Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Never Talk to Strangers

As a parent, we drill the words, "Never talk to strangers" into our children's little minds from the moment we are sure they will understand. I remember as a child, my parents teaching me. It is a parents worst nightmare for their child to be taken by a stranger and never returned again. So, what would you do if your children were ever in a situation where they have to actually use this words?
Last night, at about 7:00, Conner, Megan, and Garrett went outside to take Rockie a walk around the neighborhood. Garrett is a speedy little guy. He was out in front of Megan and Conner by quit a ways. He turned a corner and was out of site. Conner was on his electric scooter, and Megan had the dog. Once Garrett got out of site, the two older ones decided to hurry it up. Conner turned up the scooter to catch up to his littler brother, telling Megan to catch up as soon as she could. When Conner turned the corner, he saw Garrett talking to a teen-age boy.... a stranger. He grew a little anxious and scooted over quickly to Garrett. The young man was out of his car with the trunk open. He was talking right to Garrett. As Conner got up closer, the young man turned to him and said, "Do you want some candy?" Conner replied with "No!" The boy asked again, "Do you want some gum?" Again, Conner said, "No!" By this time, Megan had joined the group. The young man asked her if she wanted some candy. She replied "No" as well. The kids grabbed Garrett and started to walk off. The young man said, "Come here. I can give you a ride anywhere you want." They kept saying "No!" As they were walking he said, "Are you sure you don't want some candy? It tastes really good." They kept walking. As they walked away from the situation, they realized that Garrett had taken some gum from him. Garrett also said the young man told him he was going to pick him up and put him in the trunk of his car. YICKS! They were very freaked out and came right home.
They told us the story. We were pretty freaked out, but very proud of them for saying "No" and getting home quickly. My thoughts were the young man was probably just playing a mean trick, but still, that was very mean trick to play on some young kids. Plus, it if wasn't a trick, I figured I should report it. So, we called the police. I made the report and they sent a police officer over to question the kids. Both Megan and Conner explained what happened. They were pretty good with descriptions. They told Officer Doyle the car was old and red. The young man was wearing a gray coat and looked like he had just been snowboarding or skiing. They knew what street they were on and the approximate location where the incident happened. Office Doyle was very proud of Megan, Conner and Garrett for having a great memory, but also for doing the right thing. Niel and I were both proud of them, and also very relieved they all came home.
The thought has gone through my mind many times, "Why did Garrett take the gum?" I am fairly certain that if this young man had been an actual kidnapper, Garrett would be gone and I would be telling a far worse story. I am extremely grateful both Megan and Conner were there with him. I am glad for their example of safety and how they handled the situation. This reminded me how quickly something can happen. Who would have known a walk around the block with the dog could turn out to be so dangerous. We live in a really nice, safe neighborhood. I am not saying something would have happened, but there is always that possibility that something could happen. This is something I don't ever want to have happen to our little family, or anyone for that matter. The point is, they made it home safely, which we are extremely grateful. We are also a little more careful and will continue to preach the words, "Never talk to strangers."

Sunday, January 20, 2008

So gross!

We are in the process of training Rockstar, our newest four legged family member. He is a great dog, as a matter of fact, his only issue is the potty training. We let him outside during the day, but once he is inside he feels it is time to do his thing in his certain areas throughout the house. It is frustrating! One of his spots is right next to our dresser in our bedroom. It is easy to see when he poops (sorry for graphic), but harder to tell when he pee's. As of the past few days, Rocky seems to be doing better, but we still have to keep on eye on him and check the regular spots frequently. GROSS!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

My Cooking

Finding me slaving away in the kitchen is a rarity. It isn't because I don't want to do it or that I am not a good cook. The reason for my lack of home cooked meals is because my children are super picky. If you know me well, you might be laughing right now. It is a fact, the kids have gotten their picky-ness from me. Yes, I think being a picky eater is hereditary. I guess with that said, I really can't say too much about them not eating the food I work so hard to prepare. But poor Niel, he is used to his mom's delicious cooking.
Tonight, I decided to take a chance and make something other than out of the box food. Everyone in the family likes chicken, bacon, and everyone except for Conner likes cheese. So, I made stuffed chicken with cheese (light on the cheese for Conner) mixed with a few spices, wrapped in bacon.... cooked in chicken broth. Delicious.... right? Then, I made a pizza type bread stick, again, who doesn't like pizza? I cooked up some spaghetti with meat sauce to add a nice finish. I figured I was pretty safe with this menu, and I knew the extra effort would be appreciated by Niel.
Here were the responses, "I think this has cheese in it. I don't like cheese." "Do I really have to eat it all?" "This looks weird. It smells like carpet." "I ate a little of everything, can I be done?" If you ask me, it tasted delicious. But of course, I was the one who cooked it.
All my efforts were worth it though. Niel said he liked it. And, he kept telling me how delicious it was over and over. I think he was just glad he didn't have to eat another dinner of mac and cheese casserole or roman noodles....laugh!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

