Cruising with Friends - Day 3

Our first stop of the cruise was in Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas at Norwegian’s private island.  About a month ago, I had been reading in the Costco magazine about tips and tricks for cruising.  One of the suggestions was to reserve a cabana in advance.  We were a little taken back by the $600 price tag, but figured splitting it between four couples would make it a nice place to hang out for the day.

And it was.  Chris and I arrived on a later tender from the ship, but found our group lounging and relaxing on couches with snacks and water.  It was an awesome way to spend the day.

We had tried to bring the cake that Chris' friend had ordered as a gift for our cruise.  After carrying the crazy thing all over the ship, the security at the exit would not let us take it with us.  We just left it for them to take care of.

The view was great.

Chris and David Adamson.

Our group caught the last tender of the day back to the ship.  As we opted to head up to the 15th floor from the 4th floor, our friends took the elevator while Chris and I raced up al the flights, beating our group to the top.  We rewarded ourselves with soft-serve ice cream.

We tried to return to our room and our room key wasn’t working.  It was determined that the battery to open the door lock wasn’t working.  We stood in line at guest services for awhile and then outside out door while waiting for maintenance to get our door fixed.  We had to hurry and change to make it down to dinner with our group.

Rafer opted to watched the Super Bowl with all the other die-hard fans on board while the rest of us enjoyed dinner in the Taste dining room.  Our activities for the evening included a performance called Burn the Floor--The Rebellion in the Ballroom.  It was okay.  Not my favorite, but we followed that up with the Newlywed Game where our friends Jim and Kim Strong were chosen to participate.  They have been married 47 years and were a lot of fun.

Cruising with Friends - Day 2

Since we had booked our hotel with points instead of opting for the hotel and transfer package with Columbus Travel, we needed a car to get us to the cruise ship port.  Mark and Kirsten Savage drove with us because they had booked the cruise so recently and weren’t able to get in on the package deal.  Driving was fine though as we were able to stop at CVS for a few things and then Chris and Mark dropped us off at the cruise ship terminal with our luggage.  We didn’t think it through too carefully though because Kirsten and I both had all of the travel documents and ended up waiting for Mark and Chris to return the rental car to Hertz and then get an Uber back to the port.  They had to wait for the draw bridge before even leaving the terminal.

The passenger traffic was pretty light when we arrived but got increasingly heavier as we waited for the men to return.  It was a much smoother process this time however and we were boarding the ship in no time.

The rest of our group coming on the shuttle were much further behind us.  We couldn’t access our room once boarding the ship so Savages headed for the slides while Chris and I chose to exercise.  Misha’s comment to us, “Out of all the things you could choose to do, and this is what you go for?”  Yep.  With all the food on the cruise, we wanted to have a balance.  We brought clothes to change in and out of.

We met up with all of group in the Garden Cafe Buffet.  Kevin and Laura Brotherson came along a little later and joined our group.

Our luggage didn’t arrive at our room until much later in the evening, so we headed to our opening social in what we had been wearing before exercise.  After introductions and a few formalities, we headed down for dinner in Taste—the main dining room.

We found a thoughtful gift from Chris’ Administrative Assistant when we returned to our room—a cake and room decorations.  We were both stuffed from dinner, but I had a quick little taste.

Cruising With Friends - Day 1

After hugs and goodbyes with our girls as they left for school on Friday morning, Chris and I finished packing up our stuff before leaving the house at 7:40.  We had planned for 7:30 but realized all of a sudden that the clock in our bathroom was running slow.  I texted Maria Burnham that we were running a little late and would be to their house in about ten minutes.

As we pulled up to their house, the garage was open, and we drove in to leave our car while gone on our cruise.  A quick pit stop and we were on our way.  It was at the exit to the airport where I said to Rafer that police often sit at this exit and patrol speeds.  Maria suggested that Rafer should slow down when he said, “I’m just going to take my chance,” and at that moment Chris pointed out the police car sitting just ahead.  And that was when his lights turned on, before we even passed it.  Rafer pulled over in front of the police car.  Maria was LIVID.

The rest of the drive to the airport was fairly frosty and we tried to give those two a wide berth.  I suppose the fact that we were all pre-check and first class helped a little, but Maria was not thrilled with her man.  Our flight attendant, Carlos, was excellent.  Probably they best we have ever had.

Somehow I was able to text with the girls without purchasing wifi.  I chatted with Amy and learned from Misha that I had packed the sandwiches for her and for Kristen in to Misha's lunch.  Poor Kristen.  We arrived in Orlando, picked up our mini-van, and drove to the hotel a short distance away.

After settling in to our room, we headed back to the airport to pick up Jamie and David Adamson.  Our other friends, Kirsten and Mark Savage, had arrived in Orlando the night previous and were spending the day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

We all agreed to go to Downtown Disney for dinner with Kirsten and Mark joining us at the Boathouse for dinner.

