It was a quiet weekend! I am planning a cruise in 2026!!! with a sister or two around Italy! With lots of stops and excursions. So a lot of planning/plotting happened this weekend and phone calls.
And to get myself in the cruise mood, I watched The Poseidon Adventure AND Beyond the Poseidon yesterday afternoon.
Another sister contacted me that she and her daughter were going to be in Des Moines for the girls basketball tournament on Saturday and would I like to join them for lunch and a little shopping. Um yeah!!!
My household size has changed yet again and I suddenly found that I had time and energy to go out and do things without leaving people in a lurch. I met them at the Jordan Creek Mall and after some shopping, enjoyed a lunch at Zombie Burger.
Check out the crazy clothes we found!
NO hems on the jeans. Why do I bother with hem tape?!
lol! And no we didn't buy anything here. Everything was super expensive.
And patches with no finished edges. They would NEVER pass as fair quality!!
But hanging with a sister is pretty awesome no matter what.
I also stopped in to see my mother-in-law while in the area and we did a little shopping too.
When I got back, Ryan and Jen wanted to go take in a movie, so Aggie and I were on our own that evening. Leon and Meri had gone for a sleepover at Maddy's. Hanging with Aggie was a lot of fun and after I snuggled with her until she fell asleep, I fell asleep next to her for a couple hours. Woke up in time to go to bed. Oh I needed it!
On Wednesday of last week, I heard that my sister and some of her kids and grandkids were in Des Moines and going to the zoo that morning! I'm not THAT far away and talked to my boss about taking the morning off to see her. He said SHURRE!
So after attempting to wake up Leon unsuccessfully (he literally grumbled, "I don't WANT to go the zoo!", off I went! and had a wonderful time with Ruth Ann and company!
Ruth Ann wouldn't let me pay my own way into the zoo since it was my birthday and when the worker heard that, he said, "We have things for you!" and let me pick out a birthday sticker and gave me a free pass to ride the train! I'm not going to ride the train alone, so I had some of our party come with me. A couple of my nephews, grand-nieces and a niece-in-law.
I was headed home around 1ish and got a call from Leon, who had just woken up. "Where ARE you?!"
"Um, I went to the zoo and am on my way back!"
Immediate tears!! "You went to the zoo withOUT me?!!!"
It took some convincing to explain that he is a sleep-liar like his dad. I had asked him 3 times to go and he said NO. So I promised him that we'd go again on Saturday.
And yes we DID go on Saturday too! It took some convincing to get him to get out of bed that day too! Cripes he needs to get to bed sooner in the evenings!! School is starting in a month. Might need to wake him up 15 minutes progressively earlier each day until then.
Jen, Ryan, Aggie and a niece and her family joined us and also my mother-in-law.
I got there early enough to score a free wheelchair loan so she wouldn't have to walk all around it. So I got a workout! Which I needed anyway.
So MORE fun at the zoo and the kids enjoyed their time immensely.
Leon is only looking like that because he tries to discourage me from taking pics.
I need to be sneakier.
And Aggie got to hang out with a 2nd cousin and the 2nd cousin's cousin!
If you can't tell, Aggie is the smiley one.
Lots of pool time this summer. Aggs is enjoying the water a lot and Jen is enjoying our family pool pass. She said they were going to be pool rats this summer and they're making use of it!
And we played Yardzee and with bubbles on the deck one day and I noticed that we were caught on our security camera. Gotta save those memories!
Anyway, that about brings us to current. My life is a rush and here we are.
Well not much happened yesterday... Work stuff, a little housecleaning on my breaks, got to cuddle with Aggie for a bit after supper and I went upstairs to watch a little tv and fell asleep fully clothed. I woke up at 9:30 pm wondering how that happened and then got ready for bed. Managed to get back to sleep and woke up at 4am. I'm on a caffeine diet at the moment. SO time to get caught up on some things I missed writing about!
On August 31st, I attended a concert in the Chicagoland area with two of my sisters and a brother-in-law.
WHAT fun day!! We saw Tommy TwoTone (Jenny 867-5309),
Paul Young (Every time you go away),
the Hooters (And we danced)
and the big draw of the evening was Rick Springfield (Jesse's Girl).
They were all great! I could have listened to them/him all night but life and age catch up with you. He was celebrating his birthday 74th birthday! Can you believe that!!!? He danced around on that stage (with no shirt) like a 35 year old...
I was impressed. thoroughly.
He came within 5 feet of us while crowd surfing and touching everyone during the Human Touch song. THIS WAY!!!! but nope. Oh well.
After the concert, I drove to one of my sisters homes about an hour away and slept on her couch before heading back the next morning, superty duper early. Dog sat for Maddy and Matthew while they went to visit family for a few days.
It's been a whirlwind. The girls talk to me each morning at 5:30. Maddy on DUO while she gets ready for her school day and Meri in my kitchen making sure I eat a good breakfast before she heads back home for her day. Then each night, we're enjoying food from our church ladies this week. The other food from the prior weeks are either eaten already and leftovers frozen.
The turkey that Meri made the day or so after Robb's death, had been de-boned by another one of my sisters that weekend and then stuck in the freezer until I was ready to make bone broth from it this past weekend.