The Challenge - Niel's side

Ok, so before I get in big trouble with all of Amy's friends, I have to clear something up. Amy does look fantastic, I didn't make the challenge because I thought she needed to look better. In fact we are about to go out on a date and she is wearing the same outfit she wore on the night we first kissed...and all I can say is she looks even better now. (Alright, hopefully that will get me out of any hot water.)

Amy and I were just talking about eating healthier. We both have our weaknesses, hers is Sugar, mine is fast food. I pick up fast food all the time, because it's convenient and I don't want to bother with anything else. So my challenge to her is skipping sweets, her challenge to me is skipping fast food.

It's Burger Supreme I'd miss. Plus, it just takes planning ahead so I don't stop for food just because it's there.

Do you really think I could go without fast food for a year? Would it be harder to skip sugar or fast food? I guess it depends on the person. But maybe this time next year we will both be healthier.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Sugar High?

I love reading other people's blog's on various thoughts and daily happenings. I think I mostly just like to post pictures with little commentaries. A friend of mine asked me the other day, tell me what you are thinking. Write in your blog some of your thoughts. Hum.... that could kind of be scary at times....haha! So, I thought I would post a little something, so bare with me.
Niel and I like to place bets against each other on various things. Our favorite family show is The Amazing Race. We decided to have a little fun with it and bet on a pair we thought would stay on the show the longest. I happen to be quit the reality show guesser, and won that one. Or to see who can race down the winter hill on sleighs, or who can win the most games of Speed, Niel wins those ones frequently. Anyway, that gives you a little idea of what some of our bets are like. We are very competitive.
Niel thought we should up the bet quit a bit. He suggested I try to go an entire year without refined, or the bad kinds of sugar. YICKS! I am not one to be a chicken and not take the bet, but giving up sugar?? ... that's like giving up on eating all together! I love sugar, and even though I know I could do a lot better on my consumption of the tasty stuff, I am not sure I can really do it. This would mean, no more hot chocolate in the mornings, no desserts, no ice cream (this one will be a hard one on those emotional days), no more chocolate chip cookies... and even worse, no more Brisa's at Los Hermanos or Ice Cream pie at Wingers. I might just die! I know, I know... I am sure I won't die, but honestly, this could be a really difficult, life changing eating habit of mine that I love so much. So... I guess I am wondering what your thoughts are? What would you recommend? I haven't committed to this challenge nor have I turned it down. I still have $30 worth of Cold Stone gift certificates to use up before I even think of signing onto this crazy bet for a year. Am I crazy? Tell me your thoughts!!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 2008! I have a feeling this is going to be a good year!


Niel had a great time bringing in the New Year. He started the year off by taking on really hard fall. He slipped on the stairs which were super icy. His head hit hard onto the ground. He only suffered mild brain damage!


Zander rode on the 4 wheelers the entire time. He would switch off, ride the red one, then ride the green one. He had a blast and didn't want to come in when it was time to warm up!


Garrett's first time down the BIG, long hill all by himself. What a brave little guy!

Yeah! He made it down, safe and sound!


"Ready! Get set!! GO!!!" Marsha heading down the long hill!!

Dave, Josh and Taylor taking a ride up to the top of Oscarson Mountain!

Here comes Stockton, Garrett and Conner! Watch out!!

Monday, December 31, 2007

Merry Christmas!



