Crock Pots and Road Trips

On Monday, I made Chicken Parmesan in the crock pot and served it with penne. Mom and I went to Tai Pan Trading and she bought some more metal candle holders and some pink and red glass hearts to fill the jars she bought earlier. It snowed the rest of the day. I finished reading A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Johnathan Foer.  On Tuesday, we watched Mr. Popper's Penguins.

On Wednesday, Mom and I went to Kohl's in Clinton, because she had a gift card from Christmas. She bought some shirts. Afterwards we ate at Costa Vida.

On Thursday, Mom and I went to Apria in Ogden to get her a new mask for her cpap machine. Then we drove to Willey Honda in Bountiful to pick up the license plates for her car. Then we drove back up to Farmington to go to the DMV and get her plates as handicapped. We went across the street to Station Park and went through Homegoods, Ross, and Marshalls. The tubing on her wheelchair popped off its connecter again as we went over a bump, so Dad will have to fix it. Mom bought some shirts and a framed metal flower wall hanging for the kitchen. We ate lunch at Cutler's in Layton. I made shredded barbecue chicken in the crock pot for dinner and we made it into sandwiches. I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II on DVD.

On Friday, Mom and I went to Wal-Mart to get some groceries. Mom bought two Maroon rugs for the kitchen and two red pillows to match her new quilt for her bedroom. I read Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper and I watched Glee: The Concert on dvd.

On Saturday, We drove to Salt Lake. There was car on the freeway that rubbernecked, slammed on its brakes and skidded over 3 lanes. Thankfully he didn't hit anyone. He is lucky to be alive, especially with 2 children in his back seat. We went and ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square. Afterwards we went to Sam's Club in Layton and ran into Brittany and Brenda, our next door neighbors from Layton.

Today, I decorated the house for Valentine's Day and watched the SAG Awards.

Doctors, Snow, and Anniversaries

We sure did pick the wrong week to go on the cruise, seeing how it only snowed once while we were gone. It's snowed pretty much every day since we got back.

Monday was Martin Luther King Day. Dad went with Mom to see her hematologist near the Davis Hospital to get her blood test results. She sees the hematologist for iron deficiency. Her Vitamin D was up.

On Tuesday, I loaded all of our cruise pictures onto my PC and onto our Facebook pages. We went and picked up our mail they held for us at the post office. I watched the movie, One Day.

On Wednesday, We went to Wal-Mart to get our neighbor's son a wedding gift. Mom bought a new quilt and shams and Zookeeper on Blu-Ray. I bought Sherlock Holmes on Blu-Ray. We also went to Tai Pan Trading to look at their Valentine's Day stuff. Mom bought some medal candle holders, two jars with hearts on them, a flower candle holder in a glass vase, and some red flameless candles. I finished reading The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman.

Thursday was the fifth year anniversary of my Grandpa Hyrum's death. He died of pnuemonia and complications of Alzheimer's. A week before he died, my mom had a dream he was going to die on 19th of January and he did. We walked into the care center just as he took his last breath. Mom went and got her hair cut. Before I went to bed, I was drinking some grape juice and I choked on it, spitting it up all over my blanket. My blanket is dry clean only, so I sprayed some Spray & Wash and dotted Tide to Go on it and let it dry. My cat, Shadow, was up playing with his feather toy, knocking it up and down the stairs.

On Friday, I went with mom to see her pulmonologist for sleep apnea up at McKay-Dee Hospital. They were testing their fire alarm systems and shut down part of the building. Afterwards we drove to Layton to go to Target and Old Navy, with lunch at Mimi's. I finished reading The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. Mom watched One Day and thought is was sad.

On Saturday, Dad started doing taxes for his clients. People have been calling all week to set up appointments. It snowed most of the day. After Dad came home, we went to the Pizza Factory and had pasta.

Today, my back still hurt, so I took it easy all day, reading, sleeping, and not using my computer. When I woke up, my back felt better. I made Baked Potato Soup from scratch and Dad made brownies for dessert.

Flying Home

Today, we woke up at 5 am. We flew out of Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, not getting off the plane, on our way to Denver. We lunch at McDonald's and our flight to SLC got delayed for forty minutes due to Mechanical problems. We landed in SLC at 2:30 PM and waited for the Park N Jet shuttle bus in the cold wind. We drove to Idlewire in Ogden to pick up Shadow to bring him home. When we got home, Dad's fan in his office was on and the ironing board fell over in Mom's closet, while we were unpacking our suitcases, which was very weird.

