Carnival Glory - Day 2

Greetings from sunny Nassau! We are docked next to the Disney ship. Got off to purchase a liter of Diet Coke and a walk about. Ah, the joys of cruising.
We will now resume our people watching. WYWH, y'all!

Barb, Zane, Sandee

Sail away!

Sandee, Bee, Charlie

Let the good times roll...um...float! Lighting is not good. Oh well...

Linda and Dick

Dick found another woman! It's just Linda.

Carnival Glory–Day 1

This beauty will be home for Griswolds for the next week, leaving out of Miami, heading to the Eastern Caribbean on Blogger’s Cruise 4…with 300 or so blogging buddies.  Fun?  You bet! 

Check back often for instant photos and info as we cruise the beautiful waters.  I have opened up the comment section to allow anonymous folks in, so please feel free to say howdy.  No spammers allowed!!!

Ship facts:
Decks - 13
Passenger capacity - 2,974
Total crew - 1,150
Tonnage - 110,000
Ship size - Large
Ship length - 952 feet
Registry - Panama

Got passports, tiara, sunscreen, Fun Pass…….and probably more clothes than we need, but we are ready to roll…as soon as Barb and Linda get here. 

Fun for all; all for fun.  Lido Deck, here we come!  Honk…honk.  WYWH, y’all!!!

T minus 1!

Wow!  Tomorrow is cruise day and I am excited about that, but I don’t want to wish away the day and miss out on the Saturday excitement, because it is gonna be pretty special.

Dick and I are having lunch at our fave beachfront restaurant with none other than Empress Bee, Sarge Charlie, Barb, and Linda---all blogging buddies going on the Bloggers Cruise with us tomorrow.  Woohoo!!!  Let the fun begin!

Fun Pass:  check

Luggage tags:  check

Oops, it’s time to actually pack.

Life is good!!!  WYWH…

T minus 2

List made:  check

Toes done:  check

Car cleaned out:  check

Packed:  Um, no.  Tomorrow.  I do have my to-do list printed.  That counts.

So where are we going?  I know you asked, right?  Here is the itinerary for the Carnival Glory:

Day                          Port                         Arrive      Depart
Sunday              MIAMI, FL                                  4:00pm
Monday             NASSAU                    7:00am    2:00pm
Tuesday            FUN DAY AT SEA       
Wednesday     ST. THOMAS          10:00am    6:00pm
Thursday        SAN JUAN, PR          7:00am    3:30pm
Friday             GRAND TURK          11:00am    5:30pm
Saturday        FUN DAY AT SEA       
Sunday           MIAMI, FL                  8:00am   

Empress Bee, Sarge Charlie, Barb, Linda, Zane and Sandee are joining us on the Bloggers Cruise 4.  Now Zane and Sandee live in CA, and none of us has ever met them in the real, although we have been blogging buddies for quite awhile and we all feel as if we know each other.  I’m sure we will by the end of next week!  Come along for this next adventure if you want to.  I’ll be blogging live, rather than doing pre-posted blogs.

Good thought for the day:  When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

Life is short…make fun of it, y’all!

Beads, and more beads

I got some more gifts made, and an item or two (or three) to keep:

Bracelet—Swarovski crystals, FW pearls…a gift for someone.

 

 

 

 

Chunky amethyst,  white FW pearls, and small gold balls-- necklace and earrings to keep.  Probably.

But this one, using peacock FW pearls instead of white pearls, is a gift:

 

 

 

 

These are both turquoise balls, although in different colors.  The photo quality doesn’t do them justice.  The red ones have a bit of a black vein running through them. 

 

 

And this one was a very easy necklace.  All the elements are semi-precious stones of various types.  I really liked the variety of colors that make this a very simple and versatile necklace…about 20” long:

So now I have to clean up my mess and put everything away, and get laundry done.  B.O.R.I.N.G. 

But…three more sleeps and then it will be time to go cruising!  Woohoo!!!   I hope you’ll come along for the adventure.  Wait…several of you ARE coming along with us!  I like the sound of that.

Gotta go get my toes ready for the toe inspection prior to embarkation.  What?  You didn’t know there were toe police?  Oh yes.  Definitely.   Winter toes are not allowed onboard!  Now, do I want a French pedi or do I want red toes???

Thought for the day:  The best is yet to come...

Later, y’all!

Wednesday in paradise

The girls rocked at marbles yesterday!  Ray and Lois came to the park to meet up with us and Dan and Joan for an early game before going out to dinner to celebrate Dick’s birthday.

After eating, the guys wanted to get even.  Naturally.  Didn’t happen.  We won two more rounds!  Not that we would gloat or anything.  Well, not too much.

