Gala party tonight

Hi there...
Just a quick note before I "turn in". The party, tonight, was wonderful. Beautiful round tables with hand stitched cloths, and high pale purple rose topiaries for the centerpieces. The band was terrific and easy to dance to ...many ship's officers were on hand to greet us and renue acquaintances. Oh! the glamour was fun...it is always fun to 'dress up' and to be in a historic place...but so much more fun was seeing people we had met last year. Many were here again for this cruise and it felt sort of like "old home week" when seeing some folks. There was such an air of excitement among all of us...as few have traveled to all the places we shall go...and there is much mystery yet to be revealed. FYI...there are 328 world cruisers in all...! (the ship holds a total of just <1000 passengers).

I am glad that all of our excursions are booked and I won't have to "wait in line" once on board. Although many excursions were closed in Hong Kong, I googled for info re: things to do in Hong Kong, and as a result, a wonderful new E-Mail friend is holding two tickets for us to go on a "junk cruise" for the mid evening in Hong Kong Harbour for coctails and to watch the lights of Hong Kong as well as the famed lazer show there. It will be fun to finally meet this kind gentleman who has helped me with this plan...once we arrive. These kind of circumstances and the opportunities to meet people all over the world certainly holds a specail allure for me, personally. I have been criticized for spending too much time E-Mailing on the computer, but, for some reason feeling connected to others accross the miles feels wonderful and hopeful to me.

Being here is a wonderful experience...as this is the historic place of the golden globe awards and in all the halls are pictures of movie stars at various ages and stages in their career. Our floor highlights Sophia Lauren...what a beauty. HOW can one compete with her??? Other halls have JFK, and Marilyn Monroe, and of course, Frankie and the list goes on and on. I am struck with the fact that the pictures show them as such young people...perhaps just starting out in their career...they were SOOOOO young. Ah! Hollywood !

We had the opportunity to go to Rodeo Drive today and I felt torn, yet, was still a bit jet lagged, and so, chose, instead, to relax and to even nap this afternoon. Sometimes sleep is a luxury one cannot afford to miss !

With that in mind...off to be with me...for, we leave at just after 11a for the ship.

Will email you from there in a day or so...after we get our "sea legs".

much love to all........
nancy

The World Cruise, starts today, officially

Hi Everybody...

I am writing to you, from Beverly Hills Hilton...(sort of feel like Jethro Clampette-remember him???) What a fab h0tel. It was just redone, and the elevator area has a HUGE salt water aquarium.....with the BEST fish...can't wait to do some snorkeling.

We had a lunch here after arriving from Irvine, where we spent two very special days with Steven, Cheryl, and their two beautiful children. Crystal was waiting for us, and was wonderfully organized and helpful to us, to make our check-in a breeze.

Tonight is the party, then we embark on the ship tomorrow late morning.

This is all sort of a dream, yet will be even more special sharing it with you all.

Cheryl's mother will meet us in Honolulu and treat us to some personal sightseeing...The Arizona monument, a special lunch and then later in the afternoon...a luau. How very kind of her to do this for us...we so appreciate the personal touch. Meanwhile, we'll settle in, unpack and re-acquaint with those we remember from another time onboard, and begin to meet new friends. What an adventure.

Guess this is all for now...just wanted to say"hi" and soon to be :"Aloha!".

love from us both.....
Nancy

greetings from califormia...!

Hi everybody...

We arrived in California yesterday...right on time...without any problems.  We came to Irvine via Dallas-Ft Worth and happily,  all the luggage arrived with us !!!  yay !

Since then, we have been having such a good time with both Emme and Adan...playing with play dough, listening to singing, hearing a piano recital and that was only yesterday.  Today, we went to the Mall and the kids rode "ponies" and then, we all went ice skating.  Well....it has been 25 years, but I managed to skate without falling once.

anyway...just for fun, I shall upload some pictures to shutterfly for you all to see...

 Pictures from Nancy Ruth Jacob-o'Toole 

click on the hyperlink above to see the pictures.

enjoy!

more in a day or so.

love to all....

Nancy and Patrick

ALMOST READY TO BEGIN THIS ADVENTURE

Hi everyone, and HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I have written to all of you, of late, to offer you one last chance to try out the links for our cruise...JUST in case, you are having any trouble making the 2 links work ! I have heard from several of you and I shall share with you all what I told a few: if you still have trouble using the links because they might not be "active"...then, just copy and paste them into your web browser...choose "go" and get to the blog or the shutterfly site that way. Be sure not to forget the password for the shutterfly site : CRYSTALS.

This has been such a busy week, and I just know that the last one will fly. I am on schedule, though and hoping to be all ready by the end of the week. All the excursions are booked, now, and just tonight, we met another couple who will be on the segment from Sydney, Au - Hong Kong. WHAT A KICK ! We plan a dinner evening together...who knows, perhaps we'll go together in a "Junk" in Hong Kong harbour to enjoy the lazer show after dark...we'll see.

