Time to make my mom’s apartment festive! Last year, we were not able to spend Christmas with her at all as she was in a rehab facility recovering from a fractured pelvis. This year, I was going to make sure she was decorated appropriately.
But first, lets take a look at the decorations from her first Christmas at Bethesda Gardens.
Front Door
Inside
Now it’s time for this year. I decided to continue the peppermint theme for this year. There were some changes to the front door this year. For some reason, I could not find the Santa Clause or the Nutcracker so I purchased some things from Michaels and moved the Christmas tree to it’s new location next to the door.
I also bought some ornaments and the picture on the shelf at Michaels along with she ladder on the wall and the stuffed elves. The container the Christmas tree is in was found at Target! All of the other decorations were items I had on hand.
I added 3 ornaments to the wall after I noticed it looked bare. These were found at Target.
I didn’t go crazy inside this year. I did purchase her a thin Christmas to have in front of her window. Since her tree is larger this year, I purchased some red and white ornaments as well as a tree topper, all from Michaels. The tree shirt, stocking, and the garland over her window was from her first year there.
As you can see, she is happy with the outcome.
I have told her next year, we can make any changes that she wants. We can do a different theme or changes the colors, anything she wants. But at least for now, she wants to continue the theme.
On November 18th, Bethesda Gardens allowed their residents to have 2 family members to come have a Thanksgiving dinner with them. When I received the call, I said that I would definitely be there and would ask another family member, likely my daughter, to join us as well. I immediately contacted Kimmie who absolutely wanted to come but I did not tell my mother she was coming.
After I arrived, I told my mom that not only was I going to have dinner with her but that I had a surprise guest coming as well. We made our way to our assigned table to wait. She tried guessing who the mystery person was, but she never got it. She was so happy when she saw Kimmie!!!
Now that we were seated at the table, would could look at the menu to see what we wanted.
The meal definitely much to be desired but just being able to have a meal with her was worth it. I could definitely tell the difference between the current chef and the one that was originally there when my moved in.
After we finished eating, we walked mom to her apartment and went inside to have a little time to visit with her. And to make sure she had everything she needed before we left. We were happy to be able to have this time with her.
On Thanksgiving Day, we took my mom to Cracker Barrel for lunch. What she did not know was that Wesley and his family would be joining us. There was a long wait to be seated but that didn’t matter to us.
Wesley was stuck in traffic! He arrived shortly after we were seated. My mom was definitely surprised to see them!!!!
Time to look over the special menu and make our selections. Half of us had breakfast while the other half had some form of a Thanksgiving meal. Sorry… no food pictures.
While we waiting for our food, Princess Peyton entertained us with her posing for pictures and taking pictures of me with her mom’s phone. That girl is something else!!!!
And just like that, we were finished eating and browsing in the country store. Before we left, we made sure to take a 4-generation picture. Obviously is was a very windy day.
Then we asked someone to please take a picture of the family.
It was definitely a good day for my mom and the rest of us. I hope we can get together more often as restrictions continue to let up.
I would say it happened by accident. And in a way, it sort of did. I blame Carnival Cruise Line. While we were on our Carnival Vista cruise, I received an email offer. I did not see the email until we returned home.
I opened the email on September 5th and who wouldn;t want to open an email that says Get $500 onboard credit and get back to FUN!! This sounds to good to be true but it definitely got my attention. The offer was really good, almost to good to be true. $99 deposit per person and $500 OBC to get back to FUN. Valid for sailings from January 2022 to December 2022, expires on October 31st. I told Jim about the offer and we both agreed that it was too soon to even consider booking a cruise. We had just returned the day before.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. For days I kept thinking about the OBC. I was secretly looking at cruises as well. And by secretly, I mean I did not mention anything to Jim. I’m the type of person that likes to have a plan in place or at least an idea of what I want to do, just in case. I knew I did not want to go on the Vista so soon so I began to wonder but if we did, I would want a different itinerary. The more I thought about it, the more I really did not want to go on the Vista, at least not just yet.
