February 4, 2013: Belize City

Today, we went to Belize City. I was surprised how poor this country is. There are about 312,000 people on this island, with 90,000 of them living in Belize City. The Blue Hole is actually about 50 miles east of Belize City. According to the map, it was about two small islands east of Belize City.

We took a 2.5 hr ride west to the Mayan ruins, Xunantunich, near the Guatemala border. We walked up to the top of one of the ruins. There were no guard rails and the steps were big and rocky. Mom didn't think she would make it up there. Once you got to the top, there was about 4 feet in front of you and then you would fall over the edge. It was pretty scary. In the U.S. you wouldn't have tourists walking around sites without guard rails, as that would be open to lawsuits. I am surprised they allowed it here.

We had a nice lunch with some guys playing Marimba music. They served us chicken, fried plantains, and this delicious potato salad that had some kind of coconut oil in it. It tasted wonderful.

When we got back to our room, Wendy stopped by our room. She looked out our port hole and saw a tender boat with my name on it.  I had to take a picture.  That was awesome to have a boat with my name on it.  

We didn't have dinner with the family as we got back on the boat so late. We decided to have pizza at Sorrentos and then a milk shake at Johnny Rockets.

February 3, 2013: Day at Sea/Cupcake Decorating

Today was our day at sea. All of us had breakfast together. Then, Wendy, Joy, and I went walking on the upper deck and then went to look at the Flo-rider and the rock climbing wall. Wendy said she would love to do that.

Then, went shopping with Joy and Marianne. They got some jewelry. Marianne loves Swarovski.

Mom and went to our cupcake decorating class and learned how to make a puppy dog. It was $22 to take the class. It took about 45 minutes to make our dog. We both did a good job.

We went to an Ice Skating show which was wonderful. Mom said it brought tears to her eyes. She said that was the best ice show she ever saw in her life.

Tonight was formal night, so we all dressed up for dinner. We went to a show 'Up in the Air'. None of us cared for that show. Wendy, Kim, Marianne, and Joy were enjoying themselves and drinking quite a few. Joy wasn't feeling well after dinner, which was too bad. It probably was the mixture of foods she ate.
After dinner, Mom and I went up to the deck, as it was Superbowl Sunday and they were showing it on the big screen.    Wendy ended up getting drunk that night and was telling random people how nice they looked. She even participated in the Battle of the Sexes game. I went with Kim and Wendy dancing for a few minutes, but decided to leave when I felt like the third wheel. I decided that I am too old to follow people around like a puppy dog. I used to do that on other cruises, but not anymore. I did say something to them the next day, as they wondered why I had left and I did tell them how I felt. I usually don't feel that way around my cousins, but I did that night. I am not a big drinker, as I don't care for the taste. I do like some wines, but I will have 1 or 2 glasses and then I am done.

I read a little in my bible and then went to sleep.

February 2, 2013: Liberty of the Seas

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, then got on the bus to go to the pier to board Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. There were about 4,000 people on this cruise ship. When we checked in, we had to fill out this health form asking if we had the flu or gastrointestinal problems. I heard that if we did, then we had to meet with a doctor to go over our health before getting on the boat. We were asked to use hand sanitizer every time we went into the meal rooms.

Mom and I started exploring the ship. I love deck 5. That is where the shopping, Ben & Jerrys, Cupcake Cupboard, Starbucks, etc. were located. Mom and I got signed up to take a cupcake decorating class for the next day, Sunday, as that was one of our days at sea.
There is a rock climbing wall, Johnny Rockets, pizza restaurant, ice skating rink, casino, pools, etc. on the boat. It was pretty neat.

This is the 10th cruise I have been on and I have seen some differences from the first one I took in 1995 until this current one. You no longer get a chocolate on your pillow at night, gone are the midnight buffets, fewer staff members, and the increase in fees for extra things such as lobster at dinner.

My Aunt Marianne, cousins Kim, Wendy, and Joy; my mom, and I went on this cruise. We all had dinner together the first night. It was just as I remembered it.

