Day 6: Ensenada, Mexico

Again I woke up and turned on the "window" to see if we were in port, and what it looked like. It's odd to use a television that way, but for a claustrophobic without a window, it worked. It was a sunny day, the wind had died down, the forecast was for the low to mid 80s,...a perfect

We went to the morning buffet and I was surprised to see land on 3 sides of the ship. We had land on our starboard side, which continued around the back of the ship, and on the port side, the land seemed to continue, but beyond the harbor, around a bunch of docks, it eventually opened to the ocean. Having never left the U.S. before (except for a long weekend in Montreal, Canada), I didn't know what to expect. In my school books growing up, they always depicted Mexico with old cars of the 1970s that didn't look like American cars. The photos typically shown of Mexico look like Indian Reservation land, with beat up pickup trucks, and building shanty's made with pieces of scrap metal leaning together. I know there's some poverty-stricken areas that may actually look like that, but where we were in Ensenada, it looked like a typical lower-income city. We could see a McDonald's and other familiar fast food and cheap type of businesses. I was surprised that the cars were modern and looked like those on an American street. I already knew people dressed in jeans and T-shirts and sneakers - not the souvenir type of garb they sell to tourists, with over-sized sombreros and sarapes draped over them. After breakfast, we went down to the gangway to do some shopping. I was hoping to find souvenirs for all the kids there too.

This was the strangest day. We got off the boat, went through a little building with about half a dozen mini shops of souvenirs, and one pharmacy. Yeah, like a Walgreen's in a 10' x 10' area, strange. The first thing that told us we weren't in America anymore was the style of souvenirs. I searched high and low for those little mini collector spoons for my Grandmother. I try to get one everywhere I go. I expected shot glasses, but not ones with clay body parts sticking out in 3D fashion. Seriously, who wants to do a shot with "one of those" poking you on the bridge of your nose? And there were skulls...lots of skulls. Not typical Harley Davidson skulls, these were Day of the Dead skulls, styled with flowers for eyes, and all kinds of intricate patterns on and around them. They just don't match our decor...There were lots of jewelry cases and stands, silver being the main focus it would seem. Not what I was looking for. They had clothes, but again, nothing they would wear, so nothing I felt the need to wear to remind me of our visit. We didn't find anything worth parting with our money there, so we got on the $2 bus to get to "downtown" safely. It has no route other than ship to downtown center and back. Little did we realize until afterwards that the center of downtown was about 2 blocks from the ship. Oh well. It was a nice bus with clean, new-looking upholstery. Not some broken down 1960s thing with a lady and chickens on it like they portray in movies.

Once you're off the bus, you're in it. You're in the center of the main street filled with literally hundreds of tiny stores, all sharing walls, that have open fronts and go very deep into a dark back of the store. The owners sit across from their stores putting you in-between the store front and themselves, with the street behind them. There's also dozens of people with stands of junk to buy on the sidewalk itself. It's a bit claustrophobic, but I love learning about cultures so I had a great plan to be friendly, and see what the Mexican people are like. Well, all I really encountered were the salesmen and saleswomen. It's like going to a huge car dealership to find out what Americans are like. It's not really a representative picture of the whole. Every single person you pass has their routine down, "Good morning amigos! Go into my store and see all the great deals we have for you today! See if there's something you like, no pressure. Here, let me have a 'Mexican Minute' of your time to show you something..." And you heard it every 10 feet down a half mile long street. Over and over and over. We must've said, "No thank you." at least 100 times while still smiling. Then we got all Boston on them and just stopped making eye contact and stopped smiling. We did great for about an hour. We even figured out what a Mexican Minute was. Apparently, it's as long as it takes a Mexican merchant to make his sales pitch. We went into one store followed by an adolescent who asked us, "Do you speak Spanish?" Tim said, "No." He then asked if we came in off the ship. When we told him we did, he replied, "Ah, mas barrato." (Oh, very cheap). I stopped, looked right at him, and he looked like the kid caught in the cookie jar. I told Tim we were leaving, and we walked out. If his mind is already made up that ship people are cheap because they don't buy from his one store, among the hundreds, all selling the same thing - we don't need to change his paradigm. The nicest guy we met was one of the first. He took about five or six no's and was still just as nice, pleasant, and excited to show what he had. It was a great lesson for us to learn. He didn't let the no's stop him from doing what he had to do to make a living. There were also several shopkeepers that tried to show us how to not be fooled into buying fake silver or fake leather. It was to buy their real wares but it was still a learning experience. The funniest was when one asked me what I was looking for. I told him, "One of those little silver spoons" and he said, "Coke spoon (cocaine spoon)?" I then had to explain further. It was a good laugh for us but he was just as serious either way. Getting back to pharmacies...just like it was strange seeing liquor sold in normal stores in Arizona (you can only buy them from liquor, state liquor, or "package" stores in New England), it was just as strange seeing that every 20 mini stores or so was a pharmacy. NOT like a Walgreens. These were stores that had huge signs directed to Americans. You could buy Viagra, Antibiotics, pain pills, sleeping pills, whatever you needed, right there in the streets. They let Americans know that, "The U.S. Law allows you to enter the states with up to a 3 month supply of drugs as "personal use" so you can buy them today and take them home." Our public service messages are a little different...

After an hour, we were done, SO done. We took the return bus back to the ship so we had visited and returned, all by 11:30 AM. We experienced it. We found 2 necklaces for the guys - a guitar and a cross, both with the Lord's Prayer in Spanish - no souvenir spoon for Grandma. On the boat, we relaxed by the pool, sunning ourselves until we got hungry for the lunch buffet. It took a few hours to just decompress from the pressure in the market. After lunch, we returned to the top sun deck where we'd found quiet the day before and found it even more secluded. We spent all afternoon there. It really struck me how industrious and hard-working the Mexicans we met really were. They get up every day, get told "no" by hundreds, if not thousands of people. They sit out in the hot sun on the sidewalk. And they do it with a smile, handshake, and kind words. They pay around 20% in taxes, they told us, so they do whatever they can and do most of their deals under the table to survive. It's not easy, but at least they work. They aren't sitting home on public benefits (at least the ones we talked to said they were able to work, thankful to be able to own a business, so benefits were not an option). I really think if you put 100 Americans on that routine, they'd quit, give up, or walk away. Then I started thinking about the ship's staff - no Americans that we encountered. They put their country of origin on their name tags. They work harder than anyone I've seen in years! I see our evening waiter working in another part of the ship in the morning, then doing another job in the afternoon, they wait on us for dinner (handling several tables of 10 at a time), then they do it again for the late seating dinner. When in port, you see dozens of Asians scrubbing the decks, washing all the windows, doing all the unseen jobs that don't get credit or tips. They looked to be in their teens, for the most part. It really made an impression on me what good workers come from other countries and how lazy the typical Walmart employee and cashier seems to be in comparison.

Our last dinner was fun. I ordered the steak, Greek salad, and Bread Pudding with Coconut sorbet. The staff did another rehearsed song & dance, including a part 2 which was the Gungham Style dance. We said goodbye to our table-mates, and exchanged facebook information. We agreed to go see another family-friendly comedian with Christopher and Kerri. He was funny, but not as good as the first guy. Wanting to make the most of our evening, Tim and I returned to the Violin Bar before going to bed on our last night.

