Calling All 8/19/06 Special Western Cruisers! AKA "The Cruisin' Castaways" Part 2

[Verandah Man]

Just read the below message on the "Live from the Magic" thread that was posted a short time ago.


Okay - here is the scoop!!! If I had a laptop that I could use with wireless I would BRING IT! Talked to a guy this morning who opened up his laptop to do work on the first day and found he had an internet signal He still needed to register and get a user name & password.
The guy I talked with signed a couple papers got his internet name & password and has been on lline through his own laptop the entire cruise!!!! A few glitches though he can only get a signal on deck 9 & 10, Promenade Lounge (Right next to internet cafe) and Atrium area. But he is on his own laptop. So far this is not an advertised service, CM Danielle offered it to me also but I didn't bring a laptop with me.CM Danielle at the "prebooking for your next cruise booth" is also the internet person.

I actually don't mind the internet cafe since it is open 24 hrs and if you want a kids free zone the Cafe Cove is open until 12:00AM. You can print on the printer for 25 cents a page, but I wasn't able to use to plug into a USB to recharge my Shuffle. But really that wasn't that big of a deal.

The only gripe I have is that we were on a 6 day cruise and had to pay the same $89.95 as a 7 day cruise had to. We could have been given a bit of a break from this IMO. The wireless internet guy didn't pay anything...BUT my feeling is that this was simply because it was being tested. I would think in the future there will be a charge for Wireless , but who knows how much???

Exciting news though, HUH????!!!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Oh yea, I forgot to mention, my MRI is scheduled for this coming Monday morning at 8am.

 

[Reenieny18]

Hello everyone..
been a real busy week around here.. I started the week with my birthday that was very good. I even got MARTY to make me a cake from scratch.. and DANIEL made the frosting.. YUMMIE.. I tell them thats all I want is for them to make me a cake for a change...

Darlene,, it was great to hear from you and I am glad to see that STAN is home and doing well.. I hope DARLENE is doing better soon too!

BOBBY and CINDY... dont cancel yet..... you can hold on to the room still and I may take your room instead... PLEASE wait till I talk to you PLEASE>!!!!!

Daniel goes to BOYSCOUT camp on SUNDAY... Boy will I miss him next week.

Ok now for our bad news... Marty and I just got back from the hospital a little bit ago.. His mom had surgery today to remove the ovaries. Unfortunately, it turned out to be STAGE 4 CANCER. It has spread to the liver and some of the stomache already... If there is any or prayers left over for us... please send them our way... I am not sure MARTY or I can take any more.. Remember TINA.. what we say... GOD gives us only what we can handle.... My DAD asked me today how I manage to run around like I do...for my kids and husband... and when will I find time for myself... I told I will when I am in eternal rest..lol...

TO BE CONT...
DOREEN

 

[Reenieny18]

ANDY.. I am glad ANGELINA is feeling better.. AndI have to add.. she is very beautiful... Keep her under lock and key..lol

I wrote a post on WEDNESDAY night but it cancelled out.. I wrote to ANDY TERRY< SUE< MARYROSE...and then when I hit send,.it cancelled instead.

TERRY.. I am sorry your trip is over but isnt it good to be home. how was it with only you and Robby? I tell ya,.. I am going to miss DANIEL.. we seem to do alot of things together lately... Did you get together with BEV or anyone else?? ANd what was that conversation all about with that busy body that butt into our DISCUSSION anyway.. Glad they are not around anymore..


ANDY for the last time go get some TRAUMEEL.. it really helps.. it takes the pain away from me what the narcotic pain meds dont touch. I guess the active ingredient is ARNICA.. give it a try.. it may help you to hold out until surgery...

SUE... are you still ok over there What does OSMA think he is doing. We are all survivors and he cant take that freedom from us. Please check in soon so we know you and all our other friends over the pond are doing well..

I need some sleep.. Busy day in the hospital tomorrow.. Thanks for listening...
DOREEN

 

[Ct_TiggerFan]

Doreen, your family is in our thoughts and prayers

 

[Verandah Man]

ANDY for the last time go get some TRAUMEEL.. it really helps.. it takes the pain away from me what the narcotic pain meds dont touch. I guess the active ingredient is ARNICA.. give it a try.. it may help you to hold out until surgery...

Hi Doreen,

I first wanted to let you know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers, and we'll spread some extra your way as well.

My tube of TRAUMEEL just arrived on Wednesday and I started using it three times a day. It does help to ease some of the pain and inflamation. It's a shame it can't heal the cartilage tear though, now that would be some good medication!!!

