laurspag

7 days...I'd love to go on a longer one someday!

I'm currently doing laundry and my husband is finishing up some work on the riding mower, so I decided to snap a few pictures of my cruise dresses. Once I am sure which ones are going, I will finalize accessories but I enjoy this process so much. First though is a very lousy picture I took of a blue bird in my yard. I wanted to get closer, but I didn't want to scare him off. So, in the next picture, the first three dresses I would say are definite. The first is for formal night, and I've had this dress a while. It still fits! I got a good clearance deal at Macys, and my husband really loves this dress for some reason. It's a good choice for formal night. I had an awful time trying to get the colors to reflect correctly, but this pictures shows them the best out of the three photos I took. The second dress is what I wore for my daughter's wedding. I've been wanting to bring it on a cruise since I wore it in 2019, so I thought it would be good for dress your best night. Like the burgundy formal night dress, this isn't an earth color. It is kind of unique....a purplish blue. I have lot of jewelry options for it depending on how much i want to dress it up. The third dress is my new dress! I love the mostly earthy colors. The darker color is a warm purple, by the way. I love the idea of wearing that to one of the specialty dinners in Central Park. The last dress is the one I got from Chico's Off the Rack. They had a good sale and a first time shopper coupon. The fabric quality is outstanding. There is just enough weight to make it lay nice and disguise the lines of undergarments. I am debating about this one, mostly because I am just trying to narrow down my options and there is competition! I was thinking that I could always throw on my gold sandals and this bejeweled, sparkly, statement bracelet I have. Or, I could wear a casual sandal or even a flat sandal. I'm not sure yet. Out of the next group I think the first three are the most likely to go, but as I said...competition. The first dress I wore on the last cruise. I just love it. the orange dress is very likely, once I take it in a bit. Chico's sizing is a bit different, with numbers. I have extra space in this dress. I can easily take it in under the arms and down the sides a smidgen, as it is unlined. Once again, the fabric is a bit heavier without being too heavy. The teal dress is really pretty on. It is unlike all my other dresses. Sometimes, that is a reason to bring it, and sometimes, it is a reason not to bring it. The last two are both animal prints. The ne with the wood beads at the top is from Dress Barn. I got it ages ago! When it got too big, I took it in. For whatever reason, I left the original seam in because I wasn't sure I liked how I adjusted it. So I just let it back out, and it's perfect. The last dress is a swing dress, and it was one of those amazing deals you sometimes find. I paid $19.00, I believe? Nordstrom Off the Rack? When it came in, it had more black in it than what I wanted, but I liked it, so I kept it. So much of what you see here is about how the dresses make me feel. As always, I love to get your input. Once again, I apologize for the lighting. I also want to post a picture of another dress. I can see it being worn in a port if it isn't windy, but this style of dress doesn't do well on a cruise. I got this at the same time as the new animal print dress, for about $15.00, if I remember correctly. It is a bit snug at the top, but wearable. If lose a few pounds, it should fit nice. I don't really expect to bring it, but I will definitely get a lot of use out of it. Can you believe all the prints? Me?

Anita, it is funny what you say about Oasis class ships. While I definitely enjoy Freedom and Explorer class because they have variety without being too big, there is something very attractive about taking a cruise on a bigger ship. For me, one of the best parts is what you mentioned - Central Park. That to me is the very biggest draw of the entire ship. It's too closed in otherwise. I like Radiance class a lot too, because I love walking out and seeing the water. We always find loungers and read or listen to music. If you are inside, they have done such an amazing job of having glass all over, so that you don't feel closed in at all. The down side is the promenade area where the shops are almost has a claustrophobic feel. I think you can really match your cruise to your mood, you know? It's funny you mentioned figuring out the growing season in Florida, because I was going to ask you that. I was wondering if everything just grows year round! When I used to have a garden, I loved it but it was such a chore keeping the animals away from it that I knew there was no way for me to keep up with it with my current job responsibilities. I had a ton of tomatoes. I would grow grape tomatoes for snacking and salads, and roma tomatoes for homemade sauce. I wasn't into canning, so I purchased heavy duty freezer zip lock bags and it was great. I would put the bag in a bowl to dethaw in the fridge just in case, but they never leaked. Peas were grown just to snack on uncooked. I miss it, and who knows...maybe when I am retired, I will try again. We have over half an acre, so I could squeeze a garden in somewhere. I love orioles! they are a rarity here, but I am learning that different types of feeders in the front and back of the house is the best way to attract a variety of birds.

