I know you all have questions, and I have answers.

First off, Thanksgiving.

With much trepidation, Charlie and I got dressed up to go to the big dinner. First stop, though, was a meeting. Most people talk about gratitude on Thanksgiving at meetings, but for me, gratitude was in short supply, so I talked about grief. Charlie just sat in the meeting seething. Sarah could feel it from two seats away.

After the meeting, Charlie comes running over to me and says, “How about we not go?” I said, “Sure!” So he called the friends that had previously invited us, to see if they could still fit us (with my mother-in-law) in, and they could. So he called his aunt and cancelled.

So Thanksgiving turned out delightful. We even got to eat with our borrowed grandmother, the famous Mildred!

I also just have to say one thing about Charlie's aunt. She's a lovely, wonderful lady who has been incredibly sweet and supportive of us over the years. She just happens to be a born-again Christian who thinks Jon Edwards is a sorcerer, that when the end comes the streets will run with blood up the the chests of the horses (see Revelations for more info on that) and that "partial birth abortions" are wrong. Other than that, she's a fabulous lady I normally love to spend time with. Just so you know.

Secondly, the vacation.

We’ve settled on a cruise. It was the best deal for the money, since the all-inclusive elements of a cruise do NOT include alcohol (which works out great for the alcoholics). We will be leaving from Miami on January 2, for a whole week! We’ll stop in Cozumel, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica. We’re very excited.

Now, we just have to book our flight down to Florida. It looks like it’s going to be cheapest if we fly in a day early and fly out a day late, so if you all know any good cheap places in either Fort Lauderdale or Miami to stay, bring on the recommendations!

Was there anything else I was supposed to tell you? Hmmmm…

I can’t remember. I’m going to steal a note from Julia and say, hey! I’m at a loss for blogging topics. I don’t want to write any more about how sad I am, or politics, so if you have questions you’d like me to answer, now is the time to ask them!

Go ahead…

Comments

[JuliaKB]

Oh, I was so hoping for a flying gravy boat story... Nah, I am glad you didn't go and had a good time with your good friends.

[Neishia]

I went on the same exact cruise a few years ago. well same itinerary(sp). LOVED it. Perfect cruise. We went on Carnival. We were in Cozumel on my birthday (November). There is a wild place called Carlos 'N Charlies there..if you really want to get smashed..there is your place. Don't forget the $$ for excursions though. We spent a grand on the boat between the two of us. Alchohol, excursions/rentals and gift shop stuff. You will have a blast. Definitely one of my top two vacations.

[tracy]

Yay Charlie - good call! Even though we did miss out on a good flying gravyboat story. Your peace of mind is worth the sacrifice. :-)

[runnerwoman]

I did my last IVF cycle in Florida, so I know a little bit about the scene. If you can, fly to Ft. Lauderdale. It's cheaper and less hassle than Miami, and it's a short car ride away if that's your ultimate port destination. Things like baggage claim and ground transportation are very easy, and the airport isn't all that big.

If you have a day, get up to Sawgrass Mills mall. It's about 30 minutes north of the airport, but easily accessible via surface streets. It's an enormous outlet mall, and well worth the trip. Have a wonderful vacation.

[Neishia]

I'm a complete ASS. Please ignore my comment as I'm a jerk and missed a completely obvious reference in your post. Please accept my apology. (Thank you Melanie for bringing this to my attention) I would in no way try to offend. So sorry.

[KimK]

So excited to hear you are going on a cruise! I would highly recommend the Westin in Fort Lauderdale but it isn't cheap. Make sure you sign up to snorkel with the sting rays in Sting Ray City off of Grand Cayman. It is an awesome experience. I am so jealous. DH and I cruise at least 3 times a year. Now that I quit my job and we are on our 2nd IVF there is no money for travel. It is so depressing. This is when I need a cruise to look forward to the most! Have a GREAT time! KimK

[Dee]

So glad to hear that turkey day was a boom instead of a bust! And also glad to hear that a tropical retreat has been booked--yea for vacation!!

I live in the West Palm area now but grew up in Ft. Lauderdale. I'd definitely recommend you stay at a hotel in Broward County instead of Miami-Dade if you can. I just think it's nicer, less crime, etc. It's about an hour ride (tops--if you stay at a hotel in the northern/central Broward area) so a taxi might get expensive if you opt to stay in Broward. Maybe a cheap one-day car rental might be the way to go if you opt to stay in Ft. Lauderdale/Broward?