Debarking the Carnival Liberty

Today, we debarked the ship in Miami at 7:30 am, due to our Platinum status. We rented a Town and Country from Dollar at the Miami airport. I went to the get off the elevator after dad and the doors tried to shut, so I put my hand through the doors and my bag knocked over, getting stuck under the metal kick bar, in the Rental terminal.

We drove to the Wal-Mart in Sunrise to get some tools to fix mom's wheelchair, because some of the brackets kept falling off. We went to the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall and I bought some books. We stayed at La Quinta in Cypress Creek. We couldn't check in until 3 PM. After our nap, we went and ate pizza at Big Louie's Italian restaurant. We drove around the beach, trying to find a Krispy Kreme and had to settle for Dunkin' Donuts, to have something for breakfast tomorrow. When we came back to the hotel, there were two police cars out front and they were questioning a man in what appeared to be a domestic disturbance case. The guy tried to get on the elevator with Mom and I, but was distracted and walked off. We were glad he didn't ride the elevator with us, which would have been awkward.

Third Full Day at Sea

Today, was our final full day at sea. We packed our suitcases before eating breakfast. Afterwards, we went and looked at the shops for the T-Shirt and Sea Glass sales. We watched the Joran Van Der Sloot sentencing on TV. After our nap, I ran upstairs and got some lunch for Mom and I. After lunch, Dad came back down to the room and then we went up to shop so he could buy a watch for $19.99. I went and sat on the Balcony for a while, watching the British version of the Office.

For dinner, I had fettucini with mushrooms as a starter, Mango Cream soup, Bacon Mac and Cheese, and Grand Marnier souffle. We went back to the shops and Mom bought another watch and some earrings. We went to the Venetian and played Movie trivia, for which I earned a medal, cause I tied for third place with another woman. We got 12 out of 20, with the winner getting 16. We watched Gender showdown competition, involving hula hoops, red solo cups, and trivia. The men beat the women 10 to 4. After the games, we went back to the room and saw our dog towel animal. We also put the suitcases with tags out into the hall to be picked up for debarkation.

Grand Turk

Today, we arrived in Grand Turk at 11 AM, so we went to the Shopping Talk beforehand. The last time we were here, we took the bus tour to the lighthouse and the prison. This time, dad took a snorkeling trip and got to pet a 6 foot long nurse shark. Mom and I walked around the port shops. She was looking at some glass earrings in one of the shops and broke one on the floor.

When we were getting back on board, the security screener questioned me about my change purse in my purse and Mom's seashell candle holder with no candle, wanting to know what they were. That was pretty weird. Lunch was Caribbean again, so I had another Guy's Plain Jane Burger. After our nap, I got ready for Elegant night, by wearing some nice dress pants. We watched Two Weeks Notice on tv.

For dinner, I had bing cherry soup, fresh fruit, Chateaubriand with Bearnaise sauce, and Amaretto cake. We went to the Punchliner club to see the comedians, Allyn Ball and Tony Esposito. We went to the Photo gallery to look at our pictures. The show in the Venetian was Singin' with the Big Band with Christopher Alan Graves, which we had seen twice, so we skipped it. When we came back to the room, there was a plate of Chocolate Strawberries and a Platypus towel animal waiting for us. We watched The Office on TV.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Today, we arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The last time we were here, we were only on the island from 5 PM to midnight, and we walked through the shops in Old San Juan, so it was nice to see the island in the daylight. Before we got off the boat, we watched Rango on TV. We were in port with the Celebrity Millennium, the Norwegian Gem, and the Holland American Niew Amsterdam.

This time, we took an independent tour for 10 dollars a person, around the city. It was with an American man named William who promised us we wouldn't wake up without any kidneys. LOL. We saw the memorial for police officers and the president statues, the beach across from the Hilton, and the fort. Our tour bus driver, dropped us off in the town square and we went to the flea markets and the shops in Old San Juan.

We got back on the ship and ate lunch on the lido deck, which was Italian. After our nap, we watched the sail away. We went to the Past Guest Party in the Venetian and had free appetizers and punch. We went and looked in the shops before we had dinner. For dinner I had, peach soup, caesar salad, farfalle with turkey and peas, and bitter and blanc. In the dining room, the servers formed a giant conga line and did the limbo under two napkins to the song, "Hot, Hot, Hot."

After dinner, we went to the Venetian and played Name that 80's tune trivia, saw the MJ dance moves competition, and the Big Hair competition. We went back to the room and found a towel animal waiting for us.

