Monday Changes

[helia]

I'm with Sadie, snow on the ground and sunshine makes it bright! We have clear blue skies, it is beautiful out there! It looks like we are forecast to get snow starting Tuesday night. Is that the same storm that OK is experiencing now?

It is SO nice to have my teaching and the party behind me. Next big projects: finalizing details of FL trip, moms group steering comm. meeting, and uniform returns. Band director finally got back to me and is now asking about doing that next week, which would work too. . .

I didn't even know who was playing in the super bowl until I asked someone (who?) yesterday. . .. We tried to get it on our TV so GG could watch part of it, but no, we don't even get the correct channels - or so says dh. We have cable for internet but not for TV, which confounds the cable company regularly. We don't want it for our TV.

I've really enjoyed Kathryn's posts of her cruise adventures! We lived in Christchurch, NZ for a year when I was a child and visited many spots in NZ during our last sabbatical, so I'm picturing some things and wondering about others as I read. . . . ((HUGS)) for homesickness. I think I would be too after so many days away.

Now, to focus on today. I've been moving slowly, took an hour for lunch and watched D.A. I've only accomplished part of a.m. routine, a long but tardy email to dsil which involved looking up a Genesis (Bereshit) Hebrew question she had, emails re: building use for moms group activities, etc.

Goals for today:
- finish a.m. routine
- errands: TJ, groc. store, baby gift
- read book club book
- out from 4:50 - 10 pm: Heb. class 5:05 - 6:05/15, surprise baby shower on the other side of town for dfriend 6:45 - 8-ish when I will leave, book club 8 - 10-ish.

The above schedule means dh will need to pick up dd15 from synchro; if he can't do that, then I'll skip the baby shower.

[Twins' Mom]

My head hurts. More texts from dsis's dil about dsis and how she cries every time she talks to them.

I'm heading out on my run....

[helia]

I'm off to run errands too. The list has expanded:
- gas the van
- post office box
- Trader Joes
- Me ij ers; I don't need any special sorts of items so I can do this
- Babies R Us
- Korean groc. store; I want my fix of roasted seaweed. Plus, we're low on rice

That should do it. . . .

[Harmony]

Helia, the game should have been on your local fox station.

{Twins}.

Amazingly, I put on the game last night and somehow got into it. DH and I do not watch football at all. I was surprised how many of the rules he understood and could explain to me as it went along. We both enjoyed it a lot, even the half-time show. I had to stay up very late to watch my pbs show and I am sleepy today.

Today was my usual desk chores and a trip to bank. Our tenant is getting caught up on his rent and he brings cash. Thank goodness. I was beginning to worry. Stopped at library on the way home and brought another stack home.

Going to run off a spreadsheet and then my chores are done for the day except dinner and dishes.

[Nancy]

Re: chili / food when the kids were in high school the liked chili mac. Mac. N cheese with chili. I do not like
macaroni. I have boiled eggs to peel and devil.
S2s x
The baby is here.
I need to wash sheets and dump the trash.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Tuesday morning here.

I spent an hour packing some of the semi-formal clothing last night and emptying out the desk cupboard where I keep assorted junk. I've made room in the closet for that bag so it doesn't have to go back under the bed. Our other two bags and the folding bags are still under the bed but will be pulled out this morning.

Today is our last day at sea. We arrive insanely early tomorrow. We'll be up around 5, I believe, or maybe sooner, to watch the approach into Sydney. Apparently it is amazing.

The gps screen in our room showing the path of the ship now shows a lot of the coast of Australia! (During the Pacific crossing we'd go days with a flashing dot in the middle of the blue sea!) The Tasman Sea, one of the world's roughest spots, is almost calm. High wind but it isn't bothering us at all, barely any whitecaps either. Feels like the rockiness of a train, not the up and down of a ship at sea.

Today will be my last time playing trivia. And my last dinner with friends. It is also our last formal night. After I get back to the suite, we'll be packing all the formal clothes. Hopefully that will finish off that suitcase and when we get to Wellington we intend to leave it at the airport if the Left Baggage service is still open.