We were able to squish them in to our table for six.  It was rather chilly—Chris was the only smart one to bring a jacket—but we still wanted to walk around and “shop”.  We ended the evening getting crepes and treats before heading back to the hotel.  All but Savages joined us at the hot tub for a little relaxing time.

Middle School Pink Day

Kristen's was all in for pink day at school.  Chris and I were leaving soon for our cruise, but not before sending this pink child to school for the day.

Cruising with Friends

For almost a year now, we have been planning on a couple's cruise with our friend Laura Brotherson.  We mentioned to a few friends that we were going and how much fun it was and convinced them that coming along was a good idea.  We will be traveling with Maria and Rafer Burnham, Jamie and David Adamson (who just found out last Sunday that his wife was surprising him with a cruise), and Kirsten and Mark Savage.  Kirsten heard Jamie and I talking about the cruise, asked for some info, and decided earlier this month to join us.  We are excited to spend time with these great couples, to reunite with some of friends who attended the previous cruises, and to make some new friends.

In preparation for our cruise, Kirsten, Maria and I went for pedicures (Jamie went on a date with her daughter the next day).  

Taking College Seriously

Amy studying between class.

Mom's Boots Are Cool

Who knew 25 years ago that these boots would elevate me (temporarily) to cool Mom status? I don’t think Misha really believed me when I said I had a pair of the very shoes she wanted to buy sitting in my closet. Sadly my foot is a 7.5 and Misha’s...is not. Didn’t stop her from trying them on. “When did you wear these?” Or perhaps she was really asking, “When were you cool?”

Birthday Party Surprise

Chris pulled off a great surprise this time.  But I have come to realize that I am not really a fan of surprise birthday parties.

We had planned to go out for dinner on Saturday evening.  As the day progressed, Chris got involved in working on installing surround sound in the basement.  And he just kept on working, saying he would be done in 45 minutes, then 20 minutes.  I was becoming more annoyed with him as time passed.  We had planned to go to Hacienda Colorado and it was about 45 minutes away.  By the time we got there, it would be closer to 8 pm with this schedule.

I was not impressed.  In fact, I didn't even bother to dress up.  I was that annoyed.  He didn't seem to care so why should I?  Add to that, my friend Maria had requested to borrow my fitness ball and Chris was more than willing to drop it off on the way to the restaurant.  I kept telling myself, "Don't be annoyed."  It didn't help.

So when we drove up to Maria's house and he suggested that I take the fitness ball to the door, I was not feeling the happy.  Maria opened the door and I could see birthday decorations on the wall and it hadn't clicked yet.  I was wondering who in their family was having a birthday when all of a sudden my friends popped around the corner saying, "Surprise."  Indeed.

I looked like a scruff.  A scruff having hot flashes.  I put on a happy face and tried to make the best of it.  Chris and Maria had made a lot of effort to celebrate me.  Chris had ordered food from Qdoba catering and friends had brought some wonderful desserts.

I can now safely say I don't need another surprise birthday party.  Ever.

Birthday Card from Amy

I received a birthday card from Amy the other day.  I loved her comments:

New Shoes

Chris and I went on a date.  Normally we try to steer clear of "shopping" dates, but we were leaving on a cruise in a week and I needed to check a few things.  Plus, I wanted to get a size on a pair of shoes for Chris in case they ever came on sale at the end of the season.

So, we started at DSW.  Chris tried on shoes that he had liked and Christmas and decided that they didn't really fit all that well.  I found some flip flops for the cruise and then Chris started pulling off shoes from the discount racks for me to try.

We ended up walking out of DSW with three new pairs of shoes for me.  None for Chris.

Kristen and Honor Choir

Kristen auditioned for and was accepted in to the District Middle School Honor Choir last Fall.  She had a practice a week ago for a couple of hours and then spent all day working with the district choir teachers and the special clinician.

I attended the performance in the evening and all of the kids were amazing.  Kristen was in the second row right above the end of the piano.  She had a hair bow in her hair.  It took all of her self control to stand still and not get her groove on.

They combined with the boys for the last couple of songs.

Amy's Awkward Moment #2

In Amy’s Interpersonal Communications class, her teacher encourages the students to get to know each other. So when they see each other on campus, they have an assignment where they are supposed to take a selfie together. Amy was walking with her friend Bryce when she ran in to cute guy Nathan from class. Amy and Nathan stopped to take a selfie for class while Amy tried to explain to Bryce why it was necessary that she take a selfie with another guy.

Amy's Awkward Moment #1

One of the students in Amy’s class at BYU-I asked if she was going to devotional. She said that she was meeting friends there but he was welcome to join.

When she arrived at the I Center and found her friends, she had Bryce on one side of her and this new guy Chris sitting on the other side of her. Both interested and somehow both wearing ties that matched her dress.

My Misha

Misha posted these kind words on my Facebook timeline: Happy birthday mommy! You have been a blessing in my life and one of my best mentors. I love you!

I love having girls who are growing in to amazing women.

