Farewell to Cloudy, Rainy January

Sunday, January 31, 2016
The newscasters early in the month told us this would be a cooler and wetter winter into spring in Florida due to the very "strong" El Nino and so far they truly have been right.  We've definitely been cooler since the month began but what we've all noticed is the tremendous number of grey days due to lots of cloud cover including far more rain clouds than we are use to seeing.  An RVing friend of ours posted a note on her blog yesterday saying that in Ft. Meyers they had 12.86 inches of rain in January breaking the record for January in that area.  In fact, the average in this "dry season" is 1.94 inches.

Here in the Tampa area we've had 6.18 inches of rain in January not quite reaching the 1948 record of 8.02 but certainly far more than the average of 2.4 inches .

Behind our house is a "rain ditch" for collecting water when there is a heavy rain and it has been full more than empty this month.  It lies between us and the cow pasture so draws many of the cattle egrets and ibis that seem to love to feed in the pasture.  They also find what they are looking for near all the water so it has given us quite a show.

Then every once in a while we get a gorgeous sunset promising us a good day

which we all soak up to the hilt.  Everyone finds reasons to be outside -- now that is what being in Florida in the winter is all about.  Lots of fresh air and opportunities to walk, bike, stand and chat or better yet gather at one "home" or another in large groups and chat.  We did that today enjoying several hours chatting at Ron and Kathy Alesins with Frank and Bette, Jan Reed, and Al and Dorothy.  What a delight!!

We did take advantage of the last couple of rainy days and painted the bedroom and hallway a light blue which better fits our spread and pictures than the yellow that it was.  I now have to stitch the matching curtains for the windows.  Frank and Bette gave us the spread, shams and curtains from their RV since they are selling it and have no use for them.  We just love them.  Pictures will be forthcoming once I get them up.

And on another note, our son-in-law Dean celebrated his 52nd birthday today flying back from Memphis with his son Scott who participated in the International Blues Band Challenge.  They enjoyed several days in Memphis seeing all of the special sites including the Gibson factory,

Graceland, the Rock Hall of Fame where they were interviewed, 

and playing at the Blues City Cafe

Meanwhile, his brother was at home preparing for the Berkley High School swim team "hell week" when team members were swimming 10,000 yards (that is 8.1 miles) per day in practice.  

The whole team also died their hear blond in preparation for the final big competition when they will shave off all their hair.  It real changed Jason's look.

Its Back!!!!

Saturday, January 30, 2016
About 4:00 this afternoon we finally pulled into our park and parked with our motorhome!!!!! It is finally fixed after 3 plus months of sitting at Lazydays where we took it on October 21 to have a few items fixed on the inside and some repair work done on the exterior.  We were beginning to think we'd never get it back.  It has been an "interesting" time to say the least!!!!!!

Brrrr

Sunday, January 24, 2016
This morning I pulled out a wool jacket to wear to church - something I should have gotten rid of long ago but just couldn't seem to part with.  Today I was glad I had it.  Thursday, winds and rain hit followed by more on Friday with a huge drop in temperatures.  Off and on all week long I've had to bring plants in or cover them because we've had freezes or near freezes and this time it really hit with frost on everything.  But it was the strong winds that really made it feel super cold.  But our weather is nothing compared to what the states along the Atlantic Ocean experienced this weekend.  The rains turned to sleet and snow leaving Washington D.C., New York City and Philadelphia buried in snow, The depths ranged between 30 and 40 inches with enough snow and ice down in North Carolina to shut schools, leave miles of stalled traffic stuck on I 75 in Kentucky for long long hours including overnight and create bad flooding along the New Jersey shore because of very high waves and winds up to 70 miles an hour due to the nor'easter off the Ocean.  It was wicked.  My brother Steve who is in northern Maryland sent these pictures from his backyard.  One as the snow started and one as it was winding down.

