Wow. Remembering to write in my blog seems to be more of a challenge than I thought. Time keeps passing by in the blink of an eye.
Which is a perfect lead in to my post today. My daughter. I now have an adult daughter! She turned 18 last week, and so many things have happened over the last few years in her life that it is amazing ONLY two years have passed.
She has not had a good time of it. She has struggled with adolescence. She has left home at a young age, moved back, and moved out again. She has seesawed on the issue of gender identity. She has fought the blackness and despair of drugs and alcohol. She has experienced the horrors of things other humans can do to other humans.
I am so proud of her. She has made some bad choices...everyone does. She has experienced a few years that would destroy pretty much anyone. But she is not destroyed.
My daughter made it to adulthood. She has clawed her way back onto the path of life. She has returned to the support and fellowship of a nice church group. She has taken herself for the help she needed, and no longer relies on the drugs and alcohol. She is finishing her school year on track, catching up in a slightly different way than usual, so that she should be able to graduate with her peers in the spring. She has a nice fellow who loves her and is helping her not to slip back into old habits. She has been working part-time and her manager says she is her best employee.
And in approximately 36 days, give or take a few weeks, she will have my first grandchild, who will be loved and cared for in a stable home, and of course will have many family members who will also love and help care for him.
She has come a long way. So much has happened in a mere 2 years. And that is just HER story.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Thursday, January 17, 2019
A Bit of Catching Up
I think it is going to take awhile, and certainly a lot of "Oh yeah!" moments, over a number of blog entries to catch people up with the last two years. I am not even sure exactly where to start. There have been job changes, life changes, many, many events involving the children, trips...
Today, I think I will catch you all up on my (and my husband's) job changes. I am not sure if my husband still worked at the computer repair shop when I last posted. Due to some unfortunate events, he found himself unemployed. It took him awhile to find something new. When he did, it was a job from home. A call centre for Apple products. It was good, in the sense there was no commute, and that it was somewhat in his line of expertise. But then as time wore on, it was discovered that the company he was working for was severely flawed. After several paychecks that were severely lower than they should have been, due to their error, and on part due to their faulty equipment, he decided to cut his losses and again search for a new job, this time away from computers. Again it took a few months. EI was not available to him, do it was a rough ride until he ended up working with me. Six months of this, and he decided this was not the place for him, either.
This ended us in the biggest adventure yet. He went back to school. He spent three months away from home, studying to become an apprentice electrician. He passed his exams with flying colours, and even had a job lined up before the exams. He now works up north, four days a week, making more per hour than he ever did before. It has been quite an adjustment in the last four months, after having him home every night, first having him away for all but two weekends while at school, and then this past month of having him away four days, then home three. But he is doing well and enjoying the job, so we are adjusting...and if he is still there in a few years, once I am an empty nester, I will move up there. We choose not to uproot our son from his high school.
As for myself, I worked at my truck driving job until he went off to school. Then I had to change jobs because I wasn't making enough, not getting the hours I needed, being the sole provider during that time. I wish it had been possible to stay... now that he is in this job, I could have worked the hours now and had it be enough...but they have a policy to never rehire anyone. Too bad...I really liked that job and the people there.
So I took a job at McDonald's. I lasted the three months he was in school, and then quit. The stress was just too much. The hours were sufficient to help pay the bills, but the pace and some of the shifts wore me to the point of tears...not to mention the three times I burned my hand very badly with tea or coffee. It took three weeks to heal from the last time.
Now I am a bit of a freelancer...I make and sell bagels, baked goods, casseroles, and jams. I am the janitor at my church for a few hours each week. I am filling in for the church secretary while she is away. I mystery shop. And i have recently been taken on by a modeling agency. I hope to appear in a magazine, a flyer, on a bus or billboard, that sort of thing someday...but first I need to get some professional photos taken and start a portfolio, and study up on how to look and act like a model. The agency offers packages, but I can't afford them, so am trying to get all of this done on my own. If I can present them with impressive enough photos, they should be able to help me get the casting calls. Fingers crossed!
So as you can see, a lot has happened, just in the area of jobs! Maybe the next topic will be one of the children.
Today, I think I will catch you all up on my (and my husband's) job changes. I am not sure if my husband still worked at the computer repair shop when I last posted. Due to some unfortunate events, he found himself unemployed. It took him awhile to find something new. When he did, it was a job from home. A call centre for Apple products. It was good, in the sense there was no commute, and that it was somewhat in his line of expertise. But then as time wore on, it was discovered that the company he was working for was severely flawed. After several paychecks that were severely lower than they should have been, due to their error, and on part due to their faulty equipment, he decided to cut his losses and again search for a new job, this time away from computers. Again it took a few months. EI was not available to him, do it was a rough ride until he ended up working with me. Six months of this, and he decided this was not the place for him, either.
This ended us in the biggest adventure yet. He went back to school. He spent three months away from home, studying to become an apprentice electrician. He passed his exams with flying colours, and even had a job lined up before the exams. He now works up north, four days a week, making more per hour than he ever did before. It has been quite an adjustment in the last four months, after having him home every night, first having him away for all but two weekends while at school, and then this past month of having him away four days, then home three. But he is doing well and enjoying the job, so we are adjusting...and if he is still there in a few years, once I am an empty nester, I will move up there. We choose not to uproot our son from his high school.
As for myself, I worked at my truck driving job until he went off to school. Then I had to change jobs because I wasn't making enough, not getting the hours I needed, being the sole provider during that time. I wish it had been possible to stay... now that he is in this job, I could have worked the hours now and had it be enough...but they have a policy to never rehire anyone. Too bad...I really liked that job and the people there.
So I took a job at McDonald's. I lasted the three months he was in school, and then quit. The stress was just too much. The hours were sufficient to help pay the bills, but the pace and some of the shifts wore me to the point of tears...not to mention the three times I burned my hand very badly with tea or coffee. It took three weeks to heal from the last time.
Now I am a bit of a freelancer...I make and sell bagels, baked goods, casseroles, and jams. I am the janitor at my church for a few hours each week. I am filling in for the church secretary while she is away. I mystery shop. And i have recently been taken on by a modeling agency. I hope to appear in a magazine, a flyer, on a bus or billboard, that sort of thing someday...but first I need to get some professional photos taken and start a portfolio, and study up on how to look and act like a model. The agency offers packages, but I can't afford them, so am trying to get all of this done on my own. If I can present them with impressive enough photos, they should be able to help me get the casting calls. Fingers crossed!
So as you can see, a lot has happened, just in the area of jobs! Maybe the next topic will be one of the children.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Back in the Saddle
I can't believe it has been nearly two years since my last blog entry. So many things have happened, which I may or may not eventually tell about. It has been a rough two years, but I am still chugging along.
As I begin 2019, I am hoping to get back into writing in my blog. No promises, but I will certainly give it my best go...this year promises to contain many major events and possibly some exiting adventures, too.
One of the major events of this year will come to a head somewhere end of February to middle of March...my daughter is turning me into a grandmother. Part of me feels a bit young for this, but really, I am well old enough to be a grandmother. I am excited. I have my full gramma (or in my case, Nana) on...buying little baby things, making stuff, dreaming in the baby aisle...things like that.
Another big event will come in the summer...20 years of marriage. Hard to believe we have almost reached this milestone already! We will celebrate this momentous occasion with a Caribbean cruise. I am definitely looking forward to that. I do love my cruises!
I won't overwhelm everyone with my first post back. Just wanted to peek in and let everyone know I am back in the saddle and raring to go with this blog again. So hello to everyone, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more ramblings. 😁
As I begin 2019, I am hoping to get back into writing in my blog. No promises, but I will certainly give it my best go...this year promises to contain many major events and possibly some exiting adventures, too.
One of the major events of this year will come to a head somewhere end of February to middle of March...my daughter is turning me into a grandmother. Part of me feels a bit young for this, but really, I am well old enough to be a grandmother. I am excited. I have my full gramma (or in my case, Nana) on...buying little baby things, making stuff, dreaming in the baby aisle...things like that.
Another big event will come in the summer...20 years of marriage. Hard to believe we have almost reached this milestone already! We will celebrate this momentous occasion with a Caribbean cruise. I am definitely looking forward to that. I do love my cruises!
I won't overwhelm everyone with my first post back. Just wanted to peek in and let everyone know I am back in the saddle and raring to go with this blog again. So hello to everyone, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more ramblings. 😁
Saturday, January 28, 2017
I Am The Camel
It has been a long time since I posted, and for some reason, I really felt like sharing this with someone....but where? So I shall do it here.
I am sure you have heard the phrase "The straw that broke the camel's back". Today was that day. Funny thing is that I doubt anyone knew.
This weekend, I had a coaching session with my chorus. It involves a lot of standing, a lot of metal and vocal gymnastics. Sometimes a bit of physical gymnastics, with choreo, but not this time.
First of all, I will start by explaining that over the past while I have been very tired. All the time. And in pain. All. The. Time.
I had some blood tests done for an annual physical, and will get the results of those in a few days, and will mention this to my doctor, in the hopes that he can explain what is going on, and what to do about it.
So let's start with exhaustion and constant pain.
Add a bit of seasonal depression. Okay?
Now add to that the stress of a husband that has been coughing. Really hard. Hard enough to have passed out at least once. He has been coughing for over a month. He had a lump the size of a mandarin orange removed from his left lung in 2011, after months of coughing like this.
Let's look at our list...
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Now, six months ago, my husband lost his job, and because of the circumstances behind it, we did not qualify for EI, and so I was the sole breadwinner for almost three months. I make a little over $12/hour and work part time, no benefits. He got a new job three months ago, but also is making a little over $12/hour, no benefits. Not a lot of income, and the job market is not good. So money is super tight.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
NOW...on to today. At the coaching session, we were working on our competition songs, and there was one note that for some reason was just not coming out right. That is to say, for some reason, I was singing a wrong note. Every. Single. Try. The coach was getting frustrated. The director was getting frustrated. *I* was frustrated. Now, usually, if something like that were to happen, my internal dialogue would be something like "Okay, you know this! Relax, breathe, you got this." And then I would usually be able to get the note. Nope. Today my internal dialogue was not nice. It had fangs.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
I became like a cartoon character...you know what I mean...a tear starts to leak out, they manage to suck it back into the tear duct.
Then we started working on breath marks. I was having a horrible time with breath support...could not for the life of me make my breath last to the right breathing spot. I was frustrated. Coach or director, I don't remember who, made a comment like "You guys can do this, it's not that hard, just use your breath support"...nothing mean, wrong, incorrect...she was right. We know this stuff, we know how to stretch our breath. Perhaps it was the pain and exhaustion, but I just had no breath. None. And that wonderful internal dialogue was now screaming at me. You know, the kind of internal dialogue that tells you what a failure you are?
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
Frustration over lack of sufficient air
Internal dialogue
*CRACK!!!*
There was that straw.
I quietly stepped off the risers, surreptitiously wiping away a tear, walked into the bathroom, and sobbed for a good five minutes about how hard it was to just LIFE at that particular moment.
Eventually I got myself under control, back together, and back on the risers, and despite the pounding headache that came from the crying, I did feel better. I curled up in a corner for about 20 minutes over lunch break, with my eyes closed. Never actually slept, but kind of shut the world out for a bit.
Nothing really changed after that, but I do think that hard cry helped level me off again, and my chorus is awesome and hilarious as anything, so the afternoon went much better, with even quite a few instances of laughing my head off with everyone else.
I have no idea if I really have a point here. Maybe just telling my story in case someone else has an experience like mine where they just lose it over something that seems so small, and haven't realized that it built up from a multitude of things instead of that one, little thing.
And that is my story about the day I was a camel.
I am sure you have heard the phrase "The straw that broke the camel's back". Today was that day. Funny thing is that I doubt anyone knew.
This weekend, I had a coaching session with my chorus. It involves a lot of standing, a lot of metal and vocal gymnastics. Sometimes a bit of physical gymnastics, with choreo, but not this time.
First of all, I will start by explaining that over the past while I have been very tired. All the time. And in pain. All. The. Time.
I had some blood tests done for an annual physical, and will get the results of those in a few days, and will mention this to my doctor, in the hopes that he can explain what is going on, and what to do about it.
So let's start with exhaustion and constant pain.
Add a bit of seasonal depression. Okay?
Now add to that the stress of a husband that has been coughing. Really hard. Hard enough to have passed out at least once. He has been coughing for over a month. He had a lump the size of a mandarin orange removed from his left lung in 2011, after months of coughing like this.
Let's look at our list...
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Now, six months ago, my husband lost his job, and because of the circumstances behind it, we did not qualify for EI, and so I was the sole breadwinner for almost three months. I make a little over $12/hour and work part time, no benefits. He got a new job three months ago, but also is making a little over $12/hour, no benefits. Not a lot of income, and the job market is not good. So money is super tight.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
NOW...on to today. At the coaching session, we were working on our competition songs, and there was one note that for some reason was just not coming out right. That is to say, for some reason, I was singing a wrong note. Every. Single. Try. The coach was getting frustrated. The director was getting frustrated. *I* was frustrated. Now, usually, if something like that were to happen, my internal dialogue would be something like "Okay, you know this! Relax, breathe, you got this." And then I would usually be able to get the note. Nope. Today my internal dialogue was not nice. It had fangs.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
I became like a cartoon character...you know what I mean...a tear starts to leak out, they manage to suck it back into the tear duct.
Then we started working on breath marks. I was having a horrible time with breath support...could not for the life of me make my breath last to the right breathing spot. I was frustrated. Coach or director, I don't remember who, made a comment like "You guys can do this, it's not that hard, just use your breath support"...nothing mean, wrong, incorrect...she was right. We know this stuff, we know how to stretch our breath. Perhaps it was the pain and exhaustion, but I just had no breath. None. And that wonderful internal dialogue was now screaming at me. You know, the kind of internal dialogue that tells you what a failure you are?
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
Frustration over lack of sufficient air
Internal dialogue
*CRACK!!!*
There was that straw.
I quietly stepped off the risers, surreptitiously wiping away a tear, walked into the bathroom, and sobbed for a good five minutes about how hard it was to just LIFE at that particular moment.
Eventually I got myself under control, back together, and back on the risers, and despite the pounding headache that came from the crying, I did feel better. I curled up in a corner for about 20 minutes over lunch break, with my eyes closed. Never actually slept, but kind of shut the world out for a bit.
Nothing really changed after that, but I do think that hard cry helped level me off again, and my chorus is awesome and hilarious as anything, so the afternoon went much better, with even quite a few instances of laughing my head off with everyone else.
I have no idea if I really have a point here. Maybe just telling my story in case someone else has an experience like mine where they just lose it over something that seems so small, and haven't realized that it built up from a multitude of things instead of that one, little thing.
And that is my story about the day I was a camel.
Monday, August 31, 2015
North To Alaska
Just got back from our family vacation to Alaska and everyone is clamouring to hear how it went.
Happily, I have this habit of writing a journal on trips like this, so I will type out this journal here for all of you waiting for details.
Be warned it is a little disjointed....that is what you get when you are having fun on vacation.
AUGUST 22, 2015-Our first day of traveling was long. We made it to Seattle, to the hotel around 11 PM. Midnight home time. We were all very tired and cranky. We drove to the airport parking, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. Great food, great soft chairs, and even computers.
Flew to Vancouver with no issues. Two sky trains to the Amtrak station.
Five hour ride on the train. It started very, very slowly, but once we crossed the border, it sped up a lot. The scenery was quite interesting until the sun went down.
A quick taxi ride and straight to bed with the A/C going. We all slept well.
Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel. Holiday Inn Express is good for that.
Off to the EMP museum. Took pictures of the cool architecture and the Space Needle. Tried finding a geocache but no luck. Maybe we can find something tomorrow morning.
The museum was really cool. Got some good pictures. Tried to go to Pike Place Market, but the crowds and prices were NUTS!!! $10 for 4 apples!
We ate lunch at a grill a few blocks away instead. It was nice...cool, dim, and I had fish and chips with a peanut coleslaw.
Went to a mall, then relaxed at the hotel for a bit.
The boys went to a Mariners game, and the girls went to Jurassic World. Good movie. Freaky. U.S. snacks are HUGE!!!
Spent a bit of my money. Bought a storm trooper T-shirt, Darth Vader keychain, an EMP pin, a colouring book, and pencil crayons.
Had a huge headache all day, but bought ibuprofen in the bathroom at the theatre and feel MUCH better.
Thought I lost my wallet, but it was in my jacket pocket the whole time.
AUGUST 23, 2015- Ruby Princess is big...not as big as Freedom of the Seas, but big enough. Still very lost. A bit rough seas tonight.
Never did manage to find a Seattle geocache...too many muggles.
Got on the ship, got our room keys, and headed to the buffet. My son lost his key in the 30-second walk from the table to the buffet.
The food is good, and so is the staff. Very attentive.
For supper, I had artichoke bisque, a roll and a breadstick, rice and vegetables with crawfish in a tomato sauce, and a chocolate hazelnut souffle with an amaretto sauce.
My drink package allowed me today to have 2 Coke, a gingerale, a virgin pina colada, and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Watched a comedian, stood out on the deck after, and then watched a woman spend at least $40 trying to win an adult arcade game, to no avail.
At the shop, I bought a Ruby Princess pin, a Skagway pin, a Ketchikan pin, and a Ruby Princess keychain.
Bedtime snack at 10PM ended up more like another meal. Oh well.
AUGUST 24, 2015-After a bumpy night on the high seas, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the buffet. Ate such things as smoked gouda, smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy. Very nice.
Kids headed off to their youth programs. I wandered the ship, played mini golf, watched a movie by the pool. I took pictures and a few videos of the massive swells and the subsequent waves in the pool.
Hubby took a penny whistle class. Had a pub lunch with him and Son. Fish and chips with mushy peas.
Joined the Pop Choir. I have a solo in Doe A Deer. Eek!
Bought a T-shirt of the Inside Passage today.
Son saw a pod of whales by the ship this evening. I am jealous! All I have seen so far is little jellyfish and one eagle.
The sea has calmed down a lot, thankfully.
Formal night tonight. Wore my long yellow dress and sparkly jewellery. Ate duck terrine, porcini cappuccino soup, veal ravioli, salmon, a blueberry mojito sorbet, and a raspberry chocolate mousse heart.
Had another bedtime snack with Son. Didn't need one- supper was at 8:30PM.
AUGUST 25, 2015- Since I wanted to keep track, yesterday I got a Coke and a virgin drink at the bar, and today I got a Coke and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Up at 7:30. Ate at the buffet. Ketchikan was beautiful.
Shopped on the dock...2 T-shirts, a Christmas decoration, and a pair of earrings.
The lumberjack show was cool. They sat us on the side cheering for the U.S., but we cheered for Canada instead. (Author note: And for screaming really, really loud, Son got a postcard signed by ALL the lumberjacks)
Ate too much, as always. Supper was a goat cheese souffle, ginger lemon orange sorbet, lamb, veal, and chicken skewers with potato croquettes and spinach, a french vanilla creme brulee, and a trio of mini desserts (raspberry panna cotta, apple crumble, and a chocolate mousse...thing).
Had Pop Choir practice and saw the evening music show and watched the 2015 Cinderella.
Sat by the pool when Son was swimming and sat in the hot tub, too.
Saw 3 or 4 humpback whales today. Very cool. The just spouted and came up a tiny bit, but it was something anyway. Early morning tomorrow to try to see more in Tracy Arm Fjord.
AUGUST 26, 2015- Well, Tracy Arm never happened, thanks to a medical emergency. So we arrived in Juneau almost 5 hours early. I got to see a few whales though. Too bad I couldn't get good pictures.
After Pop Choir, we ate and then left the ship. I had issues with my card both ways. Hopefully it is fixed for tomorrow.
Took a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier and a gold mine. $130. Nice guy, though.
Saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. Also saw an eagle in a tree.
Bought a Del Sol T- shirt, a Juneau pin, a bandana...I think that was it.
Vegging this evening because everyone is so tired. Hope I sleep well tonight since I have had heartburn for 3 days and nights now.
Supper was shrimp cocktail, a salad, fettucini alfredo, a bun, and creme brulee. And a virgin pina colada.
AUGUST 27, 2015-Today we landed at Skagway. Rented a car and drove out to Carcross (Yukon Territory). It was raining, so part of the way was nearly zero visibility on the mountains. A bit stressful to say the least. The bits we COULD see were gorgeous.
Stopped at a little glacier fed lake. Felt the water and tasted it too. So good and clean!
Caribou Crossing was nice. Goats, ponies, chickens, alpacas, horse, donkeys, a mule, and lots of huskies.
We held a puppy. It was so sweet and so tired.
Nice museum there, too. Bought a pin. Ate BBQ chicken, potato, a bun, coleslaw, and homemade donuts with hot tea.
Stopped at the Carcross Desert on the way back. Interesting place. Lots of sand.
Son bought another matryoshka for a good deal less today. (Author note: he had bought one the day before...the first set was three cats, this one was five girls)
King crab lags for supper. Ate way too many. Got an anniversary cake piece.
Watched the illusionist then part of Tomorrowland before bedtime snack with Son. Had venison tonight. Not bad.
Hot chocolate and a virgin pina colada on the card today.
AUGUST 28, 2015- Today we all slept in. The kids slept in a whole bunch.
Ate lunch in the dining room. Had clam chowder and eggs benedict. Played the slots a bit. Lost all I played. Got 2 tokens I will keep as souvenirs.
Supper at the Crab Shack was good. The crab anyway. Did not like the crawfish.
The sea is extremely bumpy and choppy today. Nobody can walk straight or stand still. A combination of too much food and the sea made me feel awfully sick this evening.
Went to a music and dance show with Son, then to the buffet for a chocolate tapioca and a peppermint tea.
My card got me a Coke and a no-jito today.
AUGUST 29, 2015- Last full day on the ship. In some ways I want to stay. In others I am ready to be home. I miss my bed, my pets, and my own cooking.
