What Fuels my Spirit

While doing some research yesterday, I found a question that needed an answer.  What fuels my spirit? There are so many answers to this question, as there are many things in life that add fuel to my spirit.  The top ones on my list – energy work, meaningful conversations, knowledge seeking, and travel.

The similarities among all these are the desire to find connections with others and learn.  Lifelong learning is an extremely important part of who I am.  The best kind of lifelong learning is through experiences.  Experiences occur whether I am doing energy work with others, having discussions about life with those closest to me, travelling around the world, or living my life day-to-day.

As with most life experiences, there have been ups and downs.  Some of the downs were rock bottom, while the ups brought some of the most unexpected connections and emotions that I didn’t believe were possible.

Each step taken is made up of choices, some of the choices made resulted in experiences that could have destroyed me, but I pressed forward.  Those experiences made me stronger and I embrace them, because without them I would not be here in this moment.  There would have been no growth, there would only be stagnation.

Other steps taken and choices made that resulted in deep meaningful connections and joyful experiences.  I am grateful for those outcomes.  These experiences have opened my eyes to things I have never thought possible.  They have taught me that with the right mindset and desire to move forward, there are so many possibilities out there.

What fuels my spirit?  It really comes down to one word – experiences.  Living this life and all exploring all the possibilities laid out before me.

Japan Solo Trip – Wrap-up

After years planning to go back to Japan, finally doing it turned out much better than expected. Japan was the way I remembered it and so much more. Going solo gave me the chance to fully immerse myself in what was going on around me. It was a chance to do what called to me without having to work around the wants and needs of anyone else.

Every experience was worth the wait. Once again Japan did not feel foreign to me, it felt like a second home. It felt as though I was away for years on a journey and came back home.

Leaving Japan filled me with sadness, even though I missed my life back in Canada, especially my husband. I now know that Japan will be a place I visit more frequently, waiting another eight years to visit is not an option.

Caribbean Cruise Vacation Review

We just got back from a wonderful cruise to the Caribbean with Royal Caribbean Cruises. We sailed on their ship Navigator of the Seas, which stopped in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico.

Our vacation started on January 31, 2015. We left home and flew on US Airways for the first time. I was a bit sceptical at first because most of my recent experiences with U.S. airlines have been underwhelming. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our plane left on time and we made the connection on time. The US Airways crew and airport staff were friendly, plus the captain made an effort to keep us in the loop of our flight schedule.

After landing in Houston, we checked into the Houston Airport Marriott. On the plus side, the staff was very accommodating. We arrived at the hotel pretty much right as the kitchen was about to close. They still made us food and delivered it to our room. It was a great example of customer service, which numerous places seem to let fall by the wayside nowadays. The only thing we weren’t impressed with was the room. It was a bit dated, it definitely needed a revamp. It was a good place to stay overnight, but a bit overpriced.

Next up was the transfer to the cruise ship. It was easy to find. The staff was very helpful regarding keeping everyone organized and answering any questions we had regarding the bus. The bus itself was average, but thankfully it did have a restroom on board.

At the Port of Galveston, the security , check-in and boarding process went smoothly. The staff were friendly and helpful. It was mainly the other passengers that made things a little chaotic. One thing to note if you are going on a cruise, check-in before leaving and print your tags with your ship cabin number on them. This will save time at port.

The ship itself was great. We had a balcony room that was lovely. The individual who took care of our room introduced himself the first day and went over the cleaning schedule with us. I found it nice to know who would be taking care of us. Plus any time we saw any of the crew they were always friendly and greeted us. It made me feel welcomed. The ship was very clean.

During the cruise we spent a majority of our time relaxing and didn’t do much of the shows or group events. The music on board from what we heard sounded pretty good. There were different lounges that provided a different varieties of music. There was also a night club on the 14th floor that always seemed to be hopping.

For relaxation we checked out the adults only pool area, which was great. It had two whirlpools and one swimming pool in this area and numerous lounge chairs. We also spend some time at the casino. The casino had quite a few different slot machines and card tables. Plus they seemed to always have contests going for the guests. The only downside of the casino is that they could use a larger non-smoking area.

For people interested in shopping, which I don’t really think is too important since most of it can be done on-line, there are a few stores on-board to buy name brand items. Mostly purses, jewellery, watches, perfume and make-up. Wait until the last full day of the cruise to buy items, everything goes on sale then.

