Let's Cruise Together

Dear Blog Friends

Let's go on an After Holiday Cruise Together to start out the new year.

I have reserved 10 cabins on two different cruises to Mexico in January.

January is the perfect time to travel to Mexico. The weather is usually beautiful then.

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I got great rates for us if I can fill the 10 cabins....and we will get cash back for on board credit.

If you are interested in either cruise leave me a message with your email ...

...or send me an email at...

...staffansonl at charter dot net...

(Of course use the @ sign and the . not the words)

or

Call Gold Rush Get Aways at 1-800-377-6765

Ask for Beatriz and tell her that you want to go on one of Lura's cruises.

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First Cruise

January 10-17

7 days Mexican Riviera on the new Carnival Splendor

Long Beach, CA-Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlan-Cabo San Lucas-Long Beach

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Inside-4b is $260.00*pp................... Outside-6b is $360.00*pp

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(The outside cabins on Splendor are very nice. They have a large window and king size bed, a sofa and a chair. It is a big 220 sq. ft. cabin which is the largest of any ship I have ever been on.)

..

cruise only

+ port charges and taxes $229.57

*price based on double occupancy

(If a deposit is put down by 8/12/09 you will get $100 per cabin back for on board credit.)

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Second Cruise

January18

A 4 day Baja Mexico get away on Carnival Paradise

Long Beach, CA- Catalina Island-Ensenada-Long Beach, CA

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Inside-4b is $80*pp ................Outside -6b is $120*pp

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+port charges and taxes $141.70

*prices based on double occupancy

(If a deposit is made on this cruise by 8/20/09 you will get back $75 per cabin for on board credit.)

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As you can see these are great prices on both of these cruises.

Both cruises include free meals (great food and lots of it!) and on board activities and entertainment. This is a great value even if all you did was stay on the ship.

Let me know if you are interested.

I can arrange air flight, hotel and transfers for you if needed.

We don't have much time to decide on this if we want these prices so hurry and book with me.

The first deposits are due in Aug. and the final payments this fall.

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Email me or Call Beatriz at 1-800-377-6765

We will have a great Lura blogger cruise reunion.

Sunday Six smiles for this week

Dear blog friends,

We have had a lot to smile about this week.

Let me show you a few things that made us smile and for which we are thankful.

Thursday July 9th was our 44th anniversary.

As I told you last week, we went away for a couple of days and had a great time.

(I will tell you all about in another post)

I took lots of pictures and then found the new 4GB SD memory card I'd bought would not upload the pictures to my computer....or any other computer.....and my card reader could not read it either...Even Sam's Club photo machine could not read it......BUMMER...I was not smiling....

...but....

I was able to get the pictures off of the card after all by taking them directly from the camera to the computer and not using a card reader....what a relief....that made me smile.

(Thanks to all of you that sent me blog concern about this last week.)

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Mindy and Ernie went on a little get-away last weekend and we got to keep their 3 children and their dog for 4 days.

We had so much fun.

We played in the pool from morning 'til night

Monday 10 year old Lonica flew in from Utah to join us.
We were all smiling and happy to have Loni-Lou with us.
Then we played in the pool even more.
(If that was possible)

We made homemade ice cream
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Loni and Grampy had their traditional buttermilk toast.

They think it is yummy even though the rest of us say "Yuck!"

They make me smile.

We made cookies.... twice!

Did I mention that we played in the pool?

I had 20 wet towels a day to prove it.

We roasted marshmallows at the fire pit.

The kids kept wanting some more s'mores
...
We played wii for hours

(If we weren't at the fire pit or in the pool we were playing wii)

This picture cracks me up.

Do you think Austin played wii a little too long???
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I took the girls to the movies to see "Up"
The boys had already seen it and wanted to stay home with Grampy, so we girls had a gal's afternoon out.
(The popcorn and the soda cost as much as the tickets to the movie...That didn't make me happy but the smile on the girl's faces did.)

It turned out that we were the only people in the theater.

I let the girls sit on the front row and goof off.

We had fun.
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What a blessing to be able to spend this past week with 4 of our grandchildren.

I am thankful for the fun we had and the memories we made.

I am thankful that John and I have the health and strength to do this.

