I did it!!

ANNOUNCING:

I am in the FIRST graduating class of Norwegian Cruise Lines University!! There are 900 of us from the United States and Canada that enrolled in their online course; it's taken about 6-9 months to complete. I graduated March 4th.

AND tonight, I completed my 25 courses necessary to achieve "Commodore" status to graduate from Princess Cruise Line's travel agent program! It's the highest level of cruising expertise with Princess for travel agents/cruise consultants.
Whoo-hoo!!

Also, this past Friday, I've booked another group cruise on Voyager of the Seas for January 31-February 7, 2010 (Galveston, TX). I have 50 cabins ranging from inside to junior suite staterooms; I have ONE family suite that sleeps a maximum of 8 passengers (min. of 5 pax to book this suite -- there are only 2 on the ship!!)

Prices start at $500 per person to $1190 pp. (plus taxes & port charges). (Give me a call for the Family Suite quote.)

I'm also giving $100 onboard ship credit per cabin!

A $50 deposit due April 1st holds a cabin.
Then $450 deposit per cabin along with legal passport names is due on April 15th.
This is fully refundable until Sept. 1st;
at that time another $450 is due with the
final payment due November 15th.

Please spread the word about this amazing cruise with family, friends, coworkers ASAP. Remember, after April 1st, my inventory goes down.

Give me a call if you or anyone you know is interested!
Don't let this awesome opportunity slip by! It's an amazing ship and SO much fun!
The itinerary is great, too (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel).

www.cricketcruise-and-travel.com

February News...

Jim and I (Jan. 26th, 2009)

I keep thinking about our cruise -- a month ago we were spending our last night aboard the ship! It was SO much fun. I'm ready to go somewhere again! Wanderlust is my middle name I think.

Jim in Roatan, Honduras (Jan. 28th) -- such a beautiful island, too.

The Boomers group:
What a fine looking bunch of people!!

DiGiovannis and Hartleys at the Captain's Welcome Back cocktail party (Jan. 26th)

The Shodrocks in Costa Maya, Mexico -- ask him about his Anejo tequila when you see him!! WARNING: he'll start crying!

The LaPoints (Jan. 26th)

The Hewletts (Jan. 26th)

The "Juliets" looking for our "Romeos"!!

And finally -- our entire cruise group (less one couple who left earlier):