St. Thomas

Today, we arrived in St. Thomas. The last two times we were here, we went to Coral World and we took a ferry over to St. John so Dad could go snorkeling. This time we took a taxi to Charlotte Amalia, which is considered their downtown. We went to a flea market, where I saw two women fighting over which one had the wooden birds in their hand first. Then we walked around the ship approved shops. We took a taxi back to port, after the driver took some people to K-Mart. Dad went on a snorkeling excursion to Buck Island, while Mom and I walked around the Havensight shops until it started raining.

We got back on board and went up to the lido deck for lunch. They were serving French food, so I grabbed a plain jane burger from Guy Fieri's Burger Joint. I took the top off my bun to put bacon and mayo on it at the topping bar and dropped the top on the floor, so I went back to my table and ate the burger with a fork. After our nap, we watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes on tv. Dad went shopping in Havensight after his tour. I went and took photos on deck 10 before we sailed away.

For dinner, I had a chicken quesadilla, fresh fruit, Meatloaf with cheesy potatoes, and warm chocolate melting cake. After dinner, we went to the shops and Mom bought a watch for 10 bucks. We went to the lounge to watch Bingo and Mom opened the bag her watch was in and it was sticky, so Dad went back to the shop to return it. When he came back with a new watch, the second hand was broken, so he had to go back to the shop and get another one. The show was "Just Rock" with the carnival singers and dancers. They were showing Soul Surfer on the seaside theatre as we walked by and we grabbed some popcorn.

Second Full Day at Sea

Today, We ate breakfast on the lido deck and I read some stuff on my ipad. We watched Zookeeper on TV. We went to the Jewelry shop to pick up Mom's necklace and look at our photos from Formal night. We watched the Bean Bag Tournament in the atrium. For lunch on the lido deck, they were serving Caribbean food. After our nap, we watched Just Go with It on TV.

For dinner, I ate fresh fruit, chips with guacamole and salsa, shrimp and fries, and chocolate, raspberry vanilla cake. We went to the Punchliner club in the Victoria Lounge to see Smiley Joe Wiley and Percy Crews II again, since the show in the main lounge was a juggler and Mom can't watch shows like that with her vertigo.

First Full Day at Sea

Today was first full day at sea. In the morning, the ship tilted about 40 degrees and knocked some stuff off the shelves in our room. The cruise director, Butch, called it a "Technical error" over the PA. After we ate breakfast on the lido deck, we went to atrium and to the shops. Mom bought a necklace and 2 bracelets at the Gold by the Inch sale. We went to the Fun Ashore, Fun Aboard talk by Butch. We also attended the Shopping Talk for St. Thomas and San Juan, hosted by Jimmy. For lunch, they were serving American food on the lido deck.

After our nap, we watched Mean Girls on TV. It was the first elegant night on the boat, so we wore dress pants to dinner. We went to our new table, table 551 for dinner in the dining room. Our new waiter, Ralph is from Jamaica. I had Spaghetti Carbonara, Strawberry Bisque, Prime Rib, and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. Dad ate alligator fritters and liked them.

After dinner, we went to the Punchliner club to see the comedian, Percy Crews II. We strolled past the shopping desk to get Mom her VIP shopping card. The show in the Venetian was "Wonderful World," with the carnival singers and dancers. When we got back to the room, there were some free Carnival lunch bags and pins for mom and dad, since this was their 10th cruise on Carnival. I watched some of "X-Men: First Class."

The Carnival Liberty

Today, We ate the complimentary breakfast at the Hotel. I finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue, which is a very sad but amazing book. We drove around South Beach, and found the Kardashian store, Dash Miami. We checked out of the hotel and when we got to the parking lot, I noticed I had left my purse in the room so we had to go back in and get it. On the airport shuttle to the port, mom's red bag kept falling off the shelf on the bus.

We boarded the Carnival Liberty in Miami around 12:30 PM. We have a cabin on the eighth floor, right under the lido deck. I love staying on the eighth floor, cause I can just run upstairs and get a drink or and ice cream cone for Mom. Our room wasn't ready until 2 PM, so we ate lunch on the Lido Deck in Emile's. They were serving Italian food and we had cake pops for dessert. After our nap, we went to the safety briefing in The Cabinet lounge. We watched parts of Mr. Popper's Penguins and the Lincoln Lawyer on TV. We have a balcony, so we were able to see the sail away from our room. After the sail away, we unpacked our suitcases.

