Bonney's
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Cruising with the DivasSeptember 23, 2010 – September 27, 2010 |
Page 5Sunday, September 26, 2010 – At Sea– Tiaras and BoasGot up earlier because I wasn't breathing well and read while waiting for Katie to wake up so we could go to breakfast. I was anxious to get the pizza again, (yes, for breakfast) and of course, the soft serve ice cream. We dressed prepared to go to the pool after we ate. We found some unoccupied chairs and I was happy to get in the cool saltwater pool. I got some exercise while there because I was able to move without my back hurting and could kick and swim a little. That was good. By the time we finished it was lunchtime, so we went back to the and I made a bee line to the pizza again. Topped it off with another ice cream! The final 3:00 Pm Bingo prize was $5000. They were selling a set of three cards for twenty dollars to play one blackout Bingo. If you purchased two sets, you got five extra tickets good for a drawing for a free cruise. So I sprang for two sets, going beyond my entertainment quota. What they didn't tell us until we had our cards was the $5000 was the prize IF you Bingo on a Power Ball Bingo number (drawn before the game started). This is a nearly impossible feat. Then the prize dropped to $2000 if no one won on that number, BUT you could only win that if you Bingo within 48 numbers being called. Not sure on the odds for this one. Then the prize dropped to $1000. Well, if I'd known that I would only have purchased one strip. I came within 3 numbers of a blackout on two of my cards before someone else called Bingo. That means I didn't win. Then came the drawing for the free cruise. My tickets were four away from the winning number for that. That means I didn't win that either. Bummer. We were shocked to hear that Shirley had fallen in the middle of the night, tripping over the raised step into the bathroom and knocking her head on the sink. She had seven or 9 stitches in the onboard hospital. Shirley was still chipper, stitches covered with bejeweled tape, for our tiara and boa dinner.
We made it to the dining room with our Diva tiaras and boas, but the feathers didn't last long around the dinner table. If you've never worn a boa before, remember that they are HOT. Plus the feathers were molting everywhere we went. I was presented with a candle-topped slice of cake and singing waiters wishing me Happy Birthday for the following day. Don't think I got a picture of that.
When we returned to our room, we finished loading up our previously packed luggage so it could be set out in the hallway before midnight, making sure we kept clothes, etc. to wear off the ship in the morning. Then we pretty much crashed in bed so we could get up in time to disembark in the morning. Monday, September 24, 2010 – Driving HomeHappy Birthday to me. Katie had a card waiting on mynightstand with a cash gift. Hey,it was a lot better than Bingo! We returned to the Karaoke lounge by 9:00 and waited for the announcement for our group to leave the ship, pick up our bags in the terminal and go through customs. We were surprised to see Shirley, wearing a neck brace, being rolled into the lounge in a wheel chair. She was still in good spirits, but was taking precautions since she already had a metal plate in her neck. It was the day after I got home that we learned Shirley was admitted to the hospital with a broken neck. They did surgery and put four screws in her neck where the break was. The doctor said everything went great and she was able to go home the next weekend.
Since I could barely lift my carry on, I knew I'd need help with my suitcase, which somehow weighed much more than it did when getting on the ship. So I stood in the line for a porter, which happens to be a great tactic. He gathered my suitcase and Katie's and my carry on got a ride, too. The porters get to go to the beginning of a shorter line that's waiting to go through customs, probably saving us an hour of standing in line. When we were done, he guided us to the taxi that took us to Palasade Palms, where my car was parked in the covered condo parking lot. My brother, John had left a message for his annual birthday call to me. Just when we were getting on the road, Brandi phoned me her birthday wishes, too. We loaded up my car and headed out, first having to fill up the tank for the drive home. We arrived in Conroe in time for a late lunch and called Allen Hoffer, who met us at a Mexican restaurant and bought the two of us lunch for my birthday. Just as we were getting out of the car, Linda Escobar called. She and her mom, Elsie, sang their birthday wishes to me, too. Back on the road again, I drove on to Fairfield before stopping to have Katie drive. We made it back to Mansfield in what seemed like a year later, but was closer to 5:30 PM. Then we unloaded Katie's stuff and put it in her car so she could continue on to Irving. The rest of my evening was consumed by catching up with my mail, and emails. This is my story about the Diva weekend. I'm sure there are about 139 more. |