This was the first year we were able to spend Christmas all together as a family. We only have the kids every other Christmas. As you can imagine, we were super busy. We were suppose to spend Christmas Eve with Niel's sister and her family. However, the roads were too bad to drive up to Ogden and we got a late start. So, we went to the grocery store and bought some steaks... YUM! After our delicious dinner, the kids put on the nativity scene. It was super cute. We got to bed at a reasonable time. We woke up extremely early as we had plans to go to Grandma and Grandpa Dean's house for our traditional Christmas breakfast. We were up by 6:00 am to do Santa stuff. The kids were excited and happy. They must have been pretty good this past year. We got to breakfast just in time to see Grandpa before he had to head to work. We spent a good part of the morning at Grandma's house with her and Aunt Ang, Uncle Pat and Arianna. We sure do miss them!! We left their house to take a quick nap before heading to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks!" The kids loved the show. After the movie, we ran home to pick up the dog and headed to Grandma and Grandpa J's for their traditional Christmas hike. It was cold outside! The kids enjoyed it. They even saw some deer and elk. We ate Roast Beef Sandwiches for dinner and then headed back home. The kids were finally able to play with some of their presents. All and all, it was a great day! One of the best Christmas's ever!!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Ice Skating!

Garrett did really well skating too... especially with his age. As long as someone would hold onto his had for balance, he wasn't afraid to skate quick and fast. He looked better than some of the adults on the ice. He is thinking he might want to sign up for Hockey.


"No Way! I am not getting on that ice!" Zander liked to wear his skates, but absolutely refused to get on the ice in them.


Grandma and Arianna came skating with us too. Grandma was so nice to hold our hands and help us keep our balance so we wouldn't fall down.


Conner was an excellent skater and had a great time! He fell down a few times, but hopped right back up!


Stocks is a very determined skater. He never gave up, even with all the falls!! I was very proud of him for sticking with it, and even more happy he had such a good time!


Yicks! Are are starting to fall down!! HELP us !!!!



Isn't this just the cutest picture of Brooke and Brynlee? It was so much fun having them there!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Zander's stage fright!

Zander had his very first Christmas singing performance with his pre-schoold class. We all were very excited to go as this would be the first outward performance for him. It was his moment to shine. But wouldn't you know it, he got stage fright. He didn't even sing a note, except for when Santa came out. Then he got a little worried Santa would see him not singing. Look at his face when Santa takes a look at him! Too funny!!


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Christmas Traditions


My favorite part of this holiday season is all the wonderful Christmas traditions we have in our family.

Our tree is decorated with ornaments that are hand made... well, about 95% of the tree is decorated with handmade ornaments. Even ones from when I was a little girl. This year we made jingle bell reindeer. They turned out really cute! We even put our tree up early.... the weekend before Thanksgiving! It got us in the Christmas spirit just a little earlier this year!



The temple lights were beautiful this year! We rode up on Trax's to Salt Lake. The kids always enjoy the exciting ride! The weather was perfect! Just chilly enough to remind us that it is Christmas time, but not so cold that we were freezing our little bottoms off. There weren't many people out that night because of the storm earlier in the day. Light crowds are a big plus for me! We did stand in line for over an hour for dinner. Even worse then standing in line for so long was the fact that it was McDonald's. There is a lot of construction going on in downtown Salt Lake, so there weren't many options for dinner to choose from. The kids were all very patient and good though... and ate those delicious hamburger faster then I have ever seen them eat!!









Ho! Ho! Ho!! We love to visit Santa. This year, Grandma and Grandpa took us to Albertson's. They had a great Santa!! He was holly and jolly. We got to see Grandpa at work. We didn't have to wait in any long crazy lines, and we could take as many pictures as we wanted and didn't have to pay for any pictures!! I think visiting Santa at Albertson's might become a regular Christmas tradition!







One of my favorite things to do with the kids, is spending a night decorating gingerbread houses! I wonder if it is all the candy that I love or watching the kids be creative and see what they are going to make!!




Zander had a great time with his Gingerbread house. He dumped as much candy onto his sweet creation as possible It was his first year doing his very own. He did a pretty good job and enjoyed using his creative imagination!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Guess who I met?

