Carnival Dream Cruise March 9, 2013

March 9, 2013. The following is a summary of our wonderful cruise on the Carnival Dream that sailed on March 9th. There were six of us on this little adventure, Kathy and me, Kathy’s brother Robert and his wife Lynda, Kathy’s sister Carole and her husband Steve.

This all began on March 7th when Kathy’s clan came down from Hendersonville, NC to spend the night with us before the drive down to Port Canaveral on the 8th. What a visit we had that Thursday night…lots of family stories and laughs to be sure. The trip really started Friday morning as we headed out for Port Canaveral with two cars and more luggage than 6 people could use in a month. We arrived safe and sound at the Country Inn & Suites in Port Canaveral late that Friday afternoon and visited one of the local seafood restaurants that evening for a wonderful meal. Before leaving that restaurant I stopped and thanked the girl at the reception desk for a wonderful meal which prompted her to ask where I was from….go figure. She was from Maggie Valley, NC and thought it was neat to be speaking to someone from that area and it really made her homesick.

The big day arrived Saturday morning and we had a good breakfast at the motel and everyone except me wanted to go shopping for various items they figured they did not bring and would need on the cruise. While everyone else was shopping I was tuned into the local news and when the forecast came up it was not what one who is going on a cruise would want to hear. There was a large storm in the North Atlantic and it was creating rough surf all along the Florida coast and the weather guy said it would not be a good day to go sailing off the coast of Florida.

Day 1 March 9, 2013: Being the fearsome six we indeed boarded the ship and set sail at 4:00pm that Saturday March 9th maybe not to be heard from again. When we got out of port to open sea I understood what the weatherman was talking about … the ship started moving from left to right - front to back. When you walked down the halls you were bouncing from one wall to the other. This did not bother me as it just brought back memories of past staggering events without rough seas.

Day 2 March 10, 2013: The next morning at 8:30 am we reached our first port of call which was Nassau. We had paid for a beach excursion at the Atlantis which was going to be a great day. When we exited the ship to get up with our fellow happy excursion people we found out that it had been cancel due to high surf. However, while standing in line I was complaining to Kathy about it being chilly and not bringing a jacket. A lady in front of us turned around and said you “poor baby”….anyway we got to talking with her and she was also from Hendersonville NC, and they all knew someone that someone knew. We would not be deterred from having a great time so we went to the Atlantis…found the casino and lost all the money we were going to be credited with for the cancelation of the excursion…not really, but we did loose it later.

Day 3 March 11, 2013: We had a great time at sea the next day with the ship still pitching in all directions. It was Lynda’s birthday and we had a great time that night celebrating this milestone while she was in her cabin sea sick. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Day 4 March 12. 2013: We arrived in beautiful St Thomas and was looking forward to a day of exploring the island plus going on our already paid for excursion of visiting the island of St John. Go ahead and guess….what do you think happened? You are probably correct the excursion was canceled due to high surf. However, that did not deter us from having a good time. We went on a island tour in a open type transportation vehicle and had a ball getting to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world plus Kathy and I got to have a good kiss over an ass.

The donkeys name was Monica Lewinsky. We also got to celebrate Lynda’s birthday that night when she was present….those waiters can really sing.

Day 5 March 13, 2013: We arrive in beautiful St Maarten and this being our last port we were very excited about the possibilities of having a fantastic time. It all started with a sail and snorkel on a great catamaran in the Caribbean. Everyone was told to raise their hand if they got in trouble while snorkeling and they would pick you up in a motorized dingy. The snorkel part did not go good with Robert as he got in trouble and kept raising his hand and everyone on the boat thought he was waving and we were all waving back. He almost drowned…well maybe not, but he did get picked up in the dingy.

This was a great party boat and everyone had a great time doing the electric slide and socializing. We are back on board the Dream and waiting to depart from St Maarten when and announcement came across the whatever it is stating that the crew was having to perform some maintenance checks and the elevators, commodes and some air conditioning would be disabled for approximately 15 minutes .. anyway shortly everything was working OK and we were waiting further word about what is going on.

Day 6 March 14, 2013: We now know that we are going to be transported back to Orlando by charter flight sometime in the next day or two. During the mean time we are to suffer on St. Maarten enjoying anything that is available in that paradise.