Sadly, Dan and Joan leave this morning to go visit family before making their way back to Mayberry.  We’ll miss them.

Today I have lots of beading plans…and a birthday card to make.  Tomorrow will be put-away day, and time to begin thinking about getting ready for Sunday’s cruise.  We are both looking forward to that.  I’ll post details soon.

Dick thanks everyone for his birthday wishes.  He got lots of love from family, friends, and blog buddies.  He is one lucky guy…and he knows it!

We do not stop playing because we grow old;
We grow old because we stop playing.
NEVER Be The First To Get Old!

Life is good, y’all!

Happy birthday, Dick!

Enjoy your special day today, honey.  Although you think it is just ‘another day,’ it isn’t.  It is special, because YOU are.  Your parents were blessed with your birth on this day, many years ago.  The kids, the grands, and I are all blessed with your presence today. 

We all love you very much, honey.

Let the good times keep rolling…for a very long time.  ILY today and always.  We are blessed beyond measure.

Life is good!

Guess where the Griswolds are…

Here is a hint:

We are picking up Bill and Barbara shortly and heading out for a plate of this goodness.  It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Six more sleeps until it is time to cruise again.  Woohoo!!!  More details on that later.

Thought for the day:
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

Happy Monday, y'all!

Croquet explained…

Croquet has been traced back to the 1300s.  It is thought that it may have been an indoor version of lawn bowling, to be played in times of inclement weather.  It was then played in more confined spaces. The players enjoyed it enough to bring it back outside for the summer.  Originating in France, the game was called "paille-maille" which means ball-mallet.

This is what the field looked like before the teams began playing.  Ideally, the playing field measures 100x50 feet, with two teams of four or more per field.  Dick and I won our two rounds, then moved on to the shoot out between the other winners.  We lost, but it was fun!

Dick is getting his shot all lined up.  It takes a few times to get the feel of the mallet, the feel of how hard to hit the ball, and the eye coordination to get the ball to go just where you want it to go.  It doesn’t always work out as planned, but it was definitely fun trying.  We had a lot of good laughs.  Fortunately, no one took themselves too seriously.

And the food (BBQ) was excellent, as were the wine and beer.  And the weather…simply divine.

Observations on Growing Older:
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.  

Who is gonna win the Daytona 500?  Do you care???

That’s it from paradise, y’all!

Meet Ruby and other stuff

This gorgeous little number is my live-in maid, limited in ability, however, but very much appreciated by my back…and Dick’s.  Her battery died recently, so Maytag Man went to work and got her back up and running.  He didn’t want to run the vacuum either.

Ruby rolled and bumped around and got all the floors done yesterday, carpet and tile alike.  Missy observed for awhile from her lofty perch, but promptly got bored and took a nap.  Work is too tiring for that girl.

Our weather here has been utterly fantastic.  Love it, love it.  Who wants to stay inside cleaning?  Not me. 

And the good weather should continue for our upcoming cruise.  We leave a week from TOMORROW!  I am sooo looking forward to getting back on a ship.  We haven’t been on a cruise all year!  OK, so the year is new, but still.  It’s been too long since the last cruise.  Have I mentioned that we loving cruising? Oh.  I guess I did already.

Have any of you ever played croquet, I mean for real?  Not like when we were kids and just banged the ball around, clueless.  We haven’t…at all…and we are going to a croquet party this afternoon…and I am still clueless.  Yikes.  I’m sure there are rules, and probably competition and all that.   I should probably Google the game and learn a bit before we go. 

Maybe I won’t embarrass myself.  Or beam anyone with the mallet or a ball.  Wish me luck!  Send help!!!

Friday funny

Two little old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall  where a flower show was in progress.

The thin one leaned over and said, 'Life is so boring. We never have any fun any more.   For $10.00, I'd take my clothes off and streak through that stupid, boring flower show!'  

'You're on!' said the other old lady, holding up a $10 note.

The first little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and,  completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) through the front door of the flower show.  

Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall followed by loud applause and shrill whistling.  

Finally, the smiling and naked old lady came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering, clapping crowd.  

'What happened?' asked her waiting friend.

'I won $1,000 as 1st prize for "Best Dried Arrangement....!!! "

Gotta love little old ladies…

Make sure y’all have some fun today, OK?

