Knitted Together: May 2010

Day 1

Depart from Boston

We headed to Boston first thing in the morning. Jenna rode with us and Allen and Daniele rode with Randy and Tara. We had to turn around to get Jason's meds and to get something I left at my Mom's that I couldn't live with out. We met up with the other car at IHOP in Portland. We ate a very filling breakfast and continued our journey. Jason and I switched drivers at the rest stop in Mass and I led the way into Boston. We made it to the dock without getting lost (though we did have to stop and ask a cop where to park) dropped the luggage and most of the people off near the boarding line and Tara and I parked the two cars. Then we got in the impossibly long line to get rid of our luggage. The dock where the boat comes to is under construction. Baggage Men with trolleys like the kind they use in hotels take your luggage away on them and bring them to the boat. No conveyer belt. Then into the terminal where we had to fill out form saying we weren't sick, and if we were we could go see the ship doc for free! Randy, Tara, and Jenna (RTJ) found out that as suite owners they are VIP's and get a few priviledges. The first being that they get to get into their room before everyone else! We were led to the VIP waiting room wich is a roped off area in the terminal with some folding chairs. A smallish man with white hair (but not because he was old) and a British (sort of) accent greeted us and told us he'd be with us in a moment. He was very friendly and huggy and very happy to see us. We were wearing match t-shirts and Randy and Tara's said Dad and Mom. A cop chatted Randy up and asked if he could be adopted so he could go on the cruise. Then the man came over and introduced himself to us. He said his name was Bruce and it was his job to make sure that we all had a good time on the ship. He said that someone would take us all to RTJ's suite and he'd be by later to say "Hi".

RTJ's suite is very nice. Just big enough for all 7 of us to sit and watch some TV. They had a love seat, two chairs, four kitchen chairs and a little table, a balcony out over the back on the ship, a king size bed, two sinks, a toilet with it's own little room, a shower, and a jacuzzi tub. The room also came with a shared butler (he butlered several other suites) to fetch RTJ movies and food when they needed it during his working hours. We all spent some time there before Jason and I and Allen and Daniele headed to our rooms to see if our stuff had arrived. Our room was cozy. The bed was queen sized (two twins pushed together) and there was a little desk and chair, an arm chair (that we used to hold some clothes), and a bathroom. We waited in our room until the mandatory safety drill. The drill was a joke. More of a joke then the ones you get on a plane. This is a life vest, this is how you use a life vest.. it took longer to organize everyone into the proper groups for the stewards to count us then the actual drill. Then we explored some of the ship as we watched it pull away from Boston. We checked out the pool which was salt water and the four Hot Tubs, saw the kiddie pool and the kiddie waterslide and the kiddie Hot Tub (it was nice not having kids in the Hot Tubs), many of the bars, some drunk people--ok a lot of drunk people. We got a bite to eat in one of the dininghalls called Windows Dining. The diningroom is at the back of the ship and has two story windows in the back.. beautiful! I had lamb, I had never had lamb before, it was very tender and yummy. My dessert was a chocolate thing with a little fleck of gold on it! We did a bit of shopping, Jason bought some cigars --his favorite brand. Then we went and hung out with RTJ for a little while before heading to The Garden dininghall to eat again! The menu was the same, which was fine. I had the dessert with the gold on it. Jenna and I played some Monopoly Deal while Jason went up to the top deck to smoke.

After our game we headed back to our own rooms to sleep.

Day 2

At Sea

Woke up to the ship rocking early in the morning. Didn't feel too bad as long as we were laying down. Ordered Room service the night before and it arrived around 10. They had soy milk which made me happy. Walked around the ship checking things out for a little while, hung out in RTJ's suite for a little while before they went to lunch. Randy was feeling very sea sick. We stayed for a little bit and watched TV. I was feeling a little green so we went back to our room and took a nap. Woke up and visited the buffet, but there wasn't much to eat they were between lunch and supper. Walked around for a little bit then headed back to our room to get ready for the evening. We dressed "fancy". Jason wore a tie and I wore a black dress. We met up with the family in front of the theater. The theater is built a little like a movie theater, but where the screen ought to be was a stage. Randy didn't stay to watch the show, he left to puke and never came back. He hoped that by dinner (9:30) he would be feeling well enough to join us. The show was a bunch of different Broadway Musical numbers. Some of them I recognized, but most of them I didn't. I think that Jason and I will try and see Wicked! It looks really good. After the show Jason and I went to where they were taking pictures in the lobby.

