July 27 – Cozumel, Mexico

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After breakfast we boarded a bus that took us to Kuza water park. Jamie’s family and Gavin, Rowan. Allan, and I went for the day. They also offered a trip to the beach which is nearby the Water park, but we decided against the beach.

The food was good, but only Mexican fare was offered. And it was a pretty nice day until the thunder storm came by and they closed all the water activities.

But prior to closing down, Gavin convinced me to do the water tube slide ride. Given my fear of heights I was not too thrilled but I climbed up the Mt Everest stairway (to me that was the height), gripping the metal bars the entire way up. The family in front cheered me on as did Gavin and then we were at the top and climbing into the two man inner tube.

Off we flew… Twisting and turning all the way down till we plunged into the pool below! Mr Toad’s Adventures had nothing on this. What a ride! The family in front of us were in the pool waiting for me and they cheered!!

And then we did it again! It really was a lot of fun!!

We made our way back to the bus and back to the ship to get ready for dinner. Dinner was in the 1923 dining room and many people were dressed in 20’s garb.

After dinner Allan and I did laundry. The facility on the ship is pretty amazing. Tons of washers and dryers so we didn’t have to wait for a machine.

We went to the dance party for awhile and Matty and the girls had fun dancing to the tunes. Gavin went to the teen club for a bit and then he sat on the cabin balcony to watch the stars while everyone else went to sleep. It was a full moon so we couldn’t see many stars. I sat with him for a while and then we both went to bed.

Tomorrow we go to Grand Cayman and the caves.

July 26 – Sea Day

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We had a good nights sleep (the boys slept in a bit) and a delicious breakfast. We walked around the ship for a while. Before we knew it was time for lunch.

There’s a lot going on for the kids. Rowan met a few friends at the teen club and off they went for ice cream cones. (I stopped keeping count!).

Tracy. Allan, Rowan, Gavin and I went to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 and then it was a Disney show which was a lot of fun! The dancers are amazing. Then onto formal night at dinner.

The cousins have been having a great time together It’s giving Allan and me such joy!!

Tomorrow we will be in Mexico.

July 25 – Boarding the Disney Treasure

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We had breakfast at the hotel and then we were picked up by a Mears van. They were wonderful…prompt and very clean vans to pick us all up and take us to the port. Checking in was a breeze and we were on the ship in record time. Our cabins were ready so we checked them out and then had a bite to eat. I had a delicious hotdog!!  Some had grilled shrimp and steak which they said was also delicious. And of course… the soft serve ice cream. I think the boys each had three cones. It’s really delicious!    We went to the mandatory life boat drill and then we all went to the sail away party where at the special moment they play “When you Wish Upon A Star” on the smoke stacks. 

Our luggage arrived at the room and we put our clothes away and then got ready for dinner. Our servers Calvin and Nicholas greeted us and the kids enjoyed the Marvel show that took place on the screens all around the restaurant. Spider-Man made a visit twice, much to the kids’ delight!  Dinner was delicious with much to choose from so everyone was happy. After dinner we participated in the Disney Trivia contest (to which I didn’t contribute anything since I’ve forgotten most of the characters and the plots), but it was fun watching the kids all work together to answer the questions. Then it was off to see a fun magic show and then…to bed. Tomorrow is a sea day. 

Orlando, Florida

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We had an uneventful flight on JetBlue and arrived in Orlando and awaited the Embassy Suites van that took us to the hotel. The rest of the family’s United flight from Newark was delayed an hour, so we went on ahead to the hotel knowing they would arrive soon once they landed and got their luggage. All of us coming from Boston only took carryon so we were out of the airport in record time.

We rested a bit in our room and then, everyone else arrived and of course the kids wanted to go to the pool. They all had a great time swimming (except for Matty who just wanted to take a nap).

After the swim-a-thon, Scott and Erin treated us all to dinner at Marlowe’s Tavern and then everyone enjoyed some gelato on the way back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we board the ship.

Disney Cruise

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We’re off – taking our family on a Disney cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica, and of course also stopping at Disney’s Castaway Cay. We leave from Port Canaveral.

We did a cruise with the family a few years ago, but only Marcelle, Ken and the boys as well as Tim and Jenni were able to go since at that time, the girls were too young, as was Matty.

This time the families who missed the first adventure are going, and we are also taking Gavin and Rowan since we wanted all the cousins to be together.

We’re all flying in on Friday and staying overnight at an Embassy Suite since with airport delays, we wanted to make sure we were at the port in time for boarding the ship on Saturday. This way… we won’t have to lament the possibility of saying…”That shipped sailed!”…without us!

Let the magic begin!!!!

Got celery???

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The other day we were in Costco. I don’t know about you, but we never seem to get out of there without a cart load of items…many of which we know we don’t really need in bulk, but the price is so good we can’t resist. So what if we have to consume three gigantic bottles of ketchup within the next year. It was a great bargain!

So it was with a curious eye that I observed a man leaving the warehouse with a cello bag of celery. That was it. Nothing more.