For Barb and Linda

Just to whet your appetite for your upcoming trip to WPB, here is our lunch at John G’s yesterday (two guys had this first plate—Dan opted for french fries instead with his fish—just so y’all know there are lots of options):

Joan and I had the petite fish and fruit plate:

My plate was minus one bite—Dick reminded me to take a photo (good blogging buddy he is!) after I had already sampled my fish.  It was good.  So was the coleslaw that had been in those small bowls.
Here the gang is, enjoying the beautiful, calm Atlantic…with full tummies:

We  brought Jim up to our RV site for a visit, then took him on a tour of where our old farm was west of here (Jim had NEVER been to WPB) before delivering him safely to Janet down in Plantation.  And then we all ate dinner at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, including their daughter-in-law and almost one-year old grandson from Denver.

What a day!  And today involves even more eating with friends.  Susan has a birthday.  It’s tough, but we’ve gotta do it.  And she’ll get a pair of earrings.

And a very happy anniversary to Amy and Jason today.  Ten years.  We love you both!

Life is good in paradise, y’all!

Before and after

I made a bracelet for a friend, and somehow or other it broke, so I promised a remake.  It is made of clear and sapphire (her birthstone) Swarovski crystals.  Here is the before, with tools, crystals, ‘recipe,’ etc., laid out and ready to begin:

And the after results, before going into the mail:

I decided to do a toggle clasp, rather than a lobster claw clasp, as a test to see which works better.  Judy, let me know, k?

The only problem with beading or card making in the moho is that everything has to be put away pronto, since there is only the one usable table inside.  And leaving everything outside on the patio is not an option for any extended period either.  But I manage, and I have a couple more projects that I want to get done before I stow away everything.  I’m having fun!

But creativity will be put aside today.  Friend Jim is flying down from Atlanta this morning (guess where we’ll take him to lunch?).  Bingo.  John G’s!  Janet has been down in the keys this past week, so they are meeting here and driving back to Mayberry tomorrow.  Or whenever.  It’ll be good to see them.

Life is good here in paradise.  The weather is fantastic.  WYWH, y’all!

Tuesday stuff

Don and Carolyn had never been to the local historical center in Orlando (it is hard to be a tourist in your own backyard), but they took us and Bob and Lynne there while we were up in the Orlando area.  It turns out that it is quite a nice little museum.  There was a very nice Civil War display that explained the importance Florida play during that time, mainly supplying cattle to the soldiers.

This was an interesting building located near the museum.  I would love to go back and check it out next time we are in the area.  I’ll bet there is lots of history attached to this colorful number.

I’ve had a bit of beading fun these last couple of days, getting some earrings made.  Oops, I see that I mixed a couple of them up.  Not to worry, they’ll get matched up!  I have at least two bracelets I need to get made before the cruise.  The cruise?  Yes, a cruise…in less than two weeks.  Time is flying by.

Dan and Joan arrived in their moho today and will be here for a week.  We had dinner together out on our patio last night, then went over to their moho and played two games of marbles.  The guys won the first game and were such gloaters, till Joan and I cleaned their clocks on the second one.  Hopefully, she and I can keep up our winning streak next time, because there will be another time!

Not that any of you need to know this, but here is a very smart thought for today:

If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

That’s it from paradise.  Enjoy your day, y’all.  Today is all you have.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Did you know (or care?)?

Approximately 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

Honey, this is your card, filled with love!

Speaking the truth?

A touching funeral was in progress, and the preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased, what an honest man he was, and what a loving husband and kind father he was.

Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children, "Go up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa."

Enjoy your Sunday.  Make someone smile!

Saturday catching up

Somehow or other I never got around to posting about our special dinner last week, the one involving animals.

Carolyn suggested we eat dinner at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the buffet place…and it was outstanding!  We tried many different African dishes, and totally stuffed ourselves.

Unfortunately, we got there a bit late, so we didn’t have good animal viewing, but we saw quite a few of these Eland antelopes, and the flamingos .  All the rooms face out onto the area where the animals roam around.  We also saw 3 giraffe, but they were too far away to photograph in the waning light.

 

And the ceiling inside the beautiful hotel lobby (sorry for the dim lighting):

Here is a display case of a few African baubles:

It was a great evening, and worth another visit there some day.

Thought for the day:  Whatever doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.

Have a fabulous Saturday, y’all!

Friday stuff

Maytag Man is mah-velous, tenacious, and just downright determined.  That’s him over there in another photo from when we went to the beautiful Morikami Park. 

Back to the problem at hand.  Well, he wasn’t gonna let that satellite system get the best of him.  No sirree.  He tried one thing, then another, and yet another till he got that cussed thing to hit the correct spot and STAY.  He sez the coach is NOT moving until we go back to Mayberry.  Period.  We have internet working.  Big smiles here.  And I got to Skype with Haley this morning (another snow day), something we couldn’t have done on the park wifi.