Last Wednesday, Dick and Marcia Liddiard, visited with us.  They have been working their way around Florida stopping to see friends along the way.  We took them to American Condo for the hamburger/hot dog lunch they do each week there so they could also visit with Frank and Bette Foulke (Bette was grilling the hot dogs) and Jan Reed.  All of us traveled together on the New York Caravan that the Liddiards designed for Winnebago and then led.  It was a fantastic trip and a fun time with them as the tailenders working with Dave and Donna Rumrill.   We originally met Dick and Marcia when they were training to be tailenders on the New England Caravan back in 2004.  We redid it with them in 2010 and also traveled with them on the River Road Caravan back in 2008. They are a delightful couple.

Anyway, we met the Alesins and Beers at the lunch along with Harold -- all Keystone Winnies and had a great time visiting.  Afterwards we drove them around the American Condos so they could see it before stopping for a short time at the Foulkes so they could show off their place.  From there we went back to our place to chat, watch one of our Power Point slide shows - the Upstate New York Caravan - and enjoy a fresh strawberry sundae.

Marcia was expressing concern about the predicted weather this weekend because she was flying to New York on Thursday for a dinner at which she was going to be honored for her years of being a nurse at that hospital.  She was due to fly back here on Saturday with a stop in Washington D.C.  It was hard to even think there would be a problem since we were all dressed in shorts at that point. BUT she indeed had reason to be concerned.  At this point they are saying the airport probably won't even reopen until Wednesday.  Who knows how long it will take before she can arrange a flight with so many missing their flights.  Thousands of planes have been grounded all up and down the coast.

This is just a reminder again of why we have come to really enjoy living in Florida in the winter. Yes, it does get cold but we don't fight ice and snow and it doesn't usually take long for it to begin to warm up again.  In fact, by afternoon today, people were out and about in light jackets and enjoying the gorgeous blue skies and sunshine with just a light breeze.  Yes it only got into the high 50s but it felt good out in the sun.  

Still tonight I've been out rescuing plants cause it is suppose to drop down to 30 degrees.  But by Wednesday it is suppose to be back in the 70's.  Years ago I swore I would never live in Florida but here I am and LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!!  Bring on the blue skies and sunshine :-)

El Nino Strikes Again and Again

Sunday, January 17, 2016
According to our newspaper this morning we can look forward to lots more weather like we experienced last night - all because of an especially strong el nino this year.  It left us with all this water in our deep "ditch" for catching water that lies behind our house.  As you can see by the picture we have acquired lake front property.  :-)

Luckily the winds did not cause us any damage but plenty of people did.  In fact, in Sarasota near Siesta Key a tornado caused a fair amount of damage and near by a couple was killed when their RV actually exploded.  Amazingly the son and four children who were also there survived though several are in bad condition.

Just a few days ago another tornado struck in the Sarasota area causing more damage.

The weather is finally clear with lots less hunidity but temperatures ranging more from the 40s to 60s and the skies are now alot bluer --- far less clouds hide the sun.  And that has made it feel alot more normal than what we have been experiencing here in Florida.

I was a little late taking this next picture but it does show the kind of beautiful evening skies we've been getting after these storms --- they promise nicer weather for sure.

BUT for how long?  According to the paper we'll see lots more rain and high winds than usual all the way into summer along with lots more tornadoes than usual.  We'll see

Tampa RV Show

Wednesday, January 13, 2016
We walked our feet off today checking out the two huge vendor halls and a lot of RV's as we worked our way around the Tampa Fairgrounds.  We went primarily to see RVing friends - Dan and Patty Johnson, Bill and Jan Maas and Dave and Donna Rumrill.  We'd made prior plans to meet for lunch.  Unfortunately Dave got sick so the Rumrills couldn't make it but the six of us had a delightful lunch and discovered we've all signed up for the March/April Florida Sunshine Rally that Dave and Donna are hosting we we'll be spending 10 days together!!!  What fun that will be.

We did run into several people we knew as we wandered the fairgrounds and did end up with a couple of small items from vendors.  But mostly we enjoyed looking at Class B RV's just for the fun of it.  Someday we figure we'll be downsizing and that is what we'll end up in so it was fun just to see what is out there.  One thing we discovered is that Winnebago doesn't have much in this category. But we did find two other companies with very inviting offerings - both of which used murphy beds that came down over comfortable sofa or chairs both of which had tables that slipped into place as well making the arrangements quite versatile.   We'll be keeping an eye on these set ups that Pleasure Way and Leisure Travel Vans.