If you really want to splurge for a night, I'd recommend either the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach or the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood/Hallandale beach. Maybe they have some web specials or you can find a discount on hotels.com, etc. The Fountainbleau isn't terribly far from the port of Miami so a taxi fare shouldn't be too bad. Plus their pool is incredible.

Let me know if you want any dining/entertainment recommendations. Sawgrass Mills Mall (in Sunrise) is pretty neat if outlet shopping is your thing. Outside of that, I'd recommend the Lincoln Mall (pedestrian, i.e., outdoor) in Miami Beach. Kind of chi-chi high-end but cool to people watch, etc., as is South Beach during the day. Nighttime there just isn't my scene--pretty, shallow folks, celeb spotters, rap moguls, wanna be's, etc. Coconut Grove is kind of neat--lots of cool little shops, kinda arty scene, on the water, great restaurants.

That's my two cents' worth--hope it's kinda helpful but please do let me know if you'd like some additional info/ideas. Oh, another good source is the Visitors & Convention Bureau (I think that's what it's called)--I believe both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties (or try the cities of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami) have them and they can mail you a booklet of hotel/shop/entertainment options.

[Kristine]

I'm just so glad your Thanksgiving went well. Good for you both for opting out of a potentially bad situation.
Now for that vacation! May it be restful and healing and wonderful!
Ok. Questions. Are you named after anyone? Do you own a shower cap? How about an electric can opener?

[Mary]

I second flying into Ft. Lauderdale. ATA usually has good deals, but then again I'm not sure where you are flying from. Your vacation sounds wonderful! I hope you come home feeling relaxed and ready for what life will bring you (positive positive, good things). Remember I voted for Jamaica, so if you let me know where you are coming into port, I'll tell you the places to go. I've been there many many times. We also went to Cozumel last year. If you have the time, visit the park called XCaret. It's absolutely beautiful. XelHa is very beautiful, too. They are both well worth the visit. This is a perfect time for a Caribbean vacation- both in season and your life!

Questions... hmmmm. Are we talking technical, philosophical, hypothetical?? Here are some:
What color is your hair? Yeah that's a weird question, but to be (creepily) honest I had a dream I met you and your husband. You had reddish curly hair in my dream. Am I weird??
I have a ton of "make-you-think" questions, but do we really want to go there??
How about we talk about tattoos!!

I'm glad your Thanksgiving went well after all. I'm so happy you spared yourself the drama, and happy your hubby made the first move on that. He sounds like a sweet guy!

[Lynn]

Ya, I am sooo glad you settled on the cruise. I think you will love it. What's not to love, lots of sleeping and lots of eating!! I have been to all of those ports and they are great, there are some cool tours you can go on. What cruise line are you going with?

Anyhow, since I am fairly new to your site, you may have already told this story. What is your and Charlie's love story? How did you meet, come to be, etc.? Again, if you have already told this story, I apologize in advance.

All the best to you and Charlie!!

Lynn

[Moxie]

So glad you didn't go.

It's almost too bad there aren't meetings for those of us who aren't alcoholics to go to before stressful events.

[dish]

So glad you had an aunt-free Thanksgiving. The last thing anyone needs at the holidays is stress and guess what we all give ourselves in buckets? Funny thing about humans, eh? :-)

I agree with the flying into Ft. Lauderdale thing. You might even find a shuttle between the two airports, or rent a car if needed for the final leg of the journey. A lot of the cheap airlines fly to the "alternate" airports. Glad to hear that you will get some time away to reflect, regroup, and relax.

[Kim]

Cecily-

Great news about Thanksgiving and the cruise!!! I second the sting ray city in Grand Cayman. Make you own arrangements off the cruise ship. It will be cheaper and maybe less crowded. The water in the Caymans is so crystal clear that floating is very easy- especially for us full figured gals.

As for Jamaica, Dunn's river falls is a slipper but very fun climb. It is very close to Ochos Rios Jamaica where most of the ships dock.