And thanks to JJ, my hair is cut and blondied and ready for the bloggers cruise…in two weeks!  JJ worked her wonderful magic yesterday afternoon.  Dick said he liked it…when he finally looked up from the computer screen and noticed, bless his heart.

I’m going on record to say that I am sick of those Valentine’s Day commercials for teddy bears and hoodie footie pajamas that guys are supposed to buy for their lovely lady and get wink/wink good rewards.  Puh-lese.  Guys, don’t you fall for that stuff!  It seriously ain’t gonna work.  

That’s my public service hint for the day.  Make today a great one.

Life is GOOD!

Wine fun and other stuff

Hey, Lois, look what I found:

Yep, we were camped right next to an Aldi’s up there in Winter Garden, so I finally got to check out the Winking Owl wine you’ve been telling us about. 

Lynne and I bought these and took them to Carolyn’s house for dinner and a wine tasting (placed inside a brown lunch sack kept the bottles anonymous).  We had so much fun with it, that Carolyn talked us into buying more wine to take to the Super Bowl party at their friend’s house for another tasting.  We added more bottles and a little more variety…and folks were very surprised to find they were drinking ‘cheep’ wine.  They liked it!

I can tell you I am not liking the internet situation since our return to WPB.  Our MotoSat has a problem, so we are having to use the park wifi, which is crap.  Seriously.  Dick checked the speed at 6p and it was SLOWER than dial-up.  Bugger.  He might be talking with the park manager today.  Ya think?  I am grateful for my itty bitty iPhone, yes I am, but it can’t do everything I need to do.

On the good side, we at least now have clean clothes.  That ‘new’ washer just kept a turning all day yesterday.  Maytag Man is the best…washer installed and working.  He also worked hard up on the roof yesterday trying to fix that satellite thingy.  He is also not a happy camper that it isn’t working.  It may be too cost prohibitive to fix/replace.  We may be looking at an air card.  Life is never dull.

Thought for the day:  When in doubt, just take the next small step.

That’s it from paradise.  Have a great day, y’all!

Happiness is...

New washer washing! Let's hear a big AMEN!!!

The Griswolds are on the move…

We are leaving the campground today, fortunately not because we got thrown out for looking so trashy!

The Splendide has gone to the trash heap, minus the ‘good’ innards—motor, hoses, etc.  They went nawth with Amy/Jason to get stored at the shop. 

Dick and I are heading to Cape Canaveral this morning to pick up a ‘new’ Splendide to replace this dead one.  Mama has gotta have clean clothes.  Daddy likes to have spare parts.  It works out.  Then we’ll head south to W Palm Beach after the pick up. 

We hated saying goodbye to Don, Carolyn, Bob and Lynne, but all good things must come to an end.  Plus, Bob and Lynne will be back to WPB in March.  Relatives just keep showing up..JK!  Friends Tom and Dixie had us all over for a farewell dinner last night.  Our circle of friends just keeps growing, and we love it.

So we’ll be arriving in WPB, setting up, retrieving a week’s worth of mail…and getting life back to normal.

Welcome new commenter Life Cruiser.  You ask if I ‘mind’ that you comment.  Hello…I LOVE COMMENTS!   Seriously.  I started this blog for my family and friends to keep up with where in the world we are…and am now ‘meeting’ folks all over the world.  How great is that?!  Dick and I are going on a cruise in less than three weeks, and we’ll get to meet ‘in the real’ some of the people I’ve met on the internet but haven’t met in real life (Sandee, Zane)…and some folks that I met via the internet, and have actually already visited with in real life (Bee, Sarge, Barb, Linda—plus a few others).  How great is this???  I can tell you --- FANTASTIC!  I am so excited about this new adventure.

Thought for the day:  Over prepare, then go with the flow.

That’s what we’ll do.  Life is good, y’all!

Monday, Monday

Hey, boys.  Look up there on the water tower at that HUGE bird nest!

Little boys are sooo easy to entertain, as long as they can keep moving and working off their abundant energy.  Whew!  I wish I could bottle up some of that stuff.

The kids hit the road yesterday, stopped for the night in middle GA, and are visiting an airplane museum this morning.

Another rainy day in central FL, so the plans are for a museum visit in ORL today for the big kids here.  Carolyn is being a good tour director:)

How ‘bout those Packers?  The Super Bowl party was fun last night.  More later on the wine tasting event.

Can you believe another arctic blast is heading south?  Sheesh.  It makes 57 here seem like summer.  Stay safe and warm, ppl!

Sunday, rainy day in paradise

The kids have to leave today.  Boohoohoo.  Goodbye is not a favorite word of mine, especially when said to my sweet family.