Dinner followed our visit at Sweet Tomatoes along with a quick trip to COSTCO in Brandon before heading back home for the evening.

All Good Things Must Come To An End........

Sunday, January 10, 2016
By the time we awoke this morning our ship was docked in Ft. Lauderdale and we had to face the fact our trip was near an end.  There was, of course, time to enjoy one last breakfast and some quiet time in the Vista Lounge while waiting to disembark but that was very short.  In fact, they were running ahead of time and we were on the shuttle bus heading to our car at the time we'd been given for getting off.

It apparently rained last night or early this morning as there were puddles everywhere but we had pretty blue skies and a gorgeous sunrise.  But once again we were blessed with a week of beautiful weather.

The airport is extremely close to the port so we had just a few more minutes to enjoy time with our son Dan before dropping him off for his flight home to Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately his plane was not leaving until 7:00 in the evening so he was looking at a very long day in an airport yet that is what he wanted - more time to be quiet and read he said.  So we bid him farewell and set off for our home getting in around 3:00 in the afternoon which gave us time to get mail, do some wash, visit with a couple of friends in the park and get settled back in.

It was much cooler here when we arrived (high 60s) and according to the paper it will be like this or even cooler all week with lows in the 40s.  What a change after the very very long run of heat we've experienced this past couple of months.  But then, I'm ready for some cooler days and hopefully less humidity.

Our Last Full Day

Saturday, January 9, 2016    Happy Birthday Sue!!!!!!

We’ve enjoyed another day with a relatively quiet ship as most all the passengers have chosen to get off and go to the Princess Cay beach for the day.  It involves taking a tender so we decided why bother.  We can see the beach from here and the gorgeous turquoise waters but here we have a place to relax without getting all sandy or sticky from the salt water. (Can you tell I’m not much of a beach bum? Ken either? Especially when it comes to oceans and salt water?  It turns out Dan would rather enjoy the pools on the ship too)

So Ken, Dan and I enjoyed using the exercise facilities of an almost empty outdoor track

and fitness center

as well as lounge areas around the pool.  At the beach “party” they get a choice of hot dogs and bbq chicken with fries and coleslaw, here on the ship we have the entire buffet selection to choose from and quiet areas to enjoy it, chat and absorb the gorgeous surroundings.  What more could we ask for?

Oh the wonderful delights of taking a cruise – not for the destinations but for the amenities of the ship itself and opportunities to simply relax and be ourselves, rejuvenating and enjoying time to contemplate and reenergize.

One thing Ken and I enjoyed doing today was simply remembering this day 49 years ago when our daughter, Sue, joined our family.  She made her entry into our lives around 9:30 in the evening but I’d spent the entire day anticipating it as my water broke when I got out of bed in the morning and I kept expecting to go into labor.  The strange thing was it wasn’t happening but since we had to have a sitter for Beth if I did have to go in the evening, we made that arrangement and while Ken was having supper, I decided to rest a bit only to discover when I laid down that I could feel very mild labor pains coming regularly 3 minutes apart.  We decided I should probably go to the hospital but assuming it would be a long night stopped at the library for books and took along a cribbage board so we could play.  We didn’t get to the hospital till after 8:00 and I’d just nicely settled in and started a game with Ken when I felt a very very strong labor pain.  Someone came in to check on me right at that moment.  Took one look at me and everything went flying.  They grabbed the bed and raced me to the delivery room as I had just crowned without knowing it.  And boom there was a beautiful little girl – Susan Elizabeth Ledford.  Suddenly we were a family of four.  We’ve sure had our ups and downs over the years but what a delight she has been in our lives.  She is an accomplished teacher loved by her fourth grade students, a wonderful mother to three boys, Jackson (19), Reilly (14) and Aidan (who waits to greet us when our time comes to go to our heavenly home), and wife to our son-in-law, Tim, an accomplished biology teacher who has a shelf of Teacher of the Year awards a testament to his wonderful teaching skills.

