St Kitts

We enjoyed our time off the ship at St. Kitts.

We took a break from the adventure days off the ship and had a nice leisurely tour in a small bus around the island with a fun knowledgeable tour guide.

One stop we made was at the botanical gardens.

Here's Ken standing in front of some huge poinsettias.

I'll post more pictures on my picture blog when I get back.
We also made a stop at Brimstone Hill Fortress. Our driver had to drive through some very narrow entry ways to get to the fort. We were within inches of the walls when we drove through. He sure knew his car well!!

We had to walk up lots of stairs to get to this part.A view from the fort.

Our next and last island visit was at St. Maartins which is splint in two with one side French and the other Dutch.
It was a bit of an adventure getting off and back on the ship again here and I'll post about that next time. The ship is a rocking and a rolling again as I write this.

We have started on the way back to Baltimore and only have three more days at sea. I really like visiting all the islands but look forward to getting back home.

Hope your days have been good ones.
Happyone :-)

The Cruise Continues...

Just a few pictures taken at the pier in St Johns.Some very colorful houses.
They look better from a distance.Taken from the veranda off our cabin.

I'm still eating way too much food and will have to lose a few pounds once I get back home. Not too worried about it right now, just enjoying all the delicious food. There is ALWAYS food to eat somewhere. We are always going for walks around the ship and stopping to eat along the way.

We have the same table each evening for dinner and sit with 4 others there. A couple Arnie and Joyce who are from Bethesda, Md and a woman Camille from Rhode Island, and her mom Blondel from Pennsylvania. We have all taken different shore excursions during the day and tell of our adventures during the day. Then it's off to a show at the Celebrity Theater.

The next stop was at St Kitts and I'll tell you about that in my next post.
Having a wonderful time. Wish you all were here, what a great cruise that would be. :-)
The ship is moving around a bit tonight. When I walk it feels like I've had one drink too many! :-)

Till next time, enjoy your days.
Happyone :-)

The fun continues

Earlier in the morning of the same day we were under water on those water bikes we took a ride on a cable car up a mountain. I won this little outing the day before on a raffle. It was only for one so Ken bought a ticket so he could go with me.
St Thomas from top of the cable car ride.

A few pictures from the Coast of St Croix bike tour.

Ken and his bike.The color of the water is a turquoise and so pretty. The ride was pretty level but there were a few hills where I had to use the first gear. Ken's first gear didn't work so he had to work a bit harder. :-)

The shows here on the ship have all been fantastic. I was surprised because reading about taking cruises before we got here it said that the entertainment is just soso. We've seen lots of singing and dancing and there was even a juggler who was terrific and funny too. I think that's been my favorite show so far.

Sunday we came into the port at St. John and the outing for today was called the canopy challenge and it was exactly that!! We went zipping across valleys 12 different times on zip lines. Very fun and that part was easy. We crossed rope bridges, swinging rope bridges with no sides where you just got to hold on to ropes swinging from above. One of the bridges was pretty hard for me and if it wasn't for Ken helping me I don't think I would have been able to do it. It was fun though and I felt good that I was able to finish the course. No cameras were allowed! :-(

That's it for this post. More about St. Johns next time.
Happyone :-)

A few pictures

Still having a great time. Nice warm weather, beautiful blue water and sky.
Here are a few pictures.

The night we left Baltimore.

Looking at the water from our veranda.Dining RoomHaving fun at the 50 and 60's sock hop.
That's me in the red dress.One windy day!!

Christmas Day we were at St Thomas, 8 feet under water driving underwater in water scooters around. Check out this website. I had a great time after I got over being terrified!! :-)

Today We went on a 12 mile bike ride along the coast of St Croix. I'll post some pictures in a day or so.
It's hard to find time for blogging.
Back to more fun. :-)
Happyone :-)

We're Off

We are enjoying our cruise. The ship left Monday night at 5 and we were on deck as we took off from the Port of Baltimore. Pretty exciting to be on our way.
I wasn't wearing my pedometer but I bet we must have walked at least 6 miles and up and down many flights of stairs. We are on the 10th floor or should I say deck.
People weren't kidding when they said there is lots of food to eat. It is so hard to walk by so much food.

Did not walk Tuesday morning but I wore my pedometer all day to see how far I walked and I recorded 6.7 miles. I'm not going to walk in the mornings while on the ship. We both walk so much during the day anyway. There is a jogging track but it's only 1 tenth of a mile and I'd have to walk around many many times to get my 6 miles in and it would be very boring.

