OH MY Four Years

I can't believe I haven't posted in over four years.  I guess I am on Facebook way to much.  I need to step away from Facebook.  While I can find out what is going on, there is an awful lot of negative comments and posts out there.  Funny how people will hide behind the anonymity of Facebook.  Oh well that is their problem.  Life is good and Darby and I are busy. I have started singing again at church, it is slow going but I am improving.  God is working in our lives teaching us lessons as we go.  Funny how He has to practically push us over before we get the message as to what we are to do.  The more I pray and try to get closer to God the better my life is.  I am now leading a Bible Study at St Augustine's in Williamsport, MD and loving it, we are a small but wonderful group that hopes to grow.  i also have a wonderful group of ladies I stitch with every Monday, they have gotten me into quilting which I never thought I would do.  I have made two quilts, my first was for a friend and was made out of his Marine Corp Uniforms, the second one was a flowers of the Bible one.  I am sewing up a storm and have become a fabric collector, some people have wine collections mine is a fabric collection, it is not hording.
God Blesses us in so many ways be open to His call and heed His word.

TaTa For Now

Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exagerated.......Mark Twain

I can't believe I have not posted in over a year, that is life I guess.  We love living in Hagerstown and doing all the things that are available to us.  Since Darby and I both like trains we have visited the train museum here and also taken a trip on the Western Maryland Railroad.   Darby has been able to put his trains up and leave them up for fun all year round.  He is excited about expanding his layout with mountains and a bigger board.  We are surrounding by train tracks so we hear them day and night, a very comforting sound to me.

Our children are doing great, Catherine has been at Bethesda Naval in the NICU for 6 years now and loves her job.  Darby and Dawn love San Antonio, TX and have purchased a home there, they and Paisley (the cat) are doing great.

My parents have finally agreed to move to Homewood at Crumland Farms a beautiful retirement community with  lots of activities.  We are trying to go through the house and get rid of things and get things ready for sale.  There is 64 years of things to go through.  If you want to know what it was like in the Depression, talk to someone who was born and lived through it.  They don't get rid of anything, it may be useful someday.  I do not say this as criticism, but just a statement on a time in our countries history.  What will our children find that we have kept for no apparent reason?

I am still knitting; at the moment I have a plain toe up sock on the needles, the Sunshine Shawl and the Pebble Beach Shawl, which is part of a KAL that ends July 5.  I believe I will get it done in time.
I am also sewing a good bit, shorts for Catherine are the latest thing and I am going to start on a dress today.
I want to start weaving and plan to ask for a loom for my birthday in July.  I have sold my spinning wheel to a good home, since it had been almost 2 year since I had spun anything.  I like spindle spinning better, and I have a Kick Spindle that  have not tried yet.

I also believe I am going to try jewelry making since the things I have made have gotten rave reviews.

My Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue are really getting me down and I am going to see a Rheumatologist soon.  I need a nap almost every day.  Of course not sleeping well at night does not help.  And before you say anything, whether I nap or not it doesn't matter.

I have joined the Bible Study group at St James in Boonsboro, MD, we are known as the Bible Babes.  This a wonderful, caring, supportive group of ladies, I am very lucky to have them in my life.

I believe that is all the catching up I can think of, hope you enjoy the pictures.

Time Goes on

What a winter this has been, I hope it is over for good since we are well into Spring and it is almost Easter.  We are settling in to our house nicely.  Although the walls are still white we have pretty much put up all the pictures and decorated like we want.  We still do not have a yard, but it has been to wet to do anything.  I have ventured out into the yard once or twice and sunk to my ankles in mud.
We will be getting a patio poured and I can't wait for that.  Our house is North/South facing with the North in the back, so it will be partially shaded during most of the day.

I have many plans for shrubs and flowers.  Of course I want Hydrangeas and a Butterfly bush.  We are also getting a shed which will be centered along the back of the lot.  I think we are going to plant Crepe Myrtle and Lilacs along the back.

My Studio is still a work in progress and one day it will be exactly like I want it. The sewing machine and serger have a perfect place, but it is the material, yarn and everything else that I keep moving around.

I would like to buy two nice bookshelves for the sitting room and make it kind of like a library, but it has been a bit of a hard sell to Darby, we shall see.

Our children are happy and busy with their lives and Darby and I are loving retirement.  Enjoy these flowers and Bluebirds.

