The Adventures of Jim...

An Unexpected Gift

As I write this post, we are just entering the Christmas season.  Decorations are going up, holiday music is being played, and people are beginning to shop for presents that they will give to loved ones or friends.

I really enjoy the Christmas season.  I enjoy the decorations (as long as they are within reason), I really like Christmas music (that which is hip, not that which is lame/cheesy), and I enjoy the anticipation of seeing someone open a gift that I've gotten them.

But, there is something to be said for receiving gifts also; especially those which you don't expect.

In the mail today, I received a letter from American Airlines.  Given that I live in the Dallas area, which just happens to be the hub for American, I can normally fly anywhere in the country on a non-stop flight.  Thus, I fly with them most often, and I've frequently qualified for a level of their frequent flyer program (AAdvantage).  There have been cases, however, when...because of cost or flight schedules...I have flown other airlines.  When that happens the number of AAdvantage miles I accumulate falls below the necessary threshold, and I've lost that status.

Why is that important?  Well, the letter I received today informed me that I had once again qualified for an AAdvantage benefits.  At first I wasn't sure how beneficial a deal this is, until I read the following in the letter:  "enjoy the newest perks such as ...and waived fees for your first and second checked bags".  Previously, that meant I had to pay the ridiculous charge for bags that American levied.  That rang up to $100 for each round trip.  (Question to American...you started the baggage charges when fuel prices spiked a couple of years ago.  Those prices have since subsided...so what gives that you are not only sticking with the baggage charges, but RAISING them?!?!?!)  Those who know me well are aware of my pride in having "a genetically acquired, agressively frugal streak", so they know how much I dislike paying for than I have to for anything.

The fact that I will now not have to pay those charges is significant.  Over the course of the next year or two, that will save me multiple thousands of dollars. And THAT...is an unexpected gift that I (and my bank account) will greatly appreciate.  And yes...I am doing a 'happy dance' over it.  :-)

Honeymoon cruise, in review

So Angie and I have been back for almost a week-and-a-half, and I've not yet posted anything about our cruise since giving in to the temptation to gloat about beginning our honeymoon by watching a Cowboys game.

The reason for the delay?  Things have been too hectic.  In addition to the normal catch-up that would follow a solid week out of the office, I was in the middle of a pretty significant project at work.  We implemented a major change to one of our systems at the end of the week that we returned.  That meant that the majority of my focus had to be given to making sure all of the details were taken care of beforehand.  That now behind me, I am free to give you the deets on the cruise...

Sunday, September 7

Angie and I got up early to catch our flight to LA.  Things went remarkably smoothly, as I recall.  Once we got to LA, we got our bags in record time...in time to make the next cruise line shuttle from the airport to the dock.  That trip, which had been projected to take upwards of 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, took less than 30 minutes.

At the beginning of every cruise, they have an on-deck party which is usually dubbed the "Sail Away Party", or some such.  For brevity's sake, I'll refer to it as the "SAP".  They strive to create a hyper-festive atmosphere, with a band playing dance music and the cruise activity staff on-deck leading in various line dances.  (Speaking of line dancing, I heard one cruiser say something to the effect of "line dancing is for unattractive people who can't get a dance partner".  Not politically correct, maybe....but hilarious!)

The SAP provide some interesting opportunities for people watching.  In and amonst the line dancing throng was a guy that I immediately dubbed as a "he-whore".  For the urban contemporary set...the "he-ho".  This guy was in all-out, lounge lizard, come-on mode, and apparently found an interested victim...er...uhm...party in a relatively attractive young lady.  That surprised me; I figured his type were usually only successful with those who couldn't find a better offer.  They met at the SAP, and were essentially all over each other right away.   ...and throughout the cruise.

Since I've always been a one-woman man, and never been particularly taken with the quick-hit one-night-stand scene, their insta-cavorting struck me as both amusing, and sad.  My "words of wisdom" take-away quote from that was "if you meet somebody who wants to give it to you right way...you probably don't want it.  Chances are that you will end up with more than you bargained for, or wanted...like a prescription for a really strong antibiotic."  Call it "Jim's Guide To A Happy, Healthy, Disease-Free Life"...