I was wishing that I could post a couple of pictures of Sue on Facebook to draw attention to her birthday but alas I’ve found loading pictures just about impossible with the WiFi we have on the ship so instead I took advantage of a couple of pictures posted by Beth and Sue and put my note with that.

This afternoon we had to pack our large suitcases as they must go outside the doors before dinner so they can be moved to the holding spot and moved into the terminal for tomorrow mornings pick up.  It is always hard to do this for a couple of reasons: one that it means the time is almost up and two how do we pack the things we need in the evening and then tomorrow morning.  We’ve taken to bringing little cases for that stuff.  Dan has a back pack and beat us doing the job.  Mostly cause I just hate doing it and tend to stall I actually ended up late to dinner – Dan and Ken just sat and waited at the table till I finally arrived.

After dinner we showed Dan our new Thomas Kinkade painting, then he was off to watch the football games on the big screen while Ken and I went to the Vista Lounge to see the Comedian Magician Christopher James.  He was outstanding and really had us in stitches while performing variations on tricks we’ve seen many times yet with different twists. 

Ken was then off to enjoy the Steelers/Bengals NFL Playoff on the big screen while I enjoyed listening to some music in the Piazza followed by a short performance by the Duo Ronin demonstrating some fantastic gymnastic moves requiring tremendous arm and core strength.  The two men did some amazing stunts including one holding up the second man overhead supported only by one hand with the other stretched straight out one way and the feet straight out the other way in affect making the shape of a T.  Once they were done and the Mardi Gras music and dancing started I headed back to the room to call it a night.

Our Last Sea Day

Friday, January 8, 2016

Our last full sea day….a day to simply enjoy the ship, its offerings and the beautiful ocean around us that is especially blue today giving us, of course, gorgeous blue but extremely calm waters.  There is nary a white cap in site so it is easy to just be lulled into a calm restful time.

Yet that isn’t what we’ve totally experienced because of all days, today there were several things we wanted to do and some overlapped others.  Thus breakfast was a bit rushed as we still wanted to get some walking in before heading off to a Thomas Kinkade Seminar with many of his paintings – beautifully framed – on display.  He has a fascinating history rising out of a very poor background but blessed to be taken under the wing of a painter who lived across the street. Because of all he learned from this man including his insistence that all painting should bring forth positive feelings, Kinkade was an excellent painter by the time he was 16.  He found a close friend, also a painter and they rode the rails make quick sketches for a dollar or two or a meal or whatever else they needed but seeing much of the country as a result leaving many sketches behind.  His admiration for Norman Rockwell was so strong that he often appears in his paintings even though they never met.  His wife can often be seen in his paintings as well as his four girls and one of signatures is the number of “n’s” that can be found in a painting – N being the first letter of his wife’s name.

From there we headed to the Piazza where Ken and I had time to chat with a couple of the dancers about their costumes, dancing and experiences on the Princess ships.  The dancer we spent the most time dancing with confirmed what we've heard often that Princess is an outstanding company to work with - better than most of the other ship lines.  He has been doing this now for seven years and is loving it.  It really shows in the performances especially the one we saw last night.  They all agreed it was a very tough show to do because of the very elaborate and often heavy and involved costumes but really used their skills and challenged them.

We had time to return to our room so I could finish off my exercises before heading to the Horizon buffet for a quick bite of lunch and then we were off to our last Pop Choir rehearsal prior to or performance in the Piazza this afternoon.  It has been fun singing the wonderful music from The Sound of Music and Tobi has been a great easy going director to work with.  I think we’ve finally ended up with close to 30 singers including a strong group of men.  Three college age guys and one of their sisters were among our group giving us a nice balance of old and young.  Dan agreed to come and see us sing and take a few pictures.  It was nice to finally have a “recording” of our participation in one of these choirs as this was probably our 5^th or 6^th experience with little evidence except our memories.  Following the performance the choir was treated to a glass of champagne so following Dan taking  a couple of shots of us with our drinks I treated him to my glass.