We knew the Sea Ninjas were playing again, and tonight was 80's Night. They were all decked out like the cast of Saved by the Bell. They did a good job, just missed the words a few times, but that's okay, we understood...some of them weren't even born when the song was popular! They played well and people clapped after each song, but there was a strange, new excitement in the area. There were two waitresses who'd been there all trip, but were very serious and quiet until tonight. One was named Aimee, she was very sweet. The other was named Kajka and she could've been Cameron Diaz' twin sister from about 10 years ago. She's Russian, and seemed so stern before, I just guessed maybe she was tired of being hit on by the drunks in and out of the casino right there. On Thursday night though, she was a whole new person. She and Aimee were dancing, singing along, interacting with customers with laughs, and they made it a fun, party atmosphere. Kajka came out from behind the counter several times, grabbing the hands of all the patrons on the barstools to lead them to the dance floor, then she'd stay with us for a few minutes so we'd be comfortable staying out there. As I mentioned before, this bar area was an open concept with the main deck's walkway crossing straight through the middle of it, and through the "dance floor". The most heart-warming thing I saw Kajka do was grab the hands of a man in a wheelchair passing through, and she gave him her full attention and danced with him for a whole song. He looked so happy, and she made him feel like part of the party. Warm fuzzy feelings! We stayed until the very last song, around 1 AM, then went back to the room full of happiness and joy. And although the cruise was over, we weren't sad because we weren't leaving to go home. We still had a few days at a Bed & Breakfast, more beach time, a great business event, and the San Diego Zoo - so after the cruise, we were going "on vacation". What a great trip.

Day 5: Catalina Island

Sorry I missed a day in there...
We woke up in the dark and I noticed we had a signal on our cell phones so I knew we must be in port at Catalina Island. We turned on the television to the station showing the view off the front of the boat and I got excited. We were about to spend time on an island. Now THAT'S a vacation!

We quickly ate breakfast at the buffet again, then headed down to get on the tender (boat) that would transport us to the island. It was too shallow for the cruise ship to pull up to a dock. The ride on the tender was fun. It was a fairly empty boat, and the edge was barely up out of the water. It made for a great ride. Our welcoming symbol was a seal sunning himself on one of the buoys near the marina. Then as we got closer, the ship's captain told us a little about Catalina Island. He said that 90% of it was reserve land and off-limits to the public. The island is privately owned by the Wrigley family, yes, the chewing gum family. They still have a mansion on the hill but you can't get too close to it. The island is 22 miles long, and over 2,000 feet at its highest point. I won't bore you with the details, you can look up more on Wikipedia if you're interested.
When we exited the tender, we were on the dock by a bright green-blue structure. We were officially on the island! We got there early and at least half the shops weren't open yet, so we had another idea...we rented a golf cart to see the island ourselves, following the map they gave us, and it was only $40/hr. Since it was all uphill, very twisty roads, and we'd never be able to see a fraction of that walking, we took the deal. We barely got to the next block when a couple stopped us and asked where we rented the golf cart. The entrepreneurial bug kicked in and we offered them a business proposal. We told them that since it was just the two of us, and there was just two of them, and we just got started, and were given a 4-person cart, how about they just jump in and see the island with us and we'll split the cost at the end. They accepted.
We found out their names were Tony and Erica. They were from California and were also on our boat. We talked about baseball, football, the ship, and the island. They seemed perfectly fine traveling with us and we told them we'd stop for pictures wherever they wanted. It was all good until I found out Tony was a Yankees fan, and being a Red Sox fan, I then turned my conversation to Erica and let the guys talk about jobs. It wasn't as cold as it sounds, it just sort of unfolded that way, and we all were temporary friends for the whole island adventure. We saw luxury homes, shacks in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and everything in-between. We drove by the entrance to the Wrigley Mansion, the botanical gardens, the golf course, and some really pretty scenic views. There were lots of seals popping their heads up out of the water in the cove as we took pictures from the hills above. It really is a wonderful little island, but I wouldn't want to be one of their 3500 permanent residents. Maybe a long weekend, but most hotels there I found were around $299/night, plus the $85 per person ferry charge to get there from the coast. It was a great little trek in our golf cart, which only ended up costing half as much. Definitely worth doing.

After returning the cart, we found all the shops were now open, so we went looking for things to bring back for the kids. All the shops seemed to have very similar things, and at close to the same prices. We got Adam a shot glass. He's 20 now and he collects them. We got Logan a coffee/tea mug. He has a favorite one he bought at the Dollar Tree that's all black and he doesn't like sharing it. His favorite colors are black and dark blue. We found a new mug for him in his two colors that says, "Catalina Island" on it. Now no one else will use it because it's his gift cup, not just "the black mug in the cupboard". Jordan is into pirates, so we found a cute necklace and earring set with pirate heads and the hat is made of a blue opal-looking stone. She's very picky since gifts is her Love Language (great book, by the way). I knew we couldn't go wrong with pirates.
After we were done shopping it was around lunch time. There were many cute little cafes the island with cheap deals. Tim wanted to try a cheap drink special so we stopped into The Galleon. It was decorated half like a pirate ship, and half like Mardi Gras. Their drinks were almost half what they were on the cruise ship, so we made one quick stop there, then got back on the tender to have lunch on the ship. Although the little restaurants were cute, the cruise's lunch was free (or at least, already paid for).
After lunch, we went to the sun deck at the back of the ship, at the very top. It's the area where kids play in the water slide area, but with everyone on the island, we had it all to ourselves for most of the afternoon. We must've been out there for about 3 hours, totally at peace, watching the seagulls, and the boats, and the seals. It was the most relaxing day I remember having ever. Again, nowhere to be, no one to answer to, no responsibilities except to each other. It was amazing. It was on that back deck that I really felt close to Tim like we used to be. So many rough things have happened in our lives and our marriage, but this, this made all that fade away. I finally could stop the stress and planning and to-do list-making. It was the first time I can remember just living IN THE MOMENT. The one thing I had really hoped for was to see a whale. I heard they were running this time of year, and off the coast of Catalina Island too. I've never seen one in real life and I know they won't be around forever. Seeing a whale is something I've wanted to do for my entire life. That's why I love boats, deep-sea fishing and 3 hour tour boats alike. It's in the hopes of seeing a whale. I mentioned it to Tim so we stood up and looked off the back railing out into the water behind us. Sure enough, within just a few minutes, we saw the white big splash of where a whale had just jumped! Tim's great at spotting things like that and God's good enough to grant my little requests to see stuff like that. I tried to get the camera focused and ready for the next jump, if there was one. I wasn't able to capture anything but the next and final white splash, but I did see the tail before it disappeared. For someone who's waited her whole life to see a whale, it was enough (this time). I was very thankful for that little experience. It made the rest of the afternoon that much better.
Dinner that night was fun. We had Italian night. I ordered the roasted broccoli for an appetizer (needed vegetables!). It was funny, one single "tree" with grill marks, nothing else. Tim got the special appetizer that night, frogs' legs. My entree was veal parmesan over spaghetti with a Greek salad as my side dish. It was okay, and it was great to taste veal for the first time in a long time, but the spaghetti was NOT made by Italians! Again the desserts were centered around chocolate, so I ordered the carrot cake. It turned out to be the best dessert on the menu. The staff performed a song and dance routine for us too. That was fun.
Later that night we went to the Candlelight Lounge for karaoke. We met our dinner friends, Christopher and Kerri, there to enjoy it with us. The guy hosting was from India and was great! He had a great singing voice and made the experience fun and encouraging. After about 4 or 5 singers, all but one was pretty bad, but then Tim got up to sing. He used to sing, so I wasn't too worried. I knew he'd do great. He sang a song by Brooks & Dunn, and yes, he did awesome. Unfortunately, both Kerri and myself were soooooo tired, and I started feeling really sick (like maybe something from dinner didn't sit right). Tim (and Christopher) were kind enough to call it an early night so we could go back to the room and sleep. Tim was my hero getting me back to our room feeling as bad as I did.

