Please Help The Animals!!!

This came from my DIL's blog and I'd like to ask my readers to do the same, please take 20 seconds and click on the link below.

THANK YOU!!!

All you animal lovers:
This is pretty simple...  Please tell ten friends to tell ten today!  The Animal Rescue Site is having
trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated
every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes less than a minute (about 20 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food
  for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to
abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site!  Pass it along to 10 people you know.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Terrific Contest at Hochstadt

Head on over and enter this contest, there are prizes for everyone!

Hochstadt Contest

Yesterday I experienced problems online

For some unknown reason, my husband and I experienced problems viewing my (and periodically other) blog from our iMacs. That's odd because there was no problem whatsoever viewing it on my MacBook. Now, the only thing out of the ordinary that happened yesterday was a power outage of about 6 minutes (which would not have affected my laptop since it was running on battery power).
This morning after hours of frustration last night, the issue appears to have resolved itself - thank goodness.
I find it so bizarre at how important a computer is to my everyday life!!
Oh, in case you are wondering, my husband is one of those blog lurkers....he looks at the comments made on my blog and goes to your blog to read about you......oh well, makes him happy and gives him something to do besides pester me.

SKY WATCH FRIDAY

The day started out with heavy clouds and then WOW, the Sun decided it was time to shine.

I love the sky at sea.

Visit Wiggers World for more spectacular sky photos - join us each Friday.

Look How Big He's Getting!!!!

Here is a new photo of my Grandson Rudy.  He's bundled up because the photo was taken this past weekend in New Jersey while he was visiting his other GrandParents.

Thirteen Questions to Ponder

1. If you were born to your spouse's parents, how would your life be different?

2. If you were born the other gender, would your occupation be different?

3. What would I do if I knew I could not fail?

4. What would I do if there were nothing to fear?

5. What is a loving thing you could do right now?

6. What is the most important aspect of life for you to focus on right now?

7. What's the most important thing you can do now that will impact the greatest number of people in your
life?

8. Knowing what you know now, what would you go back and change?

9. What would $8.00 per gallon gasoline do to your life?

10. If money were no object, where would you live?

11. If you could only take 10 items with you from your home, what would those items be (not people)?

12. Is the person you trust the most a friend or member of your family?

13. Under what circumstance would you leave your spouse?

ANSWERS

1. I would be of Mexican American decent, I would speak Spanish fluently, I would have been born and
here in San Antonio, I would have had dark hair and dark eyes and probably a darker complexion.

2. I certainly wouldn't be a mother but without a doubt I'd be a father.

3. I would have become a doctor.

4. Sky Dive.

5. Forgive my mother for the hell she put me through in my life.

6. The most important aspect of my life right now is my husband.

7. Making sure I don't smoke anymore. Of course this is most important to myself but it's also
important to anymore I come in contact with now or in the future. The longer I stay well and alive
the more time I have to impact the world I live in positvely.

8. I would have tried harder to finish my education.

9. I would stay home even more than I do now, I would eat less expensive food, I wouldn't travel.

10. The California wine country.

11. My computer, my 4 large boxes of photos, my watch, a box of clothes, my purse, my camera, my ipod.

12. My husband.

13. Abuse - spousal, child, sexual.

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Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

Not only was this not what happened with my husband of 31+ years, I don't believe in it, nice as it sounds.
I'm not trying to constantly talk about sex but it's going to sound a little like that now as I tell you that the first impressions of my husband were that of lust.......he was good looking, had a nice body, and a sly smile, I figured we'd eventually have great sex.
Because I wasn't the kind of girl that went out with just anyone who asked, it was "I" that checked him out once he asked me out, I wanted to know if this stud could be trusted. I was told he was tame, yeah right! Well, the first date with him was anything but enjoyable and those sexual thoughts went right down the drain/toilet, he was BORING. I managed to trudge through the date bad as it was and convinced I wouldn't spend another hour with this man - EVER.
Surprisingly, he asked me for another date and without wanting to sound like a total bitch, I accepted, knowing all too well that it wasn't going to happen.
The date came and there I sat at my apartment feeling like a total mean bitch, the guy was dull, boring, but he wasn't a bad guy and he was good looking.........he came to the door and when no one answered after about 10 minutes of trying, he left.
I continued to feel horrible, after all, this was the first time I had stood up a date.
So, I went to his apartment the next evening hoping to find him there, he was. I made up some excuse for standing him up the night before and apologized profusely.

What do they say - the rest is history.
It wasn't love at first sight, it was lust though and eventually it was like, and then love but real love took years to develop, long after we were married.

Post Menopausal Sex

I've found that I'm sure enjoying sex again, more so in my 50's than I did in my 30's, and 40's. I'm definitely more comfortable with myself and my body. I'm not so skinny and boney (the way most men "think" they want their women) like I was in my early 20's when sex was an animalistic action. I certainly wasn't "making love" in my early 20's it was raw, animal magnetism.
Sex now is more meaningful, it's done with precision and finesse. My body although not fat, has it's curves rounded and full, it's sensuous, even to me. I know what I'm capable of doing, in the bed, out of the bed, on/under the table, on the floor, inside the shower, and yes even inside the car (now that's reminiscent of my younger days).