Mom and I went to the 5th floor and saw one of the character parades and then later in the evening they did some entertainment to 70s music along the 'road'. They had the Village People sing and dance which was so much fun. Wish the Gonyos had gone to that. They went to bed early.

February 1, 2013: Ft. Lauderdale

The drive to the Grand Rapids airport was pure hell for me. We had a snow warning. The roads were covered with snow and ice, so I drove about 45 mph all the way there. Meanwhile, the other drivers were zooming by me about 60 mph or more, which is ridiculous in weather conditions like that. It was nice to leave the snow and cold behind for a week.

First, we flew from Grand Rapids to Cleveland.  We had a nice plane ride into Ft. Lauderdale. It was very clear outside, so I could take some great pictures.

We stayed at the Bahia Mar Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Once we got settled in, we started walking along the beach. I wore my Coach tennis shoes, but they don't have very good arch supports, so it made for a long walk. It was fun looking at the shops and restaurants. I mapped out the Chicos store on my smartphone, which was about 2.5 miles one way.   I thought we would never get there. We kept walking and walking and my feet were starting to hurt in those shoes. We ended up at the Galleria Mall and went to the shops. Of course, I had to buy something there in order to justify the long walk.

The walk back was even worse, as my feet hurt so bad. I felt like an old lady.

We stopped for dinner at this Italian restaurant called H20 which was very good. It was along the beach. It was a windy night out, though.  After dinner, we continued to walk back to the hotel.   When I saw the hotel, I was so happy to see it. I fell asleep in my clothes, as I didn't even want to get out of bed to walk to the bathroom.

January 26, 2013: Chili and Pedicures

There was a chili cook off at Hot Rod Harley in downtown Muskegon. My mom and I liked the white chili from Coastline Deli. They have won the past 4 years. The other contestants were Just Klassics, Hennessy's, and Canary Inn. It was fun to go to this event.

Then, Mom and I had pedicures at Hairitage Day Spa. That was great. Found out later that my cousin Joy and Kim had pedicures. The same day. Also, my cousin Kelsey had bought chocolate and wine and treated she and my aut Charlene to pedicures for Charlene's birthday. That's so funny we all had pedicures the same day.

January 18, 2013: Harvest Bible Church

Last Sunday, I went to Harvest Bible Chapel, which is in the International Aid building off of Old Grand Haven Rd. Kathy Wynne, whom I met at Jerry Depoy Jr's church inside the Harbor Theater, had told us about this new church. As usual, I had a hard time getting up in the morning last Sunday, so decided would check out Harvest, as I was running late.

The sermon was called: Working for God. The lead pastor, David Wisen, gave some statistics from Forbes magazine as to how people liked/disliked their jobs and why. He said he taught his kids to work hard, so bought a bakery and the family worked early in the morning making bread. He wanted to teach them the value of work. He mentioned that he started out working at the Chicago Board of Trade right after college and how he worked hard, but the boss took all of the praise. Then, he did some work in investments and real estate. He worked for his father-in-law who owned VanKampen Investments. Then, he decided he wanted something more, so became a pastor, which he enjoys.

My mom mentioned that she had read something about him and that the father-in-law had wealth and started a church in West Olive.

I went to the pastor's house at 13151 Lakeshore Dr in Grand Haven. My friend Jen came with me, which was so nice. I had found out that his home was worth $5 million and overlooked Lake Michigan. We were both impressed with the home having elevators, a huge living room and kitchen. We didn't see the rest of the home, but I imagine it was pretty nice.

The church will be moving into the old Christ Community Church in Spring Lake around March 24th.

I found out that the Pastor also owns my favorite bread store in Grand Haven, Great Harvest Bread Company.

I have enjoyed going to Bridge Bible Church in Norton Shores. Eric Strattan is great. I have met some wonderful people there, so I am not sure I want to go somewhere else. I will trust that God will put me where I should be.

November 18, 2012: Carrie Underwood Concert

I bought Mom and I tickets to see the Carrie Underwood concert at the VanAndel Arena in Grand Rapids.    She performed a very nice show. I liked how they brought the stage up into the air and forward to the other side of the arena so the people in the back could see her more up close.