Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[Ozark_Kid]

42 minutes ago, brillohead said:

For those of you who have been following my DNA saga, the results are in!

 

 

 

(For those who haven't been following along, the TL;DR version is: I was placed for adoption at birth, found my birthmother in the 90s, and recently took an Ancestry .com DNA test to search for my birthfather.  Tracked down (deceased) grandparents, found a (possible) half-brother, did a sibling test that was "inconclusive", and just did a DNA test with the other possible father, Bill, one of three brothers born to the grandparents.)

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

So, R is my cousin instead of my half-brother.  He tried calling Bill, but got his voicemail.  (The ONE time he doesn't answer his phone, are you kidding me??? LOL)


I'm at peace now.  This was the best possible outcome.  Bill is still living, and is ready, willing, and able to accept me as his daughter.  And after over half a century of not knowing, I have a biological father.

 

That's great new Debbi.   I glad you kept going and finally got good results..  

[brillohead]

14 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

That's great new Debbi.   I glad you kept going and finally got good results..  

 

How about that -- you have a birthday and I'm the one getting the gift of a whole new family!

Hug all those grands tonight... and you KNOW we're all gonna wanna see pics of the kiddos!

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, George C said:

We are now in Ft Myer where it will be about 90 later staying at a cool hotel Luminary has a beautiful roof top bar with great river view . Summit had a unplanned stop in Santo Domingo yesterday , at 2am yesterday morning someone had a very nasty fall there is a large staircase between 4th and 3 rd floor we were told there was blood everywhere, they closed the bars and casino and told everyone to return to there cabins , we we’re asleep at the time but someone we know was gambling, she asked if she could help but the medical crew got there fast ( she was a nurse in Air Force for 30 years) . They closed this staircase for last two days of the cruise.

 

OMG, that sounds nasty.  I hope they will be ok🙏

 

Sounds like you had another amazing cruise with some great entertainment.

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

Thanks Pat!  Harvey is a sweetheart!

Thanks Bonnie!

I hope you and Jack can join us on Bella 2

Try to take it easy and rest up!

Bella 02 is in the works.  Waiting for confirmation from our TA!

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

For those of you who have been following my DNA saga, the results are in!

 

 

 

(For those who haven't been following along, the TL;DR version is: I was placed for adoption at birth, found my birthmother in the 90s, and recently took an Ancestry .com DNA test to search for my birthfather.  Tracked down (deceased) grandparents, found a (possible) half-brother, did a sibling test that was "inconclusive", and just did a DNA test with the other possible father, Bill, one of three brothers born to the grandparents.)

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

So, R is my cousin instead of my half-brother.  He tried calling Bill, but got his voicemail.  (The ONE time he doesn't answer his phone, are you kidding me??? LOL)


I'm at peace now.  This was the best possible outcome.  Bill is still living, and is ready, willing, and able to accept me as his daughter.  And after over half a century of not knowing, I have a biological father.

 

Debbi, I am so very happy for your wonderful outcome!  I'm glad you shared your journey with us.

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

Well, this Covid Virgin (me) is no longer a virgin.  Tested Positive this morning, and spent most of today in bed.  This cough is annoying.

Carol was neg earlier today 

Oh no, sorry it caught up with😪   drink lots of water and get lots of rest.  Hope you feel better soon❤🌻🦋

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

Oh no, Maryann.  Keep hydrated, continue to rest. I hope it doesn't last much longer.

I see you beat me too it 😄

[Tree_skier]

44 minutes ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

 

Yes, I hope you are, too, Dave.

Yes, everything is on track to be on it.  

 

I started a Roll Call for it but it has been utterly dead.  Nobody has joined up.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Tree_skier

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

@Sunshine3601when do you leave for your cruise, Debbie?🛳️

We board Anthem on Sunday.   Hoping for some great weather.   Chris and Donna are really excited that we got them an OVB with large balcony.  Last year on their 1st cruise we got them an OV since they were nervous.   