Some years ago, I remember seeing seniors (on a cruise in fact) look at one another in a strange way, I saw the woman look at the man, take his hand and instantly they both looked younger as they headed off in a hurry........now I know what was happening, I know why they were happy, I knew why they looked like they were made for each other - Because they were made for each other, the sex way great, again, finally!

If You Are Considering Quitting

If you are a smoker and think you'd like to quit and are thinking about the different quit medications out there, please read take the time to read about Chantix at this blog.  The woman that writes this blog, Maggie, she was my rock when I quit and the first person I starting blogging with.

Nicotine replacement would not have worked with me, part of my problem with smoking was the nicotine, I didn't need it while I tried to quit.  For me personally, Chantix was my drug of choice.  I could feel something different immediately after I starting taking the medication (you continue to smoke when you take it), I just didn't want to smoke as much/often, and by the third day of taking the medication I thought, shit, I just don't need to smoke anymore.  I threw away the pack and never went back to them again, just didn't need them.

Yes I had some of the side effects, vivid dreams (not nightmares), some weird head feelings (I personally didn't drive for the first 2 weeks just cause driving was a trigger and that was probably smart in more ways than one), and bad gas, yes I farted almost constantly (not stinky ones but noisy ones to be sure - LOL).

Do research before you see your doctor (but keep in mind that you will read about some real bad side effects, you may be like me and alot of others that didn't have that happen) and talk at length about whether this drug is right for you.

I love being smoke free, love not being tied to the nicodemon anymore, but I do have sympathy for those still smoking, it's tough to give up.

I Just Have To Scream

I've gone over 5,000 cigarettes that I Have NOT smoked since I quit back in September 2007.  This is such a HUGE Accomplishment for me, that after 36 years of smoking that I was able to quit with the help of a medication called CHANTIX and with the support of blogging friends I met during the early days of my quit.  This is such a Wow thing.

If someone had told me this time last year that I wouldn't be smoking a year later I would have laughed myself silly - I loved smoking, loved it, loved the process of walking outside, sitting back and lighting up.  I went through the motions more than 20 times a day for 36 years and all I can say is......"YOU DUMB ASSED BITCH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

My quit is still hard, I still have triggers and some are worse than others and sometimes an entire day is rough but with the help of these same people, I make it, one day at a time.

I'm thrilled as the days and weeks and months pass but what really impresses me is the sheer number of cigarettes that I Have NOT smoked - it floors me, bowls me over, I never realized how much I was smoking..........I can estimate the number of cigarettes I Did Smoke at around 259,000 cigarettes - Yes you're reading that correctly, more than a quarter of a million cigarettes this Dumb Assed Bitch Smoked.

NEVER AGAIN, not even 1 because I know that it will only take 1 to take me back to that pack plus a day habit.

What's my place in the pecking order?

I started wondering when my son decided to get married 5 years ago, where my place would be in his life, now I'm even more puzzled with him becoming a Dad himself. He is 30 and he and his family live 3 hours away in Houston.

And then there's my daughter, she lives in the same city as we do but she is 29 and hugely independent, has always been that way except when she and boyfriends she'd felt strongly for broke up, we don't see her much and I feel so distanced from her.

What should we expect from our grown children? What can we reasonably hope for?
Please don't read into this that I'm a clinging vine Mother cause that isn't so. Yes, I love my children, I love them fiercely but they were raised to be strong and independent. I don't want them to be dependent on me or their Dad, I want them to depend on themselves BUT I also don't want to loose them.

Is life one big circle of repeats?
Does life really follow Cat Steven's song, "The Cats in the Cradle"?

Saturday is all about blogging

I've so enjoyed today - I've spent most of the day reading blogs. I've come across a blog site that I didn't know existed cre8Buzz, it's a great site that has tremendous potential for growth.   I'm still so new to the site that I can't tell you how to start it up or add to the site you sign up for but there are directions and nice folks to ask.

I'm also trying to re-do my EC Drop List as some of the blogs are no longer working, some are playing dreadful music, others have moved their EC too far down the page or hidden it among other advertising and therefore it's time to be more selective with the blogs I drop on so that I can save time and have more time to read and write. With a good list and sites with their EC right up top you can drop 300 in about 15 minutes. I'm also developing a Reader List for my enjoyment, the time I spend developing myself, growing as a woman, a blogger, yep and sometimes more of a bitch (hahahaaa).

I think I'll spend more time tomorrow doing this too since today has been so wonderful.
I hope everyone's holiday weekend is fun, and safe.

To appreciate where you've been and look forward.......

My teens, although I'd rather not traverse that road again, the journey, however difficult, brought me to where I am today and that place is the place I always dreamed of being.
My teens were spent trying to deaden the pain of being the child of my parents and the sister of 6 other children. I had been raised to be obedient. I fought their control over me in any and every way I possibly could and when I finished high school, I left home as fast as I possibly could, I enlisted in the Army, I became a WAC.

In my 20's I became a wife and mother of 2 children. I thought I was prepared because I'd helped so much with my younger siblings and other people's children I babysat for - not so, I wasn't prepared for non-stop motherhood. I lost my youth and along with it, the ability to feel like anyone other than someone's mother. We were just starting out and didn't have much except each other and most of the time I was just too tired to care about that. My home was clean and there was always food on the table and clean clothes but I was slipping away from myself.