Our dress for the performance was black and white – the best I had for a top was my I LOVE RVing in “bling” which certainly has attracted a fair amount of comments as I’ve moved around the ship.  It is kind of fun to wear something like that which opens conversation so easily on elevators, stairs and just generally walking around.

Following the performance, Ken was off for a lecture about the Bermuda Triangle while I scurried down to the Lounge hoping to catch the tail end of the Art Auction.  Alas it was over with a Bingo was about to begin so I simply returned to our room to veg a bit, download the pictures, write a bit and then play some games on the computer.  Dan was out on our balcony enjoying the sea breezes and working his way through yet another book.

Once we dressed to the nines again, we were off to dinner stopping to take a couple of pictures along the way.  This was lobster night – escargot too.  So we ate well….but then we always do when on the ship. 

Following dinner Dan was off to do what he wished – we did give him our invite to the captains cocktail party should he wish to go – while we headed to the Princess Theater for the Spectacular show that involved loads of scenery and costume changes and some interesting uses of props.  We’d seen it before but sure enjoyed it again.

From there we were off to the Art Gallery where we had made arrangements to spend time studying on two different Thomas Kinkade pictures we had fallen in love.  Ultimately we ended up buying one of them that will be delivered to our new place at Hillcrest framed and ready to hang in a couple of months.  There is a wall in the living room that will be an absolutely perfect spot for it.  I guess we’ve really committed to staying there for the present. J

So ended the day for us though I have taken time to review all the pictures Dan took and weed them down a bit.  Once this is posted that will be it for this beautiful day in the Caribbean.

St. Thomas

Thursday, January 7, 2016

We woke to gorgeous blue skies and a view of the St Thomas Bay with absolutely gorgeous blue water filled with lots of boats just waiting for people to come use them and enjoy the day.  Parked next to us was another cruise ship – a Holland America ship.  It wasn’t long before people were pouring out of both ships and heading for the shops and other adventures on the island of St. Thomas.

Dan, Ken and I, however, were looking forward to a ship void of most of the people so we could enjoy the facilities by ourselves J  Dan was off before we were even ready to leave with a goal of getting breakfast and exercising before enjoying his next book while absorbing a few rays.  He also had the opportunity to do some laps in the pool since few people were around.

Ken and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the rear deck before heading up to the track for our daily walk.  All the cold medicine I’ve been taking had left me with a bad case of the “swirlies” making walking a challenge so after the first mile I chose to just do some of my PT exercises while Ken did the second mile by himself.  Then he was off to enjoy some time reading while I went to the fitness center to ride a bike.

I am feeling much better today but still tired out from fighting my cold so I chose to just lay and read a book on our very comfortable sofa in our room.  From there I could look outside through our sliding glass door and enjoy the views of the sky and water.  Ken enjoyed a movie he had been wanting to see.

After lunch up on the Lido Deck – inside next to a window cause it was too hot outside – Ken was off to do some more walking on the track (he wanted to complete a 5 K today) while I chose to go down on the seventh deck and walk the full length of the ship on the inside in the air conditioning.  I could walk by the closed shops and peek in windows as well as walk around the lounge at one end and finally end up at the library where I completed the Sudoko puzzle of the day.

Dan was gone all day finding a variety of quiet places to read and watch the world go by.

We all enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Concerto dining room before again splitting up with Dan headed out to read some more and possibly see a movie while Ken and I enjoyed a fantastic show, Feira,  in the theater.  It had amazing dancing and theatrical settings with lots of special lighting. 

Probably one of the best shows we’ve ever seen on the ship.  There was even a simulated roller coaster ride and ferris wheel ride as part of the show.

Following the show we went back up on the Lido Deck arriving just in time for the Watercolor Fantasy – dancing fountains lighted and all done to music with gorgeous pictures on the movie screen to go along with it.

That was enough to make our day complete so we returned to our cabin, checked out the Princess Patter to see what all we might like to do tomorrow before calling it a night.  Who knows when Dan will get it but his bed is waiting. J

St. Maartin

Wednesday, January 6, 2016
We had an absolutely gorgeous day today - low 80's partly cloudy but enough blue to make the water a gorgeous shade of blue.