The lobby has two broad stair cases that lead up to the balcony shopping areas. In between the two stair cases in a fountain, behind the foutain three glass elevators, and in front of the foutain is a grand piano. Jason and I had our pictures taken on the stair case and in front of the piano. They came out really great and we eventually bought one and a port hole frame.

Then we met the family in front of the restaurant. Teppanki (Japanese) Randy was there and was going to try and make it through the meal. The waitress/hostess sat us down around the grill and gave us our appetizers. We had: endemae (we had to ask how to eat it "Just put it in your mouth and pull out the seeds, don't eat the outside"), some soup (Randy had to leave and puke--he claimed it was the tofu), and seaweed salad with ginger dressing (which was actually really yummy). Then the chef came out pushing a trolley of food (Randy was back to try and eat again). Before our eyes he chopped veggies and cooked eggs and made the rice into fried rice and cooked the meat and served us and flung food into our plates from his giant spatuala as he made our entrees. He also gave us some veggies (summer squash, zuccini, carrots) to dip. Then dessert. Some people tried the "ice cream", but I had the fruit with dipping sauce. It was amazing!

Jason and I made plans with Jenna for breakfast and then we went to bed.

Day 3

Arrive in Bermuda

Had breakfast with Jenna at the Windows. We were told that we would be docking at 11 and it would take a couple of hours before customs cleared us to get off the ship. We ate, changed into our swim suits, and sat in the Hot Tub. As we approached the tub I noticed someones leg sitting in a deck chair. We climbed up into the Hot Tub with a one legged woman. We got to talking and she was from Mass, she had lived in Las Vegas for some time, but her hubby didn't like it there and so they had to move back. We talked a long time with her while the boat docked. Allen came and found us a little after 11 and told us that people were getting off the ship. We got out of the tub to go to Bermuda! We packed our camera and our swim stuff and met the family to leave the boat.

I was so jittery getting off the boat. Jittery enough that as I was putting my keycard (the only way to get back on the boat) in my purse, so that I didn't loose it, that I couldn't catch it when it jumped out of my hand! The keycard landed in the water before I even got off the boat. Jason and I turned back around to tell the man who was swiping cards and he told us to go back to reception to get a new one. I felt so foolish! (When I told my family that I had to get a new keycard while on the boat they immediately stopped me and said, "Did you flush it?"). We aimlessly walked around for little bit until we saw a sign "Snorkel Park". We zeroed in on that sign and walked to the beach. Allen was the only one with a snorkel. Tara had lots of goggles for us, but no snorkels. We looked for fish, gasping for breath every now and again, I didn't see very much. My fear of being swept out to sea kept me from relaxing. When I got chilly I went to shore while the rest of the family looked at the fish in the rocks. They all saw some brightly colored ones. After a little while everyone came in and changed. Most of us were starving to death. We went back to the boat to change and get a bite to eat. We were a little bit on a dead line. There was a show we wanted to catch at 7:15 (husband and wife acrobats) and we had reservations for the Italian Restaurant on the ship for 9:30.

Jason and I decided that we would do some exploring around the Dockyard/Kings Warf before the show. We did some shopping and found a pharmacy. We found goggles and snorkles at a resonable price so that we could go snorkeling someplace cool the next day and a floppy hat for me to keep the sun off my face and neck. I had decided that I wanted two things out of this trip 1: to Relax 2: to Not Burn. My mom had a scare with skin cancer and I and bound and determined to keep my skin safe! We wandered into the Dockyard Glass works and sat and watched some people blow glass. We also tested and bought some Rum Cake .. Yummy! We wandered around the mall and walked up to the old prision where we discovered that chickens (domestic type) and domestic cats run free in Bermuda. The cats aren't mean just not friendly. We headed back to the ship to wash up and change to something a little dressy for our evening out.

While we were out checking out our surroundings Randy, Tara, Jenna, Allen, and Daniele had taken the 20min ferry over to Hamilton and then a harrowing 1 hour bus ride back.

We sat in the VIP balcony. Bruce told RTJ that because they were VIP's then the rest of their family was too! The balcony had comfy arm chairs that swiveled, instead of the theater style, and little tables for our drinks. The show was great. It is amazing what the human body, when conditioned, can endure! The husband hung from his hands using only some silk sheets and blananced his wife on his feet!! Amazing!

