The year is flying by fast. Happy November 2019!

White rabbits...

White rabbit!

I was all set up to start a new November 2019 topic, but connection said goodbye to me!

White rabbit!

I was all set up to start a new November 2019 topic, but connection said goodbye to me!

Hopefully next time.

On the 16th of this month I will be embarking on a week-long cruise vacation, so I will be away during that week.

I'm cold as ice

I'm looking forward to my next to last vacation in just a few weeks.

I'm looking forward to my next to last vacation in just a few weeks.

Similarly, I'm looking forward to my cruise in just two weeks' time. Gotta make a packing list and gather up necessary items.

So today I went grocery shopping with my mom. She has so much energy! She's definitely getting better. We went shopping for the ingredients she needed to make her delicious chicken soup. She also made a "sofrito" that she made herself. It is a mixture of onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro. She uses the sofrito to make foods like soup more flavorful.

I also went shopping for some outfits at Rainbow. I am having professional photos of me taken this Tuesday and I have to bring my own outfits and things. It's going to be so much fun. I want to look modern and stylish! Very 2019. So I picked out a long cardigan-like sleeveless sweater to wear over a black long sleeved blouse. Black leggings, and knee high boots. The other outfit is a red batwing sleeve blouse(sooo pretty!), leggings, and knee high boots. I will do my own make up and hair, and wear hoop earrings..... I really hope they have nice photo backgrounds.  :)

I got me a couple of TV dinners at the grocery store in case there might not be anything else to eat.

So today I went grocery shopping with my mom. She has so much energy! She's definitely getting better. We went shopping for the ingredients she needed to make her delicious chicken soup. She also made a "sofrito" that she made herself. It is a mixture of onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro. She uses the sofrito to make foods like soup more flavorful.

That's wonderful news! O0



I also went shopping for some outfits at Rainbow. I am having professional photos of me taken this Tuesday and I have to bring my own outfits and things. It's going to be so much fun. I want to look modern and stylish! Very 2019. So I picked out a long cardigan-like sleeveless sweater to wear over a black long sleeved blouse. Black leggings, and knee high boots. The other outfit is a red batwing sleeve blouse(sooo pretty!), leggings, and knee high boots. I will do my own make up and hair, and wear hoop earrings..... I really hope they have nice photo backgrounds.  :)

Sounds like fun! 8)

Sounds like fun! 8)


Yes. I can not wait! I'm excited!!

So today I went grocery shopping with my mom. She has so much energy! She's definitely getting better. We went shopping for the ingredients she needed to make her delicious chicken soup. She also made a "sofrito" that she made herself. It is a mixture of onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro. She uses the sofrito to make foods like soup more flavorful.

I also went shopping for some outfits at Rainbow. I am having professional photos of me taken this Tuesday and I have to bring my own outfits and things. It's going to be so much fun. I want to look modern and stylish! Very 2019. So I picked out a long cardigan-like sleeveless sweater to wear over a black long sleeved blouse. Black leggings, and knee high boots. The other outfit is a red batwing sleeve blouse(sooo pretty!), leggings, and knee high boots. I will do my own make up and hair, and wear hoop earrings..... I really hope they have nice photo backgrounds.  :)


glad everything went well with your Mother. :)

So for the next week or so, we are re-doing the kitchen, just a few weeks ago the kitchen cabinets from the bottom was leaking water and this was coming from the tub upstairs in our bathroom So My parents decided to re-do the kitchen over so probably for a week or so it will be pretty inconvenienced in our house, we'll just have to make do of what we can eat.

So for the next week or so, we are re-doing the kitchen, just a few weeks ago the kitchen cabinets from the bottom was leaking water and this was coming from the tub upstairs in our bathroom So My parents decided to re-do the kitchen over so probably for a week or so it will be pretty inconvenienced in our house, we'll just have to make do of what we can eat.

Ah...home improvements.

Sorry to hear of your plumbing problem; hopefully it'll get fixed adequately!

Dont seem I have much to say about anything today, but I am finding some good plant info to start new things if I end up loosing the plants I have now in our 100 months

Ah...home improvements.

Sorry to hear of your plumbing problem; hopefully it'll get fixed adequately!


It was fixed, My Father brought in somebody that could do the caulking.

busy morning  busy day

busy morning  busy day

Same with me, at work today.

Our niece was in town visiting here from Southern CA - just dropped her off to return home today.  :)

Our niece was in town visiting here from Southern CA - just dropped her off to return home today.  :)

Ooh nice! Whereabouts does she live?

Ooh nice! Whereabouts does she live?


"South Bay" area of L.A. somewhere near Manhattan Beach.