I would love to repeat a cruise with this great bunch of people next year.
Everyone was wonderful and a delight to work with. The last night onboard during dinner, I was sent a dozen pink roses and a bottle of wine from 2 of our couples!! Whoo-hoo! That was the ultimate "thank you"!

~~~~~~~~
I've been at J-Me's for 2.5 weeks now babysitting. Their babysitter had her baby 2 weeks ago (a little boy). JC has been sick for almost 4 weeks now -- temperature, some diarrhea, sneezing, congested chest and nose, and a horrible cough. Everything's fine now except the cough has stubbornly hung on. She sure hated the "booger sucker" coming at her!

Then J-Me got sick -- she thinks she had the flu (it was very short-lived). And Jim got sick -- began with sneezing, a temp, chest and nasal congestion -- exact symptoms as JC's. He's been trying to get over it for 2 weeks now, too. JR-son and I haven't been "blessed" yet -- and I pray that we're not!

During the first week at their house, I apparently turned, twisted, lifted, or did something, incorrectly -- I don't remember ever experiencing pain like I've had for the past week. I think picking JC up or putting her down from a standing position to the floor may have spurred this pain on (my fault). I didn't sleep well either because it hurt to move; no position was comfortable (and I missed my own bed and pillow). J-Me took pity on me Thursday and contacted her friend's mother. Beginning this next week, this woman will come to their house and keep the baby during the day. She and I will alternate weeks. So, I have this week "off." This way, I'll be able to get things accomplished at my house that I can't do on the weekends.

An-G and I went to our Ladies Luncheon on Friday and took JC with us. We showed her off! All the ladies couldn't get over how beautiful she is and how good she was at the restaurant. She is a precious child for sure! We all love her so very, very much.

I Believe...

A birth certificate show that we were born. A death certificate shows that we died. Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly . . .

I Believe...
That just because two people argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what ou've learned from them...and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you...you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life...

Love to all of you, LeAnne and Jim

Newsy News

Lots has happened this past month.

The adoption finalization took place and JC's all ours. The judge's courtroom was awash with stuffed animals and childrens books set up all over the courtroom. Every family got to choose an animal and book when their finalization was over. Then everyone went into the jury deliberation room for punch and cookies. It was really, really very special. Even grandparents came before the judge, raised our right hands and swore to love our babies for the rest of our lives.

Two days later, we left for our group cruise: 56 people. There were people who didn't know each other, but everyone enjoyed meeting the others. We held "court" at the Pig & Whistle Pub on the ship! We had such a wonderful time. The food was amazing, the service was awesome (our waiter would announce dessert by saying "It's yummy yummy time!"), and the entertainment was fantastic. The first night had a comedienne who was absolutely hilarious -- with a "clean" act. Our ports-of-call were wonderful, too. The Honduras is absolutely breathtaking -- our excursion took us completely around the island. We also went to "The Castle" where they carve cameos. They were gorgeous. The president of Honduras came aboard our ship for a luncheon with our captain, so the ship left an hour later than scheduled. That was nice, 'cause everyone was able to stay longer on the island. We also liked Costa Maya, Mexico. There are 2 salt water swimming pools for all guests to enjoy right near the pier. We got a little sunburned that day. Cozumel is, well, still Cozumel. I've been there so many times since 1994, that it's difficult to get excited about the place. I will say though, it's changed & grown in just the 3 years since I've been there.

And finally, Jim had his surgery this past Tuesday. It was a 4 hour procedure, and he had an allergic reaction to the dye which was used to see if the kidneys, ureters, and bladder were working. Blood pressure & respiration plummeted, but the doctors got him back to the living! When his surgeon came out to speak to me, he told me that in his 23 years of surgery and 3,000 patients, this was the first time this has ever happened to him! Once Jim got to his room, he was up walking later that evening. He would have been discharged the next day, but he felt he should stay one more day to make sure everything was going well. So I brought him to J-Me's on Thursday to spend the night with them. Then we came home on Friday. He's had no pain, just a sore abdomen (like someone punched him), and is getting around well -- slowly and carefully. He goes back to the doctor on Tuesday for a cystogram and then hopefully the Foley will be removed. The final pathology will not be for about 6 weeks. At that time the doctor will be able to either pronounce him cancer free or not. I do want to say many heartfelt thanks to everyone for your calls, prayers and well wishes. We appreciate them so much!

TWO Teeth!!

Received a late night phone call from J-Me on Thursday -- her 8-mo. pregnant babysitter was in the ER and wasn't sure if her doctor would keep her overnight for observation (unrelated to her baby). So Jim went to J-Me's to babysit Friday morning until I could get there at noon to relieve him. I had 2 morning appointments and didn't want to cancel them, and he had a friend coming over in the afternoon, so it all worked out.

JC played all day with us...loved sitting in her play thing-a-ma-jiggy and making things spin, sing, and light up. She didn't get much napping done with either Pawpaw or Nani! She's so precious! And such a good, good baby.

I spoke to J-Me this morning and she said JC spent the night in her own room and bed last night! They've got an audio monitor & video camera set up and can see her on the TV monitor in their bedroom. She said JC slept all night and did really well. I asked how THEY did -- she said "alright". The TV was too bright and lit up the room keeping them awake. I'm sure nervousness & worry played a large part, too.

Jim and I might get to keep JC for 5-6 days in May. Her mommy & daddy might be flying to Wyoming for business, and she wouldn't be able to go along. JC's other grandparents will be going with them, too. Oh what FUN Jim and I will have!!!

We leave in 1 week on our cruise. 56 people going!! I hope everything goes well. I'm anxious to meet some of these people who've I've spoken to on the phone for the past 4 months.

First tooth!!

Our sweet baby girl cut her first tooth the day Pawpaw took her and her mommy to the photographer's studio for Christmas photos! He came home that night and told me. When they came for Christmas Eve, I got to see -- and feel (that sucker's SHARP!).

She is such a sweet baby! So good-natured. I'm sure the "terribles" are around the bend somewhere.

Everyone took me out to eat at Outback Steakhouse for my b-day. It was nice and I was stuffed! Way too much food for one person to eat, but I did my darndest to make a happy plate.

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A Wonderful Christmas

What a wonderful first Christmas with our precious granddaughter. She's 5 months old and just got her first tooth the day before Christmas!

Jim took J-Me and JC to a portrait studio on the 23rd for them to have a surprise portrait made for JRson. She gave us several different sizes of the different poses. They're wonderful. I need to have them framed and hung.

We went to J-Me's in-laws for Christmas dinner. It was fabulous -- lots and lots of food and desserts. After dinner, we relaxed awhile, then more family came over and we had 2 tables of cards going on: Onze (spelling?? Supposed to be French for "eleven"). I'm not a card player, but I definitely enjoyed this game.

Jim and I went shopping on Friday to Stein Mart ... hit their post-Christmas sale. I got a BUNCH of new clothes (jackets, pants, tops) for $79!! His bill came to almost $300 -- none of his stuff was on sale! Go figure! Then we went back on Saturday because when we returned home, I checked my emails and discovered Stein Mart had sent me an email with their class action lawsuit discount on purchases. Everything was "returned" and repurchased = savings of $60!! Definitely worth the trip back. Normally, Jim would have told me I'd waste more $$ driving back and going through the hassle of returning items, but he had to agree, $60 is $60. What irritated me is that I'd never gotten the email before even though this discount began November 3rd. Oh well, it's done now!

The group cruise I've got booked for January 25th had suffered 2 cancellations...one client is in cardiac intensive care, the other client cancelled due to declining health of her mother-in-law. For now I've released one cabin back to RCCLs inventory, but the other cabin I'm holding on to for a couple days desperately trying to find someone who could go with us. I have to give up this price -- it's $700 below RCCLs price: $1328.26 for 2 people and then a $50 onboard ship credit from me. That's $91 per person per day (7 days) for all the food, fun & entertainment you can stand!! Pass the word -- but let me know ASAP -- I can't hold onto this much longer.

Love to all,
LeAnne