Today was the performance of the Pop Choir. It went really well, AND it was John's birthday (the director), so we surprised him by singing Happy Birthday at the end of our set. He was so happy he cried.
We all got souvenir pins for being in the choir. Very cool.
Said goodbye to Ion in the dining room (Amazing, wonderful, funny Romanian). We will miss him. He was an amazing head waiter.
Victoria was okay. A bit away from the good shopping, but we did manage to get to the Empress. Good memories.
Used the card today for 2 Cokes and a virgin pina colada.
The magnetic stripe died because my key card was near my magnetic phone case, so Hubby and Daughter had to let me into the room for the rest of the trip.
The waves were really bad today, so we bopped around A LOT! (Author: It turns out there was an awful storm in Vancouver the night before, and then a big storm out by Hawaii, so we were catching the dreadful swells from those two)
Saw a whale at breakfast, slapping its tail at us.
AUGUST 30, 2015- Off the ship this morning. had to be out of our room by 8AM, but were not scheduled to be let off the ship until 10. Had a hearty, drawn out breakfast at the buffet, wandered around awhile, then finally just settled into the lounge we were to leave from. Everyone else snoozed while I coloured in my colouring book. We ended up being let off at around 9:30, and then stood waiting for our shuttle bus until 10:30. But it was a nice morning.
Took the bus from the ship to a casino near the Vancouver airport, took a skytrain to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. They had pasta and cold cuts and cheese and all sorts of nice stuff to eat. I ate some, but as we waited at the gate for our flight to board, I slipped off and grabbed a guacamole burger from Carl's Jr to take on the plane. Yum!
A bit of turbulence on the plane, but after the up and down we went through on the ship, we could handle anything. After hitting a big bump in the air, I jokingly told Daughter we had just run into a sky whale. :)
Arrived in Edmonton, got our stuff, called the shuttle, and rode back to the van. Discovered a low tire. Drove a block to the gas station and filled it up. We will see if that fixes it, or if I am talking to the lovely people at Kaltire in the morning.
Home at about 10PM. Everyone is just beat. Glad to be home again. It was a good trip. Next cruise: 2019. Destination: Unknown.
Happily, I have this habit of writing a journal on trips like this, so I will type out this journal here for all of you waiting for details.
Be warned it is a little disjointed....that is what you get when you are having fun on vacation.
AUGUST 22, 2015-Our first day of traveling was long. We made it to Seattle, to the hotel around 11 PM. Midnight home time. We were all very tired and cranky. We drove to the airport parking, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. Great food, great soft chairs, and even computers.
Flew to Vancouver with no issues. Two sky trains to the Amtrak station.
Five hour ride on the train. It started very, very slowly, but once we crossed the border, it sped up a lot. The scenery was quite interesting until the sun went down.
A quick taxi ride and straight to bed with the A/C going. We all slept well.
Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel. Holiday Inn Express is good for that.
Off to the EMP museum. Took pictures of the cool architecture and the Space Needle. Tried finding a geocache but no luck. Maybe we can find something tomorrow morning.
The museum was really cool. Got some good pictures. Tried to go to Pike Place Market, but the crowds and prices were NUTS!!! $10 for 4 apples!
We ate lunch at a grill a few blocks away instead. It was nice...cool, dim, and I had fish and chips with a peanut coleslaw.
Went to a mall, then relaxed at the hotel for a bit.
The boys went to a Mariners game, and the girls went to Jurassic World. Good movie. Freaky. U.S. snacks are HUGE!!!
Spent a bit of my money. Bought a storm trooper T-shirt, Darth Vader keychain, an EMP pin, a colouring book, and pencil crayons.
Had a huge headache all day, but bought ibuprofen in the bathroom at the theatre and feel MUCH better.
Thought I lost my wallet, but it was in my jacket pocket the whole time.
AUGUST 23, 2015- Ruby Princess is big...not as big as Freedom of the Seas, but big enough. Still very lost. A bit rough seas tonight.
Never did manage to find a Seattle geocache...too many muggles.
Got on the ship, got our room keys, and headed to the buffet. My son lost his key in the 30-second walk from the table to the buffet.
The food is good, and so is the staff. Very attentive.
For supper, I had artichoke bisque, a roll and a breadstick, rice and vegetables with crawfish in a tomato sauce, and a chocolate hazelnut souffle with an amaretto sauce.
My drink package allowed me today to have 2 Coke, a gingerale, a virgin pina colada, and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Watched a comedian, stood out on the deck after, and then watched a woman spend at least $40 trying to win an adult arcade game, to no avail.
At the shop, I bought a Ruby Princess pin, a Skagway pin, a Ketchikan pin, and a Ruby Princess keychain.
Bedtime snack at 10PM ended up more like another meal. Oh well.
AUGUST 24, 2015-After a bumpy night on the high seas, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the buffet. Ate such things as smoked gouda, smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy. Very nice.
Kids headed off to their youth programs. I wandered the ship, played mini golf, watched a movie by the pool. I took pictures and a few videos of the massive swells and the subsequent waves in the pool.
Hubby took a penny whistle class. Had a pub lunch with him and Son. Fish and chips with mushy peas.
Joined the Pop Choir. I have a solo in Doe A Deer. Eek!
Bought a T-shirt of the Inside Passage today.
Son saw a pod of whales by the ship this evening. I am jealous! All I have seen so far is little jellyfish and one eagle.
The sea has calmed down a lot, thankfully.
Formal night tonight. Wore my long yellow dress and sparkly jewellery. Ate duck terrine, porcini cappuccino soup, veal ravioli, salmon, a blueberry mojito sorbet, and a raspberry chocolate mousse heart.
Had another bedtime snack with Son. Didn't need one- supper was at 8:30PM.
AUGUST 25, 2015- Since I wanted to keep track, yesterday I got a Coke and a virgin drink at the bar, and today I got a Coke and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Up at 7:30. Ate at the buffet. Ketchikan was beautiful.
Shopped on the dock...2 T-shirts, a Christmas decoration, and a pair of earrings.
The lumberjack show was cool. They sat us on the side cheering for the U.S., but we cheered for Canada instead. (Author note: And for screaming really, really loud, Son got a postcard signed by ALL the lumberjacks)
Ate too much, as always. Supper was a goat cheese souffle, ginger lemon orange sorbet, lamb, veal, and chicken skewers with potato croquettes and spinach, a french vanilla creme brulee, and a trio of mini desserts (raspberry panna cotta, apple crumble, and a chocolate mousse...thing).
Had Pop Choir practice and saw the evening music show and watched the 2015 Cinderella.
Sat by the pool when Son was swimming and sat in the hot tub, too.
Saw 3 or 4 humpback whales today. Very cool. The just spouted and came up a tiny bit, but it was something anyway. Early morning tomorrow to try to see more in Tracy Arm Fjord.
AUGUST 26, 2015- Well, Tracy Arm never happened, thanks to a medical emergency. So we arrived in Juneau almost 5 hours early. I got to see a few whales though. Too bad I couldn't get good pictures.
After Pop Choir, we ate and then left the ship. I had issues with my card both ways. Hopefully it is fixed for tomorrow.
Took a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier and a gold mine. $130. Nice guy, though.
Saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. Also saw an eagle in a tree.
Bought a Del Sol T- shirt, a Juneau pin, a bandana...I think that was it.
Vegging this evening because everyone is so tired. Hope I sleep well tonight since I have had heartburn for 3 days and nights now.
Supper was shrimp cocktail, a salad, fettucini alfredo, a bun, and creme brulee. And a virgin pina colada.
AUGUST 27, 2015-Today we landed at Skagway. Rented a car and drove out to Carcross (Yukon Territory). It was raining, so part of the way was nearly zero visibility on the mountains. A bit stressful to say the least. The bits we COULD see were gorgeous.
Stopped at a little glacier fed lake. Felt the water and tasted it too. So good and clean!
Caribou Crossing was nice. Goats, ponies, chickens, alpacas, horse, donkeys, a mule, and lots of huskies.
We held a puppy. It was so sweet and so tired.
Nice museum there, too. Bought a pin. Ate BBQ chicken, potato, a bun, coleslaw, and homemade donuts with hot tea.
Stopped at the Carcross Desert on the way back. Interesting place. Lots of sand.
Son bought another matryoshka for a good deal less today. (Author note: he had bought one the day before...the first set was three cats, this one was five girls)
King crab lags for supper. Ate way too many. Got an anniversary cake piece.
Watched the illusionist then part of Tomorrowland before bedtime snack with Son. Had venison tonight. Not bad.
Hot chocolate and a virgin pina colada on the card today.
AUGUST 28, 2015- Today we all slept in. The kids slept in a whole bunch.
Ate lunch in the dining room. Had clam chowder and eggs benedict. Played the slots a bit. Lost all I played. Got 2 tokens I will keep as souvenirs.
Supper at the Crab Shack was good. The crab anyway. Did not like the crawfish.
The sea is extremely bumpy and choppy today. Nobody can walk straight or stand still. A combination of too much food and the sea made me feel awfully sick this evening.
Went to a music and dance show with Son, then to the buffet for a chocolate tapioca and a peppermint tea.
My card got me a Coke and a no-jito today.
AUGUST 29, 2015- Last full day on the ship. In some ways I want to stay. In others I am ready to be home. I miss my bed, my pets, and my own cooking.
Today was the performance of the Pop Choir. It went really well, AND it was John's birthday (the director), so we surprised him by singing Happy Birthday at the end of our set. He was so happy he cried.
We all got souvenir pins for being in the choir. Very cool.
Said goodbye to Ion in the dining room (Amazing, wonderful, funny Romanian). We will miss him. He was an amazing head waiter.
Victoria was okay. A bit away from the good shopping, but we did manage to get to the Empress. Good memories.
Used the card today for 2 Cokes and a virgin pina colada.
The magnetic stripe died because my key card was near my magnetic phone case, so Hubby and Daughter had to let me into the room for the rest of the trip.
The waves were really bad today, so we bopped around A LOT! (Author: It turns out there was an awful storm in Vancouver the night before, and then a big storm out by Hawaii, so we were catching the dreadful swells from those two)
Saw a whale at breakfast, slapping its tail at us.
AUGUST 30, 2015- Off the ship this morning. had to be out of our room by 8AM, but were not scheduled to be let off the ship until 10. Had a hearty, drawn out breakfast at the buffet, wandered around awhile, then finally just settled into the lounge we were to leave from. Everyone else snoozed while I coloured in my colouring book. We ended up being let off at around 9:30, and then stood waiting for our shuttle bus until 10:30. But it was a nice morning.
Took the bus from the ship to a casino near the Vancouver airport, took a skytrain to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. They had pasta and cold cuts and cheese and all sorts of nice stuff to eat. I ate some, but as we waited at the gate for our flight to board, I slipped off and grabbed a guacamole burger from Carl's Jr to take on the plane. Yum!
A bit of turbulence on the plane, but after the up and down we went through on the ship, we could handle anything. After hitting a big bump in the air, I jokingly told Daughter we had just run into a sky whale. :)
Arrived in Edmonton, got our stuff, called the shuttle, and rode back to the van. Discovered a low tire. Drove a block to the gas station and filled it up. We will see if that fixes it, or if I am talking to the lovely people at Kaltire in the morning.
Home at about 10PM. Everyone is just beat. Glad to be home again. It was a good trip. Next cruise: 2019. Destination: Unknown.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
A Year And A Bit Older, But Probably Not Wiser
Wow. One year, four months, and six days since my last post.
This blog thing certainly has not been a priority. Now that my friend has started her own blog, having moved overseas, maybe I will get back into the swing of things myself.
So what can I update my tiny group of followers on? Hmmm
Well, it has certainly been a year of changes. I spent a few months just being a stay-at-home mom again, unpacking, getting used to the community and all, then figured it was probably time to get cracking and back into the workforce again, what with wishing for a paycheck and all. :)
Off I went to apply for a school bus driving job. I signed up with the local branch of the bus company I had worked for in Regina, and was, of course, accepted on and went through their training program again. I had expected to get a position in town, but when the orientation day came for all the drivers, I was not given one of these routes. I was, however, given a route for the French school board down the road a ways. It wasn't ideal. I drove half an hour to the bus yard, drove another 15 minutes in the bus to the start of the route, picked up 20 students. Drove about 15 more minutes with them, dropped half off at an elementary school, picked up a few more at that school, then drove another 10 minutes to drop everyone else off at the high school. Then a 40 minute drive with my empty bus back to the yard. Then I drove home, because the time gap was too big to stay in the city where my bus was. Then I repeated the process in reverse at the end of the day. And the students (some of them) were very rowdy, some very spoiled and undisciplined, and just basically made the drive very stressful and somewhat dangerous. Even adding the half hour for pre-check and post-check on the bus, I was driving 2 hours a day to get paid for about 3 hours of work that I wasn't even enjoying.
My husband was watching me kind of fade away, emotionally and energy-wise. I was tired, I was cranky, I was maybe a bit depressed, and WAY stressed out, and just basically not myself anymore. So he suggested maybe I should switch jobs. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen! What if...what if..what if...
I was worried that I would hate the next job too, or not find something, and was just basically clinging to the thought that I had to stick to what I had spent all this time training for.
Long story short, he convinced me, I looked, and on October 20, I started my new job as a driver for Enterprise Commercial Trucks (which recently rebranded as Enterprise Truck Rentals), and have not looked back since, except to laugh at my hesitation. I love my job now. I drive mostly pickup trucks (ranging from 1/2 tons to 1 1/2 tons), but also drive deck trucks, picker trucks, cube trucks, transit vans, cargo vans, 8-passenger vans, and occasionally SUVs, minivans, and the rare car. The people I work with are all great, have an uproarious sense of humour, and are just generally nuts, and it's awesome! :)
My partner at work and I get along great. He keeps me laughing all the time, and has even suggested a couple of harmless pranks (which is fine because I have been pranked by the BOSS already)...we were going to hang a pirate flag on the picker that was displayed in front of the office, but never could find one before they moved it, so when he suggested "safety shoelaces", I got right on it. He and I now sport very bright shoelaces on our shoes at work....one neon yellow, and one neon orange, to match our safety vests. Everyone (with the exception of one co-worker who is not known for her sense of humour anyway) thought they were absolutely hilarious! :) I completely forgot about them and made one woman in a Walmart parking lot do a double take, burst out laughing, and comment on how safety conscious I must be. :-D
A few weeks ago, my brother quit his job up north, and I helped him move south with my minivan. 2700+ km in 4 days. And he doesn't drive. I was a little uninspired to go back to work the day after that adventure. :)
The kids continue to grow and become their own very different people. Some days, it's a good thing, some days I wonder how I will ever survive until they are old enough to be on their own.
We discovered over the past year that our son is mildly autistic. They used to call it Aspergers, but now it is referred to as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever they want to call it, we are learning about it and what it means in regards to who my son is, why he does some of the things he does, and how to help him in different ways. Depending on the day, he can be "just like any other child", and others he can range from mildly annoying to others to a real pest or "weirdo" in the eyes of kids at school and in the general public. I put those in quotations because they are more how other people would maybe describe him, people who don't live with him every day and don't see how he ticks and don't see him as the whole person he is as opposed to the snapshot views you get of someone you know or see on a semi-regular or rare basis. He is an awesome little man, with a great sense of humour, a wonderfully soft heart (and a great hugger), and a whiz with anything Pokemon or Lego. (He completed a 2000+ piece Lego kit, Age 16+ Expert level, by himself, in about 2 weeks, working on it after school and weekends only) He is also an amazing chef. A recent (and extremely delicious) dish he made was scallops with dried cranberries, maple bacon, and homemade garlic aioli. We hope he will continue to cook for us forever. :)
Our daughter has been going through a very tough year. She is in a state of figuring out who she is, including making some very serious and dangerous mistakes which she thankfully seems to have moved past. She is a beautiful young woman, and we are very proud of her in terms of her grades, her basic personality, and the fact that other than the mistakes, she seems to make mostly good decisions in life. She is going through that crashing-waves-of-hormonal-instability stage of life where she can either be a nice, pleasant person, or a brooding, grumpy-cat sullen teenager, and it can change in a two minute period of time, but hopefully she (and we) will make it through that in the next few years. :) She is an amazing artist, and also quite musical. She has a beautiful singing voice, can play piano, clarinet, and has 3 guitars (acoustic, electric, and bass).
We are preparing in the near future for an Alaskan cruise, for which we are very excited. We have heard nothing but good things about Alaska cruises and are looking forward to one of the few family vacations we probably have left, before they are grown and moved out. Should be fun.
And that probably covers most of the past year. I hope. And I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated.
No promises, though.
This blog thing certainly has not been a priority. Now that my friend has started her own blog, having moved overseas, maybe I will get back into the swing of things myself.
So what can I update my tiny group of followers on? Hmmm
Well, it has certainly been a year of changes. I spent a few months just being a stay-at-home mom again, unpacking, getting used to the community and all, then figured it was probably time to get cracking and back into the workforce again, what with wishing for a paycheck and all. :)
Off I went to apply for a school bus driving job. I signed up with the local branch of the bus company I had worked for in Regina, and was, of course, accepted on and went through their training program again. I had expected to get a position in town, but when the orientation day came for all the drivers, I was not given one of these routes. I was, however, given a route for the French school board down the road a ways. It wasn't ideal. I drove half an hour to the bus yard, drove another 15 minutes in the bus to the start of the route, picked up 20 students. Drove about 15 more minutes with them, dropped half off at an elementary school, picked up a few more at that school, then drove another 10 minutes to drop everyone else off at the high school. Then a 40 minute drive with my empty bus back to the yard. Then I drove home, because the time gap was too big to stay in the city where my bus was. Then I repeated the process in reverse at the end of the day. And the students (some of them) were very rowdy, some very spoiled and undisciplined, and just basically made the drive very stressful and somewhat dangerous. Even adding the half hour for pre-check and post-check on the bus, I was driving 2 hours a day to get paid for about 3 hours of work that I wasn't even enjoying.
My husband was watching me kind of fade away, emotionally and energy-wise. I was tired, I was cranky, I was maybe a bit depressed, and WAY stressed out, and just basically not myself anymore. So he suggested maybe I should switch jobs. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen! What if...what if..what if...
I was worried that I would hate the next job too, or not find something, and was just basically clinging to the thought that I had to stick to what I had spent all this time training for.
Long story short, he convinced me, I looked, and on October 20, I started my new job as a driver for Enterprise Commercial Trucks (which recently rebranded as Enterprise Truck Rentals), and have not looked back since, except to laugh at my hesitation. I love my job now. I drive mostly pickup trucks (ranging from 1/2 tons to 1 1/2 tons), but also drive deck trucks, picker trucks, cube trucks, transit vans, cargo vans, 8-passenger vans, and occasionally SUVs, minivans, and the rare car. The people I work with are all great, have an uproarious sense of humour, and are just generally nuts, and it's awesome! :)
My partner at work and I get along great. He keeps me laughing all the time, and has even suggested a couple of harmless pranks (which is fine because I have been pranked by the BOSS already)...we were going to hang a pirate flag on the picker that was displayed in front of the office, but never could find one before they moved it, so when he suggested "safety shoelaces", I got right on it. He and I now sport very bright shoelaces on our shoes at work....one neon yellow, and one neon orange, to match our safety vests. Everyone (with the exception of one co-worker who is not known for her sense of humour anyway) thought they were absolutely hilarious! :) I completely forgot about them and made one woman in a Walmart parking lot do a double take, burst out laughing, and comment on how safety conscious I must be. :-D
A few weeks ago, my brother quit his job up north, and I helped him move south with my minivan. 2700+ km in 4 days. And he doesn't drive. I was a little uninspired to go back to work the day after that adventure. :)
The kids continue to grow and become their own very different people. Some days, it's a good thing, some days I wonder how I will ever survive until they are old enough to be on their own.
We discovered over the past year that our son is mildly autistic. They used to call it Aspergers, but now it is referred to as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever they want to call it, we are learning about it and what it means in regards to who my son is, why he does some of the things he does, and how to help him in different ways. Depending on the day, he can be "just like any other child", and others he can range from mildly annoying to others to a real pest or "weirdo" in the eyes of kids at school and in the general public. I put those in quotations because they are more how other people would maybe describe him, people who don't live with him every day and don't see how he ticks and don't see him as the whole person he is as opposed to the snapshot views you get of someone you know or see on a semi-regular or rare basis. He is an awesome little man, with a great sense of humour, a wonderfully soft heart (and a great hugger), and a whiz with anything Pokemon or Lego. (He completed a 2000+ piece Lego kit, Age 16+ Expert level, by himself, in about 2 weeks, working on it after school and weekends only) He is also an amazing chef. A recent (and extremely delicious) dish he made was scallops with dried cranberries, maple bacon, and homemade garlic aioli.
Our daughter has been going through a very tough year. She is in a state of figuring out who she is, including making some very serious and dangerous mistakes which she thankfully seems to have moved past. She is a beautiful young woman, and we are very proud of her in terms of her grades, her basic personality, and the fact that other than the mistakes, she seems to make mostly good decisions in life. She is going through that crashing-waves-of-hormonal-instability stage of life where she can either be a nice, pleasant person, or a brooding, grumpy-cat sullen teenager, and it can change in a two minute period of time, but hopefully she (and we) will make it through that in the next few years. :) She is an amazing artist, and also quite musical. She has a beautiful singing voice, can play piano, clarinet, and has 3 guitars (acoustic, electric, and bass).
We are preparing in the near future for an Alaskan cruise, for which we are very excited. We have heard nothing but good things about Alaska cruises and are looking forward to one of the few family vacations we probably have left, before they are grown and moved out. Should be fun.
And that probably covers most of the past year. I hope. And I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated.
No promises, though.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Catching Up
Have you ever noticed how life sometimes just creeps up on you? My brother pointed out that I hadn't updated my blog in over a year, and so I posted a "hang on, I'll update" note....and promptly fell into life again.