Hi Anita!!! Yes, I am cruising on Harmony. This will only be the second time I've been on a bigger ship. We sailed on Oasis a while back...maybe 2016? I should check my signature for these posts. I haven't updated it in a while, so I'm sure there are cruises I've been on that aren't listed. Anyway, we know it will be a bit different for us. We purchased the three night dinner package, so there will be a mix of places to eat along with varying the time. I think that will work well, because we have always been late seating people, and my husband gets tired a bit easier these days. Having a 6:30 or 7:00 dinner time is perfect to me. It sounds like you have some fun planned for the coming weekend! I like to schedule cruises near the bank holidays, for the same reason - to save a vacation day or two. Anita, I have always loved to garden, but I am more of a flower garden person than a vegetable garden, mostly because we couldn't keep the rabbits and woodchucks away from veggies around here. We do have issues with deer, but lately they seem content to munch away in the wooded area near us and they've been leaving the flowers and shrubs alone. I'm certain they would be entice to eat any vegetables we would plant. We have a fenced in yard for our dogs, and it doesn't stop the deer from jumping it, but they are usually just taking a short cut when they do that. I love, love, love feeding birds. It's an off and on thing, because once the squirrels and grackles know food is out, they can be dominant. I find by leaving the feeders empty every so often, it deters them a bit. I've been loving the blue birds we have had in our backyard. I find it very calming to watch them. Clothes....sigh. Well, I've been very active lately, but it has taken me quite a while to lose four pounds. Four whole pounds. Well, I do feel better! We have moved 3 cubic yards of stone, which is something like 2300 pounds per yard. Lots of sweaty work. Anyway, I have given in to buy some clothes that fit for work. With dresses for cruises and other occasions, I purposely have chosen things that would be easy to adjust should I lose more weight. I'm very happy with that dress purchase though. I was treating myself to something special, but feeling guilty to spend the money so getting a great deal with a bigger discount than I was expecting was great. Melody, my husband can't drink with his medicines, but since some things are being changed, he is going to ask his doctor if it would be okay to have a beer once in a great while, or when we are on a cruise. He already told me I can drink his drink too when we take the guacamole class, lol. It appears I will really be enjoying the class!

Thanks, Melody. It is comfortable and feels just right for a cruise. What have you all been up to? We have been working outside a lot. We have over half an acre, and it isn't flat and easy to take care of. I often have to discuss things like this with my husband in detail, and he has finally agreed that because his health is not always up to par, we have to make things easier to maintain. That means a lot of work now, but it will be worth it in the end. We started with a stretch of fence we have in the front yard. It is place next to the house due to a steep drop. Most of the yard isn't that bad, but we like the idea of doing this so we set it up a long time ago. We power washed, painted, dug up a lot of problem plants and put down two layers of landscaping fabric. Then we added stone around the lilac bushes that were there. It looks so much better, and the only real maintenance will be pruning the lilac bushes from time to time. We were having such a bad time with a very bad invasion of bull thistle, and it took a while to get that under control. We then use the remaining stone for a small garden bed in the front where we had planted some woody geranium (cranesbill). It was beautiful, but had been planted too close to the sidewalk. So that section is completely re-done. Last year, we worked on the two beds that have shrubs closest to the house and re-did all the landscaping fabric. Adding mulch isn't difficult for us, so it has been much easier to take care of. I am just finishing up one small section of it that I didn't get to last year. All these areas now have edging as well, making the mowing easier and keeping the mulch or stones where they are supposed to be. It is such a good feeling. We do have a very large area left though. Then it is on to some smaller areas. It seems like a lot of work. I enjoy the yard work, as well as my husband. The thing is, he is able to work outside right now because he had the new cortisone shots in his knees. It kind of feels like a race to get as much done as we can while he is able to get around good. They are starting Humira soon, and I am very nervous about it. There can be very serious side effects. If it works, and we are very careful and diligent about checkups and blood work, we will hopefully be okay. I cant wait to start assembling my outfits and taking pictures to show you. While my cruise seems far away, I know that September will be here before we know it. My husband even likes the idea of taking the guacamole making class. It isn't a big deal to make, but we know it will be fun to take the class on a sea day, and it includes lunch and a drink!