I was in shock to come home from work to see Eric is almost finished his packing.   He usually waits until the last minute.  I'll pack Saturday.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

May I add, how very happy I am for you?💕💕💕

I am also very happy for you @brillohead❣️❣️

[BonTexasNY]

13 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Yes, everything is on track to be on it.  

 

I started a Roll Call for it but it has been utterly dead.  Nobody has joined up.

 

 

My Adventure cruise roll call in Feb. was dead also.  @brillohead Debbi commented that lots post roll call info on the social media site I can't name and she was right.  It was very active.

My Harmony Jan. cruise (missing you by one month) roll call is starting to pick up a bit.

[derorim]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

Well, this Covid Virgin (me) is no longer a virgin.  Tested Positive this morning, and spent most of today in bed.  This cough is annoying.

Carol was neg earlier today 

 

Maryann, so sorry you were "deflowered" by Covid too.  We were able to get meds prescriebed via telehealth visit with our doctor.  Maybe you could also?  Hopefully Jim, Carol and her Andy remain unscathed.

 

2 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Oh, no Maryann!  I hope it stays mild for you and anyone else.  
Also hope @derorim has a mild case.  Glad your knee is better. If it’s not one thing it’s another!

 

@Momof3gurlz, my knee is doing pretty well, thanks.  The worst part about Covid has been losing my sense of taste and smell.  I learned that an over easy egg is nothing more than an unpleasant glob of goo when you can't smell or taste it.  Texture is important.  I did enjoy a Payday candy bar tonight.  My brain knew from memory exactly where the salty and sweet parts were.  I can also detect the fresh feeling of mint, so I'm going to ask my son or DIL to pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

 

Also, Deb, I'm glad you and Andy made it home tonight.  That's a long trip!

[xpcdoojk]

7 hours ago, NHProud said:

We have 3 teams in the sweet 16 …… UCLA , Michigan State and San Diego State .  At least one has to survive to the next round.  We have house guests so can we watch ? 

KSU beat MSU

[xpcdoojk]

2 hours ago, brillohead said:

For those of you who have been following my DNA saga, the results are in!

 

 

 

(For those who haven't been following along, the TL;DR version is: I was placed for adoption at birth, found my birthmother in the 90s, and recently took an Ancestry .com DNA test to search for my birthfather.  Tracked down (deceased) grandparents, found a (possible) half-brother, did a sibling test that was "inconclusive", and just did a DNA test with the other possible father, Bill, one of three brothers born to the grandparents.)

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

So, R is my cousin instead of my half-brother.  He tried calling Bill, but got his voicemail.  (The ONE time he doesn't answer his phone, are you kidding me??? LOL)


I'm at peace now.  This was the best possible outcome.  Bill is still living, and is ready, willing, and able to accept me as his daughter.  And after over half a century of not knowing, I have a biological father.

 

If this is something that will bring you joy, I am very happy for you.  I already liked you, and it didn’t really require you to have a father.  😉

[Coralc]

22 minutes ago, derorim said:

I can also detect the fresh feeling of mint, so I'm going to ask my son or DIL to pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

 

It is Girl Scout cookie season too! I just placed my order for Thin Mints, Do Si Dos and Trefoils. ☺️

[NHProud]

33 minutes ago, derorim said:

 

 

The worst part about Covid has been losing my sense of taste and smell.  I learned that an over easy egg is nothing more than an unpleasant glob of goo when you can't smell or taste it.  Texture is important.  I did enjoy a Payday candy bar tonight.  My brain knew from memory exactly where the salty and sweet parts were.  I can also detect the fresh feeling of mint, so I'm going to ask my son or DIL to pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

 

 

Sorry that you lost your sense of taste and smell . So did I for about a week then I read on-line about retraining the sense of smell from 

memory . I used Flonase twice a day and then as suggested smelled the essential oils of clove , eucalyptus, lemon and rose .  Found this info on Health Partners and Mayo web pages . Don’t know if it is folklore but it worked .  I could smell them immediately. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by NHProud

[NHProud]

16 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

KSU beat MSU

Watching UCLA vs Gonzaga . There’s always hope . 