I started thinking I would really love to go on a birthday cruise. Jim regularly goes to Branson to play golf for his birthday, I should go on a cruise for mine. Its only fair, or so I kept telling myself!
I started to wonder if the $500 OBC applies to 5-day cruises. I decided I wanted to look for a 5-day cruise leaving Galveston fairly close to my birthday. It did not take long to find one that matched perfectly. Now, the only thing left to do was call my PVP and ask about the OBC. I sent him an email asking for him to call me and that it was not anything urgent. And, if at all possible to call me before Jim got home from work.
Unfortunately, he did not call before Jim got home. I let Jim know that I was expecting a call from our PVP because I wanted to find out about the OBC a and 5-day cruise. I also told Jim that I was looking at a cruise for my birthday and I would like to do it, but only if the OBC is as shown on the offer.
When I received the call from our PVP, he did some checking and found that the OBC for a 5-day cruise is $500. SOLD!!!! I already knew what ship, stateroom location, preferred dining time, prepaid gratuities, and insurance.
On September 10th, 6 days after our cruise on the Carnival Vista ended, I booked us on the Carnival Breeze. I will be on a cruise for my birthday!
By September 11th, I had made our parking reservation as well as pre-cruise hotel reservations, but that a story for another time!
My least favorite part of every cruise, when our cruise comes to an end. We had decided to do self-assist on this cruise so we can leave the ship relatively early.
Since we woke up early for no apparent reason, we had breakfast at the Lido Marketplace Buffet. We were not necessarily hungry, but we wanted something to go with our coffee!
Once we finished eating, we returned to our stateroom to watch us sail into Galveston. I was so happy to actually see some dolphins playing is the water.
Before we knew it, it was time to leave the ship. The debarkation process was easy with the exception of the people that do not think the rules and announcements apply to them. We made it thru the immigration process quickly as we had nothing to claim and the use of facial recognition.
After we were on the road for a while, we decided we were hungry so we stopped at a Jack In The Box for something we could eat while driving.
Next stop, Buc-ee’s in Waller, Texas for some gasoline, then we were on our way home with no additional stops.
We definitely enjoyed this cruise even thought we both had summer colds. I blame Jim for it. There were things on our to-do list that we did not do but we did go to the Punchliner club once. The remainder of the time we were just bums doing whatever we decided we wanted to do when we wanted to do it.
I do hope to go one the Carnival Vista one more time before she moves to her new home port sometime in 2023. Although we would probably pick a different itinerary. I guess the COVID restrictions will be a factor in selecting our next 7 day cruise.
So until next time, I hope you have enjoyed this series of our cruise blogs. Hopefully another one will happen in the next year or 2. Only time will tell.
Stay healthy, be safe, and thank you for reading our blogs.
It’s our last day on the Carnival Vista. Tomorrow they will be forcing us to leave! But that’s ok. We are going to make the best of today.
First, we will start the day with Sea Day Brunch. What’s brunch without a Bloody Mary and a Mimosa? Definitely our brunch starter of choice!
I was shocked when Jim didn’t order his normal Eggs Benedict. Today, we decided on the Voyage Burger. He said it was very good. I had my typical Steak and Eggs.
Before long, we had finished our meal and wondered around the ship for a while. We came upon the class that teaches how to make the towel animals. We didn’t stay but we took some pictures!
When we arrived to our stateroom, we found this towel animal, or should I say towel heart.
We spent some time packing then we went to Lido Marketplace for lunch.
One of the VIFP Gold perks is a free drink on the last night of the cruise to be used after 5pm I think. We decided we would get our drink from the Alchemy bar. This is the first time we have ever ordered a drink from any Alchemy bar. We have high hopes for our beverage! I’m not positive, but I think Jim ordered the Quick Fix and I may have had the Pain Relief. I do not remember so it is quiet possible I’m wrong.
The last dinner on the ship is sad. Sad because we know this cruise is coming to an end. So we will enjoy our dinner and maybe shed a tear or two when they sing that song…
Tonight we made sure to get pictures of our wait team before things got crazy. They were a fantastic team and I am so glad we were seated with them.