So here I am to try to update everyone on life in general....I continued as a school bus driver, and really liked it, and was switched in April of 2013 to a route that was going to be my permanent, forever one, but had to quit on Valentine's Day this year because my husband got a job that looked to be exactly what he wanted, with the one downside being that we were going to have to move. More on that later.
In April of 2013, my little brother had an aeortic aneurism. He ended up being flown from Fort McMurray to the Edmonton Heart Institute (or some name like that) for 10 hours of open heart surgery. It was apparently due to a birth defect, involving a bicuspid aortic valve (it is supposed to be tricuspid, you see). That was a scary time for us all, as he was only 31 years old.
The good news is that he got through that, and after a few months of rehab and healing, was able to go back to his job up north, and he seems to be doing just fine. He comes down for his one year follow up in a few days.
My daughter's ankles seem to have repaired themselves, and other than the occasional flare-up, she seems to be back to her normal self, which is good now that she has to walk to and from school. Physiotherapy seems to have done the trick, though they never did come up with an answer to what the problem was without turning around and changing their minds.
On my birthday this year, our pastor and his wife were in a terrible motorcycle accident when a deer ran out in front of them. Our pastor needed surgery and a lot of healing, and unfortunately his wife did not survive. It was really hard time for everyone at our church, as she was a real spark of life. She was the kind of person that just radiated happiness and love and she is very much missed.
In the summer, I signed up to drive my school bus as a shuttle between the city and a major country music festival, at night. Never again. Never. The people on my bus were, for the most part, well behaved, thank goodness, but some of them were too drunk to fish, if you know what I mean. It was hard to communicate with some of them, and I had one instance where I had to argue with someone who insisted I let them out at a spot I was not allowed to stop, and they even told me they could just "tuck and roll if I'd just open the doors"!!! We are talking about highway here. NOT that it would have made any difference where it was.
We took the kids across the border to the North Dakota State Fair. It was a lot of fun, a combination of Regina's Queen City Ex, Agribition, and Farm Show all rolled into one, but I don't think I would do it again...the cost of the travel plus the cost to be there really does add up. I think in the future we will just stay local.
We took our giant 13 man tent and camped at a place called Black Butte while there. It was awesome. We used air beds, so we were comfy enough, and the tent separates into 4 rooms, basically, so we had three bedrooms and a porch for the 4 of us. The campground was out in the open, very primitive, according to the owners, but to our view it was not primitive, it was perfect...there was a sandy area for the kids to play, a well, a fire pit, a barbecue, picnic table, a light in the middle of the field, and a permanent outhouse. We could hear coyotes howling in the distance, and see lots of stars at night.
I think you could fit maybe 4 families in the campground, but we had it all to ourselves. It was heavenly.
I got to be the cool mom as I went with my daughter to see Simple Plan at the local fair. We came away happy, half deaf, and disgusted by the cigarette smoke and hint of weed that was floating all around for the whole concert.
My son went to Cub Camp for the first time...9 days away from home. He had an amazing time, though the people running the program must have hated us...somehow we got the times wrong, so he got TO camp about 5 hours late...and so I had hubby ask someone about when to pick him up, and that person gave us wrong info, so we picked him up 3 hours LATE. I felt AWFUL. But he survived and got to go to a bee farm and get honey, he built his own tool box and step stool, made leather stuff, and just generally had a blast.
I took a Greyhound across the country to attend one of my two high school reunions (I moved in high school, so get to claim two high schools). Twenty year reunion. How did that happen? In any case, it was a good trip, though I didn't enjoy the ride as much as I used to when I was younger. I got to get the foods that are not available at home...Quebec poutine, spruce beer and nectar (both types of pop)...stuff like that. It was good to see people I had not seen in over 20 years (I could not make it to my 10 year reunion), and to connect with some of them on Facebook afterwards.
Along the trip, there was a stop at A&W going both ways. They were selling a jalapeno teen burger, and sweet potato fries with chipotle dip. I was in heaven. :) I am so happy they still have the sweet potato fries and dip, and the current special of Spicy Blue Cheese Teen Burger is really good, too.
Starting in September, my husband started to be away...A LOT! A company he was working for had a huge number of clients that needed the work done, and my husband was the main guy, so they asked him first. It got a little rough, having him gone more than he was home over a period of about 5 months. That started the whole new job thing, too. He wanted something a bit more 9-5, a bit more solid home/work separation.
In November, my husband surprised me. Do you remember that ad where the husband is being driven to the airport by his wife, and she is kind of depressed, and as she stands beside the car at the airport, ready to say goodbye AGAIN, she says "Where are you off to THIS time?", and he pops the trunk, there are two suitcases, and he says "Paris. Wanna come?"....well, he TRIED to do something like that, except it was Niagara Falls, and he ended up having to tell me a few days ahead of time because he had troubles figuring out a few of the details, such as getting the kids packed to go to the grandparents, getting the dog to the kennel without me freaking out over the fact the dog was missing...stuff like that. But he had it planned out in deep detail. Kids to my parents', dog to the kennel, he went and talked to my boss and got her in on it so I could miss some days of work, told my friends in Ontario that I was coming so they could plan to come see me...it was awesome and romantic.
While we were there, we found this amazing sushi place. They give you a page of all their sushi and you check off with a little pencil what you would like. Then they bring it, and another page, and if you want more, you check off the new page, and so on. We ate SO MUCH sushi!!!!! :)
There was also a place called Smoke Poutine. I highly recommend it if you ever see one. The poutine is huge, and they have about 20 different options, from your basic poutine to one with smoked meat on top, to steak, to chicken, and so on. Yum.
We took off down to the States for one night, just over the border into New York. Can't remember the city, though. Started with "M". Anyway, we went to a movie theatre there. I WANT a theatre like that here!!! Reclining armchairs with cup holders, pretzel bites with hot cheese dip, a serve-yourself pop bar where you can create your own pop (if you wanted, you could have weird and wonderful combinations like raspberry coke). Very cool.
Our furnace died at the end of November. Not cool. Or I guess REALLY cool...COLD that is!!! The motor had burned out and it needed a new belt too. While the guy was here, a coyote ran down the street, right in front of our house! THAT was pretty cool...and freaky.
We spent a week over Christmas in Edmonton. Treated the kids to TWO days at West Edmonton Mall...one day at the Waterpark, and one day at Galaxyland. It was a lot of fun...and very tiring. They had fun seeing their grandparents and their aunt, all of whom spoiled them. :)
Both kids were on a bowling league this year, and both did quite well, though much to our son's frustration, his sister beat the pants off him, score wise, despite it being her first year and his third. They have a year end banquet coming up, and with her having won a gold medal in Junior Doubles, I think she has a shot at winning a trophy this year, too.
At the end of January, my husband had an interview for a new job. It was a province away, but it was a Monday to Friday job (with a rare Saturday, about 8:30-5:30, doing what he is good at, in an area of expertise where he wanted to be, with a better salary. Part of me was excited, part of me was not sure I wanted this. I had lived in the same city for 12 years and wasn't sure I was ready to move on. It took three interviews, in fairly quick succession (about 2 weeks?), but he did get the job. And it started in 2 weeks. So he left before we did, and I was left to pack up the house, arrange for painters, deal with the real estate agent, notify everyone and everything that we were leaving/quitting, and get myself, two kids, a dog, a cat, a hamster, and way too many items jammed into the minivan for a 10 hour one-way road trip to a place I had never been, to a house I had never seen, except for pictures and a mini video my husband took while house hunting. It was rough. But here we are, and I really do like it here. It's nice, it's friendly, it's quiet. The kids each have their own school, and both have to walk to and from school. It is good because this way they can't bug each other at school, they have their own identity (and not as X's brother or sister), and they are getting a bit of exercise each day as they walk.
Getting things switched over in terms of our cars has been an absolute nightmare. They had to go through an Out of Province Inspection before I could get new plates. I put the newest one through first, figuring it would pass, no problem, but no...they required about $2000 of work and fees to be paid before it was passed and plated, and it was down to the wire, time wise, to get the parts fixed because there was one part that was supposedly back ordered for weeks (and you get TEN DAYS from the inspection to get it all done)...I found a place with the part, an hour away, and it was done on day 9, and the reinspection was done on day 10. Then we took the older car in. It failed, of course. So I had to make an appointment for THAT...a week later. Two full days of repairs and about $3000 later, that one is finally done on day 8. That was just ridiculous. I never want to do that ever again.
I have been back to being a stay-at-home mom for the last little bit, just while we get everything unpacked and settled. I hope to find another school bus driver position in May, or at the very least for the fall.
So here I am to try to update everyone on life in general....I continued as a school bus driver, and really liked it, and was switched in April of 2013 to a route that was going to be my permanent, forever one, but had to quit on Valentine's Day this year because my husband got a job that looked to be exactly what he wanted, with the one downside being that we were going to have to move. More on that later.
In April of 2013, my little brother had an aeortic aneurism. He ended up being flown from Fort McMurray to the Edmonton Heart Institute (or some name like that) for 10 hours of open heart surgery. It was apparently due to a birth defect, involving a bicuspid aortic valve (it is supposed to be tricuspid, you see). That was a scary time for us all, as he was only 31 years old.
The good news is that he got through that, and after a few months of rehab and healing, was able to go back to his job up north, and he seems to be doing just fine. He comes down for his one year follow up in a few days.
My daughter's ankles seem to have repaired themselves, and other than the occasional flare-up, she seems to be back to her normal self, which is good now that she has to walk to and from school. Physiotherapy seems to have done the trick, though they never did come up with an answer to what the problem was without turning around and changing their minds.
On my birthday this year, our pastor and his wife were in a terrible motorcycle accident when a deer ran out in front of them. Our pastor needed surgery and a lot of healing, and unfortunately his wife did not survive. It was really hard time for everyone at our church, as she was a real spark of life. She was the kind of person that just radiated happiness and love and she is very much missed.
In the summer, I signed up to drive my school bus as a shuttle between the city and a major country music festival, at night. Never again. Never. The people on my bus were, for the most part, well behaved, thank goodness, but some of them were too drunk to fish, if you know what I mean. It was hard to communicate with some of them, and I had one instance where I had to argue with someone who insisted I let them out at a spot I was not allowed to stop, and they even told me they could just "tuck and roll if I'd just open the doors"!!! We are talking about highway here. NOT that it would have made any difference where it was.
We took the kids across the border to the North Dakota State Fair. It was a lot of fun, a combination of Regina's Queen City Ex, Agribition, and Farm Show all rolled into one, but I don't think I would do it again...the cost of the travel plus the cost to be there really does add up. I think in the future we will just stay local.
We took our giant 13 man tent and camped at a place called Black Butte while there. It was awesome. We used air beds, so we were comfy enough, and the tent separates into 4 rooms, basically, so we had three bedrooms and a porch for the 4 of us. The campground was out in the open, very primitive, according to the owners, but to our view it was not primitive, it was perfect...there was a sandy area for the kids to play, a well, a fire pit, a barbecue, picnic table, a light in the middle of the field, and a permanent outhouse. We could hear coyotes howling in the distance, and see lots of stars at night.
I think you could fit maybe 4 families in the campground, but we had it all to ourselves. It was heavenly.
I got to be the cool mom as I went with my daughter to see Simple Plan at the local fair. We came away happy, half deaf, and disgusted by the cigarette smoke and hint of weed that was floating all around for the whole concert.
My son went to Cub Camp for the first time...9 days away from home. He had an amazing time, though the people running the program must have hated us...somehow we got the times wrong, so he got TO camp about 5 hours late...and so I had hubby ask someone about when to pick him up, and that person gave us wrong info, so we picked him up 3 hours LATE. I felt AWFUL. But he survived and got to go to a bee farm and get honey, he built his own tool box and step stool, made leather stuff, and just generally had a blast.
I took a Greyhound across the country to attend one of my two high school reunions (I moved in high school, so get to claim two high schools). Twenty year reunion. How did that happen? In any case, it was a good trip, though I didn't enjoy the ride as much as I used to when I was younger. I got to get the foods that are not available at home...Quebec poutine, spruce beer and nectar (both types of pop)...stuff like that. It was good to see people I had not seen in over 20 years (I could not make it to my 10 year reunion), and to connect with some of them on Facebook afterwards.
Along the trip, there was a stop at A&W going both ways. They were selling a jalapeno teen burger, and sweet potato fries with chipotle dip. I was in heaven. :) I am so happy they still have the sweet potato fries and dip, and the current special of Spicy Blue Cheese Teen Burger is really good, too.
Starting in September, my husband started to be away...A LOT! A company he was working for had a huge number of clients that needed the work done, and my husband was the main guy, so they asked him first. It got a little rough, having him gone more than he was home over a period of about 5 months. That started the whole new job thing, too. He wanted something a bit more 9-5, a bit more solid home/work separation.
In November, my husband surprised me. Do you remember that ad where the husband is being driven to the airport by his wife, and she is kind of depressed, and as she stands beside the car at the airport, ready to say goodbye AGAIN, she says "Where are you off to THIS time?", and he pops the trunk, there are two suitcases, and he says "Paris. Wanna come?"....well, he TRIED to do something like that, except it was Niagara Falls, and he ended up having to tell me a few days ahead of time because he had troubles figuring out a few of the details, such as getting the kids packed to go to the grandparents, getting the dog to the kennel without me freaking out over the fact the dog was missing...stuff like that. But he had it planned out in deep detail. Kids to my parents', dog to the kennel, he went and talked to my boss and got her in on it so I could miss some days of work, told my friends in Ontario that I was coming so they could plan to come see me...it was awesome and romantic.
While we were there, we found this amazing sushi place. They give you a page of all their sushi and you check off with a little pencil what you would like. Then they bring it, and another page, and if you want more, you check off the new page, and so on. We ate SO MUCH sushi!!!!! :)
There was also a place called Smoke Poutine. I highly recommend it if you ever see one. The poutine is huge, and they have about 20 different options, from your basic poutine to one with smoked meat on top, to steak, to chicken, and so on. Yum.
We took off down to the States for one night, just over the border into New York. Can't remember the city, though. Started with "M". Anyway, we went to a movie theatre there. I WANT a theatre like that here!!! Reclining armchairs with cup holders, pretzel bites with hot cheese dip, a serve-yourself pop bar where you can create your own pop (if you wanted, you could have weird and wonderful combinations like raspberry coke). Very cool.
Our furnace died at the end of November. Not cool. Or I guess REALLY cool...COLD that is!!! The motor had burned out and it needed a new belt too. While the guy was here, a coyote ran down the street, right in front of our house! THAT was pretty cool...and freaky.
We spent a week over Christmas in Edmonton. Treated the kids to TWO days at West Edmonton Mall...one day at the Waterpark, and one day at Galaxyland. It was a lot of fun...and very tiring. They had fun seeing their grandparents and their aunt, all of whom spoiled them. :)
Both kids were on a bowling league this year, and both did quite well, though much to our son's frustration, his sister beat the pants off him, score wise, despite it being her first year and his third. They have a year end banquet coming up, and with her having won a gold medal in Junior Doubles, I think she has a shot at winning a trophy this year, too.
At the end of January, my husband had an interview for a new job. It was a province away, but it was a Monday to Friday job (with a rare Saturday, about 8:30-5:30, doing what he is good at, in an area of expertise where he wanted to be, with a better salary. Part of me was excited, part of me was not sure I wanted this. I had lived in the same city for 12 years and wasn't sure I was ready to move on. It took three interviews, in fairly quick succession (about 2 weeks?), but he did get the job. And it started in 2 weeks. So he left before we did, and I was left to pack up the house, arrange for painters, deal with the real estate agent, notify everyone and everything that we were leaving/quitting, and get myself, two kids, a dog, a cat, a hamster, and way too many items jammed into the minivan for a 10 hour one-way road trip to a place I had never been, to a house I had never seen, except for pictures and a mini video my husband took while house hunting. It was rough. But here we are, and I really do like it here. It's nice, it's friendly, it's quiet. The kids each have their own school, and both have to walk to and from school. It is good because this way they can't bug each other at school, they have their own identity (and not as X's brother or sister), and they are getting a bit of exercise each day as they walk.
Getting things switched over in terms of our cars has been an absolute nightmare. They had to go through an Out of Province Inspection before I could get new plates. I put the newest one through first, figuring it would pass, no problem, but no...they required about $2000 of work and fees to be paid before it was passed and plated, and it was down to the wire, time wise, to get the parts fixed because there was one part that was supposedly back ordered for weeks (and you get TEN DAYS from the inspection to get it all done)...I found a place with the part, an hour away, and it was done on day 9, and the reinspection was done on day 10. Then we took the older car in. It failed, of course. So I had to make an appointment for THAT...a week later. Two full days of repairs and about $3000 later, that one is finally done on day 8. That was just ridiculous. I never want to do that ever again.
I have been back to being a stay-at-home mom for the last little bit, just while we get everything unpacked and settled. I hope to find another school bus driver position in May, or at the very least for the fall.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Bear with me...
It has been a VERY long time since I posted. I have a lot to catch you all up on. I will have to do so over the next little while. Just wanted to let you know this blog is not dead. It was just forgotten and left at the wayside for awhile. Stay tuned...
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
How I Spent My Winter and other such stuff
The last time I posted was in mid-October. It's hard to believe it has been 5 months, almost to the day.
I have been a school bus driver for almost 4 months now. I like it, though it has its ups and downs...days when people in their cars feel that they have the right to pass you when you are letting kids on/off the bus, days when the kids do not get along, or do not like their seat assignment, days when it is so cold you feel like your fingers will crack off and fall into the engine as you fumble your way through the early morning circle check of your bus...and days when the girl who got sick on your bus brings you a picture she drew the next day to thank you for taking care of her, the little Grade 1 boy gives you one of his hockey cards with him on it, from his team, the days when they thank you or say good morning or goodbye instead of just shuffling on and off the bus.
It's all good. I have finally found a job I can do, that I am fairly certain I will stick with in the years to come.I have my own bus, my own parking spot for said bus, my own key, my own little mailbox. It's nice. Not the high aspirations I had as a teen, but it's good work, a steady paycheck, and I seem to be pretty good at it.
The only real downside, I think, is the switch from stay-at-home mom to part time employee...and mom. My family still has not managed to get out of the groove where Mom is home all the time, and therefore can and will clean up after them, bring things they forgot to school, attend any and all performances, parent/teacher days, and other events, and bring them home when they call home to say they are sick.
I constantly feel a combination of frustration that they will not pick up the slack around the house and that my husband (who is busy with his own business and part time school) not only does not pick up the slack, but also cannot attend the things I cannot, or bring them home when sick, and a feeling of failure that I am tired all the time, and cannot do a lot of things that I used do, such as said events...I missed my daughter's big band performance by about 60 seconds. I parked my bus, jumped in my van, and roared off to the event, arriving just as her band had left the stage. I wanted to cry. Tonight, she has a basketball game, and out of that 3 1/2 hours, I HOPE to catch the last hour.
Another downside seems to be that I am once again in the position of outsider when it comes to my friends at the MMO group I am in. I see them posting constantly about parties, movies, dinners, coffee times they are having together, as well as the play dates, and feel very lonely and left out. I understand that I don't fit in...they are mostly stay-at-home moms, and their kids are smaller, some of them have known each other a long time, and others just seem to have clicked instantly. And that's great. I'm glad they have their group, and can get together and all. I just wish I fit, too, and could be at least invited, even if it turned out I couldn't go.
I am now getting ready to go to the West coast next month, for a weekend, with my chorus. Prairie Gold Chorus, which is also celebrating 30 years, is going to Regionals. We are psyched, we are ready, and we are AWESOME!!!!! :) My daughter is finally old enough to join the Chorus, though she is unfortunately unable to come to competition this year...it is too late for her to be ready, and we can't afford the airfare and hotel and all for her this time around. Next year. She is excited that she is at least able to perform here at home over the next year, and will be all set to go to competition next spring.
My husband seems to be having another round with his lungs. Once again we wait for a CT scan, various specialist tests and all the rest. I really hope we are not going to go through the same nightmare as last time with a mass and all. My daughter is waiting for results from a bone scan. 11 months after the original injury, and we still are looking for answers. At least she has progressed past the crutches and the wheelchair, and is now only in a very strong ankle brace on one foot. She still has pain and issues at times, but is at least mobile again.
I have been a school bus driver for almost 4 months now. I like it, though it has its ups and downs...days when people in their cars feel that they have the right to pass you when you are letting kids on/off the bus, days when the kids do not get along, or do not like their seat assignment, days when it is so cold you feel like your fingers will crack off and fall into the engine as you fumble your way through the early morning circle check of your bus...and days when the girl who got sick on your bus brings you a picture she drew the next day to thank you for taking care of her, the little Grade 1 boy gives you one of his hockey cards with him on it, from his team, the days when they thank you or say good morning or goodbye instead of just shuffling on and off the bus.
It's all good. I have finally found a job I can do, that I am fairly certain I will stick with in the years to come.I have my own bus, my own parking spot for said bus, my own key, my own little mailbox. It's nice. Not the high aspirations I had as a teen, but it's good work, a steady paycheck, and I seem to be pretty good at it.
The only real downside, I think, is the switch from stay-at-home mom to part time employee...and mom. My family still has not managed to get out of the groove where Mom is home all the time, and therefore can and will clean up after them, bring things they forgot to school, attend any and all performances, parent/teacher days, and other events, and bring them home when they call home to say they are sick.
I constantly feel a combination of frustration that they will not pick up the slack around the house and that my husband (who is busy with his own business and part time school) not only does not pick up the slack, but also cannot attend the things I cannot, or bring them home when sick, and a feeling of failure that I am tired all the time, and cannot do a lot of things that I used do, such as said events...I missed my daughter's big band performance by about 60 seconds. I parked my bus, jumped in my van, and roared off to the event, arriving just as her band had left the stage. I wanted to cry. Tonight, she has a basketball game, and out of that 3 1/2 hours, I HOPE to catch the last hour.