Day 4: Tuesday

I woke up and it was really dark in the room. No, I mean REALLY dark! I couldn't tell if it was 2 AM or 8 AM. Having no window makes it really hard to tell. I fumbled around the edge of the bed, it was so close to the wall, and made it to the desk to check the time on my cell phone. Know what I discovered? When you're spending a day "at sea" there's no phone signal so your cell's clock is way off. It said it was 3:30 in the afternoon, or something like that. I then had to turn on the bathroom light and wedge the door to get a little light, without it swinging wide open (still rough seas), and without waking up Tim in case it was still the middle of the night. With that little bit of light, I fumbled over to my purse, dug out my tablet without service, to see that it was almost 6 AM. I quietly gathered my things together, and took a shower to let Tim sleep a bit longer before I turned on all the lights. When I was done, he was mostly awake, he turned on the TV, and went to the two channels with views of the pool deck and off the front of the boat. It was light out, sunny, and windy - but it looked warm. It was weird...you could watch a big wave approaching the boat, then feel it as it came under us (our room was at the front of the boat). It was like watching a 3D movie of a roller coaster and you can feel your stomach drop just as the movie shows your car going down the big hill. It was exactly like that. Tim got up, got dressed, and we headed out to the breakfast buffet.

The breakfast buffet was where you ate. They didn't have a sit-down, planned breakfast or lunch on this ship. The buffet had eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, french toast or pancakes, waffles, yogurt, chocolate milk, juice, coffee, but instead of fruit cups or mixed fruit, it was just an unappealing, non-organic apple or banana. Non-organic ones have almost no nutrition and no flavor, so I skipped that fruit. Back in the room I had some organic fruit "rope" snacks with zero ingredients except fruit, fruit juice, and pectin. That would be better. I also don't eat pork, so no bacon or sausage. Eggs work just fine. I was really missing some good green veggies though. I eat tons of them every day, and with vacation and traveling, I hadn't really had much in about 4 days. It was a little chilly since it was the open deck of the ship, but the view was still pretty, the sun was warm, and if you could keep out of the wind, it wasn't bad at all.

After breakfast, Tim's shoulder had been really bothering him so he wanted to soak in the hot tub. I couldn't imagine how cold getting OUT would be, so I declined. I decided instead to lie in a sun deck chair near the hot tub. He met a guy in there that was a little redneck, but pleasant and friendly. Although it was pretty cold when the sun went behind a cloud, sunning myself is one of my favorite things, so I just waited it out, happy that we had nowhere to be again. We spent a few hours there, then got changed and went to look for something to do, since we'd stay at sea all day without getting off at any ports.
We went to the Violin Bar area again where a woman was hosting a trivia game to pass the time. The first one was a Name that Song game, we got about 3/4 of them. Then they did a second guess the song game with Movie Themes. I think we got about 12 or 13 of those. The ones we missed were movies we don't generally pay money to see, like Blades of Glory, Dumb & Dumber, The Hangover, etc. The winners got a tacky little plastic black and gold colored trophy shaped like the ship on top of a V. We had fun and it killed an hour.

After that we went to the lunch buffet, which was the same as yesterday's lunch buffet. We figured out we'd get the same foods at that location. There was a place you could get pizza and ice cream 24/7 but we never did manage to get over to it. We later heard it wasn't good pizza anyway, so nothing lost there. We hurried through lunch a bit because we got an invitation to the ship's Art Auction. We had never been to one, and I was curious how they work, what to look for with an artist that makes some of his/her work worth more or less, etc. The gallery was a mix of different things. Nothing that really caught my eye. They offered free champagne and a free piece of artwork to everyone who went, and we had to fill the day aboard, so why not? I had no idea it was going to be a two hour event. It was pretty slow, although they tried hard to make it fun. It seemed to take all afternoon, but we'd survived this long, might as well wait it out and get the free art. They spoke a bit about 4 or 5 artists, told their stories, explained what was unusual about each piece of art compared to their other works, and offered "free, no interest financing for any amount with up to two years to pay it back - we PAY YOU to take art home." Yeah, not interested in that. If we don't have the cash to buy it, we don't buy it. The only debt we're interested in having is a mortgage when we buy our next (and hopefully last) permanent home. Anyway, the interesting highlight was getting to see Peter Max's artwork. He inspired the Yellow Submarine art of the Beatles, although he wasn't the actual artist. His works go for anywhere from $5000 to over $100,000. It was still nice to see some of his work. My favorite was a close up of the statue of liberty he did. We did get a piece of unframed art to take home, the champagne wasn't bad, and it was a good learning experience.
We had about two hours to kill after the art auction and before getting ready for dinner, so we just wandered the ship, looked out at the ocean, walked through some of the on board shops, and went back to our room. When we went to dinner the second night, it was supposed to be a dressy evening, not casual. I was looking forward to seeing our table friends again, and having the luxury of ordering whatever I wanted without the prices being a decision-making factor. I started the evening with the Cream of Mushroom soup. At least it was similar to a vegetable, right? Not sure what the theme was for the night. We also ordered the flatbread for the table. That's something I need to make at home. It was about 6" wide and 10" long, super thin and crispy, topped with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and some kind of butter or oil, topped with cheese. It was really good and looked really easy to make. I just never think about rolls and breads - too close to baking I guess. I cook but I do NOT bake. One's an art, one's a science. I'll stick to cooking. I think Tim's special appetizer was calamari, we're not sure. They served Calamari every night after that, so not sure if that was it or not. Anyway, for the entree, I wasn't in the mood for heavy pasta, nor seafood. When our Chinese friends found out I grew up near Boston and didn't eat "the best lobster there is", they were shocked. Sorry, but I had a bad experience with lobster, I've tried it a dozen times over the years, made every way possible, dipping it in everything you can think of, I just don't like it. Anyway...I ordered the lamb shank over roasted cauliflower with a Greek Salad on the side. Finally veggies! Well, the lamb tasted more like an old sheep than a young lamb. It tasted nothing like the lamb you make at home. It was missing that slight aftertaste that makes lamb so good. Tons of fat on it too. My roasted cauliflower was, I kid you not, the very end florets, about the size of a quarter, and I think there were only two of them in the big, deep bowl with my massive lamb shank. Disappointing when you hear cruise food is like a 4 star restaurant, but being Carnival, and a cheap cruise, it was okay. Maybe 3 out of 5 stars. Hey, at least I didn't have to cook or do dishes, right? Now the Greek Salad, THAT I loved! It was fresh, crisp, lots of kalamata olives, feta cheese, not too much dressing. That was worth waiting for. It probably sounds strange hearing someone so excited about a salad, but I really do love vegetables. For dessert, I had no interest in chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, pumpkin pie, or a dessert with artificial sweeteners, so I just got a scoop of Butter Pecan and a scoop of Vanilla ice cream. They're very small scoops, so no guilt there. They're about the size, if not smaller, than the palette cleansing sorbet you get between courses at weddings. The conversation was good, we all got to know each other a little better, and we had a good time.

