Music of 2018

Best Albums of 2018:

• Cher: Dancing Queen
• John Legend: A Legendary Christmas
• Justin Timberlake: Man in the Woods
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Michael Buble: Love
• Pentatonix: Christmas is Here
• A Star is Born
• Van Alden: Van Alden

Albums I bought in 2018:

• Blake Shelton: Pure BS
• Cher: Dancing Queen
• John Legend: A Legendary Christmas
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Michael Buble: Love
• Pentatonix: Christmas is Here
• A Star is Born
• Van Alden: Van Alden

Most Played Songs in 2018:

• All Night Long by Lionel Richie
• Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
• Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
• Dancing Queen by Abba
• Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
• Drive by The Cars
• Dude (Looks Like a Lady) by Aerosmith
• Thriller by Michael Jackson
• 24K Magic by Bruno Mars
• Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

Songs I Downloaded in 2018:

• Best of Times by Sheryl Crow
• Dancing in the Caribbean by Island Caribbean Steel Drum Band
• Filthy by Justin Timberlake
• Girl in A Country Song by Maddie and Tae
• Heavy Liftin' by Blake Shelton
• It Takes a Woman from Hello Dolly
• Love Never Felt So Good by Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake
• Mary, Did You Know? by David Archuleta
• New Light by John Mayer
• Praying by Kesha
• Put on Your Sunday Clothes from Hello Dolly
• Radio Ga Ga by Queen
• Seven Mile Beach by Island Caribbean Steel Drum Band
• There's Nothin' Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes.
• Where's the Snow by Ho'onu'a
• X-Treme Country by Hank Williams Jr.

Songs of 2018:

• Come On to Me by Paul McCartney
• Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Backstreet Boys
• Don't Lie to Me by Barbra Streisand
• Don't Make Me Wait by Sting and Shaggy
• In My Feelings by Drake
• Love You Anymore by Michael Buble
• New Light by John Mayer
• One Shot by Hunter Hayes
• Say Something by Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton
• Sweet Sensation by Flo Rida
• Thank You, Next by Ariana Grande
• Zero by Imagine Dragons

Best Soundtracks of 2018:

• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again
• Mary Poppins Returns
• A Star is Born

Books of 2018

Books I Read in 2018:

• Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Angel After the Fall: Vol 1 by Joss Whedon
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Asylum by Madeline Roux
• At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
• Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
• Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel
• Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
• Books for the Living by Will Schwalbe
• The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
• The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
• The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
• Brighton by Michael Harvey
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Predators and Prey (Season 8, #5) 
• The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
• Dark Voyage by Alan Furst
• The Daughters by Joanna Philbin
• Deadwood by Pete Dexter
• Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
• The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings
• The Disenchantments Nina LaCour
• The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
• Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
• Every Thing You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia
• Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
• The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
• The Girl in the Letter by Emily Gunnis
• The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Heartburn by Nora Ephron
• Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
• The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott
• How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
• The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti
• Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
• Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
• I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
• In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
• The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
• Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins by Kathy Griffin
• The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
• The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
• The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood
• Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell
• Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson
• Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
• Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffeld
• Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan
• Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
• The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
• The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
• The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings
• The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
• Nine Ten by Nora Raleigh Baskin
• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight
• The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell
• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
• The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
• Rickles' Book by Don Rickles
• Rickles' Letters by Don Rickles
• The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron
• Rooms by Lauren Oliver
• Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin
• Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
• Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• The Ship by Antonia Honeywell
• Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
• A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell
• Since Last Summer by Joanna Philbin
• Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
• Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
• Still Me by Jojo Moyes
• The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry
• Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
• Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
• Today will Be Different by Maria Semple
• A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
• Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines
• Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• The Vacationers by Emma Straub
• Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
• Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
• A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
• Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino
• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
• You by Caroline Kepnes
• You Can Say You Knew Me When by Soehnlein
• You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Best Books I read in 2018:

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
• The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Best Books Published in 2018:

• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
• I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
• The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
• The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood
• Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson
• Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
• Still Me by Jojo Moyes
• Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

23 and Me

Christmas in California

These were the decorations in our hotel:

We went to church with my brother's family on Sunday.

