Alaska Cruise 2012....First 3 & 1/2 Days

You all know my son Todd and wife Lori gifted us with a Dream Cruise to Alaska...........
However it only takes one United Airlines Flight Delay to turn your dream into a nightmare!
Sit back and have a good laugh at our expense ??? :)

Friday...July 13 th.........

We left Hattiesburg and drove to New Orleans to spend the night as we had to be at the airport at 4:30 AM for our 5:54 Am flight to San Fransisco aboard United. We were told the flight was delayed due to mechanical problems and "hopefully" would take off at 12:00 noon. We were then told that all flights were overbooked and we would NOT make our ship in Seattle ! OMG! I was in tears! Since our flights were booked by Princess Cruises and United guarantees you to make the ship, United told us that we were to be switched in San Fran to Alaska Airlines, put up in a hotel in Seattle and flown to Juneau on Sunday morning to join our ship at noon on Monday. Take my advice....don't EVER book on United !!!

So we get into bed at Comfort Inn Suites in Seattle at midnight and had to get up at 3:00 AM for our Alaska Air flight to Juneau. Alaska Airlines is awesome and they put us in 1st class to Juneau.

We arrived in beautiful Juneau at 7:00 Am Alaska time Sunday morning.

The airport is very small but so pretty. These were hanging in the airport.

This Grizzly was hanging out in a glass cage so hubby got close..........

This is a view of the Taxi parking lot and a gorgeous mountain.......

We were picked up by our hotel, The Driftwood Lodge, who were absolutely wonderful in getting a room ready and letting us check in early as we'd had only 3 hours sleep. Our room was the one on the bottom right, in back of the gray and red cars.

Right next door was a wonderful cafe The Sandpiper. After a hot shower and a few hours sleep we had lunch there. Hubby tried an Elk Burger which he did not like but I had a Reuben which was so good.

This was the view from our room.......

Juneau is full of these huge Ravens and they have no fear of humans. I loved hearing them as they seem to converse with each other constantly.

We spent Sunday resting and hoping that "someone" would find the suitcase that United lost when we were in San Fran that contained most of Hubby's clothes including all his jeans and underwear ! Since the cafe closed at 2:00 PM we ordered a Pizza delivered to our room from a local place that night. Talk about heart failure! $ 30.00 for a large Pizza! Good thing United was footing the bill! At 10:30 PM a Taxi brought the suitcase and Hubby was so happy!

Monday morning we were told by Princess that we would NOT be allowed to board until all passengers had disembarked the ship which meant that we would NOT get to go on our Juneau Excursion for Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier !! Here comes the tears again! So we went for a walk on the streets of Juneau and since all the shops don't open until "a ship docks" we only saw this lonely Bear.

It was freezing and I had forgot to bring my hat & gloves on the walk. The temp was about 49 but the North Wind blows constantly and is so strong it goes right through you!

At 11:30 my son called and said they were docking so the hotel loaded us up and took us to the pier. We were shocked to see about 20 others waiting who had also missed the ship in Seattle due to United. We met 3 couples from Shreveport, La who had gone through a worse ordeal than us. We also got to see our family coming off the ship on their way to the excursion which made me feel much better. When we checked in we were told we could book a later excursion in Juneau but I WAS NOT ABOUT TO LEAVE THAT SHIP !!! :)

I have to say Princess treated us like royalty once we boarded.

Of course the ship was pretty empty because everyone had been on the ship since Saturday and were ready to feel land under their feet. We also learned that in reality, we were lucky because they had gone through some rough seas and half the ship got sea sick and all the entertainment was canceled because the ship was rocking so bad.

I loved this picture on the ship..........

So.. you now know how the Dream Cruise began....

Next time we'll visit Skagway....

Thanks for laughing with me and not at me !!!! :)

PLANNING TO ESCAPE !!!

I know we aren't the only ones who are dreaming of escaping this horrible weather.........
My heart goes out to all those on the Northeast without power due to storms.......
Those in the Florida without homes due to flooding....
Those in Arizona & Colorado without homes due to fire........
Here in the deep south we are suffering from triple digit temps, horrible humidity and drought..........


However we see relief on the horizon! My son Todd and his wife Lori are taking us on a 7 day cruise !!!
NO....this is not our luggage but it's close at least in the amount!
Packing is real intense since it requires packing for 2 seasons because...........
We are going to ...........
We will tour Alaska's Inside Passage............



ABOARD............