After dinner we stopped back by the nearby Violin Bar. There were about 10 places with things going on, but this one seemed to fit our likes the best (and the nightclubs were closed if there wasn't a specific event happening). We again listened to the Sea Ninjas. They were doing a 70s tribute, in full 70's costumes. They were a lot of fun. During the break, we got to talk to a few of them. Their 18 or 19 year old bass player is a musical genius at such a young age. They were really enjoying their first cruise gig too. I asked if they had a Facebook page and they said not yet, it was a good idea. I couldn't believe they hadn't thought of it.
We ended the night watching a "family friendly" comedian named Dougie Doug (or Doug E. Doug), but he's not the same guy from Cool Runnings by the same name. This guy was funny. We watched the show with Christopher and Kerry from dinner. It was nice to hear some comedy that isn't all f-bombs, body parts, and centering around women's cycles. Just for the record...If a joke isn't funny to start with, adding f-bombs all throughout the joke does NOT make it magically funny. Just sayin'

After our long day at sea, we went back to our room, a little later than last night, and went to bed excited to see Catalina Island in the morning.

Day 3: Cruise Day/Cinco de Mayo

Talk about waking up with anticipation...how do you contain your joy of waiting 20+ years to do a cruise alone with your spouse? Something you've dreamed about for decades? It's not easy. When we woke up around 7:30 or so, we knew the paperwork said we couldn't board before 1:30 PM, but waiting around all morning was going to be very difficult. We couldn't wait to get on the ship! We decided to leave our room before noon, figuring we'd get close, then eat lunch nearby. The GPS talked us straight into the parking area, and once there, we couldn't really leave port and there wasn't any restaurants or shops around. We were there by noon...now what would we do?
We talked to one of the Carnival employees helping direct people to the right places. He told us that even though it was very early, they were allowing people to board and had a nice lunch buffet already prepared on board for us. We quickly got our suitcases checked and headed through security to board. I remember walking up the gangway thinking, "This could go either way. Either we'll argue over something and have a miserable time, or else we'll find out just how much we love each other and it'll be the best thing to happen to our marriage in a very long time. I left determined not to argue about anything, as far as it was up to me. Tim has been under so much pressure for the past 5 months, I just wasn't sure where he was at. Would all the recent pressure cause him to compare this to some great cruise from his past and he'll complain the whole time, or will I get to see a side of him I've waited years to see, the wonderful husband I believed him to be."

As we entered the ship, we were told the rooms wouldn't be released for another hour or so, and we should go enjoy the buffet by the pool. That's what we did. The atrium where we entered was just like I remember the pictures and videos from when this group of ships was new, about 20 years ago. I remember thinking back then what it would be like to stand in a multi-level atrium, all lit up, with the smoky glass elevator, and grandiose furnishings all around. It was everything I hoped it would be, and that was just the beginning. We rode the elevator up 3 decks to the pool area and buffet. Sliding brass and glass doors opened automatically to reveal the Lido Deck. It was just like the pictures! I know it sounds strange that I was surprised at this, but after staying in dozens and dozens of hotels that weren't quite as nice as their photos made it seem, this was amazing! I also remember being among a mostly un-American staff. Everyone is from another country, bringing with them their wonderful accents. For people like me who love to listen to accents, it was so much fun!
We walked over to the lunch buffet and found burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, french fries, chicken nuggets, and more. We both knew we were returning from this vacation and starting our 8 week CORE weight loss program, so individually, we'd both decided to not worry about calories and to just enjoy the experience. I did do pretty well at choosing healthier options and avoiding the choices that were absolute junk food, though. The food was good, but it was the atmosphere that really got me excited. We were sailing to Catalina Island, Ensenada, Mexico, and spending a day at sea before returning on Friday morning. It was Cinco de Mayo as we left for a Mexican cruise. There was a party atmosphere right from the start, but it sort of eased its way in, allowing plenty of quiet time to soak in the surroundings.
After getting to our room, we got changed to head back to the pool area. I'm very claustrophobic so I was happy that our inside stateroom had a fake window for me. It's an indentation to look like a window with a curtain closed in it. It resembles a real window with closed curtains so I never felt like I was in a box (until nighttime when it was pitch dark and you couldn't tell if it was day or night outside that room). The queen sized bed was pretty comfortable and there was a desk, and a chair, and the bathroom wasn't as tiny as I expected. It was a great value. By the way, did I mention we only had to pay $685 total for this cruise?! That's for BOTH of us, all charges & fees. You can't even stay in a regular hotel and eat for 4 or 5 days for that little amount. Anyway, back to the pool we went.

We found two chairs beside each other, kicked off our shoes, and just soaked up the sun, enjoying the cool sea breeze, the sounds of the music starting to pick up around the area, the murmur of passengers making their way to the buffet, and the seagulls flying around. It was an afternoon filled with joy and peace. Knowing we had nowhere to be, no one to be responsible for, no one to answer to but each other, and we were in charge of our day...something we've never been able to both experience together before. We also didn't have to worry about looking at prices on the menu, considering cover or ticket charges for the entertainment, or worry about drinking and driving. All our cares melted away as we experienced what it was like to be "on vacation".
A little while later the captain announced we were making changes to the itinerary. There was a hurricane and bad weather in the southwest area around Mexico that was causing high winds and rough sees, so we were going to avoid it. Instead of Catalina Island, then Mexico, then the day at sea, we would do our day at sea first, then the island, then Mexico, then book it from there for home the next morning. We didn't care either way, but we did have pretty rough sees all that first day. You could really feel it on every part of the boat. By the end of the second night, everyone felt a little off, but we got through it. It was still better than sitting home watching television.
We showed up to the dining room for the early seating, around 6 PM. We were travelling alone, so we had no idea what to expect from our soon-to-be dinner friends at our assigned table. The first couple to show up was Christopher and Kerry. They were a very nice couple, about 10 years younger than me, with similar likes/dislikes. We got along great with them. Then the women showed up. We had the absolute privilege of dining with 6 beautiful ladies. Sally was the head of their group, she was born in China but moved to the states for college and opportunity. She's a smart, successful business woman. She was so much fun, had a great sense of humor, and appreciated everything in her life, taking nothing for granted as we Americans often do. She was traveling with her mother and 4 cousins, I think (unless she said one was her aunt, hard to tell, they all look so much younger!). Her mother and 2 of the cousins came from China for the cruise, the others live in the states. Oddly enough, the one sitting next to Tim lives literally the next town over from us. What are the odds? I enjoyed our first dinner on the cruise very much and was very happy we had who we did at our table. I felt very blessed.
When dinner came, we were taken care of by Tuty, Imarte, and another guy I can't remember his name. They were of Asian descent. I ordered the Spring Rolls with a Vietnam sauce for my appetizer. The special appetizer of the day was Alligator. Tim ordered that, along with most everyone at our table. Not me. Sorry, but I was not going to blow the vacation of a lifetime by taking chances eating strange foods that might make me sick. I ordered the steak with roasted garlic and mashed potatoes for my entree. When it came, the roasted garlic clove was the size of a tennis ball. I'd never had a roasted bulb of garlic before. I wasn't sure what to expect, nor what to do with it. I poked it with my knife to see it was soft like a spread. Ooohhh, that opened up LOTS of new possibilities in my world of cooking! I took out a clove and spread it on my steak. It was like a soft butter. It tasted like nothing else I'd ever had before. The steak was okay, flavored well, but it was the garlic bulb I was most excited over. I put some into my mashed potatoes too and it melted almost instantly into them. Kerry, who I had only known about 20 minutes, asked if she could try it. Being my usual self, I said, "Sure, just go ahead and take what you want." Only after she reached onto my plate with her knife did it occur to me that this should feel weird, letting a stranger eat something off my plate, but it didn't. It was like we were old friends, cruising together, enjoying an adventure. Dessert was a bit hard for me since I'm not a fan of chocolate. I don't eat chocolate ice cream, or chocolate cake, and I don't like chocolate milk. The only time I may eat it is in a choc. chip brownie, in choc. chip ice cream, on top of a Boston Cream Cake or eclair, and maybe a brownie or two a year. Everything on the menu seemed to either have chocolate or artificial sweetener in their "healthy low sugar choice". I chose a Fig Pudding with Passion Fruit Custard with Pumpkin Seed Crunch. How's that for healthy? It was a baked/steamed pudding like a sponge cake, with a thin, liquid-y spread Tuty poured over it for me. The "Crunch" was a single baked chip of sorts made from pumpkin seeds and probably sugar to hold it together. It also came with a cute, petite scoop of Rum Raisin ice cream. It was the healthiest choice, and it was actually pretty good. Glad I'd made the choice to get it.