We've gone to shows had a few tours of different parts of the ship, met people, and I even won $10 on a slot machine.

Internet access is pretty expensive but at least I can get on line once in while.
There hasn't been much sunshine yet but the weather is certainly warmer and it's great to have left all that snow behind. We can now sit out on the veranda off our room and watch the water.
We have thee days being at sea until our first stop which is St Thomas. I'll try to post a bit more then.

I don't think I'll be able to keep up reading all my favorite blogs, just too busy.
Till next time.....
Happyone :-)

Leaving Soon

A nice sunny day again like yesterday and we leave mid day for our cruise. Debbi will be picking us up and driving us to our ship. Nice we live close and don't have to fly anywhere first.

Finished reading Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. It was the 10th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I enjoy it as I did all the others.
A quote from the book.
"And most of all I am grateful to you for being my friend, Mma; I am grateful to you for that. That is the best thing that anybody can be to anybody else - a friend."

I've also just finished reading The Daily Walk Bible. Each day I read a few chapters and now at the end of the year I've finished reading the whole Bible. I read the Bible through like this every year. I finished up a week early this year.
Here's the last 2 verses of the Bible.
Revelation 22:20&21
"He who has said all these things declares: Yes, I am coming soon!"
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen!

I'm bringing 2 books with me to read on the cruise.
I have a few things to do yet and Debbi will be here soon so off I go. Will blog when I can.

I hope you have a Happy Monday.
Happyone :-)
Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued,
is always just beyond your grasp, but which,
if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Luke

Luke 2:16-20

They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph.
And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

The shepherds told everyone what had happened
and what the angel had said to them about this child.

All who heard the shepherds story expressed astonishment,

But Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart
and often thought about them.

Then the shepherds went back again to their fields and flocks,
praising God for the visit of the angels,
and because they had seen the child,
just as the angel had told them.

May you have a blessed Sunday.
The snow has stopped and the sun is shining once again. We are off in just a bit to take a ride and see the sights the snow has made.
Happyone :-)

Snow, snow and some more snow

It's been snowing since last night when I wrote my blog. We are living in a winter wonderland. We must have 2 feet of snow and it's supposed to keep snowing through the night. I did NOT walk this morning. There was several inches of snow and it was windy and there were no sidewalks to walk on. I'm sure I won't be walking tomorrow either. The next time I walk I'll be walking around the deck of a ship headed for warm weather. :-) We did go out and drive around in it for a while this morning though. Ken is a very good driver and a little snow is no problem for him. Here he standing by the FJ.We went to the mall and most of the stores were closed. We went to Walmart and Target and were practically the only ones there. Here's a couple of pictures of the parking lots. This was mid morning.We were home by lunch time and stayed home the rest of the day. I've taken these pictures of the snow on my deck. By tomorrow you won't even be able to see the bench anymore.Snow has pretty much taken up the day. We keep going to the windows and looking out. It's been funny watching people drive up and down the street. One thing nice about the snow is watching it fall while sitting in a nice warm cozy house. We will have a nice quiet evening at home. I hope you had a great Saturday. Happyone :-) The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? ~ J.B. Priestley

Snow is on the way.

The temperature was only 21 this morning on my walk. I walked 6.6 miles on my connect the path route along the neighborhood pathways. I haven't walked this route for a while because it goes past a school where an addition is being added and it is usually very muddy. Today though with it being so cold all the mud was frozen. I stopped to talk to an older couple I've seen walking for a while now. They are in their 80's and go for a morning walk most days. I hope to be still out there walking when I'm that age. :-) They were the only people I saw out on the paths. I did see deer and rabbits along the way.
The sun tried to come out but just couldn't make it through the thick clouds. It was cold and cloudy all day and felt like snow. It is supposed to start snowing tonight and all day tomorrow. They started out predicted 7 inches, then it went up to 18 and now its 20. Some of you are wondering if I will walk in the morning. I hope to and will if the snow isn't too deep but. I'll just have to wait to see what its like in the morning. It's after 10 now and I just looked out the window and it has started snowing.

I made cream of wheat this morning for my breakfast. It was good to have a nice hot breakfast after a cold morning walk. :-)

I stayed home during the day.

• Washed the sheets
• Knitted
• Read
• Finally gave all my plants a drink
• Called my mom
• Made a list of things to take on the cruise
• Started packing for the cruise
• Made sure I had all my bookmarks set on my laptop so I could get to everything when I'm on the ship.