You have to wonder. Why shop in Costco just for celery? Did he realize that his wife was hosting the neighborhood toddler play date at their home on the morrow and she needed to make 53 Ants on a Log for snack? (For those of you who have forgotten…that’s a stalk of celery smeared with peanut butter with raisins ingeniously placed atop.)

Or perhaps his wife is pregnant and having cravings. She said “You know honey, I’m getting tired of the satisfying crunch of potato chips and Kit-kats. Be a dear and run down to Costco and pick up a cello bag of celery stalks for me to munch on during American Idol.”

Did his doctor say at his last check up “Steve, you’re not getting enough fiber in your diet. Get on down to Costco and pick up one of those cello bags of celery and have at it.”

Or maybe he just loves tuna fish salad sandwiches. A lot.

Tinkerbell

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Video games are apparently good for you. Of course, kids have been touting the benefits of Medal of Honor and Space Fortress for years, but who knew that students in the Israeli Air Force who actually played Space Fortress regularly, had better rankings in their pilot training than those who did not.

“People that play these fast-paced games have better vision, better attention and better cognition,” said Daphne Bavelier, an assistant professor in the department of brain and cognitive science at the University of Rochester.

Some fear that because the games are so violent, kids will become hardened to killing and not feel human emotion. Others feel that it will instead give kids a better understanding of what it means to be harassed and they will go out of their way in real life to help someone in need.

Video games are here to stay, no matter what your feelings are on the matter. And I would say that eventually on job applications for brain surgeons, fighter pilots, crane operators and the like, there will be a section that requests the candidate to “list the video games you are proficient in.”

Ms. Bavelier did admit that perhaps some of the violence could be too much for women. “As you know, most of us females just hate these action video games” she said. “You don’t have to use shooting. You can use, for example, a princess which has a magic wand and whenever she touches something, it turns into a butterfly and sparkles.”

I’d venture to guess the kid who aces THAT video game would be a great candidate to play TInkerbell in a Broadway play of Peter Pan.

Depressingly Stressful

Irene

The news today wasn’t good. It started out with the realization that apparently, I have undiagnosed depression. It seems people who consume copious amounts of chocolate are in reality self-medicating for an underlying despondency. And the more melancholy you are, the more of that heavenly confection you consume. Consuming 11.8 servings a month puts you in the “most depressed” category. Are they kidding? I can consume that much in a DAY! According to their research, it’s amazing I get out of bed each morning. (But it does explain why the Easter Bunny is so happy all the time even though he knows he ranks second to the calendar’s other celebrity – Santa Claus. He’s probably stuffing his face with those chocolate replications of himself all year long…keeping his depression under control.)

And finally, Allan was reading some back issues of AARP and found out that stress can shorten your life. In the “Living Longer” section of the September/October 2006 issue, anything from having many offspring, living in polluted areas and drinking alcohol can shorten your life. I have four kids, lived in New York and love my red wine every night. Given the fact that the lifespan of a parrot is over 100 years, that’s probably one creature I shouldn’t contemplate on purchasing if I ever decide I want another pet. And given the fact that 21 years of my life in New York were in Queens, that daily glass of red wine sometimes turns into an extra dirty Martini and those four kids were boys…I think a goldfish might be out as well.

It’s all so depressing. I think I’ll run down to CVS and see if they have any leftover Easter chocolates that I can wash down with an extra dirty martini.

Pole Dancing for Jesus

Irene

I recently read that it seems the latest Christian fad is learning how to pole dance to upbeat Christian music. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that when this newscast aired, men all over America were singing the hymn “Now Thank We All Our God”.

Every second Sunday of the month in Houston, Texas, Crystal Deans – owner/instructor of The Best Shape of Your Life – invites female church-goers into her pole dancing studio.  “On Sundays, we do pole fitness for Jesus,” Crystal told the media.

And not just anyone can waltz in for a lesson either.  You apparently have to bring your Sunday church leaflet with you as your ticket for admittance.  Apparently, before you work the pole…you have to worship first.

Tiffany Booth, a newcomer to the pole dancing frenzy at the studio, says “I think it’s a fabulous thing.”

And with names like Crystal and Tiffany, if the Pole Dancing for Jesus doesn’t work out…there’s always the local gentleman’s club –  where the men will no doubt be singing that old Christian favorite “What Thanks and Praise to Thee We Owe”.

Grenada, March 8

Irene

We showered, had breakfast, and went back to our room to pack. Packing was easy since we really didn’t take much in the way of clothing for the week. 

After packing, we sat in the living room with Lisa and John and waited for our van to take us to the airport. It’s another beautiful day and I for one will miss Grenada. 

The van arrived promptly and checking in and going through security at the Grenada airport was a piece of cake. We weren’t looking forward to security and customs at Miami which is usually chaos. 

Our flight was uneventful and we arrived in Miami. Unbelievably, going through customs and security went very quickly and we sat in the American lounge for awhile and then boarded our plane to Philly.

We grabbed our luggage off the carousel and met our driver and we arrived home around 3 am. We brushed our teeth, changed into pj’s, and went promptly to sleep.

We had a wonderful and relaxing time in Grenada. It is a beautiful island and the weather for the week was perfect.

Till next time…