All Things EARTH... part 2

I'm back!! What a great vacation. It had some trying moments, but I have the best time with my husband. I also think that as you get older, you learn not to sweat the small stuff so much. (an exception would be the hotel from hell in Puerto Rico last fall, in between the two hurricanes that hit)

So, I am working on scanning and loading to ImgBB. I think that is what Anita and Margaret are using? I am tempted to pay for Photobucket, but it is $90.00 a year to do what we did in the past for free, so no thanks. The downside to ImgBB is that they don't have an app. With the pictures I took on my phone, I have to send them to myself by email, then save to my computer, then to the site. Unless I find a shortcut?

In any event, I'll start with a little narrative.

Our flight was for 8:00 AM the day before sailing. I always fly down a day early. I usually only use ChoiceAir through RCI when weather is iffy, because Jet Blue hands down is my favorite airline, and they don't have too many flights with ChoiceAir. When I was booking this cruise, Jet Blue was more expensive, which doesn't happen much. Plus, Apil is still iffy for weather here, especially at the beginning of the month. So we ended up with American Airlines.

Our airport is all torn apart for renovations, so it was recommended that we get there early. We got there at 6:30, and it was a balmy 27 degrees out. We got through everything and to our gate by about 7:05. Since they board a half hour ahead, this seemed ideal. Then they announced our flight would be 9:00 AM instead due to a miscue. I have no idea what that meant, but I take it something broke, an oops type of moment. Anyway, that still left us with plenty of time for our connecting flight.

Then they changed it to 10:30. This was going to be tough, so we got on the phone with American Airlines about the connecting flight. I give them credit, they already adjusted the second flight for us.

They did the same when they changed it to 12. Then 4:30. We called ChoiceAir, because we really didn't want to arrive in the middle of the night, and they told us at the desk that the 4:30 flight was iffy, since they no longer had a flight crew available.

What?

So ChoiceAir says, we can rebook you with United very shortly, but you need to get your luggage back first. So we did. We were now flying into Newark, then from there to Fort Lauderdale.

We boarded our plane with a sigh of relief. Until the captain said we needed to "deplane". He didn't elaborate, but it appeared to have something to do with Newark. After an hour delay, we are finally up and running.

Then for the second leg of the flight, the vehicle that pushes the plane away from the gate broke. They had another one ready, but we had to wait for the tow truck to get rid of the broken one first.

We get to Fort Lauderdale, tired but thankful to be there. We had hotel transfers, and we were the only people being waited for, due to all the delays. Well, there was some sort of issue with a transfer driver (ours) not following procedure, so an argument ensued, complete with other drivers taking pictures of license plates and so on...while we were in the van.

Check in to the hotel went perfect, so we headed across the street to a place called Waxy O'Connor's for a well deserved beer and flatbread pizza. It was very tasty.

For the record, I wasn't trying to rant or anything, I just wanted you all to see how comical the whole thing was.

What wasn't too funny was the next day. Our transfer to the pier was a little late, but that isn't an issue because the normally pick you up at 11:15 and it was about 11:40. For some reason though, when we got to the port, traffic was at a standstill. After redirecting us to a different area, I found out that no one was being let to the pier as there was a suspicious package. I kind of knew this, from Twitter and here on CC. However, true to someone repeating what someone else said, I knew there was a chance the info was incorrect. Online, there were saying some explosives were found in a delivery truck, and someone else said there was a bomb threat. Our captain later confirmed that it was a suspicious package, and that the bomb squad said it was nothing.

This delayed our departure and dinner, but all was good!

Let's see if this works. Here is my sailaway picture.

<img src="https://image.ibb.co/i0GVxS/Scan0069.jpg" alt="Scan0069" border="0" />

Maybe this will work?

<a href="https://ibb.co/emeiHS"><img src="https://thumb.ibb.co/emeiHS/Scan0069.jpg" alt="Scan0069" border="0" /></a>

OOOH....the last one shows up on my phone! Now I just need to learn how to rotate it!

Laurie, welcome back, cant wait to hear about the rest of the trip!On your pictures have you tried just posting them from your phone instead of using a third party product? All my pictures are just from my phone. Melody

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I have a new phone and I will try it,, but they were all posting sideways for some reason before!

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So we wandered around the ship, which we are familiar with. However, we haven't sailed Freedom in 4 years, and we recall that she went into dry dock somewhere in between then and now. Mostly, I noticed some newer chairs and the like in certain areas. They have always done a nice job keeping the ships up. Our dinner, which is late seating, was being delayed to 8:30 and we were really hungry when we got on board. I can't say I noted the time, but I thought the line moved very quickly considering the delay. We are diamond now, so our line was a bit shorter as well. I think we dropped off my tote bag in the room, and headed right back down to find a bite to eat at 2:00 or so.