Tomorrow I see ds. Yay!

[Cowinkie]

Waving to y'all...

Kathryn's packing formals and I'm packing snow gear. Not sure what my plans are. Suppose to fly out tomorrow at 7:30am MT time, which is 9:30 EST. My home area is in the midst of a snow hummmm event. Snow tonight, rain tomorrow, rain/snow tomorrow night sunny Wed, thur, fri morning then snow/rain again...

I won't know if my flight is canceled until someone makes the call. No telling when that happens. Could be midnight tonight or right before I try to board the plane. My brother is going to make the call for me. If he tells me the roads wont be clear to travel from the train station, but the plane is still flying, then I'll reschedule. Figure the worst that could happen is they clear us to fly and then change us mid-air to another airport. That's okay with me, I'm up for an adventure. I'm not on a schedule, I don't have a wedding, funeral or graduation to get to and I am retired. First time in my life Traveling with a "I'll get there when I get there" attitude. Kind of nice.

Need to go finish up my loose ends. Cy'all later................

[Nancy]

Babyn fell asleep.
The snow is gone in the front South side of the house and not much left in the back now. Hens chores are done for a bit.
Eggs got peeled.
I dumped the trash.

[lucylee]

Well, I finally managed to get s2s, did my Bible reading, AND exercised 15 minutes.

I say FINALLY b/c, y'all, I slept until 10:30, surfed the net about 30 minutes, got up at 11:00 w/dh, and I just felt so unbelievably draggy that after eating breakfast & writing out 3 checks to pay bills, I went BACK to bed. I slept again until about 2:30 -- with two very short phone call interruptions. When I woke up the second time, I felt sooo refreshed. AND I came across an article on the internet that talked about why sleep is a Christian necessity. Talked about how God intends us to rest, and how if we do NOT rest enough, we get overly emotional, can't handle things that come our way, etc. How rest is a sign of trust, of "letting go and letting God." WOW. I mean -- I know my sleep habits are ridiculous, but at that moment, it was definitely a message that I should not beat myself up over trying to give my body what it must need, and maybe my body, and the Lord, are preparing me for whatever may be needed when the time comes with my dmom.
Anyway, that was about 10 hours sleep, probably, all together. So I should feel rested, shouldn't I, LOL?
At least, I no longer feel quite so sure that I am ready to be committed to an asylum. Although, a nice rubber room with internet still sounds kinda nice -- if there were no contact with the other patients (who would probably make me nervous).

I have the sheets in the washer now, and I've been to the grocery story -- got crackers & cookies for tonight, and paper towels for dmil. That was one of the phone calls.
Also checked dmil's mail, mailed our bills, and went to the bank.

Tried to call dmom but she did not answer. Maybe she is still at the doctor's office or running errands herself.

Love your attitude, Cowinkie -- and sending lots of good wishes for safe travel, wherever the route takes you!

So exciting to be traveling with Kathryn and Ken, and I know ya'll are sooo, sooo excited to see ds tomorrow!!!

I don't like macaroni, either, Nancy. Don't eat mac & cheese, don't like it in soups. Boy, dgs sure gobbles up mac & cheese, though. (Actually, he gobbles up EVERYTHING. He loves to eat, that is for certain.)

(((Twins))) I hate so much that you are having to deal with your dmom's problems PLUS your dsis and now dniece turning to you... just (((BIG BIG HUGS))).

Helia, has GG seen any American football since she's been here? My goodness, if she were here in the South, she'd think we were nuts.

The washer is beeping... time to go flip flop the sheets, put another load in.



,

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Sunday was cruising the Dusky and Milford Sounds on the south west coast of the South Island. The scenery was gorgeous.

We were into the Dusky Sound shortly after 8 in the morning. It reminded us of Alaska or Northern Ontario. Except for this shot which reminds us of a piece of art at our daughter's Godparent's home.

Some of my shots have the surreal feel of a painting, not a photo.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the colours became more vibrant.

