the isle of St Thomas

Our second port was St Thomas...a beautiful spot in the American Virgin Islands. It is about 31 square miles in size with a population of about 50,000. The cruise terminal was at Havensight. We took an island tour in an open air shuttle....like the one pictured below. We saw some pretty scenery, but it was hot and the with the road noise, it was hard to understand what the guide was saying. So, that was disappointing. 

But here are a few shots:

St Thomas in the background as we were pulling into port.

We had company in the water!

After a long, steep climb, we ended up here...

...at Magen's Bay...gorgeous!

Three ships were in port that day...

from the left...Disney, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean.

The shops were hopping!!

We bought two t-shirts and a pair of earrings...big shoppers!

We were back on the ship well before the horn sounded
 to announce it's impending departure.

The captain said, "When you hear the first horn,
 you have 30 mins to get back to the ship.
You should start running.

 When you hear the second horn,

 you should start looking for a hotel room!"

He may have been joking, but we didn't take
 any chances! :-)

Next stop...St Marten!

a day at the beach

Coco Cay, Bahamas (Royal Caribbean's private island) was our first stop on the cruise. They "tendered" us over on small boats that carried about 200. It was a beautiful day...warm with blue skies. A slight breeze ruffled the palm trees and made it very comfortable.

You can see our ship in the background in the last picture.

They provided chairs and towels. You could rent snorkeling

and diving equipment, jet skis and such.

 

Here's Hubby modeling his:

I spent some time in the water, but mostly I enjoyed sitting

in my chair with my book under a palm tree!

They served lunch...ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, slaw,

baked beans, Greek salad, fruit and desserts. And there were

 nice picnic tables where we could eat.

We made a day of it...went early, stayed late.

It was a nice day at the beach! :-)

seven days on the high seas!

Thank you for all your good wishes! We had a wonderful trip...and everything went according to plan...thank goodness!! :-) The weather was perfect, though warmer than I expected. The ship was amazing...and huge...4200 passengers, 1400 crew members! The food was abundant, varied and delicious. The entertainment was excellent and the service...well, if you've ever been on a cruise, you know they treat you royally!

We met people from all over and heard every accent you can imagine. Funniest thing, while we were in line waiting to enter the terminal to board the ship, we met a couple from our own city! A divine appt I think considering the number of people there and that we were 6 hours from home. We visited several times during the week. It may be the beginning of a new friendship!

On Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's private island, Hubby enjoyed snorkeling and I enjoyed my lounge chair under a palm tree! :-) We took island tours on St Thomas and St Marten...they are beautiful places with interesting histories.

I have lots of pictures, but I haven't had a chance to sort them. I will share one. This is the beach closest to Front Street on St Marten. We had lunch in a little beachside cafe and had this shot taken with our ship, Freedom of the Seas, in the background.

I will share more in the days to come. I know many of you prayed for us and I am grateful...

we really did have a lovely week!

bon voayge...I hope!

Tomorrow, we head south to Port Canaveral

 to board this ship on Sunday.

Hopefully, things will go as planned...

no airplanes involved this time! :-)

google image

Look forward to telling you about it!

today's gifts

Here are a few of the things I am grateful for today:

231. the "nip" in the air
232. a new trip to look forward to!
233. the testimony of the faithful in the midst of suffering
234. birthdays...mine and others!
235. a hubby who finds bargains
236. a loving, serving Sunday School class
237. music that speaks to me where I am
238. sugar-free Hershey chocolate bites....happy, happy, happy!
239. being debt-free
240. knowing God loves me...all the time!

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below-

indeed, nothing in all creation

will ever be able to separate us from

the love of God that is revealed to us

in Christ Jesus."

Rom 8:39

NIV

he can "can"!

Hubby is a pepper man.

He loves black pepper, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers

and cayenne peppers.

He planted cayenne peppers in his garden this year 

and they have been very productive!

He has enjoyed them with his meals and wanted

to preserve some.

So, he went on line and found a recipe for picking peppers.

When I asked him why he picked this particular recipe,

he pointed to the first word in the tittle of the recipe...

EASY!! :-)

And it was...3 ingredients plus peppers.

In no time at all, he had 8 pints of peppers!

Voila!!

He waited a few weeks, opened a jar and tasted one.

He said they are better than the fresh ones!

So, he is a"happy canner"!

When he retired, he pretty much took over the dish washing chore.

Now, he is canning...wonder what he will try next! :-)

a little bit like home

Ronald is always there to greet us when we take our turn

cooking dinner for the families staying at his house.

We are so blessed to have this ministry here in Middle Georgia.

They care for hurting families by offering them

the comforts of home. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity, along with my friends,

to serve those families four times a year.

Tonight, we met a four year old named Lexi and her mom.

Her little sister, who is one month old, has been in 

 hospitals since she was born.

She has multiple problems, but her mom said,

"She is fighting!"

We saw pictures...she is a doll!

Praying for her, her family and her doctors

and hoping she gets to go home soon!