Today I finally unpacked my suitcases and put them away. Did some laundry and a few other chores before picking up William to come help me take down the new TV off the wall and repack it. We took it back to amAndre‘s and explained that it had the blue screen of death. I decided to spend the extra $150 to get the 65 inch LG rather than the 55 inch Samsung. We stop that Arby’s to grab milkshakes and mozzarella sticks before heading home to unpack and hang the new TV. Unfortunately, the bolts for the wall mount did not fit into the new TV so we just set it on it stand for now. I dropped Will off at home and went to Canadian Tire to get some machine screws that would fit properly and picked up a lovely poinsettia while I was there. Once I got home, I made a nice taco dinner and then programmed the TV. I am happy with the picture and the size. It’s nice to finally be sitting in my little La-Z-Boy with my feet up taking a break and enjoying my shows.
Tracey’s daughter, Sandi, was in the Frank Slide liquor store when An apparently drunk taxi driver piled into it! Sounds like no one was hurt at at least
I slept in, went to the office for a while and then headed to Andre’s to buy a TV on the Black Friday deals. I chose a 55” Samsung and the guys put it in my car. I picked up Sawyer who came and helped me hang it and then headed to the Heidout to meet other Rotarians to work the Santa Parade. It was fun n and I am always happy to work it. It is so nice to hear friends n folks as they are leaving that I rocked it and kept them safe. I also rocked flashing antlers and red nose
We all hung out for a bit of food and beverages after at the hideout and then I came home to set up my TV. Unfortunately, there is something wrong with it, and I have to return it tomorrow. I called for support and they agree. Dang
The morning didn’t start out that great when I realized I’d fallen asleep before getting the message that Lukas and Kael were in a car that went off the road and landed on its side last night. They had been sledding with the youth group and were being driven home by one of the leaders. I guess they were just shaken up, but are all OK
It’s really such a simple thing, but when I left work, I had to superstore intending to get some groceries. I had found a gift card in my wallet so I put it towards the bill and using my PC optimum points valued at $70. The bill was cut in half. As I walked out of there, I felt good making some smart choices for lunches, etc. in the upcoming week as well as picking up quite a few Christmas presents/stocking stuffers. And it felt like it was practically free.
I was happy that it didn’t snow more today so I didn’t have to shovel when I got home. It is odd how the driveway is melting in a couple of places, not sure where the heat is coming from. Maybe the payment is still curing. 
I’m going to sleep now as I took a special beverage in order to have a nice long sleep
Today was very good in spite of the snow. I did manage to get a lot done and feel confident that I will finish everything tomorrow in anticipation of the month end. I did take the time to go to Rotary lunch for the first time in a long time and it was an interesting presentation by the RCMP about the community program. One of the things that they are trying as a pilot project is the industrial area neighbourhood watch.
I worked my Tushka off and then just as I was leaving the office around 8 PM. I got a text from Bejea that she was at Fenwick. Did I want to join her for a drink? I said sure, and then walked outside that it had snowed a fair amount. I’m glad I went though because I sat between her and Blair and had a great chat about my trip. Also got an opportunity to talk to Dave who I have not seen in a long time and said he misses me and that we should get together when he’s back after December 8. I was glad to make that connection as I felt like he had been avoiding me, but I guess it was just missed connections.
I really am enjoying sharing different details about my trip and it helps me too. Remember the things that I love the most my honest answer when anyone asked me how the trip was is that it was life-changing and it truly was.
I had a good day at work. I accomplished a lot and stayed calm. I decided that I would go and serve for the senior Christmas dinner at Colombo Lodge. It is always such a joy to see everyone so happy and enjoying a nice turkey dinner for five dollars. I think it is. All the money goes to charities as the supplies are all donated. We really have an incredible city here. There were so many people there to help prep ever since Friday and as many again to help serve tonight, including firemen and policemen. The student ambassadors always come out in force to help as well.
