Day 381 - Boxes, Lost Dog, & Blogging

Today Jaco helped me look in the bunkhouse for a lens box. With no luck. I was a little worried that he would grow impatient & start chucking around my boxes, filled with breakable stuff. Nope. He was so patient & careful, I was amazed! Unfortunately we couldn't find the lens box, but in any case, I found a few toques I'd forgotten about! Yay! Party for my head!

We weighed the dogs last night. In a grocery bag with my luggage scale. Oceana is 10.6 lbs (0.6 overweight) & Valentina 'Porkchop' Rose is a whopping (ding, ding) 13.6 lbs! So, it looks like we're all going to be hitting the treadmill in the near future! But for now, they accompanied us to the bunkhouse. We threw the ball for Valentina all the way there & one we arrived, she was on her own. Shortly thereafter, we hear a scratching, digging, whining noise. She'd pushed the ball under something & couldn't get it. We used the end of a curtain rod to pull out the ball. Papa to the rescue! We return to looking for the lens box. 5 minutes later, the noises are back. Only this time, Valentina crawled around the side of the bunkhouse & is now stuck between a slanted dry erase board & a box. Papa to the rescue again! No more ball! More Cesar!

We returned to the house with toques & no lens box.

Nurse Wendy also arrived today & changed the dressing on my Picc line. I'm starting to have a reaction to the adhesive on my arm. The skin is very red & itchy & pretty much gross. I'll be happy to have it taken out & not have to shower with a veterinary glove anymore! That said, the vet gloves work well! Wendy asked about Jaco & so I introduced the two of them, showed her the wolves on the blog & also the wedding slideshow. She asked! I told!

The remainder of the day? Well,  Jaco studied & I caught up on the blog again. What a day.

xxxxMJV&O

Wendy cleans the Picc line 

 Paparazzi torments Oceana

Hu-llo! Trying to rest here! 

STOP!!! 

 Pick me! Pick me!

 Peekaboo!

Go away already! 

 Tee hee hee!

 Wiener dog bunk beds!

 Head shot!

And this is comfortable how?!?

Day 197 - The Journey Home

Forgive me if I'm not too excited to be coming home. I'm leaving my husband, getting off a luxury cruise ship, leaving the warm weather of the Caribbean & heading home to snow & 6 months of chemo. Yay.


I was up early & in the shower before Jaco was up. That's a rarity! I had to disembark by 0915. Luckily they were running behind, so it actually gave Jaco & I a chance to say goodbye. We hugged & hugged & kissed & kissed & hugged some more. It was awful. I'm getting really tired of saying goodbye. I have such a wonderful husband & all I ever seem to do is say goodbye to him. What's that about? 


After he left, I called the photo lab. Galina, AKA Gorjus Galina, was embarking today. I met Galina on the Star in South America. She is a STUNNING lass from Bulgaria & her personality matches her smile. To my happiness, she came to the dining room where I was waiting to leave & we had a quick visit before I had to go. It was wonderful to see her! My heart was a little happier after having just said goodbye to Jaco. 


But soon enough, it was time to go. Ronel came to my rescue & helped me with my luggage straight through to the taxi cab's door. What a sweetheart. Ronel is the Medical Steward who also helps keep the cabin neat & tidy! Luckily we were swept through a quick line. Sometimes it pays to be Canadian in a slew of British passengers! :o)


And then I was off. I had a bit of a wait in the airport, but thankfully it wasn't long before the Westjet folks showed up to take away my luggage. I visited with a Surgeon from Toronto who specializes in retina surgeries. Wow! While I was visiting with him, I spotted my friends from Pennsylvania from the ship! We said our farewells & I lugged my stuff onto the scale. I was 1/2 a lb under on one case & spot on the money on the other. That's 25 lbs over spot on the money... $50. Told ya. :o)


Luggage free, I grabbed some lunch & ate outside. The bench I sat on was concrete & it was so hot from the sun, I had to put my scarf under my butt because it was actually causing me pain - it was that hot! I took Valentina down one level & let her roam around on a grassy patch so she could get a bit of exercise & have a potty break before the flights. 


