12/30/2017

Final Reflections for 2017



On New Year’s Eve Eve it seems fitting to put together some last minute thoughts for this past year:

  • Never believe something that sounds fishy.  Some people tell you what you want to hear because they think you are gullible. Don’t be. Only a blind man misses red flags.
  •  Quit slamming people for living differently than you, for their actions. So what if they post more pictures of themselves on Facebook. They are happy with themselves!  If they talk about their giving nature, they are trying to motivate others to get involved. Are you motivating anyone whiner? Selfies are for those that get a kick out of seeing themselves, some eat it up. If you don’t like them don’t look at them. Freewill is a beautiful thing.
  •  Don’t talk about losing weight and do nothing about it. Your body is a temple and depends upon it. Without action, you will be enticed to eat more anticipating cutting back.
  •  Inaction is a choice. Seeing wrong and using it as an excuse to shake your head is the wrong reaction. Step up and be a catalyst. Living in darkness is a choice. When you see someone struggling, as my dear friend says, lead them to a healer or learn to be one. Don’t be confused and be an enabler but simply be a resource between helpful aids so they can take valued steps forward to get quit destructing and construct. 
  • Don’t use being busy as an excuse not to reach out to say hello to those that matter. When they are gone, you won’t hear them say “It’s good to hear your voice” or read “Thanks for reaching out. “ 
  • Use laughter as self-therapy. It doesn’t require filing a claim, setting an appointment and sets an excellent example to those around you. And, as Milton Berle says “It’s an instant vacation.” 
  • Quit using the phrase “It’s on my bucket list” and just start doing that shit! What the hell are you waiting for? Leaving the money to your kids won’t work. They aren’t interesting in doing the things on your list.
  • Money won’t make you happy. Pick goals that are rooted in friendship, growth and love. If you don’t know what those are read and ask someone older. They have gone through the hard knock school of life, the best class there is. 
  • Your legacy is the lives you touch, every day. It does not have to be simply those in your inner circle; it can be the smiles you give strangers. Kindness to others is the best verbiage you can leave on your tombstone. 
  • Jesus had a short time on earth. Perhaps that is why he only had 12 disciples. We have an extended time. Make the most of yours to be a disciple of Christ by how you live your life. Walk into the light and guide others towards it. 

Whatever you have learned in this past year, challenge yourself to bring it forward to the New Year and use it. Become a better person, brighter. What good is it to repeat the mistakes of the past and leave loved ones, treasured friends behind simply because you are too busy and putting your life in automatic pilot. Share your experiences and insights with those outside your inner circle. Make the most of every moment of every single day. 

And here's to wishing all of my wonderful followers who give me far more than I could ever give any of you an adventurous New Year!        
                                                                 Veronica Gliatti



12/26/2017

Testy Tessie

And so it goes, my luck with dogs, I get the puppy that is one of the largest in the litter, untold till I
bring her home. Two days later, I get a text from the owners letting me know my test to see if female
Tess & me
dogs are really more gentle-natured is really more of a lively Brut compared to her 6 brothers in the litter of 7. Thus, begins the life with Tessie, testing my patience.

Okay, I admit I forgot the trials and tribulations of potty-training. My kids were much easier and so were ALL other dogs I owned. This little bitch is a challenge. She is smart being a labradoodle the poodle seems to be quite dominate making her extremely intelligent.  Thus her norm is outside is playtime, inside is peetime. And thank God the vet suggested giving her treats as a reward for going to the bathroom outdoors. However now she seems to think going anywhere is worthy of a treat. Who is smarter, her or me? 

Everything in the house is a play toy, except the doggie items I bought in the rip-off section of the store! You know the section, where the sign says Pet Toys and are simply kids toys made small with baby squeezers in them the size of your thumb but inflated prices by 75%.  Today, Tess discovered toilet paper. So glad I buy it bulk at Sams because it is going to have to still remain in reach of the john inspite of her penchant for unrolling it. Oh, don’t tell me our puppy is not talented. She can unroll it in a mere 30 seconds flat!
So Busted!
Better than doggie toys!
 
