We arrived in Norfolk yesterday afternoon and checked into our hotel, Sheraton Norfolk, Waterside. This is a very nice hotel. We got upgraded to a "Club Level" room on the 10th floor. This room was on the corner and has two spectacular views. One of the beautiful City of Norfolk and the other, the Elizabeth River. When we got into our room yesterday, we could see Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. She was just pushing away from the dock with a load of happy cruisers on their way to Bermuda. We have never been there, but it's on our list of places to visit. I hear the golfing there is out of this world.

After we checked in we headed to the Greenbrier Mall area for dinner with Shirley's sister, Paulette and the House Family. We meet at Smokie Bones BBQ. This was my 1st experience there. It was very good... love them St. Louis style ribs! After some great conversation and reliving some past memories, me, Shirley and Paulette headed to the mall for a new hair cut for Shirley and some sunglasses for me.

We parked our car at Portside in Portsmouth to leave it there while we were on our cruise. Shirley and I took the Elizabeth River Ferry from Portside to Waterside in Norfolk. The ferry dropped us right next door to our hotel. The ride was very romantic and fun. Just looking at the lights of downtown Norfolk and the nice cool breeze made the ride very relaxing and pleasant.

I feel a little guilty about this cruise... it's just Shirley and I. We left Tiffany and Courtney at home to care for the cats. I will miss the girls on the cruise. I'm guessing that will last only two or three times through the buffet line, then they will be a distant memory. But, I think since they both worked so hard getting through college, we'll take them with us in September on our five day cruise on the Carnival Fascination.

Sometime today we will board the Carnival Glory. I'm very excited. We have sailed on her once before. It's almost like coming home to an old friend. But this time, we are VIP. This will be my 10th sailing on Carnival, so we get some extra perks. The main thing Shirley is looking forward too is the complimentary laundry service. I'm looking forward to checking in at the VIP Lounge and skipping the long lines. I'll write more about our cruise our 1st day in port when we get to Nassau.

One of the neat things about this trip is we are in Norfolk for Memorial Day weekend. This being a military town, it reminds me of why we have a Memorial Day. It is to honor those who have served and given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our Country. Thank you, thank you to all those family's who have lost loved ones, thank you for their sacrifice. Let us not forget them, ever!