In my 30's I was still busy raising my family and moving from place to place with my husband's careers. I became involved in every volunteer job I could find, Room Mother, PTA, Girl Scout Everything, Family Support, I even tried (unsuccessfully) to return to school to use my GI Bill. I was lost, I really wasn't Debbie anymore and I wasn't the woman my husband married but I had become an outstanding mother. I made friends with my children's friends mothers and together we built a network to help our children succeed not just as students but as men and women, they were good kids, kind, smart, and safe. I thought I wanted something else during this time but in the end, what I got was far more than I could have imagined.

My 40's left me with empty nest syndrome. I had put my entire adult life up until now into being my children's mother and now they left for college and didn't need me anymore, not for anything except the check book that is. Don't get me wrong, this result is what I had worked for in my 20's and 30's but at the time it was happening I didn't understand. I went back to work and found that I wasn't prepared to put barriers in place to keep my employer from taking advantage of me (which they did). The first job I got in 19 years came on the same day my husband informed me he had been mobilized and would be deployed in 2 weeks for at least a year - OMG, was this really happening? All in all this was good, I was able to throw myself into work while my kids were in college and my husband was off in Europe. I continued to work for 8 more years and another 18 month deployment. In the meantime, both kids had finished undergraduate school and were now in graduate school and medical school.

Zippy Do Dah and I was 50 and feeling pretty damn good. My husband, who, up until now was pretty much a stranger to me was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma. How could this be happening, he was the one that always exercised (I didn't), didn't smoke (I did), how was this happening to him, why was this happening to him? He continued to work using his accumulated sick leave over the next year while he had one kidney and an adrenal gland removed. His Oncologists put him on a new chemotherapy drug that was in pill form, it kicked his ass and 2 years ago he decided he needed to retire (he had the time and the pension, why not). This is when we really started living and got to know one another all over again. We were different people now though 30+ years later, we weren't the same two people that married one another blindly. We were seasoned but together and we knew that together we could face anything. He's been a trooper and has made it through without more cancer for 2 years now. There have been scares and there has been infections due to a compromised immune system but he's still, two years later on the same chemotherapy drug and still cancer free. We travel when we can and spend the time sharing the beautiful scenery, our travel of choice is cruising, we get onboard unpack and sit back to be waited on hand and foot and see a changing panorama throughout the day, everyday of our cruise. We've learned to appreciate our differences and grow closer together. This has been the best time of my life!!

I don't believe that life is meant to be easy, nor is it meant to be hard. We choose the roads we'll travel by the decisions we make and the outlook we choose to travel those roads with. We make our own reality.

I know who I am now and I'm not my parent's daughter nor am I merely my children's mother or my husband's wife, I'm me and I will continue to evolve.
I love my life and the people in it, I appreciate where I've been and I look forward to where I'm going.

SKY WATCH FRIDAY

Good-Bye to the day off Dominica

Join us at Wiggers World for Sky Watch Fridays

I'm POST Menopausal

Had my every 3 months appointment this morning (fasting for blood work) and my doctor is thrilled that I've been able to stay quit smoking for 8 months already (yesterday thank you very much). I've gained a total of 3 lbs since I quit and he will talk to me about a specific exercise regime in September when I've been quit for 12 months. He said that with having smoked 36 years and there was so much damage done to my lungs and heart and carotid arteries that he didn't want me to overdo exercise. He told me that my ideal weight would be reached with loosing a mere 5 lbs - well geez louise, I can do that just by cutting out the good stuff from my diet - lol!!! I'm still taking Plavix for my carotid arteries (probably for the rest of my life) and I'm taking medication for my high cholesterol (which is now controlled) that is genetic mostly, and I'm also taking Fosomax for my bones (now that I'm post menopausal). Yes ladies you heard that right, I'm through menopause and I did it without hormone replacement. To give you some background.....I have technically gone through 2 menopauses, one was surgical when I was 27 and had a complete hysterectomy, and the second one started when I was about 44 and is now complete (I hope he knows what he's talking about).

I stand my my slogan - Life doesn't get better than this!!!!

Didn't Sleep Worth a Damn Last Night

I have no idea why but I just couldn't sleep last night. I think I slept for about 3.5 hours and then wallah, I tossed and turned for hours before throwing in the towel and getting my ass up and out of bed. I don't know how the working stiffs do it every morning, I don't know how I did it when I worked everyday. Being retired really is the bomb!
I think the impending heat of the day is one of the things weighing on me during the night. It's already gotten oppressively hot here in South Texas and I have the pool house to ready for the season. Although the pool's water isn't hot enough to get into yet, the air inside the pool house is sweltering already. Because the windows are merely screens, there is plenty that gets into the building during the "off season" and taking the furnishings and the pool toys outside to be scrubbed down and then sweeping up and vacuuming out the floor surrounding the pool takes probably a good 10 hours.
Anyway, this is what's on the slate for today and tomorrow for me and I want to get started at a reasonable hour in order to work at least a few hours in 80 something temps before it again gets into the upper 90's - yesterday's official high was 99 degrees although our temperature gage showed 103. DAMN IT'S HOT!

What would you be willing to pay additional for?

There is a very interesting discussion going on in some of the cruise blogs I frequent when I'm looking to book or have already booked a cruise. The one I'm talking about deals with what you're willing to pay for to be included in your cruise price. If you've cruised before, you know what I'm talking about. The prices for cruising have almost stayed the same as they were 20+ years ago, albeit the category of cabin you can get for the money. 20+ years ago you weren't going to find balcony cabins at any price. And what has changed for most lines except for one is that there is no longer a class system, what I'm saying is that everyone is going to eat the same food in the same dining rooms, use the same pools, and entertainment venues, etc except in the case of Cunard (which is linked above in "one").

