29 Days

Good Morning!!  Happy Wednesday.  My morning started at 3:30 a.m. after rounding up for bed last night at 10:15 p.m.  I’m working a special overtime shift today.  Hooray for extra money!

 

We are getting closer to our BIG vacation and with each passing day, I am getting more excited.  I have an out-of-town RV trip this weekend and a trip to our cabin in the mountains next weekend.  I’ll have to hunker down for a few weeks before I enjoy 19 glorious days off work.  Boy am I ready!  I am my true authentic self on vacation.  Facebook Memories shared a happy Ireland photo today.

 

We have officially entered the less-than-30-days mark, and we are able to check in next week.  I’m definitely getting excited.  There is still a lot of work days and other work commitments standing between me and my happy place.  We will be there soon.

 

I know I mentioned that we have sailed NCL Sun previously, during return-to-service following Covid.  While she isn’t a grand ship, we ended up with a balcony room at the aft as we have the NCL credit card and used our points to upgrade from ocean view to balcony.  With all port days and no sea days, it is sure to be busy days with little time on the ship.  On the other hand, I keep reminding myself that we don’t need to be go-go-go the entire time.  I am looking forward to some relaxing!  The ship has struggled with propulsion issues so I’m hopeful for no port interruptions. 

 

If you know me well enough, you know I have the drink package!  With my current status of reduction in alcohol, which is still going quite well, I haven’t 100% figured out my game plan yet as I do enjoy adult beverages.

 

Two weeks ago, I had a large spike on the scale.  I figured it was hormonal and although struggled mentally this week, the scale came back down.  Thank goodness!  With social on the calendar two weeks in a row, balancing my food intake will be difficult.  I also plan to get reacquainted with activity this week.

Weekly WI: Skipped The Scale

I skipped the scale this week arriving home from vacation Tuesday evening. 

 

It has been a little difficult getting back into the swing of things but to keep extra pounds at bay, I am back to tracking.  I checked off the exercise box yesterday with a walk outdoors and today with an indoor bike elliptical workout.

 

My trip to Missouri was enjoyable.  We maximized our time seeing family which was the goal.  I didn’t take many photos that didn’t revolve around family so not much to share.  We visited a few BBQ restaurants, and I managed to sneak in two Elks Lodge visits, one in Lebanon and one in Kansas City.

 

Our next big vacation is in December where we will visit our timeshare in Oceanside, CA along with San Diego. We hope to see some of my extended family as well.  And you know I plan to visit some Elks Lodges too.

 

In the month until then, we have some quick weekend trips in our van RV.  We plan to join the Elks for a district campout and attend an out-of-town wedding.  I am looking forward to spending time getting used to van life. 

Looking at the calendar, September will be a busy month.  We get our new CAD system at work which means lots of overtime not only to attend my own training sessions but to cover the dispatch console for others to attend their training.  I have some fun planned but boy will it fly by.  I really like Fall so I am excited to get this party started.

Bermuda

 Bermuda is amazing! 

 

I loved every minute and will put this on the travel list for a repeat destination at some point in the future.

 

Our Bermuda cruise on NCL Getaway was fantastic.  

My only critique…it was too short.  Okay, and that the ship was packed so it would have been nice to have less crowded venues.  None-the-less it was a great time.  I guess I have one more critique, traffic to/from the JFK airport was awful.  We were so happy to finally board the cruise after four hours of waiting with NCL shuttle delays and the lines at the Manhattan cruise terminal.

 

Our time on board NCL Getaway was very laid back.  Either I am getting older and going to less late-night events, or I just wanted to relax this trip.  I met a few people from the Facebook group, socialized at venues, took in a comedy show, watched the dueling pianos, and partially participated in a bar crawl. 

 

The first time ever coming home with winnings from the cruise ship casino

I picked this cruise for the NCL Starbucks partner mug.  I am so happy not only did I sang one, I also found the old style New York state mug too.  WhoooHooo.

This was an overnight port which meant our first day had no rush to get back to the ship on time.  We bought a daily ferry/bus combined pass and took the public ferry to Hamilton, the city center, and boarded a bus to the Crystal and Fantasy Caves.   AMAZING!!! 

 

We hiked up/down 88 steps to the first cave and 83 steps to the second.  We earned a rum swizzle, the iconic drink of Bermuda at the nearby Swizzle Inn.  We also tried wahoo fish nuggets, the local fish of Bermuda.  Both were excellent.

 

We boarded the bus again driving along the cost to St. George in search of the NCL ferry back to Royal Naval Dockyard.  The day went so fast we will need to make a return trip to explore more of the island.  I went in search of the bathroom and found a local brewery.  I love trying local beers.

 

Day two in Bermuda, a shorter day, started with an excursion to visit historic homes and hideaways.  We boarded a smaller boat this time and drove in/out of the inlands learning more about the history of Bermuda.  The highlight of the trip was Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones house.   Ummmm… it is waaaaaay up on the hill and not as majestic as the other million-dollar homes we saw.

 

NOT the house...a fancier one by the water's edge

We ended our time on the island with a quick tour train ride around the Royal Naval Dockyard and a visit to the National Museum of Bermuda.  The views were worth the admission price.  

If you'd like to read about our pre-cruise adventures in New York, you'll find it here <---

The TWA Hotel & A Visit To The #1 Elks Lodge

Our Bermuda Cruise sailed out of Manhattan, which we visited ahead of our New England Cruise in 2017.  Alaska Airlines flies to JFK while Southwest only flies to LaGuardia and Newark.  Kenyon mentioned visiting the iconic TWA Hotel and it was decided we would skip NYC a second time and stay at the TWA Hotel near the JFK airport.  It was a fantastic decision! 

 

From the moment you walk into the hotel lobby, the 1962 theme was sprinkled throughout.  The elevators, the rooms, the cocktail lounges, and the restaurant.

 

There is even an old plane converted into a cocktail lounge.  It is a cool experience.

 

We booked a terminal 5 runway view room and had the best time entertaining ourselves with the planes flying in/out.

 

The rooftop pool also had runway views, a restaurant, and bar.

 

If you ever get a chance to visit…do it!  It was expensive but worth it.

My travel research uncovered we were only seven miles from the New York Elks Lodge…the #1 Elks Lodge which was founded 157 years ago.  Now, it isn’t the original location, which was Times Square.  But the memorabilia and the members are the heart of the Elks, and you can feel it.  We had a great visit and it was also a highlight of the trip.

 

Our next cruise isn’t until August 2026 and, in the meantime, we have some US trips on the books.