The Italian Restuarant was .. well .. interesting. It was very dark. The lights were dimmed. Allen, Jason, and Randy were using the pretend candles (fake orange flames) as flashlights to read the menu. Allen even got out an actual flashlight so he could see his food. The food was tastey. I had pesto and "chicken butts" tortellini. Tara had the best though it was a milk and cheese sauce, very tastey. The bread and bruchetta was very good too. The canoli's I had for dessert was also amazing.

We headed to bed as soon as supper was done, because we had a big day of snorkeling planned for the next day!

Day 4

Bermuda

Woke up at 7. Breakfast Buffet. Ate way too much bacon then what is healthy to eat, but hey we're on Vacation! Met the family outside by the big map of Bermuda. Rode the trolley the short distance to the ferry. Jason and I sat on the top to watch the coast line, the rest of the family sat inside. As we were pulling away from the dock we saw another cruise ship coming in to the Dockyard. It took an hour on the ferry to get to St. George. Our big plan for the day is to go snorkling in Tobacco Bay, which is in St. George, and go to the aquarium. None of us are wearing our swim suits so we are hoping that there is at least a porta-potty near the beach.

St George is a quaint old town. The side streets are cobbled. The town crier greets us as we exit the ferry, he's dressed like in Colonial Days. We did a bit of shopping while some of us pee. We ask a shopkeeper how to get to Tobacco Bay. "Up the hill, you can't miss it." Oh goodie.."Up the hill." The hill is as daunting as can be imagined. Most of us are carrying backpacks and none of us are used to exertion in the heat and humidity (a local proudly tells us, "Oh this is nothing, wait till summer!"). The street is narrow and the sidewalk half the size as the ones in the states. We walk single file most of the time. When we aren't walking single file the person in the back yells "SINGLE FILE!" whenever a car is heading up the hill. Just like yellow taxi's in NYC, the cars don't slow, swerve, move aside, or stop for people. There is literaly inches between us and the speeding cars! We hike up most of the hill and pause at a church called "The Unfinished Church". It was started way back in 1870. Construction was halted when the church congeration split. Then started and stopped when the sister church had a fire. Then started again and even had a roof on but stopped after a hurricane wiped the other church almost out and destroyed the unfinished one. No one ever came back to finish it. It's really beautiful even if the jungle is taking it over again.

Not too far from the church a guy on a bike stopped us and said: "Did you know that if it wasn't for Bermudan's you wouldn't have won your war?" This was news to us. Apparently George Washington was anchored outside of St. George. Some Bermudan's snuck out 100 barrels of gun powder to the waiting George. And this is why Bermuda and the USA have such great relations!

We finished our hike and FINALLY made it to Tobacco Bay. However, there was a ton of trash on the beach that someone was cleaning up. The garbage truck lady stopped and spoke with us for a little while. No where in St George (that she knew of) was there public restrooms (other than in St. George where we had just hiked from) for us to change in. A bar/restaurant was near the beach and Jason and Jenna talked to the people renevating. They could have changed, but not all seven of us. The owner told them where another bar was that they could try and the garbage lady told the rest of us the same thing. On we hiked! We found the bar, but it was closed. A fort stood by so we climbed up another hill to check it out. The fort was called St Catherine's and it cost $7.00 to get in. I asked if we bought tickets could we come back after we swam and change. She said yes. We spent some time walking around the fort and looking at the guns. The view from the top was amazing! We could even see our ship and the other cruise ship from the top (way on the other side of the island!). We changed and went swimming from the beach near the fort.

I stood in the sandy water, with my goggles and snorkel on, and sunk in the sand a little. Got a little scared. The water got really deep really fast. I'm a scared of deep water, even in lakes and rivers. Plus I'm scared of being washed out to sea. I watched Jason swim around with his face in the water to see if he'd get swept out to sea. Confident that he wasn't floating away I braved the ocean and got my face in the water. It is so nice to swim around and float. I saw a lot of fish! Mostly hand sized ones that were the color of the sand and had some black spots. Where we started snorkeling was mostly open water with some seaweed covered rocks. Not really a good place for fish. Unfortunately (for me) the really colorful ones everyone saw after I left the water (I got cold) when they were swimming over the rocks by the fort. I think that Jason would have swum back to the boat following the rocks if he could have, he didn't want to leave.

