And it begins!

My mind has been totally focused on our cruise! It's months away, but the planning has begun. I've been learning as much as I can about the process and the cruising itself. Here is where I am so far (my timeline):

1. Jerry agreed to the cruise.

2. I was first adamant about NOT going to Mexico. I believe I've watched too many movies where folks get hurt or killed in Mexico.

3. We obtained a travel agent as a result of my speaking out on Facebook that we were ready to plan the cruise. Actually, we received quite a number of agents offering their services. We selected someone we know, is local, and we want to give her the business. Feel free to contact me if you'd like their assistance. I'll be happy to refer them.

4. We decided on a date. It will be a 5-day cruise for my birthday and our anniversary.

5. We already knew that we would be sailing out of New Orleans. I smile as I think about seeing the cruise ships regularly from my home. We lived close to the Mississippi River on Flood Street before Hurricane Katrina. Also, our son worked by the Port and I often drove him back and forth to work. Many times as I sat out in the vehicle waiting for him to get off, I would see passengers walking to or from the Port entrance. I used to wonder if I would ever be one of those passengers!

6. Selection of destination. We are, afterall, going to Mexico!

7. Even before we made the selection, I began shopping for clothes. I made my first order and the outfit arrived this week. I'm so excited!

8. Now to make our down payment and begin paying for the cruise. We've decided on "packages" we'd like, prepaying gratuties, and I will begin looking to see if we're going to take any excursions. We have time to decide for that.

9. I'm beginning my checklists of things to do, things to buy, and things to pack.

10. Although we don't NEED a passport (which neither of us have ever had), we were advised to get one anyway. I'm working on that now. It's pretty pricy, and I'll finish the application process next month. We want to have enough time for them to arrive in time.

11. Meanwhile, I'm ordering certified copies of our birth certificates (which we do have to have).

12. That's about it for now. I will continue to watch videos, read blogs, and enjoy the cruising Facebook groups I've joined. Great places to learn and to ask questions. I will be putting together resources here on my blog as well.

Bon Voyage!

BACK AND BETTER

I'm back!!! Hello everyone! Wow, it's been 12 years since I last wrote a blog post here. I was so inspired as I was humbled, honored, and blessed to have reached and surpassed my 50th birthday. I was near 51 and I wanted to be an inspirational place for others who were also traveling on the 50plus road. Life has been good for me, however, it really became overwhelming and difficult. My job became extremely stressful, which I was actually able to handle, but my health became a huge issue. I experienced many physical challenges, which made it dangerous for me to continue on my job. Yet I worked, I pushed, I struggled, until I could not go any further. I nearly died as a result. I thank God for preserving my life. With the encouragement, agreement, and support of my husband, we knew that I had to step down from my paid job. I loved my work, but I had to put myself first and love me even more. God has been good to me. A lot has happened in my life since I wrote that last blog post. Overall, in loving on myself, taking care of myself, and focusing on my true gifts, I have flourished, bloomed, and blossomed. I continue to walk in my purpose and I have grown tremendously. I now have more time and opportunity to uplift, inspire, and empower others. I am reactivating this blog and will revamp it by relaunching it with a different name (I'm actually still trying to figure it out). I have the same purpose for my blog, and right now I'm motivated with a twist to get it started again. You will see me posting mostly as a journal of me, now at 61, medically retired, but living my life to its fullest by doing things I've ALWAYS wanted to do. I put so much on the backburner as being a wife, mother, and employee. I also have done a lot of ministry and leadership work. I don't regret none of it, but I put everything and everyone else ahead of me. My husband is now 65 and plans to retire next year. We definitely are not getting any younger and we both have some physical challenges. We've decided that we are going to enjoy these years and travel and do things we denied ourselves of. Our children are all now grown (37, 36, and 25). Very grown! It's our time now. You will see posts at this time mostly about our adventure of planning our very first cruise. We decided to celebrate my 62nd birthday and our 41st wedding anniversary at sea. I will share what's going on because I'm finding that as a first-time cruiser, there is so much we don't know and are learning. I'd like to share what we're experiencing with the hope of being a blessing to other first-timers and for enjoyment reading for others. Along the way, maybe those who are more familiar will chime in with tips and advice for me, which I will share. It is my plan to video-blog (V-log) when we're on the cruise ship. So, hunker down, enjoy this journey with me. I jokingly posted on Facebook that I ought to reference this blog about "old people" trying to figure this out! Be sure to come back to see what I end up titling it. And come back often for updates!