Dackel Princess

The Princess Takes A Cruise

Good Morning from the waters of the United Kingdom. My trip is going splendidly, and I am meeting new people and having a wonderful time.

My Cabin is roomy and comfortable. I have a balcony, but it has been slightly cold, so I have not been out there too much, although going in and out of ports will find me out there watching the entire thing.

The first event was the Swannery in Portland, England. It was the first thing I wrote, so scroll back to read about it and see some amazing pictures.

The next day was a Sea Day, and I should have taken the time to put up my feet and do nothing. However, being a somewhat social butterfly, I was all over the ship.

It felt so large, and there were many places to check out.

I was not paying attention to what I was eating or when. Time zone changes will make your hunger brain signals go a little wacky.

After our shore excursion to Cork, Ireland, I checked my blood sugar thrice daily. This has been good for me as a gentle reminder not to eat all these extraordinary sticky, gooey confections. I stopped with the sweets and even cut down on the bread.

I loved Cork and the people I met there. Our bus driver and tour guide were kind and knowledgeable. Many people wanted to go and kiss the Blarney Stone, and perhaps it would have been a good thing for me to do, but with over a hundred steps, I decided to shop on level ground. After all, with my luck, I would bend over to kiss the Blarney Stone and fall!

Before I left, I asked the grandchildren what they wanted from my trip, especially Savannah, who was celebrating her 12th birthday. Again, go back a few days for a little montage to celebrate my girl!

The special at this shop was if you spent so much money, they would wrap it all up, take care of the VAT tax, and ship it to my home. I bought out the store! Ha!

I met an excellent Future Cruise Agent here, Mandy. She is from South Africa. She has helped me arrange a few things, and I am thrilled. She can get me perks I would otherwise not be able to get.

Then it was onto Dublin. Oh, I so wanted to enjoy Dublin, but quite honestly, our Tour Guide did not like the Brits or the Americans, and he still dwells back in time when Ireland was full of unrest. He also had a busload of people with mobility issues, and we were all begging to stop for a moment, but he refused.

I have never complained about a side trip on my cruises, but seeing these 65-80-year-old people begging for a bathroom break broke me. I made sure this Tour Guide was reported. It just wasn’t right!

Now, that was the only negative thing that’s happened.

Once back on the ship, I noticed my feet swelling even more.

It is like walking on water balloons filled with needles.

I went to the Spa, where I soaked and had my legs and feet rubbed. There was no way I was going to miss Liverpool the next day.

I was up early and the first one on the bus! Our Tour Guide and Driver were native Liverpudlians who loved the Fab Four as much as I do. She was amazing. Imagine going to Penny Lane or Strawberry Field and listening to the music as you arrive.

This gal knew her shopping and where to go to get what we wanted!

It was just as wonderful as I imagined it to be. I will say I felt a natural longing for Janet and Melodie, especially Janet, with whom I used to play Barbie Dolls. They were always the Beatles and whatever girl they were with.

When I returned to the ship several hours later, I realized I had not seen the iconic statue of the Lads from Liverpool. I asked how far it was and was directed a few blocks to the statue. As I hobbled along, I thought about getting home without this picture. Indeed, I would be thrown out of the family.

Me with the Lads from Liverpool!

That is all for today. I could write forever, but I must put my feet up and drink lots of water.

Happy Birthday, Savannah!

Today, my sweet Savannah Rose turns 12! Wow, I can’t believe how quickly she has grown and changed. I can’t believe how quickly the last 12 years have gone, and in many ways, I feel like I have always known Savi as if she has always been a part of my world.

Me holding Savi the day she was born!

As she has grown and changed, I have marveled at her kindness, gentleness, and caring nature, and Matt and Mandy have done an excellent job as her parents.

Happy Birthday, my darling Savannah!

The Swans

Yesterday, despite the known drizzle in the UK, I boarded my bus and headed to the Swannery.

I have been fascinated with swans all my life. There was an area near where I grew up where the swans in Falmouth raised their young. That was nothing compared to this place, where there were well over 100 pairs of mating swans.

To say I was astonished would be an understatement. This was beyond my wildest dreams!

Here is a Mommy Swan with a newly hatched Signet under her wing.

I walked there and stood in wonder. What I have long known about myself is that I am a Nature Freak. Perhaps this explains my obsession with the TV show “Northwoods Law.”

By the time I returned to the ship, I was exhausted. I had a little lunch, and then I took a nap. I recall a time when naps were punishment. Now they are bonuses!

Anyway, I digress.

My best shot of a Mommy and her Signet!

I will share the last picture of a beautiful mommy, Swan. It was lovely.

Lost In Translation

Here I am in Southampton, England. It was quite a long journey by car, bus, plane, and taxi, but it was worth it.

It’s Springtime here, and the trees and gardens are all blooming. Any relief I thought I might get from allergy season disappeared as my allergies set in, as did the coughs and sneezes.

Macdonald Botley Park Hotel & Spa

Last night, we stayed in for dinner, and it was fabulous. I ordered a roasted feather blade of beef with mashed potato and roasted root vegetables. It was splendid!

Yesterday, I was settling into our room when I heard someone tapping their key at the door. I stood there. The door opened, and my daughter Jessica was there. We flew into each other’s arms and held each other for the longest time.

Our room.

This morning, after breakfast, we headed out to the shops. I needed a dress for the cruise, but I had not found anything Stateside. I found two cute dresses here, which will be carefully packed.