We packed up our stuff to go and swim in Tobacco Bay. We hoofed it back over to the bay only to read a sign "Warning! Portuguse Man of War in water!". The big ones can kill a man, the smallish ones can kill if you don't go to the hopsital, and the little ones sting like bees. We didn't go swimming. We could see dead fish and birds in the water that the "Men of War" had killed. That was enough to keep us out of the water. Still in our wet bathing suits we walked back up the hill (yes up hill both ways!) to St. George to change. We stopped into some stores and tried some Ginger Beer (soda) it's really amazing. It's a little like strong Ginger Tea with more sugar and carbination. (I'm hoping that we can get some shipped here!)We changed and on our way to the bus stop to go to the aquarium we walked past a cigar shop. Jason has wanted to try a Cuban Cigar. What better time to try one then now? We said good-bye to the rest of the family and stayed in St. George.

Jason bought his cigar and we walked around town for a little while. We stopped at St. Peter's the church that kept trying to build the church now known as "the Unfinished Church". In their cemetery is a US Solider from like 1912 or something with a huge plaque thingy over his grave site. We rode the ferry back to the ship to take a rest and a shower before heading out to Hamilton to go to the restuarnt Hog Penny.

The bus ride was interesting. The streets are just wide enough for two buses to pass each other so that their mirrors don't smack together. Any slight deviation would break their mirrors. Some bus stops have shelters. Many others are a pole (pink for heading to Hamilton, blue for heading out) stuck in the bushes. The roads wind around the coastline some of them are sharp enough that the driver gives a little toot of his horn to warn people that he's near-by. Their turn base is tight they can whip those buses around tight corners and around parked cars with only inches to spare. When they are driving behind someone you can peer into the other cars back seat and read the other cars speedometer! We got to see some of the island on the bus though. They use such beautiful colors on their houses. I told Jason I wanted to stucco our house and paint it a bright blue. He told me I couldn't do that. It took a little over an hour to get to Hamliton. Hamilton is Bermuda's Captial. It is the only place where I saw tall buildings that were modern

At the restuarnt Jason ordered Beef and Kidney Pie (yes cow kidney's) and I had Beef Pouitaine. Mine was delicious Jason's less than delicious, but he ate the whole thing! Then we walked down to the ferry and sat near the water. We had an hour before the ferry so Jason smoked his cigar. He said it had amazing flavor. We rode the 20min ferry back to the boat. We hung out with the family a little bit and then headed back to our room.

Day 5

Last Day in Bermuda

Woke up at 7 and fell back asleep. Tara called at 730 and rewoke us (we were supposed to call them). Hurried to dress and went to the buffet. The bagels are really good. They aren't like the bagels we have here that are heavy, dense, and a little hard. These ones are crunchy on the outside and more like light toast on the inside. Very yummy.

Rushed to get outside to meet RTJ only to go and wait for 20mins in the queing line to ride the Ferry out to St. George. The days plan is this: Ride the 1 hr ferry to St. George, then the 15 min bus to the caves, enjoy the caves, back on the bus to hit one maybe two beaches to find some pink sand, snorkel at the last beach we go to, ride the bus to the Dockyard and do some shopping, and then back on the boat by 3:30 because the boat was leaving at 5.

This is what happened. We rode the ferry as planned to St. George. I mailed out all our postcards (Jenna's too) while RTJ did some shopping. Then Jason and I caught up with them and did a bit of shopping before we caught the bus.

We rode the bus to the caves.

Allen and Daniele found us there (They were island exploring on their own). The Caves are amazing. I had never been in a cave before. We visited Fantasy Cave first, which was the second cave system to be found. The Cave had 100% humidity inside which made for some different formations. The "straws" form chandieliers instead of the usual stalagtights/mites?. Because it is so hot down there the drops of lime/minerals (I think it's limie) fuse before they can travel any further down. There were even some that looked like sheets of paper hanging down. The water in the cave is sea water that travels about 1/4 of a mile underground into the caves. Because fresh water and salt water don't mix the fresh water acts like a magnifying glass and the formations under the water look much closer than they really are. The water looked about 5 feet deep and it was 20-30! I asked our guide if they are ever allowed to swim in it and he said yes about once a year. Jason wanted to go climbing, but the threat of 5 years in prision and a fine kept him on the path. We went back up the 80 some odd steps back into the fresh air (I wore the backpack out of the cave you can see in the pics how great I felt at the end..wow what a work out!). While we were waiting for our tour to continue I sat and watched one of the many feral cats. I said to Jason "Do you think the cats eat the chicks?". I could hear the rooster, the hen, and the chicks making a racket near-by (Chickens run around in the ultimate free-range). Jason shrugged his shoulders as we watched the cat slink off into the bushes. Not even two minutes later and the cat is back with something cheeping in it's mouth. I tell Jason, "quick take a picture!" . He took a video.