Today I went to the temple. I was sitting in the lobby waiting for Melanie and Jonathan. I was slightly early. There was many things to watch... young, happy couples getting married. A family with two older boys getting sealed together. A bunch of young 12 year old boys coming out, just finishing up baptisms for the dead. I was sitting back, watching it all. Everyone so happy, which is why I like to just sit and watch at the temple.... everyone is filled with happy smiles.
As I was sitting there, President Monson walked out of the temple. I looked at him for a while, watching him, trying to figure out if it was really him. Then he spoke, and I knew it was him. He was walking around to all the people, shacking hands and asking for names. He had a comment every now and again and even a few stories. It was very intriguing to watch. I love this man! He has been around since I was a child, and I have loved hearing his messages since I can remember. I was hoping for a chance to get to shake his hands, but wasn't sure if he would have time to get around to everyone. I got on my feet and made my way over to where he was. I figured it was a once in a lifetime chance to really meet a man like him. After all, I am 31 years old and haven't run into that kind of opportunity yet. As he came around to me, I was getting a little excited! I could feel the spirit about him and even got a little teary eyed. He stopped right in front of me. I extended my hand out to give him a shake. I have been known to have a firm hand shake, and I think being a little nervous, I tend to be even a little more firm. He shook my hand and I introduced myself. "Well Sister Oscarson, that is one strong hand shake you have there. That is good. It is a sign of confidence. I also see you have a dimple. This is good too. I used to have one in my day. Did you know, I hear it is a sign of intelligence." I just smiled and said, "I will have to remember that." He smiled at me and moved on down the line. Continuing to meet everyone there. All were anxious to shake his hand. It was an incredible experience. One I will not forget. I was glad I got there early!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

A new addition!

Amy, Niel, Conner, Megan, Stockton, Garrett and Zander would like to announce the addition to our Family. Rockstar, or Rocky, is the newest, smallest member of our little family. What a furry little ball of quiet he is. He rarely makes a peep, and when he does it is because he is lonely and wants a little attention. He is very cuddly and loves to be scratched on his tummy. He is even almost potty trained... yeah! We adopted Rocky from a woman who had passed away. She had many dogs, but kept them in kennels most of their lives. Rocky enjoys being out and about. When we first brought him home, he wasn't sure what to do with all the roaming freedom, but he is getting used to it and I think he even likes us.... yes, he even likes Zander and Zander loves him. He has won all our hearts, even Niel's. He sure is a beautiful addition.


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Cruise Thoughts

We are back! It sure was a nice vacation. Here are a few more pictures and memories!!

We didn't spend too much on the cruise. Our biggest purchase was internet use. Niel and I sure don't like to be disconnected from the world. We were willing to pay big bucks to stay up to date with the world!!



This was my favorite waitress. She was super great! I told her once that I liked chocolate milk, but they didn't have chocolate milk in the dining area. So, she poured me a glass of milk and added chocolate syrup to it. She made it special for me every night. It completely made my day.

This was our dinner group we sat with each night. The couple on the left were from Germany, and the couple on the right were from Pennsylvania. They were the nicest people!!!


There were 12 levels on the ship. This is me, standing on the 8th floor taking a picture down to floor 4. Our room was on the 3rd floor. Niel I only road the elevator 1 time... just so we could see what it was like. That was our form of exercise throughout the day to burn off all the extra food we ate!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Cozamel










Saturday - Post by Niel

We stopped in Cozumel Mexico today. The boat didn't get there until10:00 or so, so after eating breakfast everybody was anxious to pile off the boat to get into Cozumel. We were looking forward to doing some shopping in the city because we had heard there was some very good deals to be had. Before shopping, however, we had a snorkeling excursion planned. This was one of the easy excursions to get on, the boat was tied right to the pier close to our cruise ship. It was a decent size boat and we probably had 30-40 of our shipmates along with us. It was a beautiful day and we were looking forward to a fun day in the ocean. This trip was much different from any of our other trips, they had free drinks on the boat. We were used to paying $3for a soda. So we enjoyed a Fanta on the boat ride.The boat ride to the snorkeling spot took about an hour, but the time went quickly because we were riding along the coast. Cozumel seems to be full of resorts and we got to admire many of them as we rode by.There looked like some very fun resorts to take the kids too, some of them with beautiful beaches. It is a beautiful place and we would like to come back some time. Amy knows some people who vacation there often and really enjoy it.We finally arrived at our spot and got a brief orientation on snorkeling. We then jumped in the ocean. Amy was such a good sport,the ocean is not her favorite thing and when the dive master started joking about sting rays and sharks it didn't help. But she gamely jumped in the water with everyone else. We were on a very pretty reef and got to swim around looking at the fish and coral. Amy got the chance to see a dolphin up close and I watched a sea turtle for a little while. The guide dove down to the bottom and grabbed on to the turtle and went for a little bit of a ride. It was a fun experience.We then swam out to where the reef drops off and they say the depth of the ocean goes to 3000 feet almost immediately. It was just one big dark hole and you couldn't see much, but it was fun to look down and think of just how deep the ocean is.After about 90 minutes in the water we hopped back in the boat and took off for the city. The beer and tequila were flowing freely now.We sat and enjoyed our free Fanta and watched as the boat got louder and louder and louder. It was very entertaining. By the end these people who started off so quiet were dancing and singing and carrying on.We were nice and sticky from swimming in the ocean, so we ran back to the ship quickly to shower and change and then headed out to the shops. It was a quick taxi ride. The city is very nice, it was clean and the people were friendly. Not nearly as pushy as the folks in Jamaica and much cleaner than what I had seen in Tijuana. The shopping was nothing to get excited about however. We weren't in the market for diamonds or jewelery, or prescription drugs, so that left us t-shirts and trinkets. We were able to find some cool necklaces for the kids and a noise maker for Zander. Other than that we mostly walked around and enjoyed the sites of the city and watched the people and saw some interesting things in the stores.We then caught a taxi ride back to the ship and got ready for dinner.We were the only ones at our dinner table, the day must have worn everyone out. But the menu for dinner was our favorite, I had two appetizers and we both had two desserts. Amy really liked her Strawberry shortcake and my key lime pie was great. After that we walked around for a little while, but after a long day in the sun we were both really tired so we watched the end of Evan Almighty and went to sleep. Cozumel was beautiful, I think my favorite place we stopped. I hope we make it back with the whole family some day.