Dessert for breakfast was a great hit with the birthday gal…and everyone!

And the wee boys enjoyed blowing out candles on the cake…well, what was left of the yummy Sour Cream Pound Cake that Joyce made. 

 

 

 

Say CHEESE!

And bon voyage to my precious people.  Goodbye, sugah boys!  It’s gonna be freezing back in Mayberry.  Stay safe and warm!!!

Life is short...forgive quickly, love truly,
laugh uncontrollably...
and never regret anything that made you smile.

Saturday stuff

So now that Amy’s birthday has come and gone, I can show y’all the other necklace that I made for her.  She wanted pink, so pink she got.  This one is made from pink chip opals (opals are Scooter’s birthstone), pink marble, coco beads and wooden beads.  She liked it and the other pink necklace I posted awhile back.   Yep, it was for her also. 

We began Amy’s birthday with breakfast at Cracker Barrel at her request, a little shopping for the ladies, then a trip back to Carolyn’s house for an early dinner.  Amy and Nana Joyce made chicken pot pie—delish!—and then Amy, Jason, Bob and Lynne enjoyed a performance by Cirque du Soleil (Dick and I had seen this particular performance, so we kept the wee boys—no hardship there).

Speaking of boys, here they are after a day at Disney World, totally exhausted…our own mini-Blues Brothers.  Happiness is…having tired boys sleep!

 

We plan to go to the local farmer’s market and poke around today.  No telling what else we’ll do, but it’ll be fun for sure.  Yikes, the kids leave to go back to Mayberry tomorrow.  Time is flying by!

Can y’all believe the piles snow all across the country?  And snow in Texas messing up the Super Bowl?  Sheesh.  Anyone have any plans for a Super Bowl party?  We do, and I’m taking meatballs, clam dip, and crab dump.

You’ve never heard of crab dump?  Easy peasy—a block of cream cheese; topped with a can of drained crab meat, and about a half bottle of cocktail sauce dumped on top of that…served with crackers.  Good, but good!  Try it.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

I'm glad he didn't 'blow' out the candles!

We love you bunches,
Mom and Dad

Thursday things…

I feel so much better today, after getting a good load of precious sugah yesterday.  My sweet boys enjoyed a dip in the park pool, and then fun on the playground where they proceeded to get totally worn out, just as wee boys should!

Carolyn and Don had us all over for a very fine dinner last night.  And had friends stop by for a howdy.  She is a terrific hostess.

And today is a big day for this gang, shown here, already on the monorail at Disney.  This is Nana’s first visit there.  She’s the short person over in the corner.  Scooter LOVES the monorail and would probably be content to just ride on it all day long.  These guys will be filled with tales of their Mickey adventure, and totally tired by the time they get back to the campground, after the fireworks tonight. 

Carolyn has suggested a great destination for dinner for us big kids not experiencing the Mickey adventure.  It involves good food and animals.  Life animals.  Big animals.  Stay tuned.  Hopefully, WE aren’t on their menu!

Make today a good one.  Lynne and I are off to……..do something or other.  Who knows?

Remember:  It's never too late to have a happy childhood.  But the second one is up to you, and no one else.

Life is good!

OK...I sent this photo from my iPhone, but the text didn't arrive with it.  I have to learn what went wrong:(

Anyway, Dick is there with the girls...Dixie and Georgia...Don and sister Carolyn's two sweet doggies...who love to go for a boat ride. 

So we are now back at the cg after a nice lunch, and guess who is here--Amy, Jason, Nana Joyce, Doodlebug and Scooter!  Bob and Lynne will be arriving shortly, then we all head back to Carolyn's home for dinner.

See why we love to come to FL in the winter?  No snow/ice...and lots of fun and family.

Amy and I are taking the wee ones to the playground.  WYWH.

That's life in paradise, y'all!

Change of plans…stay flexible!

Rut roh…Norm’s moho wouldn’t crank up yesterday, so mechanic Dick went over to check it out.  Some relay switch wasn’t making contact.  Dick got it removed, cleaned up, put back in place.  Long story short—something electrical had been left on inside the coach, and the batteries were simply drained down!  Simple fix.  And that relay thingy needed cleaning anyway.

So both coaches stayed over one more night at Tropical Palms, a very nice resort, by the way.  We didn’t have anything pressing for today and were able to change our reservation at the next cg, so it was no big deal…and we got one more chance to visit with Norm and Harriet.  That’s always a good thing. 

And so today we move on, just up the road a piece to Winter Garden…and another adventure that will surely put smiles on our faces.

Thought for the day:

Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

Lighten the load, y’all. 

Enjoy Groundhog Day!  How’d it get to be February already???