Allen and Daniele left (they had already done both caves by this point) and we went into the second cave. The second cave was called Crystal Cave. The story is this. Two boys in 1905 were playing Cricket one day when they lost their ball down a hole. They went and investigated the hole and judged it (by throwing rocks down it) to not be that deep. The boys said to each other: Go get as much rope as you can find and we will go down there and find our ball. They climbed down the hole and landed in water! With nothing but a little kerosene lamp they swam around the cave admiring the beauty of the stalagtights and other formations while they searched for another way out. After 3 hrs of swimming they climbed back out about 130 feet up their rope. They told their Dad's ... around 1912 the Cave was opened to visitors. People took unguided boat tours of the caves up until the 1920's. Some people took back souviners of the stalagtights. That's right they brought down their saw and sawed off the ends! We went to the far end of the cave and our guide shut off the lights so that we could expereience what the boys did when they first fell/jumped into the water.

Back to the bus. We decided (after hearing from another tourist) to only go to Horseshoe Beach because the sand was pink there. We walked down, down, down, the hill to the beach. At the bottom was a man with the van that said "Ride to the Top!" for $2 a person! We were sold! The sand was disappointing. Apparently winter time is the best time to see pink sand (it's actually coral) because that is when the coral does it's thing (whatever that is) that makes it pink. We thought about snorkeling, but the seas were rough. Jason took a few pictures with our under water camera, but they aren't developed yet. We rode the van to the top and waited at the bus stop. And waited. And waited. These good looking girls (18-20 yrs old) were waiting with us from Canada. This guy on a moped/motor bike stops by to chat them up. At one point in the converstaion he admits to be like 33 or something Jason makes some comment like "...hitting on some girls." hoping that the guy would get the point and ride away, but he didn't. Not until the bus almost ran him over. But we didn't get on that bus, or the bus after that, oh no we got to have our own special tourist bus. 50 people got on a bus made for 40. Oh, ya, good times! It was the worst 30 mins on the island. The bus went fast around the corners, and we were standing, holding on to the handles for our lives! And then the bus screeches to a halt with out warning and we almost go flying into the person in front of us. I got carsick, didn't puke, and did my best to keep my eye on the horizon --at least it was a good view! We arrived back in the Dockyard. The driver stopped someplace random to let one person out. The bus just about emptied in two minues as people shoved and pushed their way out! We did our shopping and headed to the boat for a lunch and a nap.

We slept for 4 hours and woke up with the ship out at sea, Bermuda a distant memory on the horizon.

We got a quick bite at the buffet because at 10:45 we were to meet Bruce to get into the Choclate Buffet early (it didn't start for the rest of the boat until 11) with the rest of the VIP's. We (Tara, Jenna, Jason and I) were late by 5 mins (10:50) and people were already headed in! We said, "oh well, we'll just wait". Then up came Bruce his hands on his hips, "There you are! You weren't hear and I came looking!" he marched us past the line that snaked down a set of stairs and a hallway to the other side of the very big room right to the begining of the buffet. I didn't make eye contact with anyone behind us, they were mad! Later Allen told us that there were people camped out at the door when he and Daniele got there (on time). They only had a few minutes to gawk before Bruce told them to get some food because they were opening the doors early.

I heaped my plate up with some of everything. I think I had 5-6 slices of cake (all different kinds) on my plate. The favorite thing I ate was blackberries in a little chocolate cup with some chocolate drizzled over the top. And no, I did not clean my plate I left quite a bit. Randy didn't join us for the buffet. He was up in his room trying not to puke.

Day 6

At Sea

Woke up early and felt a little woozy from the rocking ship. I took a Dramamine and went back to bed. I woke up again around 9:30 and watched "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" while Jason slept. When the movie was over I took a nap. Woke up again close to noon and woke Jason up. We visisted the buffet and caught up with Jenna, Tara, and Randy to see what their plans were. Randy didn't feel too hot, but he was up and around. We decided to go watch the people "Second City" because R, T, & J had seen them the night before and they were really good. This time they were going to do improv like on "Who's Line is it Anyway" . Come to find out the people who created "Who's Line" started out with "Second City". The show was clean because children were present and really funny. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes! Then Jenna and Tara said they were headed to the Hot Tub and Randy upstairs. I made plans with Jenna to play games with her when she was done in the Hot Tub. Jason and I were sort of lost as to what to do next. Jason suggested that we go visit the spa. I hemmed and hawwed he went and checked it out. It was decided that I get a hair and scalp treatment I'd been thinking about and Jason would get a hand and foot massage. While we were in the spa/salon we could see out into the hall and across it to where we play cards sometimes. Jason saw Tara walk by several times and tried the family whistel, she looked around for him, nearly looked right at him, but didtn' see him! I guess she didn't think that her son could be found in the spa! We enjoyed our treatments and then caught up to RTJ in the Hot Tub. Jenna got out to play a game with us in the crowded "Card Room".