Generally there are the following categories of cabins (and multiple levels within the levels usually):

Inside cabin

Outside cabin (window/porthole)

Balcony

Mini Suite

Suite

Penthouse or better

All these categories visit the same ports of call, use the same pools, see the same entertainment, eat the same food in the same venues (mostly unless they choose to eat at a premium dining venue in which case all categories pay additional to eat there).

Different categories may be located in different parts of the ship, may sit above or below an entertainment venue or dining facility, depending on the location, a cabin may be noisy or in rough seas may toss and pitch more than another location.

Some categories will have priority embarkation, debarkation, dining/table priority (getting the dining time or size of table they'd like to dine at which can be 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 people to a table). The higher the category of cabin the more space your cabin or bathroom and verandah may have. Your category may include a butler or concierge to help make spa appointments, have your favorite bottle of wine waiting when you get to your table for dinner, etc. You may have all your laundry and dry cleaning included with your cabin category, you may get more to choose from in room service, or have a concierge lounge to pick up specialty coffees and snacks throughout the day/evening.

Most cruise lines do not include soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages as part of your cruise price.

What would you need in order to be fully satisfied with a cruise vacation?

Here is what you have to work with: 2 adults (no children), $10,000 annually to cruise (includes airfare).

Would you rather stay in a less expensive cabin category and cruise more often or go for the gusto and cruise less often?

My take......I've been in almost all categories of cabins from the tiny inside that we tried our best to only sleep and shower in, to the slightly but not much bigger outside with a small port hole to the more luxurious suites which I have to say I prefer at this stage in my life. When we were paying for 4 the really nice digs were out of the question.
Now at this stage we like our cabin and verandah, we like to sit and watch the world, listen to the sounds of quiet and see it all without other people around. I try my best to cruise at least 2x a year, sometimes I'm lucky enough to get 3 if I shop hard enough. Although I like my own verandah, I would definitely take an outside on Holland America's R or S Class ships - they have a good sized cabin, and bathroom and if you are fortunate enough to get a C category outside you will have direct access to a public verandah that is tops in the industry. The cabin itself needs to be close to 200 sq ft or it's not for me.

New Photos of Rudy

These are new photos of my grandson Rudy and one with Rudy and his Mommy, my lovely DIL.

Rudy went on his first plane trip with his Mommy this past weekend when they went to a family wedding.

We Did It, We Pulled the Trigger for Panama Canal

We are booked for our Panama Canal Cruise, full transit of the Pamana Canal on Holland America's Westerdam in a Deluxe Verandah Suite!

Half the fun of our cruise is the planning and yes I'm the planner.

I've already made up the accordion file with places for the cruise reservation, the passports, the airline reservations, the cruise insurance, the cruise itinerary, and one folder for each port of call for sites we have to see and shore excursions we have to take.

And I've made our plane reservations to San Diego to catch our cruise, using gift cards we got from our daughter for Christmas this past year.  I still need to make our plane reservations coming home from Fort Lauderdale when the cruise ends.........Wow, I'm so excited!!!

With the airlines costs escalating, there is no time like the present to make our reservations.  It also looks like the airlines will only allow one 50 pound suitcase per person unless you want to pay an additional $25 per bag per flight segment.

Our Deluxe Verandah Suite comes with laundry and dry cleaning included for the duration of our 15 night cruise so that will save on the amount of clothing necessary to pack, and because this is a warm weather cruise, shorts and t-shirts take little space if you roll everything up.  And then there's my Chico Travelers clothing that is a dream to travel with, it's husband's wardrobe that's tough on the packing.

You'll hear plenty as the planning takes hold and I'll try to post at least every couple days while we're on the cruise, hopefully posting photos as well.

****EDIT****

This cruise will be shortly after my 1 year of not smoking anniversary - what a way to celebrate!

Blogger Thanks

I just wanted to talk publicly about the wonderful people I've met while blogging.  I would have never met 99.9% of you if it hadn't been for this communication venue., and I would have missed incredible people from all walks of life, from all places in the world.

Thank you, you've made blogging the most enjoyable pastime I've ever undertaken.

Which Cruise Should We Take?

I booked a 10 night cruise for this fall on Celebrity's Constellation with the following itinerary:

Fort Lauderdale

At Sea

At Sea

St Thomas

St Kitts

Barbados

St Lucia

St Maarten

At Sea

At Sea

Fort Lauderdale

The cabin is an Aft Concierge Class (photos of the cabin and balcony are posted in an earlier post from our Hawaii cruise).

I've recently come upon a good price for a 15 night Panama Canal on Holland America's Westerdam with the following itinerary:

San Diego

At Sea

Cabo San Lucas

At Sea

Acapulco

Huatulco

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico

Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala

At Sea

Puntarenas Costa Rica

At Sea

Full Transit of the Panama Canal

Catagena, Colombia

At Sea

At Sea

Fort Lauderdale

The cabin category is a Deluxe Verandah Suite (I've posted photos of this cabin category from our cruise to the Mexican Riviera).

Both of these cruises are very appealing to my husband and I and I've been doing my best trying to dissect every nook and cranny hoping to make a decision before the end of this weekend.