"South Bay" area of L.A. somewhere near Manhattan Beach.

I know where that is! The Port of L.A. is in that general area.

Yesterday and the day before my mom and dad had to take a trip to go to a doctors appointment.  Joel and I were by ourselves.  The first night, Joel got some Chinese food for us to chow down on.  It seemed a lot less stressful for me not having mom around.

Life has got busy with several important matters, I will be back when I can.

Life has got busy with several important matters, I will be back when I can.


take it easy and hopefully things get better! :)

It will be a bit stressful around our house since they are re-doing our whole kitchen over.

It will be a bit stressful around our house since they are re-doing our whole kitchen over.



How exiting. Even though it is stressful, I'm sure it will look great when it is done. You should post some before & after shots.


Cat

So I've been doing 3 days a week in my job for the past month now. While it is going well, I have been learning a few more challenging tasks, which I am gradually becoming better at. This is only temporary until a new person is hired. Tomorrow (when I'm not there) a potential candidate will be interviewed.

Today we've trying to get my phone working right

It will be a bit stressful around our house since they are re-doing our whole kitchen over.


That's a mess to go through - but so worth it in the end!  :)

That's a mess to go through - but so worth it in the end!  :)

Same with any improvement project in the home.


The last home improvement project in my household was probably the carpet/flooring replacement in late April of 2016. (That is, inside the house.) But the pool construction, which of course is in the backyard, was a major project that took two months to complete. And we get weekly visits from the pool cleaner (except on holidays).

How exiting. Even though it is stressful, I'm sure it will look great when it is done. You should post some before & after shots.


Cat


I think My Father probably wanted to re-do the kitchen over, from the cabinets to the walls and most likely the ceiling too. We've been living in this house for about 46 years and this house has gone through so many changes throughout that time span. My parents are pretty much stressed out from trying to figure out what to eat during the week and trying to figure out where to eat inside the house whether it be in my room or trying to make some space in the living room.

That's a mess to go through - but so worth it in the end!  :)


We'll work through the mess, it will be over we know it.  :)

continuing to work with the phone I guess.  No mom, for whatever your problem is and however you want to fix it Joel or I cant make long passwords shorter

Spending the day at home. Going to catch up on my music writing and recording. Then later, I will help with dinner. Just a nice day at home.  :)

Spending the day at home. Going to catch up on my music writing and recording. Then later, I will help with dinner. Just a nice day at home.  :)

Sounds wonderful!

Today, I will probably need to drive my dad to the doctor's office. He hasn't been feeling too well this week. :-\\

Hopefully he'll be feeling better by next week, when it's time for us to go on our vacation trip!

Sounds wonderful!

Today, I will probably need to drive my dad to the doctor's office. He hasn't been feeling too well this week. :-\\

Hopefully he'll be feeling better by next week, when it's time for us to go on our vacation trip!


Oh no. I hope he feels better. And I hope it's not the flu. It takes weeks for it to completely go away.

Oh no. I hope he feels better. And I hope it's not the flu. It takes weeks for it to completely go away.

He has been sneezing a lot, for one thing. He called the doctor's office this morning to see if he could get an appointment today, and he did: it'll be at noon (Pacific time). So I'll likely be the one to take him, since my mom has to go to work.

Oh no. I hope he feels better. And I hope it's not the flu. It takes weeks for it to completely go away.

Turns out, he does have flulike symptoms. So then I took him to the pharmacy so he could get his prescription.

Then I went ahead and got my flu shot while I was waiting. (I've felt perfectly fine today myself.)

Turns out, he does have flulike symptoms. So then I took him to the pharmacy so he could get his prescription.

Then I went ahead and got my flu shot while I was waiting. (I've felt perfectly fine today myself.)


I hope your dad gets better fast. And I hope you get to go on your trip. Good thing they gave you a flu shot! I got mine last month. It's best.

I hope your dad gets better fast. And I hope you get to go on your trip. Good thing they gave you a flu shot! I got mine last month. It's best.

Thank you. I hope so too. Right now he is resting, not doing anything.

Our trip is already paid for, and it starts on the 16th (that's a week from Saturday). Hopefully he will be well by then. He got his flu shot last month but sometimes they're not always totally effective.

Sounds wonderful!

Today, I will probably need to drive my dad to the doctor's office. He hasn't been feeling too well this week. :-\\

Hopefully he'll be feeling better by next week, when it's time for us to go on our vacation trip!


Hope your Father feels better soon.

Nothing much doing today, they're still working on in the kitchen so I'll be staying upstairs while they're working downstairs.

I've been shot

Hope your Father feels better soon.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, my mom may have caught it from him. Thankfully, she was able to get a walk-in appointment with the doctor this afternoon.