Jason's famous quote/song of the day "On top of ole smokey, I lost my meatball, it rolled down the mountain and I chased it with my fork and napkin, glory glory hallelujah.”

We went to watch "Elements" which was dancing, magic, and acrobatics. Some parts were odd, others were amazing! Allen, Daniele, Jason, and I had to sit down in the regular seats because the VIP ones were crowded.

When the show was done all 7 of us went and ate at Windows. Allen and I had to add butter, gravy, and pepper to our mashed potato's --they did something wierd to the potato-- the chicken was tastey and the little tiny squash interesting.

We had a good time laughing and being silly together.

Day 7

Still At Sea

Woke up before 9 and went to the buffet.

I have no idea what they did to the pancakes but they were gross, and the syrup wan't right. The bacon and danish was amazing as usual!

Jason schedulaed a massage for himself so he walked me up to Randy, Tara, and Jenna's suite because Jenna and I were going to play some more Monopoly Deal. When we got there Allen and Daniele were finishing up the movie "Prince Caspian" so I watched that with them while Jason went to his appointment.

The fog started rolling in.

When the movie was over Jenna and I finished our game of Monopoly Deal (I won again!) and Jason returned.

We ordered room service for Tara, Jenna, Jason, and I (and some cheesecake for Randy) this is what we ordered: 3 BLT's, 2 grilled cheese, 3 Border Salads, 3 cheesecakes (one of which Randy dropped on the floor), and 3 chocolate cakes.

While we waited for lunch to arrive we did some shopping. Jason and I got t-shirts for my family and the two Sloma's helping us out back home. When we got back to the suite lunch still hadn't arrived yet so we played some games with Jenna.

Randy put in the movie "Fools Gold" and lunch arrived. After Lunch Jason and I headed back to our room for a nap.

We napped for about 2 hours then woke up and hit the buffet.

The fog when we woke up was so thick that you could just barely see the water out the windows. The captain kept blowing fog horn, it was a little eerie.

We went and played games with Randy, Tara, and Jenna. Jason successfully lost checkers to Randy a dozen times (or so) and Jenna beat the pants of Tara and I in Rumikub.

Then we watched the "Crew Variety Show" from the VIP balcony.

After the show Jason and I packed and went to get some seats for "The Second City" improv show.

When we got to the lounge "Galaxy of the Stars" where they were going to perform there was a game show there called "The Quest". The announcers catch phrase was "What people won't do for a buck and a beer." The people playing had 10 seconds to retrieve whatever it was that the host asked for (2 pairs of men's pants, a bra, ect). It is amazing what drunk people will do! Then "Second City" came on. They were halarious I laughed till my sides hurt!

Then to bed our last night at se

Day 8

Boston 9:00 AM

Woke up at 7 and looked out the window. Boston!

Breakfast arrived: Froot Loops and milk (soy milk for Delia).

We arrived far to early to where the VIP's were to meet and sat and watched some news from Britian.

The rest of the family arrived, as did Bruce, and we were escourted off the ship.

Tara and I left the rest of the family and the luggage in front of the building and went to go get the cars. Apparently the cops in the area where the boat was docked are allowed to text on their phone and smoke while working. The man managing traffic had a cigarret smoldering in his mouth.

We managed to not get lost (I almost went the wrong way) out of the parking garage and drove to where we left the family.

It was a mad house where we left the family. There were cars, cops, limo's, and people getting in everyone's way. We loaded the cars as fast as we could then jumped in and drove off!

We stopped at Chili's for lunch.

On the way out of Chili's .. mishap!! Tara fell. She was walking along and suddenly there wasn't any ground (because there was a step) and down she went. The Chili's people freaked out! Jason, Randy, and Daniele helped Tara to her feet while Jenna and I waited inside. The Chili's hostest kept saying "Should I call 911. Do you want me to call 911. I'll call 911." I said, "If they need 911 they'll send someone in. I think she'll be all right." Tara limped back inside and Jenna and Daniele helped her clean up. She has a good sized scrape on her arm and many bruises!

We all made it back to Strong. Then we went home to see our babies!

It is so good to be home!