!

Every time I see roosters, I think of the rooster we had for a brief time. If it was a cloudy day in San Jose, the rooster would crow ALL DAY LONG. Needless to say, he didn’t last very long at our house.

After a long, adventurous and toasty day, it was pretty nice to see this in the distance. Yes, pretty sure I am hooked.

Posted in Adventure, Family, February 2012, Fun, Travel, Vacation | 10 Comments »