I just hope that they'll both be over the bug within the next week; I'd hate for them to still be sick when our cruise starts next weekend.

I've been shot

Oh no... how so?? ??? :-[

I hope you are okay.

Oh no... how so?? ??? :-[

I hope you are okay.


She might have worded it wrong so don't worry about it.

She might have worded it wrong so don't worry about it.

Still, the wording could cause a bit of concern. Maybe it's not that big a deal.

said I got a butterfly bush a little while back.  I took a cutting of it and it's taking off.  I decided that it would be a great idea to do more cuttings of it and other plants I have.

^ Ah, okay.

One week til my cruise trip!! Today I bought some things I'll need for it.

Been busy, so much going on, when it is all over I will inform the boards.

I was at home last Tuesday, but my Wi-Fi was down all day!

Been busy, so much going on, when it is all over I will inform the boards.

I was at home last Tuesday, but my Wi-Fi was down all day!

Glad you are back now! O0

Reminder: Next weekend I will be going away for one week.

Glad you are back now! O0

Reminder: Next weekend I will be going away for one week.
Thank you.

I was reflecting on your up and coming cruise.

I just made some supper for my mom and me. It's a cold day so I went all out and made some comfort food. I was at my sister's place earlier, having a nice time. We were using Google to locate some places we were looking for. But it was fun. We had coffee and cookies and we talked. Sundays are like that I guess. Great day. :)

Thank you.

I was reflecting on your up and coming cruise.

:)

This week I will need to organize all the clothes (and other accessories) I'll need to take.

Hope your Father feels better soon.

He seems to be feeling much better today.

However, my mom started suddenly feeling under the weather yesterday, so she stayed home from church today. Hopefully she'll be well again by the end of this week! (And I have started feeling not-so-good today, after I got home this morning. I, too, hope I'll feel 100% come Sat.)

He seems to be feeling much better today.

However, my mom started suddenly feeling under the weather yesterday, so she stayed home from church today. Hopefully she'll be well again by the end of this week! (And I have started feeling not-so-good today, after I got home this morning. I, too, hope I'll feel 100% come Sat.)


I was feeling like that this morning. Maybe it's just a 24 hour thing going around.

I was feeling like that this morning. Maybe it's just a 24 hour thing going around.

Could be a bug of some sort. Hopefully not too serious.

I did have my flu shot three days ago, so hopefully I won't get any flulike symptoms.

well I've been outside thinking and then doing some garden work. 

gonna be music night tonight and where doing Christmas music because it looks like we're going to be asked to play in a few places.  I'm going to see if the music teacher wouldn't mind having an elf who is sick of hearing Christmas music join in.

So, I went to the doctor's office today. Turns out, I did catch a flu virus that my dad had. Thankfully, the doctor was able to prescribe a medication that would get rid of the bug, so I picked that up in the pharmacy. So for the afternoon I've been just taking it easy (not doing much), as the doctor suggested.

I even called my boss on the phone to let her know of all this; originally I was planning on going to the office tomorrow (in lieu of today), but we'll see how I feel tomorrow morning first. If not, then I'll hopefully feel well enough to work on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday. I just don't wanna have to take a full sick day if I don't need to.

good you got some medicine. 

My music teacher liked having an elf around.  The only thing is that I don't have any parody ideas or anything.  I just said we elfs do all the work and Santa gets all the credit.

So, I went to the doctor's office today. Turns out, I did catch a flu virus that my dad had. Thankfully, the doctor was able to prescribe a medication that would get rid of the bug, so I picked that up in the pharmacy. So for the afternoon I've been just taking it easy (not doing much), as the doctor suggested.

I even called my boss on the phone to let her know of all this; originally I was planning on going to the office tomorrow (in lieu of today), but we'll see how I feel tomorrow morning first. If not, then I'll hopefully feel well enough to work on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday. I just don't wanna have to take a full sick day if I don't need to.
Please get well soon, especially for your family cruise.

In my younger days it took around three days to shake off the flu, and now in my elder days, it takes longer.

Some guys are coming later this morning to put on some new bedroom doors and also to re-grout the bathroom tub.

We got 25 cm (10 inches) of snow yesterday, and it's -15°C (5°F) tonight. It's still only November.  :-\\

We got 25 cm (10 inches) of snow yesterday, and it's -15°C (5°F) tonight. It's still only November.  :-\\
Brrr....

Keep warm!

Please get well soon, especially for your family cruise.

In my younger days it took around three days to shake off the flu, and now in my elder days, it takes longer.

Well, with this medication I was prescribed, I should be well by the time I run out (Friday night). My parents got a similar medicine when they had their flus, and they are doing better now.