A New Year A New Beginning

Every year many people make New Years resolutions, which most do not keep. I don't, I just look at January as a new beginning.  I will usually try to get organized and go through things, getting rid of what I don't really need.  I always try to watch what I eat, but sometimes on those cold blustery days the best thing in the world is hot chocolate.

We are really starting on a new beginning and a new adventure, on January 22, 2014 we should take possession of our new home in Hagerstown, MD, we can't wait.  There are new rooms to decorate, and many, many walls to paint.  I don't know why builders don't use cream colored paint instead of white.  Those white walls are screaming at me for color already.  I have to be patient, because for most of those rooms Darby is the painter.

We have purchased new things for the house and I already can see where everything will go.  I finally have that French country look I want.  We are using what they say is the dinning room as a sitting room, our Queen Ann Table, Chairs, buffet and breakfront will all go in the great room.  There are plenty of closets and the laundry is right as you come in from the garage.  It is all one level and filled with sunlight.

We start this new year without my wonderful brother, I know he is in heaven looking down on us, but I really miss him.  I hope since we are in Hagerstown we can spend more time with his fiancee, I think of her as my sister-in-law and our nieces.

Hagerstown and the surrounding area are beautiful, I have always loved the area and many times thought of what it would be like to live here.  God works in our lives each and every day, we know he has put us where we are suppose to be.

I wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

This picture is of the old train station general store in Ijamsville, MD.  It has been abandoned as long as I can remember and was just recently torn down.  I have so many stories going around in my head about Ijamsville at the turn of the last century and before.  The imagination is a wonderful thing, now if I could only find an illustrator to bring my words to life.  Maybe I will try a drawing class in the New Year.

Two Posts in One Week Oh My

As my husband and I were driving to church on Saturday I saw a Facebook post that said, if you could write a note to your younger self, what would you say in only two words?  That got me to thinking, and I couldn't come up with just two words. During Mass the priest talked about Zachaeus a wealthy  man who cheated people, this man was so small in stature he could not see Jesus for the crowd.  Zachaeus climbed a tree so he could see when this man Jesus walked by. As Jesus came to the spot where Zachaeus was in the tree He looked up and told Zachaeus to come down from the tree, because he, Jesus, was coming to Zachaeus' house for dinner.  When the crowd heard this there were murmurs asking why would Jesus visit the home of a sinner. They were judging Zachaeus and Jesus.  Jesus saw past what Zachaeus was and saw who he could become.

The priest told us we needed to see beyond  rules and laws, to see the person and what they could be if we only cared.  Strip away everything  and see a person as a child of God.  It is said God does not make mistakes and this is true, all we need to do is see each other as God sees us.  The final words to his homily were let people know "you're loved".  Those were the two words I would write to myself.

One Thing Leads To Another

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Pretty fall colors in a different way. I love Roosters.

I recently had to go get blood work and as usual there was a wait, but this time the wait was worth it.  I picked up a copy of Vanity Fair Magazine and was immediately drawn to an article about Harper Lee.  For those of you who do not know whom I am talking about, she wrote the classic To Kill A Mockingbird.  This is one of my all time favorite books and so it seems is America's favorite book.  Harper Lee only wrote one book in her life and it has sold millions of copies in many countries and languages.

The article spoke of a fight (lawsuit) she was waging with her agent who dishonestly persuaded her to sign over the rights to To Kill A Mockingbird.  It continues to make millions of dollars. She is living in assisted living, is almost completely deaf and blind, but knows what is happening.  The interesting part of the article was the insight into the writing of To Kill A Mockingbird, a veiled autobiography.  It spoke of her lifetime friend and fellow author Truman Capote, who lived next door to her.  The character of Dill is modeled after Capote.

This is where one thing leads to another.  I knew of Truman Capote but had never read any of his books, but that changed when the article stated that Harper Lee had helped Capote research his book In Cold Blood a real life story fictionalized. This type of writing had never been done before, what started out as an article for the NewYorker Magazine became a best selling novel.  Lee accompanied Capote to Holcomb Kansas where a prominent farmer and his family had been murdered in cold blood.  Lee was the normal grounding person compared to Capote's flamboyant personality.  Lee was down to earth and was able to relate to the people of Holcomb better than Capote, she was the one who could get him in to see people who normally would have dismissed him.