These were my holiday socks:

This was our balcony at the hotel:

This picture looks like a nun on water skies to me:

 On Christmas Eve, we went to Fashion Island Mall in Newport and saw their giant tree.  We ate dinner at True Foods Kitchen.

Christmas Day:

 

 We went to Balboa Island to look at the Christmas Lights:

   

Tustin Marketplace:

Christmas Reading List

American Christmas by Diane Goode
The Best Christmas Pageant Eve
Best Loved Christmas Stories of the LDS People
The Book of Mormon
A Christ Centered Christmas

The Christmas Box
The Christmas Box Miracle
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Gift by Glendon Swarthout
A Christmas Melody by Anita Stansfield
Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers
Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
Christmas with the Prophets
The Christmas Cookie Club
Finding Noel
The Forgotten Carols
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
The Holy Bible
Home for Christmas by Anita Stansfield
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Matchless by Gregory Maguire

The Night Before Christmas
The Nutcracker
Olive the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh
One Tattered Angel by Blaine M. Yorgason
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Remember The Joy of Christmas by Various
Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
The Tale of Three Trees
Tilly's Christmas
What Light by Jay Asher
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Clause
You Are Special by Max Lucado

Island Playlists

Almost Paradise by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins
Bali Hai from South Pacific

Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean
Castaway by Zac Brown Band
Christmas Island by Jimmy Buffett
Christmas in the Caribbean by Jimmy Buffett

Cocoanut Woman by Harry Belafonte
Gilligan's Island Theme
Hawaii by the Beach Boys
Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle
I am A Rock by Simon and Garfunkel
Island Fever by the Beach Boys
Island Girl by Elton John

Island Song by Zac Brown Band
Island in the Sun by Harry Belafonte
Island in the Sun by Weezer
Islands in The Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
Jungle Boogie by Kool and the Gang
Jungle Love by Steve Miller
Jurassic Park Theme

Kokomo by The Beach Boys
La Isla Bonita by Madonna

Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

Mele Kalikimaka
On the Island by Brian Wilson and She & Him
Paradise by Coldplay
Prelude (Mysterious Island)
Run Through the Jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival
SOS by Rihanna

Treasure by Bruno Mars
Two Tickets to Paradise by Eddie Money
Volcano by Jimmy Buffett
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N Roses
Waterfalls by TLC

Baking Playlist

Bakin' Cookies by The Ellas
Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty
Bread and Butter
Cake by the Ocean by DNCE
Hey, Good Lookin' by Hank Williams
Honey Bun from South Pacific
Hot Cross Buns
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
Lime in the Coconut by Harry Nilsson
The Muffin Man
Pat A Cake, Pat A Cake
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Pure Imagination
Shortenin' Bread
Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls
Stir it Up by Bob Marley
A Spoonful of Sugar from Mary Poppins
Sugar by Maroon 5
Sugar Shack by Jimmy Gilmer
Sugar Man by Rodriguez\
Sugar Town
Sweets for My Sweet by Neil Diamond

Debarkation

It was very foggy when we arrived in Long Beach and debarked from the ship:

We took a taxi to the Long Beach airport to pick up our rental car:

 We stayed at the Ayres in Mission Viejo.  We ate dinner at El Ranchito.

Third Day at Sea

Today was our final full day at sea.

I went to a craft class and made this holiday card.

It was towel animal day on the lido deck.

This was our heart towel animal:

In front of the tree in the lobby:

 I took a line dance class to Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake:

There was an ice carving demonstration:

Groove for St. Jude:

 Holiday Show:

Balloon Drop and Let it Snow in the atrium:

There was a Platinum and Diamond party in the El Morrocco.  They gave us sushi and fruit punch:

I watched Mamma Mia! on the big screen:

The show was Lip Sync Battle:

I watched Christopher Robin on the big screen: