December 31, 1996: Playa del Carmen

Mom and I took a tender to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and took a tour of the Tulum Ruins (Mayans) in the Yucatan Peninsula.  We had some funny Canadians on our bus. The ruins were overlooking the ocean and it was gorgeous.  Bought a Mexican blanket on our way there.   Then, we had a box lunch for the way back.  The roads were bumpy.  Took a boat over to Cozumel.  We went to meet Charlene and Kelsey at this neat bar where they have drinking contests, but it was closed to a private party.  We decided to walk around and look for a place to have a drink.  We found this neat tropical looking restaurant.  Then, we went to find a telephone to call some people.  The phones weren't working. A lady came up to me and told me about this business in which you give them the number you want to call and they dial it for you. Then, you go to this private room and talk on the phone.  It cost $2.50/minute. I called Peter, but he wasn’t home. Kelsey called Matt to check on Devon and then Charlene called Steve.



Then, we went through the shops. Tonight was New Year’s Eve, so we wore our formal gowns.

Kelsey and I went to the Stratosphere Lounge at about 10:30 p.m. We had a lot of drinks. Later, Charlene came up and joined us. The Stratosphere was all decorated for New Year’s Eve. We did the chain all around the lounge. We got party favors and hats and counted down to the New Year---1997. Both Kelsey and I were drunk. Charlene and Grandpa came by and we all hugged and danced. Then, Kelsey and I took a breather outside on the deck.  It was the best New Year’s I’ve ever had. I will never forget the fun time I had with Kelsey tonight.


I slept part of the night out on our veranda. The sound of the water was so soothing.

December 30, 1996: Key West

The ship’s first stop was in Key West, Florida. That was 150 miles from Miami and 90 miles from Havana, Cuba. Ate breakfast with Kelsey, Charlene, Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma.



Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and I took the Conch trolley tour of Key West. It was a neat little town. We were at the southernmost point in the United States. Went with Grandpa and Grandma to an aquarium and shipwreck museum. Then, Mom and I walked 10 blocks to Ernest Hemingway’s House. He used to have around 55 cats at this home that were all named after famous people such as Shakespeare. Saw where Ernest Hemingway did his writing. Kelsey and Charlene did a sailing race and their sail broke.

On our way back to the ship, we found out that the movie ‘Speed 2’ was filmed in the harbor. Also, Arnold Swarzenegger was there. Parts of the movie “True Lies” was filmed in the port of Key West where our boat was anchored. That’s the movie Pete and I watched at this parent’s house in Ann Arbor.



Kelsey and I sat up on deck to soak in the sun. Then, we went to an aerobics class at 4 p.m. Kelsey said she was proud of me for keeping up with the routine. Another guy in the class had never done aerobics so he got lost. He’s about our age.

Tonight was a formal dinner. We all looked pretty nice.  We went for the entertainment and saw some excellent Beijing acrobats.  Hung out at the Savoy nightclub.  Kelsey and I had some drinks.  The club had black and white leopard seats and floor.  Chatted with some people from Portland, Oregon.  

December 29, 1996: Miami

Mom and I stayed at Charlene’s house last night.  Kelsey met us at Charlene’s house and Steve drove us through the thick fog to Kent County International Airport.  Grandpa and Grandma Thomas stayed at a hotel on 28^th Street and met us at the airport.  We were all in line to check in our baggage and found out that our flight to Chicago was the only one cancelled.  That meant that we had to change our connecting flight from Chicago to Miami to 10:20 a.m.  Also, that worried us because our ship was set to leave at 4:30 p.m.  Anyway, we ended up getting transported by bus to the Chicago O’hare airport.  The driver missed the exit to the airport and ended up going down a one way street.  We made our connecting flight to Miami.  Kelsey and Grandma sat next to me on the plane.  Kelsey and I played some card games---speed and hearts. We were given box lunches, which I thought was so cheap for an airline.

Got to Miami and waited to be sure our luggage got there. Then, a shuttle bus took us to the boat in Fort Lauderdale. It felt so good to be in a sunny place with warm temperatures when we came from dreary weather in Michigan and Chicago. We got to the boat at 4 p.m. When we got on the boat, they were doing the emergency and lifeboat alarm.



I was quite impressed with Celebrity Cruise Line (Galaxy boat) as they thought of everything. You could access your tours and your bill right from the TV in your room. That made it handy for ordering our tours and such.
Kelsey said she liked the blond highlights better than my red highlights in my hair. We wore jeans to dinner because our luggage hadn’t arrived yet. One of the waiters was from Croatia.



We walked around the ship after dinner, which was a tradition of ours. Grandpa had always been a walker and kept in shape.

Went to the show at 8:45 where a lady from England sang. Her name was Jane McDonald.



At midnight, I went by myself to the movie ‘Nutty Professor’, starring Eddy Murphy.

December 24, 1996: Christmas Eve

I went to Sue's house to visit.  Ashley was 3 yrs old and so cute.     They always exchanged alot of gifts at Christmas. 

We had our annual Christmas Eve party with the Thomas side of the family and then went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to exchange presents.      This was Devon's first Christmas.        

December 1996: Christmas Party in Ann Arbor

I took the train home to Ann Arbor for the annual Christmas party.   The party was at Marianne and George's house.  Peter was going to come to the party, but then had some excuse for not coming. I was so disappointed.    After the party, I went with Owen and Kim to their house.  Peter came by and then I went back to his parent's house with him.  That is where we laid on the couch and had our first kiss.    I guess he made up for the disappointment of not coming to the party.    I remember driving back to George and Marianne's house and felt like I was in heaven.

December 1996: Chicago: Peter Schumacher

I had been communicating with Owen's friend, Peter Schumacher, whom I met at their wedding.     Actually, we walked down the aisle together in the wedding.    Peter invited me to go to his National Guard Christmas party in Chicago, so I stayed over night there after my mom and I did our annual shopping trip.      

Peter showed me around different places in Chicago which was pretty cool. I got to see where he was living at the University of Illinois which was off of Taylor St.

We also went to Michael Jordan's Restaurant, Billy Goats Tavern, and walked down Michigan Ave.