On Sunday 11 January we were up early and enjoyed breakfast on the Lido Deck.  We bumped into Rich and Mollie as they were leaving breakfast and we said our goodbyes.  Eileen enjoyed two Eggs Benedict!  I had the full breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links and patty, bacon, and cut-up potatoes.  Then I had two waffles with fruit compotes.  We then retrieved what remained in our stateroom and prepared to disembark.  We had put ourselves in the late Green group (9:15-9:30).  We had our duffle bag and my suit carrier.

When we got off the ship, we found our four pieces of luggage and a porter, and got in line for U.S. Customs.  Even though we had spent more than the limit, he just waved us through after looking at our passports and keeping the customs declaration.

We called US1 Airport Parking and their shuttle picked us up.  We got our car and soon were back at David's!

We unpacked and chatted with David.  We will try to reduce the number of suitcases for the next cruise.  I went through 331 e-mails, deleting most of them and replying to two.  Then I downloaded the pictures from both our cameras onto both laptops.  About 800 pictures total.  I put them in folders and albums in the folders.  Next will be transferring the pictures that were taken with our iPhones.  Lastly will be going through the pictures, editing, deleting, etc.

The three of us went to Russ and Gail's for supper.  Megan was there along with Kristen and her two, Brooke and Cooper.  During supper Matt and Ashton arrived. 

Cooper, Russ and Gail, Kristen, David, Brooke, Megan, and Eileen

We enjoyed the visit and headed home later with David.

On Monday 12 January we enjoyed a quiet morning.  Lots of wash to do after the cruise.  I called all of our doctors for statements for 2014 for income tax purposes and made an appointment with Dr. Shorr for my permanent crown on my new implant.

I posted this on Facebook this afternoon:

'As the great Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan (d. 2006) remarked, “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen — nothing else matters.”' Daniel Peterson, Deseret News

We shopped at Walmart and Publix in the afternoon and got more $$ for our next cruise.

My laryngitis was pretty much gone by now but I still coughed a fair amount during the night when in the prone position.

I finished going through all the pictures on my laptop that we took with our iPhones.  1056 of them.  Next is Eileen's laptop.  Probably tomorrow!

On Tuesday 13 January we enjoyed a quiet morning.  I caught up to last Sunday on my news e-mails from the New York Times and Deseret News. 

I tried to access Express Scripts and had to reboot using Firefox for the website to work.  I ordered metformin, furosemide, carvedilol, and breeze 2 test strips for Eileen.

Eileen and I enjoyed going to d'Lites Emporium in Plantation for a treat for lunch.  She had creme brûlée and French vanilla and I had fudge brownie and Snickers.  We bought a 16 oz container of the yellow cake batter flavor, Eileen's favorite.  The bearded young man who worked there said "yes" to my Book of Mormon questions.  He is the first Muslim to whom I will have sent a Book of Mormon!

I made a reservation with Safe Cruise Parking in Miami for 19 January.

I e-mailed Colleen the 29 pictures of the Wyland marine murals from Key West, 15 of mine and 14 of Eileen's.

I finished downloading the pictures on Eileen's laptop that we took with our iPhones.  I put them all in the proper folders and albums but she may go through them and edit them as she would like.

We went with David to the Kingshead Pub nearby for supper.  It is a British pub and we went twice last year.

When we returned home, we enjoyed the season premiere of "Genealogy Roadshow" on PBS.  I also called the Ft. Lauderdale Temple and made reservations for the Friday noon endowment session.

On Wednesday 14 January we slept late which was delightful!  Megan and I texted and she and Eileen have a noon appointment for their nails.

After they left I published my week of 14 December blog entry and started the 21 December entry.

Eileen returned and her toenails looked awesome, kind of a luminescent copper color.  Her fingernails she had done again in the French style.

We had our meeting with Jane Colmenares via phone and my laptop.  We'll start on our next project as Church Service missionaries tomorrow standardizing the parish titles in Yorkshire.  We brought the need to do so to their attention when we first worked on the Yorkshire parishes.

I finished reading "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins which I had begun on 23 April.  It is listed as #46 on the list of the top 100 books of the 19th century.  It was very good!  Years ago I had read "The Moonstone" by Collins which is #61 on that list.

William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889)

Today was National Pastrami Day, so David brought home Reubens and Rachels for supper which are made with corned beef and pastrami, resp.  They came with large-cut fries.  David had Goya Mayo-Ketchup which was like spicy fry sauce!

Reuben sandwich

Rachel sandwich

I finished reading "Guy Mannering" by Sir Walter Scott which I had begun on 21 November 2013.  I have read numerous works by Scott beginning with "Ivanhoe."  Others were "Waverley," "Rob Roy," "The Heart of Midlothian Volumes 1 and 2," "The Bride of Lammermoor," "A Legend of Montrose," "Quentin Durward," "The Fair Maid of Perth,” and "The Fortunes of Nigel." 