Grand Cayman
















Friday

Today was Grand Cayman day. We had to take a boat ride to the pier to get on the island. The ocean was just to shallow to dock. We had a day planned of jet skiing! Our guide was a British man with a strong accent. He was very laid back….and still hung over from the Thanksgiving festivities the night before. He was entertaining and funny. The jet skiing venture wasn't quite what we expected, but it was really fun. The jet ski's were ones you laid down on, with your stomach against the seat and your backside up to the sun. The reason for this was because you could see through a clear glass at the bottom of the ski, so you could see what was in the ocean. This was a perfect way for me to see the bottom. It meant that I didn't have to physically get in the ocean, plus I got to be next to my strong husband who could protect me from the ocean animals I fear so much.It was a very nice, warm day. We got to feed the fish bread and watch them jump all over the place. We even saw a sea turtle….it was far down on the bottom, but very cool to see. Niel jumped in the water to cool down. It was very clear ocean and extremely beautiful.We headed towards town to see what the Grand Cayman's had to offer us. The American dollar was lower then Cayman Island dollar, so everything was very expensive for us. We went to the Del Sol shop and got a color changing Frisbee and then headed to Margarita Ville for some good old American food. Our hamburgers were delicious, and the music was great. The cruise ship has been playing a lot of latin or big band music, but nothing too modern, so it was nice to hear some stuff we liked. They also had a water slide at the restaurant. Niel went down the slide and we just sat around, watched the kids play and keep tabs on the sports games that were on TV….almost like being at home. I just missed the kids and knew they would have had a great time if they were there with us. We walked the streets for a while.They have a lot of Banks in the Caymans. It seemed more of a rich town, every different from Jamaica.We got back on the ship and ready for dinner. It was another dress up night. Niel looked dashing in his suite! It is fun to get all dressed up for a night. We talked with our German friends at dinner about the economy. Niel was in heaven speaking with Jorgen. He is an economist in Germany. Niel loves that kind of stuff. We went to an extremely entertaining show. It was a comedian cowboy. He was pretty funny. Then they had the love and marriage show. That was pretty funny too. It was time for the chocolate night. It was very fancy.More chocolate then I had ever seen. They even had a gigantic dragon,carved out of chocolate. I was in heaven…more sweets then my stomach could hold ( I never thought I would hear myself say that). We had a nice time though. It was a good day!!

