I realize that there is no reason I can't write about the exciting thing we’re researching and planning and hoping to do probably sometime in January on Prosebox because my family doesn't follow me here. They follow my Blogger blog. It wouldn't be the end of the world if my family found out about it because it's not like we haven't talked about visiting each other. I'm referring to my sister who I haven't seen since 1992, and her daughters. She basically knows that she has to take a few months to get settled in her new home, research the hotels around her, etc. What she doesn't know is that we're thinking of going on a cruise after spending a couple of days visiting her. Yeah, that's the exciting part. We just hesitated to bring it up so soon because there is always a chance, however slight it might be, that we can't make it to her this year. Or better yet, next year. 

I actually won a 7-day cruise with Holland America cruise lines back in early 2007 that featured country singer Delbert McClinton, which I'd never heard of until I was notified that I was the grand prize winner, LOL. The cruisers would run into him on and off throughout the ship, and there I was having my picture taken with him in the elevator at one point and feeling like a total idiot because I didn't know the guy from a hole-in-the-wall. I just wanted to win the damn cruise, and I did. 

Back in those days, I was a "professional sweeper." There wasn't much competition at the time and I won things regularly. I won everything... trips, cash, vehicles, electronics, musical instruments, clothes, food, books, CDs, gift cards, and so much more. 

Looking back on it, it is easy to see that Tom and I have made a habit of taking adventurous vacations as opposed to relaxing ones. We're pretty much always on the go when we vacation. It was that way in Vegas, it was that way in Laughlin, it was that way in Hawaii, and I'm sure it will be that way in the future. 

After returning from the cruise, I actually found myself a bit disappointed because I considered it kind of hectic and stressful... Until life turned up the terror a notch or two when we went through the hell we went through during our first few years in Cali, not knowing if the economy was going to kill us or not. I remember saying to Tom how much I wished to hell that oh-so-stressful vacation was our worst problem in life. Sometimes when you hit rock bottom you look back on something you thought was rough and you realize it was actually kind of fun after all. In fact, it was a little more than kind of fun. I would have given anything to be back on that wonderfully spiderless private veranda writing away in my journal than wondering if we could afford another night in our cheap motel in the seedy section of Sacramento, or if we would have to find a parking lot to stay in for the night while our stomachs rumbled with hunger. Those pesky housekeepers and that never-ending supply of food that actually wasn’t that great would have suddenly been welcomed big time. Every stupid little thing seemed so exciting and fascinating at that point; remembering how I happily jumped up and down waving to all the perfect strangers that were cheering and waving on land as our ship pushed away from the dock… watching the little guide boat guide the ship out into the open seas… 

I don’t know why, but the mixture of fun and scary memories brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps it’s because for a while there I seriously wondered if we would ever get the chance to do it all again. Then again, I never thought in a million years I’d get to sail the Caribbean, drop down to the ocean floor in the Pacific in a submarine, or do many of the things I’ve done, so that can make it all the more special and emotional. You go through what I’ve gone through and you don’t take things for granted. 

The lesson learned in the end… the future can really change how we see the past. 

The question now is which cruise line do we travel on and which countries do we go to? The last time we went to The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and we almost made it to the Turks & Caicos, but a storm prevented us from docking safely. This time I’m hoping to go to at least one new country. Tom’s been to Mexico before when he was with the Air Force as a trombonist, but I haven’t been there yet. Other possibilities include the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Haiti and the Cayman Islands. 

We know we would like an outside room. A suite would be nice but that’s a lot more money. Royal Caribbean seems to be the best ship from what our research has shown us so far whereas we’re least impressed with Carnival. So it’s not just the destinations and excursions we have to research, but what the ships themselves have to offer as well since we would be at sea some days. 

My sleep issues and the thought of getting next to either some drunk adults or rowdy kids worry me a bit, but I think that one week – just one lousy week – even I could survive. And yes, cruises are wild. There weren’t many kids on the last cruise but I can tell you for sure that the adults were more obnoxious than the kids ever were. Cruisers tend to get drunk, loud and wild. As I said, we don’t sit on our asses with a bunch of comatose people when we vacation. We really live it up right along with the others who are just as excited to do the same thing. 

A very happy birthday to my sister today! She’s 58. I hope she has loads of fun and posts pics of her new house soon. 

I was telling someone the other day how I can’t imagine staying in the same place all my life, and she agrees. I can see settling down when Tom retires, but I’m still too young to be in my forever home. If we don’t make it to Hawaii, I think we should definitely retire in a cheaper state. I would want to do this whether we had family or not since his retirement money is going to be a set amount and not based on the cost of the state. It would be pointless to stay in California all our lives, even if we could afford it. So I think it’s safe to say that in my lifetime I will have lived in 6 different states. It will only be 4 for Tom. This is his second time living in California. 

I had a dream last night that I won 2000 crayons, not that this would be exciting. Never really cared for those old-fashioned wax crayons. 

Andy was also visiting in another dream. I was out somewhere and I returned to find him in the kitchen preparing dinner. He was slicing a 5-foot-long celery stalk, LOL. I glanced through the door of the oven and said, “Tom doesn’t like chicken.” 

He said, “It’s not chicken, it’s turkey.”