3 Sisters 7 Days

One of my favorite contemporary writers is my daughter, Reiley, who recently had to write about a “trip.” What follows is HER version of our Mexican Riviera cruise last fall. I know it’s long, but SO worth it .

Last October my mom told us that my brothers and I would all be going on a cruise to Mexico. She also told us that our aunt Jeanna, aunt Terri, grandpa, and Nancy would be coming too.  We were all so excited because we had never been on a cruise.

The day before the cruise, we picked up our aunt Terri at the airport in Ontario. After we picked her up, we headed home to start packing. As soon as we got home, my older brother Quentin and I got down suitcases or duffle bags from the rafters in the garage. Then, because we hadn’t used them in awhile, we had to clean them. Actually, my little brother Parker cleaned them while we get our clothes and other stuff we needed for our weeklong trip. As soon as all of the bags were dry, we packed. My mom and aunt still hadn’t packed. Because my mom and aunt weren’t done packing , we had to watch my little sister Olivia and make dinner. After dinner, I went back upstairs because I noticed my bag was too heavy, so I had to take stuff out. Then finally we were all done packing and we went to bed at 10:00p.m.

On the morning of he cruise we had to wake up at 6:00 am. I was so so excited! Finally it was the day of the cruise. We ate breakfast. We all had a fast breakfast. While we were eating, my dad packed up all of he bags in the back of our car. In total,  there were more than 10 bags. On the way to the , my brothers and I played our DS’s and my older brother and I listened to his Ipod. Before we got to the port, we had to go pick up my aunt Jeanna at a parking lot a few streets up. When we got there, it was only about 10:00 am. and  everybody was getting off the boats so we had to turn around. My mom got some fries at Jack in the Box while we waited. Then my grandpa called us asked us where we were. We said we had to wait because people were getting off the ship. He said just tell them that you have to pick up someone and it worked.

Right before my dad dropped us off, my brother reminded us to get our swimsuits because our bags wouldn’t get to our rooms right away and we wanted to swim. When my dad dropped us off, there was this guy picking up luggage. We didn’t know if we should give it to him because there were other ships and he could be taking them to a different ship. We asked our grandpa and he said to give them to the luggage guy and tell him what ship to take them to.

When we saw how long the check in line, was we thought it would take forever, but it didn’t. My older brother stood in line, then I did, then we all did. We finally got to the front of the line. All we had to do was show them a paper, then we got to the check in. At the check in, they had to take a picture of you. The only way we got to have two rooms is that we told them that my two aunts and I would be sharing a room and my mom and brothers would be sharing another room. The reason we did that is because there has to be at least one adult in each room. But the adults were actually going to share a room and we kids were going to share a room. When they gave us our boarding cards, one of the corners got cut off so we could not have alcohol. My brother thought it was unfair because I had the only card to our room (his card actually opened my mom and aunts’ room). After that, we went through security. Then we got on a bridge that goes across the ocean a few feet. Then we are finally on the boat.

When we got on to the boat, I was so excited. My mom said each one of us had to have a buddy. My brother Quentin got my aunt Terri, and my brother Parker got my mom, and I got my aunt Jeanna. The boat was really huge. The first thing we had to do was to look for my grandpa and Nancy. We found him. His cabin was on the 12th deck out of 14. When we saw them, my brothers and I dropped our backpacks with them, and then we asked where the food was and got some lunch. After we were done with lunch, our grandpa told us that there is free ice cream on the ship. So we went to go get some, and then we went back to where we got lunch and there was even more ice cream!The cool thing is that we got to bring all of our dishes to our cabin\room and the stewards would pick them up.

After we came back from getting ice cream, we asked our mom if we could go swimming she let us only if our grandpa would to watch us. Our grandpa said, “Yes.” My mom and aunts went to go get a membership at the spa. So we went to get our swimsuits on in the bathroom. The girls’ bathroom is on the side with the ocean and the guys’ wasn’t. HA HA. We only went swimming for about a half hour because my grandpa had to go somewhere. When we got out, my older brother and I noticed that there was current. The water in the pool was from the ocean but it was clean. By the time we got out it was about 2:00 pm.

We saw our aunts on the way down stairs to our floor: the 5th floor. We followed my aunts to their room. In the room, my mom was resting because at 3:00 we had a life jacket drill. After they told us that, we wanted to see our room, so we did. There were three beds. One of the beds was just a normal bed with no bunk. I got to sleep on that one. And my two brothers shared the bunk bed. There was a small closet, some dressers, a coffee pot, and the bathroom was really small.
After the drill, my mom wanted us to go to Versailles. All of the restraunts besides 2 of them were all free. After the lifeboat drill, we went dinner and my aunt Terri asked us “Don’t you feel the boat rocking?” After she said that, we all started to get dizzy and had to take motion sickness pills. Then my grandpa said, “If you go inside of the bathroom you can see the toilet water moving.”

Every day on the ship, we did the same things. We played in the pool, went to see our mom and aunts at the spa, and ate a lot (especially ice cream).  Also, every night there were two shows and some activities. Some people slept during the day and were up at night. We went to bed at 10:00pm. My little brother got scared, so he slept with my mom and aunts in their room for the week. The stewards brought a pull out bed for him to sleep on.