There were two movies made about Capote and his quest to understand the two men who murdered a family for a presumed cache of money, which there was none.  They shed light on a men who though different, especially for the time period of the 1960's, was brilliant in his writing.  The second movie, Infamous, I did not like as well.  The director sensationalized Capote into a caricature of himself taking away from the story line.

So as one story lead me to another, I have found yet more books to add to my Kindle.  Who knew that reading an article on one of my favorite authors would lead me to another famous author and more stories to read.  I want to go back and reread To Kill A Mockingbird and watch the movie again with these new insights.

It seems as though I am posting fall and summer and not much else.  A lot has happened in the ensuing months.  My brother Chip passed away in August he fought the good fight and is now in heaven free of pain and illness.

We sold our house in July, finally, with two bidders. Our home in Hagerstown is coming along slowly, and we are looking at a mid January settlement, not what we had planned.  Our life is busy living with Catherine (our daughter) and her house is looking pretty good with the little extras her daddy has added (molding and book shelves).

Life goes on and you never know that simply reading a magazine article will lead to expanding your mind and reading list.

I will try to post more often I hope.

Catching UP

I can't believe that November was the last time I wrote in my blog, I need to remedy that right now.  A lot has happened since November.  We have put our house on the market (April of 2013) and have contracted with Dan Ryan in Hagerstown to build a new one story home.

We have been waiting patiently for a buyer, but I am getting a little antsy. Before we put our house on the market, there were few houses for sale and those that were, were going for top dollar.  Of course as soon as we put ours on the market, it became flooded with listings.  People for some reason want four bedrooms, even if those bedrooms are the size of a walk in closet.  We have three bedrooms and another room downstairs that could be used as a bedroom.  We have even buried St Joseph upside down in the yard to help sell the house.  It is a tradition that usually works.  He has been slow finding us a buyer, but I think he will.

In other news our son Darby and his wife Dawn are moving to San Antonio, TX.  Dawn got a job ( a lateral move ) down there and they are really looking forward to it.   I will miss my baby boy terribly, but I am happy for them. Darby works for Lowes and they are trying to find him a position down there, but if not he will find something, maybe even in a different field.

My brother Chip is not doing so well and has been going down to Duke in hopes of beating the cancer.  There is a new drug that will most probably work, but it does not come out until next year.  The Dr. at Duke are trying very hard to get him into remission until this new drug comes out.  Please keep him in your prayers.

My knitting is coming along as usually and I am getting a kick spindle for my birthday. Here is a picture of one.  Mine looks basically the same with the exception that the block part has a Celtic Knot design carved into it.  I can't wait to get it.

I started out spinning with a drop spindle and picked it up very quickly, so this should be easy.  I do better with the drop spindle then I so with my wheel. This is  basically a drop spindle, but instead of putting the spin in the spindle by rolling it across your lap, you kick the attached wheel with your foot.  You can drop spindle this way any where, even sitting in a car.

You see my favorite flower in the picture above, and mine are blooming their heads off in my backyard.

I will try and stay up to date, and hopefully not go so long between posts. TTFN

A Wonderful Thanksgiving and Adventure

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful, all of my family was here and some of our friends.  I was so glad that my brother, his fiancee and daughter were able to come.  Chip has cancer and every day is precious and a gift.  Every one enjoyed the great meal and then the Redskins win over the Dallas Cowboys. Go Skins!

We are now getting ready to head down south to visit more family.  I am anxious to  see what the weather will be like in Charleston and Aiken, SC.  We are leaving Saturday and the weather here will be cold, just like I like it.  SC will be in the high 50's to low 60's which is OK.

I finished my Mom's shawl for her Christmas present and I continue to work on my Camelot Coat.  I have started a beaded scarf, and a Mr. Greenjeans sweater.  The yarn I am using for the sweater has started out twice as different sweaters, that I have frogged.  This Mr. Greenjeans sweater is what it will finally be.  It is a top down sweater, with a long cabled edge on the bottom.  It should knit up quickly and will be nice and warm.

For anyone who reads this please keep my brother Chip in your prayers.  Prayer is what he really needs.

The picture is of Lake Merhl just up the street from our house.

I Love Fall

This has got to be my favorite time of the year.  Since I can't tolerate the heat, I welcome the cooler weather.  It can get a lot colder for me, but I am in the minority on this one.