Melody, you have a fun family! I feel like lately, I have a lot of pictures, but not of all of us. The girls and I were just saying yesterday that we need a complete picture. I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. I view Mother's Day to be whatever you want it to be - you can celebrate being a mom to humans, pets, like a mother figure, or just celebrating your own mother. My daughter always brings me something that her and my grandson make together, and they always give something to Aunt Ally (my other daughter, Alyssa) who is like a second mother to him. We had a fun day. My husband has to work for graduation and convocation all weekend, so I am used to that. Ally made brunch and my daughter and grandson came over. We played in the yard and had a good time. It was then time to drop my grandson off at this dad's, and me and the girls went to the outlet mall. I didn't get much, as I was mostly just enjoying time with them. I did come across a dress at the Banana Republic Outlet that I purchased. I ad seen it online, but wasn't certain about the colors, and felt it was too expensive. When I walked by the store though, they had the dress in the window, and the colors were great earthy colors. One of my daughters wanted so see how the outlet was priced, so we went in. Long story short, the $109.00 dress ended up being $42.00 with all the discounts, and I was in love with the fabric. Is it a great style for me? Not exactly. Am I going to wear it on the next cruise? Absolutely. I thought it was a white background online, but it is really a nice warm ivory, and the purple, rust and gold are great. I was lining up dresses outside of the closet this morning, and it's funny how I have 6 of 7 dresses all picked out already, and lots of options for the last night...maybe. I really have to see what fits. I may do a try on later. I think one of the things I learned was that it pays to wander into different stores. The outlet mall often has big sales, such as 40% off the whole store and so forth. Eddie Bauer Outlet had up to 50% off everything, but it seemed to be mostly 30% Loft Outlet had at minimum 25% off everything. I was just glad to have a day with the girls.

Melody, that sounds like a fabulous cruise. We have never been on a longer than 7 night cruise, and as you know, they have all been with Royal. I would like to try some different things, but I think it will likely be when I'm in retirement. I look forward to it. For now though, I love hearing about all the different cruises and traveling everyone else is doing. There are so many places and things I have always wanted to see. One thing I am realizing is that we have had to make a lot of adjustments for husband's health, and we often wonder how different things will be compared to what we envisioned. There are so many things I tell myself not to take for granted. He got another set of cortisone shots, so he has been doing pretty good for a few weeks. He will be starting Humira soon, which we are a little nervous about. I have been toying with outfits for our September cruise. Harmony is a big ship. I'm still shocked my husband chose it. I approached our last cruise a bit differently, in a way. I'm going to approach this one in a similar fashion, and just focus on what feels good to wear and do. Three formal nights sound fun to me!

Margaret, I hope your husband is feeling better, and that you still have not caught Covid from him. It does feel like everything is getting back to normal, doesn't it? We have an outside project commanding our attention so we've been busy, but rain has set in and is supposed to continue all week, so I will be focusing on other projects. I had lots of mending to do plus some new pants to hem, so that is how I spent today. I often wondering how many people mend these days. I was happy to get all that caught up. I look forward to traveling.

We are on Harmony. We love Freedom Class and Voyager Class the best. We wanted something different this time. I'm not a big port shopper, overall. One of my best memories from a cruise was a totally unplanned stop in Bonaire to be redirected from a hurricane. We got off, found a museum, a brewery/ restaurant and walked around. The brewery had the best food...it was fabulous. It has been a long time since we've been to St. Thomas!