Day 7 March 15, 2013: We are still suffering in the warm temperatures in the Caribbean and just found out that we had a flight out to Orlando tomorrow night at 9:30 which means we will have to leave the ship about 6:00pm. In the mean time all of us went downtown St Maarten to do a little shopping…what a neat place. Charleston could take some pointers from here. We took a cab ride back to the Dream with a cab driver that was drinking beer all the way back. Must be different laws there.

Day 8 March 16, 2013: Another lazy day on the ship other than packing and getting ready for our departure at 6:00pm. During all of this time Carnival has flown in from corporate headquarters bunches of professionals to help with scheduling of the evacuation of the ship…and I must say that they did a fantastic job. In addition Carnival flew in Jon Secada and one other entertainer that I don’t remember the name of to entertain the people that were having to suffer through such a great tragedy. We exited the ship at approximately 6:00 pm and boarded a caravan of buses that was to take us to the airport. Ladies and gentlemen I have never been on a bus ride like this in my life...there was a local police truck leading the caravan with blue lights flashing and siren blasting plus several police motorcycles with flashing lights and sirens blasting. Kathy said that this ride to the airport was something that should have been in a movie…and I had to agree with her. They stopped all traffic coming and going to let us go through…WOW what service. We got to the airport to find Carnival employees stationed every 30 feet or so making sure we were getting on the correct flight. After boarding this Delta 767 charter flight to Orlando we were treated like most air travelers are with a pack of dry raisins and a soda for the 3 ½ hour flight.

Day 8-9 March 16-17: The flight was good other than my knees pressing into my brother-in-laws back…and me telling him I would kill him if he leaned his seat back. It really was a good flight and we arrived in Orlando around 12:00pm. Now we have to go through customs to make sure we have not done whatever it is that you are not suppose to do. I am telling you that there was maybe fifty counters available an only 5 open…sounds like Wal-Mart to me. After getting through customs we had to ride a tram to the main terminal to wait on a bus to take us to our hotel.
We eventually got to our hotel…maybe we should call it a resort…Caribe Royale Resort. I have never stayed in such a upscale room in my life ( I might add that Carnival paid for all of this and all of the meals involved.) However, we were only there from 4:00am till 11:00am. And then we got in a van to take us back to Port Canaveral to fetch our cars.
One last note…when we got to Port Carnival our almost new car would not start.

Love it….What a great time!!

Disadvantages & Advantages

Getting older has some disadvantages such as memory loss. In fact my memory was getting so bad that I could not remember what day of the week it was. I guess it is natural as we age that we seem to take more and more medication and this is where the advantage comes in, because we have pill boxes with the day of the week on them so we are reminded every morning and evening what day it is. I purposely fill my boxes up on Fridays - that way I know when the weekend is coming and I can start getting excited. Life is GOOD!!!!

The Silent Sermon!

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the firey sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday'.
We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken

"MARCH MADNESS"

This time of year is very exciting for all basketball fans due to the NCAA tournament being played, which is referred to as "March Madness".

For the first time in history there were two (2) different "March Madness" events taking place at the same time. 1. NCAA basketball tournament. 2. The passing of the Health Care Bill in Washington, DC.

ENOUGH SAID - I THINK MADNESS DESCRIBES THE PASSING OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL VERY WELL.

SOUTH CAROLINA BANK & BROKE

Is there a remote chance that our elected officials in South Carolina might be mental????

The following is headline news on WISTV website:
"After intense debate, legislators vote to loan $10M to golf tournament"

This state doesn't have enough money for the basic needs of the residents, but by golly we are going to watch golf.
I guess I had better stop, because my fingers are wanting to type words that would not be appropriate for this blog or anywhere else.

Billboard in Minnesota

To Blog or Not to Blog

I have a relative that lives in Hendersonville, NC that thinks blogging is a waste of time. I really will have to agree with him, but hey it gives me something to do in my spare time. I really don't like naming people in my blog, but his initials are Jeremy Troy -- better known as Buzzard. He sent me the following pictures.

Tennessee Ernie Ford

Watch the little boy sitting beside Ernie - he is really getting down.