Of course we cannot do both of these cruises so one has to go.....

Do you have any suggestions/opinions?  I'd like to hear (really I would).

Sky Watch Friday

This was the sun setting near Puerto Vallarta.

Which kind of person are you?

I hijacked this from my Daughter-In-Law's Blog, thought it provokes thought.

Dreary or Cheery?
I tend to be dreary, always look at the worst something, someone can be. Nothing ever ends up as bad as I can dream it up.

Mellow or Mad?
Mad, I'd like to say screw it all and just go with the flow but that isn't me, not going to happen. Even though there isn't anything I can do about it now, I'm pissed off at what happened to me as a child growing up.

Calm or Crazy?
Crazy. I'm easily set off.

Loosey Goosey or Anal Retentive?
Anal Retentive. I expect perfection (in others but not myself).

Bold or Bashful?
Bold and Aggressive. I learned early in life to get out there or be swallowed.

Frozen - Cold - Cool - Tempid - Warm - Hot - Ablaze?
Cool. I don't like getting too involved and I think people are always feeling sorry for themselves. Life's tough, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward, tomorrow is another day.

Silly or Stoic?
Silly. Life is too short for laughter not to be the main ingredient.

Glossy, Satin, or Flat?
Flat. I don't like reflection.

Free-For-All or Fussy?
Free-For-All (most of the time). I think each day and circumstance is new and different and requires me to easily and quickly change gears.

Charging or Retreating?
Charging. Lets get it over and done. Why wait?


What kind of person are you?

What traits do you look for in a mate?

My daughter is almost 29 and is not married nor has she ever been married. She is currently dating a guy that "We" think is ideal for her - which brings me to the question(s) - What traits did you look for in a mate?

I've been married for a good while (31+ years) but in my day, when I was in search of a husband, I wanted the following (not listed in any particular order)

1. Older than me by 4+ years (we know that it takes a man longer to mature)
2. Had a college degree (I didn't)
3. Was stable, not a job hopper and preferably had a job with a future and a pension (we had them in the olden days - my father told me to look for this).
4. Had a sense of humor.
5. Wanted a family although not too many kids
6. Loved me
7. Could hold his own in an argument
8. Didn't have an aggressive temperament.
9. Liked sex enough to want "it" at least 5x a week (that was then and now is another story)
10. Would eat almost anything as I developed my cooking skills

What did you look for? Please feel free to add to this list.

Our Cruising Experiences

In November we are booked to take another cruise and because we enjoy cruising so much, I'd like to find out who else we might have cruising in common with.


Have you ever been on a cruise, if so, how many?
I've been on 9

How long was the cruise?
The longest cruise we've taken has been 14 nights

Where did the cruise go?
We've been to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii

What kind of cabin do you book and why?
We've booked inside, outside, balcony, mini suites, and suites - of course a suite is fabulous but the longer the cruise the more expensive the cabin so most of the time we will book at least a balcony

What do you like about a cruise vacation?
Doing as much or as little as you like, it's perfect for a family vacation with multiple generations as there is something for everyone.

What cruise lines have you cruised with?
Carnival (1)
Commodore (they are no longer in business) (1)
Holland America (3)
Celebrity (3)
Norwegian Cruise line (1)

What is your favorite cruise line and why?
Holland America followed by Celebrity - Holland America because of it's older client base and quiet atmosphere along with the fabulous Indonesian Staff. Celebrity because we love the ship design and entertainment.


Below is the cabin and balcony on our cruise to Hawaii (Celebrity's Infinity), this was a Concierge Class Aft Balcony. We have the same type of cabin/balcony booked for November.



Below is the Deluxe Verandah Suite we had on Holland America's Oosterdam to the Mexican Riviera and photos of the same class of cabin on HAL's Maasdam. The Deluxe Verandah Suites have access to a wide array of suite privileges that further enhance the cruise like priority embarkation/debarkation, Neptune Lounge, Concierge, priority dining seating, laundry and dry cleaning throughout the cruise is included.





Below is outside cabin on Commodore Cruise Line (there were 4 of us in this "closet" but we still had a great time. We didn't spend much time in the cabin (neither did the kids) and it suited us just fine, this was 8 years ago. The ship hit a horrible storm in the gulf coming back and the ship pitched and rocked and rolled so bad, I held onto the supports to the bunkbeds and prayed we wouldn't turn over......I was seriously scared. Our window/port hole was so near the water that during the storm it was under water the entire time.



This is a mini suite on NCL's Sun. The cabin and bathroom itself was very nice and very comfortable but the balcony was a joke for a mini suite. The balcony is the top right. We also didn't like the layout of the ship but we thought the food was good and the entertainment was enjoyable.



This is a mini suite on Holland America's Volendam, it was very comfortable. The Volendam is an older class ship but has been updated and is still a great cruise value.



I don't think I have photos of the first 2 cabins we ever cruised in. My first cruise was with a sister-is-law (that isn't anymore) and was on a Carnival ship that isn't used anymore, talk about closet, OMG!! That cabin was so small, you had to sit on the toilet to use the shower!!

My second cruise was with my family on Celebrity's Meridian (which is no longer in service) and was an inside cabin, no window, and had no more space than the one I took with my SIL.