Another downside seems to be that I am once again in the position of outsider when it comes to my friends at the MMO group I am in. I see them posting constantly about parties, movies, dinners, coffee times they are having together, as well as the play dates, and feel very lonely and left out. I understand that I don't fit in...they are mostly stay-at-home moms, and their kids are smaller, some of them have known each other a long time, and others just seem to have clicked instantly. And that's great. I'm glad they have their group, and can get together and all. I just wish I fit, too, and could be at least invited, even if it turned out I couldn't go.
I am now getting ready to go to the West coast next month, for a weekend, with my chorus. Prairie Gold Chorus, which is also celebrating 30 years, is going to Regionals. We are psyched, we are ready, and we are AWESOME!!!!! :) My daughter is finally old enough to join the Chorus, though she is unfortunately unable to come to competition this year...it is too late for her to be ready, and we can't afford the airfare and hotel and all for her this time around. Next year. She is excited that she is at least able to perform here at home over the next year, and will be all set to go to competition next spring.
My husband seems to be having another round with his lungs. Once again we wait for a CT scan, various specialist tests and all the rest. I really hope we are not going to go through the same nightmare as last time with a mass and all. My daughter is waiting for results from a bone scan. 11 months after the original injury, and we still are looking for answers. At least she has progressed past the crutches and the wheelchair, and is now only in a very strong ankle brace on one foot. She still has pain and issues at times, but is at least mobile again.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Adventures in Employment Land
The time had finally come.
The time when I had to face the fact that my children are growing up. The fact that they did not need me home during the day because they simply were not home. They were at school. All day. Five days a week. And they both HAD been for a little over 2 years now.
Which meant it was time for me to get back into the workforce, ease my husband's financial load a little bit (although it DOES mean they all now must take on a lot more of the household chores burden).
So off I ventured, lost in the world of employment seeking. I had dabbled into self employment as the creator of baked goods and jams, as well as back into my field of expertise- Education- as a substitute teacher, but did not find these to be either feasible or wholly enjoyable.
So I entered the land of What-On-Earth-Am-I-Supposed-To-Be-When-I-Grow-Up...a place I had not been since high school. Scary stuff. I had people suggesting a lot of different things, but nothing seemed to really resonate.
But there had been one thought in the back of my mind. I had taken this thought out of its box a few times over the past few years, then quickly shoved it back when people reacted with near horror at times... "WHAT??? Why would you want to do THAT??"
I finally ended up at a career fair about a month ago. I wandered around, feeling the same overwhelming feeling of not being qualified for most, over qualified for some, and seriously not interested in others...and then my job from the box was there.
I thought about it for awhile, bounced it off a bunch of people, rolled it around for awhile, and finally took the plunge. I filled out an application, fired off my resume, and waited. It was a mere few days before I got a response.
They received my application, would I be able to come in for an interview? Sure, absolutely. So I got all dressed up, presented myself to the powers that be, smiled and nodded and obviously did not make a complete fool of myself with my answers to their questions, and left with an armful of forms to fill out, booklets to study, and a possible training date...and an appointment to observe someone actually doing the job.
It is now two days later. The paperwork is all filled in, submitted, checked over. I have studied a fair bit, but still have some hefty studying to do before I take the written test in a few days. I have spent about two hours observing. I have had a medical, and will have a drug test, and a criminal record check. And I start training in a few weeks, with my final practical exam in about a month, I am guessing, at which point, all going well, I shall be back in the land of the employed.
What am I going to be when I grow up? It looks like I am going to be a school bus driver. This could be a lot of fun. :)
The time when I had to face the fact that my children are growing up. The fact that they did not need me home during the day because they simply were not home. They were at school. All day. Five days a week. And they both HAD been for a little over 2 years now.
Which meant it was time for me to get back into the workforce, ease my husband's financial load a little bit (although it DOES mean they all now must take on a lot more of the household chores burden).
So off I ventured, lost in the world of employment seeking. I had dabbled into self employment as the creator of baked goods and jams, as well as back into my field of expertise- Education- as a substitute teacher, but did not find these to be either feasible or wholly enjoyable.
So I entered the land of What-On-Earth-Am-I-Supposed-To-Be-When-I-Grow-Up...a place I had not been since high school. Scary stuff. I had people suggesting a lot of different things, but nothing seemed to really resonate.
But there had been one thought in the back of my mind. I had taken this thought out of its box a few times over the past few years, then quickly shoved it back when people reacted with near horror at times... "WHAT??? Why would you want to do THAT??"
I finally ended up at a career fair about a month ago. I wandered around, feeling the same overwhelming feeling of not being qualified for most, over qualified for some, and seriously not interested in others...and then my job from the box was there.
I thought about it for awhile, bounced it off a bunch of people, rolled it around for awhile, and finally took the plunge. I filled out an application, fired off my resume, and waited. It was a mere few days before I got a response.
They received my application, would I be able to come in for an interview? Sure, absolutely. So I got all dressed up, presented myself to the powers that be, smiled and nodded and obviously did not make a complete fool of myself with my answers to their questions, and left with an armful of forms to fill out, booklets to study, and a possible training date...and an appointment to observe someone actually doing the job.
It is now two days later. The paperwork is all filled in, submitted, checked over. I have studied a fair bit, but still have some hefty studying to do before I take the written test in a few days. I have spent about two hours observing. I have had a medical, and will have a drug test, and a criminal record check. And I start training in a few weeks, with my final practical exam in about a month, I am guessing, at which point, all going well, I shall be back in the land of the employed.
What am I going to be when I grow up? It looks like I am going to be a school bus driver. This could be a lot of fun. :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Return to the Caribbean
As some people requested, I kept a journal of our recent cruise, and so here it is for your enjoyment. :)
AUGUST 25- Here we are on yet another adventure. We left home yesterday m0rning, dropped the dog off at K-Lane, and drove to Minot. We stayed at La Quinta. It was brand new and VERY nice. Sat in the hot tub while watching the kids in the pool. Had supper at Space Aliens. We ordered the Alien Feast for 4, but it was enough for at least 8!!!! Brisket, ribs, martian munchies (riblets), giant loaded baked potatoes, baked beans, and rolls with cinnamon on the top. Breakfast this morning was at the hotel. Free! Cereal, make your own waffles, bagels, drinks, fruits, etc. Yum!
Flew to Minneapolis and wandered there for a few hours. Took a picture of the kids by a Snoopy statue. The kids bought big fancy caramel apples. Back on the plane to Orlando. All told, we traveled or waited for about 9 hours today.
Elizabeth used the wheelchair all day. Wise choice.
Visited M&M World again. Spent money. Also bought Cherry Coke at the mall.
Had supper at Buca di Beppo. Nice supper, good price. For all 4 of us to eat, with appetizer, dinner, drinks, and dessert too, it cost us, with tip, about $75.
Quick stop at the Disney store, back to our hotel room (Florida Hotel and Conference Center), and we crash. :)
AUGUST 26- An eventful day. Up and packed, walked to McD's. Elizabeth in the wheelchair. Back to the hotel in time to surprise the kids with the fact we were taking a stretch limo to the port. Hurt my left shin when I rammed into the wheelchair when it rammed into a chunk of uneven pavement.
Got on the ship no problem, and roamed a bit with the kids. A nice lunch at the Windjammer.
The rooms are smaller than I thought, but adequate.
Kids went swimming in the rain. Very stormy and choppy out. The boat is rocking and swaying a lot this time.
The kids loved the meals and also discovered room service. Son lost his Sea Pass card. Got a hole punched in the new one.
Hubby and I did karaoke. Boot Scoot Boogie for me, Achey Breaky Song and Danny Boy for him.
Smoked fish roullade, horseradish crusted salmon, and BBB crème brulée (banana, bailey's, and brulée) for supper.
No CoCo Cay tomorrow because of Tropical Storm Isaac.
AUGUST 27- Up at 6:45. Kids had room service breakfast, Hubby and I brought food down from the Windjammer. Hubby tried black pudding.
Had a rough day, kind of. Boat doing a lot of up and down today. Made me very dizzy and queasy. Very, very windy. Son and I tried to use the jogging track, but nearly blew away. Daughter's Sea Pass card blew away when she was by the pool.
The kids liked Adventure Ocean. Both also got Sea Pets. A monkey for Son and a dragon for Daughter. Daughter made a monkey cupcake. I bought a chocolate mint cupcake and a maple bacon one.
Bought a Freedom of the Seas sweatshirt.
Lunch was at Johnny Rocket's (chili, burger, and chocolate Coke, yum!).
Daughter had a mani/pedi today.
Supper was scallop au gratin, artichoke crépe au gratin, and bittersweet chocolate soufflé.
The show was Marquee. Very good. Sleeping with the curtains open and the waves pounding the ship. At least I will be rocked to sleep. Silver lining. :)
AUGUST 28- We slept in until 8:30AM. Breakfast at the Windjammer.
Went to the mix and mingle and cabin crawl. Lunch at the Windjammer.
Played a bit at the arcade.
Supper at Chops. Filet mignon, broccolini, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and green beans with dijon and feta. Virgin piña colada and crème brulée. Kids did okay with the meal, but will be happy to return to the dining room tomorrow. The crème brulée was VERY alcoholic. Did not like it, so I did not finish it.
Show tonight was a singer/impressionist. Very good, but not a kid friendly show. Luckily, both kids were at Adventure Ocean instead. Daughter is at a late night youth dance party. Son finally managed to fall asleep despite the Adult 70's dance party in the Promenade just below his window.
Had a chocolate pear tart this afternoon. SO good!!!!!!
AUGUST 29- Today we got up early for our first excursion day, finally. St Thomas, USVI. It was very hot and humid. We all went on the sky ride, then Son and I went up the hill and Hubby and Daughter went down. We looked at their sad mini zoo where the animals were underfed and tortured by the geese, I think.
Went to Wendy's for ice cream, then more shopping (we shopped at the top of the sky ride, too), then on the Screaming Eagle. It was so much fun, and we got SO WET!!! The water was so, so salty! Bought 2 t-shirts, 2 pins, and the Christmas decoration. Son got 2 t-shirts, a colouring book, and a monkey.
Went back to the ship and went swimming.
Dinner was caprese salad, veal t-bone, and tiramisu.
Pirate parade tonight. Son was very cute.
AUGUST 30- Today we were at St Maarten. Again hot, humid, and sunny. Went on the Lord Sheffield tall ship together.
Swam in the ocean. Kind of freaky as it was 10-20 feet deep. Son and I had life vests and snorkel masks and pool noodles. Drifted with the tide and had to swim HARD to get us back to the ship ladder.
Yummy BBQ chicken and ribs, Coke, cookies, and bread with cheese and strawberry.
Both Daughter and I lost our hats to the wind on the ocean just before we returned. A bird flew away with mine when it hit the water. At least we don't need them since it was the last excursion.
Shopped after. Bought a t-shirt, Godiva chocolate, Belgian chocolate (7 pieces), a giant Reese's peanut butter bar, a mini jar of Nutella, a pin, turtle earrings, and a pineapple milk.
The kids came across a dying cat and Daughter was inconsolable for awhile.
Relaxed on the boat. Ate at the Windjammer. Saw Madagascar 3 in 3D, then an ice show, then the Love and Marriage Show.
Hubby has terrible sunburn, and I got some, not nearly as bad, on my back, shoulders, and front where the bikini wasn't.
Yesterday Daughter and Hubby went to swim with sharks. They also snorkeled, so Hubby got badly burned there, then got redder today. Not sure if it's new burn or just continuing cooking from yesterday.
Nice night at sea. Can see stars for the first time. Son heard a whale the other day.
AUGUST 31- Today was fairly relaxing, for most of it anyway. Got up and went to the character breakfast where the kids got pictures with Gloria, King Julien, and Alex. Kids went to Adventure Ocean and I bought t-shirts for Son and watched TV. Had lunch at Johnny Rockets where we found out the chocolate soda was NOT part of the free stuff.
Son had some bad luck with the arcade eating his tokens.
Kids went to Adventure Ocean and I went to my room. Watched TV, slept a tiny bit, and bought a big Ben & Jerry's sundae in a collectible glass. Hubby had been on an all-access tour of the ship.
His sunburn was so bad he was all blistered on his shoulders like I was last time and went half buggy from the itch, just like he did last year. This time he got Benadryl, so felt better soon, but was a total snoozer all evening and night.
The kids and I went to a show (Once Upon a Time), and shopping.
The kids had a huge blowout with each other like Hubby and I had on our last night in Florida last year.
SEPTEMBER 1- Last day on the cruise. Hard to believe it's September already. The day started well enough. Breakfast at the Windjammer, kids to Adventure Ocean, did some packing.
Kids had a talent show. Both sang and got medals.
Lunch in the Windjammer where the kids got to feed Hubby stuff that they thought he may not like. It was fun to watch him choke down a pickle. Took the kids back to Adventure Ocean and played 9 holes of mini golf. Headed out of there to come across Hubby and Daughter.
She broke her ankle. Just lost her footing and snapped it. Poor thing.
Supper was french onion soup, lamb, and chocolate pear crisp.
Bought 2 t-shirts. Packed. Watched the closing show. Kids got picked up from Adventure Ocean, then Daughter went to a pizza party with her friends.
Son got a scrape and bump on his head.
Kids both made a pillowcase.
SEPTEMBER 2- The trip home was long, but fairly uneventful. With Daughter in the wheelchair, and with the soft cast, we got on first and off last for both flights (Orlando to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Minot), without it affecting our timing much.
We rode in the stretch limo to the airport.
They briefly lost her wheelchair on the second flight, but it was just stowed behind all the other checked luggage. Long drive home, getting back around midnight.
Cats were hiding, but once we found them, they could not stop meowing. :)
Good to be home. Will get the dog back tomorrow.
Next cruise will be at least 4 years away. And probably Alaska.
AUGUST 25- Here we are on yet another adventure. We left home yesterday m0rning, dropped the dog off at K-Lane, and drove to Minot. We stayed at La Quinta. It was brand new and VERY nice. Sat in the hot tub while watching the kids in the pool. Had supper at Space Aliens. We ordered the Alien Feast for 4, but it was enough for at least 8!!!! Brisket, ribs, martian munchies (riblets), giant loaded baked potatoes, baked beans, and rolls with cinnamon on the top. Breakfast this morning was at the hotel. Free! Cereal, make your own waffles, bagels, drinks, fruits, etc. Yum!
Flew to Minneapolis and wandered there for a few hours. Took a picture of the kids by a Snoopy statue. The kids bought big fancy caramel apples. Back on the plane to Orlando. All told, we traveled or waited for about 9 hours today.
Elizabeth used the wheelchair all day. Wise choice.
Visited M&M World again. Spent money. Also bought Cherry Coke at the mall.
Had supper at Buca di Beppo. Nice supper, good price. For all 4 of us to eat, with appetizer, dinner, drinks, and dessert too, it cost us, with tip, about $75.
Quick stop at the Disney store, back to our hotel room (Florida Hotel and Conference Center), and we crash. :)
AUGUST 26- An eventful day. Up and packed, walked to McD's. Elizabeth in the wheelchair. Back to the hotel in time to surprise the kids with the fact we were taking a stretch limo to the port. Hurt my left shin when I rammed into the wheelchair when it rammed into a chunk of uneven pavement.
Got on the ship no problem, and roamed a bit with the kids. A nice lunch at the Windjammer.
The rooms are smaller than I thought, but adequate.
Kids went swimming in the rain. Very stormy and choppy out. The boat is rocking and swaying a lot this time.
The kids loved the meals and also discovered room service. Son lost his Sea Pass card. Got a hole punched in the new one.
Hubby and I did karaoke. Boot Scoot Boogie for me, Achey Breaky Song and Danny Boy for him.
Smoked fish roullade, horseradish crusted salmon, and BBB crème brulée (banana, bailey's, and brulée) for supper.
No CoCo Cay tomorrow because of Tropical Storm Isaac.
AUGUST 27- Up at 6:45. Kids had room service breakfast, Hubby and I brought food down from the Windjammer. Hubby tried black pudding.
Had a rough day, kind of. Boat doing a lot of up and down today. Made me very dizzy and queasy. Very, very windy. Son and I tried to use the jogging track, but nearly blew away. Daughter's Sea Pass card blew away when she was by the pool.
The kids liked Adventure Ocean. Both also got Sea Pets. A monkey for Son and a dragon for Daughter. Daughter made a monkey cupcake. I bought a chocolate mint cupcake and a maple bacon one.
Bought a Freedom of the Seas sweatshirt.
Lunch was at Johnny Rocket's (chili, burger, and chocolate Coke, yum!).
Daughter had a mani/pedi today.
Supper was scallop au gratin, artichoke crépe au gratin, and bittersweet chocolate soufflé.
The show was Marquee. Very good. Sleeping with the curtains open and the waves pounding the ship. At least I will be rocked to sleep. Silver lining. :)
AUGUST 28- We slept in until 8:30AM. Breakfast at the Windjammer.
Went to the mix and mingle and cabin crawl. Lunch at the Windjammer.
Played a bit at the arcade.
Supper at Chops. Filet mignon, broccolini, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and green beans with dijon and feta. Virgin piña colada and crème brulée. Kids did okay with the meal, but will be happy to return to the dining room tomorrow. The crème brulée was VERY alcoholic. Did not like it, so I did not finish it.
Show tonight was a singer/impressionist. Very good, but not a kid friendly show. Luckily, both kids were at Adventure Ocean instead. Daughter is at a late night youth dance party. Son finally managed to fall asleep despite the Adult 70's dance party in the Promenade just below his window.
Had a chocolate pear tart this afternoon. SO good!!!!!!
AUGUST 29- Today we got up early for our first excursion day, finally. St Thomas, USVI. It was very hot and humid. We all went on the sky ride, then Son and I went up the hill and Hubby and Daughter went down. We looked at their sad mini zoo where the animals were underfed and tortured by the geese, I think.
Went to Wendy's for ice cream, then more shopping (we shopped at the top of the sky ride, too), then on the Screaming Eagle. It was so much fun, and we got SO WET!!! The water was so, so salty! Bought 2 t-shirts, 2 pins, and the Christmas decoration. Son got 2 t-shirts, a colouring book, and a monkey.
Went back to the ship and went swimming.
Dinner was caprese salad, veal t-bone, and tiramisu.
Pirate parade tonight. Son was very cute.
AUGUST 30- Today we were at St Maarten. Again hot, humid, and sunny. Went on the Lord Sheffield tall ship together.
Swam in the ocean. Kind of freaky as it was 10-20 feet deep. Son and I had life vests and snorkel masks and pool noodles. Drifted with the tide and had to swim HARD to get us back to the ship ladder.
Yummy BBQ chicken and ribs, Coke, cookies, and bread with cheese and strawberry.
Both Daughter and I lost our hats to the wind on the ocean just before we returned. A bird flew away with mine when it hit the water. At least we don't need them since it was the last excursion.
Shopped after. Bought a t-shirt, Godiva chocolate, Belgian chocolate (7 pieces), a giant Reese's peanut butter bar, a mini jar of Nutella, a pin, turtle earrings, and a pineapple milk.
The kids came across a dying cat and Daughter was inconsolable for awhile.
Relaxed on the boat. Ate at the Windjammer. Saw Madagascar 3 in 3D, then an ice show, then the Love and Marriage Show.
Hubby has terrible sunburn, and I got some, not nearly as bad, on my back, shoulders, and front where the bikini wasn't.
Yesterday Daughter and Hubby went to swim with sharks. They also snorkeled, so Hubby got badly burned there, then got redder today. Not sure if it's new burn or just continuing cooking from yesterday.
Nice night at sea. Can see stars for the first time. Son heard a whale the other day.
AUGUST 31- Today was fairly relaxing, for most of it anyway. Got up and went to the character breakfast where the kids got pictures with Gloria, King Julien, and Alex. Kids went to Adventure Ocean and I bought t-shirts for Son and watched TV. Had lunch at Johnny Rockets where we found out the chocolate soda was NOT part of the free stuff.
Son had some bad luck with the arcade eating his tokens.
Kids went to Adventure Ocean and I went to my room. Watched TV, slept a tiny bit, and bought a big Ben & Jerry's sundae in a collectible glass. Hubby had been on an all-access tour of the ship.
His sunburn was so bad he was all blistered on his shoulders like I was last time and went half buggy from the itch, just like he did last year. This time he got Benadryl, so felt better soon, but was a total snoozer all evening and night.
The kids and I went to a show (Once Upon a Time), and shopping.
The kids had a huge blowout with each other like Hubby and I had on our last night in Florida last year.
SEPTEMBER 1- Last day on the cruise. Hard to believe it's September already. The day started well enough. Breakfast at the Windjammer, kids to Adventure Ocean, did some packing.
Kids had a talent show. Both sang and got medals.
Lunch in the Windjammer where the kids got to feed Hubby stuff that they thought he may not like. It was fun to watch him choke down a pickle. Took the kids back to Adventure Ocean and played 9 holes of mini golf. Headed out of there to come across Hubby and Daughter.
She broke her ankle. Just lost her footing and snapped it. Poor thing.
Supper was french onion soup, lamb, and chocolate pear crisp.
Bought 2 t-shirts. Packed. Watched the closing show. Kids got picked up from Adventure Ocean, then Daughter went to a pizza party with her friends.
Son got a scrape and bump on his head.
Kids both made a pillowcase.
SEPTEMBER 2- The trip home was long, but fairly uneventful. With Daughter in the wheelchair, and with the soft cast, we got on first and off last for both flights (Orlando to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Minot), without it affecting our timing much.
We rode in the stretch limo to the airport.
They briefly lost her wheelchair on the second flight, but it was just stowed behind all the other checked luggage. Long drive home, getting back around midnight.
Cats were hiding, but once we found them, they could not stop meowing. :)
Good to be home. Will get the dog back tomorrow.