I never eat in the Wndjammer, which is their buffet. Nothing against it, we just haven't really used it since our very first cruise. With this class of ship, there is a place in the Royal Promenade for pizza, and another for little snacks and these mini sandwiches. My husband got pizza, and I got a sandwich.

We check for our luggage very frequently. I don't know why, but I never feel like my vacation has officially started until I unpack. So once that was done, I felt so much better.

Here are some pictures from night one. I get the full package, because I really like pictures, and you can get them all for the price of about 10. I always want more than that, you know? It's my souvenir. I admit that I don't like their posing a lot. I will share the picture my husband took as soon as I get a chance to download it.

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Here are the pics my husband took.

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Since the phone photos posted properly, I will continue to post those. I'm glad they aren't sideways now!

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Our next day was a sea day. The weather was beautiful - sunny and warm. We do a lot of wandering on sea days. I like to take some time to read out on either our balcony or on many of the older classes of ships, on deck 4. They have great loungers, and it's covered so I don't have to drown myself in sunscreen.

Other than an hour or two for reading, we move quite a bit. We do not use the elevator at all. Our room was on deck 8, the game room is deck 14. Our dining room was on deck 3. So you get the idea. I think when my husband said that we should play a game or two right after lunch, I should have thought a moment...deck 3 up to deck 14! Phew! It's a great way to add exercise to our day.

Day two was also our first formal night, and I decided to wear the teal/blue lace dress for this one. There was a lady I saw numerous times during the cruise, but especially on formal night. She walked up to me and said that she loves to see everyone dressed up, and getting their pictures taken. She wanted me to know that that I looked stunning and she loved my dress the best. I have to say, that totally made my day. I felt so honored. A few others came up to me and told me I looked beautiful.

I know I seem a bit obsessed at times, but really, I'm not. I just feel if you figure it all out beforehand, you will fee confident about what you are wearing and the choices you've made. That is how I felt that night.

Now, for way too many pictures:

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Captain Toni was great. He had a sense of humor. He would play songs when we were leaving ports such as "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson. When they originally printed this photo, my husband was so sad. They took two photos, but the one they printed, he was wetting his lips so in the photo, his tongue was sticking out. He asked the photographer to check on the other photo, and at least his tongue wasn't sticking out!!!

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I will post a photo of my daytime outfit, but I have to wait for my husband to send it to me. I wasn't really thinking - he took pictures with his phone, and I took some as well. He said he would forward them later on, and now that my phone can post them properly, it should be easy to do.

Day three was Grand Cayman. We decided on a helmet dive.

Have any of you ever done this before? There is a medical questionnaire, and I was a bit concerned because it asks if you have a hearing loss. In the course of the conversation, I found out that you can't hear anything during the dive. So I got to thinking, what difference does it make? Then I found out why with other questions they asked. If you have any issues with your ears, the dive can be hard to do. There is a tremendous amount of pressure, so if you have trouble with that to begin with, or your ears pop a lot, it can be problematic.

My thought was that it isn't a very big deal.

The helmets weight a lot - like 75 pounds! Air is forced into them by a hose, and the way it all works, the weight keeps the helmet on your shoulders, and the air and that inverted effect keep the water out. water is in the base of the helmet, as it is open. It's a bit unnerving at first. I was so sure I was led to this excursion to drown, lol.

You climb down a ladder off the boat. You go to a second ladder, and move down a few steps so that only your head is above water. Then they put the helmet on and begin to lower you. The helmet is always a little heavy, but it is amazing how nature works with water and all. I won't bore you with the science, but it is quite an experience.

And it took me a long time to get down the ladder. The ear pain was extremely bad. You are taught signals before you go in the water, and a thumbs up means you need to go back up. I was tempted, but took my time. When I got to the bottom, it was noticeable, but bearable. My husband was right down the ladder in seconds, on the other hand.

When I go down, there was a whole school of colorful fish just waiting. They feed them, and that keeps them trained to stay for our enjoyment. The guides are very talented and experienced, and it was such a fun thing to do.

The downside is that I don't have a waterproof camera yet, and RCI won't let them take pictures, for some reason. So all i have is my memory to share with you.

I wore my red one piece from Athleta. I really love that swimsuit, and so glad that I can now fit into it properly! Very comfortable and well made. I have the matching cover up as well. Melody, I think you may have mentioned having the same coverup in a shade of blue or aqua? It has a hood, long sleeves, and this sweatshirt style pocket in the front.

Dinner was date night, or dinner at Chops. What is funny is that I wasn't thinking about the photographer hours. We had one set of photos before dinner, but the rest were after. I always get a little bit of food coma after a big meal and wine, and then I was wearing a dress that I was concerned would wrinkle. It held up great.

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Doesn't the white background do wonky things with my hair color? But I love these casual photos because they are fun.

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I was a little wrinkly, but not too much. I think I look tired though, and I needed to relax that arm. But it is still a decent picture.

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Welcome back Laurie!

