May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 5

[HollyTyler]

Deb:

I had been wondering where you've been. I'm SO, SO sorry to hear about your mom AND your leg condtions. All I can say is TONS OF prayers and and extra to try to get you through this horrible time. This must be an awful time for you and your family, but just try to remember to take care of yourself too, even though that might be the last thing on your mind. And bless John for being the awesome man that he is. Please tell him that too. Believe me when I say it's rare to find a man so dedicated to family and loved ones. Extra hugs for both of you AND your whole family.

 

[LisaG520]

Hi All!!! No time to post lately....just an update....mom is in ICU again. Low blood pressure, on a ventilator, not responding, heart, lungs, kidney issues, urinary track infection spread to blood throughout....really not doing well. I think she's just tired of fighting....she's been in the hospital six times in the past eight months and now is number seven.

I'm doing what I can to be there for her, but have some restraints....infectious wounds on both my legs. My doctor says at the first sign of a temperature....I have to go into the hospital....so I'm trying to beat it at home.

Poor John is completely beat up by everything going on....he's trying to be the strong one taking care of everyone and everything.

We had to put my mom's husband into a private care facility because he has brain damage and can't be left alone....it's costing us $100/per day. Last week we just spent $500 to spay the dog....her stitches come out next week. John said which cruise do we have to cancel to pay for all of this???? I said NEITHER...I will make it happen....we need to go no matter what....we need it bad!!!!

So, no cancelling vacations....just gotta get over this bump in the road right now. Miss chatting with you all....hope to be back regularly again soon.

Deb - take good care of yourself! So sorry to hear about your mom. Here is some to help you through everything!

And I agree - no cancelling I'm looking forward to our dinners at sea!!

 

[granmaz]

Hi All!!! No time to post lately....just an update....mom is in ICU again. Low blood pressure, on a ventilator, not responding, heart, lungs, kidney issues, urinary track infection spread to blood throughout....really not doing well. I think she's just tired of fighting....she's been in the hospital six times in the past eight months and now is number seven.

I'm doing what I can to be there for her, but have some restraints....infectious wounds on both my legs. My doctor says at the first sign of a temperature....I have to go into the hospital....so I'm trying to beat it at home.

Poor John is completely beat up by everything going on....he's trying to be the strong one taking care of everyone and everything.

We had to put my mom's husband into a private care facility because he has brain damage and can't be left alone....it's costing us $100/per day. Last week we just spent $500 to spay the dog....her stitches come out next week. John said which cruise do we have to cancel to pay for all of this???? I said NEITHER...I will make it happen....we need to go no matter what....we need it bad!!!!

So, no cancelling vacations....just gotta get over this bump in the road right now. Miss chatting with you all....hope to be back regularly again soon.

Oh Deb, sorry you are going through all this. It is hard seeing a parent so ill, but you must take care of yourself. Hospital really is no place to be with open sores, but I know you have to be there. Sending lots of love and prayers to you and John.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Deb,
I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I remember going through similar times with my mom and other family members. Somehow I was given the strength to be there, take care of things and do what I needed to do and I trust you will be, too. I hope you will listen to your body and take care of yourself as well. Let others do what they can so you won't burn yourself out.

Prayers to you and your family...take care.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

We had another nice rain this afternoon! It wasn't 68 like in Orygan but it was cooler than normal.

I've been busy organizing recipes and other paper work--got a new filing cabinet and am getting things in one place. I've also been working on some stuff for my class reunion. Looking forward to seeing Hairspray on Sunday--Sicko finally came, so I want to see that next week, too.

In about a week I'm going to La Jolla (San Diego) for a few days at the beach with my sis & her son. Then he & I will go up to Disneyland for a few days. It'll be fun; I just hope it's not too hot. I'm hoping to get over to the Pirates' Lair--haven't seen it yet--and see Fantasmic. Hopefully we can work it in between multiple rides on CA Screaming, Big Thunder Mt., Space Mt., and Splash Mt.!