We got 25 cm (10 inches) of snow yesterday, and it's -15°C (5°F) tonight. It's still only November.  :-\\


New York is supposed to get a bit of snow but not much.

Good news: I felt well enough to go to work this morning! So I went, and got caught up on things. My boss was even pleased to hear that I was doing better. :) I will go back on Friday, using this past Monday as a sick day. (I have plenty of sick time accrued, so I can use it if necessary.) Then after I finish my work day on Friday, it'll be time to start packing for my trip!

I just got my eyes checked in however long it's been.  Going to be getting  some new glasses to try

^ Good luck with that.

Today I'm at home, doing two things: (1) continuing to recover from my illness, and (2) preparing to pack for my upcoming trip. (I decided yesterday that I would take this past Monday as a sick day.)

got the prescription dropped off to get my new glasses made this morning.  Got mad at my phone this evening.

So, I went to the doctor's office today. Turns out, I did catch a flu virus that my dad had. Thankfully, the doctor was able to prescribe a medication that would get rid of the bug, so I picked that up in the pharmacy. So for the afternoon I've been just taking it easy (not doing much), as the doctor suggested.

I even called my boss on the phone to let her know of all this; originally I was planning on going to the office tomorrow (in lieu of today), but we'll see how I feel tomorrow morning first. If not, then I'll hopefully feel well enough to work on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday. I just don't wanna have to take a full sick day if I don't need to.


Oh, I didn't know you caught the flu! I really hope you are doing better. And if you are, thats a good thing because the flu can take up to three weeks to go away.

Oh, I didn't know you caught the flu! I really hope you are doing better. And if you are, thats a good thing because the flu can take up to three weeks to go away.

I am definitely doing better now. :) So are my parents; their symptoms are long gone. The medicine I was prescribed was the same kind that they each got. And it is really doing the trick. (I take my final dose of that tomorrow.)

Oh, I didn't know you caught the flu! I really hope you are doing better. And if you are, thats a good thing because the flu can take up to three weeks to go away.


My cold/flu for me lasted just a couple of days.

My cold/flu for me lasted just a couple of days.

In essence, it was like that for me. Anytime I get sick, I try to feel better asap!

Anyhoo, I have work today; it'll be my last day of work before going on my trip. (I leave tomorrow morning for that!) So when I get home, I gotta pack my suitcase... hopefully I'll remember everything I need.

if anyone wants to know, its 65 this morning

Anyhoo, I have work today; it'll be my last day of work before going on my trip. (I leave tomorrow morning for that!) So when I get home, I gotta pack my suitcase... hopefully I'll remember everything I need.


enjoy the trip and see you when you get back. :)

enjoy the trip and see you when you get back. :)

that's right!

I am almost done packing; I've just been rather slow about it because I want to pack what I need, and do it right. Make sure I don't forget anything.

And I made sure not to forget to do anything at work; the other people in the office are well aware of what'll need to be done while I'm away!

that's right!

I am almost done packing; I've just been rather slow about it because I want to pack what I need, and do it right. Make sure I don't forget anything.

And I made sure not to forget to do anything at work; the other people in the office are well aware of what'll need to be done while I'm away!
Take care on your cruise.

Just to report, I have been given a holiday away from the usual, not sure when I will be back. My only Internet access is my phone. All is fine, just taking s breather.

Take care on your cruise.

Just to report, I have been given a holiday away from the usual, not sure when I will be back. My only Internet access is my phone. All is fine, just taking s breather.


OK, come back whenever you can, see you soon! :)

Yesterday I started thinking about magic

And this morning I have returned home safely! :)

All was well with my cruise trip; more details later. I still need to fully unpack and get my life back in order.

well for one I got my new glasses and they work.  I'm going to have to see about getting some kind of clips or something though or my eyes are going to start hurting from getting too much light.

well for one I got my new glasses and they work.

Glad to know that. O0

like I said above though that if I don't get some clips.  I'm using a yellow night drivers clip now while I'm on the computer to see, but cant see colors right with these yellow things.  I want to get a grey one.  sun glasses that are strong enough to actually protect my eyes are too strong to see on the computer.

And this morning I have returned home safely! :)

All was well with my cruise trip; more details later. I still need to fully unpack and get my life back in order.


Good to see you back.

Good to see you back.

thanks. Will discuss the details later on (hopefully tonight or tomorrow, when I'm ready).

like I said above though that if I don't get some clips.  I'm using a yellow night drivers clip now while I'm on the computer to see, but cant see colors right with these yellow things.  I want to get a grey one.  sun glasses that are strong enough to actually protect my eyes are too strong to see on the computer.


