At the end of the day, I intended to leave school as quickly as possible. However, the Head of Academics came into my room right after school and said ‘Are you ready?’ Then I remembered I had a science meeting. Ugh! So after the science meeting we flew out of school. We went to get Jack’s fountain pen. He had earned his ‘Pen License’ at school, which meant now he could write in pen in his exercise books. The kids were hungry so I got them McDonalds, but made them promise they would eat the dinner Stuart was preparing for our Christmas meal with our family away from family, Sean, Carly, Cathy and Claire.
When we got home, the kids made their gingerbread houses Elfvis had brought them.
Cathy came over to help.
Jack was focused. Millie was not.
Final product.
Christmas dinner with our family away from family.
Monday I had most of the day off. I did my best to finish marking my books and getting my lesson plans on the google drive for the first week of next term. It seems I have too much to do in the time I have left.
We didn’t have a staff meeting after school on Tuesday so Millie, Cathy and I headed to get pedis.
Millie looks thrilled doesn’t she?
When we got home Stuart had made soup out of our roast dinner we had eaten the night before. It was delightful. We ended up watching Die Hard as we had discussed it the previous evening and Cathy had never seen it. Stuart and I started falling asleep so Cathy took that as her cue to leave.
School on Tuesday was long and drawn out. We had play rehearsal, so that made the time fly by a bit. At the end of the day I was told not to worry about getting my plans for Term 2 on the system before the first day back. It’s a good thing because I wouldn’t have had them finished any way.
When the kids and I got home, they both changed and Millie and I started putting away all of her little bitty items. She had packed her back pack for the Australia flight. When Stuart and I went through it we discovered there were a few things in there she might not need. This girl is a total pack rat.
Doesn’t everyone need a recorder on their plane journey?
After the back pack incident, we went up to the loft and into her room to sort out all the little toys she had scattered around and placed them into drawers. She has WAY too much crap!
We then headed to the rugby club for Jack’s last touch rugby match of the season. It turns out that one of the teams that played after his team did the previous week actually had less total points than the Oreos, so the Oreos ended up in the playoffs. They ended up winning their match. They were also awarded the Most Improved Team medals. They were so thrilled.
Jack received his medal with pride.
The team was elated with their medals.
We ended up eating at the club and then got home around 8:30 pm. Getting the kids showered and in bed was a feat in and of itself. They were so excited about their upcoming trip. We still had a bit to do before leaving, but would sort all of that out before Wednesday evening.
Wednesday morning we got up and found no Elfvis in the house. I asked Stuart if he had written a note to the kids from Elfvis explaining why he wasn’t there and that he had to head to Australia to meet us? Nope. So I wrote a note and insisted Stuart tell the kids he had found the note upstairs left by Elfvis.
We actually arrived at school on Wednesday at 7:01 am. We were late! I had so many things to do that morning that I couldn’t possibly make it to school before 7 am. The day seemed to drag on and on. My Lost Boys and Girls in our Year 2 play learned to sing and dance to one of our songs. They were awesome.
We had parent share afternoon where the kids were able to share their work with the parents. I was allowed to go to my own children’s classrooms and see their books. It was so fun. I do love being at the same school as my kids.
At the end of the day we headed home. I stopped and had Jack’s hair cut, which was cute, but I forgot to take a picture. We then went home and everyone showered. We finalized packing and our house sitter showed up around 5 pm. Cathy came to take us to the airport around 6 pm. When we arrived at the airport, Stuart and the kids were able to check in immediately, but I was told I wouldn’t be able to drop my bag until 10 pm. That meant Stuart and the kids would need to go through security and I would need to wait two hours until I could go through security. Lovely!
Millie cried and cried when she realized what was happening. She has not had this reaction until just recently. It kind of warms my heart. Jack was brave and tried not to show his emotions. I was a wreck, as you would guess. They got through security and I was on the other side at Burger King.
My dinner.
Their dinner. As you can see, it took her just a bit of time to get over our parting. I think this was a whole 20 minutes after they were through security.
By the time I could drop my bag, they were on the plane. I did get moved to a bulk head seat, although I tried my hardest to get upgraded to business class. That 16 hour flight to Miami might not be the most fun I’ve ever had. At any rate, I felt I got a better seat when I dropped my bag.
I went through security and did a little duty free shopping. I then headed to the Marhaba lounge for a few hours before I got onto the flight. Once I was at the gate, I made one last plea for an upgrade. Unfortunately it was a no go. Oh well, a girl can’t be faulted for asking. I was, however, glad I had moved to the bulk head seat. I sat on the aisle and there was plenty of room. Since the flight was 16 hours, it was vital I didn’t feel claustrophobic.
I watched a few movies, dozed in and out of sleep, and tried not to think about how long the flight was. I got up several times to use the toilet. It was a bit unnerving that of the 6 toilets in economy, only three of them were in service. I never peed myself waiting, so I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal.
I could bite you with useless details of the flight and how there were some sitting around me that forgot to take a shower or use deodorant before getting on this epic journey, but I’ll spare you. We landed in Miami about 30 minutes before we were scheduled. I went straight to customs and then was waiting at baggage claim forever because their belt wasn’t working properly. After about 30 minutes, I finally got my bag. I headed to the exit and asked ground transport how to get to South Beach, where we were staying. The guy at the counter told me the cheapest way was to go to the airport shuttle just down from the taxi stand. He didn’t, however, tell me that was the longest wait to get to South Beach. I was at the hotel, finally, just before noon.
