HBE4

51?? You look 31. Good DNA

You nailed it! 💜

Please accept my condolences 🙏. I know it's been a struggle for you & you should take pride in the work you've done. I have no doubt your mom appreciated everything you did for her & you'll always have those memories. All good & thank you. I took a internet break to watch the Amazing Race finale & to prepare some paper work for a meeting with my lawyer tomorrow morning. As I'm sure you know, there is a "bureaucratic" side to death that waits for no one. On that note, I need to call it a night.

Sadly, there is no bar in downtown that approaches the atmosphere or energy level of Carlos and Charlies. Actually, most of the night club type places have moved 20 minutes up the road to where all the high rise hotels are located, leaving downtown a bit dead at night. You can try Lucy's Retired Surfer bar. It's an open air, water front place. Looks like the place where you can get silly drunk. Try the Scorpion Shot. It's tequila with a (hopefully) dead Scorpion at the bottom. Not sure it's worth $25 but you get a free t-shirt! I didn't try it but I was told it tastes like swallowing a rubber band. I never swallowed a rubber band either. Best bet might be try one of the party buses like Kukoo Kunuku.

Shifting gears a bit, Leonard's Christmas gift came early. Apparently, Santa HBE4 doesn't know that objects on Amazon are much bigger than they appear online. This cat tower is the size of a 3 bedroom condo. Little Miss HBE4 is already talking about getting Leonard a roommate. Uhhh, that's a hard no.

Thank you, You've share your story of Allie several times and was one of the reasons why I felt comfortable sharing mine. In the Eulogy I gave, I mentioned my wife was an angel on Earth, making the Earth a better place and now is in heaven, making it a better place. No doubt, she'd be by Allie's side. She always sought out the children.

Perfectly said, @dani negreanu, perfectly said. 💜 (purple was DW favorite color) I highly recommend it. There is something therapeutic about it and I find this thread to be a perfect escape from the real world. Not sure why, maybe the anonymity of it?

While I'm not ready to board a ship just yet, I've been reading a few solo cruise reviews. I feel - and several others have told me - that might be the best way to start. And whether she realized it or not, @molly361 has been a great inspiration. And yes, eventually, I hope our paths will cross on the high-seas. You and so many others. You remember correctly. You were on last week of Oct and I boarded first week of Nov. Every day, I looked forward to reading your review. Actually, checked multiple times per day.

I'm scared to ask what you thought I would look like? Granted, most of my posts look like there were written by a blabbering idiot but I can assure you, in real life, I don't blabber.😉 I might be singling your post out but it applys to so many others as well. You guys/gals are the reason I felt like sharing. Thank you. I was a bit hesitant to share the photo's at first as I tend to be a bit on the private side (no first name, email address or home town, etc) but after the journey and the support on this thread over the last 19 months, I felt it was only fair for people to connect a face with a name. So many others post pictures and mine were 4 years old so....

Wow! Too many posts to respond to so I'm going to give a general "Thank You" to all. The tremendous amount of outpouring of support, condolences, love, compliments, sympathy has truly been overwhelming. I'm so sorry that I can not acknowledge each and every one of you individually and personally but it's not only a tribute to @dani negreanu creator of this thread, but a great tribute to all that contribute, both frequently and infrequently, that have created an enviroment that allowed me to feel safe to share. I feel a simple Thank You is not enough but I've written too many words lately and I'm all out so that's all I got. Humbled, I am. 💜

On a happier, more upbeat note - as this is a cruising forum - I’d figured I’d share that our last cruise was 4 years ago, Nov 2018. It was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Once married, I not only gained a wife but a daughter as well, in what I call a “2-for-the-price-of-1” package deal. It only made sense to include my step-daughter on the cruise as well. As she was living in Houston, TX at the time, we decided to sail out of Galveston on Liberty of the Seas. Which brought us full circle as Liberty was our first ever cruise ship back in 2009 in which we fell in love with cruising. After the 2nd day of that first cruise, we looked at each other and asked: "Why have we not been doing this our entire lives?" What the heck, here are a few pictures from the 2018 cruise. Me and the Mrs. My wife and her daughter. It was her daughters first time ever cruising and sadly, the only time she’d cruise with her mom. So excited we were to share our cruising experiences with her, to see it thru her eyes, it was like we were on our first cruise all over again. All three of us refer to it as the best vacation we’ve ever had, of any vacations with anybody our entire lives. Me and Little Miss HBE4. She was 4 years old when I first started dating her mom, 11 when I married her mom and since then, has always referred to me as her “real dad” vs her “biological dad” that drifted in and out of her life. All these years later, she is not the least bit ashamed, and dare I say, actually enjoys hanging with dear old step-dad. This picture is nicknamed “Pompous HBE4” as I proudly show off the 2 lovely ladies in my life. Blessed am I. This last picture would sum us up as who we are as a famliy. My wife had a zest for life, always the glass-is-half-full, “Life Is Good” attitude. I fully intend to live life as she would want me to. Cheers to all the kind folks on this thread!

