Last Minute Adventure - Bring It On!!!

Random circumstances...such as a chance meeting, or perhaps a shared interest...will sometimes bring life-changing consequences...

...or in my case, a cruise taken last summer brought about a friendship that has led to the most craziest of circumstances for myself.

Why am I mentioning this, you may ask?

Because, dear readers, this explains why I find myself in a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale tonight, awaiting to embark on a week-long Caribbean cruise in the morning on the largest cruise ship in the world - the ALLURE of the Seas. (Not the Oasis of the Seas - I keep getting them mixed up!)

A cruise that wasn't even a twinkle in my eye a mere five days ago...a cruise that I haven't planned on, haven't dreamed of, or had time to really soak in yet.

And yet...here I am. Yowza.

It began with a friendship from last summer - Steve and Amy - a couple from Pittsburg, that we were fortunate to meet on our European cruise, and decided that either they could adopt us - or we'd adopt them - as our compatibility was pretty awesome.

Steve and Amy decided months ago to go cruising next week in the Caribbean, and I do vaguely remember Amy trying to convince me, via email, to cruise with them. And I laughed.

"Amy, I won't even be in Florida in January. Surely you jest. Besides - I would NEVER cruise on the Allure - it's too darn big!!!"

Because it really IS big. The largest ship in the world. I'd get lost...or exhausted...or both...trying to navigate the darn thing.

I promptly forgot all about their upcoming cruise....

...and then a funny thing happened Wednesday morning.

While on Facebook, I saw that Amy & Steve were planning on having a pre-cruise dinner in Ft. Lauderdale with ANOTHER couple from our European cruise - Carol & Jeff. Not being one to be shy - or to be left out of anything - I promptly butted into their conversation.

"Wait - what??! What are you guys doing this weekend??" I asked.

"We're meeting for dinner Saturday night in Ft. Lauderdale, before the cruise on Sunday. Want to join us for dinner?"

Well, sure. Why not? However - this necessitated a two-hour drive for me, and not wanting to do the two-hour drive back - late, in the dark, by myself - I promptly reserved a motel room in Ft. Lauderdale for the night.

And then...my mother said, "Why don't you go on the cruise with them? I mean...you might as well. You'll be over there, right by the ship. Just go."

"What??!!" I asked...and then remembered that Amy, herself, had suggested it months ago, and I had quickly shot down the idea.

"I couldn't do that," I said..."Hubby would NEVER let me just up and go on a cruise - at the last minute."

Well - I was wrong. When I broached the idea to Hubby, his exact words were, "Go for it. Have fun. You deserve it."

So...I called Royal Caribbean on Wednesday morning, and managed to snag one of the last available cabins on the ship...an interior cabin at the extreme front, which should be interesting...a completely enclosed dark crypt that will bounce all over the waves. Woo hoo!

I am now part of Amy & Steve's adventure, and what an adventure it should be....

Unbelievable. This - from someone who meticulously plans out vacations months - if not YEARS - in advance...a spontaneous cruise with less than five days to get ready.

So...here I sit...we had a lovely dinner tonight at the Southport Raw Bar, and I'm now getting ready for embarkation tomorrow on the beautiful - but HUGE - ALLURE of the Seas (NOT the Oasis of the Seas).


A dark picture of our dinner group tonight...but the conversation was lively!


Don't ever say never...and don't ever turn down a good adventure when it lands in your lap. And always be grateful for generous and understanding husbands who let you be spontaneous every now and then.

Let the adventure begin!

Peace.

Rhythm of Life

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The rhythm of life...

We all have one. A rhythm of life. Whether it's rise, shine, work, eat, sleep - or, if you're a dog - eat, poop, sleep - we have a natural rhythm to our days that is unique to each of us.

My rhythm of life the last two weeks is this:

Cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze, sniffle, sniffle - thump.

Lather...rinse...repeat.

Cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze, sniffle, sniffle, thump.

It's a very unique rhythm, as you can see - basically, this is the rhythm one has when you combine the respiratory flu with a broken foot.

Fun times.

The flu hit a few days after Christmas - and it's been dragging on for what seems like forever...however, I've flown south for the winter, and recuperating in the sunshine and warmth of Florida is really the best medicine, I think.

The good news, I think, is that my symptoms are somewhat abating, and I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Same with my foot - my limp (or "thump") is noticeably less, and although I'm not ready to run a 5k - or even 500 feet - I'm doing MUCH better than I was four weeks ago, when the accident happened.

My blog was neglected during this time, as I would be hesitant to put any words into posterity when my brain is addled with flu and flu drugs...those pharmaceutical companies make some really hippy-dippy-trippy stuff, for sure. Although - upon reflection - it would have been funny to see what would have been put to paper while floating higher than a kite on cold meds....hmmmm.....