When we stayed in Miami, we got a great deal from HotelKingdom.com. January is high season in Miami, but the pools are heated. Flying in early is great, so you won't be freaked out if you have a late plane. Have a fabulous blast on the cruise!

My question is the Charlie/Cec how they met and fell in love too!

[eviered]

I read about your horse experience over on sadandbeautiful. Just wanted to chime and in and agree that horses are very cathartic. Nothing like horses to help with grief processing. I keep several in my pasture for just that purpose!

[Leslie]

I'd have to UNrecommend the Fairfield Inn Miami Airport South. I stayed there once with my mother for a wedding and it was a little icky. Quite inexpensive and near the airport though. I didn't see much of Ft. Lauderdale other than the airport, but I thought Miami was super cool.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Cozumel. Walk around the little downtown and eat at the slightly less touristy places. E-mail vbrito @ cozumel . com . mx (no spaces) and see if he can arrange a day of snorkeling for you. (He's a local divemaster who runs a business out of his house - less expensive than the big operations, but perfectly safe and a very interesting guy.) You won't believe the wonderful things you see. Hope you have a great time and I look forward to reading that post.

I'm glad you decided to go easy on yourselves for Thanksgiving. You deserve it.

My questions for you:

Describe your job and how you got into it.

Tell us more about your pets.

[Emily]

Glad you had a good Thanksgiving and decided not to go. What?! Jon Edwards isn't a sorcerer? Man, have I been delusional, hee hee.

The cruise sounds fun. My husband has always wanted to go on one, but I would need so much dramamine that I wouldn't remember it.

[MOT]

Cecily,

You get 1,000,000 points for listening to your guts and NOT going to the family feast! I wish I could have done that... sometimes, at my folks' house, after the food is eaten and the table cleared, I am just so totally bored. This time I brought Boggle, to have something to do, but after I whupped ass in a few shakes of the cube, no-one wanted to play with me. I guess my victory dancing got on their nerves....

[libby]

Hi,
So glad you did something for yourself on Thanksgiving! Something to be thankful for, that you value yourself enough to not endure the stress of the super christian, super judgemental family. Although I did love the gravy boat image.

And YAY on the cruise! Sounds fabulous. I would fly into Ft. Lauderdale if you can, the Miami airport is quite the shit hole, in my non-humble opinion. Ft. Lauderdale is small and much easier to navigate, and cleaner, as well. I only have been there for work, and they put us up in an expensive place (I work for a travel company), so I wouldn't stay there. You can read reviews of Ft. Lauderdale hotels here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g34227-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida-Hotels.html

[amy]

I too am so very glad to hear you cancelled on the Aunt and did what felt best :) Good for you.
Also delighted to hear you have the trip to look forward to! I always find having something exciting to look forward to helps the mood.

I too would love to hear how you and Charlie met and became a couple. And more about your job in the Art Gallery, sounds like a fantastic position to me.

[Case]

What is your favorite curse word? And had scenario one at Thanksgiving occurred, what would Charlie's favorite word have been?

[Sarah]

Hey...just got a notice from Orbitz, US Airways is having a sale on roundtrip tix to various cities, including Ft. Lauderdale. Must be booked by Dec. 3rd, $164 per person/rount trip.

For those interested in how C and C met and have not read through her blog, she DID post the story, and you can find it here:
http://zia.blogs.com/wastedbirthcontrol/2004/10/the_story.html

[amy]

Thanks for the heads up Sarah :)

[chris]

The cruise sounds great. I hope you have a wonderful time.

I'm glad thanksgiving turned out the way it did. I have to admit that I read "scenario 1" and cringed for you and Charlie.

[Anne]

So glad Thanksgiving went well, why is that the holidays HAVE to be such a stressful time for so many– just a rhetorical question there, I know why I just wish it wasn’t the case (sigh).

I think the cruse sounds wonderful, you’ll get the most bang for you buck that way – get to visit more than one place and you only have to unpack once! I hope you and Charlie have a wonderful time, actually I’m sure you will. There is nothing quite like the ocean to sooth the soul, throw in a few sunsets and some sunny bright days and I’m sure you’ll be able to find some time to smile and feel hope/happiness again.

[mini]

I am interested in moving to possibly Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale from northeast...
Damn these cold winters!!!!!!!

Can you recommend either one and any tips on moving out there???

thank you