I was worn out by the time Mindy and Ernie got home....but at the same time I hated to see them go.

I am blessed with a wonderful family.

I thank my Heavenly Father for each of them every day.

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That is what I've been smiling about....how about you?

Have a great week.

Love, Grammy Lura

Happy Birthday Erin

Erin is my youngest daughter.

Today is her birthday.

She was a precious child.

She was an exemplary teenager

As a young adult she went to Ghana, Africa all on her own to teach the deaf children in sign language. She saw that there was great need because the teachers there did not know sign language or how to teach deaf children.
She encouraged the teachers to attend sign language classes which she taught.
She wrote curriculum for the children.
She founded Signs of Hope International.
She has returned to Africa year after year taking interns to teach at the deaf schools and supplies with her.
The children at the deaf school love her. They have passed on the story of how she first came there on her own and lived in a shack with no running water...and loved them...and taught them.
Now that she is a new mom she can't be going back and forth to Africa.
Others have taken over the leadership of the organization she founded....
...but the children and I will always be amazed at the courage and love it took for my Erin to travel to a far away land because she learned there was a need and she felt prompted to go
there and do what she could to make things better.

Now she is a devoted wife and mother

After years of waiting for a child , our prayers were answered when Erin and Patrick adopted little Calan.
They make wonderful parents for this little boy.
Erin has always wanted to be a mom....and she loves every minute of it.
...
Happy Birthday dear daughter

We all love you dearly

I wish that we were there with you today, like we were last year, to help you blow out your candles.

You are very dear to us....as you always have been...Dad and I wish you a very happy birthday and a great year ahead.

Thank you for being our precious daughter.

Love, Mom

I can't get my pictures. Help!

Dear blog friends,

John and I celebrated our 44th anniversary this past week.

I bought a new 4GB SD memory card and took lots of pictures that I wanted to share with you. Unfortunately, I can not get my card reader to read the new memory card.

I can't get the pictures off of the memory card and into my computer.

I have no idea why.

My old memory card is only 2GB and it works fine.

Do you think it won't work because the new card is 4GB and too big?

Can anyone tell me what is wrong?

I don't want to blog without using pictures.

Help!

Sunday six smiles from the 4th of July

John and I are smiling. July makes us smile.

(Isn't this a nice picture of my cutie pie!)

July 4th patriotic programs at church make us smile.

We love our country. We love America.

Pancake breakfasts make us smile.

(The sausage and eggs made us smile too)

B-B-Qs and watermelon make us smile.

Cute grandkids make us smile

Playing in the pool with family makes me smile.

(John is not a big fan of getting in the pool)

Home made ice cream makes us smile.

Our 4th of July B-B-Q menu varies from year to year but 2 items never change.

We always have to have watermelon and home made ice cream. Being with dear ones for the holiday makes us smile.

Watching fireworks also makes us smile....

...unfortunately both of my camera batteries were dead (I forgot to charge them)

I don't have any firework pictures to show you.... so use your imagination.

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We feel very blessed that we live in this great country and have family to celebrate with us.

We enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July.

Tell me about your week.

I hope you have had lots to smile about too.

Happy 4th of July

I hope that all of my American friends have a great 4th of July tomorrow.

Actually... that is not correct... I hope all of my readers have a nice 4th of July

What I meant to say is...

I hope all of my American friends have a nice 4th of July holiday tomorrow.

I love America. I love the 4th of July.

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I love the pancake breakfast and flag raising ceremony at church.

I love the parades.

I love the parties and neighborhood get-togethers.

I love the picnics and barbeques.

I love the ball games.

I love the band concerts.... and the fireworks...

I especially love it when the fireworks and the concerts are put together and we get a musical fireworks show.

To me nothing beats watching fireworks while listening to John Philip Sousa's

Stars and Stripes Forever.
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I am very patriotic.

I love driving along and seeing our flag flying every where I go.

I always tear up at flag raising ceremonies

...or...

when I hear the Star Spangled Banner being sung.

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I love our great country.

I am praying that our new President and administration loves America as much as I do

..and that...

they will do more to preserve the freedoms that our founding fathers intended us to have.

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Happy 4th of July one and all

God bless America