ALL ABOARD!

My Christmas gift to our family this year was a Disney Cruise.  Yes, it was a admittedly a BIGGIE that won't happen all that often and some of our family (ie. Bob and Sara's family and baby Daphne) weren't able to 'make the trip', but it was an adventure to remember.  Coby created a video of it and if I can figure out how to add it to this report, i will.  As it turns out, Coby is our family's 'chief fun planner and advisor' and it doesn't take much encouragement for him to put FUN together!  This was no exception. The story unfolds.!

In planning, we all thought a red-eye flight through the night would be best suited to my pocketbook, give the kids a chance to sleep through the night and save us a sleep-over in Miani...HA!  It was a good thought, anyway.  The flight from SLC to Orlando was without a flaw and then the 'adventure' began!  Ben had charted a shuttle for all nineteen of us from Orlando to Miani, a four hour drive, where our boat would disembark.  Suitcases were loaded in a little trailer behind the 'unmarked' van that Julio drove and we were off...for a few minutes.  Suddenly we were being pulled over for what we thought was a routine stop.  Come to find out - our driver Julio was not licensed correctly to drive a 'bus' nor was the van licensed properly.  After about a half hour we pulled into a parking lot while the Julio and our policeman tried to connect us with someone who could get us to the ship in time.  To his credit, el stupido as he was, he tried!  Two hours later we were on the road, two separate vans hurling at record speed down the freeway and I didn't care...just GET US THERE BEFORE THE BOAT LEAVES!

About an hour before the ship was to leave, we all flew from the van and into the registration area for the Disney Wonder.  All was going smoothly until Ben discovered that he and Whitney were 'without' all their documents, ie. their birth certificates; a must to get on the boat!  Luckily, Ben was organized at home, had his brother-in-law leave work, take a phone photo of the certificates on Ben's desk, text them to the agents at the dock and ....blessings abound...they accepted them.  By now I was in my stateroom with Ben's kids, wondering if their parents would be able to get on the boat.  About one half hour before the whistle blew to leave port, Ben and Whit walked on.  I have to admit, with little sleep the night before, a rough 6 hour drive to Miami and the 'ID' incident , I shut myself up for a few minutes in the room and had a good cry! Our trip was just a five day, five night cruise to the Grand Cayman and Disney's private Island.  It took two of those days to make it to the Grand Cayman.  On the way down we had some rough seas and on and off rain, but with Disney characters running about, the kids club, entertainment extraordinaire and a lot of.....food, we were happily entertained.  Our day on the Grand Cayman was delightful.  With a warm beautiful sun, bright blue sky, a chartered boat that took us to swim with stingrays, snorkeling, and playtime with starfish, we had a fabulous day.  One day more to get to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay and the excitement had mounted.  The morning arrived to disembark and lo....the ocean was breaking heavily on the shore and we were not allowed on the island.  Some of us who had been their before and had really built it up in the minds of everyone else, so it was a pretty big disappointment.  Still, we were on the DISNEY BOAT, and it was hard to feel be too sad -  as we moved out away from the shore and just enjoyed a day at sea again.

Our trip back was uneventful and that was a plus!  Arriving home safely is also a plus with the great responsibility it is to take all your loved ones on a trip together.  I feel Jim was truly watching over us and know, if he had the chance to take some time off, he was there with us all the way.

February 2015 has been busy.  I've been doing a lot of writing, particularly Jim and my 'Love Story, that was printed in Meridian Magazine on the 12th - for Valentines.  Maurine Proctor asked if I would write it and, although reluctant, I'm happy I did.  It always makes me happy to write about Jim  and makes me feel closer when I talk about him! I think our 'love story' is exemplary and special.  I seem to feel an urgency to do more writing, especially my 'Grandma' stories, lately  I have also started a shift at the Draper Temple in the Baptistry.  It is five hours out of my Saturdays right now and I am going to have to change that by summer, if I continue to do it, being gone so many weekends.  I am confused about whether or not to go 'on line' and meet some new 'friends', so I've been 'tinkering' around just to get a feel for what kind of 'friends' are out there.  It's 'scary'!  I even made a profile but have not paid to be receiving any mail yet.  It's a pretty big step to entertain the idea...so I wait!

The kids are doing well.  The big news is that Coby and Tiffany are expecting a GIRL, their fifth and final child after the four boys.  Marianne is also expecting a GIRL so we're even-iny our boy-girl grandchildren numbers.  I am truly thrilled to be a grandmother.  I love these children and they have such great personalities and spirits.  I hope I can be influential in their lives, someone that they can look to as an example and for....fun!  I'm sure Jim has sent these girls from heaven...Daphne and now two more, since he passed away.  He knows how special girls are, especially to their daddy's!  I live to think about the wonderful life we had together and dream of more to come!