Our 9-Year Old Granddaughter at Gymnastic Meet 1/24/2010

You Might Be A Redneck -- A Different Take

I received an email this morning from my friend LJ and thought it was worth putting on my blog.
We have enjoyed the redneck jokes for years. It's time to take a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture that values home, family, country and God. If I had to stand before a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'd choose a half dozen or so rednecks to back me up... Tire irons, squirrel guns and grit -- that's what rednecks are made of.
You might be a redneck if:
1. It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, "One nation, under God."
2. You're never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.
3. You still say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays."
4. You bow your head when someone prays.
5. You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.
6. You treat our armed forces veterans with respect, and always have.
7. You never burned an American flag, nor intend to.
8. You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.
9. You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same.
10. You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

Year 2009 In Review

There has been several changes in my life this year and I would like to thank God for loving me and for all the blessings that he pours out on me and my family.
First of all Kathy and I made a big change in church life early on in the year by changing membership from Northside Baptist to Saxe Gotha Presbyterian. This change took place mostly because that we had children and grandchildren that were members of SGPC and we wanted to be there for them. We have been blessed at SGPC with great worship and a lot of new friends - we miss the people at NSB, but we still keep in contact with our close friends.
We went on a cruise in 2006 and I did not like it and said that I would never go on another one, but I had to eat those words, because we went on another one in September of this year and I really enjoyed it. I guess I had made up my mind to enjoy this one before we sailed so I just laid back and relaxed - something I don't do very much. God willing we will be going on another cruise in 2010.
Medical problems did not pass me by this year, as I was scheduled for wrist replacement surgery on December 23rd, but this got canceled due to my heart being in Afib when I had my stress test before the surgery. I am now awaiting test results to see when something can be done with my ticker --- the wrist replacement surgery is going to be postponed for several months.
Kathy ended up sick as a dog (or pig) about 3 weeks ago. I had never seen her this sick since we had been married and I hope I never see her like this again.
As I write this Kathy's mother is down visiting with us for a week - she comes twice a year to spend a week with us and it is always a great time. (She just needs to clean house more when she is visiting).
All of Kathy's family will be at Wendy's for New Years and we will have our Christmas with them.
In closing I would just like to say that God answers prayers. I have a bunch of stories that will validate this, but the one that is fresh on my mind is that we were praying for rain about a year ago. God heard those prayers and he sent rain, rain, and more rain and I am sure that we need it.
HAVE A GREAT 2010.

THANKSGIVING

I really did not feel like doing a post to my blog today, but my good friend LJ called me and told me that it had been several days since I had posted anything and for me to get on the ball. So here is my post about Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving morning Kathy and I drove to Hilton Head Island to spend a couple of days with my brother and his wife (Bruce & Nancy). We don't get to see them very much since they live in Stockbridge, Georgia -- We had a great visit just relaxing, eating, playing cards, and eating some more. The weather was beautiful but cool which limited some outside activities. However we did get our beach walking fix a couple of times. The first day when we were out walking we ran into Rocky Purvis and his family -- it sure is a small world. Sunday Night we went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Colonial Center. We had heard about this group for years and how good they were. Well, the production and light show were spectacular, the musicians were very talented, but we just did not care for the music they played. The musicians all had long hair and were continuously slinging their heads -- we figured there must have been a problem with flies or mosquitos around the stage bothering them. We were glad that we went, but don't need to do that again.

REAL BAD DAY

You know you have had a bad day when this happens to you. A REAL BAD DAY is when this happens and you are driving a Bugatti Veyron sports car that sells for over 1 million dollars. A man was driving near Galveston, Tx Wednesday when he was distracted by a low flying Pelican and dropped his cell phone causing him to run into a salt marsh (at least that is his story). The Bugatti Veyron is the most expensive and fastest production car in the world. If you see one of these advertised real cheap beware as salt water is not good for anything.

Enjoyed Newberry Again!

Kathy & I went with two of our good friends Bob & Jane to Newberry Saturday night and had a great time. First of all we ate dinner at the Cabana and the food was delicious as usual. I think there is a strong possibility that we all ate too much especially after we ordered a chocolate fudge cake to split between the four of us. This fudge cake must have been 6 or 7 inches tall with what appeared to be a half of gallon of ice cream between two pieces of cake that was all covered with chocolate. We did the best we could, but ending up leaving about half of it there.