I was so excited to see Lou and Zoe and we all screamed a little. We headed out to lunch and Lou told me of Stuart and the kids’ travel woes. It seems the weather was so bad in Sydney they had to be diverted to Brisbane. It caused them to get into Sydney about 5 hours after their intended arrival. When I was able to message Stuart he said they were a little tired but weren’t too bad. He said Jack had slept about 6 hours on the flight and Millie had slept 9 hours on the flight. He also said they both slept through the night once they arrived in Sydney. Oh, and Elfvis made it there as well.
And left them a little note.
We headed to lunch just after I got a little settled. This was my view from across the lunch table.
Not sure she could be more precious.
Lunch was just nachos and a sangria. After we ate we headed down the road to look around. Lou’s group of dancers had been delayed in Los Angeles and wouldn’t be in until around 9 pm, although they were originally due in around 4 pm. She said they would be disappointed as they wanted to have a little more time in Miami.
We did a bit of shopping and then headed back to the hotel for a swim. I was going to have to do something as to not go to sleep. My clock is likely to be totally whacked out of shape these three weeks off.
Little punkin’ in her suit.
The swim was totally refreshing.
This was the view from our room. Glorious! And when the sliding glass door was open, you could just hear the waves hitting the shore and the seagulls flying overhead. It’s a phenomenal sound that I can never get enough of. The weather was perfect and the scenery gorgeous.
And then Stuart sent this picture of the view from his brother’s house. They live right on the river and the view is just as stunning as the one I have in South Beach.
After our swim and spa time, we came upstairs and had a shower. By the time the three of us were ready for some dinner it was about 5:30 pm. I was hanging in there and wasn’t terribly tired, which thrilled me. We ended up having dinner at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. It was delicious. We were back in the room around 7:30 pm and I was wiped. Louise still had to wait up for her group, who would arrive around 10:30 pm. I kept Zoe asleep while Lou sorted out the rooms and tipped the porters. I can’t remember the time she came back to the room, but it was well after midnight.
This was what the Australian crew were doing while we ate and slept.
The curtains in our room were left open in the room. So on Friday morning I was awake just after 6:30 am. I just checked email and looked at Facebook.
Zoe and Lou were up around 7. We piddled around the room for a bit. Lou has to sort out some stuff for the cruise the following day. So after breakfast at Starbucks, Zoe and I went for a walk. We did some shopping at CVS and then headed back to meet Louise around 11 am. We had some chips and a drink at the cantina and then caught an Uber to Little Havana. It was such a cool experience. We visited a cigar making shop and had empanadas at a local cafe.
The large cigar by the no so large American Indian.
Domino Park, where old men go to play dominos and smoke cigars.
The chickens in Little Havana are similar to the painted cows in Chicago. They are purely artwork. What an amazing culture this little area respresents.
Back to the hotel we went around 3 pm. We headed to the pool where some of the dancers from Louise’s tour were. They took over babysitting, which was great, and Lou and I just chilled by the pool. We then took a walk down to the beach for a bit. It wasn’t long until sunset so the beach cabanas were breaking down their set-up.
We weren’t close enough to the water to build a proper sand castle, but Zoe didn’t care.
The beach and the billowing clouds.
There goes a ship out into the sea. That ship is about half the size of the Symphony of the Sea. I’m so excited!
Back up to the room we went for a shower. Louise has told me that there would be no iron on the boat. She suggested if I wanted anything ironed I did it before we boarded tomorrow. I’m not one that typically irons clothes. Usually I buy things that don’t require it. But, I got an itch and ironed nearly everything in my case. I may have ironed more in those 20 minutes than I have in the last 20 years.
We walked down Ocean Blvd and found a place called Salt where we ate dinner. We had chicken lollipops, lobster roll and a caprese salad. We shared it all and it was delish! We then took a bit of a walk to work off some of the dinner. We stopped at Walgreens for nappies (diapers) and then shopped at Victoria’s Secret and Zara. I am happy to report I only bought a little bottle of perfume at Zara’s for $5.90 ($6.21 after taxes). I am not a fan of the whole tax thing. Just add the tax in and let the price be what it is and what I have to pay.
We returned to the room to complete our packing. Lou repacked so that on the boat she would not need to open more than one suit case. Zoe has difficulty going to sleep, which is understandable. She is cracking me up on a daily basis. As a mom, my own daughter does the same ornery things and it just fires me up. But I do now understand why other people think she’s so funny, because she is! Zoe is the same way. She’s such a little actress. Her facial expressions are spot on depending on what mood or attitude she is trying to convey. As I have always said, a child like that is a bit challenging to raise, but the world will never throw anything st them they can’t handle. She will be an awesome adult!!!!! I fear, just a bit, letting Millie and Zoe around each other. Ha!
I woke up around 5:30 am and messaged Stuart. Because I know how expensive the internet will be on the ship, I resigned myself to not having it. And to be honest, when you are on the largest cruise ship in the world, who needs internet? I left the room and headed to the lobby to FaceTime Stuart and the kids. They had been out shopping for Christmas presents during the day and were getting ready to go to bed. We had a good chat and the kids seemed perfectly content with their cousins, Uncle Daisy and their dad. I think what makes it easier for me now is that they are with Stuart and being occupied by their cousins.
This was the photo they took right before going to bed. So cute!
After our chat, I got to Starbucks to quite possibly have my last peppermint mocha latte of the year. I sat at Starbucks and caught up on this blog. I also decided, since I won’t have internet, that my blog will conclude at this point and the next blog I post will be from Saturday, December 15 to Saturday, December 22, or maybe even Monday, December 24. It will be a bit more random since time zones and internet will be sketchy. But because it’s the holidays, I know my faithful readers will understand. So I bid you a farewell. The next posts you see will be of the incredible cruise!!!!
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