A Picture Perfect Mother/Daughter Cruise

 First, you need to play like it's still May. Cause that's when this cruise took place--May 7th to May 14th. If you've been following my blog, disaster began to befall on May 15th, but not during our wonderful week!

We drove to Galveston on Sunday morning and parked right across the street from the huge, beautiful Allure of the Seas. What a treat not to have to fly! Excitement is running high!

Thar she be--just waiting for us!!!

Don't leave us! We can't figure out how to get there!!!

We made it!

Our official Bon Voyage portrait!

Our unofficial selfie by Susan...

The obligatory relaxation pose!

By the greatest of timing, we got this shot of the Port Bolivar ferry traveling back to Galveston as we cruised away. For the first half of my life this was my cruise ship. Riding it multiple times was a highlight of our family's Galveston vacations! I never even imagined cruising on a luxurious floating city like the 

Allure of the Seas!

Now I'm going to admit right up front here that having my own very willing private photographer along was an exciting first for me. I might have gone a little crazy on shopping for a "never   before seen" wardrobe. Susan might have gone a little crazy parading me around the ship from photographer to photographer and "helping" them just a bit with their posing of her mama! I absolutely loved it.

But...Warning: Possible Picture Overload Ahead!

View at Your Own Risk!

Boardwalk and the Aqua Theatre From Above

I'm tellin' ya. This thing is HUGE!

Our cabin was on the 9th deck and had a window which overlooked Central Park and the Rising Tide Bar.

When we first arrived and opened our door, we LOL'd a lot!

It was tiny and had as little storage space as

any room I've ever had! Susan took a video, but I can't talk

videos into appearing on my blog! So here is the hilarious

best still shot I could get from said video!!! 

"My, Linda, what long legs you have!"

Really great spot for people watching!

(That's me watching them, NOT them watching me, I hope!)

Our first meal in the Solarium Bistro!

Yes, we ate like little birds.

Waiting for dinner!

We were pretty excited about the Broadway show aboard the Allure - an uncut version of MAMMA MIA! Susan has played the part of Tanya, and the set was identical! She enjoyed it so much that she went back to see it again later in the week! One of many high points of our trip!

  

And my first professional portrait of the trip!

Susan was hilarious in her "handling" of the photographers.

She would tell me, "Now we'll let them do one or two of their hokey poses, then I'll step in and give them a hand!" Those of you who know Susan, a.k.a. Dolly Levi, will have no trouble believing that. 

We got to the ice skating show very early and got to sit on the front row right by one of the entrances and exits for the performers. And...yes, unobstructed pictures!

Before we left Susan asked if there was any excursion or activity I might like to do since she was going to be with me. The only 

one was "swim" with dolphins. Or maybe, pet a dolphin!

So in the port of Costa Maya, we did just that! A first for me!

It was a very long, hot walk to and from the port. 

We're not the first ship in this picture; we're the second! 

But I made it and got a kiss from a dolphin in the bargain!

I think I'll show you my favorite picture while

you're still with me!

How's this for a hot tub with a view? 

My photographer also brings me ice cream cones!

This outfit was my first purchase for the cruise.

I thought it was so festive and, well...cruisy!

Royal Caribbean has done an amazing job on my recent cruises at placing me with great table mates! This trip was no exception.

We had the best time every night with Sharon and her husband Ron, and their friend, Dale. They were from the Houston area.

As usual we found a "small world" connection. Sharon and Ron's son got married at Christ Chapel in Fort Worth. 

More about Dale later!

The Sunday our cruise ended was Mother's Day.

Susan found this shirt for me in one of the shops on the ship.

I was the only person I saw wearing one, but several asked me

where I got it!

As the week progressed, we discovered that Dale, our table mate, was an expert chess player. I have always been interested in chess, and would especially like to be able to teach the 6th grader I mentor to play if he is interested. There is a lovely table with chess set in Central Park, which is a feature of this class ship.

So Dale set a time for me to meet him for a lesson. 

Dale and I are waiting for the table.

I am clueless.

   Dale had been coaching this young man, too, so he had us
(try to) play each other. I won't be teaching my mentee.
He could probably teach me! But it was fun learning what
little I did!


One more new ensemble...

And my beautiful girl showing me how to pose by the fancy car...

Sharing a cruise with my daughter was just perfection!

She was more like my "lady in waiting." 

Remember our laughs over the small room? No problem!

We got all our overpacking hung in the closet and had 

one (1) drawer each--which was plenty. We went our own 

way some, agreed on keeping our room freezing cold, and

listened to each other's music some! 

We did have to drive home in a torrential downpour,

which might have been a precursor of things to come...

I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation the day after we

returned from this cruise.

Three days later I was in the emergency room 

with pneumonia and remained in the hospital 12 days.

It was miraculous that I did not feel the least bit

ill for the entire week we cruised!

"Thank you, God, for this, another miracle in my life."

Where In The World Has Linda Jane Lynn Stovall Been?

 What? You didn't even know I have been missing?  Well...I have; since May 7, 2023, not a peep from me. My absence began most pleasantly!

My daughter, Susan, and I drove to Galveston on Sunday, May 7th, and set sail on our first mother/daughter cruise! Before I show you pictures of our 7 days of mahvelous adventures, I'm going to tell you about what happened after that.

The day after we returned from our wonderful cruise, I suddenly realized that I was terribly out of breath. It was bad enough that I was in my primary care doctor's office by 3:00 P.M. She did an EKG and diagnosed Atrial Fibrilation. I was able to see a cardiologist the very next day who confirmed the diagnosis and started me on the required medications. 

On Thursday evening, I still felt poorly, so I took my blood pressure. It was okay, but while I was at it I popped my pulse oximeter on my finger, and it was not okay. My blood oxygen saturation level was in the 80's. This is what happened when I had blood clots after my knee replacement. I was scared.

Susan and Rob took me to the Emergency Room at UTSW'n in Dallas. We had already decided that if there were problems with my heart, we wanted to go there for solutions. We arrived a little before 9:00 P.M. and weren't in a room to be seen until 3:05 A.M. But, I was given supplemental oxygen immediately. I had no idea I would keep it for 12 days.

I was diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Failure due to pneumonia, in addition to the AFib. But I had no blood clots! At 5:00 P.M. I was wheeled to a room on the 10th floor of the Clements Building.

Along the way, I met Moxi! I wanted the girls pushing me to stop and back up so I could take a picture, but they didn't accommodate my request! Later I found out that wouldn't have worked. She moves pretty fast.

Later, Susan and I got a video of Moxi which is a hoot, but I can't get it to show up here on my blog. I'll put it on Facebook!

Then when I got to my room, it overlooked the helipad. We got to see several helicopters land, deliver patients, and depart. Susan and I took pictures "to show my boy I mentor," but it was quite exciting to me, too. 

And for 12 days, I had a different view of the sunset.

Still beautiful from any location.

I didn't know when they brought me my bright yellow plaid gown that it identified me as a "fall risk!" 

So one day I decided that I would just get up and do my own thing, not knowing that my chair had an alarm which would sound if I did    so! I found out a fast way to get a lot of attention!

I was so blessed to be able to be in such a caring place and have such loving and pleasant caregivers. I was grateful that they kept me until they were absolutely sure I was ready to be released. I was certainly glad to come home, but the cocoon of safety I felt while I was there  was invaluable.

Now I'm just learning about dealing with AFib!