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Fernandina Beach, Florida

December 11th

There were two more weeks of shopping before Christmas. Mary had her tree nicely decorated, and the fireplace had garland draped down in loops from the wooden mantle. There were three stockings hung along the wooden mantle with Mary, John, and Prince written on them.

John had mentioned that he wanted to learn to play the guitar, so Mary bought John an Ibanez acoustic guitar and case for a Christmas gift, and had it wrapped and hidden in the back of her closet. During one of their short yacht excursions to Fort Lauderdale, Mary had mentioned to John that she had never been on a cruise ship before, so John made reservations for two on the Carnival Cruise Lines for her Christmas gift. They would be leaving December 16^th and would be back in a week, just in time for Christmas.

Carnival Cruise ships go out weekly from the Port of Jacksonville located on the St. John’s River. Since Jacksonville, Florida was only a thirty minute drive from Amelia Island, John planned for him and Mary to leave around seven in the morning on December 16^th so they could be at the cruise ship in plenty of time before departure. The cruise was a package deal whereby they would stay on the cruise ship the first and last nights, and stay in the town of Nassau, Bahamas at the Princess Hotel four nights. The package included the hotel accommodations, and breakfast and one other meal every day in the Princess Hotel. The Princess Hotel advertisement brochure boasted of having the finest four-star restaurant, wonderful live entertainment shows, and a “classy” casino in the town of Nassau, Bahamas.

Mary was looking forward to going on this trip with John. Her dog would again have to stay with her neighbor; however, Prince had an early visitation from Santa Claus, so he had plenty of treats and dog toys to entertain him until Mary got back.