[ReneeFLL]

 

On 3/17/2023 at 7:22 PM, bobmacliberty said:

 

I don't think it was the pole reference that caused the problem.  I think it was the images that resulted from the Google search on a certain male bathing suit that uses the minimal amount of material possible while still providing cover.

I don’t understand why people Google stuff if they are so snowflakey (is that even a word 😁) and then report it. If they were to see that at the pool then who would they report it to? 🙄 Good luck with that.

 

On 3/18/2023 at 11:58 AM, Ozark_Kid said:

The kids this week asked if they could go together for my birthday present and put a drip Irrigation system in my garden! I said YES.  The SILs, with Kenzie's dad heading it up, are going to put it together.   A lot of work.  Kenzie's family has one for their flower business they started.   Here is a pick of some of their flowers this week.

 

I love tulips. Do they sell them as cut flowers and keep the bulbs for next year?

[ReneeFLL]

 

On 3/18/2023 at 10:31 PM, helen haywood said:

If Andrew’s butter makes it, my mattress is G rated.

The butter was hysterical.

 

On 3/18/2023 at 10:32 PM, brillohead said:

Well gee, if LIGHTHOUSE COOKIES cause trouble, who the heck knows what is fair game around here!  LOL

They sort of looked like the cookie cutter you posted. We all know that cookies can spread a little when baked.

 

On 3/20/2023 at 1:01 AM, Coralc said:

We returned home from Serenade last night. Bill just tested positive for Covid. He doesn't believe it and wants to try a different test. LOL. 🙄 They were fine, but kind of cursed from the beginning. We won't be cruising in March again. I will write more later, when I am not so tired. And my ears are still plugged up from the plane. 

 

Edit: Test #2 is also positive, we fought the good fight for 3 years, but it was inevitable. And this is a bad week for me, if I come down with it. I have to apply for Medicare and probably Social Security this week. Bill took it at 62, but I think I will take it anyway, even though I am not at full retirement age, because they will take the premiums out of the payment. 

Sorry to hear Bill tested positive. I also came home with either covid or a cold. I’m thinking it’s a cold. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I haven’t tested so I’m just staying away from people. Mike is off until next Wednesday and I’m not sure what AA is requiring anymore about testing and covid. 

 

On 3/20/2023 at 4:02 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

I have some sad news to share..... I recounted my garlic.   I thought I had 176 but after a double count 😔 I only have.....174.  😔 

OMG! My heart dropped after the first couple of words. That is horrible you are missing 2. 😁

[Coralc]

37 minutes ago, NHProud said:

Sorry that you lost your sense of taste and smell . So did I for about a week then I read on-line about retraining the sense of smell from 

memory . I used Flonase twice a day and then as suggested smelled the essential oils of clove , eucalyptus, lemon and rose .  Found this info on Health Partners and Mayo web pages . Don’t know if it is folklore but it worked .  I could smell them immediately. 

 

Thanks! I will have Bill try something like that. He is unhappy about losing his sense of smell. I have citrus and vanilla, and we have lots of eucalyptus leaves around. ☺️

[ReneeFLL]

On 3/20/2023 at 4:15 PM, dani negreanu said:

So, instead of .... [like my very first post]

 

roaming the streets and souks of Marrakech, I'm unpacking our luggage....

 

Due to DH not feeling well, we had to cancel a few hours before our flight, boarding passes at the ready.

 

DH started complaining about back pain more than a week ago, happens to the best of families, took some very light pain reliever and hopped for the best.

 

By Tuesday, though, he made an app. with our family doctor for the following day. So, Wednesday evening he came home, saying that the dr. gave him something for the pain, and assured him that in 2 days time, he'll be good to go. Took the pill, had a good night sleep, and the future seemed pink.

 

Thursday evening he took a turn to worse, the pain radiating from the back all the way to his upper abdomen. We had a sleepless night, and at 8am were already at our dr. clinic, who, allegedly, had 8am-10am hours, it being Friday, a half day work here.