Our weather is still going back and forth, but it was really nice yesterday and so far today. The rain will be coming later on. As you know, we are getting a day bed in Cococay, which we have done before. We love doing this, so that day is set. In St. Kitts, we decided on the rainforest hike. I have checked with a few people who have done this, and as long as my husband isn't having a flare, he will be fine. Should he not be feeling well when we are ready to sail, we will cancel. I goofed a bit though. For whatever reason, I thought we were going to St. Maarten, and we are going to St. Thomas! We looked over excursions last week, and I put one that we like in our cart without purchasing it. It is now sold out. As a matter of fact, a lot of things are sold out that we were looking at. I know new things will be added but we are a bit sad. Everything left is either to the beach or similar. At this point, I am exploring some other things. I am always good with exploring on our own, but we try to make it a point of being well planned out and safe. I love it when we can walk to a historical area and explore on our own and find a local place to eat. So that may be our plan, but I need to do some research. I do see an option for an RCI excursion of St. John on your own, but it seems like a high price to pay for a ferry ride to and from. I may see if there is standard ferry transportation at a better price than $65.00 per person. In their defense, the ride over is a slower tour where they show you a lot of things, so it isn't like a total overpay. I will say that I am hearing a ton of talk about how quickly everything sells out because it is a bigger ship with lots of people. There is a part of me that considered a back to back on Freedom to create a 7 day trip, but I really didn't want the hassle and I wanted to see some different ports. I have also heard a lot of negative things about the main dining room. We have the 3 night dining package, so we can see how everything goes.

One thing that is kind of funny is that we were originally going to take this week off. As it turns out, it's going tobe springy- cold and rainy. There is no snow in the forecast yet that I know of. It hit 85 yesterday!

Speaking of weather, it's been like summer all week here! No spring at all, just summery weather. I think I picked a great week for vacation! We have been doing odds and ends of things, but it's been pretty low key overall. We started some work outside, took care of 4 appointments, spent the day at the outlet mall in Waterloo, plus little odds and ends. It has been nice just feeling like we are catching up on different things. Earlier today, I did the switch of cold weather clothes t summer clothes. Because we normally have a complete four seasons, that means I still have plenty of things out for cooler weather still. It was nice thought to go through things, and finally let go of some things that I haven't worn in at least 2-3 years. For the most part, I find that I keep tags on things and try them on a few times, unless the item is an instant yes, and goes right into the rotation. The advantage of giving extra try ons to things is that I am less likely to keep something I'm not going to wear. I did quite a bit of purging. As I just mentioned, there are things I haven't worn in 2-3 years. There are things that no longer fit, although I kept items that were snug as I am trying to take a few pounds off. The nice thing about doing this is to also see where there are voids in my wardrobe, but to also see what has become a mainstay, and why. For example, why is that a favorite shirt? Is it the fit, fabric or style? I'm going to look through some pictures, but here is an example. About 3 years ago, I was at the outlet mall and there is an Old Navy Outlet Store there. I picked up a summery long sleeved top that is a woven fabric, in a wonderful shade of brown. I found that I was wearing it a lot. Last year, they had almost the same exact shirt on sale, and there was a blue that I thought might be somewhat warm. When it arrived, it wasn't as warm as I thought but I like it so I kept it. Yesterday, they had another version of the shirt in a dusty coral color that was earthy. Here is the photo. The color is called aspen summer. The batik blue is the color I got last year. that one has a few tiny buttons at the top. (link: Split-Neck Blouse for Women | Old Navy (gap.com) The funny thing is that it isn't really a style I would normally migrate to. but if you do the little tuck in thing on one side in the front, there is no "tenting" going on. I think it ends up looking flattering. I also had a little fun trying on cruise dresses, which I may have mentioned already. I really feel ready for that, but it isn't until September. There was a really pretty jumpsuit I saw in the Loft Outlet store yesterday, and I did not try it on. The outlet is different than the regular store, and there is no online version. It's probably just as well, as I would have a limited amount of places to wear it.