Do you know what it is like to take a shower with a small puppy with long legs at your feet?  I do.  The only time Tessie does not mind being in the water is when I am taking a shower. The very minute I hop in the shower to take the quickest showers in my life she begins whimpering like she has been attacked by another dog, right there in the bathroom!  As she cries by the glass doors, scratching “Mommy I want in” I relent and let her in.

Thus begins my, what use to be, chill serene showers, long gone, now invaded by a four legged animal weaving figure-eights around my feet. Once she gets done feeling as if she is tangled and me being cautious of not losing my balance, she does the unthinkable at my feet. I blink and there comes the squat. I watch as she proudly does #1 and thank God it is not #2. And nope, no treat this time for Tessie.

Tessie now wants out. She has her bladder unloaded and has had enough! Out goes the wet mangled puppy looking like a black rat. All I see is too beady eyes looking back at me silently saying dry me
off. I look back with mine saying Hell no, I am not getting out right now when I have a moment’s peace and the shower finally is to myself. You can wait, you black rat!  She retreats to the rug to wait patiently knowing sometimes I win the battle.

After showers, I dry her off.  I then head to the backdoor to grab her leash to take her out. Good routine, because it’s all about catching the time for #2. I want that number always done in its proper place, I mean this dog will be a lady! One day, as I am putting the leash on, struggling to find the darn loop, she starts tooting. Okay, I tell her, I am hurrying. Her squirming is not making it any easier. Whodathought more would come with the toot?  Isn't she a female?  

Right there on the floor, thank God not the carpet, she starts dumping a load! I am shocked beyond belief, I am holding her and she starts her business. For the love of God, what puppy does this?  I swear she is simply being defiant to me. I make a mad dash out the door as if she has anymore left in her little butt!  By the time I put her down in the grass, she is hopping all over the place, literally giddy with laughter at what she left me to clean up inside.  Don't dare make excuses for her because she is cute or a puppy, she does this shit on purpose to punish me for being a disciplinary in the house.  We played outside longer than usual so I could put off cleaning up dirty diapers, I mean poopy floors! 

The Spoiler, Daddy! 
As my friends tell me, puppies need routine, they need structure. And just like with my kids, I am the one that does it. And just like with my children, she rebels. She does to her daddy, Mr. Softie.  Can we just say, with puppies rebelling  and everyone telling you she is so sweet you are left speechless?  Why do people so easily forget what little teeth feel like buried in your feet and how many chords lay on the floor? 

Well, in all seriousness, she is a bundle of life, with its ups, downs, full of laughter, frustration and happiness and love. She fills a void in my life that my dog Charley left and still is there. I love her already  inspite of her testing me, at times to the limit. And truth be told, if she could talk, she would say I test her!

12/24/2017

Chance or Miracle


On Christmas Eve Day, reflecting on the miracle of Christmas magic all around us seems quite fitting. Are you cognizant of God’s handy work in your life or just moving around in automatic pilot as if things happen by your design, poor luck with no rhyme or reason and no divine intervention?  If that were the case, what would be the point in having faith, praying or celebrating the birth of a newborn King every year?

As I reflect on several ‘chance’ meetings I can see a plan unfold in my life that has led to tremendous growth and blessings in my own life. Through my own sufferings I have grown and developed into who I am today.  Just to share a few…

Years ago, on a trip home from New York, we were on the expressway and the traffic was barely moving. We were in Cleveland and stopped at a rest area to take a break. We had replayed CD music over and over and even that was getting old. As we walked up the walkway a huge crowd was gathered outside.  It was September 11, 2011 and we were told what was going on. 

As the crowd grew larger, we all bonded there, from all walks of live over an American tragedy that we all knew, forever would change our lives, our country.  Fellow Americans had died while we had sat in our cars bitching about backed up traffic. We had all noticed no airplanes flying overhead and thought it odd.  Never had we dreamed what had taken place.  Never again would any of us be so foolish as to think stopped traffic was the end of the world. Keep your perspective on the road and in life. Patience truly is a virtue.  Living is what matters. You are given the blessing of life while others time has run out.