Through all of this excitement...I am taking time (like today during a YOGA CLASS), to think about the gravity of this experience Patrick and I are about to share together...how wonderful it really is...HOW truely lucky we are...and, how wonderful it isto have such wonderful family and friends with whom to share it all! I also thought about the idea that ...even though OUR experience, together will have to be a virtual one, really, the important expereinces in life are always best shared...and as we share with you, you are actively helping to enrich our own experience; for this, we thank you so very much !

At this point, you might be interested to know that all of us, together make up about 120 strong, following along from many states and parts of the world. They include: Mass., Conn., Florida., North Carolina, Va., Vt., Texas., Arizona., California., Kentucky., Oregon., Ohio., Indiana., Montreal., Toronto., Tennessee., Antigua.,Australia., England.,china., and New York. This list grows daily !

Hopefully, some of you will want to add comments within the blog for us, and others to see. If you prefer not, then you can just send a private email to us...

OF COURSE life happens, and my camera is acting up...SO, IT IS OFF TO THE CAMERA SHOP to see what I can do. I shall be certain that I have a good camera for the whole world cruise...no worries. I shall either have a replacement Nikon D-80 or a D-300 for the trip. I'll continue to use my Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens...For you photo buffs, the D-80 megapixel range is about 10.5...the D-300 is 13 mpixels and the actual pictures will be photographed at prof "fine quality" size of about 3,000x4,000mpixels/picture...jpeg format via SD card.

So are YOU ready...........we are. Stay tuned, and we'll wait to say good bye until next tuesday the night before we actually leave for L.A.

UNTIL THEN...stay well, and warm and know that we'll be missing you and hoping to hear from you often while we are away.

Peace and good health and warmth of heart...in the New year !

Nancy and Patrick !

Happy New Year Everyone !

Ah! Tis 2008...have you written the new year date, yet? That always seemed to me to be a curious moment, each year...that is, the first time I ACTUALLY wrote"2008"...it cemented the new year and tha passing of the previous one.

I sincerely hope that this past one was a good one for each of you...as it held many Blessings for Patrick and me.

Now...having celebrated Thanksgiving with family here in Fla., and Christmas, also here with my two daughters and little Gretchen, then, heralding in the New Year, we are, now, looking forward to our world cruise which starts in two weeks. How can that be? We have been planning for it...for such a long time...both in things "to do" and also, emotionally ready-ing for the onset. It is practically here, and I am busy figuring out HOW to pack and also, getting all the links set up on the computer to "take you with us" virtually. We hope that you will visit this blog often and enjoy the commentary as well as to go to the shutterfly link (http://otooleworldcruise2008.shutterfly.com/) NOTE: PASSWORD IS: " CRYSTALS" ...check out the maps and the corresponding titled albums there and the pictures, as I add them. No worries, I shall do fewer this year, but TRY to pick out the best.

Be sure to send a personal e-mail to us on occasion, as we love to hear from you; the notes from "home" will be important to us to feel connected to YOU.

I shall be taking a global Blackberry-world phone with us for emergencies...(I'LL send the # to key people via a private e-mail) and SHOULD be able to receive calls when we are in port (and the verizon/GSM signal is strong)...I don't think that they have many towers in the middle of the oceans which we shall traverse...and the calls will be expensive...so, emergencies only, please !

If you check out the world map which will be included in this BLOG, soon, as well as the segment maps located in the world cruise collection located via the shutterfly link, then, you will know when we'll be IN PORT.

This time, I'll send an email to alert you as to when Pat or I will be IN the computer room, for those of you who wish to see a "live time" wave hello from afar. Will TRY to make this work given the time differences along the way.

Guess this is all for now...I'll keep you updated and you "do the same".
We're off to get our Typhoid shots, tomorrow.

Nancy

Looking both ways...backward and forward !

Hello everyone...

Ah ! The Christmas season.........holiday parties and frivolity; 'tis a joyful season, indeed. We are in Longmeadow just now...at <32 degrees, Brrrrrrrrrrr ! 'Tis a land of snow and ice and glistening beauty all around us, just now. Despite the brutal cold and difficulty navigating once the temerature drops and the rain turns to sleet...we have witnessed the beauty of the ice...hanging heavily on the trees and allowing them to form into new shapes to form 'Winter's wonderland". I do miss the warm weather, 'tho the sight is truely beautiful to behold.

Now, looking"backwards" over the past month.........

We were especially blessed to have had time with Pat's two brothers and his sister this past Thanksgiving week, while still in Florida ...This happens so rarely and it was a very special time for us all. The weather was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed the days. One evening, we enjoyed time in Tequesta at "Mc Carthy's pub"...and found ourselves "on tape" for their promotion of the club. What a wonderful time, singing Irish songs together and enjoying good friends, too.