Our last meal of the cruise consisted of Rustic French Bread and Ciabatta with Whipped Butter, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and tomato & olive Tapemade, Steak Ale and Cheddar Soup, Braised Short Ribs, Broiled Strip Loin Steak, Baked Alaska, and one last Carnival Melting chocolate Cake.
After dinner and saying our goodbyes, we walked around determined to find the perfect backdrop for my required last photo of the cruise. I could not wait to take it when I found exactly what I wanted!!!!
We also did some shopping as we still had a lot of on board credit to use!
And then we returned to our room to finish any packing and to sleep.
Bienvenidos a Cozumel! Today we are arriving in one of our favorite places to visit. Not only do we come here by cruise ship, we have also visited for a week at a time! This island feels like home.
We decided to start our day with Port Day Breakfast served in the Horizons Restaurant, deck 3 aft.
Our breakfast consisted of coffee, orange juice, Eggs Benedict, Egg White Fritata (that really didn’t look like egg whites), hash brown potatoes, bacon, and biscuits. The food was great and the service was pretty good.
After breakfast, we made our way to the Lido deck to watch us arrive in Cozumel and to admire a couple of towel animals lounging near the bar. You know you have arrived when you see Three Amigos at Puerta Maya!
Since we decided to go somewhere different, at least for us, we were excited to get off the ship! Today we are going to Mr. Sancho’s!!!! Once off the ship, we made our way to the taxi stand. We were able to get a taxi quickly and it did not take long to get there. The cost of the taxi was $17 for the two of us plus tip. Not a bad deal in my opinion.
Once we arrived at Mr. Sancho’s we quickly settled in at a table on the beach. We ordered a couple of drinks and enjoyed the view and the water.
After a while, we decided to go to the pool and relax there. We definitely had a great time in the pool and we definitely made use of the swim up bar. We also ordered some food which was pretty good. I’m not a fan of coconut but I heard many rave reviews of the Coconut Chicken they have so I decided to try it. It is definitely something I will not order again. Not because it wasn’t good but because of the coconut.
We stayed at Mr. Sancho’s until around 2pm. We definitely feel like we got our money’s worth there. We will definitely return on a future cruise.
We walked around Puerta Maya before boarding the ship and finding this cute towel animal.
We made use of our time in our stateroom by getting ready for dinner and admiring the pretty blue water as seen from our stateroom balcony.
I’m always sad to leave Cozumel. It is definitely a place I enjoy coming to. I do like to see our favorite hotel as we sail by it. Had we not gone to Mr. Sancho’s, we probably would have gone to The Melia Cozumel Golf and Beach Resort. I guess from now on, Jim and I will have to flip a coin to see where we will go for our beach time.
Since we still had some time before dinner, we continued to walk around and take in the sights around the ship.
Time for dinner!!! For the breads on this evening, we were served Ciabatta and Petite Sourdough with the condiments of Whipped Butter, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and bacon pan drippings. Jim selected the Baked Onion Soup for his appetizer while I had the Vine Ripened Tomatoes and Chopped Lettuce with a raspberry vinaigrette. Although I do not have the pictures of our main entrees, I think Jim had the BBW Pork Spareribs and I had the Broiled Strip Loin Steak. We both selected the Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. Yummy!!!!
After dinner we returned to our room to find Debarkation Information. Now I’m depressed. We still have one more sea day before we return to Galveston!
We have arrived in Belize! Actually, we are anchored as this is a tender port. The view of Belize from the ship is beautiful.
Before we even boarded the ship for this cruise, we had already decided we would be staying on the ship today and do nothing in particular. And that is what we did.
We watched then tenders come and go from the balcony of our stateroom.
After we ate breakfast, we went to our room and were greeted by our towel animal. We stayed in our stateroom until it was lunchtime!!!!
