Hogladyrider

Happy Saturday TRIBE!

OMG I have to share with you this story my mom told me.

I shared with you all my 95 year old mom went to visit her ailing sister in California last weekend.

Well, my mom goes to they gym 3 morning a week Mon-Wed-Fri.  Mom decided she was not going to tell anyone at the  gym she was going to California, she figured she would surprise  them when she returned and they asked her she would simply tell them "oh I decided to go to California for the weekend"........it  BACKFIRED ON HER!

Mom said when she got home from her trip she had  27 missed phone calls from people at the gym.

She has a group of friends there that they "chat" all the time about life and golf especially.

Then it  gets more interesting.  

My brother is a Land Surveyor and he maintains his business office in the basement of mom's home, has been for 50+ years.  Saturday morning he is in the office and looks out the window and there are THREE police  cars in the  driveway!

The gym had called in a wellness check on my mom and everyone in the town where she lives knows her so  they sent out the forces.

I laughed so hard when she told me this on the phone this morning during our weekly chat.

Guess she learned a lesson even at 95 to let folks know where she is going, something she always told us kids growing up!

She had a great trip and did just fine!  She is glad to be home for sure.

@KmomChicago..thanks for the update.  Good to hear you are in a good head space.  It takes time which can be very frustrating indeed.

Recovery is a lifetime commitment.  Those that live the life are forever changed and amazing.

Addiction of any kind is powerful, it takes over the body, mind, spirit....it is  very sad.

I remember reading some of your previous posts on the Tribe and you are a BRILLIANT woman, you will move forward,  stay strong the force is with you on this.

Have a great cruise and hope we hear how you love Alaska!

So I thought I would provide an update to my previous post wherein I mentioned I had to cancel a cruise mostly paid with HAL gift cards  from AARP.

It was a LONG 10 day wait but all has been  resolved.

HAL transferred funds to pay off an upcoming cruise we have booked in April 2025 and refunded a portion back to my CC and then $3500 back onto the original HAL gift cards.

This an example of why it is so important to hold onto the original HAL gift card#s and PINS.

I keep a spread sheet of all my cruises and payments etc.

Now I can reapply those gift cards to our Alaska cruises in 2025 when final payment gets closer.

Happy Saturday everyone.

@richwmn  Rich thanks for your daily posts, it has been most enjoyable following along.

Until next time......

Alaska cruises are totally different from Caribbean, however Alaska is special in its own way.

My 1st Alaska cruise was in 2009 and went back for just a land trip in 2014 which was AMAZING, 7-day all inclusive with Alaska Wildland Adventures.  Best vacation I've had in my life.

Going back to Alaska 2025 on B2B cruise taking Gary this time as he has never been.

We have cruised the Caribbean so many times it is time for new places, new adventures.

17 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Good. Being lazy today. 

Precious.....a family I follow on You Tube that lives in Sulphur got a GSP puppy.  OMG talk about energy.  They are sending her to "doggy camp" for training as word is if they are not trained they can be a problem child due to their energy.  You seem to have everything under control....WONDER WOMAN!

Hey TRIBE members, Jeff has started his latest review!

@Jamman54...geesh I am a little late to this party, but I am here.  Darn work got in the way, but someone's gotta pay for the upcoming cruises.

The BEST car I ever owned was a Honda Element!  So pet  friendly, easy to clean and LOW maintenance.  I like the color of yours, mine was cranberry.

1 hour ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I feel like @mkcurran has been cruising forever. Hope she’s having a great time. 

That's because you are stuck at home!  You day is coming soon, I know not soon enough for you.

How is the puppy doing these days?

9 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

And now you have to keep checking for gift cards. They might be emailed to you. Some people have also reported physical gift cards being sent to them. 

Yes and typing in all those numbers and pin is time consuming and each time the answer is $0 balance!

57 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I actually wasn't joking. I think if it goes to only a 5% discount then I will not bother to buy them. I keep track of the gift cards and how I use them in case I need a refund on anything. That takes effort. Emailing my TA with gift card numbers takes effort. What if I cancel a Carnival Cruise but have no plans for another Carnival cruise for years to come? Now I have thousands of dollars tied up in gift cards. 

Excellent points and let me share my current situation with HAL and gift cards.

We had 4 cruises booked and we decided to cancel one.  It was a 14 day Mexican holiday cruise that I had paid $3500 on CC and $3500 on HAL gift cards on.  I only owed $1600 before final payment.