Driving home from celebrating Christmas with family, we stopped for gas one year.  In the restroom, I heard a young girl sobbing in the stall. With urging, I got her to come out.  She was afraid her mother’s boyfriend would hear her crying she told me.  We whispered so I could calm her down and find out what was going on as something told me this young girl needed me. She told me she was 10 years old. Red-eyed with pony tails I told her to ease her fear we would blast the water in the sink to cover our voices.  She was to tell him we did not talk and I only helped her clean up the sink and try to shut it off. 

Her story was that he had pushed her out of the moving car on his way to get gas while driving fast. Leaving her roadside, bruised and scrapped and cut up, he only came back a little later to pick her up. She was living in fear because he was very mean to her and hurt her.  I gave her advice on how to try to live with him and reiterated she must speak up to her teacher, doctor and anyone else she knew and thought to be a safe person about what was going on. If her mother wasn’t keeping her safe she needed to find someone who was.

At this point, a man began screaming at the door, yelling what apparently was her name. I yelled back, roughly as if I too was a foul mouthed woman telling him the sink was messed up and I was helping her clean it up. I whispered to her to not let a word on and just hang in there, pray to God and He will listen and tell a safe person as soon as she gets a chance, kissed and hugged her. I told her one day you will be safe like I got there!  She smiled and walked out. And I prayed, I prayed hard and I cried. And I thanked God for letting me have the chance to be a light of hope.  We all need to be the person that tells children that are hurting that the future can and will be brighter. And also, if their parents are hurting them, tell someone who cares and will do something about it. Be a child’s mouthpiece, God puts you there for a reason.

The first time I attended a camp for cancer survivors, I felt out of place. I wasn’t sure I would connect with any of the ladies there. The second morning I was there, I stepped in the restroom to take a shower and saw a woman at the sink. As she turned around, I saw this strange aura around her, like a golden light. She says she got a strange feeling about me. As we talked, we felt as if we had known each other for years. We quickly became soul mates.

Since that time, one of my dearest friends has seen me through a many tragedies and triumphs and I have been with her either in presence or spirit through hers. It can be in the strangest places that God brings into your life the greatest of his healers and allows you to be the great healer for others and soul mate for another. Do not walk into rooms with your eyes shut to strangers.

As I swam my laps in the pool, my foot came in contact with a person. I lifted my head and saw a stranger! Apologizing I found out it was a new person to our community I had just kicked hard in the abdomen of all places!  Feeling horrified, she laughed saying ouch as it had to hurt. The second time I met this nice lady was I had to interview her for the community newsletter I write for as she was a new resident.  Luckily she declined to comment on the “kick” in the article! LOL! 

Since that time, she and I have developed a very special friendship that continues to grow. I have friends in the community but prefer keeping intimate friendships more too very few. And yet, with this woman it is as if that kick worked backwards and was a kick to me. It is as if God kicked me and told me this woman is something extra special. I am not sure, if that hadn’t happened I would have reached out, conversed and spent the extra time getting to know her on the surface we have nothing in common and yet, in getting to know her, she is beautiful inside and out. She is truly enriching my life as our friendship grows.  I find myself almost grateful I kicked her and now thinking God had something to do with it because I truly do sometimes get too caught up in my own world. Be open and don’t get so comfortable that you are afraid to let others in. God may be putting them there for a reason.

On Jesus’s birth, many were in denial that a King could be born in a mere stable. They did not see 
this as a miracle. Do miracles really happen every day and do we recognize them? Can it be God’s plan that people really get bonded over 9/11 at a rest stop?  Can an abused girl crying for help receive
God’s answer through a stranger on Christmas day? We all need friends that are like soulmates. Is a miracle God giving you one that just relates to you one very level? And lastly but as importantly, is part of God’s master plan of Christmas like magic bringing new people into our life that we know are part of our future ?  I say yes, miracles happen daily and show the magic of Christmas should be celebrated and recognized and shared. I think that the blues post-Christmas should be offset by the realization that the magic of God’s power extends 365 days of the year and only begins with the birth of Christ and doesn’t end there. And with that, Merry Christmas to all! 