As we left the sound around 11 in the morning, the mist on the coastline was lovely. There are dozens of sounds along the south-west coast but we only explored two of them. This area of New Zealand is virtually untouched so is an area of natural beauty. Milford Sound is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Milford Sound is also the most wild and most wet part of the coastline.

It is unusual to have such a sunny day in either of the sounds. But the weather was gorgeous all day long. It has been cool as we went further and further south. We started the day at a latitude slightly farther south of the equator than our home is north of the equator. The weather was in between 16 & 21C (60 - 70F) until mid afternoon when it went up to 28. Ken actually had time sunning out on our balcony.

We arrived at Milford Sound at 4:00 p.m. as scheduled but the sound is very narrow so we had to wait, once again, for the Dawn Princess to get out of our way.

As we waited we were overwhelmed with the grandeur of the scenery. This is a fiord with the sheer cliffs right to the edge of the water.

The weather changed very quickly. In just about 30 minutes, the weather dropped from 82 to 70 degrees. The sun was still warm but the sound was very windy. As the sun shone on the sound, it warms the air which then rises since the sheer cliffs create a chimney effect. The cold air off the Tasman Sea then comes rushing in. So it got windy and cool and the water became very choppy.

Farther into the sound the whitecaps were visible in my shots. A small boat rendezvoused with us to deliver passengers who had gone on an overland trip, leaving the ship when we were in Dunedin and staying overnight in the Fiordland National Park.

There were several waterfalls, some so high that the water evaporates before reaching the water's edge. Because we had sunshine, it meant we got to see a rainbow cast by one of the waterfalls. And there were lots of seals on Seal Rock.

It was awe inspiring, compelling scenery. The observation deck was very crowded but once we turned around (with a warning from the bridge that it would get very windy so to be prepared), I headed back to the stern, and stayed on the back of deck 8, outside of the Panorama Lounge to get views of the sound as we left. I stayed out for the full time, almost 2 hours, wrapping myself in a blanket to warm up. I had been at trivia before we arrived at the sound and headed straight out without stopping at the cabin to grab a hat and jacket so after ages outside I was cold. Before going back to the cabin, I had hot water and lemon in the Panorama Lounge while Ken helped someone with their iPad. He's got a reputation on board as a techie.

We ended up eating in the cabin that night because I was so tired from all the fresh air. Then we got to bed early. Even better, the time was set back an hour so we had a good rest overnight. We fully expected a rough night as we started to cross the Tasman Sea but the wind continued to be head on and there is no swell at all so the crossing has been smooth.

Monday was Superbowl Monday and I spent most of the day watching the others watch the Superbowl while writing travelogs. I also attended a seminar on pearls and opals. In the evening we had a lovely dinner out on the pool deck. The heaters are working there now, so we weren't cold at all. We skipped the show in order to spend some time packing.

My goal is to get everything packed tonight (Tuesday) so I can enjoy tomorrow with ds. We will be getting up insanely early to watch the approach into Sydney which people tell us is amazing.

We have been completely blessed with a smooth crossing and great weather. We left LA on January 6th and we have had only one quite rough sea day where moving around on the ship was tricky. I've worn my sea bands for several days of that time and taken my (expired) ginger tablets on several nights and a couple of times in the day but I have not needed to take any sea sickness medicine so the bottle of tablets I bought for our West African Cruise will expire without ever being touched! We've had sunshine almost every day. The worst weather was probably in Tonga although we had showers a few other times as well and I got soaked in Honolulu in a tropical shower that lasted 20 minutes and then gave way to sunshine for the rest of the day.

That being said, I'm still very ready to get off the ship. The rich food, the constant attention from staff, the constant socializing, is too much for me to take for more than a few weeks at a time. And, with all my travel, whether by ship or for business, I'm ready to head home after 28 days, so I'm anxious to get off the ship now and at least start on my way home. There's still another 11 days to go, but most of that time will be with ds, so that will make the time go by quickly.