So much has happened!

It's nearly four weeks since I wrote a blog.  For those who read regularly, I apologize.

I was on the cruise ship for two weeks and Sunsport for another four days, but then I just got home and got busy and got SICK.

This morning I'm going to to the doctor because I woke up with a terrible sore throat on Wednesday.  The body aches, fever, and extreme fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks about noon.  I just slept all day. The fever hit 99.8.  I had told Mark if it went over 100 I'd go somewhere, but it never did.  It went down by night and never went up again, but the sore throat is as bad as ever.  Three days of not being able to swallow is enough.  I'm suspecting Strep because it has not turned into a cough and cold type of thing.  It's just sitting in the throat causing pain with swallowing and even without, just all the time.

I should have reported my weight on Wednesday, but I was too sick.  I gained 9 pounds during the three weeks that we were gone.  I have lost 3 of those pounds already, so hopefully I can continue with that weight loss before Passover, which is always a bad time of year for losing weight, at least for me anyway.

I probably have over 700 pictures from the cruises, and thankfully for you, I'm not going to post them all.  Here are a few of my favorites.

An embarkation shot on Feb. 2 that I just loved.  We also bought one of the two of us, but this one was unique.

Sail Away drinks Feb. 2.

Half Moon Cay

In the beautiful Irish Seas Piano Bar

I scratched the top of my foot so much that the skin came off and got infected, so  here I am in the Med Center getting antibiotic ointment and band aids, which normally I take on vacation.  The one time I forget to pack those....

Willemstad, Curacao, a beautiful place.

Walking over the swinging bridge was something we both wanted to do this time.

Flamingos on the lake in Bonaire

All the Dutch Antilles are windy and desert dry with plenty of cacti.

Harvesting salt in the south of Bonaire is big business.

Mark by slave quarters where they slept after harvesting salt all day.  Terrible conditions.

Climbing some boulders on Aruba.

Aruba has a rough northern coast.

Standing out in the middle of the natural bridge.  Very cool.

A cashew...the fruit looks like a pepper and the nut is at the top.

We took this cruise with lots of Solivita friends.  Six of us were on the same Aruba tour.  Here we are at the lighthouse.

At Eagle Beach by the famous Fofoti trees.

Enjoying a sea day.

Starting the second cruise, Mark is taking a picture of the poster that we posed with.

We got the drink package for the first time ever on Carnival, so we had lots of interesting drinks for four days.  LOTS of drinks!  This is Mark's expensive tequila and my frozen margarita, our third round of drinks on this trip, in fact on day one of this cruise!  Don't judge.

Mark got up to dance for the Sail Away party.

Key West, always a favorite stop.

We walked to Ripley's Believe It or Not and enjoyed the exhibits.

Enjoying the obligatory Key Lime pie slice, which we shared.

 Formal Night, and we loved this picture.

At Cozumel, we stayed on the ship and explored the "secret decks."

Then I beat Mark at mini-golf, 29-34.  My score was only one over par.  Usually he beats me, but he wasn't feeling well.  Sad for him.  Good for me!

Valentine's Day!  We had our complimentary bottle of wine while he ate  at the specialty fish place, the Seafood Shack.

Valentine's Day toast to more cruising!

Our final day was a sea day and Groove for St. Jude.  Finally NEW SHIRTS!  I like these shirts very much.

Dmitry was one of our waiters, a very nice young man, only 23 years old, from Belarus.  He has only been working on a ship for a month.

Our three waiters, an excellent team.