We booked two Spa treatments for tomorrow. In the late morning, we will have back massages. Yahoo. I jokingly asked if they had baby goats to walk our backs, and they looked at me as if I were insane.

We may be speaking the same language, English, but sometimes things are lost in translation.

The Friday Five ~ May 17th

Life seems to be speeding by right now. A trip I planned last December will begin on Wednesday, and I am sure that too will go by quickly. So here are the things I am thinking about this morning.

The first part of my trip involves flying from Boston to Heathrow Airport. When I clear customs, I expect a handsome British man to greet me and drive me to Southampton.
I will meet Jessica, my stepdaughter, at MacDonald Botley Grange and Spa. It’s a lovely hotel with a British pub and a restaurant where we can have tea.
They also have a spa where one can have their nails done or swim. But best of all, I will be seeing Jessica again.
So, now on to packing. I am attempting to bring only two carry-ons. I’m using packing cubes, which seem to be doing their job of compacting my clothes so far. The killer is traveling with my medications in their original containers. Having those at the top of your carry-on is also advised.
Since my hair is very short (and appears not to be growing back), I will not carry my blow dryer. My hair is naturally curly, so I will do a lot of scrunching.

That’s it for today. I will try to write while I am gone. Pictures too. I can hardly wait.

Happy Mother’s Day

I’m often torn about how to celebrate Mother’s Day—many of the happiest times in my life revolved around being a mother to my two girls.

Yet, for thirty-nine years, there is a part of me that grieves on Mother’s Day for the daughter I lost.

Katie

But God is good! He sent two beautiful children to my older daughter, Mandy, and the three of them rock my world. I feel like I am the luckiest!

Life is funny, you know. I thought my life was over thirty-nine years ago, and now I feel like I am on the grandest trip, along with Mandy and her family!

I see the world in a whole new way. Through the eyes of my grandchildren.

Although my love will never end for Katie, and I shall never forget her or how she was when she was alive and in our lives, I have been able to move forward and live again myself.

So, on this Mother’s Day, I celebrate my motherhood, but more than this, I celebrate my daughter’s Mother’s Day.

Matt, Savannah, Quinn, and Amanda.

Mandy is a wonderful, caring, and gentle mother. She listens to and adores her kids; I admire her so much!

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers. Be you biological, adoptive, or step. Mothers and their love come in all shapes and sizes.

The Friday Five ~ May 10th

I will be jetting off to England in a few more days! I am so excited. This is my first big trip in a very long time. I know I took a cruise in January, but this is a much bigger cruise.

I will start meeting up with my “other” daughter, Jessica. She was Jack’s daughter.

I met Jessica when she was just four years old.
Amanda, Jessica, and Katie.
Jess was a playmate to my kids.
It’s been so long since we’ve gotten together, and I know we have much to discuss.
My doggy sitter arrived today and got the latest information about the girls. They were over the moon happy to see her!
A week after that, I will step on a Princess Cruises Ship. This will be my first cruise in Europe.
The last piece of furniture for my bedroom came today. I got a lovely rocking chair to sit in and watch the lake, the TV, and the birds.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!

Oh Yeah, Life Goes On…

The last few weeks have found me establishing a new normal for myself.

I have been slowly making this house my own, and during this process, I realized that it was the very first time in my life that I was living my own life.

Having gotten married at 17, I have been living the lives of my two husbands.

It’s not that this was bad. Our beautiful daughters came with my first husband, and with my second husband came the ability to travel the world.

However, I never decorated a house or selected my dishes or glassware.

Since last July, I have sold many pieces of furniture and selected the things I like.

The walls have been painted, the bathrooms refurbished, and a new reclining bed installed.

Finally, I am not sleeping in my recliner.

Also, my first foray out was to a local diner. “George’s”. It’s become my place. They know me, and when I go in, I feel looked after. That’s such a nice feeling.

So my life is going on.

Happy Birthday Dickie!

Today would have been my brother’s 73rd birthday. Richard “Dickie” was seven years older than me, which when you are a child seemed like a million, billion, years.

Melodie was just two years younger, and she and Dickie were really close. When I was small, they took pretty good care of their little sister.

Melodie, Dickie and me.

My brother was born prematurely and was very small. His birth was a tough one, and he had lifelong effects from it.

My brother was well-loved by many. The one thing I can say is that he tried hard, always and he loved deeply.

He married a woman with four kids, and I know he loved each and every one of them. Together they had two sons. They will, unfortunately, never really know how proud and happy he was the days they were born. You see, when he was in his early twenties he became ill with cancer.

He loved to cook and he loved his music. Although he never could learn to read music, all he had to do was hear something once and he could play it either on the guitar or the piano.

He learned he had cancer at the age of 26. On April 1st, April Fools Day. And he fought long and hard to win his battle against that dreaded disease. Unfortunately, back in 1977, cancer treatment was brutally hard and seldom worked on Lymphoma and Leukemia.

Dickie passed from this life to the next on April 2nd, 1978. We miss you, Dickie, and hope you are happy and celebrating with all of the family up there in Heaven.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

People have been joking with me recently about dining out at my favorite place, George’s Diner.

I admit to eating there a lot. The food is excellent, and the staff is like family!

I’m 65 years old. I’ve only eaten alone a few times. I usually ate with my parents and siblings, my first husband, our kids, and Jack.

Now, meals are eaten standing up. Usually, it’s toast or Cheerios. For a while, I ate chicken pot pies. Now I can’t stand them!

After all these years, I can finally relate to Gary Portnoy’s theme for Cheers.

Have a great week!