January 10, 2012 • Page 13 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com LAURA ON LIFE 1650 You Can Learn Alot About People When Cruisin House For Sale - $81,500; 601 W. Cedar St., Vermillion; 1.5 stories, 2-bd, 1-bath, office and more. Private Sale 605-390-2589 If you want to learn about another person’s personal habits, the best way to do it without asking is to go on a 5-day cruise with them. There is nowhere to hide. My mother, my daughter and I went on a cruise together. Of course we did not go on this cruise to ?nd out each other’s personal habits. We are family. We thought we already knew them. But this was our ?rst cruise, so, of course, we didn’t. My daughter is thirteen years old and, judging by the amount of time she spent reading in the cabin, my mom and I were driving her nuts. Our ?rst night was little rough for all of us. The sea was particularly choppy. Even the guy teaching people the ChaCha was wobbling. “…and kick, and…whoa!” People were stumbling around as if they had too much to drink. Though it was easy to tell the people who did have too much to drink. They were the ones who could stand upright. None in our cabin got sick, but I’ll admit to thinking I was going to be. Things were looking a bit better the next morning. Then began what we fondly called “The Dining Wars.” I wanted to experience everything the ship had to offer even if it was cold scrambled eggs on the Lido Deck. Mom wanted to eat in the main dining room “where the rich people eat” but she didn’t want to do it alone. I Laura Snyder understood my mother’s need for dining consistency and was perfectly happy to do my “experiencing” alone, but she wouldn’t have it. Added to that, my daughter’s growth spurt had temporarily ceased to exist and, as a result, she didn’t want to eat anything… anywhere… ever. She ate enough to keep her alive, but, seriously, how much nourishment does one need to sit in the cabin and read? Mom only liked the Lido Deck when she could snag a food item that she could take back to the cabin and “save for later”… as if you couldn’t get anything you wanted 24 hours a day. It was not surprising to see her pull a hardboiled egg out of her pocket while we did a crossword puzzle in the evening or watch 6 or 7 Sweet N Low packets fall out of her coat during the security checks. My mom is a very organized person. Almost as soon as we arrived, she pulled everything out of her suitcases and put them in the appropriate drawers and closets in our cabin. My daughter and I were pretty sure we wouldn’t be allowed to stay longer than the 5 days we paid for, so we worked out of our suitcases the entire trip. Mom never said anything, but I’m positive she was thinking, “How can they live like that?” Packing and unpacking were just two more unnecessary steps that I was unwilling to take on my vacation. If my clothes seemed more rumpled than Mom’s, so be it. There was nobody on that boat I needed to impress. There were a million things to do onboard: swimming, mini golf, gambling, shows, eating. Mom’s husband was certain, though he’d never been on a cruise in his life, that the only reason to go on a cruise was to pick up men. We looked everywhere for the signup sheet, but we never found it. We sampled every dessert we could get our hands on. If there was ?let mignon or lobster tails, we ordered it. If there was a stray orange on a buffet, it went into my mom’s pocket. My daughter bought a small bag of jelly beans at the ship store and subsisted primarily on these the entire trip. She also adopted my mom’s penchant for snatching random foodstuffs from the buffet and squirreling it away in her luggage. By the end of the trip, my daughter had an apple, a half pound of jelly beans and a barely touched yogurt cup stashed in there. Mom’s drawer held clean underwear, an extra umbrella, a handful of chocolate-covered raisins and an instant oatmeal packet; all neatly arranged as if the captain might do an inspection. Stuffed into my tennis shoe, I hoarded a bag of Swedish ?sh, my stash of little chocolates that they leave on your pillow every night, a package of Dramamine and a banana. Grandma used to say they’ll keep you regular. As far as I can tell, cruising is all about what you bring back with you. In our case, it was about ten extra pounds of body fat. Houses For Sale New Home, 3306 Mulligan, 3-bedroom, 2-bath, laundry on main floor, Starmark cabinetry, porcelain tile, covered porches, 3 car garage. Lots: Golf Course will build to suit. List Construction Call (605)661-8003 or (605)661-7643 Summit Heights 4-Bedroom, 3.5-Bath, den, fenced yard, built in 2006. Call (605)260-0224 for showing. http://www.yankton.net/1211w 16th/index.html. 1655 Mobile Homes For Sale ATTENTION! Thinking of purchasing a new home? We want your business and we’re serious. Let’s make 2011 your year! Our brand new double & singlewides are very nice & are built to the highest standards of quality, value & engineering. They’re built for ALL climates & are very energy efficient with 2x6 walls. Our homes are priced at incredible rock bottom dollar prices. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!! Call Nationwide Mobile Homes- the #1 choice. You’ll be mighty glad you did. (605)665-0822. Stop paying rent! Mobile home for sale in Vermillion! 2 BR trailer, all appliances included: stove, fridge, microwave, washer, dryer, dishwasher. Central heat & A/C. 4 min. walk to USD campus. Upgraded interior! Call Frank at 712-870-1713. Leave mess a g e if interested! Ent & ertainment Dining Charles Yeager Memorial GUN SHOW Knox County Fairgrounds Laura Snyder is a nationally syndicated columnist, author & speaker. You can reach Laura at lsnyder@lauraonlife.com Or visit her website www.lauraonlife.com for more info. TH 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. TH su|do|ku Solution © 2008 KrazyDad.com 7 1 6 2 9 9 3 4 1 7 8 2 5 6 3 1 6 7 5 2 4 9 3 8 1 5 8 2 4 6 6 7 1 9 4 2 5 9 3 8 3 4 8 7 5 8 5 3 4 5 8 2 6 4 1 7 9 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 5 3 7 9 1 2 3 5 8 1 6 4 7 6 9 1 2 80% Gun & Gun Related Military & World War II Memorabilia Admission $3.00 Book Your Weddings at JoDean’s NEW .com Yankton • 605-665-9884 OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Navigator Tours Call for a Tour Brochure 1-800-634-8696 NEW 2011 IRC MODULAR featuring 2 BR, 2 BA, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, delivered and set on your basement. (3 bedroom version also available) FOR ONLY $65,995 New 1,328 sq. ft. home with 3 BR, 2 BA, family room, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, 32” TV. $49,995 1,740 sq. ft. 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