Lancaster Ladies Cruise

Ever since I started dating Haas his mom had been saying that she wanted to do a girls trip. They were going to start the tradition back when Haas was in high school and they had gone to california but a couple months after they returned his mom found out that she had breast cancer. For some reason after that they talked about a girls trip but never went through with it. Last spring we finally decided that it needed to happen. We decided that the perfect time to do it would be for my mother in laws birthday. So off we went for a cruise to the Bahamas.
We all flew into Ft Lauderdale where we met up with my mother in law and father in law. That was so great since they decided to be snow birds and move to Florida for the winter. I hadnt seen my mother in law since nov and my father in law since Oct. We all went out to Outback Steakhouse that first night before we made it an official girls only trip.
On that monday morning we got up and took a shuttle to Miami where we boarded the ship and set said to the Bahamas!! It was my mother in laws birthday that day so we got the waiter to sing happy birthday to her and she got a cake along with her regular cruise dessert.
We woke up the next morning docked in Freeport but it was really only a little straw market so we decided to have it be a boat day and we went and laid out by the pool. There was a little bit of a cold front so it was a little chilly to get in the pool. I decided that since it was a vacation I needed a nap. My sis in law (and cabin buddy) Erin joined me and we ended up taking a 3 hour nap. LOL it was so needed!

Next stop was Nassau which was pretty cool. We took a shuttle boat over to Paradise Island where Atlantis is. We were so excited to go look at the aquarium that you see so much about but they had it blocked off for hotel guests only. Bummer it was still pretty even though we could only go through the casino. So we went back to the main area of Nassau for a little shopping in the straw markets. Then it was back to the boat for a little pool time since the weather was so nice!!

Every night the ship had shows that you could go to so we would go to one of the shows before dinner. They had a hilarious comedian and amazing singers/dancers. It was so much fun to go to the shows and we all looked forward to them.
Our last port day was to a private island that is owned by Norweigen cruise line. It was all of our favorite day. All of us rented clam shells that go over your beach chairs so we could lay out and not burn. We rented them but it just ended up being a spot for all of our stuff because we stayed in the water the whole time. The water was so clear you could look down and see the fish swimming around and see the sand and shells under the water. I could have stayed there forever it was so beautiful.
We had the best time and it was really relaxing but I was happy to come home to my boys

Another Angel

When I was 4 we moved into our long time home in Stansbury Park. I had (and still do have) disfunctional family members on both sides of my family. I never really had a great relationship with my moms side of the family. She had 7 sisters and 1 brother and only spoke with a couple of them and her dad until he started suffering from alzheimers. On my dads side we had a good relationship with my grandfather until he passed away when I was young and then once my parents were divorced we pretty much never saw my grandmother.
When we moved into our home in Stansbury, we lived across the street from a couple named Rudy and Flora Garcia. They had 3 children. 2 were grown and out of the house and the other was about to graduate from high school. Both Rudy and Flora were the nicest people you would ever meet. I often would go and hang out at their house to play with their dog.
My mom had my brother shortly after we moved in and Flora would often let me come hang out at their house while my mom took care of John. It was a good getaway and she loved the company since she didnt work and Rudy work long hours at Delta Airlines. Both Rudy and Flora by then had become like grandparents to us. I loved them just as much if not more than most of my extended family members.
When my dad started not coming home much, I ended up becoming in charge of getting us home from school and getting our dinner on and our homework started before my mom got home from work. If anyone knows me they know that I tend to lose things like keys all the time. I would often lose my house keys or forget to bring them with me. Flora was always home and we often spent our after school time with her. She would always have us start our homework while she went into the kitchen to make us an after school snack. It was always homemade tortillas with butter and sugar. Once Rudy came home from work he would help both John and I with our homework and then take us down to play in their game room.
Our christmas tradition always included going to Rudy and Flora's to help make tamales a few weeks before Christmas and then playing pool and darts while we all hung out together.
When I was in the 4th grade my parents began fighting alot and my father was always really abusive towards my mom. Our safe place ended up being at Rudy and Flora's where we were to stay until things calmed down at home. They never hesitated to bring us in and we always felt that we belonged there. They always treated us like family.
By the 6th grade my parents were divorced and my mom had a wonderful job but she had to take business trips often and work long hours to manage to pay the bills as a single parent. When one of her business trips to her to Costa Rica for a week, Flora volunteered to watch us. While we were staying there Flora wasnt feeling well and Rudy went to check on her and found her not breathing. It was so scary for us as multiple police officers and ambulances came and rushed her to the hospital. I stayed up all night praying that she would make it through and be alright. Flora was diagnosed with an illness called Sclerederma. It is a disease that causes hardening of the skin and then attacks the organ causing them to harden and not function right. She ended up having to go through kidney dialysis 3 times a week since her hospital stay.
Over the years I was so thankful to still have her in my life. Even after my mom got remarried and we moved, we always stayed in touch. I even received a visit from Rudy and Flora on my anniversary last year. They showed up on our doorstep to give Haas and I an anniversary present. Flora's health had been deteriorating for a long time but said that she had to see me and Tyson that day. It was so sweet of them!
this morning while checking the newspaper I decided to check the obituaries and had found that she passed away. I was completely heartbroken. Another strong influence in my life had passed away. My brother and I went to the viewing tonight to say goodbye and support Rudy and their children. I went up to give Rudy a hug and their daughter Lisa pulled me aside and told me that Flora still talked about me all the time and that she had always considered us her family. I was so touched because to me she was my Grandma. I know that Flora is now another angel to me and will be watching over me with my mom and Steve.
I will never forget you Flora and I thank you for always being there for me and for being a wonderful role model. I love you.