We have been busy since my last entry, I didn't realize how busy until I saw the date of my last post.  We have redone our bedroom and bought new bedroom furniture.  We have redone the master bath and are just waiting on the painter so we can say it is completely done.  Our daughters house is an ongoing project for my husband.  He is finishing replacing the deck and wants a punch list from her as to what needs to be touched up or redone.  This makes him happy so I can't complain.

My friend Louise and I went on the Artisans open house tour yesterday, she had done it the day before, but wanted to return to one Artisan so we enjoyed the afternoon.  She bought some hand felted pillows for the new RV she is buying,  she had seen them the day before and wanted to sleep on it.  I have heard if you want something to sleep on it and when you return, if the something is still there, it is meant to be yours.  These pillows were meant to be hers.

We also went to an Alpaca Farm where I picked up some Alpaca/Angora blend roving to spin on my spinning wheel.  I learned a great deal about Alpaca's from the owner.  They have over 100 Alpaca's and process the fleece right there on the farm.  She had two shearings laid out on a table.  One was an older Alpaca with beautiful brown fleece, it was beautiful and so soft, or I thought. The next was the daughter who was 3 or  4 years old and her fleece was even softer. I also found out that Alpacas can breed anytime, so they have to keep the male and females separated.  It wouldn't take you long to build a nice size heard this way.

The owner also hand dyes her fleece and she explained how she did it and how you get various colors.  An interesting fact is that gray fleece will have gray, white and brown mixed together, so when you dye the fleece it heathers naturally and is beautiful

I will try and keep up with my blog a little better, but who knows what life will bring in the coming weeks.

Our Anniversary and Other Things

My wonderful husband and I went to Strasburg, PA yesterday to celebrate our Anniversary which is today July 14, Bastille Day.  We rode the Strasburg Railroad, one of the oldest short line trains still running.  The day was beautiful and the view were magnificent.

We traveled on the First Class Parlor Car that was air conditioned and we were served any drink we wanted and a nice cheese platter, and I had an authentic Whoopie Pie.  All of the cars are restored beautifully.  As you can see there is a lot of attention to detail.

After the train ride we went to the Railroad Museum across the street.  That was quite a treat.  The had many, many full size engines, box cars, passenger cars and even a mail car.  Mail was left on a tall pole and grabbed by a hook on the train, it was then opened and sorted right on the train.  They even had a Western Maryland rail car.  My husbands father worked as a mechanical engineer for the Western Maryland railroad in Cumberland, MD.

We saw beautiful farm land, and homesteads that were as neat as a pin. The Amish  travel by horseback or buggy, we saw many of them.  The Amish do not want their pictures taken, so I did not take any of the buggies.  The horses are beautiful and well cared for.

We ended our day at the Good and Plenty restaurant, where meals are served family style and you are encouraged to meet your table mates, by being introduced by the hostess and telling where you are from.  There was a couple from New Jersey and a family from Luray, Va at our table.  The food is all home made and plentiful. You are served the traditional relish plate and cottage cheese and apple butter.  There is also homemade bread.  Dinner consisted of roast beef (which melted in your mouth) a ham loaf and of course Fried Chicken.  This was accompanied by mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered noodles, home grown corn, and peas.  You want to save room for desert, there was cracker pudding ( it tastes like coconut cream pie filling), Shoo Fly Pie ( it is OK), cherry pie, individual cherry cheesecakes and homemade ice cream, chocolate and vanilla.  The serve ice tea, lemonade, water and coffee.  The food was great and so was the company. 

We are definitely going back in the fall.

Summer Is Here

Summer is here in full blown heat and humidity, I don't like this.  I would say hate, but that is such a strong word.  It is predicted to be 100 degrees today and only a few degree's cooler the next couple of days.

I can't believe that July is just around the corner, what happened to June.  I always look forward to July; there is the 4th to celebrate with fireworks, my wedding anniversary is the 14th (33 years to the most wonderful man on earth), and then my birthday on the 22nd.  I only hope that July will be like June and have some wonderful cool days.  One can only hope.

My Camelot coat is coming along, but slowly.  I am going to start either a Saroyan or the Color Affection shawl. Knowing me, it will be both.

My knitting group, the Mt Airy Knitters, is the most wonderful group of ladies anyone could ever know.  We are a diverse group which is what makes us work so well together. The best thing I ever did was find and join this group.

I am sewing and knitting to keep my mind off my asthma, which is kicking my but.  I have never had a cough like this before, it is keeping me from sleeping and I am afraid I may break a rib from coughing.  I am not a candidate for Predinose and so I just have to put up with it.  Our local hospital is so busy it takes hours to see a doctor, my doctors office is also booked.  This has been quite a summer for all of us.

