A CRUISE TO MEXICO - A FUN START TO OUR JANUARY

Our January began with a great trip to Mexico via the Princess Cruise line.  When we told Andrea we wanted to come visit them for Christmas she said that for Christmas  they were taking their family on a cruise. We asked if they would mind if we tagged along with them. Of course, that was alright with them. Originally, they were going to travel over Christmas but found that prices were much more expensive over the holidays versus in January, hence, we booked a one week cruise to Mexico leaving January 4. When Todd found out we were going on a cruise he and Kailee decided to go along with us. 

In the LA airport waiting for
our bus transfer to the ship

Todd and Kailee dropped their children off in Idaho with Kailee's parents and flew to LA from Boise. We were to meet them at the LA airport and secure a taxi or Uber together to take us to the ship. Our flight was delayed for over an hour so Todd and Kailee went ahead to the ship and we came later. Once we finally arrived in LA, we secured a transfer from the cruise line to take us to the ship. We made the departure time of the ship by only 45 minutes...That's cutting it way too close.

At the safety instruction assembly for which we barely made it in time.

Up on deck waiting for us to arrive

So glad to all be on board this beautiful ship together

Before dinner that night, we joined everyone at the Princess Live theater for some karaokee. It was not surprising that three of the 5 girls tried their hand at it and were quite good. It was there that the MC mentioned the Voice of The Ocean contest and invited Charlotte to come try out the next evening.

Charlotte

Lydia

Maggie

The cruise was a week long and started with a day at sea. That happened to be a Sunday. We had a real special 'Come Follow Me' study and discussion together as a family. Many expressed their testimonies of the Book of Mormon as we talked about the testimonies of Joseph Smith and the other witnesses (3 and 8) as recorded in the front of the Book of Mormon. It was good for our granddaughters to hear our testimonies and so wonderful for us to hear theirs. Todd had internet access and was able to find some quotes from the witnesses that added much to our discussion.... a great way to begin our week together. That evening, we watched Charlotte try out for Voice of the Ocean, a singing competition with the passengers on board the ship. She was one of seven to be selected to perform on Saturday's Voice of the Ocean show. 

The girls purchased a drink package with the Christmas money we had given them. They  loved being able to get 'Mocktails' and sodas whenever they wanted.  French fries were a staple for both Lydia and Allison, too.

The next day was our first of three ports - Cabo San Lucas. We scheduled a catamaran ride to see the famous arch and then a bus ride through the city to a glass making factory. We left the ship and had to wait over an hour for the catamaran to arrive. That wasn't the best way to start our day. It was hot and we were standing the whole time we were waiting. When the boat finally arrived, we were a little disappointed that the it was a large catamaran that held hundreds of people rather that a smaller one but it was a fun ride anyway. We all sat up on the top deck and enjoyed the views of the beautiful ocean, beaches, and rock formation along the way. 

Lover's Beach

The famous arch - look closely and you'll see it is in the shape of a dragon
with his nose in the water.

More rock formations - white because of years of bird droppings on the rocks.

After a 45 minute boat ride, we walked several blocks to board a bus to take us through the city to the glass factory. We stopped at a resort for picture taking and a soda, then boarded the bus for a narrated tour of the surrounding countryside. The problem was that the windows were so tinted that we could barely see out to know what our guide was telling us about. It's a sure thing we couldn't take any pictures through those windows.

Everyone enjoying their sodas and the view of the ocean

Casey and Allison dancing on the deck overlooking the ocean

Beautiful girls

Our tour consisted of a walk to old town in San Jose del Cabo. Here we had time to eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. We had a beef nacho that was to die for - lots of cheese and guacamole. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered. We had time to look around the plaza before getting back on the bus. 

The old church in the plaza

It was then off to the glass factory where we watched the workers make a darling turtle out of recycled glass. It takes quite a lot of talent and patience to create these figures. After we toured the glass factory, we returned to the ship. Because of the wait on the dock for the catamaran we didn't get back to the ship until after 5:30 so it was a long day.

Shaping the molten hot glass

The finished product - a tortoise with a sombrero 

The next day, we stopped in Mazatlan, which means "Place of the Deer'. Todd and Kailee didn't book a tour so they stayed on the ship while we went on a 2 1/2 hour bus ride through the city. It took us to Old Mazatlan as well as to the Golden Zone for shopping. Along the way we stopped at Diver's point, a 50 foot high rock formation from which professional divers plunge into a scant six feet of water at the bottom. Cliff diving has been a tradition here since the mid 1900's. Of course, the divers wanted money for their efforts. 

In old town, we stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It was constructed in 1899 with an organ built in Paris by one of the greatest organ builders of the 19th century. The stain glass windows feature the star of David in recognition to the donations made for its construction from a local Jewish family. From the church, we walked to a local market where many merchants displayed goods of every kind....even fresh cut cow's head. It reminded us so much of the many markets we found in Russia. 

Inside the cathedral

Under the gazebo in the Old Town Plaza

At the market - carving on a cow's head?
 Don't think I would buy my meat at this place.