Next cruise will be at least 4 years away. And probably Alaska.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Short and Sweet
I love berries.
Strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons, blueberries....
Buying them at the grocery store can be expensive.
But I have one big advantage. I have my own strawberry plants in my garden and a small flower garden with half of it full of raspberry canes.
Next year, I think I will also invest in a few blueberry and saskatoon bushes.
This year, my strawberries simply decided not to produce, at least no more than a handful or two, berry-wise.
But the raspberry bushes...WELL!!!!
As my son says "It's like they just can't live without you!", which in child-speak means they are producing at an amazing rate this year. In a mere month, my teeny patch has given me more than 5 POUNDS of berries!
And let me tell you, if you have only tried store-bought raspberries, you have NO IDEA what you are missing! There is NOTHING that tastes quite as good and sweet as a dessert or even a handful made of your own, home-grown, no preservatives added raspberries, fresh from the garden.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons, blueberries....
Buying them at the grocery store can be expensive.
But I have one big advantage. I have my own strawberry plants in my garden and a small flower garden with half of it full of raspberry canes.
Next year, I think I will also invest in a few blueberry and saskatoon bushes.
This year, my strawberries simply decided not to produce, at least no more than a handful or two, berry-wise.
But the raspberry bushes...WELL!!!!
As my son says "It's like they just can't live without you!", which in child-speak means they are producing at an amazing rate this year. In a mere month, my teeny patch has given me more than 5 POUNDS of berries!
And let me tell you, if you have only tried store-bought raspberries, you have NO IDEA what you are missing! There is NOTHING that tastes quite as good and sweet as a dessert or even a handful made of your own, home-grown, no preservatives added raspberries, fresh from the garden.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
In The Group...Yet Not
Well, it is a few months later. I have been in the Mom's Morning Out group since...Christmas-ish, I guess?
In some ways, yes, I am finding it easier to talk to the other ladies, and when we do get together, it is still fun, but in some ways, I realize that my first thought when invited really was true...I don't exactly fit in.
You see, although the majority of them are somewhere around my age, I am finding that I am mostly the only one with older kids. Everyone else has kids in the 1-6 year old range, mostly in the lower end of that. Mine are in the basically 8-12 year range.
Which means they are in a certain stage of things, with certain activities and such that my kids just don't go for anymore. Also, because my kids are older, and everyone else is in the same stage as the others, they get together a lot more often, a lot more easily.
Their kids all get invited to each others' birthdays, playdates, they have lunches together, go to the park together, talk to each other more often because they have their kids in their specific ages in common.
I do try, really I do. But my kids have THEIR activities and THEIR friends and such, and, well, it is hard to get that adult friend time when they are still in the stage of kids needing diapers and naps and in most cases a trip to Timmy's would probably be the stuff of nightmares for them, having to bring little people who need playplaces instead.
I see them all posting about their parties and playdates and posting pictures and thanking each other for great lunches and afternoons and such together, and I must admit, I'm a bit jealous, a bit left out. It's too bad.
I really have to learn how to be the friend THEY need, especially since, in all likelihood, I will be back to work somewhere in the fall and will likely have to drop out of MMO.
I guess I still have too much personal baggage to make good friends yet. Hopefully , with time, I can get over that and be someone they want to spend time with.
Or else my friend in Bolton, my friend in Oshawa, my friend in the Ottawa area, and my friend in the Vancouver area will miraculously all move here. Sure. It could happen.
In some ways, yes, I am finding it easier to talk to the other ladies, and when we do get together, it is still fun, but in some ways, I realize that my first thought when invited really was true...I don't exactly fit in.
You see, although the majority of them are somewhere around my age, I am finding that I am mostly the only one with older kids. Everyone else has kids in the 1-6 year old range, mostly in the lower end of that. Mine are in the basically 8-12 year range.
Which means they are in a certain stage of things, with certain activities and such that my kids just don't go for anymore. Also, because my kids are older, and everyone else is in the same stage as the others, they get together a lot more often, a lot more easily.
Their kids all get invited to each others' birthdays, playdates, they have lunches together, go to the park together, talk to each other more often because they have their kids in their specific ages in common.
I do try, really I do. But my kids have THEIR activities and THEIR friends and such, and, well, it is hard to get that adult friend time when they are still in the stage of kids needing diapers and naps and in most cases a trip to Timmy's would probably be the stuff of nightmares for them, having to bring little people who need playplaces instead.
I see them all posting about their parties and playdates and posting pictures and thanking each other for great lunches and afternoons and such together, and I must admit, I'm a bit jealous, a bit left out. It's too bad.
I really have to learn how to be the friend THEY need, especially since, in all likelihood, I will be back to work somewhere in the fall and will likely have to drop out of MMO.
I guess I still have too much personal baggage to make good friends yet. Hopefully , with time, I can get over that and be someone they want to spend time with.
Or else my friend in Bolton, my friend in Oshawa, my friend in the Ottawa area, and my friend in the Vancouver area will miraculously all move here. Sure. It could happen.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
My Famous Father
I am not sure why this never posted. I believe I posted this quite a few years ago. But here it is. He has now written THREE books...Advertising Murder, Lost Youth, and Murder Express.
Once again, my Dad has been interviewed for a newspaper....I believe this is the second article, plus the radio interview, about his book.
I'm so proud of him. This is what the article says:
"John McKay/Times Colonist
[Pastor Bob Scott, the chaplain of the Langford Volunteer Fire Department, with his recently released novel, a book that’s noteworthy for an exciting plot written without profanity or gratuitous sex scenes.]
He believes in miracles
Mystery-writing chaplain encountered an answer to his prayers at a writers’ convention
BY LAUREL BERNARD
Bob Scott, a 60-year-old Langford resident, decided to write a mystery novel. He wrote it in a month, took it to a writers’ conference, got a 10-minute pitch interview with a New York publisher’s editorial director and, nine months later, had a three-book contract with royalties and a healthy advance cheque.
“It just amazes me that it happened the way it did,” Scott says. “I think I said, ‘Sure, thanks very much,’ and stood up, and the world just kind of started to spin.” How on earth, you ask, did he do it? It was easy, aspiring writers. All it took was a miracle.
Bob Scott, author of the just launched Advertising Murder from Avalon Books, is a former pastor of the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada and still preaches every Sunday at two seniors’ residences, West Shore Lodge and Alexander Mackie Lodge. He and his wife, Shirley, believe in the power of prayer.
They both prayed over the book project, especially when the manuscript was sent off to New York, although, as Bob Scott says, the prayer was more “your will be done, not a ‘give it to me.’ It always works for me.”
Initially, he says, “I wouldn’t say I was praying, ‘Dear Lord, make this a successful book.’ I was essentially going through the process to see what kind of suggestions I might get from an editor.” But Shirley certainly was praying “just for success” on the book, and Bob believes there’s a pattern in life.
I would say everything is part of the plan. I’ve been feeling it is part of the plan.”
Scott was born and raised in Montreal and, after getting a BA at what is now Concordia University, took his Master of Divinity at McGill. Three years after he became a minister, he went to a Billy Graham film.
“It made a change in my whole approach to my ministry and life and everything else. Over the course of the ministry from that period on — that would be 36 years this year — there were a number of things that took place in our lives that I would call miraculous.”
When he was living in Fernie, his son, then 18 months old, badly burned himself. He was hospitalized and doctors expected he’d have to endure many operations and skin grafts over the course of a long recovery. But five days later, after friends and his parents prayed and fasted, he was healing so quickly that the hospital was ready to send him home. He’s never had plastic surgery or skin grafts.
Then there was the operation Shirley was supposed to have. In the morning she was admitted into hospital and scheduled for surgery, but by day’s end, they’d sent her home. “The doctor said I was fine,” she says. Again, the Scotts and their friends had prayed for her to heal.
Bob, too, had a providential escape. One the reasons he started his book in 2003 was because he’d just received bad news: a bladder cancer diagnosis. It was discovered thanks to a mysterious and still undiagnosed infection, was treated and “within five months of the diagnosis, I was completely clean.” He’s been free of the disease for four years now.
Besides the power of prayer, you might argue the Scotts have also built up a lot of good karma. Shirley is a special-needs teacher’s aide at Pacific Christian School and, besides paid part-time work with Sands funeral services, Bob holds administrative positions with the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada and volunteers as secretary to the Colwood Rotary Club and chaplain to the Langford Volunteer Fire Department.
OK, but Advertising Murder’s success can’t have been that miraculous. Bob Scott probably spent years turning out manuscripts, sweating blood over each line.
Scott writes a monthly article in Ladder a fire department newsletter, and has written humour pieces and other short articles. AdvertisingMurder is his first full-length work. After writing it in a month, as a participant in National Novel Writing Month, he edited the manuscript during 2004’s National Novel Editing Month. He loves to write, loses himself in it:
“When I’m writing, I know I’ve got a manuscript that has to go out, but the excitement of seeing or feeling a story unfold … I go into another world.”
So he must have knocked on hundreds of publishers’ doors, right? And then he selected Avalon and honed his pitch to perfection.
In fact, Avalon was the first and only publisher he approached. He wrote his pitch to editorial director Erin Cartwright-Niumata on hotel notepaper the night before.
Then he probably has one of those careers designed for writing crime fiction. He can write about what he knows — just like John Grisham, who was once a lawyer, or Patricia Cornwell, who worked in forensic science.
Jack Elton, Advertising Murder’s hero, is an ex-cop. “My only police experience,” says Scott, “was in Expo 67. I was a security guard on the minirail at Montreal.”
What about Avalon? It sells to libraries and has editorial rules restricting drinking, profanity and sex in the 60 books per year they produce. The editing process was probably difficult.
“They’re a very easy company to work with,” Scott says. On his first book, the editing suggestions consisted of a single sheet read over the phone and then a few followup points. In any case, based on his own values, Scott is comfortable with Avalon’s approach — not that he chose Avalon because of it or wrote his mystery with a moral intent. It just happened to be a match made, well, in heaven.
At this point, the publication of Advertising Murder does begin to look like divine intervention. But don’t give up hope, because Scott’s story also exemplifies the axiom that God helps those who help themselves. Bob Scott worked hard at the project and made some very smart decisions.
For aspiring writers, here are some of his steps to success.
1. He joined the Crime Writers of Canada: “It was the best $100 I ever spent.” Besides all the resources on their website, the organization provided priceless publicity and contacts.
2. He signed up for the magazine Writer’s Digest, joined its book club and immersed himself in other writingrelated sites, listservs and research books. By the time he got to the pitch, he’d already read advice on how to do it.
3. He belongs to a writer’s group that meets weekly from September to June. Shirley read his manuscript, too, and, Scott says, “does a good job of pointing out basic errors” as well as helping with syntax and spelling.
4. He’s dedicated and has good work habits. Scott’s preferred writing time is midnight till 4 a.m. For example, on Wednesday he might write from midnight until 6 a.m. the next day, go to his Rotary meeting, come back, sleep a little, and then write in the evening. He feels comfortable if he’s written 2,000 words a day.
5. He goes to the annual Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Scott says it’s a standout among these types of events, and it’s where he pitched his manuscript.
6. He offered what an in-house editor wanted. He says of Cartwright-Niumata: “I’ve heard comments from her like, ‘Your stories are well written.’”
When she was asked about Scott, she sent back this message through her assistant Faith Black — and there’s hope in it for all aspiring writers:
“Erin met Bob at the Surrey writers’ conference in Vancouver, and they had a great meeting. Bob delivered a great pitch on his book, and Erin knew she wanted to work with him before even reading anything. It was a good, short pitch that reeled her in and got her interested in the project.
“If you write well and you submit properly (following the correct guidelines for submission), anyone can write for Avalon. We are always looking for new and first-time authors.”"
Those of you who have not yet read this book, and like a good murder mystery, I seriously urge you to find this first book and read it....it's funny, intriguing, just an all-round good read. I kept shaking my head every few chapters as I reminded myself that my FATHER had written this book. It was wonderful! I await his next two books with impatience, and hope he will have the opportunity to publish even more after that series is done.
Once again, my Dad has been interviewed for a newspaper....I believe this is the second article, plus the radio interview, about his book.
I'm so proud of him. This is what the article says:
"John McKay/Times Colonist
[Pastor Bob Scott, the chaplain of the Langford Volunteer Fire Department, with his recently released novel, a book that’s noteworthy for an exciting plot written without profanity or gratuitous sex scenes.]
He believes in miracles
Mystery-writing chaplain encountered an answer to his prayers at a writers’ convention
BY LAUREL BERNARD
Bob Scott, a 60-year-old Langford resident, decided to write a mystery novel. He wrote it in a month, took it to a writers’ conference, got a 10-minute pitch interview with a New York publisher’s editorial director and, nine months later, had a three-book contract with royalties and a healthy advance cheque.
“It just amazes me that it happened the way it did,” Scott says. “I think I said, ‘Sure, thanks very much,’ and stood up, and the world just kind of started to spin.” How on earth, you ask, did he do it? It was easy, aspiring writers. All it took was a miracle.
Bob Scott, author of the just launched Advertising Murder from Avalon Books, is a former pastor of the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada and still preaches every Sunday at two seniors’ residences, West Shore Lodge and Alexander Mackie Lodge. He and his wife, Shirley, believe in the power of prayer.
They both prayed over the book project, especially when the manuscript was sent off to New York, although, as Bob Scott says, the prayer was more “your will be done, not a ‘give it to me.’ It always works for me.”
Initially, he says, “I wouldn’t say I was praying, ‘Dear Lord, make this a successful book.’ I was essentially going through the process to see what kind of suggestions I might get from an editor.” But Shirley certainly was praying “just for success” on the book, and Bob believes there’s a pattern in life.
I would say everything is part of the plan. I’ve been feeling it is part of the plan.”
Scott was born and raised in Montreal and, after getting a BA at what is now Concordia University, took his Master of Divinity at McGill. Three years after he became a minister, he went to a Billy Graham film.
“It made a change in my whole approach to my ministry and life and everything else. Over the course of the ministry from that period on — that would be 36 years this year — there were a number of things that took place in our lives that I would call miraculous.”
When he was living in Fernie, his son, then 18 months old, badly burned himself. He was hospitalized and doctors expected he’d have to endure many operations and skin grafts over the course of a long recovery. But five days later, after friends and his parents prayed and fasted, he was healing so quickly that the hospital was ready to send him home. He’s never had plastic surgery or skin grafts.
Then there was the operation Shirley was supposed to have. In the morning she was admitted into hospital and scheduled for surgery, but by day’s end, they’d sent her home. “The doctor said I was fine,” she says. Again, the Scotts and their friends had prayed for her to heal.
Bob, too, had a providential escape. One the reasons he started his book in 2003 was because he’d just received bad news: a bladder cancer diagnosis. It was discovered thanks to a mysterious and still undiagnosed infection, was treated and “within five months of the diagnosis, I was completely clean.” He’s been free of the disease for four years now.
Besides the power of prayer, you might argue the Scotts have also built up a lot of good karma. Shirley is a special-needs teacher’s aide at Pacific Christian School and, besides paid part-time work with Sands funeral services, Bob holds administrative positions with the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada and volunteers as secretary to the Colwood Rotary Club and chaplain to the Langford Volunteer Fire Department.
OK, but Advertising Murder’s success can’t have been that miraculous. Bob Scott probably spent years turning out manuscripts, sweating blood over each line.
Scott writes a monthly article in Ladder a fire department newsletter, and has written humour pieces and other short articles. AdvertisingMurder is his first full-length work. After writing it in a month, as a participant in National Novel Writing Month, he edited the manuscript during 2004’s National Novel Editing Month. He loves to write, loses himself in it:
“When I’m writing, I know I’ve got a manuscript that has to go out, but the excitement of seeing or feeling a story unfold … I go into another world.”
So he must have knocked on hundreds of publishers’ doors, right? And then he selected Avalon and honed his pitch to perfection.
In fact, Avalon was the first and only publisher he approached. He wrote his pitch to editorial director Erin Cartwright-Niumata on hotel notepaper the night before.
Then he probably has one of those careers designed for writing crime fiction. He can write about what he knows — just like John Grisham, who was once a lawyer, or Patricia Cornwell, who worked in forensic science.
Jack Elton, Advertising Murder’s hero, is an ex-cop. “My only police experience,” says Scott, “was in Expo 67. I was a security guard on the minirail at Montreal.”
What about Avalon? It sells to libraries and has editorial rules restricting drinking, profanity and sex in the 60 books per year they produce. The editing process was probably difficult.
“They’re a very easy company to work with,” Scott says. On his first book, the editing suggestions consisted of a single sheet read over the phone and then a few followup points. In any case, based on his own values, Scott is comfortable with Avalon’s approach — not that he chose Avalon because of it or wrote his mystery with a moral intent. It just happened to be a match made, well, in heaven.
At this point, the publication of Advertising Murder does begin to look like divine intervention. But don’t give up hope, because Scott’s story also exemplifies the axiom that God helps those who help themselves. Bob Scott worked hard at the project and made some very smart decisions.
For aspiring writers, here are some of his steps to success.
1. He joined the Crime Writers of Canada: “It was the best $100 I ever spent.” Besides all the resources on their website, the organization provided priceless publicity and contacts.
2. He signed up for the magazine Writer’s Digest, joined its book club and immersed himself in other writingrelated sites, listservs and research books. By the time he got to the pitch, he’d already read advice on how to do it.
3. He belongs to a writer’s group that meets weekly from September to June. Shirley read his manuscript, too, and, Scott says, “does a good job of pointing out basic errors” as well as helping with syntax and spelling.
4. He’s dedicated and has good work habits. Scott’s preferred writing time is midnight till 4 a.m. For example, on Wednesday he might write from midnight until 6 a.m. the next day, go to his Rotary meeting, come back, sleep a little, and then write in the evening. He feels comfortable if he’s written 2,000 words a day.
5. He goes to the annual Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Scott says it’s a standout among these types of events, and it’s where he pitched his manuscript.
6. He offered what an in-house editor wanted. He says of Cartwright-Niumata: “I’ve heard comments from her like, ‘Your stories are well written.’”
When she was asked about Scott, she sent back this message through her assistant Faith Black — and there’s hope in it for all aspiring writers:
“Erin met Bob at the Surrey writers’ conference in Vancouver, and they had a great meeting. Bob delivered a great pitch on his book, and Erin knew she wanted to work with him before even reading anything. It was a good, short pitch that reeled her in and got her interested in the project.
“If you write well and you submit properly (following the correct guidelines for submission), anyone can write for Avalon. We are always looking for new and first-time authors.”"
Those of you who have not yet read this book, and like a good murder mystery, I seriously urge you to find this first book and read it....it's funny, intriguing, just an all-round good read. I kept shaking my head every few chapters as I reminded myself that my FATHER had written this book. It was wonderful! I await his next two books with impatience, and hope he will have the opportunity to publish even more after that series is done.
The Agony and the Ecstacy
Things have been a little crazy lately.
It started about 8 weeks ago, when Daughter missed a step and fell on the stairs in our house. Her foot hurt, but she just walked it off. The next morning, while delivering papers, she tripped again, and this time was not able to walk it off.
This started a series of visits to the doctor. Very frustrating ones. She had wrapped her ankle in a tensor bandage, and hopped around with crutches for a few days with no results. The first visit to the doctor brought x-rays. Nothing showed up, so we were told nothing was broken, go home, rest for a week, all would be fine.
A week went by. No improvement could be seen. So we went back. We were referred to have an ultrasound done. They thought maybe it could be torn tendons. They searched all over her foot, causing great pain, then called the radiologist in to do his own scan. Another full foot search, more pain, Mommy is about ready to pick her daughter up like the Hulk and walk out. Nothing. No sign of tendon damage. They say maybe torn ligaments, but ultrasound won't pick that up. They write a report for the doctor, and send us home. We wait to hear back from the doctor for further referrals and testing.
One week. No calls. She is now not only in pain in the one foot, but the OTHER foot is beginning to have issues. We figure it is because of her being on the crutches, and compensating, overloading the second foot. We go back. We demand to be referred to a specialist. He tells us he already did. We tell him, no, we saw the ultrasound people, they found nothing, so we need something else. He says no, they found nothing, so there is nothing. I push, he supposedly writes a new referral, and waves us out the door with both of us practically in tears of pain, frustration, or both.
We wait almost a week. Nothing.
Then she collapses. The pain is so bad she cannot stand at all, let alone walk or use crutches. Hubby takes her to the ER where someone finally takes the time to try to get her some help. She is referred to an orthopedist, but it will be another week. So we get moving and find ourselves a used wheelchair....Daughter is 5'1"and just over 100 pounds. She is not a child I can carry around, and also she needs to be able to go to school, finish the school year, though her sports at that point became a dream of the past. Too bad...she had trained hard over the winter to be a pitcher in softball this spring.
A week goes by, we return to the hospital for our appointment with the orthopedist. He is very nice, and proceeds to move Daughter's feet every which way, making her squeal out in pain and nearly burst into tears. He announces there is nothing physically wrong with her feet, and refers us to a pediatrician who is on his rounds. So we are moved to a different room and wait an hour. The pediatrician comes in, checks her over, asks questions, checks areas that weren't even near her feet (he checked those, too, though), and asks if we had any history of rheumatoid arthritis in the family!
At that time, I couldn't think of anyone, so I said no, but when I got home, I discovered that yes, there was one relative I had overlooked...a cousin of my father who had it quite severely, in fact, and had begun having issues with it when she was 20, confining her permanently to a wheelchair, and cutting her life short from complications in her 40's. Not what I wanted to hear.
In any case, the pediatrician gave us a prescription to reduce the inflammation and called for a dozen or more blood tests to confirm, and likely to rule out a few things as well, so we wheeled her down to the lab where they drained her of all her blood (it sure felt like it...it was a very large sample they took, in any case). We have an appointment for follow-up next Monday. He was sounding pretty certain that his diagnosis is correct.