We'll fly out of New Orleans to San Fransisco then on to Seattle...........
First port is Juneau where it's 49 degrees right now. Expected normal temps for our cruise week are 65 high/48 low.....ahhhhhhhhhh heavenly! However right now now they are running below normal.


In Juneau we will visit the Mendenhall Glacier..........
And go Whale Watching...........

Next stop....Skagway........




We will board the White Pass/Yukon Railroad to Canada........


Eat lunch and do some Gold Panning.........



Then we'll cruise the gorgeous Tracy Arms Fjord...........



Where lots of Grizzlies are seen...........



On to Ketchican.................


We are going wildlife exploring, Dungress Crabbing and get to have an outdoor Crab Feast...


Next stop.... Victoria BC for a walking tour.......


Then much to our dismay....
Back to this heatwave.............



Where I'll be dreaming of getting this awesome Swim Spa...........



However this better suits out budget !! How creative is this??



SO.........Do any of you have a planned escape
Stay cool and remember, THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

The Heart of The Matter..........

I've gotten several e-mails and FaceBook messages wondering why I'm so "elusive" lately?
Truth is....I'm recouping from life having thrown me a few health curves that hit their mark!
As most of you know, I spent 5 days in the hospital after tripping over my computer modem which I had set out on the floor "like an idiot" and then forgot it was sitting there. It made 2 cuts in my left leg on the shin bone, one of which got infected. The infection went into Cellulitis which was advancing into Septicemia. NOT GOOD! It can kill you! So I spent 5 days receiving IV antibiotics to cure that. I was blessed that no bacteria was found in my blood after they grew 6 cultures for 5 days. I left the hospital on Monday April 30th. I was having a fit to get out of there as my daughter Melanie was graduating college in Nashville on Tuesday May 8th and I needed to prepare for my trip. So on Sunday May 6th we left for Nashville. We arrived at my daughters home around 3:30 PM. She cooked a wonderful dinner and all was well......
At around 7 PM I went and lay down on this bed to read my book while she did laundry and our Hubby's watched TV. Shortly thereafter, my Hubby Eric came back to the adjoining bath to brush his teeth. Almost immediately I began to feel a strange pain my chest, a feeling I had never felt before.The conversation for the next few minutes went like this.....

Me: Somethings wrong....
Eric: What do you mean?
Me: I feel a strange pain in my chest, I think I'm having a Heart Attack.......
Eric: Nawwwwwww!
Me: get me a cold wet rag I'm sweating bad!
Eric hands me the wet rag.....
Me: get me the trash can, I need to throw up!
Me: Call 911 !!!!!

So......here comes the EMT's and then the Ambulance and I spend the next 38 hours in the Cardiac Unit at Saint Thomas/Baptist Hospital in Nashville after having a Heart Attack due to a coronary spasm that collapsed and artery in my heart. Now they have NO IDEA why this happened to me.This is a huge heart unit and they claim this is so rare they only see it about twice a year and that is in patients with a history of heart murmur or irregular heart beat. I had No blockages whatsoever and very little plaque. Leave it to me to stump a group of Cardiologist!

I left the hospital at 10:30 AM on Tuesday and I was sitting right there at 7: PM when my Baby Girl took the walk!

I feel like I've had my own Angel hanging out with me to get through this ordeal....

So I've been resting and doing a great deal of reading about heart problems in women as it is the #1 killer of women in America. I have to get myself in good shape fast because in July my oldest son Todd and his wife Lori are taking Eric and I on a 7 day Alaskan Cruise !!

So......Now you know why I've been so reclusive lately. Let me add this for you women, I had severe "crushing" chest pain,cold clammy sweating and vomiting with my attack so I KNEW what was happening. I had NO left arm pain, jaw pain or indigestion. I'm told that most women don't have these symptoms and often think it is indigestion so please be aware of your body speaking to you!

Have a fun,safe and healthy weekend !!!!!!

" THE HEALING " by Jonathan Odell...A Beautiful Experience!

Last night at 8:34 PM I came to the end of perhaps the most beautiful, magical book I've ever read!



Not since I finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett has a book made me sit there and bawl like a wounded child. I knew half way through this book that even trying to review it would be hard for me. No matter what I write here, I will never do it justice. I remind myself now that I'm not a professional reviewer, I write reviews of books for my friends, those who know me through this blog and know my love of books and what I like to read in hopes I can help them choose a good book for their own reading pleasure.