We decided to day would be a good day to have lunch at Cucina Del Capitano located on deck 11. For lunch, I had the Meat Lasagna, Caesar Salad, and bread while Jim had Linguini with Bolognese. We enjoy having lunch here as there is no charge for the lunch menu. If you decide you want to try Cucina Del Capitano in the evening, there is a $15 per person charge. They have an extensive dinner menu that I hope to try on a future cruise.
After lunch, we walked around before we returned to our stateroom to watch us sail away and great ready for dinner. Tonight is the second Cruise Elegant Night so that means I have another opportunity to dress up a bit, but not too much!
On our way to the Horizons Restaurant, we had some photos taken. After all, it’s not often I get to dress us!
Dinner tonight was great!!!! I started with a glass of Kendal Jackson Sauvignon Blanc and, of course, iced tea.
Breads for tonight were Baguette and Multigrain Cranberry with Whipped Butter, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and Garlic and Herb Cheese. Jim’s appetizer for tonight was Stuffed Mushrooms while I decided on Shrimp Cocktail. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the bread, condiments, or the appetizer.
For our Entrees, we both had Filet Mignon with Grand Marnier Souffle for dessert.
The remainder of the evening/night was relaxing and doing absolutely nothing else. At least not that I remember.
We enjoyed sailing into the port from our balcony. I apologize for the quality of the photos.
When we got the all-clear to go ashore, we were ready but in no hurry. We already knew how we were going to spend our day! We decided to walk around the shops first so we could see if there was anything we couldn’t live without… specifically a medication I left at home. But mostly to get an idea for souvenirs.
We took a leisure stroll to the beach area. Once there, we went to the shack that rents the clam shells, floats, snorkel equipment, and other things.
We spent time in the water and enjoying the view. The beach is lovely.
We did not spend a lot of time on the beach. Instead, we returned to the ship for lunch and to relax. On our walk back to the ship, I had the brilliant idea to go down the nature trail on the way back. There were a couple of photo ops that I’m glad I didn’t miss.
But first, before eating, we went to our stateroom to find our new towel animal!
After our stomachs were full, we went back to the shopping area to make our souvenirs we knew we wanted.
We returned to the ship in plenty of time to get cleaned up from our day, dressed for dinner, and enjoy the views from our balcony.
Dinner, as always, was great!!!!! The bread selections for this night were Baguette and Whole Wheat with the condiment selections of Whipped Butter, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and Bacon Pan Drippings. Unfortunately, I do not remember what remember what my cocktail for this evening was, but it was good!
For his appetizer, Jim ordered the Fried Mozzarella Sticks while I had the Heart of Iceberg Lettuce with ranch dressing.
We had the same main course selection of Grilled Been Tenderloin.
We even had the same dessert, Bitter N Blanc.
After dinner, we returned to our stateroom for the remainder of the evening/night.
Another glorious day at sea. I truly enjoy having coffee in bed while looking outside and the beautiful water. I would go out on the balcony, but I do not want to scare any fish!
We decided to skip the Sea Day Brunch and instead have made to order Omelet at the Lido Marketplace buffet. I actually had more on my plate(s) than Jim had on his. I mean, seriously, who can pass up biscuits and gravy?
After breakfast, we walked around the Lido deck. Since we are VIFP Gold status, we had to pick up our water from one of the bars on the ship due to the new COVID restrictions. We picked up our at the Tides Bar located on Lido Deck aft. It was very quick and easy to get, absolutely no issues what so ever. Plus, we got to enjoy that beautifully stunning aft view.
We returned to our stateroom to find today’s towel animal.
After a quick rest, we decided to spend some time Serenity area on deck 15. It was not crowded and the views did not disappoint. But do you really ever have a bad view on a cruise?
For lunch, we decided to go to Guy’s Pig and Anchor located on deck 5.
Then we went back to the Lido Marketplace to find something sweet for dessert.
We spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy until it was time to get ready for dinner.
We love the location of our table in the Horizon Restaurant.