Until there is more news, stay cool and keep knitting.

I can't believe it has been since February that I have posted.  I guess my life has been busier then I thought.  I just finished watching Alice in Wonderland (The Johnny Depp version) and the Cheshire Cat has always been my favorite character.  This version in a little more sinister than the Disney version.  Perhaps closer to the original story, Alice is a women of independence and adventure.

My knitting has been going along great and I have completed quite a few shawls. I am now knitting on my "epic" Camelot Coat a work in progress.  It may be done by the winter.  I love the Shalimar Yarn I am using, the  color is rich and since it is bulky knitting up fast. The picture doesn't do justice to the colors, they are deep blues, purples, and navies.

The Pipers Journey I just finished is beautiful, but the Wolles Color Changing Yarn is not for me.  This shawl is easy and the knitted on edging is beautiful.

Now that summer is here, I will spend more time indoors. Heat I can take, humidity I can't.  Hopefully the summer will have some nice days.

My sewing and crafting room is done and I love it.  Keeping it organized I hope will be easy, I just have to keep my husband from putting everything he finds and thinks is mine in that room.

My spinning wheel is calling and I am saving up for a Woolee Winder.  I have some beautiful lavender alpaca that I want to spin.

The Cheshire Cat always had a that knowing look, an adventure around every corner, if you just let yourself follow your heart.  I want to be more like the Cheshire Cat.

Simplicity

Winter landscapes are unique and beautiful in their own way.  They show things that are only seen in the winter. The rocks which are covered in the summer standout in contrast to the ground. The skeletons of the bushes have a beauty all their own; there is simplicity to the landscape that is not there in the warmer months.

The same can be said about knitting.  There is the simplicity in a plain knit stitch that  becomes a blanket to warm a loved one.  There is beauty in a simple shawl that is knit with a variegated hand dyed yarn. The yarn brings the shawl to life, just as the spring will bring life to the skeletons of the bushes.  Appreciate the yarn in the hank, it is beautiful by itself, just like the winter landscape.  It will bloom as you knit it into a beautiful object.

Knitting centers you, it can be done any where and at almost any time. Some may look at you funny when you are knitting, but they don't know the peace and joy that comes with this simple act.

Knitting can only bring joy to the person it is done for.  We may wish we had never started a project, but it is funny how we keep on and complete it, finding that in the end it was worth it.  This is not to say there are not some things that need to be tinked, and this may in it self bring joy, knowing that the yarn will go to another project.

Knitting helps us get through not only the winter months, but those times of stress or hardship in our lives.

I simply ask that anyone who reads this will pray for my brother, Chip, the Leukemia has come back and he is back on Chemo.  Thank you

The Sun

The sun is farthest away from us in the winter time, which is why it is suppose to be so cold.  Global warming I hate you. I like the sun in the winter time. it lights our bare landscape with a brightness you don't find in Summer.  The sun coming through the  bay window is cheerful and begs me to come sit for a while and read.

The reflections and shadows of winter are lacy because of the bareness of the branches.  They remind me of so many of the shawls I knit and make me want to knit another lace shawl or finish one I have started.

This same sun is a Summer sun in the Southern Hemisphere which is enjoying the flowers and leaves, and balmy breezes of summer.  It 's reflections are different and call for a laziness rather than a warm comfort.

The sun's partner, the moon, also shines on a different landscape in the winter.  When it snows and we are lucky enough to have a full moon the reflection off the snow is breathtaking.  With the morning, the ice and snow covered branches reflect a startling and beautiful brilliance, not found at any other time of the year.  Summer may have its' rainbows, but I will take a sun filled winter day any time of the year.

Reflections On The Last Year

It has been a year of change. Catherine (our youngest) bought a house in Germantown, going to settlement on September 15.  She moved in December 10.  The house is beautiful now and all the hard work was worth it, the money kept flowing out, but that to was worth it.  We are now empty nesters.


Not only are we Empty Nesters, but Darby is retiring in 2 days.  I don't know how I feel about this. While having him home more may be  a good thing, having him at home more is also going to change my life, I don't know if I am ready for that change. I will still go to knitting on Wednesdays, that is set in stone, nothing changes that.  I am hoping that we will travel more and we do have a cruise booked that will probably take place in 2013.  We have also talked of taking a trip to Ireland, I hope he still wants that.  My husband can be a stick in the mud sometimes.  I want to travel, but getting him out may prove to be a challenge.