Our tour guide was amazing. She went shopping in Old Town for a special
holiday bread which had in it little plastic figures of baby Jesus. If you find one in your piece of bread
 it means good luck for the coming year.  You, also, get to furnish all the tamales for
the next celebration...a Mexican tradition.

Maggie's piece had one of the babies in it.

Our guide also had our driver stop and get two different kinds of raw shrimp
so we could recognize the difference between them.

In the Golden Zone, we walked down the street looking for a bag for me to purchase. The travel bag I have been carrying for years, which I bought in Mexico 13 years ago, was wearing out and needed to be replaced. At one of the stops, we found the perfect bag and bought it for $10...a pretty good buy. We aren't much for shopping at these tourist spots but I was glad we found me a bag. We walked to the beach and spent a few minutes there before heading back to the bus. Casey ran into a local restaurant and bought some chips, salsa, and guacamole which we ate on the ride to the ship. Back on the ship, we found Todd and Kailee sunbathing by the pool. We all got some lunch and spent the rest of the day just chilling.

At the beach

Outside the restaurant

My new bag and my old bag.
Yes, it needed to be replaced.
The old one has been all around the world with me on all our trips.

The resort

The third and last port of the cruise was Puerto Vallarta, our favorite by far of all the stops. Here we all boarded a bus for a 5 hour stay at a local 5 star all inclusive resort. It was situated along a beautiful strip of ocean beach where we played and hung out for most of the time. There were four never ending pools and a couple of hot tubs. Along with swimming and relaxing, we enjoyed eating at their magnificent buffet. We had a small breakfast there when we arrived and some tacos for lunch before heading back to the bus. We thoroughly enjoyed the time at the resort but also loved the city. It was clean and pretty and felt so much safer than the other two stops we had made. We all decided that if we were to return to Mexico it would be to Puerto Vallarta. 

The beautiful beach front

Relaxing under our personal grass cabana

Soaking up the sun

The girls enjoying the ocean waves

Puerto Vallarta's magnificent sunset as we sailed away

After dinner Thursday evening, there was a pool party on deck 16 where there was a live band and lots of dancing. Andrea and Casey and the girls had a great time dancing. Todd and Kailee even joined them on the dance floor when they began some line dancing. It was fun to watch from up above on deck 17. 

The next two days were at sea. Those two days were filled with relaxing, eating, playing games, and watching Charlotte rehearse for her performance on Saturday.

Ordering food and drinks anytime was always a treat

An afternoon of games

Eleven of us at the dinner table each night was
always full of conversation, laughs, and lots of food.

Choosing her song for the performance the next day

The three judges chairs that spin around when they
hear good singers and want them to be on their team.

Charlotte's performance, on the last day of the cruise, was the highlight of our whole trip. We sat as close to the front as we could in the big Princess theater. Charlotte was the 6th of 7 to perform. Each contestant performed much stronger than they had any other time we had heard them sing. We were concerned for Charlotte, especially because she hadn't been feeling well that whole day. When she started to sing, though, we knew our worries were ill founded as she belted out her song like a professional. The three judges all turned around and were so taken with her voice that they threw their shoes out to her as a sign of respect for her talent. One judge said she was the whole package she had been waiting for. All three judges praised her vocal talent. She was chosen as one of the three contestants that the audience could vote for. The audience was issued one voting machine for each stateroom. When the votes were tallied, it was discovered that Charlotte had received 86% of the votes and was awarded the Voice of Ocean award. The MC said he had never seen such an overwhelming number of votes cast for one contestant ever. She truly did shine. We were so excited for Charlotte. A special way to end our cruise.

Charlotte singing 'You Raise Me Up.'

Charlotte waiting for the results

The girls on the set of The Voice after the competition

It is always hard when a cruise comes to an end, especially one where you are with family. On Saturday morning, Todd and Kailee and Charlotte left early to catch airplanes for Salt Lake City. Andrea and Casey and the other 4 girls left early to spend some time at Universal Studios before flying back to Oregon later that night. We got off the ship later and met Deon and Gary outside the terminal's disembarkation building. They drove us to Valencia where we rented a car, had lunch, and then drove to Bakersfield to visit Dad and Mom for a couple of days.

We had decided that as long as we were this close to Bakersfield, we would delay our flight home and spend a couple of days with Dad and Mom, and a day or so with Deon and Gary. We were glad we changed our original plans. It meant a lot to Dad and Mom that we would come visit them. Saturday night, we just visited after we grabbed a bite to eat and did some shopping for Sunday dinner. On Sunday, Sam came over to drive Mom and Dad to his church and we followed. After church, Mom and Dad slept while I cooked a big Sunday dinner. We invited Sam and Kathy to join us. We even ate at the dining room table which hadn't happened for years - probably since the last time we came to visit. Mom and Dad loved their meal and ate every bit of it. After cleaning up, we put on a movie we had sent them for Christmas, 'The Fighting Preacher.' Dad and Mom slept through most of it but Sam and Kathy and Paul and I enjoyed it very much. When it was time to put Mom to bed, she commented that she was so tired as it has been a big day for her. 

