Quick Bytes of Cruisin' details... Some Oddities of Stella's World

Continuation of yesterday's activities... and some ... "oh yes... that's Sandy" stuff.

Toni (aka Mom/Mimi) had her own massage with "Harry" and is actually feeling so much less stress in her aching body. Good news on that front. Sheis thoroughly enjoying her time in the warmth.
Seamus is eating all the french fries on the ship and loving the fresh fish... oh... and the cookies! He went in the kiddy pool last night (no other kids around) and had a total blast going down the pink elephant slid! and the under two room is a fun place to hang. He has already made friends with some other little tikes.
Me... Well, Patricia, you will be happy to know that Greta has taken over as the "stop staring police". I can't help myself ... the is THE PLACE to watch people! And there are all sorts of odd folks on this cruise!
Greta and Jim... NanaBanana did some babysitting so the "rents" could get some quality time. They returned refreshed and smiling. They will have one night for dinner alone as well.
Cliff... you can guess where he has most of his fun.... THE GYM! He and Grets did spinning with a gorgeous South African specimen (so says grets.. not cliffie!). Me? I am sticking with the treadmill and flirting with the captain every chance I get! Hey I'm on vaca!

well that's it for now.
Today is 1st island... St. Thomas.
more reporting to follow!
Enjoy the snow!

Warm Bliss has ascended upon us!

Hey Land people!
Wanted to send a glorious hello from all of we asea folks.
So what have we done so far?
Well...
Sunday was a day of total and complete disorientation and getting settled.
The entire ship was that way... well passengers mostly!
Greta and Jim have their own "story from hell". Let me say that at least on of my coworkers will know what I mean when I say how they found the toilet had on of my favorite words (phrases) on it upon their entering their cabin. And so ensued about 24-36 hrs of back and forth discussions with the crue until we (Jim) spoke with one of the uppity-ups and got some sort of resolution.
Monday was a bit easier for all we cruisers and we began to settle into the idea that it would indeed get warmer soon. We attended the Cruise Critics reception and everyone (abouit 40 people) sang Happy Birthday to Toni who turned 90 in December and the reason we are on this cruise! Seamus was gleefully running amuck the entire time. Even on perfect que cheered when the head guy introduced the captain! Jim has been running back and forth all over the ship keeping Seamus from actually getting to the forward to shout "I'm King of the World!" We are all exercising fullswing and enjoying every moment. I did 350 cals, 2.5 mi, 45 mins of treadmill yesterday... Grets did a spin class... Cliff did his usual over the edge workout... Jim ran on the treadmill... and then we had fun eating later! Cliff had an awesome massage with "Harry" yesterday and recommended it to all of us.
Tuesday... that's today... has been one of pampering. The pool area is full to the max. I had my massage with "Harry" at 8:00am and boy was it worth it. Could just about get back to the cabin I was floating with no stress at all. Mom is now having her massage as I type. I watched Seamus so Greta and Jim could have some alone time. They ran 2 miles on deck. So... we are on our 2nd full day at sea and relaxing and enjoying the trip.

More to follow.. gotta go have more fun in the sun!
Tootles!

24 Hours Left and So Much To Do Yet!

OR NOT!
For some reason, I am not in my usual mode of being on the ball and ready for action.
Time for some Calm's Forte and regrouping.
What's the worst thing that can happen?
Show up at the ship with something missing?
Isn't that what credit cards are for on vacation?
Thanks to a recommendation from sweet/fiesty Danielle I and Greta are off to a much needed manicure and pedicure.

ROAD TRIP!

BON VOYAGE!
Well? In 48 hrs I, and part of my family, will be on our way to the Southern Caribbean Islands for a much needed vacation and anticipated celebration(s). We will be celebrating some birthdays, one of which (the reason for the cruise) is my mom's 90th birthday!
There will be 4 generations on this journey of fun in the sun.

The itinerary is as follows: NYC >> St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) >> St. John's Antigua >> Barbados>> St. Maarten >> Tortola >> NYC.
Now to get ready! ahhh!!!
I will do my very best to keep you all in the loop of many of the activities or lack there of. Hoping to come back with a very nice tan and tons of stories to tell that only Towanda would end up being part of!
So keep on the look out for my updates.

Good Vibes for Anne B.

A friend of the family will be having surgery soon and am posting a silly, yet heart felt, image for her to view as she journeys toward healing her body.

Her words from a recent email:
Some of you may be familiar with "sending an emotion", for those who need some guidance please look at the following sentences.

See me wrap me in a pink blanket of love.

Anne is healthy, whole, vibrant and full of restoring energy RIGHT NOW. She is comfortable, relaxed and peaceful. She is comfortably resting and rejuvenating. Her voice is even more beautiful, expressive, resonant and melodious. She speaks and sings easily and effortlessly. These are the healing thoughts and intentions I am holding for myself and would like you to hold them with me.

So... Please send Anne good juju vibes so the collective energy we create helps usher into a safe and healing place for surgery.

YES WE CAN

As I mentioned in a previous post, this blog is about my grandchildren.
The future of all our children depends upon our vote... their future is in our hands.