Monday, September 8

Monday was our first FULL day at sea.  If I had to characterize it, I would call it a "day of sleep", because in addition to getting a very long sleep Sunday night, we took a significant nap during the day.  Since I normally don't get enough sleep, it was tremendously restorative.  This is, after all, supposed to be the purpose of a vacation, so I'd say that we were right on track.

Tuesday, September 9

Because of bad weather (tropical storm Lowell, to be exact), our scheduled stop in Cabo San Lucas had to be skipped.  The water was too choppy for us to stop, so they simply pulled up alongside it so that the picture-seekers could snap away.  I remarked that they should have come on the public address system with "...and if you'll look to the starboard side of the ship...you'll see where you paid to go.  Now everybody waive goodbye...".

So...we spent a second full day at sea.  Given the turbulence of the ocean, a LOT of people were getting sea-sick.  You know it's bad when the cruise staff place barf bag dispensers by the stairs on every floor level.  Yeah...they actually did that.

Amid the ship's tossing to and fro, Angie and I took two dance classes.  (Though we enjoy dancing, the times that we've been before, it's been pretty much 'free-styling'; not a specific dance step.)  The instructors were a delightful older couple, Ron and Joan Taylor.  Dance classes on a rocking ship was quite a challenge.  In the midst of explaining a step, everyone...instructors and those in the class...would take a couple of steps towards one side of the dance floor, in unison.  Still, it was fun, and Angie and I learned a couple of dance steps and discovered that we dance relatively well together.  More likely than not, we'll seek out a dance studio and continue taking lessons.  Dancing on a non-shifting floor...that'll be a change.

Wednesday, September 10

FINALLY, we got to visit one of our ports of call.  Today we stopped in Puerto Vallarta.  We rose early so that we could do a 4x4 tour.  While grabbing a quick breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe (casual dining facility onboard the ship), I overheard one of the wait staff ask a little boy "So, are you excited about going to Wal-Mart?"  I just thought he was being silly, until I saw the GIGANTIC Wal-Mart and Sam's Club immediately across the street from pier.  Deja vu...

Our 4x4 tour was a lot of fun and we got to see some beautiful scenery.  We also got to see glimpses into Mexican life that aren't very glamorous.  Some of the areas we drove were impoverished.  It was a good reality check.

We got back to the ship by noon, and decided to postpone a  trip into town for shopping, due to the fact that the shifting of our itinerary meant that we would be staying in Puerto Vallarta another day.

Thursday, September 11

A second day in port, though it was really a 1/2 day, meant that we could do some shopping.  It was fairly enjoyable, and that is saying something for me, since I am NOT into shopping.  We had plenty of time upon returning to the ship to go swimming before having lunch and taking an afternoon nap.  We did another dance class.  The style?  Hip-hop.  It was bad...really bad.  The instructors were a couple of dancers from their on-ship dance troupe.  They are good dancers, but weren't very good at instructing in this dance style.  They didn't really teadch anything, and none fo the moves had any grace or elegance to them.  It was, simply, a waste of time.

At a pool-side party in the evening, I came to the conclusion that karaoke is wrong.  No amount of alcohol or enthusiasm from the participants can change that.  In fact, it usually makes it worse, and we had PLENTY of examples of that truth.  Those who torture unwitting audiences should be Tasered.  Hey, if they are going to dish out the pain, they should take it.

We learned that the stop at Mazatlan had been scrubbed altogether, because of Lowell's flooding.  Instead, we were going to stop for 3/4 of a day in Cabo San Lucas.

Friday, September 12

Finally, Cabo.  Angie and I decided to not bother with scheduling an excursion, because of the brief time we had.  The window we had was 7AM until 2PM, so we decided to just save the money an excursion and do some shopping instead.  We did all of the shopping we wanted to do, got to see Cabo Wabo (the resturant cantina and tequila company of ex-Van Halen frontman, Sammy Hagar), and returned to the ship by noon.  Which was good...because that afternoon we took another dance class with Ron and Joan.