Hmmm, do you think your eye doctor can recommend something?  (That doesn't cost an arm and a leg.)

...Will discuss the details later on (hopefully tonight or tomorrow, when I'm ready).


Do tell!  :)

Do tell!  :)

Okay, here goes. :)

Saturday was embarkation day. I was excited to go on another cruise, as usual. When my family & I got down to the port and parked the car, we got our luggage and carried it to the cruise terminal; this time it was at Berth 92 rather than Berth 93 because the ship, Royal Princess, was a bigger ship than the previous ones I've taken cruises on (and would hence not fit safely in Slip 93). We were able to board the ship quicker than usual; not wait too long. We got on the ship, proceeded to our stateroom, unpacked what we could before it was time to set sail, and had a little lunch. Since this was a new ship to me, I took some time to walk around and get acquainted with it.

Sunday was a sea day as the ship traveled south towards the first scheduled port of call, Cabo San Lucas (which I saw for the first time when I cruised three years ago). I admit I spent most of the day relaxing, enjoying the view from our balcony. Since our stateroom was at the back of the ship, we got a good view of where we've been.

Monday we arrived at Cabo. We didn't have any shore excursions planned for that port, but that didn't matter anyway because the port ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for that day (so anyone who did have shore excursions booked would get a refund; an announcement was even made over the P.A. system). However, the cruise staff planned several onboard activities for people to take part in. And I spent more time relaxing.

Tuesday we arrived at our next port, Mazatlan. The weather was much better (albeit warm), so people could go ashore if desired. My parents & I, however, did not get off the ship there, but we did have a good time on the ship. (However, I was able to get some decent views of Mazatlan from the ship.) I played a few games, including music trivia, later in the day.

Wednesday we reached our last port of call, Puerto Vallarta. We had to get off the ship early that morning, around 7:40 local time (5:40 back home), for our shore excursion (so we woke up by 6:30 local time, which was 4:30am on our "internal" clocks). This included taking a walking tour of the central/historic portion of the city, visiting a tile factory, and then touring a tequila brewery. Now, I don't drink any alcoholic beverages myself, but I did take one small sip when offered. Still, I got to learn how tequila is made (our tour guides spoke fluent English); we also had lunch there (soft tacos with freshly made tortillas).

Thursday and Friday were sea days. Thursday was my mom's birthday, so we made sure to do something special for her on the ship.

During our time at sea we also played various trivia games, including some involving music. During one of the trivia games, we met two ladies who were traveling together -- a mother and daughter who live in Orange County -- and they played with us. (However, on that game we didn't do as well as we'd hoped, due to a few "obscure" songs being played.) The younger woman, whose name is Serenne, shared my musical interests; she mentioned that she was in her teens for a good part of the 1980s, which means she is at least in her mid-40s now (maybe even close to 50). Still, she and I played another music trivia game together on Friday afternoon...and we ended up winning that one! I joined her that evening for a kareoke session in the "studio" room (where some of the games are played); even though I actually didn't take part in it myself, she did, and I enjoyed observing all the participants. Between songs, Serenne and I had some brief conversations as we got to know each other some more. I found out that she is on Facebook, so we will be able to keep in touch. When the kareoke was over (at 11:30pm ship time, or 10:30pm PST), she and I walked back towards the elevators (to return to our respective staterooms), having another lively chat; she gave me a big hug when I left the elevator to return to my stateroom.

And yesterday (Saturday) morning we were up bright and early to prepare to disembark. We had breakfast at the buffet before returning to our stateroom one final time to retrieve our luggage, and then proceed to our assigned disembarkation place. It was 7:30 or so when we officially got off the ship. Twenty minutes later, we got into the car and drove home... and the traffic on the freeway was smooth sailing, all the way back home. We got back to the house just after 9am.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a friend request from Serenne, on Facebook, and accepted it right away. (I found out that her birthday is the day after mine!)

Okay, here goes. :)

Saturday was embarkation day. I was excited to go on another cruise, as usual. When my family & I got down to the port and parked the car, we got our luggage and carried it to the cruise terminal; this time it was at Berth 92 rather than Berth 93 because the ship, Royal Princess, was a bigger ship than the previous ones I've taken cruises on (and would hence not fit safely in Slip 93). We were able to board the ship quicker than usual; not wait too long. We got on the ship, proceeded to our stateroom, unpacked what we could before it was time to set sail, and had a little lunch. Since this was a new ship to me, I took some time to walk around and get acquainted with it.

Sunday was a sea day as the ship traveled south towards the first scheduled port of call, Cabo San Lucas (which I saw for the first time when I cruised three years ago). I admit I spent most of the day relaxing, enjoying the view from our balcony. Since our stateroom was at the back of the ship, we got a good view of where we've been.