After dinner we went to the Newberry Opera House to see Eddie Miles who is an Elvis impersonator (the above picture might have given you a clue). The first part of his show was excellent as Eddie did different artist and a bunch of funny stuff. The last part of the show was all Elvis stuff which Eddie did a good job on. However Elvis did it better!!!

All in all it was a great night with excellent company, food and entertainment.

The following is from a friend's blog who is the pastor of Freedom Fellowship in Greer. I don't know that I have ever heard tithing explained any better:

I had a friend of mine ask me a great question after yesterday's message on money. He asked, "When I start to tithe, how do I do it cheerfully?" This question addresses one of the great biblical paradoxes. In scripture we are commanded to give 10% of our hard earned money away and we are also commanded to give it away cheerfully. For most folks the giving away of that much income is anything but cheerful. Here's a condensed version of how I answered my friend yesterday. The first time you give 10% you probably won't feel very cheerful, but as you continue to give, and as you continue to see that God is providing all of your needs even as you give away a large percentage of income, you will begin to experience a joy that can only come from being free financially.

WHAT A WONDERFUL AND TRUE STATEMENT!!!!

Check out Cliff Marshall's blog...there is a link on this blog.

Last Week in Review

This past week was a busy week with church activities. Wednesday night we had our small group meeting where we are studying Max Lucado's book "FEARLESS". Thursday night was "Wild Game Night" with the food being superb and the fellowship great. Jon Michaels (www.jonmichaelsmusic.com) sang for us and Corley Miller (a former USC and New York Giants football player) brought a wonderful message. There were about 500 men in attendance. Friday Night was our Sunday School class social and it was another great night of fellowship and food. Sunday morning Kathy and I worked with the CREW greeting people from 7:30 am till 12:30 pm -- the CREW is going to be a great thing at Saxe Gotha.

Busy Week, but a GREAT ONE!!!

What a Wonderful Lunch

You have heard the old saying "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". I had to go to Greenville, SC yesterday on some business and what happened in Greenville yesterday should stay in Greenville, but it was such a wonderful experience I must tell it all. I met a beautiful blue eyed girl at Ruby Tuesdays for lunch and she squealed with delight and smiled at me all though lunch. Being in my senior years it really made me feel special to have a young beautiful girl pay that much attention to me.



Meet my lunch date - Miss Sophie

Kirking of the Tartan

The "Kirking of the Tartan" was observed this past Sunday at Saxe Gotha and it was a very, very special service. When Amazing Grace was sung accompanied with all the bagpipes and drums I doubt there were many dry eyes in the congregation.
Being the dummy that I am I did not have a clue what this was all about until I did a little research on the subject - the following is what I discovered:

LEGEND OF THE KIRKIN' O' THE TARTAN

The Kirkin' o' the Tartan tradition is an old Highland one. After the defeat of the Scots by the English in 1746, the wearing of the tartan and the keeping of any Highland ways or culture was forbidden in hopes this would forever subdue the rebellious Scottish spirit. However, as the Scots were fervent Christians, and canny as well, they clung to their ancient traditions by putting them underground. The Kirkin' was an important part of this in that one Sunday a year, the populace went to church wearing a concealed piece of the tartan and, at a certain moment set aside in the service, the tartan was touched while the minister pronounced a blessing on all tartans and the Scots once more pledged their loyalty and respect for their old traditions.

If you ever get an opportunity to attend a service where Kirking of the Tartan is taking place you will be blessed.

URINE TEST

The following sure does make sense to me even though I did not come up with this wonderful idea:
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Like most folks in this country, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck in my case, I am required to pass a random urine test (with which I have no problem). What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. So, here is my Question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt - doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money each state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'.

"Roto Rooter Time"

Since I am going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow morning I have been doing some research on the internet and have found some comments that I can use on the doctor before the procedure.
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A physician claims these are actual comments that his patients made while he was performing colonoscopies.
1. "Take it easy, Doc, you're boldly going where no man has gone before."
2. "Can you hear me NOW?"
3. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
4. "You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married."
5. "You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out. You do the Hokey Pokey...."
6. "Hey!! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"
7. "Hey, Doc, let me know if you find my dignity."
8 "Could you write me a note for my wife, saying that my head is not, in fact, up there?"
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I am sure that my only concern will be get this over with as I want something to eat!!!