I don't know how often I'll be able to use my laptop but I'm hoping to post to my blog and read my favorites blogs while I'm gone.

Ken got home a bit late from work so we went out for pizza and dropped some books off at the library.
My church had a Christmas singing program called Son of God which Kenny and I went to see. It lasted about a little over an hour was quite good for amateurs. We are glad we went.

Once back home we watched a bit of television and I ate 4 chocolate chip cookies and knitted.

Friday has rolled around once again and I hope yours was a happyone.
Happyone :-)
He who sings his own praises is usually out of tune.

Home today

A cold start when I first started out on my 6 mile walk around the lake this morning, but with all my layers on it didn't take long for me to warm right up. Not many people around the lake, only saw 4 other people. Three deer crossed the path right in front of me, one of them took one leap right over the path. A couple of rabbits were along side the path as well. Here the geese are all starting out across the lake. Notice the one white one amongst them.During the warmer weather very small boats are allowed on the water and there are usually a couple of fishermen on them. The boat ramp is closed now for the winter.

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A nice time was had by all last night at my knitting group. Lots of people showed up and there were presents and cake for all. I received this sock yarn as my gift. Now I really do have to get started learning how to knit socks. I really like the color. I was pleasantly surprised last night when my daughter Debbi showed up. :-) She was the one who got me started going to the knit group and this was the first time she went since I started going.
I didn't get much knitting done on the baby hat, only knitted 8 rows!

I stayed home during the day for the first time this week. Got a few things done around the house. I was hoping to finish reading my book that's due at the library on Saturday but ran out of time. Hopefully I'll get some reading in later tonight.

When Ken gets home from work we are going to go out and do a few errands together and pick up a bite to eat for supper at Red Robins.

I hope this Thursday was a good one for you.
Happyone :-)
Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.
- Unknown

Happyone

After listening to the weather report this morning I bundled up in all my layers as it was supposed to be windy and very cold. It was a bit cold but not that bad and there was no wind to speak of. By the time I walked 2 miles I was quite warm and had to unzip one of my layers. I would have taken my top layer off but then I would have had to carry it.

Here's a good morning picture.

I walked my usual walk around the lake. Saw the usual people, some deer, all the geese and ducks and had the pleasure of watching the sun rise once again. :-)

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Did a few quick things around the house and went out to finish up those errands that I didn't get done yesterday.
Went to the Post Office and mailed a couple of Christmas presents. There was a big line but it moved pretty fast and the people all seemed to be happy. We talked while waiting in line.

My next stop was the library. Remember when I put The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown on reserve and I was some ridiculous high number? Well I finally got to be number 1 and I now have it in my possession. I will bring it with me to read on the cruise which is coming up very soon now.

My third and last stop was to pick up 2 last Christmas presents.
Home at last where I whipped up some little pumpkin bread loaves.

The recipe makes 3 regular size loaves or 6 mini ones.

At my knitting group tonight we are having a little Christmas party. We can bring some little gift if we want to and will then draw names for them. I decided to bring a couple of mini pumpkin breads for my gift to share.I wonder how much knitting we will get done. I'm going to work on another little baby hat.

I had a bunch of ironing to do this afternoon. So I finished listening to the audio book Cat's Eyewitness while I did that.

Won't be long now before I go to my knitting group so I'd better get off the computer and get ready to go.

I hope this Wednesday someone did something for you that made you smile.
Happyone :-)
I've decided to use Happyone again for my blog name. Even though I'm not happy at all times, it's a good thing to strive for.
Happiness adds and multiplies as we divide it with others.
~ Unknown

Tonights Dinner

I walked my 6 miles around on the neighborhood paths. The weather was very mild though it was damp. No ice to slip on today! I saw a few people out here and there. Quite a few people walking dogs. I'm getting to know people's dogs now too. :-)

I went out again today and bought a couple things at the mall, picked up some gift cards at a couple of places, and stopped at the Giant before coming home. I was wearing my Corvette Girl shirt and one of the guys working in the produce asked me if I just had the shirt or actually had the car too. So we got to talking about Corvettes. He has two and races one of them. His street one is a silver C5 and its a Z06!! I've admired it in the parking lot before.

I still had some things to do but didn't feel like going out again in the afternoon. It's more crowded then so I decided to do the last few errands tomorrow morning.

I did some laundry, read a while and then cooked dinner.