12/15/2017

King of Christmas


How many kings and fathers gave up their sons for me?  In a world where self-serving leaders seem focused more on meeting their own needs and fulfilling their agenda, it is hard to believe a leader would only care about us. Who enters the world humbly in a manger in a lowly stable and changes the faith of the world?

I often wonder why the Christmas season is the time when the focus is so heavy on spending money. Jesus had a message about everything but wealth. His was a message of love and of leading others to his Father. Yet on the anniversary of his birth, even as adults, we celebrate by being more focused on gift buying and giving than on the birthday of the greatest of Kings.

Who among us has touched more lives?  Which leader has heard more praise, more whispers asking for help or more cries of gratefulness than Jesus?  And to think he started in a stable, a place where horses are kept, smelly and cold that night in Bethlehem.

Are you keeping in your Christmas Christ?  When you think of the celebration of the holidays and look at your tree, do you remember the light on the top of the tree is more in remembrance of the North Star leading three wise Kings to behold Jesus?  The angel on others trees should remind us all that the angels had their voices raised in unison at the glory of the birth and what was to come.  They knew what so many were too naive to believe and see, a King of all Kings was among us and would show the way for ages to come.

St. Nick is a wonderful tradition. Giving of gifts has its place during the holiday season. Gathering around the tree is indeed splendid as is many of the other age-old traditions. However, if you are not leaving out time to reflect on the most inspiring part of Christmas, rejoicing over the birth of Jesus, Christmas is like a tree unlit.  The blues after Christmas will hit you for certain because the light of Christ will not be lit within you. 


So as I asked myself how many kings, leaders, icons have given up so much for me, the answer is one. And I continue and ask you what man has influenced history and mankind more than any other by his life which was cut short by disbelief in his goodness?  The answer is found in Christmas, Jesus, the reason, so please keep the baby in the manager in your heart this season and let His light shine in yours!


12/11/2017

Christmas Reflections for Our Soldiers


I am sure many have read this over the years but it bears posting it again. Our armed services from all countries must never be forgotten over the Christmas season.  The poem below was written by a United States Marine serving.  

CHRISTMAS POEM

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

 NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.


WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
 AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
 A SOBER THOUGHT
 CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

 FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
 IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
 I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
                                              ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

 THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
 SILENT, ALONE,
 CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
 IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

 THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
 THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
 NOT HOW I PICTURED
 A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

 WAS THIS THE HERO
 OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
 CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
 THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

 I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
 THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
 OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
 WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

 SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
 THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
 AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
 A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.




 I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
 HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
 ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
 IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

 THE VERY THOUGHT
 BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
 I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
 AND STARTED TO CRY.

 THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
 AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
 "SANTA DON'T CRY,
 THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

 I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
 I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
 MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
 MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

 THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
 AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
 I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
 I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

 I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
 SO SILENT AND STILL
 AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
 FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

 I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
 ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
 THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
 SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

 THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
 WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
 WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
 IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

 ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
 AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
 "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
 AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

For any serving reading this, God bless you, keep you safe from harm and know those of us at home wish you the Merriest Christmas ever! 

12/09/2017

Lighting up Christmas

Oh my, as a child I loved Christmas Vacation thinking Chevy Chase was the man! All those
lights on the house, my little heart was broken when he went to plug in the lights and kaboom, the fuse blew and the fire hazard of the county only fired up for a second. I wondered why our home never even looked remotely like that!  So I was determined, when I grew up, my home would be a replica of his. That desire lasted very shortly, about the time I decided a rockin’ Christmas had more to do with other things than lighting up!  