Dinner cocktails for tonight are Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini for Jim and a Mai Tai for myself, but that is not what I remember them tasting like. Not a fan of tonight’s cocktail.
Breads a for tonight were Rustic French and Pumpkin Sunflower with the condiments being Whipped Butter, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and Garlic and Herb Cheese (my favorite).
For our appetizers, Jim selected the BBQ Pork Slider and I had the Shrimp Cocktail
And this is where the photos for today stopped. I do know that I had the Broiled Strip Loin Steak for dinner and it was definitely better than the first night. In all likelihood, I had the Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake for dessert.
The Carnival HUB app said to keep it casual, so that is what we did… for the rest of the night.
Please come back for the next installment when we are at Mahogany Bay!
Sea days are always a great day to relax and enjoy what the ship has to offer! This morning, I decided it would be best to let Jim sleep in and rest and much as possible since his allergies were driving him crazy! I used this time to do a little shopping!
First I went to the fun shops and found some 2 for $20 t-shirts in the sizes I needed. I didn’t want to take a chance of not being able to purchase them if I waited until the cruise was almost over, so I grabbed what I needed. These shirts would work a a shirt to wear on embarkation day for a future cruise, whenever that may be.
Then I made my way to Java Blue Cafe to grab some mugs and also a couple of Mocha’s to take to the room.
With my hands somewhat full, I made my way to our stateroom. It was time to make sure Jim was awake and ready to go to Brunch. We enjoy Sea Day Brunch and we always go whenever we can!
We tend to be creatures of habit when we go to brunch, and today was no exception. We started with Mimosa’s and coffee then stuffed ourselves with Steak and Eggs (my choice) and Eggs Benedict (Jim’s choice). The service was great and the food was fantastic. I can’t wait to come back again!!!!
Aftewards, we walked around the Fun Shops and Pixels. It was requested by my friend, Leigh Ann, to see if there were any lanyards on board. Mission accomplished!!! She will have plenty to chose from when she goes on her cruise!
Once back to our stateroom we found our new towel animal! Of course I had to take a picture of it! For today, Jim decided to be lazy in our stateroom while I decided to be lazy on deck 12 where I could watch the fun on the Lido deck yet have wonderful view of the water. And to enjoy a Pina Colada. Truly my happy place and favorite thing to do on a cruise.
After spending an appropriate amount of time in the sun, it was time to get ready for the first Cruise Elegant Night of this cruise. I started off with a gold eye mask/patch to hydrate. I do not know how well they worked as they kept sliding down my face!
With my clothes and shoes laid out and my hair sufficiently fixed, it was time to get ready and make our way to Deck 5 in search of the perfect backdrop for cruise formal night photos.
photo
When we arrived to deck 5, we did not see anything that really caught our attention so we made our way to deck 4 and this is what we decided on. Nothing fancy but still appropriate for what I was looking for.
Tonight at dinner we sat at a different table and were we glad we did. The staff was great. So much so that when we left, we stopped to see if we would be able to request the same table for the remainder of our cruise. Luckily we were able to do that!!!!
Tonight’s dinner cocktails were Bellini for me and a Chipotle Spicy Pineapple Martini for Jim. The martini was suggested by our awesome Carnival Personal Vacation Planner, Josh. According to Jim, it was a great suggestion! We also had water and ice tea to go with our meal.
Tonights bread selection were Ciabatta and Petite Sourdough, condiments were whipped butter, oilve & balsamic, and garlic and herb cheese. The garlic and herb cheese spread was definitely my favorite!
Our selections for appetizers were blackened pork tart and Caesar Salad for me!
Main course consisted of Spaghetti Carbonara for Jim and Slow Cooked Prime Rib for me. My mouth is still watering!
For dessert I had the Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake and Jim and the Vanilla Creme Brulee.
We were so stuffed after dinner, we went to our stateroom to change clothes and ended up staying in there the remainder of the night.
Today was a good day. I’m sure tomorrow will be a good day as well.
Coming up next is our second sea day. These is something about two sea days in a row that can really relax a persons soul.
our life reality 