Jon Odell like me, was born and raised in Southern Mississippi, in fact just a few miles up the road in Laurel. It seems we are close to the same age also. Like most of us here, he too is wounded by the racist atmosphere we were forced to endure growing up. I think perhaps the term;
" ignorance is bliss" applies to most of our generation growing up here but for some of us, that bliss became a festering sore as we entered adulthood. Also like me, Jon too escaped, I fled to Tennessee, he fled to Minnesota. In 2003, I came home to find not much has changed, he hasn't.
Instead, he turned his wounds into what can only be described as literary genius! I'm sure that because of my past, this book touched me in ways that many who read it will never experience but no one who reads this book will be left untouched by it.

In NO WAY does this book belong in the same categorization as Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird or The Help except for the fact that it is just as powerful and deserves the same recognition.



Set in Pre-Civil War Mississippi on a cotton plantation Jon takes takes us into the mind, body and spirit of slavery. We experience the evil of slavery through the stories of characters so real they will forever stay with us. Jon captured place so well I felt the vibes of a perfect storm seeping through the earth, coming through the air, to send this horrible institution Gone With The Wind as it should. We learn the true meaning of Freedom and In The Beginning.
The sad part is...racism still exist in the minds of some and I fear I will never see the end of it before my life ends.

I know you want to hear WHAT this book is about. I'm not sure I can explain it right now as I'm still so overwhelmed by it but I'll try.

During a Cholera out break in 1847 on the plantation the 12 year old daughter of the plantation master becomes ill. He refuses to seek help for her believing that Cholera is a "slave" disease. After her death, the Mistress insane with grief, steals the newborn Yewande from her slave mother Ella. Renames her Granada and turns her into a *pet* replacement for her dead daughter leaving the child with a confused sense of who she is and where she belongs.
In 1860 another *slave* disease called black tongue strikes leaving half the slaves dying.
The master goes to Carolina and pays 5 thousand dollars for an old woman slave doctor named Polly Shine, builds her a slave hospital and gives her free reign of the plantation. The slaves fear her, is she a hoodoo woman? What is this magic she possesses? After she cures the black tongue disease she becomes adored and revered by most of them who now call her Mother Polly.
The master allows Polly to choose the young girl Granada as the one she wants to train as her future replacement. Granada is sent from the big house to the hospital to live with Polly. She is afraid of Polly and hates not being able to be with her white Mistress anymore.
This is Polly and Granada's story................a story you won't soon forget !

The Healing is Jonathan Odell's second novel. Below is his first, The View From Delphi. It is also set in Mississippi and deals with racism. I have read the reviews and expect to be blown away by it also. I intend to start it tonight.

Have A Great Weekend Everyone! XO

" Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt " & More......

For those of us whose passion is reading..............wonderful books just keep on coming!

" Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt " the debut Novel from Beth Hoffman is one those !

I loved this book! Read it in one sitting because it was too good to lay down. Most of you have probably already read this one but if you haven't, you are in for a treat.
I love books told from a young girl's perspective, which I guess stems from my love of Nancy Drew. When it's a young girl whose passion is books, it's even better!

When the setting is Savannah one of my favorite cities (been there 3 times since reading Midnight In The Garden) and the author can capture place the way Beth did, you've got me hook, line & sinker.

The characters are so endearing you want to add them to your family tree!
Cee Cee will steal your heart and make you yearn for this to be a series so you can be a part of her growing up.
Having spent her pre-teens taking care of her mentally ill mother, Cee Cee has retreated inside herself missing the joys of being a child. When her mother dies tragically, her father who travels for work sends her to live with her great Aunt Tootie in Savannah. It is here among unconditional love and tender care that Cee Cee starts to bloom from a bud to a stunning Rose! Thank you Beth for this wonderful book, can't wait to read more of your work!



This next book was the Goodreads Southern Lit Lovers choice for February. This was a great read also.

Set on Mobile Bay in Alabama and written by Alabama State Poet Anne Carroll George(1927-2001) this is the story of a Southern family who gathers to mourn the family member who was the glue that held them together. It is a story of love, tolerance and misunderstanding that is unearthed by mutual grief. You will also learn about the mysterious event known as Jubilee that occurs only in this area of the country which is just fascinating!




I'm also experiencing "Coming Soon" excitement! The 3rd book in Jill Marie Landis "Irish Angel"
series will be out March 20, 2012! The first two pictured below were wonderful!



Can't Wait to read this one!!!!!



ALSO.......... coming June 5th a new Karen White book!!!!
LOVE, Love, love........Karen White!!



HAPPY READING! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND !! XOXO