A Lot Has Happened in the Last Five Years!

My last posting, in 2014, had me preparing for our trip to Italy and London! It was a great trip; we had a lot of fun! We both enjoyed Italy. We especially love Venice! It would be wonderful if we got to go to Venice again and maybe spend a whole month there! There is a lot to explore. I would like to go to the island of Burano and the other little isles. We have been to Murano, the glass island, twice.  We stayed with some friends in London for a few days after the Italy trip. It is always fun to go to London, one of my favorite cities, and to visit with our good friends.  Since the trip to Italy and London, we have taken two cruises.  Both on Princess Cruises. In 2016 we took the California Coastal Cruise and in 2018 we took the Hawaiian Cruise. Our cruising friends, Buzz and Diane, were on both cruises with us! The Coastal Cruise was great, we sailed up the coast to San Francisco and under the Golden Gate Bridge into the bay. On the way back down we stopped in Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada, then back to San Pedro. The 2018 Hawaiian Cruise was our first 15 day cruise. It is a four day sailing to Hilo. I had been concerned that with four sea days in a row, the most we've ever had on a cruise, that we might not have enough to do. I need not have worried! There were activities galore! Lei making, hula lessons, nature talks and ukulele lessons! Yes! Ukulele lessons! Corey had a ukulele from his youth, so I got it fixed up and we took it. The ship had one that I could borrow. Corey decided that his fingers were too wide and the frets were too narrow, so he decided not to continue. I turned in my borrowed uke and used his for the rest of the trip. On the way back we participated in a show for the whole ship which included the hula dancers as well! It was a lot of fun and I have continued my ukulele playing since then. I have been playing in a group at OLLI and am considering taking private lessons this year.

Our next big cruising adventure is a Panama Canal crossing cruise in the spring. We will leave from Ft. Lauderdale and end up in San Pedro.

Another of the big things that has happened since my last writing in 2014 is that I was laid off my job. I was 61, a tad too early to take my Social Security, but I did not feel like starting over. I have started over many times and decided no more. So I consider myself retired, although technically I am unemployed. I have enjoyed being retired! My time is my own, and I don't have any schedules to follow. When I was working I would get up at 3:30 a.m., but now I can sleep in! Until 6 a.m.! I am a morning person, so sleeping in until 6 makes me feel kinda like a bum!

I go to Disneyland every Wednesday! I have met several other people that also go on a regular basis! Some even go every day! It has been great having Disneyland friends! And when other friends come down to Disneyland, I am able to meet up with them for awhile!

I have also started attending Old People's College! It is really called OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSULB. I have even started teaching a digital scrapbooking class. It has been fun!