I am trying to remain positive for my daughter. I am not a patient person, however. I keep asking her how her feet are feeling (she has been on the meds for 6 days), and she says they still hurt A LOT. They hurt a LITTLE less than before. Not they feel great, not they feel a lot better, and she isn't getting back to normal like I want her to. She can stand for a few minutes now, and she can walk around the house for maybe 5-10 minutes, but then she sinks to the ground and crawls for the rest of the day (our house is not wheelchair accessible, so at home she crawls, in public she is in the chair, though that has not been so easy of an experience, either, as she explains in her blog, http://accessibilityadventures.blogspot.ca/
On Sunday, she showed her true grit. We had signed up, several months ago, for a 5km run, as we have done every year for the past 3 years. Obviously, she was not going to be able to run. But the brochure said wheelchair participants welcome. So she went. And she rolled. And she pushed herself in that chair as best she could. We did that 5k. When her arms couldn't do it anymore, she would put her hands in her lap, and I would take over and push, while jogging, for a few minutes, until she was ready to roll herself again. She worked HARD on that 5k, over cracked pavement, around potholes, up and down little inclines, over crooked streets that made her chair constantly drift towards the sidewalks. We made it to the finish line in 47 minutes and 33 seconds. And she was cheered in by every participant that had finished before we did. And she was the ONLY wheelchair participant that day. I was so proud of her. SHE was so proud of her!
I have to give her credit. She has been so strong through all of this. It has been so frustrating for her. She had to bow out of this year's softball season, halfway through. She is missing a 3-day camping trip with her class at school because it is not at all wheelchair accessible. She may have to miss her Girl Guide camp next week, if she doesn't see massive improvement. Her teacher made her stay at school while the rest got to go see a magician at the other school, instead of asking if I'd come and drive her (If I had known she was going to be left behind, BELIEVE ME, I would have been there to drive her!). It is harder to get around, go places, do things, and the worst part of all is that children are CRUEL. The number of kids at school who have accused her of faking this is unbelievable. She has had her wheelchair pushed into walls (with her in it) by boys, has been sneered at, has been told to "just get up and walk".
I hope with every fibre of my being that, not only will she have a fast recovery, but the other kids will realize that this is for real, and that if she could get up and walk, she WOULD.
It started about 8 weeks ago, when Daughter missed a step and fell on the stairs in our house. Her foot hurt, but she just walked it off. The next morning, while delivering papers, she tripped again, and this time was not able to walk it off.
This started a series of visits to the doctor. Very frustrating ones. She had wrapped her ankle in a tensor bandage, and hopped around with crutches for a few days with no results. The first visit to the doctor brought x-rays. Nothing showed up, so we were told nothing was broken, go home, rest for a week, all would be fine.
A week went by. No improvement could be seen. So we went back. We were referred to have an ultrasound done. They thought maybe it could be torn tendons. They searched all over her foot, causing great pain, then called the radiologist in to do his own scan. Another full foot search, more pain, Mommy is about ready to pick her daughter up like the Hulk and walk out. Nothing. No sign of tendon damage. They say maybe torn ligaments, but ultrasound won't pick that up. They write a report for the doctor, and send us home. We wait to hear back from the doctor for further referrals and testing.
One week. No calls. She is now not only in pain in the one foot, but the OTHER foot is beginning to have issues. We figure it is because of her being on the crutches, and compensating, overloading the second foot. We go back. We demand to be referred to a specialist. He tells us he already did. We tell him, no, we saw the ultrasound people, they found nothing, so we need something else. He says no, they found nothing, so there is nothing. I push, he supposedly writes a new referral, and waves us out the door with both of us practically in tears of pain, frustration, or both.
We wait almost a week. Nothing.
Then she collapses. The pain is so bad she cannot stand at all, let alone walk or use crutches. Hubby takes her to the ER where someone finally takes the time to try to get her some help. She is referred to an orthopedist, but it will be another week. So we get moving and find ourselves a used wheelchair....Daughter is 5'1"and just over 100 pounds. She is not a child I can carry around, and also she needs to be able to go to school, finish the school year, though her sports at that point became a dream of the past. Too bad...she had trained hard over the winter to be a pitcher in softball this spring.
A week goes by, we return to the hospital for our appointment with the orthopedist. He is very nice, and proceeds to move Daughter's feet every which way, making her squeal out in pain and nearly burst into tears. He announces there is nothing physically wrong with her feet, and refers us to a pediatrician who is on his rounds. So we are moved to a different room and wait an hour. The pediatrician comes in, checks her over, asks questions, checks areas that weren't even near her feet (he checked those, too, though), and asks if we had any history of rheumatoid arthritis in the family!
At that time, I couldn't think of anyone, so I said no, but when I got home, I discovered that yes, there was one relative I had overlooked...a cousin of my father who had it quite severely, in fact, and had begun having issues with it when she was 20, confining her permanently to a wheelchair, and cutting her life short from complications in her 40's. Not what I wanted to hear.
In any case, the pediatrician gave us a prescription to reduce the inflammation and called for a dozen or more blood tests to confirm, and likely to rule out a few things as well, so we wheeled her down to the lab where they drained her of all her blood (it sure felt like it...it was a very large sample they took, in any case). We have an appointment for follow-up next Monday. He was sounding pretty certain that his diagnosis is correct.
I am trying to remain positive for my daughter. I am not a patient person, however. I keep asking her how her feet are feeling (she has been on the meds for 6 days), and she says they still hurt A LOT. They hurt a LITTLE less than before. Not they feel great, not they feel a lot better, and she isn't getting back to normal like I want her to. She can stand for a few minutes now, and she can walk around the house for maybe 5-10 minutes, but then she sinks to the ground and crawls for the rest of the day (our house is not wheelchair accessible, so at home she crawls, in public she is in the chair, though that has not been so easy of an experience, either, as she explains in her blog, http://accessibilityadventures.blogspot.ca/
On Sunday, she showed her true grit. We had signed up, several months ago, for a 5km run, as we have done every year for the past 3 years. Obviously, she was not going to be able to run. But the brochure said wheelchair participants welcome. So she went. And she rolled. And she pushed herself in that chair as best she could. We did that 5k. When her arms couldn't do it anymore, she would put her hands in her lap, and I would take over and push, while jogging, for a few minutes, until she was ready to roll herself again. She worked HARD on that 5k, over cracked pavement, around potholes, up and down little inclines, over crooked streets that made her chair constantly drift towards the sidewalks. We made it to the finish line in 47 minutes and 33 seconds. And she was cheered in by every participant that had finished before we did. And she was the ONLY wheelchair participant that day. I was so proud of her. SHE was so proud of her!
I have to give her credit. She has been so strong through all of this. It has been so frustrating for her. She had to bow out of this year's softball season, halfway through. She is missing a 3-day camping trip with her class at school because it is not at all wheelchair accessible. She may have to miss her Girl Guide camp next week, if she doesn't see massive improvement. Her teacher made her stay at school while the rest got to go see a magician at the other school, instead of asking if I'd come and drive her (If I had known she was going to be left behind, BELIEVE ME, I would have been there to drive her!). It is harder to get around, go places, do things, and the worst part of all is that children are CRUEL. The number of kids at school who have accused her of faking this is unbelievable. She has had her wheelchair pushed into walls (with her in it) by boys, has been sneered at, has been told to "just get up and walk".
I hope with every fibre of my being that, not only will she have a fast recovery, but the other kids will realize that this is for real, and that if she could get up and walk, she WOULD.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Joy of Friendship
I just came back from a wonderful evening out. You have no idea how much I needed this evening out.
It started out when my new friend from Quebec, in the Mom's group, invited me to go see The Vow with her, as she had a 2-for-1 coupon. So I of course said yes, and looked forward to the time out with her. Then another friend from Mom's Morning Out was coming, too. Awesome! :) Then SHE posted to the while Mom's group. We ended up a group of 5.
It was so much fun...the theatre was mostly empty...I think there were maybe 4 others in the theatre with us. We laughed, we commented, we groaned and moaned and sniffled and sobbed and passed kleenex to each other and even laughed at each other.
Just that part of it was wonderful...to be able to go out with a group that is around my age, no husbands, no kids, and just fool around, have fun, and relax together.
The movie ended around 8:10, so we decided we weren't ready to go home yet. So we fooled around in the lobby, posing with the 3 Stooges giant punching bag and taking pictures with it, then shivered in the parking lot for a few minutes, debating where to go. We first tried a Tim Horton's, but there was no seating. So after about 5 more minutes of debating and joking, we headed out to the nearest McDonalds instead...except that I took a wrong turn and so arrived about 5 minutes after the rest as I drove up and down streets that annoyingly had no break in the median that would allow me to turn in the right direction. Even that was fun, as I was driving someone else in my van, so we laughed at our winding little adventure, and eventually did get there.
Inside McDonalds, we all ordered a hot drink, and most also got a muffin or cinnamon bun. We crammed into a booth for 4 with a chair at the end and we talked...and laughed...and joked..and talked..and laughed some more. We got to know each other better and had a wonderful time.
And then when it was time to go home, we stood there another few minutes, discussing how to make this a regular thing. I think maybe we ALL needed a night like tonight.
There are no words to describe what a wonderful time I had tonight, or how good it feels to be building up such a wonderful group of friends. I'm so glad I have started stepping out of my shell...the risk certainly has been worth it so far! :)
It started out when my new friend from Quebec, in the Mom's group, invited me to go see The Vow with her, as she had a 2-for-1 coupon. So I of course said yes, and looked forward to the time out with her. Then another friend from Mom's Morning Out was coming, too. Awesome! :) Then SHE posted to the while Mom's group. We ended up a group of 5.
It was so much fun...the theatre was mostly empty...I think there were maybe 4 others in the theatre with us. We laughed, we commented, we groaned and moaned and sniffled and sobbed and passed kleenex to each other and even laughed at each other.
Just that part of it was wonderful...to be able to go out with a group that is around my age, no husbands, no kids, and just fool around, have fun, and relax together.
The movie ended around 8:10, so we decided we weren't ready to go home yet. So we fooled around in the lobby, posing with the 3 Stooges giant punching bag and taking pictures with it, then shivered in the parking lot for a few minutes, debating where to go. We first tried a Tim Horton's, but there was no seating. So after about 5 more minutes of debating and joking, we headed out to the nearest McDonalds instead...except that I took a wrong turn and so arrived about 5 minutes after the rest as I drove up and down streets that annoyingly had no break in the median that would allow me to turn in the right direction. Even that was fun, as I was driving someone else in my van, so we laughed at our winding little adventure, and eventually did get there.
Inside McDonalds, we all ordered a hot drink, and most also got a muffin or cinnamon bun. We crammed into a booth for 4 with a chair at the end and we talked...and laughed...and joked..and talked..and laughed some more. We got to know each other better and had a wonderful time.
And then when it was time to go home, we stood there another few minutes, discussing how to make this a regular thing. I think maybe we ALL needed a night like tonight.
There are no words to describe what a wonderful time I had tonight, or how good it feels to be building up such a wonderful group of friends. I'm so glad I have started stepping out of my shell...the risk certainly has been worth it so far! :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
Continuing to Grow
I wrote last month about joining a Mom's group at my church, about how hard it is for me to step out and set myself up to be rejected.
Things have continued to go well. Having taken the step to get out of my comfort zone, I have found that I LOVE going to the group. I love spending the time with the other ladies, I love chatting with everyone, I love the feeling of actually CONNECTING for once, with the ladies of my church and age group.
A couple of weeks ago, at the Mom's group, I met another lady, a few years younger than myself, but still close to my age (I believe we are about 7 years apart, though I could be wrong). She just recently moved from Quebec, and she doesn't feel she can speak too much English yet, though the English she speaks is very good, in my opinion. In any case, I was really excited to have met someone else who could speak French...she as her native language, myself as a second language. So I took the big step of approaching her and asking her a question about herself...in French. She was delighted! Since then, we have friended each other on Facebook, seen and talked to each other at church, and are set to have coffee tomorrow morning. And we always speak in French. Which I LOVE!!!!
I was also able to help her out in an unexpected way...she just got a job and so will need child care. Not having used child care myself, I didn't immediately know of any way to help her...and then it occurred to me...I knew someone who had been in my Chorus who had done child care, AND she had a French background, so was completely bilingual. So I once again stepped out of my comfort zone and phoned this person, which was REALLY hard for me to do. It's weird...I have this phobia of phoning people, even when I know that person. And it turned out that yes, she still does childcare, and yes, she DOES have spaces. My French friend was over the moon when I told her and gave her the name and number.
I have started accepting (AND receiving) more invitations to events, and so am getting to know people better, and meeting more people as well...and I guess having people know more about ME in the process....at church yesterday, when I stopped to talk to my friend, there were two other francophone ladies that I knew from the 5 years I have been at that church who were THRILLED (and surprised) to hear that I knew how to speak French. And who said we should speak in French together sometimes. (Yesssssssss!!!!) Last night, I went to a Pampered Chef party where it was a room full of people I had never met or really didn't know past sight...and I was there 3 hours and talked to at least 1/4 of the ladies there in fair depth.
It's still really hard to step out and allow myself to be seen, heard, and take the risk of being rejected or ignored, but I'm finding that when I do manage to take that step, that it is, for the most part, turning out fairly well. I still sit alone at church. I still don't feel comfortable with inviting people over for coffee out of the blue (and my house is not exactly in "come on in" condition...still have slob tendencies)....but I think, given time, I'm going to get there.
Things have continued to go well. Having taken the step to get out of my comfort zone, I have found that I LOVE going to the group. I love spending the time with the other ladies, I love chatting with everyone, I love the feeling of actually CONNECTING for once, with the ladies of my church and age group.
A couple of weeks ago, at the Mom's group, I met another lady, a few years younger than myself, but still close to my age (I believe we are about 7 years apart, though I could be wrong). She just recently moved from Quebec, and she doesn't feel she can speak too much English yet, though the English she speaks is very good, in my opinion. In any case, I was really excited to have met someone else who could speak French...she as her native language, myself as a second language. So I took the big step of approaching her and asking her a question about herself...in French. She was delighted! Since then, we have friended each other on Facebook, seen and talked to each other at church, and are set to have coffee tomorrow morning. And we always speak in French. Which I LOVE!!!!
I was also able to help her out in an unexpected way...she just got a job and so will need child care. Not having used child care myself, I didn't immediately know of any way to help her...and then it occurred to me...I knew someone who had been in my Chorus who had done child care, AND she had a French background, so was completely bilingual. So I once again stepped out of my comfort zone and phoned this person, which was REALLY hard for me to do. It's weird...I have this phobia of phoning people, even when I know that person. And it turned out that yes, she still does childcare, and yes, she DOES have spaces. My French friend was over the moon when I told her and gave her the name and number.
I have started accepting (AND receiving) more invitations to events, and so am getting to know people better, and meeting more people as well...and I guess having people know more about ME in the process....at church yesterday, when I stopped to talk to my friend, there were two other francophone ladies that I knew from the 5 years I have been at that church who were THRILLED (and surprised) to hear that I knew how to speak French. And who said we should speak in French together sometimes. (Yesssssssss!!!!) Last night, I went to a Pampered Chef party where it was a room full of people I had never met or really didn't know past sight...and I was there 3 hours and talked to at least 1/4 of the ladies there in fair depth.
It's still really hard to step out and allow myself to be seen, heard, and take the risk of being rejected or ignored, but I'm finding that when I do manage to take that step, that it is, for the most part, turning out fairly well. I still sit alone at church. I still don't feel comfortable with inviting people over for coffee out of the blue (and my house is not exactly in "come on in" condition...still have slob tendencies)....but I think, given time, I'm going to get there.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Stepping Out, Stepping Up?
In the past years, I have noticed a certain trend in my life. I used to move around a lot, and every place I ended up, I made new friends. I still have good friends from every place I have lived from Grade One through university. But then there was a very disturbing trend.
I got married. I am still married. and he is a great guy. But though we moved several times, I can't really say I made many new friends. I have no friends from the first place we lived, two friends from the second place we lived (and even then, our communication is spotty...one of those friends has had cancer for at least a year, and I had no idea, the other I "talk" to on Facebook, but I wouldn't say we are CLOSE friends (not that we have a poor friendship, but I'd say we border on friendly acquaintance at this point)), and we have lived in our present city since summer 2001 and I have to say I don't really think I could say I have any real FRIENDS here. I have a lot of people I am friendly with. In Chorus, we all get along, and they are SORT OF friends...we have a lot of fun together at rehearsals, performances, competitions, and parties....but outside of that, we don't really interact. We don't go for coffee one-on-one, we don't phone each other to chat, and in fact in the past little while, I've been the youngest, to the extent that I think they all are closer to my parents' or grandparents' ages. I have one person from my old church here in town that I get together with for coffee once in a blue moon, and interact with on Facebook...but again, she is more of a mentor-friend. She is my Mom's age, or close to it.
It seems that since I got married I kind of folded in on myself, didn't reach out to find someone to connect with. And since my husband is a bit of a loner himself, it's not like we go out with anyone our age together, and with him being so busy, he often doesn't have time to just HANG OUT with me. And lately that has really been getting to me. I have been feeling really alone, really isolated, and with the issues I have had at church, I have been feeling really frustrated, depressed, and especially lonely. I don't think people MEAN to do it, but people sort of avoid me, because they aren't really sure what to say or do to help us. I can clear a whole section of the church easily...I sit and by the time church starts, the majority of the people are sitting in a different section.
So anyway. Just before Christmas, someone I know on Facebook (and at church), invited me to a potluck for something called "Mom's Morning Out". Until then, I had been under the impression that it was for moms with little ones. Which makes sense, considering pretty much all of them DO have little ones. But I was assured that any mom could come. So I went. And I met a few people. And I got invited to a cookie exchange. And I joined the group and so went back today (the first meeting since the potluck). I knew most of the ladies there. I think most of them are a few years younger than I am, but they are a lot closer to my age than the people in Chorus, and even though my children are in school, and past the "little people"stage, I was able to blend in, converse, not look like a total dweeb. And it was wonderful.
I think that this is the first step in a good thing. In taking that big step to get out of my comfort zone, not hide, and GO to the group, I think I have opened the door to maybe making some good friends again. I hope so! Also, it will be nice to have a place to go, where everyone understands the challenges and frustrations of being a Mom, where we can talk and come up with good advice for each other.And I got to hold babies today. :) I don't want any more of my own, I'm done with that, but it's fun to hold and play with the little ones, to make them smile and laugh.
I'm glad I joined the group. And here's hoping I can get back into the swing of things and make some friends in my own age group, my own stage of life...maybe even make some REALLY good friends, in time. I hope, I hope, I hope.
I got married. I am still married. and he is a great guy. But though we moved several times, I can't really say I made many new friends. I have no friends from the first place we lived, two friends from the second place we lived (and even then, our communication is spotty...one of those friends has had cancer for at least a year, and I had no idea, the other I "talk" to on Facebook, but I wouldn't say we are CLOSE friends (not that we have a poor friendship, but I'd say we border on friendly acquaintance at this point)), and we have lived in our present city since summer 2001 and I have to say I don't really think I could say I have any real FRIENDS here. I have a lot of people I am friendly with. In Chorus, we all get along, and they are SORT OF friends...we have a lot of fun together at rehearsals, performances, competitions, and parties....but outside of that, we don't really interact. We don't go for coffee one-on-one, we don't phone each other to chat, and in fact in the past little while, I've been the youngest, to the extent that I think they all are closer to my parents' or grandparents' ages. I have one person from my old church here in town that I get together with for coffee once in a blue moon, and interact with on Facebook...but again, she is more of a mentor-friend. She is my Mom's age, or close to it.
It seems that since I got married I kind of folded in on myself, didn't reach out to find someone to connect with. And since my husband is a bit of a loner himself, it's not like we go out with anyone our age together, and with him being so busy, he often doesn't have time to just HANG OUT with me. And lately that has really been getting to me. I have been feeling really alone, really isolated, and with the issues I have had at church, I have been feeling really frustrated, depressed, and especially lonely. I don't think people MEAN to do it, but people sort of avoid me, because they aren't really sure what to say or do to help us. I can clear a whole section of the church easily...I sit and by the time church starts, the majority of the people are sitting in a different section.
So anyway. Just before Christmas, someone I know on Facebook (and at church), invited me to a potluck for something called "Mom's Morning Out". Until then, I had been under the impression that it was for moms with little ones. Which makes sense, considering pretty much all of them DO have little ones. But I was assured that any mom could come. So I went. And I met a few people. And I got invited to a cookie exchange. And I joined the group and so went back today (the first meeting since the potluck). I knew most of the ladies there. I think most of them are a few years younger than I am, but they are a lot closer to my age than the people in Chorus, and even though my children are in school, and past the "little people"stage, I was able to blend in, converse, not look like a total dweeb. And it was wonderful.
I think that this is the first step in a good thing. In taking that big step to get out of my comfort zone, not hide, and GO to the group, I think I have opened the door to maybe making some good friends again. I hope so! Also, it will be nice to have a place to go, where everyone understands the challenges and frustrations of being a Mom, where we can talk and come up with good advice for each other.And I got to hold babies today. :) I don't want any more of my own, I'm done with that, but it's fun to hold and play with the little ones, to make them smile and laugh.
I'm glad I joined the group. And here's hoping I can get back into the swing of things and make some friends in my own age group, my own stage of life...maybe even make some REALLY good friends, in time. I hope, I hope, I hope.
Monday, December 12, 2011
A Tale of Two Kitties
This year has been a rough one in terms of the health of our cats. We have two. They are members of the family, as we have had them for 13 years now, or more specifically, my husband has had them for 13 years, and I have been a part of their family for roughly twelve and a half.