After dinner, we roamed the ship to see what there was to do. The casino was jumping, but Tim works hard for his money and gambling isn't something we enjoy doing. We don't give others a hard time about the enjoyment of casinos, it's just not for us. We found the tail end of a party in the atrium area. They had an employee directing some line dancing to music that wasn't country. It looked fun, but as I said, it was the tail end of it when we got out of dinner. We did find the Violin Bar, where we ended up spending most of our evening time during the cruise. The actual bar is on one side, there's a small stage across the open-concept walk through area, and lots of tables and chairs along the side. We heard a cover band playing called The Sea Ninjas. It was their first set of their first cruise gig ever. The first night they were doing songs of Motown from the 1960s and 1970s. We knew almost all of them, the band was good, so we stayed there but went back to the room to retire early.

We returned to our room to see the dog on our bed made from rolled towels. Housekeeping had gotten our room picked up and ready for us to get some sleep. Although the seas were rough, lying down, it wasn't so bad - except for not knowing when it was morning from the darkness of our room.

Day 2: Sunday

It was great waking up at the hotel in California. I knew we were going to meet new friends that day, but we had nowhere to be, and no time to get there (or so I thought). After taking a shower and throwing on comfy shorts and a t-shirt, Tim said, "I did tell you we're going to church with Judith and Charlie, right?" I got quiet..."Really?! You made plans like that without telling me until it's almost time to leave? What kind of church is it? How far is it? What if we're dressed too casual?" It's very difficult to have information thrown at you last-minute when you've got an OCD personality. I need time to hear it, think it through, get used to the idea, consider a plan B (I don't know why, but I always have to have a Plan B in case things don't go as planned, to reduce stress), and then finally accept the concept. Tim and I looked up the church website and got the info I needed to know I would be going to a relaxed, contemporary service at a church with similar beliefs.
We arrived at Mount of Olives church early; we both are always early for everything. It gave us time to get acclimated before having to go inside. It was a beautiful, sunny, cool morning with a nice breeze. We found the coffee shop and ordered Tim's coffee, then went to sit at an outdoor table to wait for our friends.
I should explain why we were meeting "new friends". Facebook has been a great tool to reconnect with old friends, find relatives and friends you've lost touch with, and to meet new friends. Tim's father was an Arizona Ranger (sheriff's department volunteer backup organization). His "company", like an army company, used to compete in training skills events. They used to get beat by this young Captain in the Phoenix area. The Captain used to date a young woman years ago. That young woman's Mom is Judith. Got that so far? Okay, so Tim worked pretty closely with his father when we lived in the mountains for two years, and he got to know the Captain on Facebook. That captain, although not seeing the young woman anymore, he kept in touch on Facebook with her Mom, Judith. Tim would see Judith had a very similar mindset, had the same foundation for her character, similar beliefs, and stood for many of the same things, so he sent Judith a friend request and she accepted. Being the wonderful woman that she is, she did the right thing, and sent me a friend request also, even though I didn't have her daughter's friend on my friend list. I accepted based on Tim's recommendation. We got to know her better and hear about her husband Charlie that she obviously adored. We spent 3 or more years keeping in touch on Facebook, and when she heard our vacation would take us to her area, she was more than happy to have us meet, visit, and show us around. Meeting first at church seemed like a great start.

Back to church...when Judith and Charlie (who introduced himself as "Chuck", and so will be called that from here forward) arrived, we were greeted with smiles, handshakes, and her hug. Very genuine, down-to-earth people who live life transparently. I love that. No false images, no trying to act differently than who they are, just a "here I am, as is" attitude. That's exactly the way I try to live my life too. I knew I'd just met some great people. Within just a few minutes, you would've thought we'd known each other for 20 years! Everything was easy and comfortable between the 4 of us. We were introduced as their "friends we just met". Then Judith would quickly explain our meeting on Facebook and now in person. The service was wonderful. The music was similar to what we're used to hearing, the pastor told a great storAfy and tied it to being courageous, basing it all on God being big enough to handle our circumstances, no matter how big they may seem to us at the time. I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, they brought us to the welcome table and we were given free insulated coffee cups with the church's logo on it and a free latte fill up.
After church, it was getting close to lunch time so they took us to El Torito Grill at Newport Harbor. The restaurant was among lots of little ocean side shops with typical beachy things to sell. We had a great window seat to view all the boats in the marina, people paddle boarding, and kayaking. The food was pretty good, but the conversation was better. We talked about different areas along the coast, travel, old cars, and where our hosts would be taking us next.

When lunch was finished, we traveled to two different beach areas where Judith and Charlie like to go. The first was Dana Point. Rocky coastline, beautiful views, and the Dana Point Rock Lady (mountain profile looks like a woman's face) made for a beautiful spot to see. We also went to another spot, not sure exactly which beach it was, but it was nearby. It's a place Judith likes to walk. I think it's Laguna Beach, but not sure. There's a beautiful walkway near the parking lot, overlooking mansions on the water's edge of a sandy beach, with a hillside of flowers and cacti in-between. There's a ton of stairs that take you down to the water, but we decided that late in the day, it was okay to view it from where we were. We didn't want to tire out our wonderful hosts, and we could tell they were winding down. They invited us back to their lovely home afterwards so we could get changed. Tim and I had plans to hit the water and sand late afternoon for some alone time.

We found a great spot off a side street. Parking on a Sunday afternoon was really hard to find, but we found a metered spot at the top of a staircase leading down to the water between some cool beach homes. We spent a few hours just enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of the beach once again. We watched surfers and paddle boarders. I guess I always heard how crowded California beaches were because of the high population, but we were pleasantly surprised that night (and for our whole trip) and how few people there really were. Not sure if it's because people see the ocean every day so it's not a big deal to them anymore, or if we just happened to have great timing to avoid the peak of the crowds. Either way, it made for a very relaxing afternoon. When it came time for dinner, I don't remember what we did that night. The previous night we'd picked up something at the grocery store we could eat without having to cook, but that night, I just don't remember what we ate. Maybe we were still full from lunch and didn't eat?
It was a great day, we made wonderful new friends, and had a fantastic time winding down at the beach. I went to bed rested, relaxed, yet full of anticipation because tomorrow...we were going on our first cruise together!!!

Blogging about our first REAL vacation in 22 years.