I have scheduled an appointment with my counselor for tomorrow, I think I need to talk some of this out.  Things have been stressful and taking peoples heads of is not in my best interest. 


Everyone we have talked to, who has retired says it is great.  Then again they are not married to my husband.  Don't get me wrong I love him, but!


My blog seems to be rather negative wouldn't you say, and I am not a negative person.  This coming year will be different and will mean changes for both of us.  I just ask for your prayers and hope that by the time I post again my attitude will have gotten better.

I wish everyone a Wonderful and Prosperous New Year!!!

I Want The Cool Weather Back

Not much to say, except we are still working on Catherine's house, it is becoming a little more expensive then we thought.  Every time you turn around there is another charge or thing that has to be paid for.  Welcome to Home ownership my dear.  I yearn for the fall colors and cool air all the time, not just at night.

Remember October is Breast Cancer awareness month, so remember to wear pink in support of all those with breast cancer.  We can beat this thing.

I just went to the Doctor's yesterday and was told that this ongoing back pain is because of my Fibromyalgia which is making everything worse. What has made the Fibro worse is the Accident 2 years ago,  I am still paying for that and it wasn't our fault.

This is fall to me, I want to be right there.

I may feel overwhelmed and tired, but I have to remember God is there with me all the time!!

Paradise Disney Style

Paradise is many different things to many different people. But I was on a little piece of Paradise this past week. My friend Louise booked she and I on a cruise in January and then told me we were going. She said she booked it so far in advance so I had the time to pay for my share and not have to rely on Darby. It was absolutely wonderful, hot, but wonderful. Disney is the only cruise line I will ever use. It is perfection, they make you feel like royalty.

From Disney Cruise

The ship is a work of art. The light fixtures are literally commissioned glass works of art. There is space galore and you never feel crowded. There are all types of paintings (some animated), sculptures, and Mosaic scenes all over the ship (it is not a boat, but a ship). Disney ships are reminiscent of the old ocean liners of yesteryear. They are big, beautiful and no matter what price you paid, very luxuries.

From Disney Cruise

The shows are Broadway quality and never disappoint.

The food is beyond compare. Each night is like dinning in a high end restaurant on land. The service is impeccable and your choices are many.

From Disney Cruise

Our room was beautiful, with a veranda and of course wonderful views of the ocean.

From Disney Cruise

Each night there were shows to attend, first run movies and the lounges were great. Evolution is a bar that has different themed nights and great shows. The com median we saw had us rolling in the aisle.

There is a bar called Skylines that makes you feel you are in a roof top lounge in some of the worlds most beautiful cities. Not only does the skyline change, but the artwork changes for each city.

From Disney Cruise

The best lounge is Pink, where you are suppose to be in a Champagne bottle. As I said before the lights are works of art. The main light sculpture looks like champagne bottles, and the smaller lights look like champagne glasses. The walls are covered with round glowing balls that look like champagne bubbles. The champagne drinks are wonderful and the champagne is exclusive for Disney. I was going to purchase a bottle until I saw that it was $96.00 for one bottle.

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

Nassau in the Bahamas is OK. It has a Straw Market, that is full of native people selling anything and everything for a steal. There were tons of "Coach" bags, "Louie Vitton" bags and "Cartier" watches. My father had told me you have to bargain and he was right. The things may not be genuine, but they are close enough and the price is unbelievable. I was able to pick up a tennis bracelet for a steal at a jewelry store that is sanctioned by Disney.

From Disney Cruise

Unless you like to gamble at Atlantis there is not much to do but touristy things. Most people who have taken more then one cruise usually don't get off the boat here.

The next day is Castaway Cay(pronounced key). This is truly paradise. The water is the deepest blue I have ever seen and sitting on the beach with you feet in the water is heaven. There are no waves, the water is clear, shallow and warm. There is a man walking along the beach taking orders for Conch Coolers, what could be better.

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

Our last night we had our picture taken with the Captain and our wonderful servers.

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

You don't want to leave, but you have to. I can't wait for the cruise I booked for Darby and I to the Western Caribbean. It will be seven days of heaven. I will leave you with pictures of some of the Characters around the ship. See if you can tell what movie they are from.

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise

From Disney Cruise