Started with this.Cut up the onion, garlic and zucchini.

Browned the onion in some olive oil.

Added the garlic and then the zucchini and cooked it all a few minutes.Added the can of puree and diced tomatoes.Cooked the ziti and added that to the sauce and
there's dinner for tonight.

Ken walked in the door just as it was done.

BTW - we did go out to eat yesterday. :-)

Staying home this evening. When 7:00 rolls around in just a little while I'm going to watch Jeopardy which I haven't done for a while. I never seem to be home at that time.
Then I'll read for a while, watch a bit more of television, knit, and have a snack of chocolate chip cookies.

And so ends my Tuesday. I hope you had a happy one.
Karen :-)
Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree,
but in the hearts of true friends.
~ Cindy Lew

A Bathing Suit

Another 6 mile walk around the lake for me this morning. It didn't feel cold out but there were patches of ice around and I nearly fell a few times. It was also a bit foggy in places. Quite a few people were out there this morning which was surprising because lately there's been very few. I was just about home when Cheryl called and we had a nice chat while I walked the last 1/2 mile or so home.

The morning sky today.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had a great time Saturday night at the party. Lots of good food, fun people and we got to meet the person who has put an extra big smile on Cheryl's face - her boyfriend Rob. :-) He is really nice and I'm so happy for the both of them!

Well today I went shopping for a bathing suit which was not a pleasant experience. I hate buying bathing suits. I must have tried on a hundred of them - well maybe not that many, but it sure felt like it. I ended up in a store called Everything But Water. The young girl was very very helpful and she spent lots of time with me. She was also very nice and knew what she was talking about. If it wasn't for her I don't think I would have bought a bathing suit today.
This is what I ended up with. It's just okay, nothing that I'm really crazy about. I'll never be happy because my body is just not what it once was. If there is one thing that makes you feel old is having to look at yourself in a bathing suit! How depressing. And those trying on rooms are just awful with the fluorescent lighting where you see yourself from all angles in the never ending row of mirrors.
That's enough depressing thoughts. At least I feel young at heart, I'm healthy and happy! :-)
I also bought this cover up and hat. I love the hat!Are you wondering why I needed a bathing suit now?
We are going on a cruise in the not too distant future. :-)

I had a late lunch when I got home at 2:30. It's almost 4 and I haven't done a thing around the house. I don't feel like doing anything either so when I get done on the computer I'm going to read until Ken comes home from work.
I should think about making something for supper but don't feel like doing that either. I'm hoping Ken will want to take me out to dinner again. :-)

I hope your Monday is a happy one for you.
Karen :-)
People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you'll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.
~ Erma Bombeck

Luke

Luke 2:15 & 16

So it was, then the angels had gone away from them into heaven,
that the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass,
which the Lord has made known to us."

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the Babe lying in a manager.

In this busy time of shopping and getting ready for Christmas, lets not forget that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Enjoy your Sunday.
Karen :-)

We had a good time last night at Ram's Head. As we pulled up in front of the place someone was just leaving and we got their parking place. What perfect timing!!! We got there early so we sat downstairs at the bar in Ram's Head and had a beer and onion rings. Sat there for a for a while and watched people which is always fun. Then it was time for the show. Paula Poundstone was really funny and we enjoyed the show. She likes to involve the audience and Ken got to say a couple of lines back to her.

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I slept in this morning till 7:30 so my morning started out differently. I made us waffles for breakfast and ate before my walk. About 9 Ken went over to the Savage house to do a few things and I headed out the door for my walk. It was a cold, crisp morning with the sun shining brightly in a beautiful blue sky. I walked the neighborhood paths today. A couple of pictures I took walking along the paths.I made a pit stop at home and took off a layer of clothes and then went back outside and continued my walk. A few people were out but I had the paths pretty much to myself. I enjoyed my walk!! :-)

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I baked another batch of chocolate chip cookies while listening to my video book. I'm bringing some of these cookies to Cheryl's party tonight as well as the others I made the other day. Last year her brother really like the cookies so this year I'm bringing some of his very own to take home.

Ken got back home just in time for the Army/Navy football game that I had just started to watch. I knitted another baby hat for Bonnie during the game. Since Ken was in the Navy for 20 years, I am happy to say that the NAVY won the game!!!!

Now I'm off to get ready for Cheryl's Christmas Party.
The scarf I made is for her and I'll be giving it to her tonight.