Monday we arrived at Cabo. We didn't have any shore excursions planned for that port, but that didn't matter anyway because the port ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for that day (so anyone who did have shore excursions booked would get a refund; an announcement was even made over the P.A. system). However, the cruise staff planned several onboard activities for people to take part in. And I spent more time relaxing.

Tuesday we arrived at our next port, Mazatlan. The weather was much better (albeit warm), so people could go ashore if desired. My parents & I, however, did not get off the ship there, but we did have a good time on the ship. (However, I was able to get some decent views of Mazatlan from the ship.) I played a few games, including music trivia, later in the day.

Wednesday we reached our last port of call, Puerto Vallarta. We had to get off the ship early that morning, around 7:40 local time (5:40 back home), for our shore excursion (so we woke up by 6:30 local time, which was 4:30am on our "internal" clocks). This included taking a walking tour of the central/historic portion of the city, visiting a tile factory, and then touring a tequila brewery. Now, I don't drink any alcoholic beverages myself, but I did take one small sip when offered. Still, I got to learn how tequila is made (our tour guides spoke fluent English); we also had lunch there (soft tacos with freshly made tortillas).

Thursday and Friday were sea days. Thursday was my mom's birthday, so we made sure to do something special for her on the ship.

During our time at sea we also played various trivia games, including some involving music. During one of the trivia games, we met two ladies who were traveling together -- a mother and daughter who live in Orange County -- and they played with us. (However, on that game we didn't do as well as we'd hoped, due to a few "obscure" songs being played.) The younger woman, whose name is Serenne, shared my musical interests; she mentioned that she was in her teens for a good part of the 1980s, which means she is at least in her mid-40s now (maybe even close to 50). Still, she and I played another music trivia game together on Friday afternoon...and we ended up winning that one! I joined her that evening for a kareoke session in the "studio" room (where some of the games are played); even though I actually didn't take part in it myself, she did, and I enjoyed observing all the participants. Between songs, Serenne and I had some brief conversations as we got to know each other some more. I found out that she is on Facebook, so we will be able to keep in touch. When the kareoke was over (at 11:30pm ship time, or 10:30pm PST), she and I walked back towards the elevators (to return to our respective staterooms), having another lively chat; she gave me a big hug when I left the elevator to return to my stateroom.

And yesterday (Saturday) morning we were up bright and early to prepare to disembark. We had breakfast at the buffet before returning to our stateroom one final time to retrieve our luggage, and then proceed to our assigned disembarkation place. It was 7:30 or so when we officially got off the ship. Twenty minutes later, we got into the car and drove home... and the traffic on the freeway was smooth sailing, all the way back home. We got back to the house just after 9am.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a friend request from Serenne, on Facebook, and accepted it right away. (I found out that her birthday is the day after mine!)


Sounds amazing!!!  :D

Okay, here goes. :)

Saturday was embarkation day. I was excited to go on another cruise, as usual. When my family & I got down to the port and parked the car, we got our luggage and carried it to the cruise terminal; this time it was at Berth 92 rather than Berth 93 because the ship, Royal Princess, was a bigger ship than the previous ones I've taken cruises on (and would hence not fit safely in Slip 93). We were able to board the ship quicker than usual; not wait too long. We got on the ship, proceeded to our stateroom, unpacked what we could before it was time to set sail, and had a little lunch. Since this was a new ship to me, I took some time to walk around and get acquainted with it.

Sunday was a sea day as the ship traveled south towards the first scheduled port of call, Cabo San Lucas (which I saw for the first time when I cruised three years ago). I admit I spent most of the day relaxing, enjoying the view from our balcony. Since our stateroom was at the back of the ship, we got a good view of where we've been.

Monday we arrived at Cabo. We didn't have any shore excursions planned for that port, but that didn't matter anyway because the port ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for that day (so anyone who did have shore excursions booked would get a refund; an announcement was even made over the P.A. system). However, the cruise staff planned several onboard activities for people to take part in. And I spent more time relaxing.

Tuesday we arrived at our next port, Mazatlan. The weather was much better (albeit warm), so people could go ashore if desired. My parents & I, however, did not get off the ship there, but we did have a good time on the ship. (However, I was able to get some decent views of Mazatlan from the ship.) I played a few games, including music trivia, later in the day.