Sis and her son are going to be on the Magic over Christmas (Dec. 22-29). Boy, do I wish I could go, too. Has anyone ever cruised for Christmas on DCL? It seems like it would be extra special!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Deb:

I had been wondering where you've been. I'm SO, SO sorry to hear about your mom AND your leg condtions. All I can say is TONS OF prayers and and extra to try to get you through this horrible time. This must be an awful time for you and your family, but just try to remember to take care of yourself too, even though that might be the last thing on your mind. And bless John for being the awesome man that he is. Please tell him that too. Believe me when I say it's rare to find a man so dedicated to family and loved ones. Extra hugs for both of you AND your whole family.

Deb - take good care of yourself! So sorry to hear about your mom. Here is some to help you through everything!

And I agree - no cancelling I'm looking forward to our dinners at sea!!

Oh Deb, sorry you are going through all this. It is hard seeing a parent so ill, but you must take care of yourself. Hospital really is no place to be with open sores, but I know you have to be there. Sending lots of love and prayers to you and John.

Deb,
I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I remember going through similar times with my mom and other family members. Somehow I was given the strength to be there, take care of things and do what I needed to do and I trust you will be, too. I hope you will listen to your body and take care of yourself as well. Let others do what they can so you won't burn yourself out.

Prayers to you and your family...take care.

Thanks guys.....it sure is nice to have good friends who care. I just called the hospital to see how mom did overnight and her nurse said she is stable...not better, not worse...that's good. We'll see where we go from here. Visiting hours start at 11am, so I'll be going then and when I get back, I'll be taking care of me....soaking in surgical hand scrub solution with water, applying peroxide and elevating the legs. I'm taking heavy duty antibiotics and steroids to reduce swelling. So far, no temperature....so no hospital for me!

Thanks for the hugs and well wishes for me and John and family. I'm glad it's the weekend so John can be home and relax a little. He's been like the energizer bunny....going and going and going....from work to hospital to home helping take care of me. He really is a good egg and I think I'll keep him!

 

[Jhalkias]

Great pictures. It looked very quiet.

I was going to say the same thing Nan . . . Is HK Disneyland not doing well, or are we just not seeing it correctly by the pictures?

 

[Jhalkias]

Deb,

Let me restate what everyone else said. Take care, and I hope things go better for you in the near future!

 

[Jhalkias]

Just a quick note on the job front . . .

After meeting with a good friend who is also an attorney, I have decided to pursue a slightly different tack . . .

I have decided to start a small side solo practice - doing simple things like wills, etc. My goal is to get this off the ground sometime shortly after the first of the year. I want to spend time researching what I will need, and also possibly converting Alex's bedroom once he is moved in for Med school into a small home office. I am not going to aggressively look for any other job, as I decided the prospect of finding something that I will be REALLY happy with and working for someone else is not what I really want to do (of course, I will leave myself open to any incredible offer that may come along). I plan on doing this around my current job on nights and weekends. We'll see how it goes.

I think I will be happier having something I can call my own, and who knows where that could go in the future? I am excited thinking about it, and thought I should have done this a long time ago.

 

[MrsMork]

We had another nice rain this afternoon! It wasn't 68 like in Orygan but it was cooler than normal.

I've been busy organizing recipes and other paper work--got a new filing cabinet and am getting things in one place. I've also been working on some stuff for my class reunion. Looking forward to seeing Hairspray on Sunday--Sicko finally came, so I want to see that next week, too.

In about a week I'm going to La Jolla (San Diego) for a few days at the beach with my sis & her son. Then he & I will go up to Disneyland for a few days. It'll be fun; I just hope it's not too hot. I'm hoping to get over to the Pirates' Lair--haven't seen it yet--and see Fantasmic. Hopefully we can work it in between multiple rides on CA Screaming, Big Thunder Mt., Space Mt., and Splash Mt.!

Sis and her son are going to be on the Magic over Christmas (Dec. 22-29). Boy, do I wish I could go, too. Has anyone ever cruised for Christmas on DCL? It seems like it would be extra special!

We were on the first 10 day Christmas cruise in 2004. Yes, it is magical! We were on St Thomas on Christmas day.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I think I will be happier having something I can call my own, and who knows where that could go in the future? I am excited thinking about it, and thought I should have done this a long time ago.

John, that's exciting! Congrats to you on taking the plunge and here's some for your new venture!