 

By 9am (!!) his secretary made an appearance, claiming she hasn't the foggiest idea when the dr. will follow.... IF he will follow.... 

 

Mind you, after noon on Friday, the only option is ER. In the end, the dr. was MIA. I'll add that he's our entire family dr for the last 25 years, but 4-5 years ago he started to "slack". We keep saying that we'll change him (we're allowed to do that every 3 months, but somehow we felt disloyal to actually do that).

 

We had my b'day celebration Friday evening, but I really wasn't in the mood... DH managed to put a brave face when we got to the restaurant, and DS1 (who was also celebrating his b'day), playfully offered to touch his father's aching back and take his pain away... and, miraculously, it worked!!!! He kept saying: "I'm pain free, I'm pain free". And the evening turned to be a very joyous one.

 

The "pain free" lasted well into the Saturday, we packed and decided that what we'll see and do -- it will be OK. The only thing missing will be DH's Nikon camera, which he decided not to schlepp because of his back.

 

But Saturday night the pain came back in force, to the point of me offering to take him to ER or call an ambulance. He refused, and we had a sleepless night, where it was clear to me that we'll have to cancel. All this time DH continued to take the daily pill, which didn't deliver.

 

Again, at 8am we were at the clinic, again, nobody showed until 9am, when we gave up and asked the clinic in-charge to find us another dr ASAP.  Luckily, there was a resident in a clinic nearby, who sent us ASAP to the nearest ER. By this time, I cancelled our flights and our riad (hotel) in Marakkech.

 

Some tests and roentgen pics later, nothing "catastrophic" was found (heart attack and pancreatitis was feared mostly), as the ER dr. phrased it, and I stubbornly asked for something to relieve hubby's pain. In the end, he was given an infusion and sent home with another prescription for his pain.

 

The big problem is that he's very limited in the range of pain relievers pills, since he has one kidney which took an "early retirement", and the other one reciprocated with a caught early RCC, so he's missing a chunk from the one and only working kidney. The struggle is always between pain and kidney...

 

The new pain reliever seems to slowly work, he manages to get an hour or two of sleep, and tomorrow -- another batch of BW.

 

It seems that we're not so lucky with our travels abroad lately. And, living in such a stressful country, we really need the breaks.........

 

Dani, so very sorry your husband is in pain and you had to cancel your plans. You two definitely need a break. Hoping they figure out what is causing the pain.

 

On 3/21/2023 at 3:25 AM, CrzLvr2 said:

@dani negreanu Dear Dani, I am so sorry that your hubby is in pain and that you had to cancel your half of the Anniversary Celebration and your birthday trip. 😞  You really needed that special getaway and reprieve from the stress in your part of the world. Hopefully, the source* of his pain will be discovered and he will be free of pain soon and you can reschedule your vacation.

You and your hubby will be in my thoughts and prayers. 🙏🏻 

😚 Sue

 

* I hesitated adding this… but it may help??

First of all, I’m not a dr or a diagnostician, and it’s probably none of my business, and I shouldn’t “second guess” your drs. … but I’m wondering if the drs. took any other types of images besides roentgen pics (x-rays?) 

 

While I was reading about your hubby’s symptoms and how the pain traveled from his back to his abdomen and went away and then returned, it reminded me of the gall bladder attacks that I used to get that took months to be diagnosed.

 

The ER dr. who finally determined that I might have gallstones said that he thought I was having “referred” pain and not the pain typically associated with gallbladder stones.  He suspected that a stone might be migrating from my gall bladder and then get stuck in the upper duct (pain in upper abdomen and sternum) and then it would go back where it belonged and I would feel okay until it decided to travel again.
 

Since this happened decades ago, I’m not sure which type of imaging was used. It may have been an X-ray or CT scan, but I really think it was an Ultrasound, because that’s what I needed to have when I had kidney stones that also liked to travel. By the way, the ER dr. was correct. I not only had one stone, but many, and my gallbladder was successfully removed laparoscopically. 