It was especially nice for me when John came and mentioned that I was missed helping him set up this year. He knows I am as particular about the table setting as he is, and it caused a lot of stress having to reset things. I assured him I would be there next year.
Feel my negative in the day and really I didn’t let it bother me. Is that a woman that I know from salt Spring Island asked me a couple months ago to join her June’s journey team. It’s a game of seek and find. I told her at the time I was very busy and that I would be away for a good chunk of time, but I will give it a try. It turns out she is very competitive and freaked out a little in the message for space so I decided that it wasn’t for me. I don’t play games on my iPad to add more stress to my life. She messaged me a little bit rudely about how I didn’t have time to play the game, but I didn’t have time to put up all those pictures on Facebook during my trip. I took a breath and just told her that if we were going to lose a friendship over a silly game so be it. She did respond that that was not her intention and she would like you to keep playing with them, but I have already decided. I am not going to. I am only accepting joy in my life if I can control it.
Donna did message me tonight while I was serving dinners that uncle Lawrence fell down the stairs at the house tonight and bang his head hard and is pretty bruised up and he was brought by ambulance to Cranbrook. They are going to do a CT and she is with him. There’s a part of me that thinks I should probably go there and be with her but the other part is tired out and I’m on the edge of getting a cold so I have taken a pill for nighttime relief and I am going to sleep.
Today was another busy but lovely day. I was touched by the thoughtful gesture of an acquaintance who saw a puzzle and candle set and thought of me. Tiffany dropped it off on my porch last night.
After work I met Bejea at F&B to give her the things I’d brought back for her. She loved the pin that Rae had traded for, thought the Disney branded toiletries were a hoot, and couldn’t believe she actually has black sand from Greece.
I thoroughly enjoyed sharing architecture photos that I took as they caused an emotional response in her.
I really do feel a solid place in the world. It was good to go away, and be happy to be back.
It’s hard to explain how great today was. One would think that the busy Monday after returning from 38 days away would be chaotic but it wasn’t. Even waking up ridiculously early to snow falling from the sky let me happy. I just put a show on and got on the treadmill to get some steps in and then got myself ready and went to the office. Once there, I had a lovely chats with the ladies and then go to 6 1/2 hours of work on one company at a common lovely pace. I then decided to do a few personal things that I needed to before heading home. Once I was in the car, I thought it would just be nice to go check in at my local, Fenwick & Baker where I had a lovely visit with bartender Robby as I had a snack and a beverage. And then I came home to relax and watch some more of my shows and just enjoy the calm, peaceful state that I am in.
I did talk to my cousin Jamie’s wife Tracey about taking over future cruise planning and feel good about that choice. I look forward to having something to look forward to.
I relaxed, watched some shows, did some laundry grabbed my mail which included my first Christmas card, from Bea & Mike in the UK, and then went to the office
What I found there made me well up. The women in the co-working space had sone up a royal welcome home. I even had a martini glass of m&m candy and a towel animal!!! Talk about feeling appreciated and loved. It sure made it easier to be back. I managed to clear up my inbox and take care of a few client items
Family dinner was a poke bowl buffet for Wills 14th birthday. I was happy for him that he tanked up to Corporal and he seemed to like the personal smoothie blender that I got him
I stopped at Safeway and gathered a few groceries and then came home to figure out my step count
It was so very late when we finally got checked in and I got settled in bed, well after 3 am
Later this same morning it was up and off to the airport for a long days journey to home which is only a 4.5 hour drive away
I have officially hit the wall….. today was supposed to be my rest with my feet up after a CBD bath bomb bath to soothe my joints day. Instead we are schlepping all over the province. I am trying not to be cranky but I am finally and completely peopled out and my right foot is done. Poor Rae is in a super chipper mood, lol.
I have struggled today but we made it to Kelowna which is a far nicer airport than Cranbrook
We decided to use our vouchers from the airline and had some good food and drinks at Whitespot.
