Merry Christmas!

I guess I need to do an update, I just realized my last post was in May!

We’re still on the Gate Guard site where we moved last May, just North of Tilden, TX.  It’s been a busy gate, up to 5 Drill Rigs at one time.  Now we just have one Drill Rig left here, but we’ve had Frac Crews, Coil Tubing Crews, Flowback Crews and all the normal tankers and maintenance guys in & out daily.

We still have Cameron working here 7am – 3pm.  It’s great to have help and a few hours off together every day.   The summer really wasn’t too bad.  We did have a few unwelcome visitors here.  Here’s Cameron with the biggest of the 3 Rattlesnakes we killed.

In August we welcomed a new member of the family.  One of the other gate guards posted, on our Facebook group page, that she had taken a puppy from a lady giving her away at Walmart.  Pat promised to find her a home.  When we saw the picture, we had to go see her….and brought her home.  Lucy took over our hearts, and the household, very quickly.  She’s about 2 years old and is very energetic and playful.

The three of them have become great friends

 

We just returned from a 7 night Caribbean Cruise last week.  We took off on Dec 14th and drove to Galveston.  Checked the dogs into Bonevoyage Pet Resort, and boarded The Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas.  

Here’s a quick rundown of the week…

Dec 15 - Boarded the ship and went to the Plaza Bar for a glass of wine…Yes, we finally made it!

Booked Acupuncture & Exotic Rasul appt for tomorrow @ spa.
Had a great dinner and were exhausted and ready for bed @ 8:30…we took this cruise to rest! 

We had a great cabin with a balcony on the back of the ship.

Day 2 At Sea – Had coffee delivered to the room, then breakfast in the dining room.  Went to the acupuncture appointments.  We both had back pain treatment and it did help relieve the pain.  It was our first experience with acupuncture.  
Went to lunch and was told sushi was only available from 6-9 pm, no sushi @ lunch....huge disappointment.
Went back to spa for our 3:00 Exotic Rasul.  This is well worth the cost, a one hour, private steam room & shower for two with body scrubs and clay masks ~ Highly Recommend
Dinner in the dining room, good food friendly staff, and we enjoy our table mates.  Laura & Valdimar from Katy, TX and Bruce & Carolyn from Waco, TX.

Went to the theater for the “Ballroom Dance Show".  It was pretty cheesy and we left after 4 numbers.  Had a great nights sleep 9+ hours

Day 3 at sea
Went to breakfast in the windjammer cafe.  Back to the room to relax, it's warm but raining today.  Had a light snack, tomato & mozzarella sandwich then went to the theater for a Ballroom dance lesson.  It was an hour long dance class....pretty good, for a quick basic waltz class.
Played some roulette at the casino & had a peach martini, John had a pomegranate martini.  Had dinner at Chops, one of the two specialty restaurants... Used our coupon, so we didn't have to pay the additional fee.  Food was awesome...we both had halibut for the entree.
Hit the hot tub for a little while then sat out on the deck enjoying the warm night air.

Day 4 - it was raining as we pull in to dock at Roatan, Honduras.

It stopped raining shortly after we docked.  We had breakfast in the dining room then walked off the ship. Browsed the shops then got a taxi for a tour of the island.  Pleasant driver took us around and showed us island sights with a couple stops to walk around, sightsee, & visit local shops.  It’s a lush tropical island, mostly poor with some very luxurious vacation homes in private beach areas.  This was a dance group at the pier to greet us when we got off the ship.

Came back to the ship for lunch.  Changed and went to the pool for an hour or so.  Cleaned up, then went down to one of the bars for a 4:00 Martini Tasting.
Dinner in the dining room, then a great Ice Dancing show at the ice arena.

Day 5 Belize
Woke up to a rainy day.  This is a tendered port, so it's a 20 minute ferry boat ride from the ship to the port.  We decided to skip going into port.  Went to breakfast up in the cafe then back to the room to read and relax.
Walked around and explored the upper decks of the ship, had lunch, took a nap then went to dinner.
Went to the theater for the show which was The Drifters performing.  Great show... They did their greatest hits...Under the Boardwalk, There goes my baby, Save the last dance for me, Up on the roof, This Magic Moment.

Wandered around spent a little money in the casino and checked out some of the other entertainment in the different bars, then off to bed around 11:00

Day 6 Cozumel Mexico - Our 7th Anniversary
Up @ 6:30.  Beautiful hot sunny day.  Room service delivered the breakfast we ordered last night.  Had breakfast while getting dressed.    Got off the ship before 8:00 am and caught a taxi to town.  Bought a couple souvenirs and took a taxi back to the pier.
Back on the ship by 10,  grabbed a snack and went to the pool...back to the room for an afternoon nap.  Had martini's and cheese plates while we got dressed for the formal dinner.  Had another wonderful dinner with our table mates and Auren,  our waitress even sang to us for our Anniversary. 

When we went back to the room to change, Mary, our room attendant had made a pair of swans forming a heart out of towels on our bed.
  
Day 7 At Sea
Lazy morning, had coffee delivered then John went to breakfast and brought mine back to the room.  We went out to watch the flying fish then back to the room to begin packing.  We signed up for self-assisted departure, so we can get off as early as possible once we dock.
Went to Johnny Rockets on the upper deck for lunch.   It’s a fun diner kind of place and the staff all gathers up to dance and perform when certain songs are played.

Walked around the outside of the upper decks enjoying the sun & warmth.  Bought a couple T-shirts @ the $10 sale.
Had dinner then went to the farewell show.  They had a Russian gymnast couple perform an amazing show.

Had a wonderful time, but missed the dogs terribly.

We docked and had a quick departure from the ship, picked up the dogs and were on our way home by 9:30am.  We got back to our gate, relieved Cameron & his brother, and went right back to work.

Today has been busier than expected for Christmas Day, but we enjoy passing out Christmas candy bags to the drivers and crew. 

Wishing Everyone A Wonderful New Year Filled With Love, Peace & Prosperity!