I'm loving reading about your trip! So nice to take a vicarious vacation!

You DO look beautiful in that teal dress. SO PRETTY! I adore the last photo that is the closer up of you and DH, with you in front? OMG. Lovely. That's my fav. I love the texture of the background on that one too.

The necklace looks great with the dress, too.

The green from the first night looks nice too. Interesting how the different cameras and lighting make that dress look like such different shades of green. The starfish necklace is fun.

I really like your boarding day outfit though! That shirt is super cute. I really like the detail at the neckline and the detail at the hem. And how it isn't fitted but it isn't too loose. It's a perfect little cami. Very useful.

I'm glad ChoiceAir fixed up your flights on the outbound. That is the good thing about using them. Mom has had great experience using them. And often they are very competitive in pricing. Not the easiest transition into vacation mode to have to deal with travel issues, but oh well...it all worked out. And the deal with the pier...wow. Being able to roll with such things is necessary. Glad you were able to and that it didn't sour your days.

Looking forward to reading more!

Oh...Margaret...those first two dresses seem great to me. I don't care for the third one at all...for all the reasons already discussed. That first one with the pockets though...That's wonderful, but I think I would get frustrated with what would happen to look of the dress if I were to actually use the pockets. The second one though...that's sweet. And having the fuller skirt below the hips is key. The colors are really good.

I'm setting up to sew my first dress for myself. In all the years I've been sewing, I've never made a dress. I've been thinking that I want a simple solid colored dress that I can change up with scarves and jewelry and jackets and overlays, etc. I think I've been influenced by one of the pages of the JJill catalog which had a linen dress...and I think it said something like One and Done. The dress wasn't anything special though. But that idea...I think Margaret that you have said that about some basic dresses before...talking about how easy they would be to wear and dress up and down.

I went through my stash and found a teal, deep aqua colored linen look fabric. Then my sewing pattern stash and found one that I had picked our before that is just what I'm thinking of. I'm going for a woven fabric one (the linen look) so that it will hopefully keep its shape better and end up being more flattering that a knit. I have everything I need to make the dress except for a 22" zipper in a more complementary color (I have a white one...but I want a color that will blend more). I'm debating the idea of making a muslin fabric bodice first, just to be sure that I get the fit that I want...or whether or not I can just make adjustments to the fashion fabric itself. I'm leaning toward the muslin... I'm also making some changes to the pattern...like adding in seam pockets!

Laurie, love all the pictures. That teal lace dress is just spectacular

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Tomorrow is Les’s bday & we all got together for strawberry shortcake (his favorite) of course cameras come out

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Here is my outfit from the first sea day. It felt dark to me but I thought it worked out well.

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This is another picture of my sailaway outfit. It's interesting how so many tops are made looser and less fitted now.

I'm always concerned that the style will "tent" out over my chest and hang funny.

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Laurie, Great pictures .You look gorgeous in that blue dress .

Laurie, I agree, you look amazing in the teal dress. Love the necklace. You look so fit and comfortable in all your outfits. I especially like your "dark" top. Looking forward to hearing more about your activities all week.

Melody, you have a beautiful family. It looks like you had a fun day, everyone is relaxed and smiling. :)

I've been skimming the book Anita mentioned. It has interesting moments but I don't think I'll do all the activities because I've already done a lot of that work. I do like the part Anita quoted about whether someone who grabbed an item from your closet would end up with something you love. I think Laurie would agree that when it comes to work clothes, we have to make compromises and "love"doesn't have much to do with it. I have to say I don't really love my workout clothes either, though I do have favorites. At least I've moved beyond the choice between "bad" and "least bad." More like, "ok" and "doesn't make me look so fat."

Thursday I'm getting my hair done for real so I'll try to get some good pictures. It's going to be a very subtle change over probably the next two years since I don't want to cut off all the length. I've never been a short hair person.

Thanks Margaret, they were all excited that there was cake in their future! & good wine [emoji23][emoji23]

I’ve hit the 40lb loss mark, although this picture doesn’t show it. Finally able to keep most things down. Bread, potatoes, rice still aren’t on the menu; however, pasta (with plenty of sauce is ok) & oatmeal works. My kidney function has improved 30% (which is thrilling!). A1C remains unchanged at 3.1 & total cholesterol is holding firm at 88 (total) a bit low. Melody

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Melody , I agree great looking family and congrats on the 40 lb. weight loss .

Thanks Sally

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Melody, you have such a happy family! And your granddaughters are getting big. Congratulations on your weight loss also. It is good to hear that you are starting to feel like your usual self.

Let's see....

I am looking for a picture of my outfit that I wore in Grand Cayman, but it appears I did not take a picture of the complete outfit.

After the helmet dive, they leave you off near a restaurant that has restrooms, so we had dry clothes with us so that we could change. We then went over to Guy Harvey's for lunch. They outside seating is covered, and has a great view of the water.