We contacted our TA to  request the cancel and transfer of funds to the other 3 cruises we have booked for 2025.

HAL would only transfer the funds to ONE cruise and refund the balance.  Problem for me arises as the cruise they transferred the funds to  only had a balance due of $2900.  That leaves me a $4k credit.

HAL had no problems making the transfer but here it is a week later and I still have not received any of my credits due.

It just does not make sense to me even from an accounting standpoint because all I am going to do is call my TA and have the HAL gift card credits applied to the other 3 cruises booked with HAL.  In the mean time it is MY responsibility to track all this.....stressful to  say the least.

I will be second thinking gift cards in the future for sure.

@KmomChicago...oh the stories I could share with you!

I can laugh at myself now but back then I was desperate. I went to counseling to save "him".  Guess what, I saved myself.  Little did I know.  It was a tough roller coaster ride for 10 years.  I would not wish it on anyone.

Today I am stronger now for the life experiences and the things I learned in therapy about myself.

Please be kind to yourself, you need it and your child needs it.

You both need this cruise for yourselves and to celebrate this graduation milestone. It is OK to go and have a good time.  Alaska is beyond amazing!

We are here for you for whatever you need and whenever you are ready.   One day at a time.

Often I would have to break the days down into hours at a time.

5 hours ago, Gsel said:

Kristen was our director last year on Westerdam. She is the best I have seen in a while.

I found it very interesting that her background was in new media on TV!

32 minutes ago, richwmn said:

She joined Volendam in Fort Lauderdale on April 21st. She seems to be very good, and seems to enjoy the job.

 

Thank you!

@richwmn...I am curious, when did Kristen the Cruise Director join your ship?  She was the CD on our Koningsdam cruise in January of this year.

I enjoyed her talks and her background is interesting that she now works on a ship.

@MeganGC1983..YIKES...you are definitely going to be more than ready for your upcoming cruise!

Stay safe.

17 minutes ago, BohJang said:

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Realtor says it's a buyers market right now in Bryan, TX. I made a low counter offer.  We shall see.

Buyers market or not, you definitely should be selling "as is".  That is the trend in today's market place.

Again as other Tribe members have said, it depends on if and how badly you need to sell.  Are you comfortable with your realtor, why do you think they suggested you accept such a low offer and pay closing costs.

Back in 2015 when we listed our home for sale we waited and waited.  The first offer was low, we said "no".  We waited some more and we got 3 offers.  We went with the "all cash" as our realtor explained it was the cleanest closing and fastest as well.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

I am not at history lover BUT the history and friendliness of folks in Helper is outstanding.

We will stroll again when the weather is warmer.  Downtown is still a work in progress being revitalized.

Overcast cool and cloudy today but we opted to stroll around downtown Helper to get some fresh air.

OMG the Vintage Motorcycle place was amazing and FREE.  Folks from the show The Pickers will be paying them a visit to go thru their basement goodies.

5 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Hello Tribe Family! Patti and I have safely arrived home. The two weeks we had aboard the Vista were fantastic, and we can't wait to tell and show you all about them. Need a couple of days to get our feet back on the ground here, and then we can relive all the fun! 😎

Glad you have arrived home safely....those two weeks went by way too fast, but at least we can all relive it thru your upcoming review!

@Funsince1983 your upcoming girls trip sounds amazing!

@KmomChicago...you got this all the way to the finish line.  There is a phrase "fake it til you make it"....you are one strong woman.

You and the graduate are going to make more memories on this cruise for sure.  I know you will do your best to have a good time and leave the rest behind.

@MeganGC1983..good to hear everyone is fine.

The zoo looks like a FUN day.  OMG that gorilla is a big boy!

There is something similar in Florida called Wild Florida, it is a drive thru and if you want for $5 you can feed the giraffes.  It is pretty amazing, but no gorillas.

Please everyone silently ask that @MeganGC1983 and family and any other TRIBE members are ok from last nights storms.

Two You Tube families I follow both in Sulpur are ok but downtown is destroyed.

1 minute ago, deedle910 said:

He and I have no connection on social media but I don’t block people. It amuses me that he still looks and tries to text. 
 

so far I have dated: a Scotsman (nothing under the kilt worth mentioning), a flight attendant inspector (nope, couldn’t get past the midwest accent) and a porn addict (did not live up to expectations). 

So glad you are back!