We were on the first 10 day Christmas cruise in 2004. Yes, it is magical! We were on St Thomas on Christmas day.

My sis said that Santa will arrive in a helicopter! Did anything like that happen on your trip? What did they do on Xmas Eve/Xmas Day?

 

[birkner]

Hi All!!! No time to post lately....just an update....mom is in ICU again. Low blood pressure, on a ventilator, not responding, heart, lungs, kidney issues, urinary track infection spread to blood throughout....really not doing well. I think she's just tired of fighting....she's been in the hospital six times in the past eight months and now is number seven.

I'm doing what I can to be there for her, but have some restraints....infectious wounds on both my legs. My doctor says at the first sign of a temperature....I have to go into the hospital....so I'm trying to beat it at home.

Poor John is completely beat up by everything going on....he's trying to be the strong one taking care of everyone and everything.

We had to put my mom's husband into a private care facility because he has brain damage and can't be left alone....it's costing us $100/per day. Last week we just spent $500 to spay the dog....her stitches come out next week. John said which cruise do we have to cancel to pay for all of this???? I said NEITHER...I will make it happen....we need to go no matter what....we need it bad!!!!

So, no cancelling vacations....just gotta get over this bump in the road right now. Miss chatting with you all....hope to be back regularly again soon.

Your upbeat enthusaism is spite of all the difficulties you and John are facing is an inspiration to us all. My prayers are with you and your family facing difficlut tijmes.

 

[birkner]

We had another nice rain this afternoon! It wasn't 68 like in Orygan but it was cooler than normal.

I've been busy organizing recipes and other paper work--got a new filing cabinet and am getting things in one place. I've also been working on some stuff for my class reunion. Looking forward to seeing Hairspray on Sunday--Sicko finally came, so I want to see that next week, too.

In about a week I'm going to La Jolla (San Diego) for a few days at the beach with my sis & her son. Then he & I will go up to Disneyland for a few days. It'll be fun; I just hope it's not too hot. I'm hoping to get over to the Pirates' Lair--haven't seen it yet--and see Fantasmic. Hopefully we can work it in between multiple rides on CA Screaming, Big Thunder Mt., Space Mt., and Splash Mt.!

Sis and her son are going to be on the Magic over Christmas (Dec. 22-29). Boy, do I wish I could go, too. Has anyone ever cruised for Christmas on DCL? It seems like it would be extra special!

Sounds like you are in for some fun times. As your sis and her son are leaving the Magic, we will be boarding. We are spending the Xmas holidays at WDW. Anyone have any not to be missed things we should do at WDW?

 

[birkner]

Just a quick note on the job front . . .

After meeting with a good friend who is also an attorney, I have decided to pursue a slightly different tack . . .

I have decided to start a small side solo practice - doing simple things like wills, etc. My goal is to get this off the ground sometime shortly after the first of the year. I want to spend time researching what I will need, and also possibly converting Alex's bedroom once he is moved in for Med school into a small home office. I am not going to aggressively look for any other job, as I decided the prospect of finding something that I will be REALLY happy with and working for someone else is not what I really want to do (of course, I will leave myself open to any incredible offer that may come along). I plan on doing this around my current job on nights and weekends. We'll see how it goes.

I think I will be happier having something I can call my own, and who knows where that could go in the future? I am excited thinking about it, and thought I should have done this a long time ago.

Congratulations John on your ideas about a new venture. I know at least here in California, wills and trust attorneys have a thriving practice. Speaking from someone who is still paying a trust attorney to do taxes on my father's estate, it is a pretty financially lucrative business!!

 

[JLSE50]

Grand Cayman was our favorite also...for all the same reasons you listed. In some of the other ports I came back to the ship feeling almost depressed!

When we have been at some of those ports I come away amazed at the blessings of my life that I have by the accident of my birth.

Some people think I should bargain down the street vendor when I buy my homemade souviners because if I pay their first price they will think I am a stupid American. I do not care if they think I am a stupid American. I am providing more money for their meals and their children's school expenses. In some of those countries kids can only go to school if they have their own uniforms, paper, pencils, etc. Maybe overpaying on a necklace will enable the kids to have a better diet or a better education. Just my way of leaving gentle footprints instead of being an ugly American.