That is what I thought! It looks like it was really bad.

Anita...you are away from the flooding, right? It looks just awful, from what I have seen.

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that the linen pants came in. I love both colors a lot. The color maplewood is a wonderful earthy brown. I loved that while it was a darker color, it was still light enough to feel ideal for summer. Mineral is a wonderful color as well. They pretty much are just the right length for me, since i will wear them with flat sandals. Now we just need summer weather! The day it was 64 was Saturday, I think. It got up to 70 and the sun was shining. Then it became overcast and dropped down into the 30s overnight. It has been back and forth, but it is supposed to be great next week. I tried on the dress that I wore in my daughter's wedding. I was thinking it is a great choice for dress your best night. It is not an earth color, but I feel that the color looks pretty good overall. It is a funny purplish blue color. I have been wanting to wear this so I tried it on, thinking there was no way it would fit. While it is snugger in the chest area, I was shocked that it fit pretty well overall. So I have formal night, dress your best night, and tropical night pretty set, other than accessories. I have a pretty good idea what I am wearing the other four nights as well. I have options, so I will narrow it down later on. I think they are all going to be what I call "easy wear" dresses. Tomorrow is a day of laundry, some cooking and getting ready for Easter. It will be very low key this year. My older daughter and I plan to do all the cooking. My husband and I are on vacation next week, so I look forward to taking care of appointments, relaxing and getting out and about in the good weather. Sadly, my husband will still have overtime to work, as he has a few events that he doesn't have enough coverage for.

I am a planner by nature. My husband likes to take me out of my comfort zone, and sometimes he will plan something and just not tell me. For example, I think I mentioned us showing up at SU one day for a lacrosse game. I like that he does that. When I cruise, it's a little of each. I love a good beach day, to just read or listen to music and stare at the water. Then we'll go wading in to enjoy the water. But there are no hard fast rules on what we need to do. Then we'll be in a port, and I know what our excursion is, what place we want to find or eat at, etc. As is, I make a whole spreadsheet with my outfits and accessories. I make sure everything mixes and matches so that I can change something up if I want, but that planning is still part of the overall process. I really enjoy that. So, I think I am going to look at different things before I decide for St. Maarten and St. Kitts. I had so much fun on the eco-tour when we went to Roatan. I love learning and getting out and about. I loved that I was moving. My husband did awesome. At the same time, I never know when a flare will hit or how he will feel. Sometimes, he just has to keep moving. Sometimes, he has to sleep a lot. I figured we can't go too strenuous or too long for sitting or standing. It's 64 degrees....see you all later! Lol, the sun is shining. I can't wait to get out and about, even if it is just errands!

Baseball is awesome. You know I am a Red Sox fan, but I follow the Mets quite a bit. The Syracuse Mets are their farm team. I totally messed up, and should have taken a personal day today. There was this funny "permission slip" type thing circulating on social media, and I sent it to my boss today at lunch time. He laughed and said that I definitely should have asked for a personal day - he would have granted it! Opening Day should be a holiday or something. I enjoyed seeing the Mets play. I have been to see the Yankees and the Mets before. Stadium wise, I thought they were rather similar but it has been a long time. I love the old ball park feel of Fenway. Someday, I really want to travel and go to different parks. I told my husband if we ever win the lottery, that is the plan...travel to all the different ball parks! You want to hear another funny thing about Dillard's returning the shirt? It wasn't the same one they shipped me the first time. This one fit much better, but the sleeves are still a bit long.I'm going to wear it once under a jacket, and then decide where I want the sleeves to land. 3/4 sleeves are always my preference because it seems like when it comes to work clothes, sleeves are always too long. I am just itching to "do stuff". I think it is because my husband's health has really changed what we have been able to do for over a year. He had a good spurt recently of almost two months, so we've gone to lacrosse games, worked on home projects, and so forth. With our upcoming staycation, we are excited about doing some little things, such as going to Movie Tavern, going to the outlet mall, meeting up with my step mother for lunch, etc. And I'm hyper focused on the cruise, even if it isn't until September. I still need to plan out St. Maarten and St. Kitts. I got to thinking that if I do a tour in one, I'll do something different on the other island. Maybe we will do the train excursion. We love trains. You may remember back almost eight (!) years ago when we did the Pacific coastal cruise that we did a train trip in San Francisco. It was quite long, and there were wine pairings and a multi course meal. It was so much fun. My husband and I have talked about taking a train trip someday. I have also thought about taking a train to the NYC area. I figured we could board right here in Syracuse, and go through Grand Central Station. I have no idea if that is even feasible, but I would love to do that someday.