Jamaica Man! - Thanksgiving




























Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving sure wasn't the hometown traditional Thanksgiving. We were in Jamaica Man! Mostly, we were looking forward to getting off the boat. The port was a crazy mess. People were all over the place. We walked through the mess and headed over to the main entrance. The minutes we step out of the port we were summoned over by a Jamaican taxi man. He grabbed us and started walking us down the street. Niel and I weren't sure what we were doing anyway, but our plan was to just take in a few shops right near the port, and then head back to get on our horseback riding excursion. This taxi driver had other plans in store for us. He wanted to take us into town. After much begging on his part, and much unsure confusion on our part, we finally convinced him a drive wasn't in our agenda. I turned to walk back to close shops. He then grabbed Niel by the arm and said "You like you party man?" This was for Niel's ears only. We quickly moved away from him and headed for the shops. We were just about the only cruise people in there….actually the onlyAmericans. The Jamaicans are high pressure sales people. Without fail, at each entrance of a store we would be greeted by one Jamaican who would beg us to come into their store. "T-shirts are 7 for 20 dollar." This is what each Jamaican said. Once in the stores, we were followed around endlessly. They told us everything was on discount. Needless, to say, it was not the greatest experience. We cut our shopping venture short and headed back to the boat to wait for our excursion to begin. We found our sign that read, "Horseback!" A Jamaican man took our tickets and started to walk off. Great! Again, we were unsure as to what was going on. We were both very confused, so we just followed the guy. He walked back and forth for a while, then he glanced over his shoulder and realized we were still there. He then found us a driver and told him to get us on the bus. This older Jamaican bus driver man starting walking with us heading toward the buses. We didn't get to far when he stopped and got in an argument with another bus lady Jamaican bus driver. They were yelling at each other for along time, while Niel and I just stood there trying to figure out what was going on. We did finally make it on the right bus to the horseback riding adventure. The Jamaican people are very poor people. We drove through their town. There was a lot of unfinished, old buildings. The area was very green, but very dirty. We saw many Jamaican children heading to school. They all wore uniforms, but their schools were in very poor condition as well. They went to school in broken down buildings or trailers. There were tiny kids, maybe about 3 years old all dressed up in uniforms too. Our driver told us they start school when they are really young. It was very interesting.The horseback riding trip was very nice. We rode through a tiny little village. Again, the people were super poor. I am not sure what to call the places they lived. They were every worse then shacks. It was crazy to think that is really how other people lived. There were kids playing in the village, and people just hanging around. They all looked really happy. They seemed to like their simple lives. After trotting through the village, we got to ride the horse through the ocean. The horses all followed in a line and we went deep in the water, so the horses heads were barely above water. It was a very neat experience. We headed right back to the port and right to the ship. Jamaica was fun, but not exactly what we were expecting.Once on the ship we decided to try out some of the things we hadn't tried out yet. We both climbed the rock wall and then we went to the bungee trampoline event. Niel and I sat to wait with a bunch of 13 year old girls…haha! I had a blast jumping so high up, doing backwards and front wards flips, I even got two flips in at a time. Niel did it as well. It was probably my most favorite part of the cruise thus far.It was time for Thanksgiving dinner. We headed to the dining room to feast with our great dinner group. The turkey was delicious. It was probably a little more fancy then I was used to, but it was nice. We went the evening show, which was very entertaining. I am not sure if it was the turkey in our stomachs, or the extremely active day, but we were both exhausted. We went back to our rooms and quickly fell asleep.

More Cruising









Wednesday

We were sound asleep, resting up for our big Haiti trip, which included zip lining down the country side, when the captain awoke us with an announcement. The weather was too bad to port…what? I was half awake when he gave the sad news. The weather had been horrible, the boat rocking all night and such. I just couldn't believe we weren't going to port. A day at the beach, in the hot sun was just too much fun to miss out on, not to mention the zip line excursion.That was the one excursion I had begged Niel to sign us up for. I was super disappointed! However, sleeping in again did sound good, so we went back to bed.Another day on the boat wasn't sounding too appealing, but there wasn't really anything we could do about it. The wind was blowing pretty hard, but it was possible to be on deck. When mid-afternoon rolled around, there was an announcement that someone was very ill and they were flying in the coast guard helicopter for some aid and to get the sick passenger off. Everyone was excited about this! Everyone lined the decks to see the big show. Yes, even I was on the deck watching it all…. After all, there wasn't really much else to do. We were later told that one of the kitchen staff members had a mild heart attach. He was only 32 years old! I guess they work their people pretty hard..ha! It sounds like the man is doing well and was able to get the medical attention he needed. I headed up on deck to watch the kids splash in the pool, do a little people watching, and read my book. Niel spent the afternoon playing poker, and searching for me.We did find each other just in time to get dressed for dinner. Our dinner friends are so extremely nice. It really is fun to listen to each other's stories and share our own. It makes me miss home….Especially the kids. They are so nice to just listen us.The evening was much like our others evenings. A show, karaoke, and walking the upper deck under the stars. Tonight, we played a fun game. We had to team up in groups and do wild and crazy things. Niel was wild crazy…. He took off his pants, touched ladies bra's….I even got some pictures! I was of the wholesome group…I did the splits forpoints..haha! It was a great evening!