Wednesday, October 19, 2016

October Celebrations



October has always been one of my favorite months of the year.  I guess it probably began as a little girl celebrating my birthday.  My Daddy's birthday was just a couple days from mine.  I shared my birthday with my uncle as well.  October always brings the wonderful crisp air and the trees all dressed in the autumn finery.  To add to the excitement of my love of October my sweetheart's birthday is this month as well.  It is also the anniversary of our marriage to one another.





This year we celebrated 49 years of marriage with a trip to the Caribbean.  We enjoy the ease of cruising.  So we booked a trip for our anniversary.  Little did we know it would be a week when Hurricane Matthew would be barreling into the Caribbean and up the eastern seaboard.  We were both disappointed that our planned trip would probably be cancelled.  Our hearts were certainly thinking of all the folks that were in this terrible storm's pathway.  Airports were closed in the Miami area.  Our flight was to be on October 8th, the day of our cruise.  We were planning to fly to Fort Lauderdale and cruising out of Miami.  The Fort Lauderdale airport opened on Friday, but our airline did not fly there until Saturday.  So early Saturday we were able to fly and go on this trip.  It was meant to be.  We always believe if there are situations that keep us from doing things we have planned, then it must mean we should not go.  Do you get those nudges about plans?


We sailed out of Miami just as the sun was dropping and creating a gorgeous skyline.









Sailing away to the Caribbean is always exciting for us as we knew the beautiful ocean would be waiting for us to see.




We are never disappointed to see the wake from the stern of the ship!




We had two days at sea before reaching the US Virgin Island of  St. Thomas.  We enjoyed restful days reading, walking and eating!  There is always an abundance to eat on a cruise ship and one must pace themselves.  We were so relaxed as we felt ourselves getting used to being pampered.


Our ship sailed into the beautiful port of Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands on St. Thomas.  The weather was beautiful, but we could see to the west that dark clouds were forming.  As we exited the ship we immediately realized that heat and humidity would be the order of the day.  





The next day we sailed into the British Virgin Island of Tortola.  Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands.  We had planned a beach day, but our excursion was cancelled because of the rip tides that were running that day.  Again it was a very hot and humid visit to a lovely island.







Leaving Tortola was absolutely gorgeous.

 






We had one more day at sea and then we sailed into Nassau, Bahamas.  Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas.  Hurricane Matthew unfortunately did travel through this island.   There was some damage to roof tops and some trees were leaning over.  When we went into town a young Bahamanian woman told us there was more damage to Freeport.  She said they would not be getting their electricity back until Thanksgiving.  She also said that the Bahamanian schools were still closed.

  






We were so happy to have this time to enjoy each other with little or no obligations.  Reflecting on 49 years that have passed so quickly we can hardly believe it.  How did two young people possibly know that our love would endure all these years? 






  

 

37 comments:

  1. Congratulations! That is an achievement indeed and what a special way to celebrate your 49 years together.
    I, too, being an October baby, have an affinity with this month.
    ~~~much love, Deb

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    1. Thank you, dear Deb. I happen to think fondly of October babies and that includes you. Happy Birthday, my friend. xoxo ♥

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  2. Martha Ellen, I must begin with a comment about the photo of you and Grayden at the end of this post. You look absolutely stunning! Love looks good on you!

    Happy anniversary...happy birthday...happy birthday!! (Your October reminds me of our August!) It is definitely a month of celebration for you, and how fitting that you and your beloved should celebrate big! The islands are so beautiful, although I'll bet that ship looked pretty beautiful too after a day in the heat and humidity. :)

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    1. Thank you, dear Cheryl for your sweet comments. You are so right that we were happy to retreat to the ship after a day in the heat and humidity. I do believe the humidity was close to 100%. That's probably why my hair looks like it does in the photo! ♥

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  3. Wonderful photos! What an adventure you had! I'm glad it worked out for you to go on the cruise. Happy 49th! A long and happy love. You both look wonderful, and not like you've been out all day in humidity and heat. You have many reasons to like October, also one of my favorite months. We've had summer come back but I think a change is coming.

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    1. Thank you, Dotsie! Summer is really back today and again for tomorrow, but this weekend I'm sure we'll have the heat back on! October is truly a glorious month. I hope you are enjoying it all! ♥

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  4. You surely look like lovebirds, even after 49 years. It is a beautiful thing. I was in St Thomas a very long time ago, I still remember it's gorgeous blue skies and water.

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    1. Thank you, Jeri! The Caribbean is just lovely, isn't it? I'm always in awe of its beauty. I am married to a real sweetheart, so I'm the lucky one. Have a nice evening. ♥

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  5. Oh happy anniversary! What a wonderful picture of you both. You wear the years well and it delights me to know that your love for one another continues to grow. I am glad that the trip was not cancelled. Beautiful photos!

