Making Valentines

 We have a bit of family history making cards----many of our grandchildren make their own Valentines.  We were with some as they were brainstorming ideas.  Davis wanted baseball, Brett snakes but Libby was having a hard time so was looking at Pinterest ideas.

I knew I needed to kick it up a notch for the grandkids after I got home. I like for the cards to be different, personalized, but I wasn't feeling great.  So, they all had the same sentiment on the front (although decorated differently):  "Roses are red, Violets are blue" (all deliberately fancy and schmaltzy)

 Eli's ended with "Legos and Minecraft get built, By someone like you."  Anna's "Odd Squad or Frozen, We love you."

 Sam's: "Bugs like dirt and mud, And so do you"  Silas's:  "Ants are little and so are you."

 Libby:  "Selena doesn't need Bieber, And neither do you."  Davis:  "Hazel likes to toot, and so do you"

 Roman: "Frogs like water, and so do you." Brett:  "Turtles are silly, And so are you."

Not a lot of creativity here, but the sentiment is "Grandpa and Grandma love you!"

Try Something New, Make a Mistake

In the words of Neil Gaiman: “I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

While trying to find something about the new year to share on Facebook, I found this quote which pretty much sums up what I, as an almost 70 year old, struggle with.  It is so easy to sit back and let life pass me by.  For example, if I don't go outside for walks, I have lessened my chance for injury.  Anxiety about the future comes too easy when you are older.

Last year's resolution was to "Let it Go" which was a struggle, but I managed to not worry so far into the future, but to tackle one anxiety-filling event at a time. (Click here for other resolutions)  One of my friends at Wellbridge (our health club) said yesterday, "Wow, you sure do stay busy." My response, "Go while the gettin' is good." 

Neil Gaiman hit the source of my anxieties---fear of making a mistake.  But, as I look back on the past year, I see that I have challenged this fear again and again.  

• We cruised out of New Orleans last year, had difficulty getting Dave to the car when an angel in a golf cart came by.
• We came back from the cruise just after an ice storm, but we got to see the back country of Louisiana.
• I went out to lunch several times with sorority sisters I hadn't seen in years.
• I got a Fitbit to help me with my health journey (it measures my activity level)
• We flew to Orlando from Dallas for a disney cruise out of  Port Canaveral (never had cruised from there)
• I crashed a Class Reunion which was not mine.
• I spent Christmas in Dallas---it has been awhile since I celebrated Christmas out of Missouri.
• I started walking every sunny day---with a walking stick to protect my ankles and keep me from falling.

For a list of ideas, someone came up with (one each week), click here.

Ed Catmull, one of Pixar's founders, says failure is necessary to creativity.  Click here for more about that.

Next year, I intend to continue to try new things, plans anxiety-filled events and NOT be afraid of making a mistake.  Because we grow when we learn from our mistakes.  We gain confidence when face our anxieties.  Neil finished his blog for 2014 with

 "It's a New Year and with it comes a fresh opportunity to shape our world. 

So this is my wish, a wish for me as much as it is a wish for you: in the world to come, let us be brave – let us walk into the dark without fear, and step into the unknown with smiles on our faces, even if we're faking them. 

And whatever happens to us, whatever we make, whatever we learn, let us take joy in it. We can find joy in the world if it's joy we're looking for, we can take joy in the act of creation. 

So that is my wish for you, and for me. Bravery and joy."

Disney Fantasy "See Ya Later"

 While Disney Fantasy still has the paper Navigators and the "wave phones", the new Disney Cruise App will soon make both obsolete. Everything in the Navigator (and a lot more) is on the App---you can even bookmark activities and will be alerted 10 minutes before the activity.  Our cruise also debuted the messaging between passengers (which had glitches so we didn't use it).  So, the "wave phone" technology may be on its way out.

 Our last night (after Castaway Cay) was dinner in Animator's Palate which had an interesting "program".  Above were our dining partners who were finishing a year and a half living in Boston and would be returning to Korea before Christmas.  Below is Roman---we are all working on our cartoon people which would later be animated and featured in a show.

 The screen above meant the show with our drawings would begin.  Although I took videos, they didn't turn out.  Below is Roman's with the orange face!  Then our names were listed at the end as the animators!

Delaney, Roman, Lee, Yoon, Jason, Rebecca, Jaclyn, Dave Minsir

 There was also a cupcake activity for dessert---frosting and decorating them!

 We had wonderful servers:  Guiseppe from Italy and Tino from the Philippines.  After dinner, Roman came to our room where we played Uno while his Mom and Dad packed.

 We had a great trip, loved having special time with the Lewis Family on such an interesting ship.

Cast Away Cay Part 3

Although this was our first visit to Castaway Cay, it won't be our last, so I wanted to photograph a little of everything so we knew what to expect the next time we go.  The Lewis' family had many adventures in and out of the water, but so did Dave and I.  We rode the tram to several places to see it all.

 In addition to the usual beach things, there was shopping, hiking, cycling, shopping, eating and getting married!

Serenity Bay for Adults only

Serenity Bay

Serenity Bay

For the real and fictional history of Castaway Cay, click here.

Castaway Cay Part II

 Castway Cay is Disney's private island with many activities like swimming, water slides, snorkeling, jet skis, bicycling or just sunning on the beach.  There are restaurants, private cabanas and adult only areas (Serenity Bay).  A tram can take people from one area to another, mostly along an old run-way. For many on Disney cruises, this is their top destination in the Caribbean.