I have been struggling with pain so I tried my usual sleep to evade it but couldn’t get comfie. I decided to use my Dads method; a couple of pain killers and belly up to the bar for scotch. I settled on a nummy Japanese Whisky and had great conversation with Mike from Dryden who is heading to Cranbrook to look after his aging parents future. And then it was time to board
I loved when I found out that the last leg was Pacific Coastal as that was my transport for my entire Bella Bella era. when the Captain gave a warning about ice hitting the fuselage, it made me feel at home.
I have been annoyed with the last two trusted travellers lines as they made me take numerous things out of my carryon and take off my belt, etc. They are behind the times in Calgary and Kelowna as that has not been necessary for the entire rest of my trip.
Roger met us at the airport and when he dropped me off Rae-Anne, I pulled all of my things out of her suitcase and off they went. I ran a bath with Epson salts and a CBD bath, bomb and soaked for a bit and now I am ready to sleep, earliest night in a very long time.
Slept a little later. Packed and tried to balance weight between me and Rae’s suitcase. I did leave behind a pair of very worn out shoes. Decided to head to Disney Springs to check things out as we didn’t have to drop off the rental car until 3. It was hot, there was lots to see. I got more stamps in my Lego passport.
We were both getting cranky meaning it was time to eat. We sat at the bar in Wine Bar George and tried to deal with the texts and email flooding inboxes as our WestJet flight had been heavily delayed. (Supposed to leave just before 6pm and just taxiing down the runway now at 10:25) we were sent info for hotel rooms and meal vouchers $15 x 3
The first thing I did was get our car drop off changed to 6 so we could relax a little bit. Once we left DS which apparent has the largest Disney store in the world (it was big!), we set a course for Target on the way to the airport. There I purchased a lovely Cat and Jack kid’s carryon suitcase and we proceeded to pull all our luggage out onto a grassy spot in the parking lot and move things around to make sure we had what we needed for the night and to get more weight out of my suitcase.
Once at the check-in we still had to play with moving things and weighing until I didn’t have to pay overweight fee.
I was using TSA precheck and it should have gotten me through way faster than Rae but I forgot that I had water in my metal bottle. The guard kindly escorted me out the back way so that I could empty it and go through again.
We both took the tram and met near the Steakhouse where we had dinner before heading to the gate
We didn’t take off until well after 10. I did manage to get one last glimpse of the Magic Kingdom
We started a little later but hit Epcot and three major rides before it got too busy and too hot. I enjoyed them all but loved Guardians of the Galaxy
We walked in the heat, continuing to enjoy some of the treats from the food and wine festival, and did the ratatouille ride. I was getting very deflated by the heat though so we decided it was time to head for other shores. The two older ladies that Rae-Anne talked to on the bus in the morning, gave us a clear route to take for the day which included a boat across, a train, a monorail, and a Skyliner 
Next up was Magic Kingdom to make sure that we got to ride Tron again and it was very worth it
Now it was cool enough to go back to Epcot to finish the rides we’d missed and collect our special treat dessert.
Now we hopped on the Skyliner and with one transfer made it to Hollywood Studios. We did Rise of the Resistance, had snacks and fancy bevies at Olga’s, shopped a little and then our last official ride was Toy Story Mania where, as usual, Rae won. My feet are beyond use and I am curious how many steps I have put in over the last 36 days. We are now sitting on a bus heading back to the Ranchos for tomorrow we Pack.
Off at a more reasonable time on the bus to the park. Started with delicious spring rolls and headed to Rae’s favourite, Tiana’s Bayou. I got very wet and she got a wet butt.
Next was Pirates of the Caribbean and the Tiki Tiki room 
Neither of us manage to focus a resource in the stone, but we did do a few more rides that were a lot of fun
A quick bite from Gaston’s and on with the day. After the ride I stood in line e to meet Ariel and asked for a message to my new friend Bejea
Yes, there are Scentsy sponsored Smellephants…
Tron was amazing!!!!!!
Carousel of Progress has been updated a bit. Monsters Laugh was great and interactive. It was lovely as the sun set and the rocket ride on top of a diner was delightful. They made us detour through backlot as the crowds were large on Main Street.