The first house I moved into I was pregnant with my second baby on the way. I was twenty and already had a two year old child, Mike. My baby, or rather one to come shortly was due at Christmas.  The name I had picked out was Christopher, so sure it would be a boy born on the 25th of December.  We were moving to Northern Kentucky from Cincinnati, Ohio to our dream starter home, a bi-level house spending every last penny we had and borrowing enough to make a down payment.  The neighborhood was small in comparison to many nearby and everyone appeared to know each other there so we assumed we would fit right in.    

Our real estate agent failed to inform us our community was in the news practically every Christmas. Yes, we had landed in the Christmas Street of the city and county! It might have been nice to know so we could have budgeted for this.  So, here we are, first new home, struggling just to buy lawn hose, lawn mower, curtains, curtain rods, etc. thus Christmas lights and elaborate decorations for the outside of the house was low on the priority list.

Little did we know we were going to be targeted by the neighbors and fodder for gossip. It began getting filtered back to us by the very few that spoke to us.  We were seeing neighbors working diligently outside mounting things on their homes, stringing lights for hours, items appearing in their yard but I didn’t pay a great deal of attention. I had a small child I was running after and a painful back from a baby in an odd position in my belly. 

One night as we are sitting in our family room, we realize it is lit up in our house like a Christmas tree even though ours isn’t up yet. Approaching the window my husband yells at me to come look. Damn if the entire street isn’t loaded with more lights than Wally World has in inventory during the entire holiday season! And the creatures on the lawn and on the roof tops are too numerous to count. There were baby Jesus’s that had multiplied like rabbits as well as North Stars, snowmen and Rudolphs up to 3 feet above homes! 

As we stepped outside our front door we were met with another shocker, a sign hung across the entire street. It hung from one chimney to the other chimney’s house two neighbors living directly across from each other. It was made in big squares with each square containing letters and held together by a chain above it.  It read Happy New Year with Christmas icon pictures painted in huge colors so that each box was filled to cover the entire street with boxes.  We later learned each huge square was made water proof.  The sign was lined with lights so it was viewable at night quite well! Walking down the street we saw the other side said, as you drove up the street, Merry Christmas.

The entire street was like walking down the Las Vegas strip, as light as in the day, full of color and diversity of personality, except for our bleak looking black house, looking like we belonged in the projects.  I walked my wobbling fat bottom back up the hill to my house, leaving my husband gaping with his mouth wide open behind. I wanted to hide in the shadow of our house.

It wasn’t but a few nights later, I begun to hate those neighbors.  My son, Mike was a very light sleeper who woke up when he heard the heater kick on at night. Well, to add to the Christmas cheer, the neighbors blasted Christmas music for all the cars that began hitting our street, stopping and walking it. There was young and old. There were cars stopping on all sides, blocking driveways so if you went anywhere you couldn’t get back in your driveway until you found where the car blocking your driveway was and the same was true when you wanted to leave.  As I was having cravings, this made it rough when I had ice cream or pickle cravings.  Imagine being pregnant under these circumstances.

The music played every night from 6 p.m. to midnight.  So the only time I got a break from my dear son was gone!  He was either frequently caught peeking out the window at the throes of people outside or whining about having to listen to Santa is coming to Town every night at least 10 times, asking me to make it stop!  Our weak TV couldn’t over blast it.  

That Christmas, our first year in a home, I saw how Christmas lights can become a competition as the neighbors constantly talked of what they were adding the following year. When one wasn’t outdoors, the others would talk about how they were going to outdo each other. I was glad to know that no one was talking about how to outdo me!  I made sure, from that Christmas on, that was never a problem! Decorate by never being the one everyone on the street hates.

As Christmas drew near, my spirit began to soar. I put my Christmas candy in candy dishes being a candyahlic, requiring a lot less working than climbing ladders stringing lights all over the dang house and roof. When I came home from church one Saturday night, my husband and I noted the dish was empty.  As we looked at our dog, Max, our golden retriever had a few pieces of red and green foil stuck on his doggie collar. There was a chocolate thief in the house!  And you know what the means?  Someone is going to made piles of a chocolate mess all over the floor!