I've had a great time on every cruise I've ever taken.
I'm just pickier about my cruises these days - I want a nicely appointed cabin and bathroom along with a decent sized covered balcony. We spend a great deal of time in our cabin and on our verandah and therefore it will make or break our cruise experience.


I'd love to hear what your cruise experiences have been like - maybe there are other lines and cabin categories I'd like to try.

Edible Arrangement

My Son and Daughter-In-Law (and Grandson Rudy) sent me this for Mother's Day (got it this morning just in time to enjoy with breakfast - Mmmmmm).

At one time I worked for Psychiatrists that would get these from Drug Reps and they were so indulgent.  It's so nice to get one for myself :).  For me, this is so much better than flowers (cause in addition to looking at them, I get to eat them).

Happy Mother's Day

To all women..........Happy Mother's Day! Even if you are without children you will still Mother someone at sometime in your life, and I thank you.
Today will be a gloriously busy one for me. I have finished dropping my EC's for the day, and need to get ready for a family luncheon and then my daughter and her boyfriend are taking us to dinner this evening......I told her good Mexican Food (plenty of places here in San Antonio for that) and a place that has really tasty Margaritas (thanks San Antonio for the ability to eat and drink and enjoy every bite and swallow). I got a beautiful email from my DIL the other day as she was afraid with my son's residency schedule that he wouldn't make contact and she wanted to express her feelings.
From my dear husband I got a new Coach handbag and it's beautiful (Coach bags are one of my weaknesses) although he gave me the bag yesterday because we don't give gifts for "holidays" and he could say he didn't give it to me for Mother's Day. What a Sweetie Pie, I think I'll keep him another 30 something years!!

When Routine is Snagged

I'm assuming other people encountered problems with Blogger this morning, am I right?

Each morning I look forward to a routine of sorts, get myself some coffee and sit down at the computer to first do my morning Entrecard drops and then get another cup of coffee and sit down to start my regular reads.  I then go about making beds, and vacuming and general pick up around the house before I sit down to do my commenting and read other blogs I've happened upon during the time I've been commenting (seeing other comments).

It's a routine, something I enjoy doing, something as necessary as coffee and I wasn't able to do that this morning earlier - Yeeee Gads Google/Blogger, don't you know what you've done to my day!!!!!!

New Photos of Rudy

My Daughter-In-Law sent me some new photos of Rudy today........he's at 12 pounds already!!
I understand he's also starting to loose his baby fuzz hair. I know my husband and daughter are hoping his hair comes in dark (like theirs) but what I want is for him just to have a healthy head of hair. Rudy's own Daddy had light brown hair while he was young and it got darker and darker until it came in almost black in his early 20's (he'll be 30 next month). OMG!!! Did I just admit to having a 30 year old child......I'm getting old!!!!

My Cleaning

This is what I've spent the last 2 days doing, I cleaned my kitchen and breakfast room head to toe and in every nook and cranny.  Took everything out of the cabinets and drawers and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned.  Anything I hadn't used in 2 years got boxed and dear husband took it to Goodwill.

I have a giant kitchen with lots of counter space, cabinets, and drawers.

I'd love to someday replace the counters with granite or similar but there is so much of it that it's going to be an expensive endeavor.

Friday Fillins for May 9, 2008

1. The Margarita had an extra secret ingredient; it was Sugar!
2. The Sun Was Peaking through my window.
3. Right now, I need Sanity and a Margarita (yes it's 9am).
4. No Where is where I went Thursday night; it was Boring.
5. Why does My body hurt so much?
6. All I can think of is the Sweet Face of my GrandSon Rudy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Continuing to Clean, tomorrow my plans include Continuing to Clean and Sunday, I want to Relax!

13 Non-Clothing Items I Always Pack When I Travel

1. Shampoo
2. Deodorant
3. Shaver
4. Blow Dryer
5. 4 Wooden Clothes Pins
6. Make Up (blush, mascara, eye liner, lipstick)
7. Laptop Computer
8. 2 Books (one deep, one shallow)
9. iPod
10. Aveeno for hands
11. Duct Tape (I've used this for repairing luggage, for identification, for holding drapes back)
12. Trash Bag and Ziplock Bags (dirty laundry, liquid anything)
13. Medications

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DNA Testing - Would YOU Want To Know?

I remember a few years ago when this topic was in hot debate, we started to worry about whether insurance companies would refuse to insure someone because of a genetic predisposition.

Now the debate is on whether you would like to know if you have the genes for say, colon cancer early.
Would I choose to fall in love, marry, have children, buy a home, etc if I knew I couldn't see it all through, that some genetic mutation was going to keep me from living happily ever after?

And does this keep the earlier fears from again rearing their ugly heads and because of this information, we are refused health insurance, or life insurance, or a mortgage, or car insurance.

If the medical community could guarantee me a cure and the government could guarantee me that I could get insurance and such, then maybe.
BUT
If having this genetic defect was going to impact my life then no, I wouldn't want to know, I'd like to stay unaware and happy and deal with the disease when/if I had to.

What do you think?

I know you've heard of this

Today while in the PX (Post Exchange), in the check out lane next to the one we were in, an older man (mid to late 70's) was in line and behind him was a young PFC (Private First Class) who when he was getting out his wallet, realized he didn't have enough cash nor did he have his debit card with him........the older man promptly turned to the cashier and offered to pay the young soldier's tab (was only a couple bucks).
Wow, how nice and what a great way to say thank you.