BTW, I have a very large baseball bat sitting by the front door for when the boys come calling, LOL!!!

 

[sandygirl]

DOREEN...my heart is so heavy for you and Marty. I pray that your MIL is as comfortable as possible. Please...please...please do not try to handle all this yourself. I am finding that sometimes the strongest thing for me to do is to ask for help. We are the "strong" ones. We need to be strong in a smart way. No one is going to get taken care of if we get sick too. Love you, friend. And belated Happy Birthday!

ANDY...glad to hear they scheduled your MRI. Hope the way is smoothed for WC. Take care.

TERRY...I know what you mean about mixed feelings after vacation. Glad you are home safe. I'm sure the guys missed you very much. Thanks for the countdown!

"When it rains it pours" and "God will not give you any more than you can handle" are two phrases being thrown at me this week. Well, it's still raining. The doctor is sending Sandy to Dupont to be tested for Cystic Fibrosis. I said, great, let's rule it out and then I came home and cried.

I spent last night in the ER with MIL again. She can't be alone anymore. She waits for me to leave and then takes a "walk". She either passed out (high heat and humidity here) or tripped on the sidewalk. Broken nose and contusions, stitches in her mouth, cuts and contusion to her elbow. And the CT showed some irregularities in her brain. She needs an MRI to diagnose further but she won't agree to that. Basicly they said it is consistent with getting old, she is 83. She won't take her meds. She won't stay put.

I asked Stan to call his brother in Alabama and ask him to come and help me implement a plan to keep her safe. It's only the two of them and Stan can't do anything right now. I am livid!!! He is "very busy", "too far away", and "God won't give you more than you can handle" (meaning me!). I told Stan to tell him to get his butt on a plane and that I AM handling what God has given me (thank you Lord) and this was HIS to handle.

I can't believe I just wrote all that, but it was rather cathartic so I think I won't erase it.

You guys are the best. Have a great weekend.

Darlene

 

[SeaSpray]

Doreen and Darlene: I am so sorry for all that you are dealing with right now. Darlene, it sounds like your MIL has Alzheimer's. Is this a possibility? When my mother started with the symptoms of Alzheimer's, it was very similar. We would find her doing odd things. And a non-ill person *would* take their medication. I truly hope that Stan's brother gets himself out to NJ to help oversee the care of his own mother. You and Stan should not have to deal with this yourselves.

Just want to say that the following paragraphs have to do with religion, in case anyone wants to choose not to read them.

Another thing, and I really do not intend to offend anyone, but I really need to say this. God is not *giving* you (or anyone for that matter), all of these problems to deal with. The problems we face, whether it's medical, emotional, financial, personal, etc. are all a part of the world we live in. They just happen. God did not look down and see that you (or anyone else) is a strong person and figured "gee, let me give them some more problems, they can handle it". Sometimes people bring upon themselves a lot of their own problems (people like drug addicts, for example), but in many, many cases, such as illnesses like you are dealing with, that is just not the case.

Nowhere in the bible does it ever say that God gives anyone problems. I have often wondered how could anyone possibly love a God that would *give* them problems? In fact, here it says the opposite, that God does not give anyone problems:

James 1:13 says: When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.


I think this is the scripture which often gets misquoted, it's from 1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has taken YOU except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let YOU be tempted beyond what YOU can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for YOU to be able to endure it.

The bible *does* say that God will give you the strength to deal with any problems you may face:

Phillipians 4:13 says: For all things I have the strength by virtue of him who imparts power to me.

Again, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I can't keep reading how God *gives* people problems. When I lived in NJ my next door neighbor had a baby with birth defects, and she believed that God chose her to have this baby because "she could handle it". She told me that God would not give her sister in law a baby with a birth defect because her SIL couldn't handle it. I felt so bad for my neighbor, she really thought God inflicted those problems on her baby, and then chose HER to have a baby with birth defects. She was really nice, we chatted a bit about the subject, and she did eventually see that God didn't "give" her son his birth defects, or choose her to have a baby with birth defects.

For the record, I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which I know I have mentioned before, and I am not trying to push my own beliefs onto anyone, and I know none of you are either, but my conscience wouldn't let me pass this subject up without commenting on it and pointing out the above scriptures. Also, I personally take comfort in the fact that God is not handing out problems to people, simply because he thinks they can handle them. There is so much more I could say, but this is not the place for it, and again, I sincerely do not mean to offend anyone. I hope no one is offended by what I've said. I care about all of you a LOT.

 

[lynr]

Darlene:

My heart goes out to you. You have every right to write what you did. Sometimes you have to MAKE family members live up to their responsibility. You and Stan have more than enough to handle right now, so your brother in law must take care of his mom.