The food on the ship varied depending on where you went. We mainly stuck to the speciality restaurants for lunch and dinner. We didn’t even get a chance to try the main dining room. We did go to the buffet twice and weren’t impressed with the food. The first night that we were on-board we went to Chops Grille. Both the food and the service was excellent. We did plan on going there again, but we found Sabor the next night. Sabor is an amazing Mexican restaurant. So amazing, that we ate there three nights of the cruise. We had the same waiter each time we went. I honestly don’t think I can eat Mexican food for awhile, as it probably would pale in comparison. We also went to Izumi, the Japanese restaurant on-board. The sushi and rolls were amazing. The service was good as well. The only thing we weren’t really a fan of was the hot rock dish. Next time we would just stick with the sushi and rolls. The last night we went to Giovanni’s Table. The only thing that was good there was the dessert. All in all, we weren’t too impressed with the food there. A bonus for all of these restaurants is that there was a fairly good selection of gluten free items. Plus, the people working in the restaurants were very knowledgeable regarding what was gluten free, if they were unsure they would check with the chef. Johnny Rocket’s and Ben & Jerry’s were also on our list of most frequented places. Both were yummy.

Regarding the Caribbean itself, I don’t think we will be going back any time soon. Just not our thing. We were not able to stop at our scheduled port in Jamaica and ended up going to another port, Montego Bay. We got off of the ship for all of ten minutes, just to pick up rum. There didn’t seem to be anything within walking distance and we didn’t want to try to book another shore excursion at the last minute. We didn’t really mind, we had lots of time that day at the pool which was pretty empty since everyone was on shore. Our next stop was the Grand Cayman, which was the best stop of the cruise. It was very clean and the people were friendly. We went to see turtles and stingrays on our shore excursion. For those interested it is the Turtle,Stingray Land and Sea Adventure. This was an awesome tour. We got to feed the turtles and get our picture taken with the turtles. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time there. After the turtles we went to see the Stingrays and got to go in the sea with them. It was fabulous. They were swimming all over and we got our pictures taken with them, plus we got a chance to feed them. I highly recommend this tour. The last place we stopped was Cozumel, Mexico. We went on a shore excursion where we learned to make salsas. This was a fun excursion. As far as shopping it was all over-priced and most of the items I can buy through Etsy if I want items handmade for a better price. The people seemed to be a little pushy in Mexico when it came to selling items. All in all, if we went back to the Caribbean it would be to stay in the Grand Cayman.

The day we arrived back in Galveston was a bit crazy. Getting off the ship was a bit hectic. There didn’t seem to be enough staff to assist everyone. Plus they assumed everyone was either a U.S. citizen and lived in Texas. So there weren’t many lines for those holding foreign passports. The line for the shuttles was complete chaos and we didn’t leave on time. They definitely could have used better organization. That was the biggest downside of the cruise.

Our flight back was great. We flew United and I was a bit worried as my previous experiences with them haven’t been the greatest. They were very helpful though. They moved our flight a day earlier, plus we were able to get seats sitting together. Their staff were great.

All in all, it was a great trip.

Choose Your Own Adventures

How many people out there read “choose your own adventure” books as a kid? I used to read them lots, for a time they were my favorite books. Mainly I enjoyed these books because there was involvement on my part on how the story would turn out, not to mention the re-read value was great.

As an adult there hasn’t been much of an urge to partake in any “choose your own adventure” type reading, until recently. There are “choose your own adventure” games for the PC. Some are like reading a book on your screen, like Choice of the Deathless. This has a great story with no graphics, but very enjoyable. Others are like a graphic novel where you choose how the main character will respond. The Wolf Among Us falls into this category. The style of this game is beautiful. It is like being part of a graphic novel. There isn’t much in the way of fighting as far as games go, but the story is good and some of your choices can still leave you wondering after the game ends. These games have rekindled my love of “choose your own adventure” stories. I feel like a kid again and in control of the outcome of my story.

A Hairy Situation

You know how the hair stands up on the back of a cat when they are trying to make themselves bigger? Or how their tails poof out when they are startled? I think my hair does the same thing.

I seriously think my hair reflects my emotions, kind of like a mood ring but crazier. For example, yesterday I was feel a bit stressed and when I looked in the mirror I swear my hair looked like I was struck by lightning. It totally reflected my mood. There has been other days when I have been feeling down and my hair has looked flat.

Kind of makes me wonder whether it is the hair that is causing the emotion or the emotion that is causing the hair. 🙂