Belated Smiles 1 …. Gracie’s competition

My son and his family came for a short visit shortly after I got out of the hospital last March.  I was not up to posting about it at the time but that does not mean it was not important and dear to me.

They came from Utah  because our cute little Gracie  was in a cheer leading competition here in CA.

It was a fast  trip but we made the most of every minute. Cousins had a great time together….

… and so did the big folks.

We had a nice dinner at Mindy and Ernie’s…. Then Grammy wanted family pictures.

There is nothing Grampy and I enjoy more…..

…than being surrounded with our Grands….so I had to get some pictures of them.

Getting every one together for a family picture can be a challenge…

…but it always works out in the end.

I’m so glad that my son, David and his family could come. Marla, Emma and Gracie had been sick with strep throat a few days before but got better in time for the trip.  David came down with it while he was here but was able to see a doctor and get meds to help. Luckily, young Davey and Evan did not get sick and neither did the rest of us.

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to get Gracie ready to go to her competition.

Our Gracie Girl was ready to go and cheer her heart out. I was still too weak from my bout with sepsis, organ dysfunction and liver abscesses to attend. I was disappointed I could not go and watch…. but…. Gracie put on a private show for us the best that she could without her team.

Claire and Emma wished Gracie well….

Mindy said goodbye to her little brother, who is not so little anymore…

Grammy got a couple more pictures of her cute boys….Evan, Austin and Davey…

… and with one last hug, they were off.

I wish that this sweet family lived closer to us… but … since they don’t, even quick visits are a treasure. This visit was short but sweet …. and one that made my heart smile.

What makes your heart smile?  I hope many things do.

Hugs and best wishes from Grammy Lura

Cruising with my hubby smiles…. part 2…. Ensenada, Mexico

Last week I shared the first part of our cruise with you and told you about our stop at Catalina Island, CA. We love cruising for an economical get away. It is even more fun when cruise with friends. If you want to join us next time or plan your own cruise leave a comment or email me at

Jandltravel@charter.net

Here are the smiles I got from the next part of our cruise.

After spending a lovely May day on the Island we taxied back to our ship and set off for Ensenada, Mexico.

We arrived in Mexico early Wednesday morning.

Even though we’ve done it before, we took the city tour and the trip to see the blow hole call La  Bufadora.

Our first stop was at the Central Social and Cultural Center called Riviera de Ensenada.

It is a beautiful structure built by the Hearst Family as a resort and casino years ago.

From the tile floors to the wood patterned ceilings, the art work is beautiful.

Every where we looked we were amazed by the lovely wood carvings and art.

We had an excellent guide who did a great job telling us about the history and interesting facts.

We drove for about 45 minutes on our bus through Ensenada and along the coastline.   Can you see the circles in the water? They don’t show up very well but they are tuna farms. Fishing is a big industry for Ensenada.

Then we arrived at the blow hole… La Bufadora. There are only 3 of these blowholes in the world. The other two are in Australia and Hawaii.

She put on quite a spectacular show for us because it was high tide…

… but she didn’t want to show off for us when we were in the picture. (We took about 20 pictures but could never time it just right when we were in the picture.)

We enjoyed the pretty scenery for a while….

… and then we walked back to our bus through the large flea market you can see at the top of these stairs. I shopped for a while. In years past, I’ve bought some nice jewelry there. They specialize in silver and gem stone pieces. You can get some good deals but you can also get fake stones. It is best to only shop at the stores recommended by the cruise lines. This year, fine jewelry wasn’t on my list… (too bad)

but I did get these two cute bags that I am enjoying using.

After our 4 1/2 hours of touring Ensenada we were exhausted and returned to our Ship. There is another flea market right by the ship….with lots of shops…. but I was too tired to do any more shopping. ( John was glad. See how he hurried to get back on the ship before I could change my mind.)

We enjoyed our 2nd port day in Ensenada…. We like going there. If you are looking for a inexpensive, short, get-away cruise… this is a good one to take. Last Oct. I took it on a Princess ship with my friend Jan. This time John and I went on a Carnival ship. Both were nice experiences and a great value for our vacation dollars.

That evening we sailed away from Mexico and headed back to Long Beach. … but we still had another sea day day to enjoy our vacation on the ship.

Next post I will share our ship smiles with you.

Until then I hope that your week is “ship shape”.

Hugs, Grammy Lura