Embracing our American Journey!

My Diary: August 6, 2023

I am writing to you at 6:37 AM on Sunday, August 6, 2023.

The flight from Roatan to Miami on Thursday was interesting. I felt nervous in the Roatan Airport, but no more so than usual. I have a hard time hearing the announcements. To my ears, they sound garbled, even the ones made in English. I rely so much on Mike and cannot imagine flying out alone. That bothers me because I am finding myself gradually becoming less independent.

Once we boarded, I felt my whole body relax. All the hard stuff was over. You can watch the take-off HERE. Nice views of Roatan scenery and the Caribbean Sea.

Funny incident on the (crowded) plane. We were squished into 3 seats with another woman, Mike, between us. Do you know that area above your head where you’d expect the oxygen masks to be? It flew open, just missing Mike’s head! Outside of the fact the box was empty, it would not close. To no avail, the steward placed two long pieces of duct tape on it. Fought with that thing the whole rest of the trip.

There was a rainstorm in Miami, and we had to wait about a half hour to land. With the 2-hour ahead time change and the delay, it was dusk by the time we found our Budget rental car and headed to the Nuvo Hotel.

Mike’s photo of the Hotel, complete with a full moon!

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is where we had dinner. We enjoyed every single bite of the Philly Steak sandwich we shared. We don’t eat Honduran beef, so having USDA meat is a treat for us!

As we walked out of the restaurant, Mike slipped on wet tiles. He seemingly dropped to his knees, then his hands in slow motion. And then to the top of his head. Seriously. Of course, you know how head wounds bleed. I felt so bad for him. The embarrassment he felt was worse than the scrape to the top of his poor head.

The soles of Mike’s shoes are sort of dry-rotted due to being out in Roatan's heat and salt air. He attributed this to his slip and fall. Buying him a new pair of tennis shoes is on our to-do list.

I think the Nuvo is an old hotel, remodeled. They did a nice job, and the bed was the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in! I’d stay there again, except it is a long drive from the airport. I felt so content to sip my hot coffee from the balcony during the early morning sunrise.

After eating a big hotel breakfast and spending time in the pool and hot tub, we headed out for the hour’s drive to Boca Raton. So much traffic. I drove it every day to work for many years while we lived in Florida, but now, I’m not sure I will ever drive on I-95 again.

We are staying at the Fairfield Inn in a suite. It is nice to have a living area separate from the sleeping room. Breakfast is included with our stay. There is also a community pool and hot tub, but I’m a little discouraged they don’t look like they’ve had attention for several days.

We had a fantastic Pot Roast Dinner on Friday evening at Bill’s and Rachel’s. Rachel is six months pregnant with their third child. Our first grandchildren, boy/girl twins, will be four in November. It was wonderful to reunite with our family, especially with grands Isaac and Lila.

This is my first-born son, Bill.

Yesterday, we visited Tim and Gisela at their home. It was so much fun meeting their nine-month-old pup, Gordie. Ace and Shadow are their two cats, and they are much more friendly than our Gizmo!

Gisela and I made my favorite bread recipe. I brought the Pyrex bowls and scale (to weigh the flour) for each of my DILs to make this bread.

We had Jersey Mike subs for lunch. I’ve been craving an Italian sub for a long time, and that sure fits the bill! I might have one more while we are here.

This is my youngest son, Tim.

We went to Publix for a few grocery items, and you’ll never believe what happened.

Mike fell again. This time on a slippery bathroom floor. Fortunately, there was someone in there to help him up.

Guess where we went immediately? Mike got a nice new pair of tennis shoes at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

We spent last evening relaxing in our room, reading, writing, and watching some TV. Our lives in Roatan are so quiet and isolated that all of this activity takes some getting used to!

It is almost 8:00 AM now, and time for breakfast. We are going to church this morning for the worship service. Bill plays the drums there, and it has been a few years since I’ve had the pleasure of listening to him play.

Stay tuned for more!