home from Paradise

I was up in plenty of time to watch as the Paradise sailed back into port early this morning.

I met the sight with a tinge of sadness, as it meant the end of our cruise vacation.

I was glad I'd had the foresight to have breakfast waiting for me on the night table.

The paper towels had wicked away a lot of the oil from the cheese, making it just right for my start of day meal.

Usually, I would have had it chilled, but there wasn't enough room in the tiny fridge.

However, the water was cold! 

I was out of my room by 0745.

The schedule for the day called for us to wait in the Euphoria until our floor was called to disbark.

Instead, Christina called me about 8:20 AM.

They were already in line on Deck 5!

I was to join them there as they waited for Terry to give the girls one last hug.

Miyah even had a gift bag for her Auntie Terry!

And my first niece and I were again hair twins, sporting single braids down the back and swooped to the side this time. 

I'm so glad her ESP with me works!

So there we were, waiting, and suddenly Terry was there, surrounded by Miyah and Chloe!

Terry even had a gift for them: two free future cruises with Margaritaville At Sea!

She'll be on the ship until sometime in October and really hopes they will soon be back.

Wasn't that so sweet of her?

Then we had our papers checked, collected our luggage, and were off the ship.

Vacation was officially over. 

The trip back to Hinesville took almost nine hours.

That was about 2 1/2 hours longer than the drive down had been.

Part of the delay were the frequent bathroom stops, as the medication Christina is on for the weight-loss drug was cramping her style.

Part of the delay were the frequent stops for drinks, as the van was having the same loss of air conditioning as it had on the way to Palm Beach.

We took an hour-long stop for lunch at a very nice Dairy Queen, letting us all stretch out a bit and get rehydrated.

As I told Christina, I haven't been to DQ since her dad died.

That was four years ago.

My best memory is watching the Super Bowl with him.

Anthony took over the driving after that, so we stopped once and by that time I was about dehydrated in the heat of the van.

I drank one bottle at once, then half the other bottle before we left.

Between that stop in Woodbine and their turn-off to Hinesville, the rain began.

Hallelujah!

It was still raining, but lightly, when we pulled up to her house.

I helped take things into the house, then went back into the rain to move my suitcase and butterfly tote into my car.

Thanks, Michael, for the unicorn rubber duck!

So glad to be home, with my own bed tonight!