BUT I'm feeling absolutely miserable with this cold so didn't do a whole lot myself other than do my two mile walk, bike and PT exercises. I did get over 10,000 steps again today so doing well from that aspect.  I read some, played games on the computer and rested most of the day.  LOVE the couch in this room.  It is super comfortable and I should know considering the amount of time I spent on it today :-)

Dan pretty much was on his own today finishing yet another book, exercising, spending a bit of time in the sun and generally enjoying the fact there weren't many on the ship.  He said it was truly a "freeing" day, one he desperately needed. Here he is out on our balcony reading.

Ken too was on his own enjoying reading, taking a nap, and simply having fun walking around the ship.

We did enjoy dinner together and Ken went off to see the show in the evening.

A Day at Sea

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Sadly, today my lack of sleep affected the day along with my filled head.  I did finally get up around 7:30 since I was better off up than lying down and got ready for breakfast which the three of us enjoyed together on the back deck. 

After breakfast Dan was off to run and bike in the fitness center while Ken and I walked two miles on the track.  He left and I stayed up to do some of my PT exercises and bike for a short time on the recumbent bike before heading back to the room.

A good part of the rest of the day I spent taking it easy except for doing another 45 minute choral rehearsal for the presentation on Friday of music from the Sound of Music.  I had found I had a decongestant pill in my case and took it but it wiped me out so much that the world was going around in circles so Ken walked me back to the room where I laid down and rested for a couple of hours.  He and Dan simply enjoyed quietly reading.

I got up in time to dress for dinner but short of a stop to pick up my free jewelry gift at Effy I was done for the night.  Once this blog is done I’m off to bed while the guys are off reading or watching the Magic Show in the Vista Lounge.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back to fully enjoying the cruise.  We do stop in St. Maarten but I’m not sure we’ll be getting off.  Dan is looking forward to everyone wanting to get off so there are lots of quiet places to retreat to for prayer and reading.

Happy 75th Birthday!!

Monday, January 4, 2016
Ken and Dan both greeted me with a happy birthday this morning while I was still in bed and Ken gave me a gorgeous card.  Once we were dressed we started out the door only to find congratulation balloons and a happy birthday sign by our door so we stopped to take a picture

before heading up for breakfast in the buffet choosing to sit out on the back deck so we could enjoy the sea breezes and water views including a couple of cruise ships passing us by in the distance.

After breakfast Dan headed off to the fitness center to bike and run on the machines while Ken and I went up on the track for a two mile walk followed by a stop at the fitness center so I could do my assigned (by my PT trainer) ten minutes to flex the knees good.  There were two recliner bikes available to Ken rode the one while I did the other.

From there Ken and I went to the first Pop Choir rehearsal - more men than women showed up which was a real change from our past experiences though the balance was pretty close of 12 men and 11 women.  We will be singing several of the songs from the Sound of Music which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary as is Princess.  Because of this they gave Princess the rights to perform the music for the entire year.  What fun singing things like Do, Re, Me  and My Favorite Things. Then Ken got them to sing Happy Birthday to me.

When we returned to our room Dan was just finishing a shower and getting cleaned up so we were able to enjoy a bit more chat time and he surprised me with several gifts and cards that he had brought along from Beth, the Ratcliffes and his girls.  Each member of Dan’s family had written acrostic poems for me which I had fun reading.  Jerry and Joyce (friends at our Hillcrest RV Park) had arranged for a happy birthday on board credit to be used by me so I also got that surprise card. 

We decided to enjoy lunch together at Alfredo’s, an Italian restaurant that offers among other things great antipastos and individual pizzas.  So we relaxed there, with the sounds of a string quartet floating round us (they were playing in the Piazza just below us) and enjoyed a fantastic meal.

Dan was then off in one direction, Ken in another (he went to hear a lecturer on Pirates) and I went off on my own first to stop at the library and then to our room so I could do my PT exercises.  I decided to flip on a movie while I was doing them so ended up watching all of Saving Mr. Banks as I didn’t want to quit once I was started.  It felt good to just relax. 