Hope your Saturday was a happy one.
Karen :-)
Very little is needed to make a happy life;
it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
~ Marcus Aurelius

A Good Day

This morning was the coldest one so far. I had to wear an extra layer. Left in the dark at 6:30 but the sun finally rose and warmed it up a bit. I was a little chilly when I first walked out the door, but warmed right up after I got walking. Another 6 mile walk around the lake for me. I walked in the opposite direction for a change. Only saw three people out around the lake. A few deer, a couple rabbits, and a bright red Cardinal.

These geese were up early this morning as well.A little bit of ice across the path in places.

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Encase you're wondering about that pizza we had for supper yesterday, it was just as good as I imagined it would be. Doesn't that look delicious?Brought lots of leftovers home. There is pizza in the freezer now for another supper at home and I had a piece for lunch today. :-)

Did some chores around the house and then I listened to an audio book while I ironed in the afternoon. I'm listening to Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown read by Kate Forbes. It's a bit on the silly but still pretty good.
Next came some time for knitting and I finished knitting another pair of the tiny slippers to go along with the tiny hats for Bonnie's preemie project. They are so tiny and the cutest little things.Tonight is another night out for Ken and I. We are headed out to Annapolis again. This time to Ram's Head Tavern on stage to see the comedian Paula Poundstone. We are going to the 9:30 show and will eat out somewhere before we go. It should be a fun night out and I'm looking forward to it!!

I think I'll go and read for the rest of the afternoon. What a life huh? Life is Good.
I thank you God for happy days as well as the not so good ones.

I hope this Friday you get to spend time with a friend who loves you. :-)
Karen :-)
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow,
it only saps today of its joy.
~Leo Buscaglia

Out for Pizza

A bright, clear, and somewhat windy morning for my walk today. I walked around the lake for my usual 6 mile walk. The stream that was over it's banks yesterday is down to almost normal once again as you can see from the picture. Yesterday the grass in the picture was under water.Every morning the Park Rangers make their way around the lake in the truck just checking things out. I stepped off the path to let them pass me and then I snapped this picture.I didn't see any geese out around the lake which was unusual, but then when I got down to the other end, there they all were. Looked like they were all still asleep sitting out on the water. I guess they were having a sleep in today. :-)
I was surprised there weren't more people out around the lake this morning, just saw a few. It was a great morning for a walk!

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I didn't get very far on knitting those little booties last night at the knit group. I did more talking than knitting. It is such a nice group of women and we all like to talk as much as we like to knit. I did manage to knit one of them today though and will finish the pair tonight. :-)

My day zipped right by, I didn't get much done, but enjoyed my day. When Ken comes home from work in a little while we will go out to do a couple of errands and then stop by our favorite pizza place for supper. Tonight we plan on getting a Sicilian pizza, the kind with the thick crust. Oh, my mouth waters just thinking of it. :-) I like the thinner crust pizza too as well as medium thick crust. We usually just get a cheese pizza with no toppings. Once in a while we will get peppers, garlic or roasted eggplant. A lot of people don't think pizza is a good food for losing weight but I think it gets a bad rap. It's cheese, bread, and sauce. As long as you just eat a couple of slices its fine. I eat it all the time! It is one of my favorite foods.
Well, enough about pizza - now I'm really hungry.
Till next time......

I hope this Thursday finds you happy.
Karen :-)
All people smile in the same language.

This morning when I got up it was dark and raining. I waited for a while and started walking at 7:30 when it was a least light out. I put on my rain gear and off I went. It was just a light rain but during my walk the rain stopped though it did stay cloudy and dreary. Eventually the dreary day turned into a sunny one.

Here's a video I took while walking.

I finally made it to the lake and walked around it with no more detours! Only a few people out walking so I had the lake practically to myself.

I ended up walking just over 7 miles because of the back tracking I had to do.

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Last night after dinner we went to see the United States Air Force Band play at a local high school. We asked our dinner friends if they wanted to go with us and they said no. Well, they sure missed a great show. It was excellent. The band and the singers were great and we had a wonderful time!! They got our feet dancing, hands clapping and put smiles on all our faces. Picture is not so great, but it's the best I could get.I finished knitting the scarf for my friend. I think she will be surprised! I will be giving it to her in the next few days. :-)

Knitting night as arrived once again. Tonight I will be starting on some tiny slippers to go along with the tiny hats I've been making for Bonnie's Project.

I hope your are enjoying your Wednesday.

Karen :-)
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything,
They just make the most of everything.