Day 1: Saturday, May 3rd
We headed out together about 10:30 AM. I had no idea what to expect. Things haven't been going too great for us this year. Between the job changes and going so long without time alone together, I wasn't sure what the week would be like. Maybe we'd get into an argument right off the bat and then the rest of the trip would be me walking on eggshells. Maybe we'd find out we like/dislike very different things and we'd have new hurdles to overcome. But maybe, just maybe, we'd find out that we still love each other more than we thought. Maybe we would remember what it was like when it was just the two of us with no other responsibilities in our world except to each other. That was what I was hoping to find. I left for vacation determined to do whatever it takes to avoid arguing, and I hoped Tim felt the same way.
As we drove, we both seemed very excited about the coming week. We both knew we needed this, and that it was long overdue. We drove 6 1/2 hours to the Long Beach, CA area (Costa Mesa) holding hands, smiling, and feeling the pressures of life fading with every mile we put behind us. As we entered CA, I was surprised it looked like it did. They never really explain to you in public schools what the different states are like. I pictured beach, a desert area, and vineyards. That's all I'd ever heard people really talk about before. To see how many hills and mountains there were, and how the sand on the side of the road was so much whiter than the east coast or in AZ deserts, I was very surprised.
We arrived at our motel, which was surprisingly good for the money. For just $65/night (the people ahead of us paid $99), we got a modern room, close to everything, and the owner was running the front desk. He was a very nice Indian man. He hoped we would have a great stay and give him a great review later on, "Even if", he said, "you don't like the Indian man at the front counter." He was friendly and inviting. We loved our room and paying so little for it made it twice as great.
After getting settled, we headed for Newport Beach! The drive through the beach town was so much fun. It was everything I'd pictured...little bicycle rental shops, sundresses, neon signs and clothing everywhere, little shops in neat little rows, and peeks of the ocean between every street corner. When we arrived, it was around 6 PM. The beach totally put me into my own world like I was transported to another place. The sound of the waves crashing, the smell of the salty air and sandy beach, the sounds of the seagulls and crowds of people fishing off the pier...I'd never seen huge pelicans gliding overhead and floating just inches above the water as they quickly cover a mile of ocean. I made time stand still for just a moment so I could take it all in.

We decided to get supper right there at the pier. There was a restaurant at the end of it called Ruby's. Typical ocean-side restaurant, burgers, fries, and seafood, served on paper plates, but with a phenomenal view. As much as I hate seafood, I felt compelled to live in the moment, and ordered fish & chips. That first piece tasted better than I expected (but never ate the second half, after all, I do hate seafood). We watched the sun go down behind a cloud near the water's edge. It wasn't the colorful sunset I'd heard about, but it was still peaceful and pretty.
After dinner, we stood on the now dark shore, the waves of high tide crashing loudly. The air was a bit chilly, but it felt good. It felt right. I love Arizona and never want to live anywhere else full time, but in that moment, I remembered how much I really do love the beach.
As we returned to the room it occurred to me that for the first time in our married life that I could remember, we never looked at the time, or cared. We had no where to be, no one waiting for us, nothing pressing to get to, it was just our time, done our way.

Countdown to vacation! 4 more days to go!

It may not seem like much to go on vacation, I mean, everybody takes them, right? Well, not exactly. For 22 years of marriage, Tim and I have been a (mostly) single-income household so I could be there to raise our kids. I believe it's the most needed, worthwhile, and rewarding job I could have possibly chosen. Because of this, our vacations have not been like those others talk about. We've had to settle for more "day trips" to a beach, or lake, or maybe a 48 hour stay at a relative's house out of town. We've had maybe half a dozen times that we've packed up the kids to go to a hotel, but it's always been because there was a business convention at that hotel and we were going anyway. Even then, we brought our own food, no room service, just the basics. There was one time Tim and I got to take a mini vacation back in 1996. Tim's parents agreed to watch the boys (newborn and 2 yrs. old back then) so we could get away for a weekend. By the time we drove there, took the ferry from the Maine coast to Mongehan Island, it was late afternoon Friday. We spent Saturday and a few hours Sunday to be alone before boarding the ferry back to Maine and driving back to southern NH. Our 48 hours together were great - the island had no phones in the inn (this was before cell phones), no TV's that we saw anywhere, nothing commercial. Just homes with a few hand-made art/craft items for sale hanging by the front door, 2 or 3 restaurants (a dining room at our inn and 2 homes with the living room converted to seat half a dozen tables only), and nothing more. Our time was spent walking the island, down by the shore (way too cold to actually get in the ocean), or sitting on the screened porch playing board/card games together. It was quiet, it was just the two of us, and we were and still are very thankful for it - but it was still just 2 days.
This time our vacation will be done right. Just the two of us. For 10 days. We'll spend the first few days near and at the beach. I've never seen the CA coast, the Pacific Ocean, or a sunset on the ocean. I'm looking forward to sitting on the beach alone with Tim watching it, full of thankfulness and contentment.
Next we get on a ship and set sail for a 4 day cruise. We'll see Catalina Island, Ensenada, Mexico, then get to spend an entire day at sea enjoying the boat. On board, we hope to rest, experience better dining than what we usually do, maybe play mini golf, enjoy the pool, get a tan, take in a few shows, go sightseeing at our ports of call, and spend time just dancing together. I've only been on one cruise, for about 48 hours, and it was fun but it didn't involve Tim. I'm sooooooo looking forward to this.
After the cruise, we're staying at a Bed & Breakfast. We stayed just overnight in one close to home back in NH. Again, not a vacation, just an overnight thing. This place is close to the beach, but just a few minutes from some sightseeing areas too. Not sure which direction we'll head, but that's okay. We don't want a schedule to follow on this trip. We want to experience what it's like to choose each day as we go.
We'll have a business event to attend while we're in CA. This is actually the reason we chose to do all this in that area. We didn't want to miss the upcoming event. I'm hoping that we've seen the last of the injuries and illnesses in our home for a while, and now we'll be able to refocus our business building events to make 2014 our best year yet.
After the event, we'll spend our last vacation day, Mother's Day, visiting the San Diego Zoo. It's something I've wanted to see for a long time now. I've never seen a live polar bear, gorilla, or koala. I'm looking forward to taking lots of pictures there. After the zoo, we'll drive home so we can spend a few days with the kids, and getting Tim ready to head back out for another 2 1/2 weeks. The next time he'll be home after that should be around our actual anniversary.
I can't wait!!! This is going to be the vacation of a lifetime!

The Scariest Thing

So what has scared me in the past? An abusive father, appendicitis and having it burst, asthma attacks, running out of gas or getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere at night, getting bit by a baby black widow, getting bit by a Wolf Spider and having my skin go necrotic and black instantly, losing our home due to Bank of America's deceptive practices, declaring bankruptcy, being told my first pregnancy was ectopic (but God stepped in and saved Adam), having Logan at 3 years old push his 1 year old sister down a flight of hard stairs onto the cement basement floor, finding out my grandmother was in the hospital, experiencing a moment when our marriage could've ended, discovering a loved one's hidden addiction problem, and so much more. All these are scary, but you know what the scariest thing has been?

Recently I experienced my scariest moment. Logan developed a lump on his neck that had an accompanying headache. An ultrasound showed his lymph node was swollen 8 times its normal size and moved the muscle over it. The literature said only 3 things cause it: a neglected sore throat/infection, a neck injury, and cancer. Since neither of the first two were likely, it left us with the third option. Finding out your barely 18 year old "child" may have cancer is the scariest thing ever! Imagining him having to go through surgery, possibly chemo, radiation, losing his hair, health and strength...It was so overwhelming. I'm not sure he understood what a real possibility it was until after the fact. Then the unthinkable happened - we got a random call just 5 minutes after the doctor called with the ultrasound results. It was from a cancer center next to the local hospital. They said, "We just got a message we're supposed to call this number and set up a consultation with out specialist." Confused, I asked the typical questions you would ask, and was told we could NOT get the blood work and CT scan our doctor told us to get until AFTER we met with their Cancer Specialist. It took about 15 minutes to figure out they actually mis-dialed our number! Someone left them a voice mail saying only that they needed to call her back because her doctor told her to make an appointment ASAP. They called her back but pressed the wrong number while dialing. What are the odds of them reaching US, just FIVE MINUTES after hearing Logan's results? It was very scary.