Saturday, September 13

This was our final day at sea, while headed back to LA.  We had a relaxing time, took another dance class, and braced for the return to the "real world".  That's the bummer of a vacation...as it begins to wind down, you start to think about all of the things that have piled up for you to do when you return.  Still, we had a nice relaxing day.

Sunday, September 14

We arrived back in LA, as scheduled.  Getting off the ship and going through immigration took longer than I would've liked.  I was starting to get a little bit concerned about whether or not we'd be tight on time to make our flight.  As it turns out, the bus ride to the airport was quick, and we made the flight...no problem.

Flying east, you lose 2 hours (if your trip stops in the Central time zone), so we landed at about 6 PM.  By the time we picked up Eddie from the dog-sitter and got home, it was after 7.

In general...

I've taken several cruises over the years.  On the first one I took, no broadcast or cable channels were available on the televisions in the state rooms.  We were limited to whatever the ship put on their closed-circuit.  Nowadays, several channels are available including CNN, ESPN, Fox News, and others.  Because of that, we were able to keep tabs on what was happening as Hurricane Ike approached Texas through the Gulf of Mexico.

While sending up prayers for the people who were in harm's way, I was even more thankful that our travel agent had advised that we steer away from Caribbean cruises or ones which traveled the Guld of Mexico, due to the fact that we'd be in the heart of storm season.  While our honeymoon would have been memorable if we'd been there, I prefer to create the types of memories that are made free of being in life-threatening situations.

We had a great time, and I can envision cruising occupying a regular spot in the rotation of our vacations.

Much more "gettin' hitched" news...

Not ones to dilly-dally around about moving forward with plans once we decide to do something, Angie and I have decided upon the date for our wedding:  September 6.  On her blog, Angie goes into a lengthy explanation about all of the factors that went into our decision.  Her verbosity requires no reciprocity...

I'm jazzed that my best friend, Kevin Harrison, is going to be performing the ceremony at the church he pastors in Waco, TX.  Kev is probably about the coolest minister there is.  He's the kind of guy that...when he moves to another city...people who were in his previous church pick up their family and follow him to his new church.  It happened when he was a youth pastor, and it has happened now that he is a senior pastor.  He is just that kind of guy.  If he wasn't, I don't think our friendship would be as close as it is.

Angie is doing most of the planning for the wedding.  It's not that I don't care about those details; it's just that those sort of details aren't what holds the greatest priority for me.  What does?  Well, when another good friend heard the news that we were getting married, he quasi-jokingly sent me an "I told you so" (he had predicted early on that Angie and I would end up together).  My response was simple:  I don't care who gets the credit, as long as I get Angie.  So in the end, my priority isn't the color of the table cloths at the wedding, whether or not we decorate the church sanctuary, or how many people (if any) we have in our wedding party.  My priority is that at the end of that day, Angie is my wife.

There is one requirement that I have for the wedding, however.  I refuse to take part in a stodgy, stuffed-up, constipated affair.  I've lost count of the number of weddings I've sat through which felt absolutely nothing like a celebration; they were so stiflingly formal, to the point of overkill.  If that offends you, don't come to our wedding.  C'mon people!!!  This is supposed to be, and will be, one of the happiest days of our lives!!  If you have it...let your hair down!  ;-)

I understand the seriousness of the occasion, that it's not such a bad thing to observe some traditions, and the significance of what we are promising each other.  But..."for cryin' out loud...I don't want it to have someone singing the Lord's Prayer in an operatic style while the Unity Candle is lit."  (Years ago, I expressed those sentiments to someone whose wedding was just a month or two later.  They had someone sing the Lord's Prayer....in operatic style...while the Unity Candle was lit.  Yikes!!  I think I unwittingly and unfortunately hurt that person's feelings, so I hope they've forgiven me by now.)