Are they those big patch pockets?

Sometimes, I am totally not in the mood to try on clothes. I admit that I haven't really shopped at all in person in quite some time. We plan to go to the Waterloo Outlet Mall when we are on vacation the week after next, and they have an Old Navy there. There are a handful of other stores too, so I will dress in easy clothes, and easy shoes. There is nothing worse than having to fuss with shoe laces and things like that, you know? Funny side story: I recently placed an order with DIllards. The items didn't fit right so I sent them back. Today I received a delivery from them, and I couldn't figure out what it could be because I didn't reorder anything. When I opened the package, it was the same shirt again. After checking my order, the shirt I returned was a final sale so they sent it back to me. lol!! Here's the plan: I love the shirt, but it was too big. I'm going to take the side seams in, and make the sleeves 3/4 length. I loved the shirt, just not the fit. Calvin Klein Leopard Print Chiffon Round Neck Long Blouson Sleeve Blouse | Dillard's (dillards.com)

The batik blue looks warm. Do you agree? I like to find colors that are fun. I'm not a huge fan of pull on shorts, but I have a pair I purchased last year from them and I wore those quite a bit last summer. High-Waisted Linen-Blend Utility Shorts for Women -- 3.5-inch inseam | Old Navy (gap.com)

Hi Margaret! I ordered a few things from Old Navy recently. They are a great source of items for my grandson, and for Easter, I got him a few things that just came in. I'd rather get him non-candy items, since I know he will get candy from others. I received part of my order a few days ago. The cropped linen pants came in. They are very nice and comfy. They are nice warm shade of green. I'm waiting on the wide leg pants. I went back and forth on what color to order, and finally chose both. Between the sale and my coupon, I got them for less than $14 each so I figured it was worth it. It is currently snowing, so I am trying to imagine summer and wearing linen. It was about 20- degrees warmer just a few hours ago when I was on my way home from work. I should go back and take a look, because I had originally headed to the site for my grandson, and saw the linen bottoms on sale. I didn't look at anything else. I know that the items I have purchased from them in the past year or two have all been very nice - good colors and quality. I think the only thing from them that don't fit me well are their jeans, for some reason. I just saw this, and if I place an order, I may toss this in. It's only $6, and I purchased one of these tees last year and it was really nice. The first color looks earthy. I think even the flower stems are brown. EveryWear Printed Slub-Knit T-Shirt for Women | Old Navy (gap.com) What items have you seen, Margaret?

Margaret, we love trains so this may be the perfect idea for us. Melody, you must feel like you are being sprung from jail. It is so hard when you can't do your usual things. Anita, I was thinking about the Style Statement book. Over time, I have felt that elegant and harmony are indeed reflective of my personality...at least, what I aim for. I got to thinking that there was more words to describe my style, and then I realized that we don't always think outside the box. For example, harmony. I want people to get along. I want clothes or household decor to compliment each other without competing. I also realized I treat clothing like a uniform - I feel certain things are worn for certain events or tasks. It dawned on me not too long ago that you could view that as part of harmony. It probably sounds crazy, but my work clothes are only worn to work, gym clothes only worn for exercising. The word elegant may be one where it isn't as dominant as it once was, but still a part of who I am, or how I want things to look. I have found myself really discovering so much about myself. I'm more comfortable with myself in certain areas, such as when I stopped coloring my hair. I'm excited to do things I love and enjoy, instead of always focusing on work or others. I used to feel so guilty. I might just get my style statement book out again too. I think it would teach me a lot about what has changed and what has stayed the same. Margaret, I was trying on some dresses this morning. I love mix and matching accessories and daytime outfits. I try to make a point of having tops that can worn with different shorts or sandals, for example. With dresses though, I don't do that. I think about how the dress fits that particular night's dinner. I'm thinking about Kibbe as well. Do I have that word correct? I have something saved on that so I need to look it up. Dramatic classic, I think it was.