I am sorry to hear this latest development with Sandy and I pray the tests aren't going to show anything. My oldest son had those tests and I know this is very scary for you.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Stan and Sandy.

Darlene my friend, I don't know how you are handling all this. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better, but I know there isn't, so just know that we are all here for you and we can be your sounding board and a place to feel free to say anything that you want.

Doreen:

First off . Sorry we missed it.

I am so sorry to hear about Marty's mom. I will keep her in my prayers.
I don't know about this group we have certainly had our share of sickness and problems even before the cruise last August. I think it is time we had a little sunshine in our lives.

Tell Daniel to have a good time in camp. I know you'll miss him but he'll have a great time. How is Jaclyn making out with her new job?

Andy: I am glad to hear that Angelina is feeling better. My son Matt needs his wisdom teeth out and I am dreading that. I hope your knee is feeling better.


To our friends in London my heart breaks for you. This is truly awful to have to live in fear.

Now I have been putting this news off for a long time; but we will not be joining you on the cruise. I have done a lot of thinking and talking to Bob, and we have cancelled our cruise. We have decided to go Carnival, it is half the cost of Disney and we really had a great time when we went in June.

Since we are traveling without children, Carnival had more things to do for the adults until wee hours of the morning.

I am truly going to miss all of you and I hope you don't mind if I continue to check in here and keep intouch with all my friends. "I will be cruising with you in spirit"

Lyn

 

[SeaSpray]

I am truly going to miss all of you and I hope you don't mind if I continue to check in here and keep intouch with all my friends. "I will be cruising with you in spirit"

Lyn

Lyn: You KNOW how much I am going to miss you! But I definitely understand your reason for choosing Carnival for next year. And please DO keep checking in here and posting!! You are a part of our group. Bobby and Cindy too!

 

[sandygirl]

Lynn
I truly believe that this thread is for a special group of friends, and not limited to a cruise date. Although we will miss you on this cruise I can't imagine not with you. I hope to get together with you all soon. We don't need a cruise date to be friends.


Terry
No offense taken, friend.

Love you all,
Darlene

 

[castoff]

Hello Everyone !
I go away for 1 week and it feels like I have been gone away for a month from these boards !

Darlene: Still prayers and thoughts going out to your family. Hope Sandy is feeling better realo soon.

Doreen: Happy belated B-day. The sun will shine your way soon. Did you pick a place for our meet yet?

Bobby & Cindy: Sorry You had to cancel the cruise. At least you get to go to Disney still.

Andy: Keep us posted about your knee. Sure hope you don't have to cancel next month. Glad Angelina is doing o.k after surgery. Not fun to get teeth extracted.

Lyn: We are going without kids...........I understand where your coming from. At this point we couldn't cancel because I already got my t-shirt from Andy. I am kidding you of course but feel really bad that your not going. I am happy that your still able to enjoy a cruise.

Terry: Just wanted to say "Well Said"

Barb: Have a GREAT mini vacation and hope Dave is up and around in no time.

Sue: Hello my neighbor, just heard more news about London. Everyone over there is in my thoughts. Stay safe. Hello to Karen Also.

Ed: 3 weeks for vacation Woo Hoo I can hear your excitement in your posts. Enjoy every minute of it with your family !

Bev: How are you? Hope all is well !

If I forgot anyone.........I am sorry. It was a lonnnnnng drive back. You know the story , lots of laundry to do and hitting the grocery store tomorrow. I up up-loaded pictures from digital to webshots. After my Mom sees them I will remove the ones of me and post the link. I am keeping my new hairdo a secret till after meet next month. I have a lot to say about my trip. Will write more later.

 

[Verandah Man]

Welcome Home Tina!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ct_TiggerFan]

Hi Tina, Welcome home

 

[castoff]

Thanks Andy & Ed it's good to be home. I would like to write my "first" trip report ever. I would like to put it into a link into my sig. Can anyone tell me how do I do this? I would like to write out the whole week and then click on the link where people could just read it. Does this make sense? Thanks, I know you know your computer stuff. Can't wait to share my vacation and you can see the pictures.

 

[winnyis]

Hello All - well its finally official... we are here. We arrived yesterday afternoon - Bob drove down with our puppy and the kids and I took the auto train... not the most comfortable ride.. but we got here safely so thats what matters. Unfortunately my time here is limited... I am back on a plane to DC tomorrow morning at 7AM for the week and wont be back here til about 4PM on friday. Thankfully I only have 4 more weeks of this schedule and then 2 weeks of repo cruise to relax and regroup.