Fortunately, I have a wonderful group of friends and family and acquaintances that were willing to lift him up in prayer before the blood work and CT scan. The results of that came back that it was an infection, antibiotics were the answer, it had shrunk to just 2cm instead of 4cm like it was, and that it was definitely NOT cancerous!

A happy ending, but absolutely the scariest thing!

Back from Vegas

I recently came back from my Vegas trip. I went to learn more about how to grow my Monavie business. There were roughly 500 people there (there were even more a week earlier in Atlanta, GA). It was also a getaway Tim, Adam & Jordan, since only Logan went on vacation this year to Boston with me.

On the way there, we stopped at the Hoover Dam so the kids could see what that was all about. The water levels just keep dropping. It's my 4th trip by there and Lake Mead drops by so much every time!

We arrived Thursday and the kids wanted to see the Vegas strip all lit up, so when it got dark, we took a drive with them to take pictures. Being in traffic, we couldn't stop for good pictures, but it gave them a chance to see it. I figured Adam would come back and I didn't want him in an accident while trying to look at everything and drive, especially with Jordan in the car. As it turned out, he took a hotel shuttle there and back, got to walk for over 7 hours, and got lots of great photos. The architecture is spectacular. He even got his picture taken with 2 showgirls wearing flesh-colored bodysuits, spike heels, and lots of feathers. Come to find out, one of them is from Mesa where he grew up and he thinks he met her a few years ago. What are the odds?

Anyway, Friday we had a pretty light day waiting for the event to start at night, so we had lunch with the kids as their one meal "out" with us. We were trying not to spend too much since Tim just took a pay cut to be home more...a pay cut of about 35%! We chose the Garden Buffet of the 8 or so restaurants in the hotel. This way we could choose our food a little more carefully. They have Seafood, Mexican, Italian, and Dessert sections (even sugar-free desserts). We avoided the more processed things like macaroni and cheese, and sauces, and chose fresher meats, real veggies, and pasta. Anyway, we had a good time.

The event itself was incredible. I can't explain how or why, but every event has a totally different vibe. Sometimes it's all about the heart, and others. Sometimes it's all about belief in yourself. Other times it's been about letting go of the past and starting fresh. This event was about breakthroughs, in my opinion. For the first time I can remember, many of the leaders on stage told how they spent years not really getting anywhere, but by following the Lifelong Learning program we offer, they grew on the inside. They learned to be better parents, grandparents, sons, daughters, friends, workers, bosses, neighbors, and more. Now their businesses have gone from stagnant to surpassing anything they'd ever accomplished before - and that brings hope to many of us that have been around the industry like us. We're in a great place with Monavie. We finally have a corporate team that wants it's newest people to win, earn back their investment quickly, and stay motivated to move on. They pay out 50% of their profits every week to us in the field, and now you can even earn a free jeep! It's not like the old Amway days when it was a "good ole boys club" and you had to be "in" with the right people or you were pushed out. Finally, a corporate team understands and values it's distributors. I love Monavie.

Anyway, back to the trip...

The kids got to use the car to drive around when they got bored, they played Minecraft on the computer with Logan from his friend's house, and the hotel had a lot to see too. It had a bowling alley, salon, pools, of course a casino, a gift shop, movie theater, several shows like illusionists, and comedians. There really was a lot to do. I think they had a good time. The strangest part for them was that they didn't expect it to look so much like Phoenix. Next time we'll have to take them someplace a little different - maybe the Pacific ocean at the San Diego beaches? We'll see.

So we're back home now and looking forward to moving on. Our next event is in southern California sometime in May. It may be just a 2 day trip for me and Tim, or if things work out well - we'll be able to take the whole family, since the kids (and I) have never seen the Pacific Ocean. It's something I've wanted to do with them for a long time.

Wish us luck!

It's almost Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. It's a time full of hope and joy, bright lights, hot cocoa, giving people gifts to show you care and want to do something nice for them, and it's a time when it's okay to express my faith. This blog will not be about the spiritual aspect of Christmas. Those who know me understand that is the first and foremost point of the season. With that said, this entry is about the other aspects of Christmas for me.


Every year I go in with high expectations of a warm, fuzzy feeling surrounded by loving family members. Sometimes circumstances distract from that, like in the past, financial struggles. Other times I feel very lonely because no one in my family except Tim's parents live close enough to spend Christmas with us. Sometimes it's because everyone's work schedule is so different, we have to rush through a meal, or eat at a weird time (Thanksgiving dinner was me and 5 teenagers at 9:30 at night).


Every year we have a theme too. We've done Italian, Mexican, Greek, Traditional American, Victorian, and this year...Scottish Christmas! Not only does that determine our menu, but our theme often is reflected in how we decorate our tree. This year we have a tree that's got lots of red, green, gold, and plaid. We used plaid ribbon on our tree. I've always liked the look of ribbon on the trees but never got it right (I'm too Obsessive Compulsive), so I'd decide not to use it. This year, Jordan did it and it looks amazing! I love it! I worked to create a large bow by hand from the ribbon. It wasn't easy, and I sort of cheated in how I did it to keep it together, but it looks great on top of our tree too.


I'm excited about the menu this year. We'll have a few traditional things like Egg Nog and green bean casserole (I never had it growing up and never knew about it until a few years ago. The kids love it and want it whenever possible.) We also will have Scotch Eggs, they're hard-boiled eggs, surrounded in (turkey for us) sausage, then put in bread crumbs and cooked. Also we'll skip the mashed potatoes in favor of potato pancakes. My Scottish grandfather used to make them and although I don't have too many great memories of him, that is one of them. Our family would gather at my grandmother's place, across the hall from his apartment, open the back doors that joined on a back porch, and we would enjoy his potato pancakes...me, my mother and sisters (babies at the time), my Aunts Donna and Brenda, and my cousins Vinny & Tanya. Anyway, we'll also have brussel sprouts with (turkey)bacon, peas, and the Scottish desserts will be Shortbread cookies, homemade vanilla custard, Chranachan, and Treacle with Golden Syrup. (That one's hard to explain, you'll have to look it up if you're interested.)


The best part this year is that Tim will be home, Jordan will be here, of course, Logan is off from work, and although Adam has to work 2 AM to 10 AM, then go back in Christmas night at 10 PM, we will have time for all of us to be together. The kids are old enough to shop for each other's gifts now and I love seeing how hard they try to think and find just the right things. Also, the kids are old enough to appreciate not only what they get, but all that we can do together. They have spent the last 2 years getting to appreciate Tim for all he does for us. They also have rebuilt, or maybe built for the first time, a good relationship with him. I love that they can all be together and enjoy spending time with each other. Being together, laughing, sharing things, to me, THAT is what "home for the holidays" should be like.

It's Fall!

Fall in Arizona is very brief. It comes later here than the rest of the country, and it turns to winter very quickly (which still isn't so bad here). I had the great experience of being in New England until October 1st. I got to see the leaves change colors, the humidity dropped to a drier climate, and the cooler temperatures had just set in. I expected to be freezing, but even at the water's edge in Boston on a cloudy day, I really enjoyed it.






Now that we're into the beginning of November, fall is setting in here. We've had a few weeks where it's been in the 70s instead of the 80s, so it actually feels like fall. The windows and doors are open, we're getting outside more, and it feels great to sit outside with a cup of coffee or tea and just relax. This year, I'm going to try to spend fall outdoors. Usually I run around like crazy and before you know it, I missed the cool weather and it's spring again, heading into the 90s. I plan on taking each day more slowly this time around. I will enjoy spiced cider, pumpkin flavored foods, cool breezes, walks in the park, trips to the zoo, hot cocoa on the patio at night, and if I'm lucky, I'll catch a few fall local events that are outdoors too. The kids even carved pumpkins for the first time ever this year, thanks to the help of Logan's girlfriend, CJ.