We decided we had time to do Tiana’s again before the fireworks and were in front and I got a tidal wave of soaked
We finally headed back on the bus, dropped our stuff and changed out of wet clothes before walking over to the Coronado Springs main tower to find food. Ended up grabbing to go and walking back. My nachos were so good but I paid dearly with heartburn. The bus driver was famous Steve from Brooklyn.
Pandora was the area I was most looking forward to so we got up at 6:30 and were at Animal Kingdom in time for rope drop and were able to ride Avatar twice in less than an hour as well as see all the other attractions in Pandora before the crowds. It did not disappoint and was well worth getting up so early
The next stop was on Safari and exploring that whole area of the park. Because of the time of day we chose, the animals were all out and it was absolutely incredible way better than we expected it was going to be. 
I loved happening upon a classic tortoise and the ‘hare’
The Dinosaur ride was the laughable worst one. It did get revenge on our laughter by pickpocketing Rae and we were lucky to get her phone back in a reasonable length of time
A funny moment was when we were in the dark on the Everest ride, and my watch suddenly notified that I take a hard fall!
We took the car back to the hotel and jumped on the bus to go to Epcot for the evening for the food and wine international event. By the end of the year, my feet were killing me, but we did eat our share of portions at the different countries sharing everything so we could try more and then we watch most of the fireworks before heading back to the bus and home to drop exhausted 
I was up early, got ready and left everything set to go in my room while I went and had a last goodbye with G&K. On the way I was blessed to run into and hug many connections including the lovely widow from across the dining room, Sandy and Lily, the lost suitcase, Marnée fashioned friends, many of the solos group, and David, the 360 video guy that I met on an excursion. Hardest to let go weee G&K. We agreed to ‘see you soon, forever friend’. The funny thing was that we kept running into each other.
Leaving the ship was complicated by US Customs. Once we got going it seemed to go pretty smooth. When I made it to the booth we had a good laugh about my Lego passport and then he told me that Coronado Springs was his absolute favourite and he goes there 2 or 3 times a year
Deb and Dave ultimately showed up and we got an Uber to take us to the airport for our rental cars.
There was a hiccup in how I was told to get my car but eventually I did and was thrilled with the choice.
The fall colours on the drive between Ft Lauderdale and Orlando were lovely and surprising
Finally I was here and Rae was waiting. We spent the afternoon and evening enjoying all the rides and a delicious dinner. The only negative was a ride where a father and son shot water continuously in our direction and my runners got soaked. By the end of the day I was limping but also really enjoying myself. The double roller coaster is the most horrifying one I have ever been on and we were in front car!
We stopped at a gas station to grab some snacks and came back to drop, exhausted
Today was bittersweet as I enjoyed my last game of Mahjong with Stephanie, Sandy and Marsha as well as my last trivia game with John, Joe, Barry, Glynn and Kathy. I won a game at the first and we came in fourth at trivia behind second place only 2.5 points. It was a lot of fun and I’m glad that John from the UK mentioned when we were sitting on a bus during an excursion that he wanted to play some trivia and I pulled this team together and we all ended up having a lot of fun. I got a great hug from him.
I tried to relax as much as possible today, but there was laundry to do, payroll to run, and packing. There were a couple of annoyances in the day, but overall it was good and I ended up sitting on the Lido deck reading for an hour or more, which is something I will miss.
Deb and Dave, Glynn and Kathy and myself had dinner at eclipse where Joe joined us mid meal and stayed for dessert and the visit
It was nice to spend time together on our last night, but I admit to getting annoyed when Deb declared Canada is a communist country and when I said she may have overstated that bit, she adamantly said that she did not. at that point I just excuses myself to go to the washroom as I had had a beverage or two and did not want to engage.
My cabin steward was very happy when I told him the clothes I’d left behind where his to dole out as he wished and that I had left the Canadian Pin and money for him. He told me his sister would love the pin and that he would find the nicest and prettiest woman on the crew to give the clothes to. He also told me he would miss me that I was very easy to care for and I must say he did care for me well and went above and beyond.