So, thank God for the light works on the street because our vet informed us for the next 3 hours we had to take turns walking him up and down the street.  This drudgery was to be done until he either vomited it up or pooped it out. Max never did either but enjoyed the lengthy walk.  To this day, I have no idea what happened. He never developed diarrhea but I, in my pregnancy state, developed severe leg cramps as we lived on a steep hill.   I swear that dog was laughing the entire time manipulating us to get the longest walk of his life out of us.  Bah humbug, I never bought those damn chocolate mint Christmas bells again!

Finally Christmas arrived and no baby.  But I knew the days of hearing Christmas music playing all hours of the night would be behind us so that was cause to celebrate. Too often, the neighbors were forgetting to turn it off and we were hearing the music in the wee a.m. hours now! 

Bright and early Christmas morning, our doorbell rang. You know how the early hour is, you are in your pajamas, your hair looks like you were in a wild windstorm, and you look half-awake.  My husband and I looked at each other. We both were challenging each, who is going to address the door, and also wondering who comes to the door that early on Christmas morning.  So, for some reason, we both headed that way as Max ran to the door. We knew one of us would have to hold him back as his Merry Christmas would be a wet kiss regardless of the absence of mistletoe.


Opening the door, expecting one person, we were shocked. On the other side was a group of what appeared carolers. But no, this congregation was about 10 neighbors, all looking
wide awake and bushy tailed saying Merry Christmas!  They said as new neighbors they wanted to give us a gift and held out a package for us to open. My husband then gave me the honors. As I opened it thinking maybe I had somewhat misjudged them as being way too much into Christmas.  With the first tear, I realized my gut is a good judge for staring me in the face was a box of Christmas lights. My husband was slapped on the back with a “Now there is no excuse for you next year to get your house all decked out with lights, here’s your first strand to get your going Mike, Happy New Year bud!”  And with that, they walked away.  I smiled at him and said “Merry Christmas Chevy!”  

11/22/2017

Caribbean Cruise Fun - Part 2


Continuing my reflections on a recent cruise:




On the Grand Caymen Island the most common adventure seems to be the stingrays. Signs around call it  Stingray City. So not to miss out on the experience we boarded a boat to see
what we had missed all our life. We went in shallow water with our fellow tourists and stood in a small circle as stingrays swam all around us and between us. Such an odd feeling and I tried to clear my mind of Steve Irwin. We were told not to react or move even though this large creepy creatures were swarming all around us as our leaders were feeding them so they would feast in our area.  They said the worst thing we could do was everyone’s first inclination, run away, back to the ship.  

On the agenda was for each of us to take turns holding one while one of the crew held it and then we were to kiss the underneath belly side of the stingray. The reason for kissing a stingray is legend has it that it will bring you seven years of good luck. Okay, I did it but how gross did that feel, that slimy skin.  Oh and that side is right by the mouth.
 Petting it was rather odd, though many said how cute. I am not sure that is the adjective that came to mind but I am an animal lover at heart.  As I turned around, after my turn of kissing said creature,  while one man held one, he placed it up against my back and it climbed up to my neck while he said “whoa” and I tried to remain calm. That was the weirdest feeling!

Another crew member gave me a squid piece and told me to hold its dead head away from my hands a few inches under water so a sting ray could suck it out like a vacuum. Keep in
mind this is the same woman who hates handling worms on a fishing hook.  Can you even imagine my face handling dead squid and waiting for a huge stingray to come back and suck it literally out of my hand?  The crew member walked away quickly leaving me standing there with a dead squid in my hand as stingrays began encircling me. My husband began shaking his head letting me know in no uncertain terms he was not taking it from me!  So I dipped my hand down, multiple times, with my eyes side open cringing and not once did one grab it. Each time I was waiting to have my hand gobbled up. A few times I hear a few folks in the water get slight stings.  After a few of them swarming around  began either caressing my legs and seeming to suck on them, I was adequately freaked out enough to hunt down another man on our ship and literally say “Take this squid, I am heading back to our boat!  I had had enough.”  As I headed for the boat, my husband trailed letting me know the stingrays were trailing after me. It did not matter, I wasn’t looking back by then, making a beeline to the ladder and figured I’d admire them from the safety of the ship. Apparently the delicacy of the squid smell, I was told, must have been hanging on my legs.  How wonderful.