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

On Thursday 15 January I was up first as we were expecting some fellows to do electrical work for David in the garage.  They arrived and were there about three hours.  Matt Bosse stopped by briefly to see how things were going.  He is the owner of the electrical company.

I did some indexing in FamilySearch for Virginia marriage records in 1955. I do indexing once a month.

We watched the Christmas video from Elder and Sister Clayton for Church Service missionaries.  You may watch it at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o73tn3s2sa4

Sister and Elder Clayton

Then we began working on our next CSM assignment in Yorkshire.  Eileen worked an hour-and-a-half and Ben worked three hours and 40 minutes.  When they finished the spreadsheet they received, Ben went through all of his notes from late October and let Jane know which parishes were missing from the spreadsheet.

Later we dropped off an anniversary card at Russ and Gail's.  We stopped at d'Lites Emporium for a treat.  Eileen had chocolate pudding and vanilla and I had maple walnut and chocolate pudding.  The young man who worked there and said "yes" to my Book of Mormon questions gave me a copy of the Koran.  It is spelled Qu'ran.  I have read about 40% of it in recent years.  My opinion would not be be taken well by Muslims.

Inside d'Lites Emporium in Plantation

After supper Russ and Gail came by to say hello.  It was their 38th wedding anniversary and they had been to dinner at Bonefish Grill.

After they left I published the week of 21 December on my blog.

Then I worked some more on our CSM assignment in Yorkshire. 

I began and finished "The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim A Hercule Poirot Short Story" by Agatha Christie.

On Friday 16 January I finished the 20 July issue of the Church News.  That is the last of the four issues that I brought from home.  I enjoyed reading the article "Compassion, work, optimism" about President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk during the annual Pioneer Days Devotional in Ogden on 13 July.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf with his wife Harriet waves to the crowd

The centerfold was entitled "A Home of Our Own," an online exhibit about the Relief Society building just off Temple Square in Salt Lake City.  It was completed in 1956.

Members of the Relief Society presidency inspect the building project with the architect and contractor.

The entrance to the building today

I especially enjoyed "Family history missions" which I read to Eileen

Elder David Slagowski and Sister Barbara Slagowski serve as assistants to the manager
of the Record Operations Centers in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City (Jace Whatcott)

and "Result of apostle's prayer" about the Gospel rolling forward in Asia.  "It was a typical humid Hong Kong summer day on July 14, 1949, when Elder Matthew Cowley of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, Sister Elva Cowley, President and Sister Hilton Robertson and their daughter, Carolyn, and President and Sister Henry Wong Aki found a secluded place on Victoria Peak to pray." Deseret News

Elder Matthew Cowley (1897-1953) 

We went to the noon endowment session at the Fort Lauderdale Temple.  Eileen was given a family file card and I went through for one of my ancestors whose initiatory was done over three years ago in Salt Lake! The address on the card was our mission address.  She met two sisters from the Plantation Ward who knew her from when we were here last summer with Sue.  There were 15 sisters and 10 brethren in the session.

We filled up at Costco for $2.039 and got a sympathy card at Hallmark on West Broward Blvd.

We had lunch at the Kingshead Pub though they were out of mushy peas for Eileen which was why we stopped there :(

I had problems with the automatic door switches in our Avalon.  I called Lipton Toyota and made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I also texted William about it and with his input and the description in the owner's manual the problem was resolved!  It had to do with disconnecting the battery to get rid of the two dashboard lights that were on, not realizing that that would mess up the automatic door switches (see my 3 January entry).

In the evening it was quiet as David and Eileen watched "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" with Guy Fieri.  Eileen enjoyed her sudoku book and I sent out Jacquie Lawson birthday greetings on my laptop up through 30 January.

On Saturday 17 January I called Lipton Toyota and cancelled my appointment.  Eileen worked 2 hours and I worked 2 1/2 hours on the Yorkshire parishes A-I adding "Genealogy" to each parish title.  Eileen did the A's and Ben did H's and I's.  We had a "meeting" with Jane Colmenares on the phone and she showed us some things on my laptop.

We went to Walmart and then stopped at d'Lites Emporium for a treat.  Eileen had birthday cake and butterfinger and I had birthday cake and nutella.  Who should we meet there but Gail?!

At home Eileen made crawfish étouffée for tomorrow at Russ 'n' Gail's.  Russ came by to put up blinds in David's office which used to be Matthew's room.

I checked the A's, H's, and I's in Yorkshire A-I and e-mailed the results to Jane. 

David rode with us and met Russ and Gail at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale for supper.  It was pretty good.  There was a lovely belly dancer cavorting around the restaurant to very loud pounding music.

Front deck

Front of the building

Menu

On the way back to Russ and Gail's our odometer reached 94149.  We visited with them before returning to David's.