I will miss the friends I’ve made on the ship, the relaxing by the pool, the drum of the engines, and the gentle motion of the ship. I look forward to meeting Rae-Anne tomorrow.
It’s just a shame that Joe won’t be showing up with his granddaughters until Friday, which is the day that we will be leaving. I have really enjoyed getting to know him and I’m glad we are parting as friends who said see you soon.
It was the same with the goodbyes with Glynn and Kathy. There was to be no great sadness but just, See you soon.
On my way back to the room to finish packing and tuck in for the night, I heard a voice and realized it was Barry our trivia team member from Calgary. I had heard him singing earlier in the pop choir and now he was doing karaoke.
It’s hard to believe the day after tomorrow we will be leaving the ship. I did have a lot packed in today because it was also a payday Friday and one of my clients especially was frustrating and not providing the proper information so their employee will not get paid on time. I don’t like when this happens I feel responsible even when it’s not my responsibility.
I did play Mahjong and we did well in trivia and for only the second time this trip I went and sat on the deck and read my book for a while before meeting with the gang for a beverage, and then off for dinner at the Crown Grill with G&K
The dinner was good but I am feeling that it is all just too much
There was a great sendoff celebration in the Piazza
One of my favourite things of this entire day was receiving a picture from Kathy that she took when I was following Paul and Ginger in Mallorca. It may be one of my favourite pictures of me ever.
A little work, a little play, a little planning kind of day
Mahjong was fun but no win today. Getting a better understanding of strategy for hands.
Had lunch with Sandy in O’Malleys
We are now third in Trivia and today was sports; we got 13/20
Stopped and purchased the only two Pandora dragonflies on board
Found a duck! I was so excited that it was a Princess one!
Joe and I worked on the scavenger hunt and had a visit with Glynn and Kathy about future travel and costs before we all split to get ready for dinner. I met Sandy and Lily for a meal at Sabatini’s. The lasagna was delicious
After dinner I changed and headed up to 18 to claim a hot tub and watch a movie. It was Fly me to the Moon. It was charming and I had a good soak before relaxing on a sun lounger for the rest of it.
Today was just pretty great in all the ways. I circled the women early to play Mahjong so that those of us who wanted to could attend the Remembrance Day/Veterans Day ceremony. I won another game which was exciting and then Stephanie‘s husband saved us seats and I’m very glad I went. It was an extremely emotionally service well handled considering all of the nations on the ship and I was told later by an officer that that was the first time that so many major officers attended.
I did receive a text from Rae-Anne that William had passed out standing at attention at the service in Cranbrook. I guess he’s OK but it was scary.
I headed up to Lido deck for some food and while I was sitting there looking out, obsessed with the ocean, I saw some plant life. I took a picture and used Google lens to find out that we are in the Sargasso Sea. How cool is that?
It turns out we are in second in trivia with the ABC united and we didn’t do too bad today with the nature category. Tomorrow is sports so that should be interesting.
I learned that there is a nail salon on the ship so I walked up and booked an appointment for 345 with a lovely woman from Jamaica. As she was doing my nails, I even saw a rainbow over her shoulder.
I purposely wore my bathing suit to my appointment so I would make myself go in the hot tub as it would be a shame to not have done that on this trip
I then went and got ready for dinner and luminescence night although I didn’t entirely know what I was going to do. As it turned out I stopped for a beverage at the wheelhouse and was joined by Glynn and Kathy and then Dave and Debbie and after a visit I joined D&D for dinner in eclipse. It was delicious and not too heavy, which was a nice change.
After dinner, D&D and I wandered to the Piazza where I caught up with my friends and struggled not to dance on my bad ankle. Joe has been an especially good friend making sure that I am not overdoing it and sent me home lol
It is set the clocks back an hour night, which is good because tomorrow’s also a work day
triumphgal 