Chicken in cream sauce, peas, garlic potatoes, and strawberry yogurt salad.
Kathy brought rolls and a delicious dessert.

The next morning, we said good bye and left for Deon and Gary's home. We got there around eleven and immediately left for a drive to Solvang, a little Danish town just north of Santa Barbara. We wanted to visit this town to see what there is to do as we have scheduled our family reunion there this summer. We found it to be a darling town with many bakeries, shops, and restaurants. There is a beautiful golf course close by and an incredible beach not too far from the World Mark facility where we will be staying. The trip was fun and very worthwhile. We now can suggest some activities for Jon and Todd to plan for our week there.

Oh so Danish.....The whole town is like this

One of several bakeries in town

Even a windmill in the center of town

The beach near by

On Tuesday, after lunch with Deon and Gary, they drove us to the Burbank airport where we boarded our plane and flew home, arriving to snow and cold. We opted to drive to American Fork and get a bite to eat and then go through Provo canyon to get home. We were glad we made that decision because the faster way through Parley's Canyon was snowy and icy, from what we heard from our neighbor.

We got home on Tuesday, the 14th, and a week later attended a funeral for Mom's brother, Mac. Sam and Kathy decided to bring Mom to the funeral, flying with her to Salt Lake on Sunday. They stayed at Kathy and Curt's home. The viewing was on Monday night and Mom was like a celebrity. We didn't attend that but Kathy B. reported that everyone was so thrilled to see her. At the funeral, the next day, it was no different. As we sat with her in the Relief Society room, waiting for the family prayer, she was again the center of attention. The funeral was wonderful and helped us all come to know her brother better. He was 103 when he passed away. Special thanks to Sam and Kathy for taking their time to bring Mom to the funeral. It meant so much to her.

Mom and all the cousins

The door to their farm home in Gunnison

Beautiful and happy Mom

The rest of the month was pretty uneventful. We subbed in the temple on Martin Luther King Day and continue to work in the temple each Friday. We've attended a couple of basketball games and visited Jon and Mindi a few times to see the progress on their home. Paul also got called in for jury duty. After answering questions of the lawyers and making the cut down to 20 possible jurist, he wasn't selected for the final jury. 

On a sad note, I heard from Janet Harmon who informed me that Gloria Linerude had a major heart attack. It was discovered that one of her arteries was 95% blocked. Luckily, they got her medical treatment in time so she will be alright. They put a stint in the blocked artery and she has to take it easy for a while. She'll also have to change her life style, according to the doctors.

Paul and I have decided that we needed to begin cleaning out our files downstairs so when we are no longer here, our children won't have such a hard time going through our things. I started on Saturday and had a delightful time going through mementos I had saved. It was a good reminder of happenings to record in my personal history. One of the things I found was an assignment folder from my speech class when I started back to school. The assignment was to journal about 10 days, not necessarily consecutive. I got reading through these journal entries and found some special things recorded about each of our children. I took a picture of one about Jon and sent it to him. I thought he would enjoy remembering about how he was an example to a young boy in our ward and to his football coach. 

Before I end this January journal, I must make reference to the many times this month we have seen the Lord's tender mercies in our lives. 

1. His hearing our silent prayers while sitting on the plane that had to return to the terminal for repairs. We prayed that we could make it to the ship at the Long Beach pier before it sailed. We made it with only 45 minutes to spare.

2. On the last day of the cruise, Charlotte was given a blessing by her Dad and Paul that she would feel good enough to perform for the Voice of the Ocean. She had been throwing up and had a fever the morning of the performance. Prayers were answered and she was able to perform marvelously.

3 When we got back to Salt Lake and out to the economy parking, we couldn't find our car. Neither of us had recorded exactly where our car was. We knew we were around the #1 parking drop off but it had been snowing and the cars were covered with snow. We walked up and down two or three rows and couldn't find it. I, then, waited in the covered area while Paul walked the rows again, pushing his panic button on his car key. Nothing happened. I had the thought to pull out my keys and push my panic button. I walked out into the open area and pushed the button on my key and immediately our car's horn started to sound. Our car was relatively close. For some reason Paul's panic button wasn't working. We were grateful that I followed that prompting to get my keys out and punch my button.

4. The afternoon after working in the temple on Martin Luther King day, I had a hard time swallowing the hamburger we were eating for lunch. After a while, I was able to finish it but, for the next few days, I had a terrible time eating and felt like there was something caught in my throat, though I knew there wasn't. By Thursday, I decided I had better go to the doctor. He told me I probably had a narrowing of the esophagus and would need to have a procedure done to stretch that opening. I took the name of the doctor who could do that and waited for his office to call. That night I prayed that this constriction of my throat would not to interfere with my ability to do what I would be assigned in the temple the next day. When I awoke in the morning, the feeling of something in my throat was hardly noticeable and as the day went on my throat began to feel totally normal. It has remained that way since. Oh, how grateful I am for the power of prayer.

And thus ends our month of January.