#Jetlagisabear

Chris got up this morning with the intent of exercising.  He made it this far...

Happy Birthday to Me 2018

We started celebrating on Sunday simply because turning 50 was too epic to just celebrate for one day!  (While that may be true, Chris actually has to leave town this evening for a work trip).  A couple of weeks ago, Chris mentioned to me that there was a gift in the garage and I should avoid going to the far side of the garage.  Okay.

Misha's car normally blocked my view of the gift and mostly I just forgot that it was there.  Until one day I was in the garage, Misha had her car at school, and my gift was just sitting there.  No tarp.  No covering.  And a very obvious picture on the front of it with big words describing it in case the picture wasn't enough.  Come on people.  I like to be surprised.  Cover it up!

The unfortunate thing about my birthday is that I have been sick for a couple of days.  It hasn't been too bad and I am on the mend, but probably not the most ideal way to celebrate.  I did stay home from church though.  The rest was nice.

My family has been so generous for my birthday.  Each of my girls bought thoughtful gifts and Chris and his dad spoiled me as well.

It seems appropriate that Misha would give me a knife sharpener.  I think she is still hoping for throwing knives someday.

Amy sent me this lovely sterling silver necklace.

A new curling iron from Kristen.

Chris and his dad went in together on this tripod for my camera (and Larry also gave me a travel size charger for my camera that will be much more convenient to take on trips than the corded one that I have been using).

This is the leaning mirror that hung out in the garage for the past month.  It is awesome.

Kristen was so thoughtful to get up early this morning so that when I came upstairs from exercising, I was greeted with birthday decorations.

Misha brought me these beautiful roses and black licorice this morning just because she is so sweet.  I had one piece of licorice and then had her hide the bag so I don't eat them all at once!

My friend and neighbor, Karleen, dropped of a card and a splash of Springtime with these flowers.

Thanks to my parents and Chris' parents for the $$, and a big thanks to so many friends who have sent greetings on Facebook.  Life is good and I am looking forward to what 2018 will bring.

Amy's Friends

Amy's first couple of weeks at school have been full of the usual challenges of getting used to living on her own, messy roommates, and being back in the swing of school.  The initial group of friends that she made in her I-Connect group has shrunk some, but she has developed some solid friendships.  Her new best friend, Liz, lives in an apartment across the hall at The Ivy, and those two are often found hanging out together, grocery shopping together, and working out together.

On the right side of the above picture, Bryce is taking the picture, then Amy, Liz, and Tyler.  It was Bryce's birthday party (he and I share the January 22nd birthday).  Amy, Liz, Bryce, and Tyler are great friends now and have a lot of fun on the weekends.

Picture below:  Tyler, Liz, Amy, and Bryce.

Tyler gave a talk in his ward so Amy and Liz went to support him.

I love that she is having such a fantastic experience.  I love that she Facetimes with us, asks questions about laundry and shopping, and still jokes with her sisters.  College looks good on Amy.

This was from Amy wondering which yeast was best for making our Soft Sunday Pretzel recipe.

Cleaning the Headlamps

Chris purchased a headlamp cleaning kit for the Acura over Christmas.  The headlamps were foggy, causing the lights to not shine so brightly.  Misha kindly helped with transformation.

Thai Tailor

Chris has enjoyed his custom-made suits and shirts from a tailor in Thailand.  He picked up three more shirts on his last trip.

Dealing with Messy Roommates

Probably the biggest frustration for Amy right now is that she has one roommate in particular that uses her stuff and then leaves it dirty in the sink so that when Amy comes home to make a meal, her bowls and pans are dirty.  This roommate is the typical "messy" roommate that so many of us have had to deal with in our college experience.

I have been sick over the past couple of days, and one night I was not able to sleep particularly well.  I was awake a lot and used that time to ponder about my girl.  I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who cares as much about Amy as I do and for the thoughts he prompted me to send to her.  I knew Amy wouldn't be up for hours as I sent this text just after 5 am, but I didn't want to forget the prompting and impressions I received.

Amy, since I had such a rotten sleep last night, I had a lot of time to think, ponder, and pray about you. You and I are very similar in our desires for organization and cleanliness. Living life that way is good for our psyche. It makes us happy. Not everyone is wired that way and it is OK. If you want to clean on Saturday, clean because it makes YOU happy and feel better about your apartment. It is not a guilt thing for your roommates. If they see you cleaning and you have fun music playing and it is fun, they MIGHT join you. They might not. After all you are doing work. BUT, you are cleaning for YOU. So you clean your bathroom area, disinfect stuff for your piece of mind, vacuum your room and maybe the living room. It makes you feel better about stuff. If they don’t join you, that is ok. You are not there to be their mother. If you don’t clean, that is fine too. Flexibility sweetheart. With yourself and them. Five years from now the stuff that seems so important won’t matter. Try to remember that. I love you.

Sometimes in our experiences in life, we have to put blinders on.  This is definitely one of those times.