We were seated for dinner at table 334 in The Silver dining room with 5 people who only spoke Japanese, so we asked for a seat reassignment. For dinner I had a fruit plate, a caesar salad, sweet and sour shrimp, and sugar free orange cake. After dinner we went and watched Karaoke for a bit, before going to the Venetian Palace to watch a 70's dance class and Game Show Mania. After the fun, we went to the lido deck to get another treat. I had the black forest cake.

Heading to Florida

Yesterday, Mom had to go get her blood tested at the Cancer center, for Iron and Vitamin D deficiency. We went and got a donut afterwards. I helped Mom pack her suitcases. In the afternoon, we dropped Shadow off at Idlewire in Ogden to be boarded. The house always feels empty without him, running around or greeting us at the door. We went to Wal-mart so Mom could get some hair dye. She dyed her hair when we got home.

Today, we flew on Southwest to Ft. Lauderdale, with a layover in Las Vegas. It seemed weird and counterproductive to go west and then go east. We ate breakfast at Burger King in the airport. On our way to Fort Lauderdale, we were sat next to a lady with her guide dog. The flight attendant made us sing Happy Birthday to a man and God Bless America to the veterans onboard. I finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel, which is a very sad book. When we landed, we rented a car from Budget. We ate dinner at Sonny's BBQ on our way to Miami. We went to K-mart to get some soda for the boat. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites next to the airport.

Happy New Year!

On Wednesday, Mom and I went around Layton and Syracuse looking for a new wheelchair for her, since the one she got doesn't like to go over ramps and is too heavy. We found one that is really light, only weighing 20 pounds, at Shopko. I bought her a Snow Minnie Porch Greeter at Walgreen's, which has Minnie as a snowman. Mom bought Prancer and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas on DVD at Kmart. When Dad got home, he put the wheelchair together. We went to the Layton Wal-Mart after eating at Iceberg, to get mom a red snow scraper for her new car, since dad put the other one in his truck. I watched The Forgotten Carols and liked it. I had never seen the show in person, but have had the soundtrack for many years.

On Thursday, Mom and I went to the mall to test out her new wheelchair. This wheelchair is so much better than the other one, because it will actually go over ramps and not get stuck. I kept having to push the wheels up on the other one and pop a wheelie. It's kinda sad to see Deseret Book closed, and F.Y.E. was having a store closing sale. Deseret Book has moved over next to where Bed, Bath, and Beyond used to be by the Layton Wal-Mart. I watched the first Sherlock Holmes movie, which I rented from Netflix, because they weren't airing it on any channels I have on TV.

On Friday, Mom was making a necklace and Shadow was biting her, trying to get the chain. I broke a bowl while doing the dishes and cut my finger and my foot. I had to vacuum out the garbage disposal and the dishwasher. I was carrying Shadow and a cup of juice as I was exiting Mom's room. I went to open the door and Shadow got scared and splashed my shirt with my juice. The wind was blowing so bad, that I went out in the middle of night to take the wreaths down.

Saturday was New Year's Eve. I threw away all of VHS tapes, we recorded off the TV, to make room for books and photo albums in the family room. We went to Sizzler for dinner and went to the mall and ran into the Andersons, from our ward in Layton. We watched the movie, Monte Carlo. We ate chips and salsa while watching the ball drop in NYC.

Sunday was New Year's Day. I made blueberry muffins for breakfast. As I was taking down ornaments from the tree, Shadow jumped on the table runner on the coffee table, sliding off and breaking 3 ornaments that were in the candle box. My mom's brother, Don , his wife Viv, and their daughter AnnGee came over to visit and stayed for dinner. It was the first time they had seen our house in Syracuse since we moved here in 2007. We had a roast, mashed potatoes, and rolls. After dinner, they left. We had cheesecake for dessert.

Monday, I finished taking the decorations down off the tree and putting the bulbs back in their boxes. Dad took down the tree and put mom's stuffed animals back up on the pillar. I also took the garland off the TV stand, the wreaths, and some of her porch greeters down. We went to Wal-Mart to buy Mom some new boots to wear on our upcoming vacation. We went to Olive Garden for dinner, since Dad had a coupon and a gift card. Afterwards, Dad and I went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Tuesday, a man came and looked at Mom's old wheelchair and bought it for $49. I packed my backpack and my suitcase for our upcoming trip. I took all the bulbs out of our vases in the kitchen. Dad worked late at his tax office. We watched The Muppet Movie (1979).

On Wednesday, Mom and I went to Target because she had a gift card. She bought a purse and some jewelry with it. I went to Wal-Mart while Mom was getting her hair cut. I bought a night guard for my teeth. I finished reading Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, the second book in the Infernal Devices series.