On the last day, we got off the ship. We could get off any time between 7:00am and 1:00pm. We got off at 8:00am. It was freezing. We got breakfast before we got off the ship. I took 5 packets of hot chocolate and 10 whole grain muffins. After we ate, we went back to our rooms to pack. Then our mom and aunts came to our room to make sure we didn’t leave anything. Then we had to stand in a line that was from the 5th story to the 6th floor. Nobody offered to help with my extremely heavy bag that everyone put their stuff in because there was room. Finally, we got to the top.  I made it because some guy helped me with my bag. Then my aunt Terri got stuck so they wouldn’t let her off the boat. I did not know why. So she gave me her bag. Another heavy bag. Great! I really needed that. I mean my bag was already heavy enough. We had to show a lady our passport and paperwork. Because I was the last one out of our little group, my mom had to wait for me and show the lady my passport. Also, my mom took my aunt’s bag for me (thank goodness).

When we got to the little waiting area, we saw a baby owl. My mom let us use her camera to take pictures. While we were waiting,  my aunts got really hungry. They asked when my dad was going to get there because they wanted starbucks. Then I told them about my muffins.  So then they started to yell at me because they wanted them. So I gave 1 to everyone  and then I had 5 left. After we were done eating, my dad was still not there, so I took more pictures and I rested on my suitcase.

Finally, my dad was there. He packed up our stuff in the back of the car. I still wish I could go on another cruise because there were a lot of things I couldn’t do because my brothers wouldn’t let me. Last, on the way home, we told my dad every thing.

Okay, I’ve finally gone over the dark side. I bought a crock pot, and – yikes! – cook dinner regularly, and there’s even meat sometimes.

Why? Although I remain content on a diet of pasta, salads, or some variation on bread, cheese, and veggies with a trip out for pizza or Mexican now and again, my children have become increasingly “bored” and all too vocal about it. (And, I have to admit, it’s getting really expensive to take them “out” to eat.)

My entre into domesticity was made easier once I started shopping for a crock pot large enough to feed the family and provide left overs for lunches or a second meal. I honestly intended to pick up one at Costco or Target, and nearly bought a “cute” KitchenAide. Unfortunately, the 7-quart beauty has persistent problems with its liners, so I was forced to keep looking (Review of All-Clad 99009).

It wasn’t long before I found it: the All-Clad 99009 6.5-Quart Slow Cooker:

It works as well as it looks. Indeed, I couldn’t wait to use it, so we cooked what we could find in the pantry and freezer – chicken and beans for street tacos, suburban Riverside style. I used a recipe for “chicken and black beans” I’d copied earlier from one of the gourmet crock pot (yeah, who knew?) books I’d looked at earlier at Barnes and Noble:

Chicken (recipe called for 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts; I used 8 thighs)

Black Beans (recipe called for 1 14oz can; I used two)

Diced tomatoes (1 14oz can)

Taco seasoning (recipe called for 1/2 package; I used “plenty” from our shaker)

Spread beans evenly over bottom of crock pot. Lay chicken pieces on top of beans. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Pour tomatoes and juice over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Yes, that’s it! I made Spanish rice and guacamole, chopped an onion and some cilantro, warmed the tortillas, and we were ready to go. The kids LOVED it.

Next up: roast.

Who would have guessed that an evening out would leave me feeling so far behind the technological curve?

My loving spouse and I went to see one of his friends from (Torrance) high school (http://www.torrancehigh.com/) play in a band. (HE quit work as a successful attorney to live by the beach and “be” a musician – yeah, I’m jealous – but THAT’S another story.), and practially EVERYONE but us is on Facebook. Although I study information and communication technologies (ICTs) and am in the process of developing a social networking site, I’ve resisted Facebook. I honestly didn’t think that I’d find ANYONE I know there.

And I was almost entirely right.

Thinking that just maybe the handful of people from high school and college that I’d lost track of might be on Facebook, I joined this afternoon and started searching. Although I didn’t find a single person I was actually looking for, I did stumble upon others who I’ve thought about over the years but never had a current address or phone number for. I sent each of them a message and am eager to find out what happens next.

Meanwhile I can’t help wondering…Are my friends and acquaintances just way behind the technological curve? Or are we all just much too cool to bother?

My career has taken a few turns lately.

I ended “full time” work in September to pursue better opportunities.  Little did I know that the marketing/advertising world was going to take a plunge and unemployment was going to rise to a whole new level.  Yet, since I have been able to run my day as I please I have been so happy.  I have been working part time since November; pay hasn’t been great but the free time has been marvelous.  There has definitely been a learning curve these past few months trying to figure out where I fit in most…

Since I have taken some time off, I have gained ownership over “my time.” I am more powerful than I was just six months ago.  Any job or position I take has got to work into my lifestyle.  I am no longer going to give up all my morning walks/runs with Sammy; I am no longer going to push away the things that matter on a daily basis.

Most of you know how work takes up a majority of your life, and in the end your homelife takes a beating.  You have trouble finding your grounding and it seems you are always in a hurry.  I thought, at one point, that life was supposed to be rushed and that if you are busy all the time, then you must be successful.  Not true at all. I feel quite successful now working between 20-30 hours for the chiropractor, training and raising money for LLS, and growing our 3sisters7days business.  I don’t have to work in an office from 8-5 for someone else to be fulfilled.

Right now, I work Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday with an occasional Friday/weekend.  Not too bad and I was able to get that schedule because I refused to jeopardize my home life in order to grow someone else’s business.  The chiropractor and I came to terms with a schedule that will work for the both of us.

I do have to sacrifice just a bit…Today I have to go to an HBA Home & Garden Show, set up our booth, and do spinal screenings. Carrying around collapsible tables and sandwich boards is not really my cup of tea, but I have to give a little get a lot. Maz keeps reminding me that it’s a pay check and she is paying me no matter what I do. Maz has a been a huge support – both financially and emotionally – while I figure my career goals out.

I wonder with the high unemployment rate how many people are going to realize how important time really is?