The snorkeling stops were next and were unbelievable and so beautiful in Grand Caymen! So many fish and coral to view!  I must admit this was a highlight and the area we were allowed to explore expansive. Exactly what a snorkeling excursion should be. The last one was over wreckage providing plenty of nooks and crannies to find creatures’ large and small hiding that you might not otherwise see in the ocean.

Showtimes on the ship are 7:30 and 9:30 every night. Doors open one half hour in advance. It never fails people show up late or right within five minutes of start time and obstruct others view.  One night as we are sitting behind friends, a couple decides to sit to the left of them, dead center in the middle of the row just a few minutes before the show. They inform our friends they are saving seats for a group coming shortly. As time ticks away slowly people come to the row, and each time, every one of the eight in the group we know have to repeatedly stand up to let each person walk past them. By the time the fourth came past, it became quite funny as our group were growing frustrated. 

One finally asks the initial couple if they know how many more people are coming so they know how many more times they are going to have to stand up with their drinks. It is starting to look like a Catholic Mass and the entire row we are sitting in is laughing by now. The latecomer tells them t she is not sure.  One suggests the next time they come earlier or sit closer to the end!  Finally the either simply stand and are left there for five more minutes while folks dwindle in over that timeframe into the first few minutes of the introduction of the show as more people come from that group.  People are just plain rude.   Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean you ignore etiquette.

Next the port of Aruba.  When we boarded this catamaran, immediately the full sails went up and we were booking it faster than ever. We had high winds and it was so memorable and
the shoreline was well within view. This part of the excursion was gratifying! The crew explained post snorkeling we were allowed to drink from an open bar they would operate.  However, immediately after telling us, we all noticed they were pounding down the drinks themselves. It was hilarious to see a crew drinking and driving on the high seas without pirate hats on!  Were we witnesses to their blasphemy?  The irony of paying to be on a tour where we are being served water as a crew guide drinks liquor was not lost on me!


 In Aruba, the snorkeling was exactly what nobody wants to do, be in a traffic jam in the water. This is when a crew puts you in a small area with tons of people where you can literally not swim with your legs straight without kicking each other. The space was so small several folks got out of the water within five minutes due to crammed quarters. 
Again, I am long-legged for a woman, a former basket-ball player in high school so suffer right along with the men in the boat. I found my way to the perimeter by found quickly ropes anchoring our boat and a few other boats in the area impede your movements, haha! And were beyond where we were supposed to go as several crew members yelled at me and a few others that dared to go that far from the mass crowd that looked like Black Friday in the water.

Finally one of the crew members on the boat jumped in and pulled the borders out beyond another boat and allowed us to move beyond. I think they realized someone was going to drown a few folks so they could move, whether intentional or accidental. Plus, how do you keep track of head counts in the water with all that congestion?  It really had no effect and it was the shortest snorkel experience I ever had but the viewing was nice. 


The ride to the beaches in Aruba was short but the time at the beach was splendid. The beaches are some of the prettiest I have ever seen! There could never be enough time there because the water is so clear.  I will forever hold that memory dear!  The beaches lined with tiki huts and beauty as far as the eye can see.


One night I experienced the rockiest night on the ocean ever. Everyone was walking as if they were drunk. This was the only night in the entire vacation you could truly not separate the sober from the not. The waves were so heavy they were creating white tops on the ocean.  I quickly learned that I do not experience sea sickness any longer. Everyone walked down the hallways zig zagging so much that it was quick easy entertainment to literally open your door and stare down the hallway.   You could only go up or down the stairs holding the guardrails or risk falling over.  It was pretty funny to see the dance crew that night perform live and have some unexpected tumbles with some added giggles.