Have you seen this done and if so, where?

Life and Death - do you take it personally?

Taking life personally is the ego dancing with Maya - a dance of shadows, unaware of their true nature. It's extremely difficult, maybe impossible, for the ego to fathom this, because the ego imagines itself as real. That is its nature. However, in reality it is at one with Maya and is an illusory identity."


"It's Not Personal, Really"
or Beyond the Walls of the Individual and Collective Personality

by Michael the LightLounge Guy

"Everything that has a beginning comes to an end." Marcus Fabius Quintilian (35 CE -100 CE)

Marcus Quintilian was born about 600 years after the Buddha, but he came to the same conclusion as the Enlightened One. Buddha said it a little differently — that all forms pass — but the meaning is the same. Until recently, most people agreed with this, except they thought that the stars and the soul were eternal. Now we know that stars are born, live, and die just like the rest of us. Whether the soul is eternal is still debatable.

One answer is this: Souls exist — maybe in Heaven, hell, purgatory, the astral plane, or some other dimension, but in any case, they live somewhere in the universe. And the universe, having a beginning, will have an end. When that happens, everything within it will end too. That applies to souls and to God (if He has confined Himself to the universe, which is unlikely. Some religious traditions picture Him as such though).

This leads to an observation: if everything dies, then death is not personal. It is indiscriminate and impersonal. It is simply the end of a process, a process that begins at birth. Life, then, is like a length of string with birth at one end and death at the other. From this we can see that life is not personal. Just as death happens to everybody, so does life.

If life is impersonal, then everything is just happening. Nothing personal is taking place. Thoughts, feelings, planets, stars, and human bodies — they appear, unfold, and vanish, as if the universe was a magic theater, which in a way, it is.

The Ego and the Personal Life

Living personally is not a matter of how we act, but a state of mind, although that state directs our actions. The ego functions personally. This invites fear, disappointment, judgment, hate, and a host of other personality triggered emotions. It also provides doorways for negative astral influences to enter.

On the positive side, living personally is at once a luxury and an indulgence. We can feel triumphant, sensuous, elated, and a full range of sentiments. Once the thrill passes, though, we desire more and may slide into any number of negative feelings until the next fix arrives. The same applies to fame, wealth, and power, but we don't even have to lose them before we can feel empty. They don't equate to happiness.

Taking life personally is the ego dancing with Maya — a dance of shadows, unaware of their true nature. It's extremely difficult, maybe impossible, for the ego to fathom this, because the ego imagines itself as real. That is its nature. However, in reality it is at one with Maya and is an illusory identity.

Science has shed some light on our situation. String theory states that the universe is composed of incredibly small “strings” of light that cascade down from the tenth dimension. These sub-quantum light strings vibrate or “dance” and create the appearance of matter. Form, then, is dancing light, changing color, shape, and texture as time passes. The result is the momentary appearance of you and me and everything we see. We see light. We are light. Everything is light in infinite variation, one of God's favorite tools of creation. However, none of the forms, which compose this cosmic light show, are designed to last.

Implications of the Impersonal Life

Living impersonally is not a matter of how we act, but a state of mind. Our state of mind is in sync with our beliefs, and we base our actions on them. The impersonal life is the state of mind where life is not about us, or at least, not about who we commonly think we are. Life is simply happening. In this sense, knowing we (ego) don't really exist can be liberating. (If you're undergoing therapy, don't mention this to your therapist. If it slips out, be sure to add, “I don't exist, at least as who I think I am.”)

This can bring up the idea of free will. Free will appears to exist at a certain level. That level is the level where time is a reality. You choose to do something, do it, then it's done: free will. At the level of reality where everything simply is, though, time does not exist.

When you live impersonally and embody love and compassion, you hover in a state of awareness untouched by the cosmic drama. You know that nothing can be outside the all-encompassing All-That-Is. It's like this: existentially, all humans — our brothers and sisters — are in the same boat; Spirit is the one Ocean on which the boat floats. And the Ocean is imagining the boat. And its passengers.

A Broader Scope

There's more. Old age, adulthood, and childhood aren't personal, and neither is birth. We are born by either chance or fate. Science believes chance is responsible of course, but fate is just as likely. If fate is responsible, then our birth was recorded the moment the universe was created. The universe develops according to innate patterns within its structure, analogous to how DNA works. These patterns, which we call the Laws of Nature, unfold over time and are a function of divine intelligence. So far, we haven't uncovered all those laws.

For example, a law of physio-spiritual evolution may exist: As a form evolves, so does its spiritual awareness. Inversely, as a form's spiritual awareness evolves, so does its form. Form and awareness can be synergistic, evolving one another.

At a broader level, this law would not just govern individual species (like homo sapiens), but would measure the progress of all the species on the planet collectively. Homo sapiens would not be viewed strictly in isolation but holistically. They would be the leading edge of the collective consciousness of all Earth creatures. The sum awareness of all the planetary species, then, would be the manifest planetary consciousness and would represent the conscious awareness of the planetary body.

This law would apply to any planet that produced life forms.

For humans, the next major step in awareness may be to evolve from a personal existence to an impersonal one. Instead of separation, we would know unity. Instead of fighting, we would cooperate with one another. The seeds of these possibilities are already planted in our collective unconscious and are sprouting.