Definitely bipolar weather here too. It's snowing right now. I think Colorado and Central New York have some weather similarities, don't they? It's hard to imagine living anywhere else though. I love the Syracuse area, including the things that make it special, such as the Dome, the upside down light near Coleman's, Dinosaur Barbecue...it's all good. I love sports, and we have a myriad of Syracuse University sports to see, as well as the Syracuse Crunch (hockey) and the Syracuse Mets. My current plan for this weekend is to finish up the laundry, and take in some NCAA men's basketball tonight. Tomorrow, we're going to the home show, and I will be doing some ironing. If all goes well, I'm going to pair some accessories to cruise clothes, because I can't wait to go on vacation. I often buy my grandson clothes at Old Navy. They're priced really well, and made well fo rthe price. Last year, I got a few sales items for my daughters and myself. They have a good sale going on now, and I got my grandson two swim trunk and rash guard sets. This is for his Easter basket. While I was there, I saw linen pants and crops for $14.00, so I am going to try them Like most linen pants, they have an elastic waistband so that should be helpful as I continue to work out. I also like wearing linen during the summer, and my husband and I are focused on doing little things, whether it be finding a restaurant with outdoor seating, going to a movie, or whatever. I don't dress up, but I wear a lot of the same casual wear that I wear on a cruise. Linen pants would make a nice addition.

Anita, I'm glad this bout with Covid wasn't bad for you and that you bounced back quickly. Slidergirl -- your gambling seems to be similar to mine, ha. I get a few scratch offs, and play a small amount of slots once a year when we cruise. I guess it takes too long to earn money to spend it that fast! My husband and I looked at options, and we ended up going with a three night specialty dinner package. As it turns out, I saw the now infamous Premier Package, and booked it. Of course it was a mistake, but they kindly let me cancel it and gave me $50 OBC, so I used that towards it. I knew the Premier Package was too good to be true, but there was no reason not to book it. In a worst case scenario, it's a mistake and you get your money back, right? I was telling my husband today that I get excited about planning our cruises, even though we have a long time before we cruise. Then he mentioned we are about 6 months away. After a moment, I realized that time was going quickly. We haven't booked anything for St. Maarten or St. Kitts yet. In St. Maarten, I may book Bernard's Tours again. We have used them twice, and they always have a lot of options. If Rosemary's is still there, I think that will be our choice for lunch. It's really good there. St. Kitts...we don't think we've been there before. I think we were scheduled to with one of our cruises but then weather redirected us. Since we have a day at Cococay, we are looking for non-beach things to do. No harm in planning cruise outfits either! I think I kind of have everything picked out, believe it or not. Well, picked out in my head. I am going to do the same thing I did with the last cruise, where I try to get items of the dress, shoes and accessories separate, and then combine them with the layout app. I find it a great way to review what I'm planning without dragging everything back out. I think I'm going to do this with my daytime outfits as well. I'm going to try not to bring too many shoes, if I can. Melody, how are you doing? How has your weather been? We got a foot of snow on Tuesday. Then it reached 52 degrees today. We live in strange times...

Yes, it sure was a great run, Melody. I'm rather emotional....SU basketball has been a big part of my life since I was a kid, when my mom and I would listen to the games on the radio together. I could hear better back then, and she just loved watching them play. I remember when they won the tournament in 2003. My mom had passed away in December of 2000, and I just cried. I cried because I was so happy to see them win, I cried because my mom was not there to see it. They are in good hands with Coach Autry, who played for Syracuse. It will be so strange not seeing Coach Boeheim on the sidelines though.