A Quick Stop in Mesa (Tuesday, February 24th, 2016)

While we were in Havasu, we decided that it would be great to stop in Mesa, AZ for a few days on our way home to see my parents. Since my mom was sick for our oldest daughter's graduation, it has been a long time since we have seen them.  So we left Monday morning and enjoyed the four hour drive from Lake Havasu City to Mesa.  There were a lot of wild flowers in bloom, so it was really pretty!  

We had a nice dinner out with my parents on Monday night, and enjoyed a low-key day with them on Tuesday.  Steve and my dad had a chance to play a little pickleball, which my dad had never played before, so hopefully he enjoyed it enough to play again.  I was a little under the weather again, so we spent some time out on their back porch just enjoying the weather and picking citrus fruit to bring home.

My parents had purchased tickets to a show that they enjoy with their friends each year, so when we called to say that we would be coming for a short visit, they picked up a couple more tickets for us as well.  The show is called Bernie and Red, and is a musical comedy duo that travels around the country entertaining snowbirds. They are from Liverpool, England but currently reside in Canada. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and have spent their entire married life entertaining others.  They have 16 different shows that they perform in different places, throughout the year.  

We met up with my parent's friends at one of the manufactured home parks in Mesa where we would be watching the show.  I meant to get a picture of my parents and their friends, but just forgot.  Darn!  But here are a few pictures of the Bernie and Red Show.

Such a cute and talented couple!

We really enjoyed the show, and the company of my parent's and their friends.  They are all such great people, and I am so happy that my parents have found them.  The following morning Steve and I left to return to Denver.  The stay with my parents was much too short, but we have commitments in Denver on Thursday and Friday that we have to be home for.  

It was an easy drive with no weather issues, which is always a relief.  As we entered New Mexico from Arizona, we drove into a fog bank, which came and went through much of New Mexico.

Fog and freezing temperatures make for an icy wonderland

The Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque.  The fog had lifted for us, but was still hanging in the foothills

As we passed through Santa Fe, New Mexico, there was no fog, but there had been a snow storm the day before, so we got to see the beautiful aftermath from our car windows.

Quite a change from what we had been experiencing in Arizona!

We see a lot of wind turbine blades on the roads, but I'm always amazed at how big they are

And as we came back into Colorado, we are greeted by the Spanish Peaks once again!

We made a quick stop in Colorado Springs to see the progress of the house that our oldest daughter and her husband are having built. It has a long way to go, but we're making progress.

Now to get settled back in at home, and get ready for our next adventure!

Second Day at Sea Northern Caribbean (Monday, January 11th, 2016)

When I first woke up this morning, I looked out the window and there was dense fog. That certainly didn’t give me a reason to want to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. At about 8:00, I tried it again. This time when I looked out, the fog had lifted, but now I can see water running down our window. 

I guess this means that it’s time to blog since I don’t need to rush to the poolside chairs to get a tan. My sweet husband ran up to the lido deck and grabbed us both some coffee to drink as I sat her and typed. He’s just that kind of guy! Whether we’re on a cruise ship or in a hotel, he always makes a coffee run for us while I’m getting ready. He’s so sweet!

It was a nice leisurely day, since the rain decided to stick with us. The back pool deck has a retractable roof, so during the night last night they closed the roof. 

The 18 and over pool,with the retractable roof closed

It makes the area a bit humid, but very comfortable in a rain storm. It is an 18 and over area, so we could just spend the day by the pool, in and out of the hot tub, relaxing. Our daughter is still not feeling great today. She feels good for a while and then goes back to feeling bad. We feel sorry for her, but it makes us happy that our days are relaxing and not crazy busy.  Hopefully she will feel better when we get to our first port.

For lunch today, Steve and I both went to the Guy Fiery Burger Bar. This is a relatively new option being offered on the Carnival Freedom ship.  They hand make your burger for you, and then have a topping bar with lots of yummy toppings.  It's way more food than I can eat, but a great treat!

And our daughter enjoyed another gluten free pizza, hand made just for her!

Although it's rainy, its really quite comfortable outside, so we spent some time on the outer decks just enjoying the day.

A view of the retractable roof from the outside.  We love this!

Plenty of people in the main pool area, even though it's raining

As we walked to the front of the ship, we could see the next big rain storm approaching, so we decided to once again head inside for awhile.

We opted for an afternoon game of blackjack

and a little afternoon snack of ceviche and bar-b-qued octopus

Again tonight, Steve and I got ready first, then left the room to go sit at the back bar while our daughter got ready. We have really enjoyed talking to Suriya the bar tender at the back lido bar. When our daughter was ready tonight, she met us at our usual spot, and we all headed up to the promenade deck to watch an acoustic guitar player. He was really good and brought in a pretty good crowd.

The great thing about rain during the day is beautiful skies at night!

We headed to another nice dinner in the dining room. After dinner instead of heading to comedy, we went with our dinner table mates to the theater to watch the nightly show. It was called 88 Keys, and started out as a piano bar, but then turned into a complete singing and dancing show, based on the piano. It was a really good show. 

When the show was over, we headed to the headliner for a little more Sheila Kay comedy before turning in for the night.  When we got to the room tonight, we were greeted by another towel friend to keep us company through the night.

How does the housekeeping staff have time for this???