I had the same issue with my gallbladder. After I finally went in they diagnosed it right away. The pain the attacks were causing was unbearable and they could be a week or so apart.
 

On 3/21/2023 at 10:07 AM, dani negreanu said:

 

Thanks, Graham.

 

We're very limited in our direct flights options from Israel. After our fiasco with a connecting flight to Venice, no more connecting flights for us until the travel will get back to pre-Covid, if ever.

 

Connecting for us means either through NY, which can be very tricky beginning of February, or Atlanta, which I'm not sure it's an easy option.

 

For now, we have direct flights with our national airline or with AA. IIRC, Renee ( @ReneeFLL) said that AA will stop flying this route in the near future...

Unfortunately AA won’t be going to Israel after this month unless something changes. The day we got back from Bella’s cruise Mike flew to Tel Aviv that night. That was his second and last flight there. It would be nice if they would continue that route.

[NHProud]

34 minutes ago, Coralc said:

 

Thanks! I will have Bill try something like that. He is unhappy about losing his sense of smell. I have citrus and vanilla, and we have lots of eucalyptus leaves around. ☺️

The essential oils I bought on Amazon were very pungent . It worked though and I could smell and taste almost immediately.  
 

I lost 10 lbs after catching the bug .  

[ReneeFLL]

@Momof3gurlz Happy birthday.

 

On 3/22/2023 at 6:22 PM, derorim said:

 

My knee is much better, thanks.  I had to cancel my ortho appointment, though... both Andy and I brought home the souvenir nobody wants.... we have covid.

Sorry to hear about the covid. I also brought something home, but haven’t tested yet. Glad to hear your knee is better.

[Ozark_Kid]

1 hour ago, ReneeFLL said:

love tulips. Do they sell them as cut flowers and keep the bulbs for next year?

She sells them as cut flowers but she pulls the whole flower and cuts at the bulb for long stems.  She will plant fresh bulbs for next year.

Here is a display of what she sells.

 

 

 

 

[ReneeFLL]

 

12 hours ago, derorim said:

 

Oh my, what a picture I have in my head now. And right at lunchtime too! 

Did you read any of it? I made the mistake of reading about half of it. It was creepy, but sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me.

@Ozark_Kid Happy birthday.

 

6 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

Well, this Covid Virgin (me) is no longer a virgin.  Tested Positive this morning, and spent most of today in bed.  This cough is annoying.

Carol was neg earlier today 

Sounds like a few in our group got it. I also have an annoying cough. I might test out of curiosity to see if I have a cold or covid.

 

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

For those of you who have been following my DNA saga, the results are in!

 

 

 

(For those who haven't been following along, the TL;DR version is: I was placed for adoption at birth, found my birthmother in the 90s, and recently took an Ancestry .com DNA test to search for my birthfather.  Tracked down (deceased) grandparents, found a (possible) half-brother, did a sibling test that was "inconclusive", and just did a DNA test with the other possible father, Bill, one of three brothers born to the grandparents.)

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

So, R is my cousin instead of my half-brother.  He tried calling Bill, but got his voicemail.  (The ONE time he doesn't answer his phone, are you kidding me??? LOL)


I'm at peace now.  This was the best possible outcome.  Bill is still living, and is ready, willing, and able to accept me as his daughter.  And after over half a century of not knowing, I have a biological father.

 

Happy that you now have the answers that you want and a father who is happy to be your father.

[Coralc]

2 hours ago, NHProud said:

The essential oils I bought on Amazon were very pungent . It worked though and I could smell and taste almost immediately.  
 

I lost 10 lbs after catching the bug .  

He just tried some. He could sort of smell them. Then he was trying rums. He could smell them. Then (for unknown reasons 🤔) He tried my nail polish remover, and he could definitely smell that. 😃 He has been researching online and had found a similar or the same article. Thanks. I wouldn't have thought to mention it.