Cruising Bucket List Smiles

Jan and I have spent the last few weeks checking off things on her bucket list. This past week we took a short cruise to Ensenada, Mexico on the Golden Princess.

This is the same ship that John and I took to Hawaii last year. I knew that it was a beautiful ship. I was anxious for Jan to get aboard and enjoy it.

We boarded the ship about 1:00 p.m. last Monday. After our life boat drill we found our way to the dinning room.

We had many delicious meals while on board.

We especially enjoyed the shrimp, salmon, and…..

the steak, lobster and prime rib. The desserts were great too.

Our nice waiters made our dining experiences special.

Tuesday we arrived in Ensenada. Jan did a little shopping in the shops at the dock but didn’t feel up to going on a tour of the city. She wanted to spend the day resting in our room. However, she wanted me to go on the tour without her.

I knew she really needed to rest so I didn’t feel badly going out for the day. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed my day in Ensenada.

This big flag weighs 500 lbs. It is 120 ft. long and 87 feet wide. It is beautiful to see. We drove through the city for an hour to get out to the

La Bufadora….. the Blow Hole.

It really put on a show for us.

Every few seconds it would spray up many feet into the air.

I made friends with a sweet Chinese girl. We enjoyed the day together.

Next we toured a beautiful old hotel that is now the convention center.

From the tile floors to the wooden ceilings…..

The workmanship is exquisite inside and out.

I had a nice day in Mexico.

Jan viewed Ensenada from our balcony. At day’s end we sailed away.

Wednesday was a sea day. Jan was not feeling well but did enjoy going to the ship’s tea party with me. It wasn’t as lovely as Barbara’s Victorian Tea but it was very nice and we had a good time together.

When she needed to rest in our room, I went on a tour of the galley

and walked around the deck and on the treadmill

 

I needed to get my 10,000 steps a day in to help make up for all the good food I was eating.

We did some last minute shopping on the ship before dinner…. and

before we turned around it was Thursday morning and our cruise was over. John came to pick us up.

We said goodbye to our ship and drove back to reality and home. Even though Jan was pretty sick at times on the ship, I think she enjoyed going and was happy to check taking a cruise off of her bucket list. I’m glad that I could be with her and help her do this. I will treasure these sweet memories in my heart.

I hope that you had a good time cruising through last week too.

Hugs, Grammy Lura

Happy Birthday Smiles again

Last week I told you about my friend, Jan’s birthday. Today we celebrated my daughter Mindy’s birthday. As a mother I love any day that is spent with my children, but there is something extra special about birthdays.

A child’s birthday takes you back through the years. You think about many things…. like the day they were born…their childhood stepping stones….the way they grew and matured…. so many special moments along the way

We were glad that we could celebrate with our precious Mindy today. My heart is tender as I think back over her life. She was my second daughter. Before she was born I was a bit worried that I could never love another child as much as I did our first born. But, the minute they put Mindy into my arms I knew I was wrong. I looked into her eyes and knew I loved her with all my heart. That was true then and it is true today.

She has grown to be everything that I hoped she would be. She is a wonderful daughter , wife, mother and person.  She is a talented  musician. She has her Master’s degree in speech therapy. She is hard working and caring. She loves the Lord and tries to live by His teachings and commandments.

Because of their tight schedule today, I took birthday dinner out to their home instead of having them come to our house.

Of course no birthday dinner is complete without a cake.

Claire lit the candles.  We all sang Happy Birthday….

…Mindy blew out the candles with a little help from Austin and then opened the gifts. It was a nice day.

How do you celebrate the life a darling daughter?  Dinner, cake and gifts don’t begin to express the feelings of my heart. Each of my children is a precious jewel…. a treasure to me. On each of their birthdays my heart is full of gratitude for the good people they are and the joy they bring into my life. I am so thankful that this sweet daughter lives close to us and I could be with her to celebrate today. She has blessed my life since the day she was born.

Happy Birthday Dear Mindy….. may you have many more.

Hugs, Mom