Wednesday we reached our last port of call, Puerto Vallarta. We had to get off the ship early that morning, around 7:40 local time (5:40 back home), for our shore excursion (so we woke up by 6:30 local time, which was 4:30am on our "internal" clocks). This included taking a walking tour of the central/historic portion of the city, visiting a tile factory, and then touring a tequila brewery. Now, I don't drink any alcoholic beverages myself, but I did take one small sip when offered. Still, I got to learn how tequila is made (our tour guides spoke fluent English); we also had lunch there (soft tacos with freshly made tortillas).

Thursday and Friday were sea days. Thursday was my mom's birthday, so we made sure to do something special for her on the ship.

During our time at sea we also played various trivia games, including some involving music. During one of the trivia games, we met two ladies who were traveling together -- a mother and daughter who live in Orange County -- and they played with us. (However, on that game we didn't do as well as we'd hoped, due to a few "obscure" songs being played.) The younger woman, whose name is Serenne, shared my musical interests; she mentioned that she was in her teens for a good part of the 1980s, which means she is at least in her mid-40s now (maybe even close to 50). Still, she and I played another music trivia game together on Friday afternoon...and we ended up winning that one! I joined her that evening for a kareoke session in the "studio" room (where some of the games are played); even though I actually didn't take part in it myself, she did, and I enjoyed observing all the participants. Between songs, Serenne and I had some brief conversations as we got to know each other some more. I found out that she is on Facebook, so we will be able to keep in touch. When the kareoke was over (at 11:30pm ship time, or 10:30pm PST), she and I walked back towards the elevators (to return to our respective staterooms), having another lively chat; she gave me a big hug when I left the elevator to return to my stateroom.

And yesterday (Saturday) morning we were up bright and early to prepare to disembark. We had breakfast at the buffet before returning to our stateroom one final time to retrieve our luggage, and then proceed to our assigned disembarkation place. It was 7:30 or so when we officially got off the ship. Twenty minutes later, we got into the car and drove home... and the traffic on the freeway was smooth sailing, all the way back home. We got back to the house just after 9am.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a friend request from Serenne, on Facebook, and accepted it right away. (I found out that her birthday is the day after mine!)



Sounds like you had a great time-and made a new friend, too.


Cat

Sounds like you had a great time-and made a new friend, too.


Cat

I sure did! O0

Okay, here goes. :)

Saturday was embarkation day. I was excited to go on another cruise, as usual. When my family & I got down to the port and parked the car, we got our luggage and carried it to the cruise terminal; this time it was at Berth 92 rather than Berth 93 because the ship, Royal Princess, was a bigger ship than the previous ones I've taken cruises on (and would hence not fit safely in Slip 93). We were able to board the ship quicker than usual; not wait too long. We got on the ship, proceeded to our stateroom, unpacked what we could before it was time to set sail, and had a little lunch. Since this was a new ship to me, I took some time to walk around and get acquainted with it.

Sunday was a sea day as the ship traveled south towards the first scheduled port of call, Cabo San Lucas (which I saw for the first time when I cruised three years ago). I admit I spent most of the day relaxing, enjoying the view from our balcony. Since our stateroom was at the back of the ship, we got a good view of where we've been.

Monday we arrived at Cabo. We didn't have any shore excursions planned for that port, but that didn't matter anyway because the port ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather in the forecast for that day (so anyone who did have shore excursions booked would get a refund; an announcement was even made over the P.A. system). However, the cruise staff planned several onboard activities for people to take part in. And I spent more time relaxing.

Tuesday we arrived at our next port, Mazatlan. The weather was much better (albeit warm), so people could go ashore if desired. My parents & I, however, did not get off the ship there, but we did have a good time on the ship. (However, I was able to get some decent views of Mazatlan from the ship.) I played a few games, including music trivia, later in the day.

Wednesday we reached our last port of call, Puerto Vallarta. We had to get off the ship early that morning, around 7:40 local time (5:40 back home), for our shore excursion (so we woke up by 6:30 local time, which was 4:30am on our "internal" clocks). This included taking a walking tour of the central/historic portion of the city, visiting a tile factory, and then touring a tequila brewery. Now, I don't drink any alcoholic beverages myself, but I did take one small sip when offered. Still, I got to learn how tequila is made (our tour guides spoke fluent English); we also had lunch there (soft tacos with freshly made tortillas).

Thursday and Friday were sea days. Thursday was my mom's birthday, so we made sure to do something special for her on the ship.