Bonaire was where we had trained to be, biking 5-6 miles a day. We picked a biking expedition that had electric bikes knowing we would have assistance, lots of it as the ride
was 20 miles around half of the island. However, surprises were in store for us!  When we arrived, after being transported to where the bikes were housed (!) the bikes electric was only a slight assistance and we would be pedaling the entire time.  And the ride was 25 miles!  OMG was my immediate and frequent response. 

As we started, for some reason, my husband and I opted to be the last in line as we started our trek and our guide, who was lucky enough to get to ride in his truck said we must ride single file. If anyone had a problem, they were to raise their hand and he would be looking out for them. The bikes had a feature where you could raise the level of the power of the electric motor to help assist you from 0 to 6.  Onward we started with a horrible headwind as he had forewarned us.

As luck would have it, who in the group landed up with a bike malfunctioning? That would be moi!  Yes, my bike’s button would not work so as everyone else is using assisted motors mine is stuck on 0 traveling for over a mile or two with a strong headwind trying to pedal as fast as everyone else. We are in heavy traffic as my husband is trying to shout sensing something is wrong with my bike, since I am waving backwards at him. Once we hit the outsides of town, some 4 miles out and the rest of the group is well out of sight and he has been raising his hand upwards to no avail to our trusted leader, he motions for me to pull over. He finds a small button that he can use his pocket knife to knock on my electric motor but he can only get it up to level 3 or it bounces back to 0.  Onward we go pulling back on to the road to attempt to catch up pedaling as if we are in the Great Race or the Tour de France. Unbelievably this is where our conditioning comes in and we actually manage to get within eye sight of the last biker after several more miles and finally the tour guide truck has, by then, pulled the entire group over to see what happened to us! 

As we are met with angry faces of other bikers because we apparently slowed down their
methodical ride, we are then told that my bike was just picked up from the shop the night before. Oh, and the real clincher, the guide informs me that he had not had time to check it out to see if it was working.  I glance at my husband to see his nostrils flaring. Somehow, after much finagling between him and my husband they get the electric motor to a level 4 and he tells me not to touch it and flag him if it moves. For the remainder of all those miles, no matter how strong the head wind was, unlike other riders, I could not elevate to a 5 or 6. And when it dropped I had to ride until we could get his attention to pump it back up. Note: with miles separating the front rider from the back riders and a curvy road, what do you think the chances were of him seeing our hands up in the air signaling to pull over?   I am forever grateful my husband stayed behind me so I was not stranded or I would still be out there pedaling without moving forward in that headwind! As we headed back onto that cruise ship, we asked each other “How great are we?”   Back in Florida, we find our measly 5-6 miles biking is a total piece of cake now!


Our toilet had a little problem towards the end of our trip. And apparently our next door neighbors did too as we heard the plumbing crew working on theirs also, loud swishing sounds or rather whoosh at odd times of the day and night. The first time it happened we had returned to our cabin after a night out and argued over who had gone in there last and forgot to flush!  When it didn’t work after pushing the cute little button several times to no avail, we had to call Housekeeping.

Waiting for someone to come up, not knowing they could access it without entering the room, we found ourselves at midnight lying on our bed fully clothed in formal clothes for an hour!  And the whole time we weren’t sure if we should be laughing or frustrated. After the third time it stopped up in four days, we thought about buying our neighbors a drink to commiserate the misery of the plugged toilet issue as we were trading the issue. Note: we had the bonus of unlimited drinks on the cruise so it would not have been a budget stretch to buy them anything they wanted at the bar! Perhaps the next batch of travelers were lucky and not backed up with a clogged john.

The adventure of going to 5 ports over 11 days was an experience for sure!  Each had its
own unique personality and showed a different sort of culture of the people living there. The
one thing that is hard on a cruise is the short time in port limits the time you spend there so
you get to see but a snapshot. Having said that, at some, that is all you may want to see!  We enjoyed each of them for varying reasons!  I would have liked more time at all of them though. Call me a lover of the Caribbean islands I suppose! All in all, it was a fun funny filled adventure I remember for a lifetime!


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