Since this was a formal night we then spent a bit of time getting dressed up for dinner and the other various activities.

Dinner was delicious and ended with a special birthday cake for me and several  waiters  gathering to sing Happy Birthday.

Dan was then off to do his thing while Ken and I went to the Princess Theater for the Soul Music Production Show. We watched people pouring champagne on the fountain in the Piazza for a short time before heading off to the the theater.

 I enjoyed chatting with the people sitting next to me who lived most of their lives in the city of Chicago before retiring to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Last winter, however, they had had it with all the snow (it was an extreme winter) so they have now moved to Leesburg and are living at the Legacy which is just across the road from Hawthorne where my folks lived for about 20 years.

We wandered up to the 17^th deck afterwards hoping to catch the fountain light show but they ended up cancelling it after three attempts at getting the fountains to go and giving up.

We returned to our room, changed the time on our watches as the remainder of the voyage will be on Caribbean time one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.  All of us just enjoyed laying and reading for a bit before calling it a night. 

Unfortunately after two years of not being ill with anything I had a slight sore throat and very full head which kept me awake a good part of the night because I couldn’t breathe.  At least it waited to hit till after all my birthday fun and festivities J

We're Off

Sunday, January 3, 2015

We were up very early this morning to do the last of the packing, have breakfast, and be on the road by 7:00 am heading to Fort Lauderdale to pick up Dan at his hotel and then continue on to the Regal Princess.  Everything went so smoothly that we were actually there and on the ship by noon – so early that the rooms were not yet ready so we headed up to Deck 16 and the buffet where we enjoyed lunch after giving Dan the grand tour of all that is available up in that area.  He chuckled over the soft serve stand saying Noelle would be there every few minutes getting refills if she was on the ship.

After enjoying our meal, we headed down to the Aloha Deck (12) and room 319 where we would be staying for the duration of the cruise.  WOW!!! What a beautiful room! 

And there was a beautiful flower arrangement there, too, compliments of Ken for my birthday.

We were able to hang up most of our things since we’d brought our small suitcases with us that had the major part of our belongings in them.  Then we just enjoyed relaxing on the beautiful sofa, toasting the cruise with the glasses of champagne waiting for us on our coffee table

when we arrived. 

After checking out the Princess Patter to see what all was happening for the remainder of the day, we head to the Casino, our general emergency station, with our life jackets for the required drill before the ship could take set sail. 

We then headed up to the 18^th deck by the track where we could get some great views as we moved away from the dock, leaving land behind and heading out into the Caribbean following behind a Holland America ship that was right in front of us.

The partying on deck was already in full swing with people lining the sides to watch us going out while the music was in full swing and others were already dancing up a storm.

This was all part of the Sail Away Deck Party

and then tour the thing available on the upper floors of the ship including the basketball court, equipment set around the track, the miniature golf course, golf tee,

and fitness equipment area. 

By then our remaining luggage had come to our room and we were all able to complete the unpacking and clean up a bit for dinner at our assigned table in the Concerto Dining Room.  It was a table for four but we were the only ones assigned to it so I guess we won’t be sharing our dinners with any other passengers.  Actually that is quite nice since we will have some special uninterrupted times with Dan as a result.

Following dinner we took Dan around to see what was available on the Decks 5, 6, and 7 including lounges, theater, library, art gallery, shops, and quiet spots where few people gather.  He is very interested in having as much time as possible free of people and interaction so he can read, write, and pray and generally get himself centered again.  So once we’d done that touring we turned him loose to do just that while we went to the first show of the cruise.  Afterwards, Ken went down to the Vista Lounge to watch the Green Bay vs Minnesota football game while I wandered shops and bought a shirt and earrings as birthday presents to me before returning to our room for the night.

Dan had already come back and was enjoying a movie on his TV (yes, there are two TVs in our room!!!!!  The sofa had been converted to a bed and he was able to just relax in it while watching.  It wasn’t  long before we were all down for the night.