thankful for life and all we are blessed with

We arrived home yesterday from a whirlwind two week cruise to the Bible lands. We flew into Paris and then on to Venice where we had a day to explore that cool, funky, original city. The next day the tour began with seeing St. Marks Square at HIGH TIDE!!! who knew the whole square would be under a foot or two of water? Very cool in it's own right. Not many tourists get to see this as it usually happens in Oct. Nov. only if the conditions are right. I did use my raincoat and glovies...and yes..it was 50's there.

We boarded our cruise ship, a small sweet pacific Princess. We loved our waiter, Jo-el from Phillipines.

We went to Ravenna, italy, the old capitol -where it was a little warmer. On to Croatia...a beautiful walled city of Dubrovnik!! and warmer and gorgeous beaches.

our cabin had a balcony and we enjoyed drifting through the Mediterranean sea with the wind blowing (my) hair about...i think Mickybobs eyebrows had movement too.

We had a fun day at sea and also a "formal" night where we dressed up for dinner. We all looked mahvelesss! dahlings...Fancy nancy memories. Mike's brother Don, was our guide and did a wonderful job giving lectures throughout the day. He is so knowledgeable and generous of his time and willing to expound on demand. Hope some of that knowledge stuck to me.

WE stopped off in Patmos Greece, where John the revelator was captive for 18 months and wrote the last book of The New Testament. This little island is soooo quaint and the people so sweet, we all wanted to stay and rent a cottage by the Aegean sea.

We got to Isreal the next day and got to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galillee. It was amazing to be where Jesus walked (esp. on water). All the tales of the New testament were in living color before us. Amazing! We kept pinching ourselves to see if we were really there.

The next day we headed to Jerusalem with that beautiful city. We prayed at the Wailing wall and shopped in I do believe the biggest market ever, in the old city. Our tour guides were all wonderful, even the ones that we couldn't understand. Garden of Gethsemene was a highlight and also the Garden tomb. so surreal.

We headed to Egypt and packed an over night bag to see Cairo first with its amazing pyramids and sphinx. What a third world country...poverty abounding and trash filling the streets.

We slept in a -1 star hotel and ate at buffets and somehow contracted King Tut's REVENGE....so for days we have been battling the cramps and squirts. too bad doo dad..

We drove to Alexandria which is a most beautiful port city. We ate funky falafel sandwiches there that might have added to our problem? But a fun time had by all there.

We cruised to Turkey and what a contrast a BIG LAKE (the Med. sea) makes...So clean and less poverty than poor stinky, dirty Egypt.

Our last port of call was to Athens and the great metropolis. WE drove around the city...such history and amazing sights still available after CENTURIES!!!

We walked up to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. Amazing.

WE had to pack our room on the cruise ship and have our bags ready that night. We had one last wonderful dining experience and gave J0-el a Book of Mormon. He is a Baptist but has been such a wonderful friend to us all (you know how Baptists and Mormons are. ha)

They love our BBQ's

So we stayed at a Holiday Inn in Athens and had a 4 a.m. wakeup call to get into a a taxi and head 10 minutes to the airport.

We flew to Paris, where special me...Madame Parry was called out of allll the people on our huge plane (with 2 others) to drive away from the airport in a little car to a huge warehouse where our bags were waiting for us to open them (we were chosen randomly???) and a huge black man speaking only French told us to open our bags and go through EVERYTHING!!!

now that might not be a big deal to most of you, but I had spent the last night rolling and folding and squishing and mushing for over an hour trying to fit everything INTO ONE BAG!!!

SO i was irritated at this whole process...We were going to miss our plane and we had DRIVEN with a strange guy who happened to put a "security vest" on in front of us and we all went down an elevator and got into a car with him. Mickybob was my hero...he kept saying, Let me go in her place...Let me go WITH her... no ...no...was the answer. they'll be right back.....

So the french man made the first lady take every peice of clothes out and shake them all!!!!

when it was my turn, I am LIKE ...HELLO I AM A MORMON GRANDMA With almost 16 grandbabies...Do I look like a terrorist??? this is rediculous....!! We are going to miss the plane and WHO is going to Close my suitcase for me???? I Spent an hour trying to close it!! on and on...ha...

So they didn't take all my stuff out ...they kind of lifted it up and looked and then said ZIP IT!!

i am like. YOU ZIP IT!!! you made this mess...so the guy who drove us is like. well we can't touch your bag. I said I give you permission to zip it...so he was trying to zip it...we are laying on it etc. I was trying not to laugh if i hadn't have been so mad!!!

SO then the third little English man had to go through the whole rigamaroll....and then they told us to grab our bags and RUN cause we were now 10 minutes past the time the plane was supposed to take off.

The guy was throwing the bags into the trunk and another big black french man came up and said NO the suitcases can't go with you for security reasons???? WHAT? I am telling them...HOW are we getting our suitcases onto our flight??? We are 5 minutes away from the plane....the driver said , well they will put it on a later flight. I said, I HAVE PILLS I NEED..he did seem compassionate and was just doing his job...???? And he did try to drive fast and said that they would hold the plane, but if the door closes it is up to the pilot to wait or go.

I told the Joy ( she had randomly been picked also and she had been on the cruise with us and they said she was going to get strip searched????) that MIcky bob would NEVER leave us...and that we could say a little prayer too that our bags got on.

When we finally got to where the plane still was parked, we went up some elevator and RAN onto the plane...the stewardess said, I can't believe your husband let you go without him going with you." I said "Well, he DID try to go and even tried to trade places...for me" She said '"HAVEN'T YOU SEeN TAKEN????" thanks alot. But Mike HAD told the steward that he would NOT leave without his wife, so they would have to get HIS suitcase out of the bottom of the plane to leave him in Paris with us....wow.

whew. that was stressful...

So at this Thanksgiving time, I am thankful for AMerica and that we flew home safely.

I am thankful for FAMILY and FRIENDS (esp my hero, MIckybob...who has had the runs through all this too...sad)

I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for his Atoning Sacrifice for each of us.

I am thankful for priesthood power on the earth

and a living Prophet who leads and guides us.

I am thankful for our freedoms and for all those men and women fighting to keep us so. (KYLE WE MISS YOU)

I am thankful for the gift of repentance so we might all be forgiven for our sins (MCCORD WE LOVE YOU)

I am thankful that I have other makeup/meds than what is in my LOST BAG

I am thankful for imodium and pepto

and for turkeys who give their lives that we might gorge ourselves once a year.

Happy TURKY DAY TO YOU ALL