Anyway...my rhythm of life is slowly returning to it's norm, which is a good thing, as I don't think I want to be known as the sniffle - cough - sneeze - thump girl.

Eat, sleep, play, perhaps?

Peace.

*Image from HERE

Post-Holiday Reflections

Christmas has come and gone...and here I sit...still wearing my "lovely" black boot on my broken right foot...sigh.

The accident was on Wednesday, December 19th...NOT good timing when it comes to the holiday season. Fortunately, I had finished 100% of my gift-shopping; however, I still had some holiday baking/cooking to do, and trips to the grocery store were in order. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea...as about 9,252 other people were buying last minute groceries over the weekend. Fun, I'm tellin' ya. Not.

Our annual Reindeer Games Party was held on Saturday, December 22nd...I think it was a huge success, considering we had almost 50 people over for five hours. We had food, drink, games, and merriment - and my foot didn't protest too much until the evening was over. I tried to behave myself for most of the evening, but a challenge to play ping-pong with my brother was too good to pass up...although my foot was NOT happy about jumping around a ping-pong table. It was all worth it, though, when I managed to beat my brother not once, but TWICE.... Yes. I am competitive. How can you tell?

Games of Kerplunk (I won), Connect-Four (yup, I won again), Operation (lost that game - I DON'T have a steady hand), Battleship (never got a chance to play), among others...offered lots of opportunities for our friends and family to sit back, relax, and have some much-needed fun so close to the holiday. The evening was topped with a massive gift-exchange with our grandchildren, nephews, and nieces - and it was a true joy to see the delight after the ribbons, paper and bows were torn, tossed and discarded. All the past weeks, slaving over the internet in search of perfect gifts for everyone, came together in these moments - and I was truly tickled.

Sunday was spent in massive clean-up...our house looked pretty much like a war zone, and if there's one thing I can't stand, is a dirty house. Especially before Santa is due to arrive. Yikes. So...the day was spent watching the Chiefs lose yet another football game (sigh), while dusting and mopping and vacuuming. I'd have delegated a lot of this to Hubby, if I could...but he conveniently decided to make a trip to Columbia, Missouri to visit the one daughter who was unable to make it to the party the night before. What good timing on his part...amazing.

As Hubby was unavailable, I looked to my 13-year old daughter to help...but she conveniently was at her grandparents' house for the Annual Cookie Baking/Decorating Party...sigh. And the older sons were either at work or visiting friends....So that left...me. Actually, I rather enjoyed the peace and quiet that pervaded the house...as it was a nice respite from the chaos and craziness from the night before.

Monday was Christmas Eve...and I woke up to find not one, but TWO sickies in the house. Hubby had come down with a bad case of the stomach flu, complete with fever...while Daughter was suffering from a bad head cold. That evening, Daughter and I headed down for our annual "A Christmas Carol" theater night at our local Repertory Theater...while Hubby stayed in bed. The show was good...as usual...but it wasn't the same without Hubby. And speaking of Hubby...he's normally an angel, but when he's sick...ack. I got to be Mom, Nurse, AND Santa that night...I was running pretty ragged, while hobbling everywhere on my lovely black boot.

Christmas Day...what a true joy. This year, Santa brought lots of small things...but not necessarily any "big" items...no Kindles, iPads, or Wii's - as we already have those from previous Christmases. The kids all seemed happy...Hubby seemed happy...so that made me happy. After a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls, we headed over to my parents' house for our annual get-together with my family...and another fun day ensued. My parents are both in their 70's...and I treasure the time I have with them.

For the past several months, I have been working on putting our family history together...doing a lot of research on the internet, as well as interviews, with various family members. I traced both my father's AND my mother's side back to pre-Revolutionary War...and I found funny stories and quirky trivia along the way. My project ended up being almost 70-pages long, and a quick trip to the printer was in order last Friday. On Christmas Day, I presented bound copies to my own kids, as well as copies to my brother, my sister, and my parents. Was it a fancy gift? No. Was it expensive? No. But I think...when it was all said and done...it was the best present that I gave this year....

As for me? What was the best present I received? My best present was the presence...of my family...my friends...my pets...of the love that we felt this holiday season. Even with a bum foot...hobbling in pain...I was never so happy...!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas...however you chose to celebrate it.

Peace.

These Boots Weren't Made for Walking

In my 50 years of life on this earth, there are two things that have been pretty consistent:

1. I'm pretty good at being a total klutz...

2. I'm pretty good at blaming anyone and everyone else for my misfortunes.

Take last week, for instance...

...when I broke my foot.

I'm pretty sure that I can blame this one on my daughter.