I want our wedding to be FUN, and a CELEBRATION!!!  If you are someone for whom the rigors of tradition and formality are paramount, you probably won't enjoy our wedding.  If, on the other hand, you are one who wants to have a good time and celebrate with us, then it will probably be just what the doctor ordered.

One of the coolest weddings I've ever attended was several years ago when my friends Keith & Denise were married.  The minister was...<drum roll>...my buddy Kevin.  As part of the ceremony...and I'm not kidding about this...Kevin read a specially-written-for-the-occasion Top Ten list.   (It's not legend, Angie, it is fact.  I was there to witness it, and Kevin just might do the same for us.)  How many wedddings have you attended that come with in-ceremony entertainment (besides music)?

Speaking of music, I had the good fortune of running the sound board during Keith & Denise's ceremony, which meant that I got to cue up all of the music.  ...and they had some of the best music EVER at a wedding.  The topper was a kickin' rendition of Joyful, Joyful as they made their exit.  As they did, I stood up behind the mixer board (in the sound booth) and applauded.  It was AWESOME!!!

As we've told various people, I've been surprised by how interested people have been at the details of our how it all came about.  And it's weird to not be able to simply answer the "how long have you been dating" question with an exact period of time.  I can't just say something like "8 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days" (don't compare that to your calendar; those number are just examples).  I always feel obligated to explain that even though we've only been dating since some time after my previous marriage was over, we've known each other and have been friends for many years before that, so we at a much different place than many couples when they first start dating.

I've also been surprised to have been asked by multiple guys about how I asked her.  Maybe I don't give members of my gender in general enough credit for being romantic.  I've jokingly said "well, it was a romantic evening, the mood was just right, and I knew that she couldn't resist me".  On a serious note, I did ask her father for his blessing.  Yes, even at my age, I asked her father for his blessing.  I probably didn't HAVE to, but I was raised to believe that the woman's parents deserve that respect and it is just the right thing to do.

When I asked him, his immediate response was "“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”  My immediate thought was:  what do you know that I don't know?!?!  ;-)

We've also already planned our honeymoon.  We're going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta).  Though I've been on 4 previous cruises, this will be a new experience for me.  Each of the previous ones have been "working cruises".  They were the "Cruise with the Champions” cruises, on which my WCPS colleagues and I invited friends and guests (mostly members of Toastmasters) to accompany us on the cruise.  On the days we were at sea, we taught public speaking seminars.  Hence the "working" part.

Those cruises were a lot of fun, and I forged many meaningful and lasting new friendships thereon.  While it was fun to travel as part of a large group, I also felt that I always had to be "on".  (The World Champions of Public Speaking enjoy a sort of celebrity status in the Toastmasters world.)  Few people know how draining that can be on your emotions and your energy.   And on 'seminar days', I rarely got to enjoy any of the activities and entertainment.  While many others were enjoying drinks, sun, and fun on the decks of the ship, I was in my business attire, sequestered in the conference rooms...where sunlight was only a rumor.   <sigh>    Please don't misunderstand, I enjoyed those cruises and I loved the people who were with us.  It is just that it wasn't a 100% vacation.

This cruise will be different; we'll get to lay out on the deck during the day, work out, see some shows, and generally have a laid-back, relaxing time.  Additionally,  since we aren't part of a large traveling group,  we've decided to forego eating dinners in the formal dining rooms and instead eat in the more casual dining rooms.  For one thing, the food in the formals isn't so much better to make it worth the while to pack and lug extra clothing (suits & ties & a tux for me, dresses & accessories for Angie).  For another thing, the formal dining rooms have a structured time and take anywhere from 1 to 2.5 hours.  The more casual dining rooms are "whenever you're ready to eat" and we can be done, without having to rush, in 30 minutes.  That will free up more evening time catch an extra show or spend time in the disco.

I know that it's going to be a blast, and will be a great way to kick off and usher in our "amazing future".