That said...
I am admittedly not a savvy political person.
I don't usually discuss politics, nor tell many who I am going to vote for.
But I am very clear that we need to begin to create a POSITIVE CHANGE and feel that Barack Obama is our best chance for that CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY.
This is my contribution towards Super Tuesday.
Each of us need to listen to our hearts... and follow that...
It is my understanding that this is what our country was build upon... CHOICE.
Above all vote tomorrow whatever your choice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xG2Z0rMGRs
I want to thank Rosa DeLauro for her words that prompted me to create this post.
She said...

One of the causes of my life of which I am most proud and most passionate has been, from my years at EMILY's List to the halls of Congress, fighting to protect, defend, and advance the rights of women, including the right to choose.
In recent years, I am sorry to say that most of our efforts have had to be spent defending women's rights against a Bush Administration absolutely determined to roll back the hard earned progress women made in the last decades – fighting to hold on to what we won together, rather than moving forward to address problems for our mothers, sisters, and daughters.
That is why when I made my decision about who I believe the next President should be, I thought first and foremost about who could who could bring people together to make progress in addressing health care for women, equal opportunity in education for women, and help close that pay gap between men and women, as well as the right to choose.
I decided that Barack Obama was the person who could best move America forward on those issues I care about most.
Today, though, Barack is under attack – he's being unfairly and wrongly criticized for voting "present" in the Illinois state legislature. Make no mistake, where there are differences on policy, we can debate them, but no one should mislead anyone here in Connecticut about one central fact: Barack Obama has a 100% pro-choice voting record.
The facts are clear – in the Illinois state senate, choice advocates asked strong pro-choice legislators like Senator Obama to vote "present" on Republican-designed bills like a ban on partial birth abortion to protect a woman's right to choose.
Senator Obama has always had a 100% pro-choice rating, and he is the only candidate running for President who stood up and spoke out when South Dakota passed an incredibly restrictive ban on abortion.
How do I know? Because I read and listened for myself to strong, independent women who knew Barack in Illinois. Women like Lorna Brett, the former president of Chicago NOW, who supports Barack Obama because she believes the attacks on his record are unacceptable. Don't take my word for it – watch this video from Lorna about why she believes so strongly in Barack's commitment to women:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OVuMYKs8iJs

Lorna isn't alone.
Just today, my friend Kate Michelman, Former President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, spoke out and endorsed Barack. Her words were powerful: "Barack Obama is also calling our nation to the greatness that we all want but that we're uncertain we can still achieve. Others talk about greatness and they even say all the right words, but they do not bring those words to life. Their words do not grab us by the arms and pull us along together. ….Many who had given up on politics are re-engaging. Many who had grown tolerant of the intolerable are now ready to demand more and not just from themselves but others. And many who had given up believing that the ideals of equality, dignity and justice would ever again be as politically important as money and power, now believe again. And this too is why I'm endorsing Senator Barack Obama."
The praise for Barack goes on and on. Lisa Madigan, Illinois' Attorney General who served with Barack in the state legislature told the New York Times that "It's just plain wrong to imply that voting present reflected a lack of leadership...in fact, it was the exact opposite." [New York Times, 12/20/07]
Karen Mulhauser, a former national Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, put it, "the record is clear. Barack Obama is 100% pro-choice -- always has been, always will be. That's why he made sure that FDA-approved contraceptives were covered by insurance plans for women in Illinois as a State Senator. That's why Obama spoke out against South Dakota's attempt to outlaw all abortions. And that's why Obama has worked so hard to make sure that low-income and college women can access affordable birth." [Huffington Post, 1/30/08]
Steve Trombley, CEO And President Of Planned Parenthood/Chicago Action said that "Senator Obama has been a consistent supporter of reproductive rights while in the legislature and we worked closely with him in developing and implementing legislative strategies to protect the rights of women in Illinois.'" [Chicago Tribune, 12/4/07]
Libby Slappey, a former 13-year board member of Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa sad that "Senator Obama is one of America's strongest and most loyal defenders of women's rights on issues of reproductive health care."
We've seen too many misleading attacks and too much division in our country during the last seven Bush years. I support Barack because he is best able to bring us together as one country – but to do that, we need to first overcome the efforts to falsely attack and artificially divide us as Super Tuesday approaches. Nancy Keenan, the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America has talked about the dangers of dividing our community and creating "tension where none should exist" – and asked for the tactics to stop. I'm joining her in that call today.
Lets have an honest debate – and on Tuesday, I hope you will join me in supporting Barack Obama for President – for Connecticut, for families, for women, and for our country.
Thanks, Rosa DeLauro

Rosa DeLauro helped me remember and embrace what Obama is telling us:

"I'M ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE:
Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington ...
I'm asking you to believe in yours."

FREE ADVERTISING... and... Happy Birthday Grampy!

"You are the weakest link. Goodbye."

It appears that I, all too quickly, put a link on my blog for a site called Simple•ology. I choose not to give it free advertising any longer. Mark Joyner, Founder of Simpleology, may be a savvy entrepreneur, in my humble estimation, his site is no more than one more place that sucks our good earned money up, claiming some miracle process that will change our lives forever. Ain't no such animal! Mark, I wish you well in your endeavors. I am sure you will be successful. But you are not for this puppy. Live and Let Live...



So... I have removed their link below in a previous blog entry...

Lesson learned NanaBanana...
this blog is ONLY for the FREE and PROUD expression of my experiences with and around my 3 Grandsons!
Kudos and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Best Grampy
these 3 boys could have!
WE LOVE YOU GRAMPY!