It was SHE who decided to wait until the very last possible second to wait for the school bus - which drives me absolutely, crazily, INSANE, by the way...If the bus comes at 7:36, she decides that 7:35:30 is the time to amble over to the door. Gah.

And because she wasn't at the door, waiting for that bus, it was I who, because I thought I heard it coming, decided to run, barefoot, in a pitch-dark living room, to see if it was, indeed, the bus....

The results of my frantic barefoot flight across a darkened room were twofold:

1. I didn't see the bus...so, I'm not sure exactly what it was that I had heard....

2. I didn't see the chair with the wooden legs...which decided to JUMP out and trip me on my dash to the front door.

When a bare foot with teeny-tiny vulnerable toes meets up with a wooden chair leg...and the foot has momentum behind it, by the way...the results can only be described as...not good.

Yowza.

I could literally hear the sound of a crack as I made contact with the chair...upon which, I immediately dropped to the floor, clutching my affected toes, and saying a few words that can not be printed here.

I crawled to the refrigerator, grabbed a bag of frozen peas, and hobbled to the sofa, where I sat...for the next two hours...nursing my poor appendage with ice. Alternating between cursing my own klutziness and my daughter's tardiness, with pleas and prayers for my foot to make a miraculous recovery, it was soon evident that my ministrations were to no avail.

I am now sporting a lovely black and blue foot, which is behaving somewhat like a temperamental two-year old. For something that I never really paid much attention to over the years - other than to decorate it with either lovely pink nail polish or fabulous shoes - it's really taken on a personality that can only be described as...horrible.

My foot has decided that it somewhat doesn't like the simple, mundane task of walking...and God forbid if I attempt to go down a flight of stairs. That brings on a full-blown temper tantrum by said foot.

It's even more frustrating when you see the fabulous shoes I had purchased recently to wear for Christmas....



Aren't these divine??


But instead of wearing THAT shoe, I'm wearing this lovely contraption:



Attractive, yes? Bleh.

And with that, now I'M going to go off and behave like a temperamental two-year old... wah wah wah.

Peace.

She-Devil...Shoe-Devil...It's All the Same

It's all Danielle's fault.

Yes. It's all Danielle's fault if Hubby decides to drag my butt into Divorce Court.

Who is Danielle, you ask?

She's the manager at our local DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) store...and it's all her fault, the little homewrecker. Mark my words - you heard it here, first.

Oh, it began innocently enough, I'm sure.

It began with Hubby wandering into DSW the other night, on his way home for work, looking for some new loafers.

As he was checking out, Danielle, the store manager, asked, "Do you have a rewards card with us?"

Hubby wouldn't know a DSW Rewards Card if it bit him in the butt, but he willingly offered up our telephone number to Danielle, little realizing she was laying her trap. Because, that's when the trouble started.

Hubby came home and began what can only be called "The Inquisition" with yours truly.

He: "I had an interesting conversation today with the girl up at DSW."

Me: Innocently...."Oh?"

He: "Yes...she wanted our phone number to pull up our Rewards Card, and when I gave it to her, she said, 'Congratulations.'"

Me: Knowing where this is probably headed, but refusing to say anything on the grounds that it may incriminate me...I decided that silence was my best option at this point.

He: "Yes, she said, "Congratulations! You're one of our Top 25 Best Customers!" He then looks at me at this point for an explanation.

Me: Cringing a little...but still staying very silent. Hubby could have tortured me with a waterboard at this point, and I wasn't going to say a word.

He: "Now...why do you suppose she said that??? And considering that we live in a community of several hundred thousand people, why should she consider US in the top 25???!!"

Me: Blinking a bit, but thinking really fast..."Um....I'm sure she says that to EVERY customer. You're putting too much into it....geesh, Honey. It's a sales technique, and I'm surprised you fell for it. It's DESIGNED to make you feel special. Duh."

Did I tell him that I get handwritten letters from Danielle on a monthly basis, thanking me for the shoe business I bring her? No. I did not tell him that. And I'm pretty sure Danielle doesn't send handwritten thank-you notes to the hundreds of thousands of customers that visit her store. Probably just the Top 25. Which includes...me. Yikes.

Hubby somewhat skeptically bought my little story, but I marched into DSW the next day....Grabbing Danielle by the shoulders, I gave her a shake, and said, "WHAT were you THINKING???!!!"

She looks at me, innocently...."What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Don't ever...ever...EVER...tell the Hubby that I'm in your Top 25!!! Are you trying to break up my marriage??!!" I asked, somewhat hysterically.

She blinks, and then realizes what disaster she had almost brought down on my head.

With profuse apologies, she promised it would never happen again...and after showing me the new shipment of boots that had just come in, Danielle and I were, once again, BFF's forever in The Wonderful World of Shoes.

Divorce Court averted.

Whew.

Peace.