Look what I found inside of it when I pulled it from the freezer to stick in a couple Instant Pots!
I was WONDERING where that knife went! Joking of course. And the bone broth turned out amazing! It made about 12 baggies (2 cups each) of frozen gold for the deep freezer.
Another sister organized the funeral dinner with some of Meri's friends as volunteer servers. A lot of family donated money to the dinner and I really have no idea who gave... But the servers made sure all the food was out and ready to start serving for us as soon as we arrived at the hall and they cleaned up afterwards... What wonderful family and friends God blessed us with!!
The day after Robb died, two of my sisters that live within 3 hours away came here together with one of their daughters and as soon as they walked in the door and after hugging me fiercely, crying, they asked what they could do for me. Um clean my house??!
and they did...!
They hummed around, vacuuming, dusting, washing dishes, sweeping, sorting toys with Leon. I was astonished and warmed by their love. Margaret sat and watched them buzz around and asked me privately if she could pay them to vacuum her living room downstairs. How about we just do that in about 30 minutes?... No need to pay. I "helped" them by walking into one room, clearly with a purpose and then staring around in a daze and then carrying a sock into the other room, repeatedly. Probably the same sock...
After they finished the main floor, we all took a break and everyone took pictures of pictures in photo albums to send to a nephew and brother-in-law who were putting together a slideshow of Robb's life then we tackled my mother-in-laws area. Her living room took all of 20 minutes and we were back to the photo albums before they had to leave town and go home again.
Whew... I'm so glad I was into scrapbooking!
I'm so glad I was able to gather up Robb's recipes for our family cookbook this Christmas!
I'm so glad I sat on the bed with Robb visiting all Sunday afternoon and we were together all day on that Monday. It's like God gives me little nudges sometimes. If I suddenly feel the need to clean off the dining room table and pick up scattered shoes, I DON'T FIGHT IT! Someone usually stops by unannounced and it's like, "Oh yeah... I see what you did there God!"
I had felt the urge to just hang out with my sweetheart and now it's like, "Oh yeah... THAT'S why! Thank you God!"
I'm so glad Maddy called that night and just talked about her day with him. Her FB post later that week.
"Yesterday evening I called my dad and shared with him a story from school. One of my kindergartners had said, "Let's get down to the bottom of this WHOLE trinity thing." Dad and I both shared a big chuckle. A few hours later, Dad joined Jesus in heaven and understands the mystery of the trinity."
I met with our vacancy pastor last night while Leon watched youtube videos in the Sunday School room. It was a REALLY good meeting and lasted longer than I'd budgeted for, but that's ok.
That's been the kids and my motto lately.
"And that's ok!"
I might have to make a plaque.
Anyway, more memories and events of the last two weeks of my life later, but I don't want to forget anything! Sorry it's so discombobulated...
Sunday. We slept in a bit... til 7 I think! After breakfast, Ruth Ann and I roamed the deck. We'd arrived at the island Cococay! So we explored and saw the rough seas.
Wondered if we'd get to go parasailing... and Meri had wanted to swim with the pigs... Ruth Ann and others wanted to go snorkeling...
We found additional life boats! It really didn't look like there were enough on the other deck...
and the instructions on how to use them. We're experts now.
We watched the men on the dock pull us snug. It was fascinating to watch. I don't know why we were the only ones out there watching, but maybe we were on the wrong deck.
Below we saw the wagons and hoped we wouldn't be expected to ride on them.
They looked uncomfortable! But a gangway went down and a forklift started hauling out food and supplies on flats and loading up on the wagons. aha!!! The chef from the day before had said that the galley crew supplied all the food for the restaurants on the island. So that's why the food was free everywhere on the island too! cool!
ALL those wagons got loaded up. The last one piled high with bags of ice. I didn't think it looked like enough...
This was our view of the island so far.
There is a water park, as if you can't get enough water
slides on the ship... And we were heading there.
Anyway, we found Meri and told the others that we'd meet them on the dock. As soon as Ruth Ann, Meri and I got our sea pass scanned and we were out on the dock, there were trolleys available so we jumped on one.
here we are..
And the view of the ship.
Once the driver dumped us all out, I remembered that Ken and Teresa were going to meet us at the gangway. WHOOPS!!! Ruth Ann went off toward the beach to find out about snorkeling with Melanie and family. And Meri and I climbed right back on and went back to the ship. We got scanned again because you never know when a stowaway will try to sneak aboard!
Found those three and headed back!
As soon as we got dropped off for the 2nd time, we found out that all the excursions had been cancelled due to the windy conditions. shoot! No parasailing, no swimming with pigs, no snorkeling...
We made it to the beach and found hundreds of beach chairs and a deserted beach!! YAY!!
Meri and I hadn't planned that far ahead so we went to find a restroom to change into our suits. When we got back, Teresa watched our stuff and the rest of us swam in the ocean until I got too much salt water in my eyes...
Ahhh this is the life!!!
Then Teresa went in with Ken and did lots of antics for photo ops. I've got hundreds of these types of pics to get the very best one.
I think this is it.
