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
With the setting of the clock back several times over the last week I seem to be getting enough sleep and waking up early. I put this to my advantage today getting payroll run before heading to play Mahjong. As always, I had a nice time with Sandy, Stephanie and Marsha. I haven’t won again, but I am definitely learning the game better and watching for strategies.
I decide to have lunch at O’Malley‘s, but sadly was disappointed in the fish and chips. Next was trivia, where the subject was fashion. We did remarkably well and after the last two rounds are in second place.
I stopped a chat with the girl in the shops who was working the Pandora desk. We were just chatting about our tattoos, etc., and as I turned to walk away, she let out a little shreak and said oh my goodness come and look. I have a tattoo on the back of my left shoulder in honour of my cousin Kelly, which is a dragonfly and the words free spirit. How extraordinary that Pandora has that same thing. She told me to come back on the 15th when they would be 20% off. Needless to say I will be doing so.
I came back to my room and got a great deal of work done before going down to meet the solos who may show up. Sadly, I was the only one lol so I took myself off to find out if I could be fit in for dinner at Love by Brito. I was told I could be fit in at 8:30 so I went and watched a portion of a very strange movie that was being shown on the Lido deck. I don’t even know what it was and I usually like strained, but this was very strange.
Yes I put it on my cruise billThe ladies are rocking my clothes
Dinner was delightful and I enjoyed texting with Rae while I ate.
Is this really a service dog?RavioliMushroom soupChilean Sea BassLava cake
And now I am back in my room with ice on my ankle. Must be better for WDW!
I don’t know what is going on with my ankle, but when I went to get out of bed, it was shooting pain. I was barely able to hobble down to. get breakfast. I did take extra strength Advil and kept it elevated as much as possible.
I brought Sandy, one if the women teaching my mahjong, and her friend to my room to get the clothes that I was going to give away as they have no suitcases arriving thanks to the airline.
It was a tough day but I did play mahjong and trivia. And discovered that they now have crown royal on board. Before dinner I did head to medical to see about wrapping it and was supplied with a soft brace to support. It was a minimum $150 visit
I match
Kathy and I had dinner at Alfredo’s before meeting Glynn for the Fiera show which was beautiful
After an early nightcap I returned to my room to ice my ankle. I am hoping it feels better tomorrow
Today was just kind of cool. It was a sea day of course the same as it will be for the next seven.
I just went from event to event to relax to visits to dinner to visit to laundry
After grabbing a coffee, I headed to the Crown Grill, which is the game spot for the day to meet with Joe however he wasn’t there and three women who were seasoned mah-jong players we’re looking for a fourth. I said I had only ever played once online and if they were willing to teach me, I would love to learn. They were awesome and I won lol beginners luck. they didn’t invite me to come back at 10 tomorrow to play.
Next, I headed to the special dessert bar because I determined I was going to have one for breakfast. It was a lot and I did not even remotely finish it, but it was fun. I then met Glynn, Kathy, Joe, John and new addition Barry for trivia. We are ABC United. We got 14/20 on the history quiz so feel pretty good. I will have to remember to take a team photo tomorrow
I stayed for expensive bingo and then went back to my cabin for a nap in anticipation of staying up late for the movie on deck
I did go down and host the solos group until Dave And dab showed up, and then the three of us went for dinner at eclipse and had formal pictures taken, which I can’t wait to see tomorrow
I then came back to the cabin and gathered my laundry and put it in and went and played at the casino for a little while managing to leave while I was still up and put my clothes in the dryer and now I am just waiting for them to be done. It has been a lovely day. I was especially happy to get an email from the new owners of the business that my client told with an agreement on how we go move forward, it took some of the stress off.
I started the day with a decadent breakfast on the upper deck and then headed off on my Princess excursion to the Pirámide and Candelaria. The AC wasn’t sufficient on our bus and not enough time was allocated for our stops. Many were grumpy. I picked up a few things and met a man named John from London who wanted to play trivia so I organized a team
The pyramids were amazing and I was stunned to learn it all had a lot to do with Thor Heyerdahl whom I was obsessed with back in the day.
Alba and Dan
I ran into G&K and we stopped so I could have a salad. It was good to be back on the ship and I took a nap in a lounger before getting ready for the evening
I let myself try to sleep in today. I wasn’t very successful, but I launched and went down for a coffee and a bite to eat before spending the next six or seven hours in my room working with only a break to go on a scavenger hunt that Joe had arranged a team for. He really is such a good guy. He’s kind and considerate is going to be a great friend. There is nothing more between us as a matter fact he has a sweetie that he met on the cruise and that actually makes it even easier to just be myself around him. He does Karen doesn’t want me to be alone unless I want to be and he text me every day to see how I’m doing and make sure I’m not stressed or alone when I don’t want to be. That’s pretty special. G&K are like that as well. I am blessed to have found these good Texans lol
I got to a point where I could send in the year end to my client’s accountant and then I got a really great email from the new owner of the company apologizing for me not being properly, kept in the loop nor being asked if I actually want to still be involved with the company. He told me to go ahead and make the normal payments. I would’ve out of the bank and just do my thing and then we will connect and make a plan which is a comfort to me. He is not giving any pressure to the situation.
I took myself to dinner at Makoto Ocean and was given a beautiful seat where I could watch the sunset over the ruling seas and listen to the music show that was going in the Piazza nearby. It was a set Japanese menu and some of the things I did not love and some I did very much. I enjoyed just sitting there and enjoyed the view and the music. and then spent a little bit of time in the casino before heading back up to my room for an earlier night than usual. I did stop for a few minutes to watch my friends dancing and having a good time The time changes tonight so we gain an hour and my excursion isn’t until 930 so I should be able to get a good rest. I can’t believe tomorrow I will be on a Canary Island.
triumphgal 