This summer, we noticed one of our cats had become very skinny. We had not noticed her slow decline, as she had been hiding out under beds a lot, I'm guessing because she was feeling so poorly. She also began to vomit yellow bile. So we rushed her off to the vet and shelled out a lot of money, and had the news given to us that she had pancreatitis, which had two possibilities...well, three...one was to send her off to some specialty vet place that would cost us thousands for some groundbreaking treatment (uh, no...mostly because we don't have that kind of handy cash), we could give her pills and she would get better, or we could give her pills, she would NOT get better, and we'd have to put her down.
So we got the pills and went through the exciting adventure of trying to force feed a cat food and pills. For anyone who has never done this, believe me, this is a challenge worthy of the olympics because
1) The cat does not want you to catch her
2) The cat does not want to be held once you catch her
3) The cat does not wish to eat because she feels bad
4) The cat definitely does not want to swallow pills and
5) The cat has 5 pointy ends (4 paws and a mouth full of teeth), knows how to use them, and has the wiggly snake move down pat.
But we managed. She took pills for probably about two months, and then got a clean bill of health...and since then has become somewhat chubby. Not enough to worry about, but at 13 years of age, I'd say she's allowed to roly-poly her way through the rest of her days if she so chooses, as long as she doesn't go to extremes.
Now this past week, the next adventure began. Our OTHER cat began to look skinnier than usual. His was not such a large drop in weight before we noticed, as he is a much more social animal, sleeping on the bed with us at night, instead of under.
So we took HIM to the vet and shelled out large amounts of money to have him tested, expecting the same result...but it was not to be. Our fluffy baby has diabetes.
What does this mean, I asked the vet? Let me just say that life over the next few years will be drastically different.
First of all, we had been giving the cats their daily allotment of food in the morning and letting them nibble on it throughout the day....now they get fed twice a day, at 12 hour intervals, they eat different food, what they don't eat is put away, instead of left out, after about 20 minutes. And the amount he gets is carefully measured, as is the amount he leaves behind. They are both having a rough time adjusting to this one, as they haven't quite come to grips with the fact that if they walk away from the food, it doesn't reappear until much, much later, instead of being there for their easy convenience.
Secondly, once we determine how much he ate, we have to carefully measure out his medicine. Twice a day. Every 12 hours. He has insulin shots. I must say that giving a cat an insulin shot is a lot easier than it sounded when the vet first told me about it. Because it just goes under the skin, and not into a vein or anything, you just grab a handful of scruff, stick the needle in, pull back the plunger a bit to make sure you didn't hit any vessels (make sure no blood in the needle), then push it in, pull the needle out, and the cat is good to go. Doesn't hurt him, so he just kind of sits there while I do it with an "Are we done yet?" bored look on his face.
Thirdly...the hard one...he needs blood glucose tests every few days to make sure his dose is right. How to get blood from a cat. Yeah. Poor guy gets to have pierced ears. There is apparently a teeny vein by the edge of a cat's ear, so you have to stick a lancet right through the ear at this spot, hope you hit the vein, and get the blood onto the test stick. First of all, this vein is tiny, so if you miss, you have to keep poking your cat in the ear. Secondly, this DOES bother the cat to have something sharp poked through his ear. Thirdly, the cat doe not want anyone touching his ears to begin with, so THIS is a two person job...one to hold the cat, one to poke the cat and get the blood. Then one of the two has to be able to swoop up the tester and get the blood on the strip before the cat decides to sprint off to parts unknown.
Saturday is going to be very interesting...we only had to do it once today, but Saturday will be the one-week marker of the start of his insulin, which means he needs to have a blood glucose curve plotted....meaning we have to test his blood glucose every three hours from the time we get up until the time we go to bed...about 7 times. Something tells me he is not going to be volunteering to come after the first two or three.
Fourthly...snacks and treats. We used to give them a small dribble of milk or the water from a can of tinned fish, kitty treats....that sort of thing, once in awhile. We are no longer allowed to do any of that because it will mess up his blood sugar.
Fifthly, all trips will have to be planned out in detail...daytrips will require us to leave home after 7AM, and back before 7PM. Longer trips will require a stay at a kennel that is able to give him his shots and such. So basically no big trips for a few years, probably, as that gets very pricey, as they charge by the shot, and he likely has a few years left in him.
The vet says that 1 in every 5 cats seems to miraculously get rid of the diabetes, but to not hold our breath on his being one of them. I still hope he will be that 1.
This summer, we noticed one of our cats had become very skinny. We had not noticed her slow decline, as she had been hiding out under beds a lot, I'm guessing because she was feeling so poorly. She also began to vomit yellow bile. So we rushed her off to the vet and shelled out a lot of money, and had the news given to us that she had pancreatitis, which had two possibilities...well, three...one was to send her off to some specialty vet place that would cost us thousands for some groundbreaking treatment (uh, no...mostly because we don't have that kind of handy cash), we could give her pills and she would get better, or we could give her pills, she would NOT get better, and we'd have to put her down.
So we got the pills and went through the exciting adventure of trying to force feed a cat food and pills. For anyone who has never done this, believe me, this is a challenge worthy of the olympics because
1) The cat does not want you to catch her
2) The cat does not want to be held once you catch her
3) The cat does not wish to eat because she feels bad
4) The cat definitely does not want to swallow pills and
5) The cat has 5 pointy ends (4 paws and a mouth full of teeth), knows how to use them, and has the wiggly snake move down pat.
But we managed. She took pills for probably about two months, and then got a clean bill of health...and since then has become somewhat chubby. Not enough to worry about, but at 13 years of age, I'd say she's allowed to roly-poly her way through the rest of her days if she so chooses, as long as she doesn't go to extremes.
Now this past week, the next adventure began. Our OTHER cat began to look skinnier than usual. His was not such a large drop in weight before we noticed, as he is a much more social animal, sleeping on the bed with us at night, instead of under.
So we took HIM to the vet and shelled out large amounts of money to have him tested, expecting the same result...but it was not to be. Our fluffy baby has diabetes.
What does this mean, I asked the vet? Let me just say that life over the next few years will be drastically different.
First of all, we had been giving the cats their daily allotment of food in the morning and letting them nibble on it throughout the day....now they get fed twice a day, at 12 hour intervals, they eat different food, what they don't eat is put away, instead of left out, after about 20 minutes. And the amount he gets is carefully measured, as is the amount he leaves behind. They are both having a rough time adjusting to this one, as they haven't quite come to grips with the fact that if they walk away from the food, it doesn't reappear until much, much later, instead of being there for their easy convenience.
Secondly, once we determine how much he ate, we have to carefully measure out his medicine. Twice a day. Every 12 hours. He has insulin shots. I must say that giving a cat an insulin shot is a lot easier than it sounded when the vet first told me about it. Because it just goes under the skin, and not into a vein or anything, you just grab a handful of scruff, stick the needle in, pull back the plunger a bit to make sure you didn't hit any vessels (make sure no blood in the needle), then push it in, pull the needle out, and the cat is good to go. Doesn't hurt him, so he just kind of sits there while I do it with an "Are we done yet?" bored look on his face.
Thirdly...the hard one...he needs blood glucose tests every few days to make sure his dose is right. How to get blood from a cat. Yeah. Poor guy gets to have pierced ears. There is apparently a teeny vein by the edge of a cat's ear, so you have to stick a lancet right through the ear at this spot, hope you hit the vein, and get the blood onto the test stick. First of all, this vein is tiny, so if you miss, you have to keep poking your cat in the ear. Secondly, this DOES bother the cat to have something sharp poked through his ear. Thirdly, the cat doe not want anyone touching his ears to begin with, so THIS is a two person job...one to hold the cat, one to poke the cat and get the blood. Then one of the two has to be able to swoop up the tester and get the blood on the strip before the cat decides to sprint off to parts unknown.
Saturday is going to be very interesting...we only had to do it once today, but Saturday will be the one-week marker of the start of his insulin, which means he needs to have a blood glucose curve plotted....meaning we have to test his blood glucose every three hours from the time we get up until the time we go to bed...about 7 times. Something tells me he is not going to be volunteering to come after the first two or three.
Fourthly...snacks and treats. We used to give them a small dribble of milk or the water from a can of tinned fish, kitty treats....that sort of thing, once in awhile. We are no longer allowed to do any of that because it will mess up his blood sugar.
Fifthly, all trips will have to be planned out in detail...daytrips will require us to leave home after 7AM, and back before 7PM. Longer trips will require a stay at a kennel that is able to give him his shots and such. So basically no big trips for a few years, probably, as that gets very pricey, as they charge by the shot, and he likely has a few years left in him.
The vet says that 1 in every 5 cats seems to miraculously get rid of the diabetes, but to not hold our breath on his being one of them. I still hope he will be that 1.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Caribbean Cruise 2011
I promised some people I would keep a journal of my first ever cruise. I'm glad I did, for my own memories, and here they are for you, too. :)
JULY 30- Well, here we are in Orlando! It has been a VERY long day, to say the least. It was hot at home, and we got up at 3AM to catch our plane, so sleep was evasive. The storm at midnight didn't help either. I found, just before we left, that the storm broke our back fence. So I tied it with rope to hold it while we are away.
There were trees, branches, and signs blown down all over the city. On top of that, the taxi driver had to make a big detour on the way to the airport because of a horrible accident that had the road blocked off by the police.
The trip itself went relatively smoothly, as is to be expected from WestJet. The only snags we had there were a late departure from Calgary because the engine needed a minor repair (Better we leave late with a fixed engine, I say!)and we had one lady have, I think, a diabetic seizure while flying over Tennessee, requiring the crew to ask if a doctor or nurse was on board (a nurse was indeed there) and for us to wait upon arrival for them to get her off and to the waiting ambulance crew in Orlando.
The heat and humidity here were a bit of a shock after 10 hours of air conditioning. It feels like a sauna. Not uncomfortable, just...strange. Like you can grab it in your hands.
There was a shuttle train from the arrival gates to the baggage claim, like a metro, but, well, I guess like a monorail.
The hotel is very nice, with a couch and coffee table, king size bed, 3 lamps, a desk, TV, fridge, coffee maker, safe...and lots of space in between to rearrange the luggage for tomorrow.
The hotel is connected to the mall, so we don't have to go outside to shop. The mall is really big and super easy to get lost in. BUT it has Cinnzeo, Cherry Coke, M&Ms World, and the most amazing Italian restaurant...Buca di Beppo. All the dishes are served family-style...small feeds 2-3, large feeds 5-6. We also had bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. Our meal was Quattro di forno: cheese canneloni, chicken and spinach manicotti, cheese ravioli, and stuffed shells. For dessert, we shared a slice of gigantic cake, which was lemon with marscapone cheese and cream filling with raspberry sauce. The whole meal was AMAZING, and came to about $20 each, drinks and dessert included.
M&M World was cool...giant statues and all the memorabilia you could ever want, plus an entire WALL of serve-yourself M&Ms of every colour and type imaginable, including colours I had never seen before, like aqua and lilac. I got pressed pennies for the kids and I and a pin with my name. :)
Now I shall collapse from exhaustion and sleep well tonight, and dream of the fun yet to come.
JULY 31- We had a GREAT sleep last night. I reset the air conditioner from 12.5C to 20C. The bed was nice and comfortable, and the room nice and large.
Upon discovering the mall did not open until noon today, breakfast at the hotel to be $13.95 each, and our bus leaving around 11:45AM, we headed out the door to find the McDonald's that was maybe 10 minutes away.
8:30AM and the heat was stunning. Our glasses actually fogged up on walking out of the hotel. The humidity was so high you could literally touch it in the air.
Portions at McD's here are truly bigger than back home. So my coffee was larger than expected. No complaints there. :)
On the way back, we saw what looked like perfectly smooth, oval stones. It turned out they were some sort of nut that grows on the local trees, and fall by the thousands.
The bus trip was interesting. So many trees!!! And in between them all, you could sometimes get a glimpse of a plantation, a shack, a bayou. I saw a number of birds, but have no idea what they were.
It was quite the view when we finally pulled in sight of the ship. It is HUGE!!!
We let them have our luggage, then joined the cattle drive of people checking in. Once on the ship, we found our room, which is very nice. #6296.
Our floor "helper" is Marvin, and he is a hoot. Almost every time we left the room, he was there doing something for someone and would ask what we were up to or joke "There you go again!". He is Jamaican.
Lunch at Windjammer (the buffet) was very good, the cheese plate from room service was delicious, and supper was AMAZING!!! I had hot and sour shrimp soup, onion rolls, prime rib with vegetables and baked potato, and chocolate pot a creme. Mmmmmmmmm.
We both got a souvenir cup with our Coke allowance. Bought a pin and inflatable ship. :)
The balcony is very nice. 2 chairs and a little table. Very hot during the day, but nice at night. I saw a shooting star and heard a whale blowing, something large leap out of the waves, and a few times of whalesong.
Watched the Dreamworks Experience Move It! Move It! parade. Cute, but I didn't get very good pictures.
Played minigolf on one of the top decks.
Going to bed around 00:30. It doesn't feel that late.
AUGUST 1- Today was a day of a few surprises and various changes. After a good night's sleep, we woke to the combo of Hubby's phone barking like a dog and the ship's wake-up call. We ordered room service for breakfast, so had an absolute feast of eggs, bacon, baked tomato, hash browns, pastries, fruit, juice, milk, and coffee.
We then headed off to CocoCay, Bahamas, for the day. It was so hot, I was literally dripping sweat. We went on the nature walk, which was very interesting and fun as we learned of trees that could heal warts, headaches, sexual issues, lady issues, and so on, as well as a tree that had poisonous bark. We heard of one couple that had carved their initials in one of the bad trees, and ended up sick and covered in horrible sores that leave a permanent scar. We saw a HUGE iguana and some teeny lizards the size of a finger joint, as well as chickens, frigatebirds, and the "hamburgull"...their gulls are ferocious scavengers. Their feeding frenzies if a tourist plate is left unprotected put sharks to shame.
Hubby went snorkeling while I hid in the shade and tried to cool off. They had a drink on the island, CocoLoco...but I declined it because the virgin one was $6. Bought a $15 t-shirt instead. :) It has the island name, a happy face in a rasta hat, and says "Smile, Mon!" Their sand is very fine and white, like flour.
They had a buffet lunch on the island, so I had chicken, ribs, a burger, feta, corn, and a few other little things before heading back to the ship for some a/c and a nap.
We discovered that, due to very bad weather involving the possibility of a cyclone or hurricane (Tropical Storm Emily), our Eastern Caribbean cruise will now be a Western Caribbean cruise. Goodbye tall ship, St Thomas, and St Maarten, helloooooo Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman Island.
Tomorrow is a cruising day, so Hubby and I will find fun things to do on the ship.
Dinner was formal tonight. I wore my long blue dress. We took pics of each other because we couldn't find our attendant (Marvin) and the professionals charge a fortune.
I had sushi as a snack today, and then dinner was lobster bisque, roasted duck with blackberry sauerkraut and croquettes, and a chocolate souffle with espresso sauce. And their American version of iced tea. Oh yes! The Windjammer Cafe also had oxtail soup and creme caramel. I snacked a lot today.
Marvin is so funny. He came in to straighten the room while we were at dinner and created a funny creature (a dolphin) on my pillow with a bath towel and my sunglasses. :-D
We sat in the hot tub for a few minutes, but then they turned out the lights, so we figured it was our cue to leave. It was about 11PM.
One thing with dinner is that we eat at 8:30PM and finish around 10:30PM, so have to stay up late to digest.
Stood out on the balcony again tonight. Too dark to see, but heard another splash, heard distant whalesong, and heard a humpback talk. :)
Hubby looks very burnt on his back from snorkeling. He has a spot on his incision, about 3 fingers wide, that is swollen, so I have forbidden him to swim without a shirt for awhile. Hopefully it heals fast and has no further complications.
Sleeping with the curtains open so I can see the stars and maybe sunrise. To bed at 00:45.
AUGUST 2- Today was a cruising day. We slept until 9:15, although I was awake long enough to see sunrise as Hubby's phone started barking.
We ate breakfast at the Windjammer today. So much to choose from! Today I had eggs, french toast with strawberries and cream, fruit, corned beef hash, pastry, coffee, and milk.
Bought 2 t-shirts on Deck 11 at a sale- 2 for $20. One for Mexico, one for Grand Cayman. Hubby bought 2 for himself and 2 for the kids- a glow in the dark pirate one for Son and a turtle one that changes colour in the sun for Daughter.
Attended a really good seminar about speeding up your metabolism, then went for lunch. LOL. Had lamb skewers on a curried veg and bean base. That was in Leonardo's.
Took salsa dancing lessons. It was a lot of fun. Almost 10 years of learning choreo sure helped in learning the steps. :)
Watched "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows(Part One)". Again.
Off to Windjammer for a snack...oh wait, that was before the movie. I had some cake and custards.
Got dressed for dinner (smart casual...black dress t-shirt, knee length black and white flowered skirt, sandals), then off to the show- the Scintas. They were hilarious and awesome. :) Comedy and singing and piano.
Off to dinner- I had a crab cake, sole filet with asparagus and artichoke hearts, and orange chocolate parfait.
Back to the room. Despite watching off and on all day, no visual signs of life on the ocean. But at night I always stand on the balcony and listen hard over the breeze. Tonight I heard a tiny bit of whalesong, plus two types of whale calls. One was a loud "ORRRRR!" and one was an "OOooooooo!". I also saw a few shooting stars tonight. Definitely worth going out there each night to stand in the dark and look and listen.
Marvin made me a towel lobster with my sunglasses tonight.
Bedtime snack....spinach and artichoke dip. Bedtime: 11:36PM
AUGUST 3- Up with the barking dog alarm for room service breakfast and to watch Grand Cayman get nearer in the distance. We took the tender over at around 8AM and wandered the streets for awhile. We kept stopping in shops to take advantage of the air conditioning. I also got a t-shirt and 3 pins.
When it was time, we lined up for our excursion. It was really hot and humid out, so I was soaked with sweat. Ew.
Got on our lovely air conditioned bus and took a ride to a rum factory. For obvious reasons, Hubby and I stayed outside to look at their mini zoo- tropical birds, peacocks, super fat pigeons, a rodent that looked like a tiny capybara, and huge iguanas.
There was a giant spider that got into the bus. Very freaky, like a tarantula, but no hair.
One funny thing about Grand Cayman is that chickens are EVERYWHERE, just wandering around, like pigeons and seagulls do at home.
The second stop was on a semi-submarine boat. We saw tons of fish and coral. We did get stranded out in the bay for about 10 minutes, but it all got sorted out.
We then went to Seven Mile Beach and ogled at the fancy places all along it. We also stopped for a few minutes to dip our toes in. The water was nice and warm, the sand white but coarse, and I found a really neat piece of brain coral, but wasn't allowed to keep it.
We then took the bus to a turtle farm. The oldest turtle there was 78 years old and weighed almost 600 pounds. We saw small ones, too, and I got to hold one.
Then we ate a turtle burger and turtle soup. Different, but pretty good.
Our last stop was the town of Hell. We, of course, had to buy and send the kids a postcard from Hell. :) It was named that because of the brimstone formations there.
Back to the port, we joined the line to get back to the ship. It was really long. It took about 20 minutes to get to the front of the line.
Once back on the ship, we went up to the Windjammer for something to eat and then watched Shrek, Shrek 2, and Shrek 3 before dinner.
Dinner for me tonight was cream of mushroom soup, pea pods, green beans, wasabi mashed potatoes, beef filet, shrimp, and coconut creme brulee.
We then went to the Love and Marriage show where Hubby won us a place on stage by yodeling like Tarzan, ripping his shirt pen (in the process losing ALL the buttons), and throwing me to the ground.
We were both asked 3 very embarrassing questions each (Like the Newlywed Game). We didn't win, but we got a gift basket for participating, which has lots of Royal Caribbean cool stuff, like travel mugs, carry bag, luggage tags, magnets, umbrella, mini backpack, and travel neck wallet.
No whale sounds tonight- it's too late to be out there and too humid anyway.
Marvin made me a bat with my sunglasses on today. He even hung it from the ceiling with a hanger. :-D
Bedtime 00:31.
AUGUST 4- Up around 7:30. Arrived in Cozumel, Mexico, around 9. It was a very busy port, thanks to Tropical Storm Emily. 2 Carnival ships, us, and the Oasis of the Seas. Double wide, same height, nice boat.
So hot and humid. Humidity around 80%. UV Index 10+ Extreme.
So many people, so many shops, so many pushy vendors. I went to a Dolphin Encounter excursion. I got to pet, kiss, be kissed by, dance with, and have my hand in the air touched by the nose of a dolphin. Very cool. Wicked, horrible sunburn because it was all done outside, in the ocean, which I didn't know. Not so cool.
They took really nice pictures of me and the dolphins (John and Eddy), but were charging $60, and wouldn't sell them separately. So no pics to show for it.
Ate a real Mexican burrito plate and got pesos for change. :)
Bought a keychain for Daughter, a pen for Son, and a bobbing head turtle for me.
Hubby did a helmet dive excursion. He enjoyed it very much and got a picture CD.
I came back, guzzled down a drink and watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" 3D. Very good movie.
Saw a great magic show tonight by a guy who was on America's Got Talent- Drew Thomas. Very good stuff.
A lot of people recognized us from last night. How embarrassing.
Dinner was calabrese salad- tomato, mozzarella, onion, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar with pesto, garlic tiger shrimp, and mint chocolate cake.
Marvin made an alligator today.
So tired and burnt, not even going out on the balcony. Vegging with TV instead. Sleeping in tomorrow.
AUGUST 5- Today was very painful. I was up around 5:30AM because my sunburn hurt too much. I dozed a few times during the day, but had to do cold compresses, aloe burn relief spray, and Tylenol to keep the pain to a tolerable level. My shoulders are already starting to blister. That is what you get from UV 10+ Extreme. Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight and heal fast, too.
Had breakfast at the Windjammer and then Johnny Rockets for lunch. Had a double burger (which I could not finish), a root beer float, frings with ranch and a plate with a smiley face of ketchup, and a chocolate soda. The staff there dances every 20-30 minutes out of the blue. :) And every time someone comes in or out, the staff calls out "say hello!" or "say bye!" and all the customers call out hello or bye to the person coming or going.