Im so sorry to hear of all the hard times my FRIENDS have been facing.

Darlene - I cant imagine how hard everything is for you lately. Your right in asking Stans brother to step in and help with MIL - you need to focus your attention on Stan and Sandy. Cant wait to see you guys in 28 days!!!!

Andy - heres prayers and PD that workers comp doesnt jerk you around and you get the surgery/synvisc necessary to make you feel better.

Bobby & Cindy & Lynn & Bob - sorry to hear you wont be cruising with us- but I totally understand.... Theres a chance we might have to cancel also.. depends on kids school schedules now that we have to abide by Florida schedule....but for now Im keeping the ressie.

Doreen - continued prayers for Marty's recovery and strength to deal with what his mom is facing.....

 

[castoff]

Our Vacation…………..

Saturday July 16, 2005 we headed to the Catskills to see my Grandfather. We stayed at the Deer Watch Inn. First time I stayed at a B&B. It was very nice. Next time I think we will stay there without kids.lol there was a beautiful pond filled with coy and it was very peaceful. We already planned our next visit to see my Grandfather over Labor Day weekend.

Sunday July 17, 2005 after a home cooked breakfast it’s off to Staunton VA. It was a very long drive. We stopped and saw Natural Bridge. It is one of the natural wonders. It was so beautiful. We spent the night at a Hampton Inn.

Monday July 18, 2005 off to Pigeon Forge. It took us about 6 ½ hours with stops of course. We spent the night at another Hampton Inn. We went to a Comedy barn show which was really funny and had dinner at the Apple Farm. It was really good. You get 7 courses and don’t ever leave hungry!!

Tuesday July 19,2005 we found our condo in the mountains near Gatlinburg. Oh my is all I can say. We had our own balcony. Our view of a beautiful stream, we each had our own bedroom, 2 bathroom, fireplace, pool; to bad we weren’t there too much to really enjoy it to its fullest. Lol We to the kids to a go cart place and they had a blast!! My DD adopted a baby bear and named her Molly at Boyd’s bear country. That place is GREAT. They have over 70,000 bears and they really treated DD like she adopted a baby. They treated me like a GRANDMA. The pictures tell the story on that. We went on the sky lift up to the Smokey Mountains. Went through all the shops in Gatlinburg. DS did some antique shopping while DD did a mine dig.

Wednesday July 20, 2005 had breakfast with the character bear at Boyd’s then off to Dollywood. All day till close. We had done so much walking by this point every bone in my body was hurting me. The kids just didn’t want to miss a thing.

Thursday July 21, 2005 we went to Ripley’s Aquarium saw some awesome species. Went to Cooters and he happened to be there. What are the odds? Also the sheriff that played on the show was there. I got both of there auto graphs on the general lee. The kids seemed excited. We had lunch at Damon’s. DS and Chuck went to the Ripley stars and Cars thing and Brooke and I went to Ripley’s haunted mansion. Big mistake. You have NO idea how scary it really was. I had a panic attack in the middle of it and was removed. Brooke continued on. It was VERY intense. We did a little more shopping then back to the condo to pack up.

Friday July 22, 2005 Outside of Pigeon forge we found a crackle & barrel for breakfast. We are headed for a long drive to Hummel burg PA. Spent the night at Holiday Inn near Hershey PA.

Saturday July 23, 2005 with stops about 6 ½ hours drive back home.

I posted the link for the pictures in my sig. these are only a fraction of them. The rest are on reg. 35 mm camera. Chuck has to fly out tomorrow so he wont have time to scan them. I hope you enjoy them .

 

[sandygirl]

TINA thanks for posting your trip report. It sounds like you had a great time. The mountains are beautiful.

GINNY I am so glad to hear you made it to FL! Will you have time to settle in? I know FL starts school much earlier than NJ. I think one year DS started about Aug 13th. Who knows where any of us will be next year. Last year at this time I was living a different life. Can't wait to see you guys! I think we should make our 1st toast to your determination and courage. You did it!

ANDY How you feeling today?

DOREEN Sending you some more .

TERRY Hope you are enjoying this beautiful day!

Darlene

 

[SeaSpray]

Welcome home, Tina! Great pictures, thanks for sharing them with us What or who is Cooters? You said you met "him" there... Not sure who you mean?

Ginny: Congrats on officially moving to Florida! I hope you enjoy it and that you love living there How far from Disney World are you??

Darlene and Ginny: I hope you guys have a wonderful cruise next month!!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Tina--very nice photos, I think we saw everyone in your family buy you, why is that???

Darlene--feeling o.k. today, just taking it easy and getting ready for the MRI on Monday.