Mind-Boggling

Earlier this month we were lucky to be able to go on a cruise. Ray and I have been on several cruises before and enjoyed them all, but this was a cruise like no other. We were on the Allure of the Seas, the mother of all cruise ships. It was new, it was massive, and it was incredible .

We were not super excited about the ports, but decided to go because the ship was so impressive. The Allure, and its sister ship, are the largest cruise ships in the world. On board there was a shopping mall, a boardwalk with a full size merry-go-round, a park with benches & trees, a mini golf course, two rock climbing walls, an ice skating rink, two surfing pools, and a zip line. There were several show rooms and even a outdoor Aqua theater. It was spring break so the ship was at full capacity, almost 6400 passengers! Amazingly, the ship did not feel crowded and we never had to wait in line.

Unlike our last lazy vacation, this time we were a little more adventurous. We took advantage of more of the activities than most, including the zipline, flowrider, pools, casino, and shows, which made the days at sea really fun. We went on excursions hiking up the middle of the Dunn River Waterfall and even rode horses in the ocean! Ray went scuba diving in Cozumel while I visited with the captain of the dive boat. We went to bed exhausted each night and slept better than we had in a long time.

I always judge how good a vacation is by whether or not I would want to go back with my family. This one I definitely would!

Anticipation

We may have set a record. Mitch’s mission call arrived in our mailbox on March 14th. Because he’s been travelling, Ray and I have been travelling, work, school, meetings, etc. we have not been able to meet up with him until today. I wonder if anyone has ever waited NINE DAYS to open a mission call.

Now, I was the obedient child who never peaked at a Christmas present (not sure if it was lack of desire, or believing that my parents would follow through with their threat of returning the gifts if I snooped). But not opening this mission call was killing me. I wanted to peak. The envelope had a window so I shook it around to see what might show through and then I held it up to the light. I compared the thickness to the mission booklet that came with our other son’s call.  I was told you could determine if a call was state side by checking the amount of postage, so I searched Google to see if I could find anything on what $1.70 might mean. Finally, realizing this was all senseless, we made our predictions and then waited, and waited, and waited.

He's going to New York Utica on June 27th!

Needless to say, we are all thrilled!

Unexpected

A long time ago, when I was really young and unemployed, an application for a credit card came in the mail addressed to me. Not to Ray & I together, just me! I was surprised because I had no established credit and the only way I would qualify for any kind of a loan would have been with Ray. So after reading the small print and making sure there were no fees or hidden catches, I laughed as I filled that application out listing my occupation as homemaker and my annual income as $0. I thought I’d show them for wasting their time sending applications to people who couldn’t qualify, and I just knew they would have to send me back a letter saying my application had been denied. That’s not what happened though…a week or so later my credit card came in the mail with a $5000 limit!


I tell this because a few months ago I was in that same “I’m going to show them” mindset. An application for AARP (American Association of Retire Persons) came in the mail. I thought it was hilarious that, at our age, we were being “invited” to join that organization. Again, reading the small print, I decided to send in the application because of the hotel discounts you could receive with the membership. But what I was really thinking as I filled out that application was, “Won’t that be funny when I present the AARP card and the hotel clerks will tell us how we couldn’t possibly be old enough to be members of AARP!”


Well, I’ve used the card several times now and have gotten a $10 discount each night we’ve stayed in a hotel, which is really nice, yet I’m kind of annoyed that not once has any clerk made the “you can’t really be that old” comment. It’s not been as funny as I thought it was going to be…

Bitter Sweet

Several years ago we purchased a houseboat with four other families. It was a relaxing way to explore Lake Powel and have most of the conveniences of home. The things we were able to see and do there were breathtaking and we had a TON of fun with our family and our kid’s friends.


Because everyone has gotten so busy and going in different directions, and in an attempt to simplify our lives, we all decided it was time to sell the “Chanel Surfer”. A buyer came along much quicker than we thought. Even though that is what we really wanted, it's still kind of sad.


Don’t think we are done with house boating though, because we are not. We will be back, Lake Powell...we just won’t feel the guilt and pressure to go quite so often.