I then came inside to call Jaco. Today was his big day at the fertility clinic. I was so nervous he wouldn't make it to his appointment in time & the chances of ever having a mini-wee running around one day would be shot. Thankfully he was there & everything was in order. He said the people were really nice & he was enjoying the medical/scientific side of things. 


During my flight, I ended up sitting next to a lady from Ontario. She was heading home to celebrate her parents 65th wedding anniversary! She is a semi-retired events planner, so she had organized a big To-Do for them. The local newspaper & TV crews were going to stop by & an Italian radio station was going to do an interview. The were Italian - I knew I liked her from the beginning! How fun!


Westjet had told me I would sit behind the bulkhead with Valentina, but when I checked in online, I had no idea where the bulkhead was, so I just picked a seat. When I boarded, I went to the seat I had selected & got settled. (row 22) I had no sooner settled in when the Attendant came by & told me they had a seat for me in the front. Sigh. Okay. I haul my stuff all the way to the front of the plane. I was grateful for the seat, but would have appreciated being told a little sooner! Oh well. I'll know to ask for the next flight.


Next flight. Nope. Sorry. Dogs are in rows 21 & 22. I asked if that was where they put service dogs. She told me to wait until everyone had boarded & then we'd see if there were any bulkhead seats available. Luckily there was a lady who couldn't use the arm tray in the front, so she gladly took my seat in row 18. That left me in the front. But then the Attendants said I couldn't sit there with my dog. I explained that I had done so on the previous flight & I had been told I would have a bulkhead seat on both flights. They said 'All dogs are in rows 21 & 22'. I said, 'Even Service Dogs?' & showed them Valentina's card. It was like I'd slapped them across the face. They instantly apologized & said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, yes, this is where you sit.' Done. Thank you very much.


While I was in TO, I asked at information if there was a spot for dogs to relieve themselves. No. NO?! What do you mean, no? Is there seriously no grass anywhere at the Toronto airport? No. Now that is a crying shame. I'm sure I'm not the only person to travel through Toronto with a dog! Hmpf. Shows how much they know. I walk out the arrivals door & lo & behold... Across the road is a nice chunk of grass, trees, & shrubs. No where to go, huh? Yeesh. I had a notion to leave them a 'donation', but I didn't! I did, however, let them know where it was located when I came back inside! They didn't look overly impressed. 


On this flight, I sat next to a man whose eyes didn't really stay together & he prayed out loud the entire time they were doing the safety announcements & the Captain was speaking. I was slightly nervous. I was listening for the words, 'Allah, Allah, Allah', but didn't hear them. He went to sleep after his prayers were over. I'm typing this after I've landed, so nothing horrible happened, but it was creepy nonetheless! 


Naturally, Mom was late picking me up, but when she did arrive, oh boy! Valentina was pretty excited to see her! She went crazy! She whined most of the way home & didn't want to sit on my lap, only Nonna's lap! 


I was horrified to see snow on the ground. It made me want to cry. Oh please, send me back to the land of heat & sunshine. I could feel the vitamin D deficiency settling in already! I prayed that it would be melting & gone by morning!


What a day. I'm home, safe & sound & I suppose that's all that matters. 


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Maria & Valentina

Ronel has a 3 month old baby back home. That he's NEVER EVEN SEEN! :o( 45 days to go!

Contemplate is frozen!

to.snow.es

NeverLate made it through the snow!

Nonna & Valentina

Just a little unpacking & rearranging to do!

Out for the count!

Day 196 - Last Day At Sea

The packing is finally complete. The last of the deliveries has been made & I am exhausted. I spent the day running around & trying to fit every last thing into the suitcases & still keeping them underweight. If my new scale is correct, I'm 25 lbs over on one case & just under the wire on the other. 25 lbs gives me a $50 fee, whereas another bag is a $75 fee. One of these days I'll be underweight! 


Jaco was busy as ever, so it was a long day for him too. We hardly saw each other all day, which really bites, as it is our last day together for awhile. I will try to come back in a few weeks, but I'm not sure what lies ahead of me as far as treatments & such. Fingers crossed I will get to see him again soon!