I've added a few fall decorations around the house, nothing too much, but I can't wait til Thanksgiving so I can set up for Christmas. It's my favorite holiday. We've got all our decorations for this year already. Every year we do a theme like "Mexican", "Italian", or "Greek". This year, since my reunion with my Ferguson family, we decided to do a Scottish Christmas (without the haggis, before you ask).



Our tree will have plaid bows, red and gold ornaments with white and red berries, pine cones, and a few green accents to tie it all together. Unfortunately, the days of easily finding plaid ornaments and decorations are gone. Now they're super expensive or you have to order them from the U.K.!
We're putting together a traditional Scottish menu and the gifts will be wrapped in a nice plaid paper I found. I can't wait!

Heading back to New England

Next week I'm heading back to New England with my middle child, now almost 18. So many things I'd like to do in the Boston area, but not enough days to do it unless I stayed for almost a month and had my whole family going with me. There are a few highlights I will have time for and I'm looking forward to all of them:

1. I get to see lots of my Scottish family! I'll be seeing cousins I haven't seen in 37 years! My grandmother who turns 92 this year. My mother I haven't seen in 10 years. My 14 year old nephew I haven't seen since he was about 4. My sister who I haven't been with in 10 years. Lots of Aunts & Uncles I haven't seen in 5 years. And tons of other cousins.

2. I get to see two very dear friends that I've stayed friends with, even across the miles and years. We tend to lose touch, but when I'm with them, it's like old times again instantly. One I've known for over a decade and we watched our children grow up at the same time. All five of them have turned into wonderful young men and women and we're both proud of them all. The other friend I met when we were about 7. We stayed best friends from second grade through most of high school. We lost touch after that through jobs, moves, different circles, etc. but after years of searching out common friends, facebook, and google searches, we found each other again about 7 years ago. We saw each other 5 years ago, but it's amazing how fast these last 5 have passed. Now we'll get to reunite, my son will get to meet her and her family, and I get to see how quickly her boys have grown.

3. My sister is getting married! After years of being together, they're finally getting married and starting their own life together in their own new home. I absolutely love my new brother-in-law, he's perfect for her, and his family loves her to death. They've been so kind to her already. I'm so happy to see it become official. I'm so glad I can be there for their special day.

4. My youngest wants to collect sand from beaches around the world. When I last visited New England 5 years ago I bought her beach-themed souvenirs from my trip for her birthday that summer. Now she wants me to bring her back a small container or baggie of sand. I don't know exactly how and when I'll find time to do that, but I will because I know it's important to her - and not something I'll have the chance to do for a while. It will give me a chance to bring my son back to the last beach where he jumped waves when he was 7, to hear the ocean waves crashing on the shore, to smell the salty air, to hear the seagulls overhead, and to feel the moisture in the wind. I miss the beach sometimes, especially that first summer-like day of the year. I grew up on the shores of Mass. & NH, but if I ever bought a beach house, it would be where the water is WARM, maybe the southern coast of Texas.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to our trip, and I hope to get great city shots of Boston and it's architecture during our flight to and our wait at the airport on our flight home. I'll try to get a picture of the Logan Tower at the airport :-)

What do we have to show for it?

Many times in my life, I'd look back after 10 years of marriage, or on my 40th birthday, or after Adam graduated, or some other milestone. When I looked back, I would sort of mentally assess the past compared to the future and I thought, "What do I have to show for it?" I suppose in a material and worldly perspective, many people, including me, would have to admit we don't have much compared to a typical American family at this stage of the game. We don't have the big house we always wanted - we rent a small place that's within our price budget because we lost our home a few years ago when the job market changed. We also were victims of the Bank of America schemes and illegal practices which caused the entire problem.


Side note: We had never been late on our payments, but they told us our credit was too good, so we had to skip paying for 3 months to qualify because then we'd be in a category of need they could work with to refinance. In about 60 days during this process we received a letter from B of A saying our mortgage and home were sold to some trust company, who then told us to get out almost immediately because it was going to auction. That led to a class action lawsuit nationwide of homes they illegally took from families and resold like this to make quick profits. We got back less than $2000 in compensation for the hell that followed, including needing to give up our jobs because of moving, and having to declare bankruptcy.


Anyway, now I ask myself - okay, what do we REALLY have to show for the past 20+ years of struggles? Here's a few of the answers:

1. Because we sacrificed two paychecks so I could stay home and raise/educate our kids, we have responsible, mature, articulate children that know right from wrong and can teach themselves how to learn what they're interested in learning.

2. We have learned to appreciate what we have. Our kids understand the work that's required to earn things, so instead of the entitlement or "give me it now" attitude I see in so many young people today, they weigh out what they want and what they really NEED, then they figure out a way to work and save for those things that are important.
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3. I have a 20 year story about the growth of my faith. Having been through all kinds of trials involving finances, neighbors kids who bullied mine, marriage ups and downs, health miracles, and incredible experiences that go far beyond the odds of "coincidence", I've now got experience. I have seen God step into situations and fix them in ways I couldn't possibly have hoped to turn out so well. I've received unexpected amounts from unbelievable sources that match the exact amount of money needed at the time. Our family has been blessed with so much!

4. I have a strong marriage to show for the years. We've been through so much. There's been two times in particular that I was done and wanted to walk out, but God literally stepped in and changed EVERYTHING in a heartbeat to bring us where we are today. We now have the most secure, close, honest, open, fun, respectful, and loving marriage than ever before. We've both grown, been changed, and had experiences that although many were horrific at the time, changing any of it would have led to a different place - so I respect the journey we've had to take to get here.

5. We are debt-free because of our life's journey. We don't have a mortgage (although we'd like one a year from now), we haven't had a car payment in many years since we paid off everything a long time ago. We have only one credit card that we use for medical, dental, and car emergencies, and we pay it off before the bill even becomes due. That takes so much pressure off our shoulders. There's no heavy weight hanging over us making us feel guilty for anything we do together as a family. We don't live under the "we can't afford it" mentality on an hourly basis. We're free to plan and save for things we decide are important.

6. We have a great relationship with all of our teens, which I know is pretty rare these days. Our kids talk to us about their problems, ask for solutions but never handouts, we discuss today's issues and topics with honesty, we share our good and bad times, and because we had to go through struggles to get to this point, we appreciate the relationships even more.

So maybe in the eyes of our American "never have enough" attitudes, we don't appear to have much to show for the past 21 years together, but the way I see it, we have more to show for it than most people's superficial scorecard. I'm living under many blessings. I have so much to be thankful for in my life. I'm content with where we're at, but I've built up enough faith and belief that yes, we will have a home of our own again, update our vehicles, and get to travel. We just have to get out there and earn it first, but they're not the most important things. We've already been given everything we really "NEED".

Jordan's 15!

Today Jordan is 15. How did this happen so quickly? I have been home for almost every day of her life. Our only time apart in 15 years has been my trip to New England 5 years ago (she went camping with Tim and the boys), her few days at a summer bible camp in the mountains, a small handful of sleepovers at friends' houses, and my 2 part-time jobs a few years ago. Other than that, I've been there every day of her life - yet it still went by so quickly. When young parents are told how quickly the time passes, it's hard to believe because you're just entering a life-long commitment. When you're caught up in the day to day of changing diapers, running from sports to dance and other classes, and trying to keep an organized home, it's hard to understand how fast the years will pass.

Happy Birthday, Jordan! I'm proud of who you're becoming.