It was about this time that Meri got a FB message from Melanie asking where we were! Meri had had internet access all along because she got the wifi package, but Melanie hadn't! There must be wifi on the island!!! It was sketchy, but there was intermittently. We found out that they had saved us some chairs by the pool. So the 5 of us moseyed that way. No sign of Ruth Ann.
We found the land bound swimming pool with a sunken bar and tables! Cool! I didn't want to get in the water, so I walked all the way around and found a walk up side to the bar for some pop.
Went back and found Teresa and Ken's chairs. No sign of Melanie and kids either.
I don't remember WHEN exactly we met up with Ruth Ann again... But she was at the chairs too.
She had wandered around the island 4 times, or so she says, and had walked all the way over to the houses where the onland staff lives. She got a ride back to the pool area and that's where we must have caught up with her.
It had abeen a lazy morning and it was about lunch time, so Ruth Ann, Meri and I headed to one of the buffets and got lunch. Ruth Ann got her food and headed back to the chairs.
We had visitors at the table!
Isn't he amazing?
Caught up with Melanie and her kids there too! AH!!! And the "pool" they'd messaged was the bay swimming area. Melanie didn't even know about the "pool" pool.
So after lunch, they came to join us at the pool for a while.
While we sat at the chairs visiting, a little boy wandered into our area followed by a lifeguard type woman. She said that the boy appeared to be lost. He crawled under a chair in front of us. Just then the mom came up and she was in tears and so upset! Apparently she'd turned her back for just a sec asking someone a question and he'd bolted. We assured her that we were all moms and we totally understood! They had to lift the chair off and the boy was reunited with his mommy.
I kind of feel like a jerk now for taking the picture...
We split up after that. Some wanted to explore and maybe swim more, Meri and I wanted to buy souvenirs for everyone. BUT they had to be small enough to fit in our luggage...
I found key chains, t-shirts, a cigar for Robb, bracelets, deck of cards and a scarf for me. Then met up at the beach for a bit with everyone.
Can't get enough of the Caribbean selfies!
Most everyone wanted to go back to the ship
so Ruth Ann and I wandered around the many, MANY little gift huts to round out her gifts for all her kids.
We came across some hammocks that we hadn't seen yet! AHHHH...
And then another in front of the ship before we head back.
Then back to the floating hotel.
We had to get scanned back on the ship and then we wanted to watch the ship shove off.
From the deck, we could see the last stragglers get on board.
The very last was a very drunk woman who was flirting heavily with the security guy. "What do you MEAN you can't come on board?!"
She high fived all the workers and as soon as her boyfriend pulled her into the ship, the workers were whipping that gangway together and undoing all the ropes. We could hear one of them on their walkie talkies, "Apparently she fell asleep in one of the cabanas..."
And we were OFF again!
The island workers waved to us! What a fun job they must have!
As the ship got further from the dock, we could see all the churned up mud underneath. Wow...
After that, Ruth Ann and I went on the waterslide on board the ship. The slide tunnels are outside the top of the ship... WHEW! That was a snootful of water when you hit the bottom! But now we can say we did it!
Then we all went, showered and got dressed for dinner. At one point, Meri and I needed to run back up to our room and as we ran through the Schooner Bar, I saw the lady that had led the 70s dance class on Friday night. She was looking for a volunteer in a crowded bar and since I "kind of" knew her, I asked, "What are you playing?"
AHA! she cried and grabbed my arm, pulling me up on the stage next to the baby grand piano. "What's your name and where are you from?" "ummm Val from Iowa."
Meri stood nearby stunned that she'd lost me.
The gal made me close my eyes and pick a celebrity from a stack of cards. She then showed it to everyone in the room. I had two minutes to ask as many questions as I could to determine which celebrity I'd chosen. Within 2 seconds of the end, I said "Elton John." YES!!!! I had won!!!!
A Royal Caribbean pen.
...I'd kind of been hoping a free cruise, but there you go.
During supper, our assigned waitresses, Camilla and Katia brought us a couple of these special little cakes to our table to celebrate the last night of the cruise.
Suddenly some loud party music started up and all the waitors did a parade for the guests. FUN! Since Ken and Teresa have been on these cruises before, they knew what to do. We waved our napkins in the air as the staff lined up on the stairs and danced for us. A few other tables were waving their napkins too, but several people looked confused. JUST WAVE THEM!!!
After dinner, Meri and I were to meet up with Melanie and Ruth Ann on the deck. They didn't show. We assumed that we'd misunderstood or they had, so we played shuffleboard on a windy, wet night. I couldn't leave the ship without playing shuffleboard at LEAST once!
On our way back through the ship, Meri wanted a pic of her impersonating the statue.
Yeah - you better try it with my scarf!
better....
We found all the girls down in the Art auction area buying their photos of the trip. Meri and I had done that earlier.
Then we all went to see the ice show that had been postponed since Friday night.
Wow!!! What an awesome show! I can see why they'd need a calmer sea to ice skate on board a ship!
Meri had chosen the front row seats and we got sprayed with ice shavings more than once.
And that was Day 4. Lots of Ahas and actually it was... a Perfect Day at Cococay!