During our time at sea we also played various trivia games, including some involving music. During one of the trivia games, we met two ladies who were traveling together -- a mother and daughter who live in Orange County -- and they played with us. (However, on that game we didn't do as well as we'd hoped, due to a few "obscure" songs being played.) The younger woman, whose name is Serenne, shared my musical interests; she mentioned that she was in her teens for a good part of the 1980s, which means she is at least in her mid-40s now (maybe even close to 50). Still, she and I played another music trivia game together on Friday afternoon...and we ended up winning that one! I joined her that evening for a kareoke session in the "studio" room (where some of the games are played); even though I actually didn't take part in it myself, she did, and I enjoyed observing all the participants. Between songs, Serenne and I had some brief conversations as we got to know each other some more. I found out that she is on Facebook, so we will be able to keep in touch. When the kareoke was over (at 11:30pm ship time, or 10:30pm PST), she and I walked back towards the elevators (to return to our respective staterooms), having another lively chat; she gave me a big hug when I left the elevator to return to my stateroom.

And yesterday (Saturday) morning we were up bright and early to prepare to disembark. We had breakfast at the buffet before returning to our stateroom one final time to retrieve our luggage, and then proceed to our assigned disembarkation place. It was 7:30 or so when we officially got off the ship. Twenty minutes later, we got into the car and drove home... and the traffic on the freeway was smooth sailing, all the way back home. We got back to the house just after 9am.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a friend request from Serenne, on Facebook, and accepted it right away. (I found out that her birthday is the day after mine!)
O0

Sounds like a wonderful time!

Just got in from a great evening listening to various wind and brass ensembles at school. James plays percussion for two of the groups and he was very busy with cymbals, tambourines, drums, triangles etc

Just got in from a great evening listening to various wind and brass ensembles at school. James plays percussion for two of the groups and he was very busy with cymbals, tambourines, drums, triangles etc


Nice!  Good for James - he sounds like an in-demand musician  :)

O0

Sounds like a wonderful time!

Thanks; it sure was! :)

And welcome back.

Got to work a half-hour earlier today because I wanted to make sure I had time to get everything done just in case I needed to be there extra time. Thankfully I did not have to stay extra time, because I got all my work done! (There was lots of it to do.)

Now I can enjoy the four-day weekend!

So, they're just about done with the kitchen, they will come back tomorrow morning just to do some spraying and sanitizing, other than that My Mother feels pleased with the outcome.  :)

Got to work a half-hour earlier today because I wanted to make sure I had time to get everything done just in case I needed to be there extra time. Thankfully I did not have to stay extra time, because I got all my work done! (There was lots of it to do.)

Now I can enjoy the four-day weekend!


Hooray!  Happy Thanksgiving and have a great weekend!  :)

So, they're just about done with the kitchen, they will come back tomorrow morning just to do some spraying and sanitizing, other than that My Mother feels pleased with the outcome.  :)


That's great!  If you like it, take some pictures!

Happy Thanksgiving, Howard!  :)

the phone people couldn't help me so I am back to using my old phone

Hooray!  Happy Thanksgiving and have a great weekend!  :)


You too AG, enjoy your day, My Family and I will go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.  :)

My parents and I cooked turkey and vegies and sweet potatoes for just the three of us. It worked out nicely.

Glad that none of us had to go out at all; it was rainy and wet for most of the day.

My parents and I cooked turkey and vegies and sweet potatoes for just the three of us. It worked out nicely.

Glad that none of us had to go out at all; it was rainy and wet for most of the day.


Sounds like a nice holiday get-together.

I heard (talking to my sister-in-law) that it was raining pretty hard there.  :P

My Parents And I went to a small diner for Thanksgiving, They had regular meals as I had the Thanksgiving dinner for $26 and for 26 dollars you got turkey which was good, corn, small cup of cranberry sauce and yams which was bland and hardly had a taste, dessert which was apple pie and coffee.

Sounds like a nice holiday get-together.

I heard (talking to my sister-in-law) that it was raining pretty hard there.  :P

Well, for a lot of years we would have family members over, but most of them (especially my grandparents) are now deceased. So, we don't have many relatives to invite over anymore, which is kinda sad. (I just don't have a big family, that's all.)

Well, for a lot of years we would have family members over, but most of them (especially my grandparents) are now deceased. So, we don't have many relatives to invite over anymore, which is kinda sad. (I just don't have a big family, that's all.)


We really don't have family get togethers anymore cause our relatives have just decided go their separate ways and plus they've been busy and doing their own things, My Mother just doesn't want to cook that much.

We really don't have family get togethers anymore cause our relatives have just decided go their separate ways and plus they've been busy and doing their own things, My Mother just doesn't want to cook that much.

I can relate. A lot of my relatives (specifically on my mother's mother's side) used to be real close with my mom, but within the last 20 years or so, a number of them have spread out, by moving to other areas. Others have passed on, as I mentioned in my previous post.

Anyways, on this final day of November, I went out this morning (to the post office to mail some bills) and then to the library to do some volunteering. Then I came home, and have remained at home the rest of the day, staying inside from the rain.