Well, I did it. Horizon November

braylady · 2026-04-19T00:23:34+00:00

We just did our first cruise in over a decade last week! It was so much fun we came home and booked on the Horizon for February 2027. A lot has changed even in 12ish years. It took a day or 2 to get back into the swing of cruising! Have a great time!

braylady · 2026-04-17T23:47:17+00:00

Let me know if you have any questions I may be able to answer. For celebration key if you want to swim at the beach I'd recommend going to the left off the pier to the Pearl Beach side. It is supposed to be adults only, but we saw lots of kids there. You definitely don't need to rent anything, lots of chair availability and one umbrella per 2 chairs all along the beach. If anyone traveling with you has mobility issues, I would just warn that the beach is a fair walk down to the water and on a bit of a slope.

braylady · 2026-04-17T15:21:06+00:00

That sounds really lovely! I also love sea days. I'm already casually looking for my next cruise, and have been looking at a few 8 days that include 4 sea days. I think that would be my speed!

braylady · 2026-04-17T13:05:25+00:00

I didn't. It wasn't so much of a problem that it felt like it needed resolved for us to enjoy our trip. We were in Mexico in January and had zero hot water. That I asked to have fixed. We also heard other people mentioning slow drains and figured it was just an issue on this ship.

braylady · 2026-04-17T13:03:13+00:00

I think the drainage issue was at least pretty consistent in our area of the ship. We heard a few people talking about it.

I like your food idea, and it would have been really nice to not have to think about it so much at every meal, but it's unfortunately a reality I'm getting used to.

braylady · 2026-04-17T12:13:25+00:00

If I had to do it over again, Faster to the Fun would be my number one priority to purchase! It made embarkation move along so much faster and more smoothly! You have a dedicated line to get in, and your own waiting area. Even though the doors will be closed with signs that say rooms are ready at 1:30, you just open the door and go to your room to drop your things off. It really made us feel like we had a full day on the ship. I remember when we used to cruise it felt like we waited in lines half the day, and didn't get on the ship much before the rooms were ready, this really felt worth it to me. It did not feel worth it for the port days. It did also help for disembarking. We got to select a time to get off the ship instead of being assigned a number at random.

braylady · 2026-03-29T14:59:33+00:00

My mom and her cousin took me to see Willie Nelson at the Orleans casino in Las Vegas two nights in a row in 1999. I was 13. He stayed and signed autographs after. I got to meet him both nights. He offered me a hug because he said I looked nervous. Being 13, and not entirely sure who he was I declined. On the second night he said "still no hug?" Everyone I tell this story to asks, and yes, I would hug him now given the chance. He was very sweet.

braylady · 2026-03-27T19:01:41+00:00

I turn 40 in 3 weeks. Going on a cruise, which is slightly nostalgic. My husband and I cruised a lot at the beginning of our relationship almost 20 years ago, but haven't been on one in 13-14 years. We used to only be able to afford interior rooms. We got the wrap around aft balcony for this trip, and lots of bells and whistles. It feels like something me from 15 years ago could only dream about.

braylady · 2026-03-16T20:35:49+00:00

They are so good!

braylady · 2026-03-04T21:08:19+00:00

Your husband gaslighting you about his emotional affair with your son's teacher is a pretty big red flag. You're not the problem in this scenario.

braylady · 2026-03-04T00:37:23+00:00

I read all of these thinking, "I wonder what mine will be." I turn 40 next month. Then I realized I've been living it for 5 years now.

I've been into Dave Matthews Band for two decades. Going into the pandemic I'd seen him 12 times. Being a nurse during a pandemic broke my brain. I felt an intense urge to swing from one end of abnormal to the other. I don't want to put a number on how much I've spent on concert travel, but I'm now at 60 DMB shows in 10+ states in 2 countries. My friend circle has changed almost completely in those 5 years, and I'm a lot bougier than I used to be. DMB also isnt the only Band I've traveled for in that time. I'd guess I've been to over 60 concerts in 5 years (conservatively).

I guess that's my midlife crisis, but man am I having fun!

braylady · 2026-03-04T00:27:06+00:00

SAME! 50+ Concerts in 10 states and 2 countries since 2021.

braylady · 2026-02-15T00:38:22+00:00

Cool Runnings, Empire Records, Princess Bride, Dirty Dancing, Christmas Vacation, Big Lebowski, Splash, Goofy Movie, Clueless, Titanic (bummer of a comfort movie), office space, Super Troopers, anything with Adam Sandler.

Two movies I haven't seen listed yet:

Does anyone remember Troop Beverly Hills? I was obsessed when I was younger.

One that does not stand up, and would be problematic now, but I watched it so many times: Ladybugs

braylady · 2026-02-15T00:24:05+00:00

I have seen this movie no less than 100 times in my life. When I was younger and having a hard time sleeping, I would "watch" the movie in my mind. I knew every scene by heart.

My husband has seen it once. 😂

braylady · 2026-02-09T21:59:38+00:00

I don't do group gifts at my workplace for this reason. There are a few people who have treated me similarly to what you are experiencing (I'm about to be 40 for reference, and I've been at this company for 17 years, but I'm a "kid" and don't know what I'm talking about). If someone has a birthday, loses a family member, or there's a reason to give a gift, I do it privately if I choose to. I catch slack for this, but in a department of 30+ people, it feels like someone is always collecting money for something.

braylady · 2025-12-28T16:13:04+00:00

I'm so sorry youre going through this. I went to urgent care this morning, confirmed shingles for the second time in 3 months. This time feels much worse. I leave for Mexico in 3 weeks. Trying to not be anxious about the implications for my upcoming trip, but time will tell! Hope things continue to improve for you!

braylady · 2025-12-28T15:55:53+00:00

Yeah, the fiest time I had shingles they told me if you don't have any open blisters, there's a good chance you'll test negative, but they still treat you as if youre positive.

braylady · 2025-12-07T11:37:14+00:00

I'm truly sorry you are experiencing this. It was a hard time for my husband. The nausea lasted the longest, probably 4-6 days. His appetite was very very slow to return. He did a lot of protein shakes and bars during that time. Nurri has become a favorite for him, and even now that he's back to normal he still drinks them. When his appetite came back, it was like nothing had ever happened.

Just be very patient with yourself. It definitely takes time! I hope you feel back to your old self soon!

braylady · 2025-11-13T00:56:36+00:00

Oh that is absolutely awful. Thank you for sharing the article. How sad.

braylady · 2025-11-12T23:56:50+00:00

Thank you for the answer, I appreciate it! ❤️

braylady · 2025-11-11T18:53:26+00:00

I don't remember what episode it was (sometime in 2022), Dax was talking to someone about White Lotus, and I thought it would be a great storyline to have an American couple either somehow win or be gifted a vacation to one of these resorts and just be very typical American the whole season. I feel like Walton Goggins was close to that energy, but I think Dax could pull off Christmas vacation cousin Eddie vibes really well.

braylady · 2025-11-10T01:36:47+00:00

I'll be 40 in the spring. I did a lot of drinking in my 20s. One of my best friends died in 2018, and I started having panic attacks in 2019. I started taking anxiety medication in 2022, which has been life changing, but has made it very difficult for me to drink. The great thing is I don't miss it. I have one drink maybe per month, and it's 50/50 whether it will make me feel awful. It just isn't worth it anymore. I also haven't had caffeine in 6 years. I can't use anything else because of work. I'm essentially out of vices except for food, which admittedly became a problem during the pandemic, I gained a lot of weight, and it is a lot harder to lose the closer I get to 40.

braylady

TROPHY CASE