Rest In Peace, Mrs HBE4. Last month, about a week before Thanksgiving, my wife joined the angels in heaven. It’s been a long 19-month journey that I’ve mentioned in the past, I know some here remember the story, others might have missed it and perhaps a few more might not remember all the details. As I find talking and writing about it to be therapeutic, I’m going to summarize it. For those that are not into that kind of thing, now might be a good time to hit the Page Down button a few times. No hard feelings, I promise. Easter Sunday Morning, 2021, I was awakened by my wife to call 911 as she could not breathe. I did and the operator had me perform CPR while awaiting the paramedics. Medically speaking, I’m pretty sure my wife died in my arms that morning as when the paramedics arrived, she was not breathing and they could not find a pulse. Through their heroic efforts, they were able to revive her but too much time had passed. My wife suffered a irreversible Anoxic Brain Injury (oxygen deprivation to the brain cells) due to a massive blood clot in her lungs that also caused a heart attack. She was left in an “unaware and unresponsive state”, basically one step above a coma and a nice way of saying a vegetative state. My fingers still cringe when typing that. The injury to her brain would be permanent. I consulted at least a half-a-dozen neurologists and brain injury specialists from a half-a-dozen different hospitals and brain injury rehabilitation centers but the conclusion was always the same. There was no pathway to a “meaningful recovery”. Oh, there would be a glimpse of a sliver of hope once in a while. While 90% of the time her eyes would be closed, when they opened, sometimes there would be a flicker of recognition, of life behind those eyes. Most of the time, a blank stare at the ceiling. Still, I visited 5-6 days a week, 1-3 hours at time, talking, reading, playing music or just holding her hand while watching our favorite TV shows. I’m not sure there was ever a “conscience awareness” but maybe an emotional one. When whispering sweet nothings in her ear, tears would flow from her eyes. The last time this happened was this past Sept when I told my wife that her daughter was going to take me out to NYC for my birthday, for dinner and a Broadway play and drinks afterwards. I’m sure that warmed her heart and the tears of happiness flowed that night. That as the last time I saw any kind of response. With recovery no longer a consideration, thoughts turned to comfort care and dignity which quickly turned to thoughts of how to end this. (Tangent: in New York State, not many options). On Nov. 6th, on what was our 29th wedding anniversary, I told her she was free to join her parents and older sister in heaven. Less than 2 weeks later, she took the worse, most heart-breaking choice a spouse could make out of my hands and slipped away, on her own terms and time line. The best gift she could have possibly given me. I was out of town when it happened and was beside myself when I got the call. But the next day, an amazing sense of calm and serenity came over me. I can’t call it relief but just sense of peacefulness. The outpouring of support I received from close friends and family, as well as people I’ve barely spoken to in 20+ years and those that I hardly know, is a true testament to her and her life. Thank you all here for your concern and good wishes. I know I’ve been tagged in several posts which many people in turned acknowledged via the “like” button or by replying to said post. I read the discussion about respecting a person’s privacy vs finding out what happens to a poster when they suddenly no longer post. Speaking only for myself, it is heart-warming to know that my absence was noticed and felt and people I’ve never met were concerned for my well-being. So again, thank you, It’s been a whirlwind 3 weeks and just now being able to catch my breath. I’m here & I’m okay-ish. Side note: Should I ever purposely decide to stop posting here, I will definitely post a farewell message. @Tree_skier @grapau27 @Coralc @dani negreanu @reallyitsmema @Sunshine3601 @lenquixote66

White bread with Peanut Butter? Silly, I know, but that's what first came to mind. 😜 Ah, much better than my guess of Fort Worth Beach. Which makes zero sense since Fort Worth is not in Florida & not near an ocean.

I remember. Indoor Easter egg hunts that year Could be the position of the sun. Or no humidity or ocean breezes? When my step-daughter was living in Houston where it seems to be perpetually humid, she would say a Houston 40 feels like a New York 20. 😃

Sunny & 64 in my little nook of New York. Very breezy though. Temps plunging below freezing by tomorrow night.

I admire your dedication to the cause & you and Sarah are my new heroes. I wish I could do what you guys did but I'm no good at mixing drinks. Maybe 3 different drinks, 4 on a good night. After that, my stomach says start over - if you catch my drift - and stick to just one kind of drink. Stupid stomach.😄

I know I'm a few days behind and still have some catching up to do but I just had to say that you are my kind of cruiser! 👍

I'm pretty sure the only way to vote by mail in New York is to request an absentee ballot. And you have to have a valid absentee excuse such as being away on vacation, home bound, in a hospital or jail (for a non-felony crime). However, I'm sure all that's a formality as every time I traveled over election day and requested an absentee ballot, I was never asked for proof that I was traveling. 🤷‍♂️ We also have 1 week of early voting. Between those 2 methods and the fact that polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm, I still find it hard to believe that some people "can't find the time" to vote. One day there will be a Tinder-like app for voting on your phone, just swipe right to vote. 😜

Why do I get the idea that's the central theme to all of the Below Deck shows? 😃

Wow, the turnout at my polling place was incredible. I've never seen a line so long, even in some of the more hotly contested Presidential elections. Granted, I went earlier today than usual - 5 pm rather than 7 pm (polls close at 9 pm) so maybe it's typical of that time frame. Usually there is little to no line, today I waited 45 minutes. Same polling place, same amount of workers. Everything was ground level so no access issues. But due to the long line, poll workers were encouraging the elderly, the handicapped and people with babies in tow to head right to the front of the line. Nobody grumbled about it which amazed me, as there is always that one person!

I just wanted to add to the whole smashing the wedding cake into your spouses face conversation, neither my wife nor I did such a thing at our wedding despite the urging of my friends, her friends and the DJ urging the rest of the crowd to join in on urging us. I'd like to say it was a respect thing but if you knew us, we just didn't want to waste a piece of cake. 😄😄

Me too!

I feel like every time I've flown to and from Houston, the plane landed at least 45 minutes early. Probably made 10 trips each way. Maybe once the flight was late and by late, I mean only 15 minutes early.😉 I hate when I'm not in "the know". 😄

Heading out to vote now. Polling stations in NY are open from 6 am - 9 pm. I tend to go later in the day because last minute votes count more than early votes, right? In a tight race, it's the last minute votes that will sway the election. Or is that just a fact I made up in my head to justify my procrastination? 😂

Ouch!