Later that week, my brother Ralph and Sherrey (Jacob) joined us in Florida for three days. We decided to share our Thanksgiving feast at the President Country Club...where we belong. Celebrating there this year, allowed us to watch the Macy's Day Parade, and go to the Beach instead of working all day in the kitchen...! The relaxation was a welcome experience for all of us and especially for them, as they seldom get to "sleep in" and just "be". It was nice to watch them as the opportunity for true relaxation appeared. We had time for early morning walks and to have coffee together while reading the paper and watching the lovely sunrises.

One day, we went to the Morikami reserve in Delray...a true paradise filled with Japanese gardens and Koi and Bonsai gardens as well as many walking paths and Reflection gardens.

This is a photographers paradise...!

Ralph and Sherrey enjoy ...

a quiet moment !!!

Japaense umbrella shades us from the hot sun !

Our last night, we celebrated our mutual birthdays...and enjoyed reliving memories and sharing thoughts as we looked at old family pictures. Items from our childhood are so very precious to us...and we, each, learm much when we take time to share. It was nice to have "time". Ahhh! Florida !

The recent week has allowed us to Celebrate the growth of Atlantic Fastener's through such hard work of all the new owners: the whole company ! It seems that each one is truely taking pride in growing the company and realizing the benefits of working as a team to reach common goals. This kind of work ethic and the stabilization it brings for the many families involved is truely what Pat was hoping would happen when he led the managment team to sell the Company to an "EOSOP". It is so nice to see this happening and working out so well.
Soon, Atlantic will have it's Christmas party and celebrate in more formal style!

Looking "forward":
Soon, it is back to Fla. for us. We'll share Christmas with my two daughters, lit'l. Gretchen and Jenny's husband. This time altogether hasn't happened for so very long...and we ALL are looking forward to some serious beach time and cards/board games and the like, together,
before Pat and I depart on our Journey abroad, Jan 16th.

We are ALMOST all ready...just one more visit for shots...and then Packing ! (SO, how DOES one pack for almost 4 months away...to cover all weather conditions and STILL leave room for precious keepsakes and gifts yet to be bought along the way??? I'll share that with you, next summer!).

Life is good for us, just now. We are so very, very grateful to have survived the past year (literally), after each of us needed spine surgery...and to be feeling so well, now. We have been truely Blessed with this, the love and support of our family and our close friends. Our Blessings are too many to count.

At this time of year, but always, we would like to wish each of you a Blessed Christmas and Holiday season, to be celebrated in whatever way you do choose. Our hope is also that you remain well throughout the winter and well into the New Year !

Merry Christmas !

Nancy and Patrick

Tag Sale for Charity. Now, we're off to Florida !

Hi everyone...

It has been a very busy month for me. After spending several days researching sites for Independantly obtained Visas to India, VietNam, and Australia, applications for 24 extra passport pages to accomodate these and all the rest of the visas needed for the cruise, and then, getting all the papers in place, I needed a break from it itall.

sooooooooo...

I took some time away from planning our big trip, do some "house cleaning" for charity. Yep....out with the "old" or new/ "unused" and in with some charitable "bucks". The sale lasted two days, and although all the "buyers" were out for a steal...and many weren't swayed by the fact that their $$$ would go to charity, I did manage to raise $450.oo for the Cancer fund. All in all.....I got rid of some "treasures"...the buyers found some "treasures" and the Cancer fund was the recipient of all the hard work. Seems like a WIN - WIN to me!

THANK YOU !!! to all who contributed to this great cause !

Ah! The weather has turned from a balmy fall into cold nights...almost frosty ones, and cool days. The wonderful thing is, that this is making for a really spectacular fall foliage season, and living in New England, this is VERY important!

...however, my little "toesies" are freee-Zing and so...

it is time to do some serious packing for our trip to Florida to get warm once again. We leave on thursday by way of an investment conference in New Orleans, a circuitous route, indeed. Only 2400 mi to New Orleans and then another 2+ days to FLA. We may get to visit with a Harvard Business School colleague of Pat's (whom he hasn't seen since graduation...what a kick !), who lives in Mississippi. (yes, I learned to spell that in grammer school...good news is I still can remember how to do it !). We'll arrive in the Sunshine state about Oct 28th (curiously, the date my father died of CANCER in 1963, hence just one of many reasons for my charity tag sale).

So....I hope all of you are well.....and enjoying a beautiful fall, as are we. Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it...right after the "Punkin's" disappear...and I am hoping that you will all have a wonderful, warm and cozy day and lots of Turkey and gravey with family near-by.

Enjoy !

I Will write again, before long.

Nancy