Found the area where teens can go hang out. Very cool.
Watched "How to Train Your Dragon" 3D.
Dinner tonight was formal. I wore my short black dress, had my hair up, and had a pearl and diamond necklace (fake) and the new pearl earrings Lloyd bought in Mexico for me (real).
Had seafood salad (shrimp, scallops, smoked salmon and greens), fisherman's plate (veggies, potato, shrimp, and lobster tail), and the desert sampler (cheesecake, some spongy cake with fruit, and flourless chocolate cake). Very yummy.
While standing on the balcony this afternoon, we saw dozens of jellyfish and two green things under the surface (fish? plant?).
Went to a musical tonight. It was based on fairy tales and used popular songs like "Everybody Dance Now" (Cinderella ball scene) and "I Need a Hero" (Rapunzel).
Marvin made a monkey tonight.
To bed at 00:10. Wish me luck!
AUGUST 6- Not a good night. Shoulders very badly blistered.
Did the Walk for Wishes this morning- 4 laps around the jogging track in special t-shirts. $10 each, proceeds to make a Wish.
Didn't do much today. Took a swing dance class. That was fun. Danced to "In the Mood".
Went to Chops for dinner. Had oysters, mixed grill (lamb chop, apple chicken sausage, veal tournedos, bacon, bubble and squeak), and mushrooms and leeks, which had a wine sauce. I got tipsy from the sauce. So funny. Felt sick on the way back to the room. Not so funny. Oh yes. Had chocolate mud pie. Waaaaaay decadent, like the cupcakes we had this afternoon. Too much sugar!!!
Packed and ready to go. Cloudy out. Maybe it will rain. Sailing very slow as we are closer to Port Canaveral than our schedule says, due to the change in course plans.
Hope to hear whales tonight.
AUGUST 7- Up at 6AM. Not a good night again. I was actually up at 3:30.
Watched the ship dock in Port Canaveral. Pretty cool to watch the ship rotate so it was in stern (back) first.
No whales last night, as the water was too choppy.
Off the boat at 7:30 AM. Then we sat on the bus that would take us to our hotel for about an hour. Then the bus actually started to drive. That took another hour. We got to the hotel around 10AM, so I guess it took about half an hour to get through ship security and find our bags.
The room wasn't ready (no big surprise), so the hotel stored our bags and we headed out to Disney World, to Magic Kingdom.
It really was too hot and humid to have been there. Being an icy Canuck, I need to do that sort of thing in Florida's winter. But we rode the rides, reveled in the air conditioned ones, and drank lots. We still had fun. Had beef nachos and a bacon cheeseburger for my meals there.
Saw at least some of the Main Street Electrical Parade- it was delayed by about 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm, and we had a bus to catch, and it was a bit of a commute from the parade to the bus, so I think I missed about half of it. What I saw was nice, though. Waiting for the bus, we could see the fireworks, too. Those were pretty cool, including coloured-in star shapes when they exploded.
The bus ride back took about an hour, in which I was exhausted and headachey. Unfortunately, Hubby was overtired as well, and we had a huge argument in the hotel room over nothing.
Also, the front desk told us the wrong hotel room, so we walked in on some poor fellow in his room. We got Starbucks vouchers for our trouble. I hope he gets a free breakfast or something, especially since it was at around 11:30PM!!!
Repacked everything for tomorrow's flight. Off to bed very late...I think about 1AM.
Today I bought Bullseye (the horse), 2 pins, 3 antenna toppers, and a t-shirt. I THINK that was all.
At Disney World, we were approached and complimented once again on our performance on the ship. We are never getting away from our fame (notoriety?) from that Love and Marriage show!
One more memory from the ship...by our elevators, there were two window boxes. Inside were scenes. One was a mermaid brushing her hair, the other a crab playing a fiddle. You turned a crank, and they moved. Very cool.
AUGUST 8- Saw alligator roadkill. The flight home was long but pretty uneventful. I got body scanned and my hands swabbed, and both checked bags got hand inspected.
Bought a pound and a half of M&Ms at M&M World. Chocolate, peanut, dark, coconut, almond, peanut butter, and pretzel.
So nice to be home. So much laundry to do, though.
Next cruise we will take the kids AND do all the Disney World Parks.
JULY 30- Well, here we are in Orlando! It has been a VERY long day, to say the least. It was hot at home, and we got up at 3AM to catch our plane, so sleep was evasive. The storm at midnight didn't help either. I found, just before we left, that the storm broke our back fence. So I tied it with rope to hold it while we are away.
There were trees, branches, and signs blown down all over the city. On top of that, the taxi driver had to make a big detour on the way to the airport because of a horrible accident that had the road blocked off by the police.
The trip itself went relatively smoothly, as is to be expected from WestJet. The only snags we had there were a late departure from Calgary because the engine needed a minor repair (Better we leave late with a fixed engine, I say!)and we had one lady have, I think, a diabetic seizure while flying over Tennessee, requiring the crew to ask if a doctor or nurse was on board (a nurse was indeed there) and for us to wait upon arrival for them to get her off and to the waiting ambulance crew in Orlando.
The heat and humidity here were a bit of a shock after 10 hours of air conditioning. It feels like a sauna. Not uncomfortable, just...strange. Like you can grab it in your hands.
There was a shuttle train from the arrival gates to the baggage claim, like a metro, but, well, I guess like a monorail.
The hotel is very nice, with a couch and coffee table, king size bed, 3 lamps, a desk, TV, fridge, coffee maker, safe...and lots of space in between to rearrange the luggage for tomorrow.
The hotel is connected to the mall, so we don't have to go outside to shop. The mall is really big and super easy to get lost in. BUT it has Cinnzeo, Cherry Coke, M&Ms World, and the most amazing Italian restaurant...Buca di Beppo. All the dishes are served family-style...small feeds 2-3, large feeds 5-6. We also had bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. Our meal was Quattro di forno: cheese canneloni, chicken and spinach manicotti, cheese ravioli, and stuffed shells. For dessert, we shared a slice of gigantic cake, which was lemon with marscapone cheese and cream filling with raspberry sauce. The whole meal was AMAZING, and came to about $20 each, drinks and dessert included.
M&M World was cool...giant statues and all the memorabilia you could ever want, plus an entire WALL of serve-yourself M&Ms of every colour and type imaginable, including colours I had never seen before, like aqua and lilac. I got pressed pennies for the kids and I and a pin with my name. :)
Now I shall collapse from exhaustion and sleep well tonight, and dream of the fun yet to come.
JULY 31- We had a GREAT sleep last night. I reset the air conditioner from 12.5C to 20C. The bed was nice and comfortable, and the room nice and large.
Upon discovering the mall did not open until noon today, breakfast at the hotel to be $13.95 each, and our bus leaving around 11:45AM, we headed out the door to find the McDonald's that was maybe 10 minutes away.
8:30AM and the heat was stunning. Our glasses actually fogged up on walking out of the hotel. The humidity was so high you could literally touch it in the air.
Portions at McD's here are truly bigger than back home. So my coffee was larger than expected. No complaints there. :)
On the way back, we saw what looked like perfectly smooth, oval stones. It turned out they were some sort of nut that grows on the local trees, and fall by the thousands.
The bus trip was interesting. So many trees!!! And in between them all, you could sometimes get a glimpse of a plantation, a shack, a bayou. I saw a number of birds, but have no idea what they were.
It was quite the view when we finally pulled in sight of the ship. It is HUGE!!!
We let them have our luggage, then joined the cattle drive of people checking in. Once on the ship, we found our room, which is very nice. #6296.
Our floor "helper" is Marvin, and he is a hoot. Almost every time we left the room, he was there doing something for someone and would ask what we were up to or joke "There you go again!". He is Jamaican.
Lunch at Windjammer (the buffet) was very good, the cheese plate from room service was delicious, and supper was AMAZING!!! I had hot and sour shrimp soup, onion rolls, prime rib with vegetables and baked potato, and chocolate pot a creme. Mmmmmmmmm.
We both got a souvenir cup with our Coke allowance. Bought a pin and inflatable ship. :)
The balcony is very nice. 2 chairs and a little table. Very hot during the day, but nice at night. I saw a shooting star and heard a whale blowing, something large leap out of the waves, and a few times of whalesong.
Watched the Dreamworks Experience Move It! Move It! parade. Cute, but I didn't get very good pictures.
Played minigolf on one of the top decks.
Going to bed around 00:30. It doesn't feel that late.
AUGUST 1- Today was a day of a few surprises and various changes. After a good night's sleep, we woke to the combo of Hubby's phone barking like a dog and the ship's wake-up call. We ordered room service for breakfast, so had an absolute feast of eggs, bacon, baked tomato, hash browns, pastries, fruit, juice, milk, and coffee.
We then headed off to CocoCay, Bahamas, for the day. It was so hot, I was literally dripping sweat. We went on the nature walk, which was very interesting and fun as we learned of trees that could heal warts, headaches, sexual issues, lady issues, and so on, as well as a tree that had poisonous bark. We heard of one couple that had carved their initials in one of the bad trees, and ended up sick and covered in horrible sores that leave a permanent scar. We saw a HUGE iguana and some teeny lizards the size of a finger joint, as well as chickens, frigatebirds, and the "hamburgull"...their gulls are ferocious scavengers. Their feeding frenzies if a tourist plate is left unprotected put sharks to shame.
Hubby went snorkeling while I hid in the shade and tried to cool off. They had a drink on the island, CocoLoco...but I declined it because the virgin one was $6. Bought a $15 t-shirt instead. :) It has the island name, a happy face in a rasta hat, and says "Smile, Mon!" Their sand is very fine and white, like flour.
They had a buffet lunch on the island, so I had chicken, ribs, a burger, feta, corn, and a few other little things before heading back to the ship for some a/c and a nap.
We discovered that, due to very bad weather involving the possibility of a cyclone or hurricane (Tropical Storm Emily), our Eastern Caribbean cruise will now be a Western Caribbean cruise. Goodbye tall ship, St Thomas, and St Maarten, helloooooo Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman Island.
Tomorrow is a cruising day, so Hubby and I will find fun things to do on the ship.
Dinner was formal tonight. I wore my long blue dress. We took pics of each other because we couldn't find our attendant (Marvin) and the professionals charge a fortune.
I had sushi as a snack today, and then dinner was lobster bisque, roasted duck with blackberry sauerkraut and croquettes, and a chocolate souffle with espresso sauce. And their American version of iced tea. Oh yes! The Windjammer Cafe also had oxtail soup and creme caramel. I snacked a lot today.
Marvin is so funny. He came in to straighten the room while we were at dinner and created a funny creature (a dolphin) on my pillow with a bath towel and my sunglasses. :-D
We sat in the hot tub for a few minutes, but then they turned out the lights, so we figured it was our cue to leave. It was about 11PM.
One thing with dinner is that we eat at 8:30PM and finish around 10:30PM, so have to stay up late to digest.
Stood out on the balcony again tonight. Too dark to see, but heard another splash, heard distant whalesong, and heard a humpback talk. :)
Hubby looks very burnt on his back from snorkeling. He has a spot on his incision, about 3 fingers wide, that is swollen, so I have forbidden him to swim without a shirt for awhile. Hopefully it heals fast and has no further complications.
Sleeping with the curtains open so I can see the stars and maybe sunrise. To bed at 00:45.
AUGUST 2- Today was a cruising day. We slept until 9:15, although I was awake long enough to see sunrise as Hubby's phone started barking.
We ate breakfast at the Windjammer today. So much to choose from! Today I had eggs, french toast with strawberries and cream, fruit, corned beef hash, pastry, coffee, and milk.
Bought 2 t-shirts on Deck 11 at a sale- 2 for $20. One for Mexico, one for Grand Cayman. Hubby bought 2 for himself and 2 for the kids- a glow in the dark pirate one for Son and a turtle one that changes colour in the sun for Daughter.
Attended a really good seminar about speeding up your metabolism, then went for lunch. LOL. Had lamb skewers on a curried veg and bean base. That was in Leonardo's.
Took salsa dancing lessons. It was a lot of fun. Almost 10 years of learning choreo sure helped in learning the steps. :)
Watched "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows(Part One)". Again.
Off to Windjammer for a snack...oh wait, that was before the movie. I had some cake and custards.
Got dressed for dinner (smart casual...black dress t-shirt, knee length black and white flowered skirt, sandals), then off to the show- the Scintas. They were hilarious and awesome. :) Comedy and singing and piano.
Off to dinner- I had a crab cake, sole filet with asparagus and artichoke hearts, and orange chocolate parfait.
Back to the room. Despite watching off and on all day, no visual signs of life on the ocean. But at night I always stand on the balcony and listen hard over the breeze. Tonight I heard a tiny bit of whalesong, plus two types of whale calls. One was a loud "ORRRRR!" and one was an "OOooooooo!". I also saw a few shooting stars tonight. Definitely worth going out there each night to stand in the dark and look and listen.
Marvin made me a towel lobster with my sunglasses tonight.
Bedtime snack....spinach and artichoke dip. Bedtime: 11:36PM
AUGUST 3- Up with the barking dog alarm for room service breakfast and to watch Grand Cayman get nearer in the distance. We took the tender over at around 8AM and wandered the streets for awhile. We kept stopping in shops to take advantage of the air conditioning. I also got a t-shirt and 3 pins.
When it was time, we lined up for our excursion. It was really hot and humid out, so I was soaked with sweat. Ew.
Got on our lovely air conditioned bus and took a ride to a rum factory. For obvious reasons, Hubby and I stayed outside to look at their mini zoo- tropical birds, peacocks, super fat pigeons, a rodent that looked like a tiny capybara, and huge iguanas.
There was a giant spider that got into the bus. Very freaky, like a tarantula, but no hair.
One funny thing about Grand Cayman is that chickens are EVERYWHERE, just wandering around, like pigeons and seagulls do at home.
The second stop was on a semi-submarine boat. We saw tons of fish and coral. We did get stranded out in the bay for about 10 minutes, but it all got sorted out.
We then went to Seven Mile Beach and ogled at the fancy places all along it. We also stopped for a few minutes to dip our toes in. The water was nice and warm, the sand white but coarse, and I found a really neat piece of brain coral, but wasn't allowed to keep it.
We then took the bus to a turtle farm. The oldest turtle there was 78 years old and weighed almost 600 pounds. We saw small ones, too, and I got to hold one.
Then we ate a turtle burger and turtle soup. Different, but pretty good.
Our last stop was the town of Hell. We, of course, had to buy and send the kids a postcard from Hell. :) It was named that because of the brimstone formations there.
Back to the port, we joined the line to get back to the ship. It was really long. It took about 20 minutes to get to the front of the line.
Once back on the ship, we went up to the Windjammer for something to eat and then watched Shrek, Shrek 2, and Shrek 3 before dinner.
Dinner for me tonight was cream of mushroom soup, pea pods, green beans, wasabi mashed potatoes, beef filet, shrimp, and coconut creme brulee.
We then went to the Love and Marriage show where Hubby won us a place on stage by yodeling like Tarzan, ripping his shirt pen (in the process losing ALL the buttons), and throwing me to the ground.
We were both asked 3 very embarrassing questions each (Like the Newlywed Game). We didn't win, but we got a gift basket for participating, which has lots of Royal Caribbean cool stuff, like travel mugs, carry bag, luggage tags, magnets, umbrella, mini backpack, and travel neck wallet.
No whale sounds tonight- it's too late to be out there and too humid anyway.
Marvin made me a bat with my sunglasses on today. He even hung it from the ceiling with a hanger. :-D
Bedtime 00:31.
AUGUST 4- Up around 7:30. Arrived in Cozumel, Mexico, around 9. It was a very busy port, thanks to Tropical Storm Emily. 2 Carnival ships, us, and the Oasis of the Seas. Double wide, same height, nice boat.
So hot and humid. Humidity around 80%. UV Index 10+ Extreme.
So many people, so many shops, so many pushy vendors. I went to a Dolphin Encounter excursion. I got to pet, kiss, be kissed by, dance with, and have my hand in the air touched by the nose of a dolphin. Very cool. Wicked, horrible sunburn because it was all done outside, in the ocean, which I didn't know. Not so cool.
They took really nice pictures of me and the dolphins (John and Eddy), but were charging $60, and wouldn't sell them separately. So no pics to show for it.
Ate a real Mexican burrito plate and got pesos for change. :)
Bought a keychain for Daughter, a pen for Son, and a bobbing head turtle for me.
Hubby did a helmet dive excursion. He enjoyed it very much and got a picture CD.
I came back, guzzled down a drink and watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" 3D. Very good movie.
Saw a great magic show tonight by a guy who was on America's Got Talent- Drew Thomas. Very good stuff.
A lot of people recognized us from last night. How embarrassing.
Dinner was calabrese salad- tomato, mozzarella, onion, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar with pesto, garlic tiger shrimp, and mint chocolate cake.
Marvin made an alligator today.
So tired and burnt, not even going out on the balcony. Vegging with TV instead. Sleeping in tomorrow.
AUGUST 5- Today was very painful. I was up around 5:30AM because my sunburn hurt too much. I dozed a few times during the day, but had to do cold compresses, aloe burn relief spray, and Tylenol to keep the pain to a tolerable level. My shoulders are already starting to blister. That is what you get from UV 10+ Extreme. Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight and heal fast, too.
Had breakfast at the Windjammer and then Johnny Rockets for lunch. Had a double burger (which I could not finish), a root beer float, frings with ranch and a plate with a smiley face of ketchup, and a chocolate soda. The staff there dances every 20-30 minutes out of the blue. :) And every time someone comes in or out, the staff calls out "say hello!" or "say bye!" and all the customers call out hello or bye to the person coming or going.
Found the area where teens can go hang out. Very cool.
Watched "How to Train Your Dragon" 3D.
Dinner tonight was formal. I wore my short black dress, had my hair up, and had a pearl and diamond necklace (fake) and the new pearl earrings Lloyd bought in Mexico for me (real).
Had seafood salad (shrimp, scallops, smoked salmon and greens), fisherman's plate (veggies, potato, shrimp, and lobster tail), and the desert sampler (cheesecake, some spongy cake with fruit, and flourless chocolate cake). Very yummy.
While standing on the balcony this afternoon, we saw dozens of jellyfish and two green things under the surface (fish? plant?).
Went to a musical tonight. It was based on fairy tales and used popular songs like "Everybody Dance Now" (Cinderella ball scene) and "I Need a Hero" (Rapunzel).
Marvin made a monkey tonight.
To bed at 00:10. Wish me luck!
AUGUST 6- Not a good night. Shoulders very badly blistered.
Did the Walk for Wishes this morning- 4 laps around the jogging track in special t-shirts. $10 each, proceeds to make a Wish.
Didn't do much today. Took a swing dance class. That was fun. Danced to "In the Mood".
Went to Chops for dinner. Had oysters, mixed grill (lamb chop, apple chicken sausage, veal tournedos, bacon, bubble and squeak), and mushrooms and leeks, which had a wine sauce. I got tipsy from the sauce. So funny. Felt sick on the way back to the room. Not so funny. Oh yes. Had chocolate mud pie. Waaaaaay decadent, like the cupcakes we had this afternoon. Too much sugar!!!
Packed and ready to go. Cloudy out. Maybe it will rain. Sailing very slow as we are closer to Port Canaveral than our schedule says, due to the change in course plans.
Hope to hear whales tonight.
AUGUST 7- Up at 6AM. Not a good night again. I was actually up at 3:30.
Watched the ship dock in Port Canaveral. Pretty cool to watch the ship rotate so it was in stern (back) first.
No whales last night, as the water was too choppy.
Off the boat at 7:30 AM. Then we sat on the bus that would take us to our hotel for about an hour. Then the bus actually started to drive. That took another hour. We got to the hotel around 10AM, so I guess it took about half an hour to get through ship security and find our bags.
The room wasn't ready (no big surprise), so the hotel stored our bags and we headed out to Disney World, to Magic Kingdom.
It really was too hot and humid to have been there. Being an icy Canuck, I need to do that sort of thing in Florida's winter. But we rode the rides, reveled in the air conditioned ones, and drank lots. We still had fun. Had beef nachos and a bacon cheeseburger for my meals there.
Saw at least some of the Main Street Electrical Parade- it was delayed by about 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm, and we had a bus to catch, and it was a bit of a commute from the parade to the bus, so I think I missed about half of it. What I saw was nice, though. Waiting for the bus, we could see the fireworks, too. Those were pretty cool, including coloured-in star shapes when they exploded.
The bus ride back took about an hour, in which I was exhausted and headachey. Unfortunately, Hubby was overtired as well, and we had a huge argument in the hotel room over nothing.
Also, the front desk told us the wrong hotel room, so we walked in on some poor fellow in his room. We got Starbucks vouchers for our trouble. I hope he gets a free breakfast or something, especially since it was at around 11:30PM!!!
Repacked everything for tomorrow's flight. Off to bed very late...I think about 1AM.
Today I bought Bullseye (the horse), 2 pins, 3 antenna toppers, and a t-shirt. I THINK that was all.
At Disney World, we were approached and complimented once again on our performance on the ship. We are never getting away from our fame (notoriety?) from that Love and Marriage show!
One more memory from the ship...by our elevators, there were two window boxes. Inside were scenes. One was a mermaid brushing her hair, the other a crab playing a fiddle. You turned a crank, and they moved. Very cool.
AUGUST 8- Saw alligator roadkill. The flight home was long but pretty uneventful. I got body scanned and my hands swabbed, and both checked bags got hand inspected.
Bought a pound and a half of M&Ms at M&M World. Chocolate, peanut, dark, coconut, almond, peanut butter, and pretzel.
So nice to be home. So much laundry to do, though.
Next cruise we will take the kids AND do all the Disney World Parks.
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