Jan

 

[JLSE50]

ya just had to tell me that didn't ya Noel....have a big frosty for me, just vanilla. If you must dip it too


better late than never here are some Hong Kong pics....

THANKS for the photos! I would love to go there, and to Tokyo Disney and Paris Disney! Not Hong Kong, Tokyo or Paris, just the Disney parks near those cities.....
Jan

 

[JLSE50]

Hi All!!! No time to post lately....just an update....mom is in ICU again. Low blood pressure, on a ventilator, not responding, heart, lungs, kidney issues, urinary track infection spread to blood throughout....really not doing well. I think she's just tired of fighting....she's been in the hospital six times in the past eight months and now is number seven.

I'm doing what I can to be there for her, but have some restraints....infectious wounds on both my legs. My doctor says at the first sign of a temperature....I have to go into the hospital....so I'm trying to beat it at home.

Poor John is completely beat up by everything going on....he's trying to be the strong one taking care of everyone and everything.

We had to put my mom's husband into a private care facility because he has brain damage and can't be left alone....it's costing us $100/per day. Last week we just spent $500 to spay the dog....her stitches come out next week. John said which cruise do we have to cancel to pay for all of this???? I said NEITHER...I will make it happen....we need to go no matter what....we need it bad!!!!

So, no cancelling vacations....just gotta get over this bump in the road right now. Miss chatting with you all....hope to be back regularly again soon.

Prayers and pixie dust that things smooth out soon. You have been missed on the thread, now we know why. Take care of yourself! Thanks from us to John for his contributions!
Jan

 

[1Grumpy John]

Just a quick note on the job front . . .

After meeting with a good friend who is also an attorney, I have decided to pursue a slightly different tack . . .

I have decided to start a small side solo practice - doing simple things like wills, etc. My goal is to get this off the ground sometime shortly after the first of the year. I want to spend time researching what I will need, and also possibly converting Alex's bedroom once he is moved in for Med school into a small home office. I am not going to aggressively look for any other job, as I decided the prospect of finding something that I will be REALLY happy with and working for someone else is not what I really want to do (of course, I will leave myself open to any incredible offer that may come along). I plan on doing this around my current job on nights and weekends. We'll see how it goes.

I think I will be happier having something I can call my own, and who knows where that could go in the future? I am excited thinking about it, and thought I should have done this a long time ago.

John, All my bigest and best wishes on your venture I know that this is a big jump for any one. (If I had an estate you would get my bussiness ) just remember that when you work for your self the boss can be a real pain in the butt Go for it

 

[1Grumpy John]

When we have been at some of those ports I come away amazed at the blessings of my life that I have by the accident of my birth.

Some people think I should bargain down the street vendor when I buy my homemade souviners because if I pay their first price they will think I am a stupid American. I do not care if they think I am a stupid American. I am providing more money for their meals and their children's school expenses. In some of those countries kids can only go to school if they have their own uniforms, paper, pencils, etc. Maybe overpaying on a necklace will enable the kids to have a better diet or a better education. Just my way of leaving gentle footprints instead of being an ugly American.
Jan

could not agree more if I see something that I want, and they have put a price on it, I am willing to pay it. To me it is value for doller, to them it may be a better chance.

 

[MrsMork]

When we have been at some of those ports I come away amazed at the blessings of my life that I have by the accident of my birth.

Some people think I should bargain down the street vendor when I buy my homemade souviners because if I pay their first price they will think I am a stupid American. I do not care if they think I am a stupid American. I am providing more money for their meals and their children's school expenses. In some of those countries kids can only go to school if they have their own uniforms, paper, pencils, etc. Maybe overpaying on a necklace will enable the kids to have a better diet or a better education. Just my way of leaving gentle footprints instead of being an ugly American.

Jan

The absolute highlight of all or our DCL cruises...9 of them...was going to a small village in Costa Maya and handing out school supplies last Dec on the double dip. It was like Christmas for those children! Their smiles were amazing. Someone had brought a bag of lollipops and the kids liked them, but they were way more excited about the pencils and the composition books were a BIG hit with the older children.