Saturday, August 16, 2013, Nashville, TN., 3:56 p.m., C.D.T.~

Dear Journal~

Louisiana here.  A rather excited Louisiana, I might add.

We are getting ready to go on a cruise; we leave next Friday.  Bill and I are going by ourselves to Alaska; we need a break away from the children.  Now that the children are older, the oldest ones (plus my parents) can watch over the younger or more disabled ones; they are quite capable of taking care of themselves (or others).  They have really matured; we are both very proud of them all.

While this isn't our first Alaskan cruise, this is the first one without our children.  We've gone to Alaska twice before, but the kids came with us.  Now this will be our turn, our way to spend some needed time alone.  I know the kids are disappointed, but most of them understand that we need a break from time to time.  I'm just glad they are so accepting of that fact.

Bill and I have been extra supportive to the youngest children (Camille, Akihiko, Ian, Isaiah, etc.); we have been making sure that they know that they are loved and appreciated and have been spending time with them.  We also have promised to bring them back something from Alaska, so that should make them happy from when we do come back home.

How did we get this cruise? Well, we had entered a contest online and we ended up winning the cruise! Surprised?  You bet we were!!  We won a free seven day curise to Alaska on Princess Cruise Lines; we will be on the Coral Princess.  We leave next Friday; we fly out to Toronto, Ontario Canada, on Air Canada, then we change planes in Toronto to fly to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, then we sail out on the 24th of August to Alaska.  

We were totally shocked when we discovered we had won this cruise.  It was totally unexpected!

We have our passports and all the required documents (driver's licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, etc.), so all we have to do is pack.  We've started packing now; we should be done in a few days.  Now all we have to do is get to the airport at six in the morning; our flight leaves at 8:00 .a.m.

Don't y'all worry: both Bill and myself plan on taking many pictures; we will then upload them onto our Facebook pages after we get back.  I know the kids will want to see them.  I'm just sad we can't take them, but as I said, both Bill and myself need a break from them, so this time it's just us.  We both could use a little "me time".  I just hope and pray they understand that.

Well, I hate to go, but the phone is ringing, and Camille is screaming that there's a big ugly black spider in the laundry room and she won't go in there until it's good and gone (preferably dead; she hates spiders with a purple passion).  Take care; may God bless you always; I'll write sometime next week, etiher just before our cruise or right after we start!  Alaska, here we come (again)!!

~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May.  :)