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    1. Thank you so much Vee. I must admit that I really didn't think we would be able to go. Oh me of little faith...I'm surely glad I was wrong. ♥

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  6. What a great memory you will always have about this anniversary! I'm glad you were able to go and that you didn't have any bad weather as a result of the hurricane on your trip. The pictures tell a beautiful story. The beauty of the skies and landscape are wonderful. It's so great that you take nice vacations like this. Happy Birthday and Anniversary!!

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    1. Thank you, Liz. The weather was a great concern! We certainly were happy when we finally boarded the plane and were on our way. It was a little bittersweet as we knew there were folks that were suffering with this horrible storm. Enjoy your beautiful autumn day. ♥

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  7. So much to celebrate! Happy Birthday, Martha Ellen! Happy Birthday, Grayden! Happy 49th Anniversary to two of our favorite lovebirds! ♥ I know how much you both enjoy cruising. It's wonderful that you were able to make this special trip. Such lovely views of the islands and the calm sea after the storm. Wishing you happy days all month long! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpletThymes

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    1. Thank you, dearest Dawn. October brings so many blessings our way. We enjoyed a very relaxing week enjoying being spoiled to the max. I hope you are having a glorious October! Our weather is quite warm today and has been the last few days. Great for finishing up gardening chores. Our leaves are just beginning to show some color. I imagine your's are looking beautiful. Have a great day, dear one. ♥

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  8. Well, it's no wonder that October is a very special month for you! There is so much to celebrate and be thankful for! Happy 49th wedding anniversary to you and your husband! I'm so glad you were still able to go on your cruise vacation. It was meant to be! Wishing you and your husband a very happy birthday as well! XOXO

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    1. Thank you for the lovely wishes, dear Rosinda. I hope you are enjoying your gorgeous October days filled with your lovely colorful maples. Autumn in Canada looks amazing. Skyline Drive is supposed to peak this weekend. Our local trees are beginning to change. On our walk this morning we saw a nice sprinkling of color. Have a great day, dear friend. xoxo ♥

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  9. Martha Ellen, how wonderful! Congratulations and Happy Anniversary to you both!

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  10. Martha Ellen, happy anniversary - 49 years, that is amazing! A trip to the Caribbean for your anniversary sounds awesome! The pictures of the ocean are so pretty, and Tortola sounds like a lovely place to visit with lots of scenery and charming places to enjoy. I would have loved to seen that doll shop. :) Happy Birthday to one of my favorite ladies in blog land. This picture of the two of you is a sweet one.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Thank you, Sheri. It was wonderful being spoiled and enjoying relaxing times together. The dolls were handmade by the local ladies. Have a nice afternoon. ♥

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  11. Happy anniversary! How wonderful to cruise down in the Caribbean! must have been gorgeous and romantic!

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    1. Thank you, Betsy. It was a romantic time sailing in the Caribbean and being pampered. Have a lovely afternoon, my friend. ♥

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  12. Such a lovely post, your photo's and mosaics are just so lovely to see. Thank you so much for sharing them here.

    Happy Anniversary Wishes, and Happy Birthday too!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Jan, the Caribbean is an easy place to photograph. I'm always inspired by its beauty! Thank you for the wishes. Have a great evening. ♥

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  13. Happy Anniversary! I'm glad you didn't have to cancel your trip. Years ago our vacation on Block Island off the coast of RI looked like it would not happen when the ferry from the mainland was not running because of the rough seas. But by happenstance we ended up getting a ride to the airport and flying over. That was an adventure in itself!

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    1. Thank you Cathy. We were trying to decide if we would drive to Miami, but felt it would be unwise as lack of power would keep us from buying gas as we made our way down. The ship was going to go, it was our ability to get there that was the problem. Also the path of the storm would have meant driving through danger. It worked for us to fly and we felt it was meant to be. We always say the more we travel the more stories we have to tell.
      I hope you are well and will enjoy more seasonal temperatures soon. ♥

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  14. Thank you for sharing your pictures from your anniversary trip! Glad it all worked out. May God's blessings continue to flow on your life together...here's to many more! <3 xoxo

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    1. Kim, Thank you so much for your wishes and blessings. I hope you have a wonderful Autumn day! xoxo ♥

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  15. Hi Martha! First of all - happy anniversary! I'm so glad you got to go on your cruise. I do feel like you, if something doesn't happen as planned it is God working in one way or another. You visited some beautiful place. We love to cruise too and have been talking about taking another one. Thank you so much for popping in to see me.
    e a sweetie,
    Shelia :)

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    1. Thank you, Shelia. I can hardly believe we've been married so long, but feel so blessed. I hope you and Mr. Precious plan a wonderful cruise. ♥

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  16. What a beautiful cruise this must have been...and congrats on 49 yrs...the years sure can go by in a hurry.

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    1. Thank you BJ! We had a great time. The years surely do fly by. Have a nice evening. ♥

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  17. Happy Birthday AND Anniversary! The cruise photos are wonderful and enjoyed seeing a bit of what y'all saw...the presentation is great...well done!

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  18. What a wonderful cruise! A belated Happy Birthday and Happy anniversary!

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