Conclusion

While many levels of understanding exist about what the impersonal life means, at a spiritual level everything is impersonal. It's all just happening. Behind this impersonal dance of form — the magnificent wonder of Creation — lies the essence of life itself. It is a Self of joy, love, and peace, which, unlike this story, has no beginning or end.



©Copyright 2008 by AlternativeApproaches.com

About the author: As a visionary philosopher, one of Michael - The LightLounge Guy's goals is to discover and present ways of expanding consciousness. Expanding one's consciousness improves the individual's quality of life - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically - and helps build a new civilization. This is not strictly philosophy: anyone can be spiritually uplifted by practicing a path that is aligned to his or her spirit. More information is available at his web site, Light Lounge.


What do you think?

EntreCard

As what is becoming the norm, it seems that EntreCard is on the fritz again and I'm unable to get my droppings done this morning.
I was told about a site this morning from a friend across the pond at Random Ramblings
that will help me drop 300 EntreCards in about 15 minutes if you ware using Firefox (which I use along with Safari). This will thrill me as it will give me the time to read all the wonderful blogs I have found (mostly during the time I was dropping EntreCards) that I don't have time to read because I'm dropping. I can't try it out because as I said earlier, EntreCard is not working well this morning.

****EDIT****
For the first time today I dropped 300 EntreCards but it wasn't easy as it was painfully slow and I must admit I'm disappointed that Tysblog with the idea of the 300 entrecard drops being easy thingy has it's flaws. First off there were sites that didn't even use EnterCard and then sites that were offline/closed/shutdown, whatever and then there were a few with annoying music (come on people, don't subject us to your music unless we choose to hear what you have listed online), and one in particular I found that was sexist.....I can take alot of crap but come on guys, women don't want to be hit in the face with crouches and tits - give us a break!
I hope the crap can be weeded through so that we can get our dropping done quickly and will have more time to read the blogs we love.
One more caveat, the amount of time it takes you with this system depends entirely on how fast of an internet connection you have. I have premium cable internet and it was painfully slow today (hopefully not always) although it was still faster than individual dropping.

Who/What Inspires Me

Actually, I was inspired to blog about this topic due to a guest blogger on Postcards from the Funny Farm .

INSPIRATION - one definition I found was "arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity"

For me personally, INSPIRATION comes from the ordinary, the things, people, landscapes that most often we take for granted. When I slow down and look around, the beauty of life awes me and inspiration is everywhere, in everything.

Small children INSPIRE me, they look at the world and see only possibility, and hope, they believe.

Kindness INSPIRES me when something as simple as a thank you lights up someone's face.

What INSPIRES you?

SkyWatch Friday

This was the sky as our cruise ship departed Kona.

Grocery Shopping

This morning I went to the grocery store (military commissary) and just finished unloading (with the help of my husband - another plus to retirement), putting away, and preparing food for individual meals. These days the prep once I get home takes almost as long as shopping and unloading the car. I'm using that Reynolds Shrink Bags and buying my fresh fruit and vegetables and dividing them up into serving sizes so that nothing goes to waste by going bad in the refrigerator. This has worked out very well. I buy for a month plus at a time and rotate the food as it's put away. I spend about $400 a month on groceries and it feeds the two of us and dinner for my father-in-law at least 3x a week. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it also feeds 2 critters.
All things considered, I think I'm doing pretty good and could do better if I shopped with coupons.

I saw retirees in there buying multiple carts full of food - they are buying for the future at today's prices. I understand their logic as most are on fixed incomes and had plans for their retirement that didn't include paying so much for fuel (the fuel costs are afterall the reason for the higher prices with everything else).

I have a question for everyone. I'll admit I'm no economist but I think I'm a logical thinker and I cannot for the life of me, understand how the oil companies are making these huge profits if their cost for the fuel (isn't that the reason they are gorging us) is the reason they are charging the consumer so much.

Where is this headed and can a change in Washington equate to better prices at the gas pumps or are the politicians regardless of which side of the fence they sit on all wishful thinking?

Friday Fillins for May 2, 2008

1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are Tequila and Triple Sec!
2. Being Married often amazes me.
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is licking his balls.
4. A mix, eggs, oil, water, mix it all together and voila! You have cake!.
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow I do have a garden and I grow tropical plants mostly.
6. Swimming is best au naturel.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making a wonderful dinner, tomorrow my plans include ironing and Sunday, I want to spend time outside on the patio reading and listening to music!

Thursday Thirteen - Trips I've Taken

When I started up my computer and went to read my first blog, I realized that today was Thursday and I hadn't made up my TT (thanks for the reminder Maggie) so I through some photos together.

San Diego, California

Nevada Desert outside Las Vegas

Wheel of Fortune at Paris, Las Vegas

Colorado River at Hoover Dam

Lake Tahoe in September.

Grand Cayman - our children were parasailing and the scared parents (us) were on the beach taking pictures instead.

Beach in Curacao
Ruins in Central America.

This was in Puerto Rico at the Barcardi (that's a Rum & Coke in one hand and a cigarette in the other hand) Factory on a cruise of the Eastern Caribbean.

This was an Iguana we spotted on a cruise down the river in Belize - we saw so much wildlife on this cruise.

This was a Caribbean Cruise with Dominica in the background as we departed.

This was our cruise to the Mexican Rivieria in 2007 where we visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta

This was our cruise to Hawaii in 2007 roundtrip from San Diego, 14 nights.