Feb 21st, 2020 Day 49 of 128

Good bye to our California time zone…look out Hawaii time zone here we come. We have been having a lot of difficulty with our internet service since leaving Chile and I have gotten a little behind on my posts. Hoping to get caught up tonight. The seas have been relatively calm and sailing has been smooth (I am hoping I didn’t jinx us by typing that). This morning since we got extra sleep, not really we just gained an hour, we all met for breakfast at the Pinnacle resteraunt. I am glad we were all able to get together there as one of our regular staff members, Marco, is getting off the ship tomorrow as his contract is up. We had a chance to take a few photos with him and say our goodbyes. I know that is all part of ship life that crew come and go, but it hard to see our favorites go. I wish the entire crew could stay the same the entire cruise, but it doesn’t work that way. After breakfast Megan and I went to crocheting for a little while and then met up with mom and Valerie at 11:00 for a lecture on the highlights of Polynesian islands. They talked about Tahiti, Cook Island, Tonga and Ne Zealand and things to see and do at each of them. I am actually a little sad we only get one day at each of these places, but it gives me the opportunity to look forward to returning here again someday. I’ll say it again, it feels like Hawaii here. They share the culture, language, family feeling, music, dance, weather….so to us Hawaiian lovers, it feels like home. At 1:00pm the Polynesian ambassadors had their last performance of this cruise for us. They will also be getting off tomorrow. They did a few different hula dance performances, sang, and then the group of passengers that had been learning the Ukulele got to get up on stage and perform for the passengers. We spent the afternoon at arts and crafts making our pearl earrings, relaxing, the girls worked on homework and then dinner at 5:15pm. I am exhausted and I am in my room typing to you lovely people at 7:00pm my time. And guess what, we turn our clocks back yet another hour tonight. Tomorrow we arrive in Papeete, Tahiti. We have an excursion to tour the island and hopefully we’ll get in some shopping. I am thinking it would be a great opportunity to purchase a Tahitian pearl in Tahiti. We’ll see what the day holds for us. This mommy is going to bed early tonight. I survived an emotional day today with only one crying episode. Four years ago today Don and I sat at UCSF hospital and listened to two amazing doctors tell us that he had cancer in his bones and that it was terminal. They put him on hospice and gave him 2-3 months to live. My life changed forever that day and it marked the start of what was to become a completely new existence for my family and I. We have come a long way and we have survived and thrived through the grief and pain of losing him. I miss him everyday, but will again give him all the credit and my deepest gratitude for being the man he was that allowed us to be where we are right now in this very moment. O.K…..now two crying episodes. Love one another, like there is no tomorrow, because there may not be. Hugs!! Debra