Today was another stunning day outside. I made it a priority to get out on deck for a bit. I'm glad I did, as while I was out, a few dolphins were swimming alongside the ship & it was quite the sight! I've seen pods of dolphins before leaping out of the water, but these dolphins were AWESOME! They were flying out of the water, doing backflips & twists, they were really having a blast! It was fantastic to watch! I was excited! When I had dinner at the bar again & David was there, I asked him if he saw the dolphins. His reply: 'Dolphins? What's so exciting about dolphins? They're just gay sharks!' Okay. Never mind. I thought they were exciting!


Several people stopped by to see Valentina, as I had her tied to the lounger so we could both get some fresh air. One lady came by & visited for nearly an hour! She was a breast cancer survivor & filled me in on her experience. It was nice to visit with her. Another fellow stopped by to tell me of his neighbours sausage dog, Otto. Apparently Otto is quite the character!


I gave Eddie his photos, Johnny his edited ones from the shoot, collected my photos from the cruises & delivered thank you cards to all the appropriate parties! Jaco & I bought a Spa Certificate for Kirsty, the gal who organized all of Valentina's trips ashore. She was a real miracle worker, as I didn't expect Valentina to be allowed off much. 


I took Valentina around the ship to say farewell to the friends she had made throughout her 3 weeks onboard. We visited the Spa, the photo gallery & of course, the shops. I think she easily could have stayed onboard & become the ship's mascot! We'll have to go back again, as she never got to visit the Bridge. Next time! 


Finally, the day was through & it was only the three of us. We enjoyed our last evening together & dreaded the morning to come.


Sleep well & be grateful that you have the ones you love close by & if you don't, they're only a phone call away.


Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Tired of packing

My Man & my Tweet Pea

Snoozin' with Papa

Crap photo of a dolphin, but the best I could get with my Point & Shoot!

Goodbye kisses for Daniela!

Thanks Kirsty for the trips to the beach!

Thanks Melissa for keeping us safe @ sea!

More cuddles for the Security Team!

The sun sets on my holidays.

Goodbye kisses for Eddie

Upside down dreaming wiener dog

Do you mind? I'm trying to get a little shuteye before the flight?

Day 175 - Happy 39th Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Mother! I hope your day is extra special & you filled it with a little dog named Annie! :o) I'm still waiting to hear the news that Valentina has a sister or Aunt. (As Mom says, 'I'm my own Grandpa') :o)


Today I had a free shower at the clinic. Actually, I had my teeth cleaned, but there was so much water spraying everywhere, it was like I had a shower! Yup, for those of you who hate paying for dental work, it was $25 to have my teeth cleaned. I found out later that since it was my first cleaning, Castillo's clinic doesn't charge you anything! Ha! I like that deal! 


I boogied back to the hotel & made my way straight to the Post Office. Of course, today was April 15th, when all the Americans have to have their papers ($$) to the IRS (I think). So, 1.5 hrs later I had my boxes shipped! The queue was about 30 people deep & after I was served, it was a little longer! The Customs forms want a very detailed account of what is in the boxes. Each form only has 4 lines. I had 25 different items. Yeah. I took a little while! 


After the post office ordeal, it was down town to return a few things & hopefully find a weigh scale that worked! I stopped in at City Dog & took back the astro turf that never did seduce Valentina into using it. I then headed to Abercrombie & Fitch & found Jaco a sweet deal on a shirt & hoodie. ($12 for the shirt & $20 for the hoodie) I then found a weigh scale with a 1 yr warranty! Yay!


My day was slightly dimmed when a creepy dude named Willie tried to pick me up at the trolley stop - gold teeth, dreadlocks, red shirt & red shorts - tempting, but NO!!!! Oh where for art thou Jaco?!? Then his buddy proceeded to 'slyly' take photos of my backside on his cell phone. Lord help me get home safely! I have never been so happy to see that Blue Line Trolley come rolling along!


I was up until 0245 packing. Yup. Another 2 boxes to ship tomorrow. My luggage weighed 35 lbs each. Surely to goodness that would keep me underweight for the flight tomorrow? SURELY. 


Dulce Suenos,
Maria y Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The fruit man sells delicious fruit outside the clinic!

The best edible flower ever!

Waiting for the bus home!