Another fun road trip, starting with getting us another cool Ford Edge, this one was Burgundy, which is the other color I’d wanted to drive…..black, white and burgundy, and, I’m a happy girl, except that now I really want one….or a Fusion, I’d love a Fusion!
So we took off Friday afternoon heading for just past 1/2 way, Lake City Florida. I soooo didn’t plan on this being Spring Break weekend, so, we left around 2p, and should have been there by 6:30, checking into our hotel, and all of a sudden, traffic just stopped, dead still, and we ran about 5 miles an hour for about an hour or so. So what should have taken about 4.5 hours took 6. We got checked into our hotel about 8p, munched, watched some TV to decompress, and crashed so we could head out early on down to Tampa.
Packed up and ready to go.
Saturday morning, we got up, had our coffee and boom, storm….thunder, lightning and really heavy rains. We got a break so we went ahead and checked out and hit the road about 8:30 for a 3 hour finish to Tampa, and what happened, boom, dead still traffic, just volume as far as the eye could see. Our first standstill, we sat for about 30 minutes, then the second time, we stopped completely and sat with the car in park for about 45 minutes. Finally it opened up, and we passed one 11 car accident, and two smaller residual ones, and we finally got to our hotel about 2:45p. So this leg of a 3 hour drive ended up being 6 hours and 45 minutes.
Saturday Morning, looking out our hotel window in Lake City before leaving for Tampa
Our Chariot Awaits!
We unpacked, got in our jerseys and headed for the arena as game time was 7p, doors open at 6p, and we wanted to talk to our dear friend Randy who was our Atlanta Thrashers rep for several years and when they left, he went to work for Tampa Bay and takes good care of us, so this would be our last time visiting with him since he lives in Tampa now and this was their last weekend home game. 😦
Once again, I didn’t bring my GAME lens! I never know anymore where I’m going to get grief for one or not, so I brought a different one tonite, and was not used to it, so I wasn’t able to get my lighting settings quite right, but………..here goes……
My friend Libby Smith and her daughter Daisy were down for their first Tampa Bay game, so we wanted to spend a minute with them. Got over to the arena, and it was great, we each got a great big signed team photo and a huge Tampa Bay Lightning banner to wave!!!!! That was awesome. We talked to Randy awhile, pregame, then after warm ups Libby and Daisy met up with us and talked awhile and then it was game time.
Libby and Daisy loving their first Tampa Bay game! Hey Girls!
Opening at Tampa Bay is always a lot of fun. They start with turning the lights down and lightening bolts all over the ice, and a baby goalie skating the ice to the tune of AC/DC Thunderstruck, then he goes to the center under the jumbotron and pumps his hockey stick to the words “Thunder”……”Thunder”…..! it’s really very cool.
My video of tonight’s “Thunderstruck”:
Warm Ups:
Chris Thorburn! Thorburn really earned my respect in his last season as a Thrasher at one game where he lost his stick and he played on his knees and stomach and whatever it took to keep away a goal. It was a fantastic thing to see.
Vinny had shaved his head for charity
Stapleton and Big Buff
Nik and his Greek God Hair
Bryan Little. I do love Little!
Maybe they hang out together at the beach in WPG….no, probably not
Zach: “Really”, “REALLY”?
The boys sharing a laugh. Vinny telling them about shaving his head for charity? While Antropov stands there with the Greek God hair
Ryan Malone, one of my new favorites! Did really well for my fantasy hockey team this season, til he got injured. Now he’s back and playing his @$$ off
A few Jets fans in the house
Nate Thompson
Zach with his usual, do de do, face
Bolts Zamboni
Then they start the Tesla coils going and the lightning comes from them which you can see, hear and feel. When the teams take the ice and the anthems are sung, the US Flag is unfurled and the crowd passes it over their heads while singing! Very moving. This game was Jets again, and we were really hoping Tampa Bay would win, and with two goals by Malone, Stamkos brought it home in OT at 3-2 Bolts, complete with a couple of brawls.
Tesla Coils / Lightning bolts:
During the Anthem, the US Flag always gets passed among the crowd
And the scratches for tonite
Game Time:
Add yet another NHL record to the books for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. I know this is a warm up shot, but I just LOVE Stammertime’s smile!
The Bolts’ superstar center took all of 45 seconds to beat Ondrej Pavelec from the right circle to claim an NHL single-season record fifth overtime game-winning goal and propel the Lightning to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Saturday night.
Here it comes………..
He shoots………….
And Pavs has a souvenir
Next period, clogging up Pavs view
It’s a flying puck
Here it comes again
Fighting off lightning bolts is rough work!
“Jets” fans or woolly buggers!?
More mayhem around Pavs
Stamkos vs Slater face off
Hainsey takes out St. Louis, and there’s hell to pay for that
Marty is a package of dynamite!
To the sin bin with you Hainsey
My video of the Ron Hainsey / Ryan “Bugsy” Malone, or as we call him, “Home Malone”:
And some more action around the boards
Ryan Malone also had two goals, and Sebastien Caron stopped 26 shots for Tampa Bay, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
The goal also upped Stamkos’ league-best total to 56 on the season, as he pulled eight ahead of Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin in the Rocket Richard Trophy race. With four games remaining, the Lightning forward is seeking to become the NHL’s first 60-goal man since Alex Ovechkin in 2007-08.
Antti Miettinen and Kyle Wellwood had goals for Winnipeg, which has now lost six of the past eight. Pavelec made 36 saves.
Tampa Bay outshot Winnipeg 39-28 in the contest, including 21-7 in the third period.
The game featured 66 penalty minutes in total on the night, largely in part thanks to a scrum between Malone and Ron Hainsey, and an additional altercation in the final 20 minutes between Jets captain Andrew Ladd and Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman.
Wellwood’s 18th of the year snapped a 1-1 tie at 9:28 of the second period to pull Winnipeg ahead and give the Jets their first lead of the game. The goal came just 3:08 after Miettinen drew Winnipeg even by beating Caron off a centering pass from Evander Kane behind the net.
The Lightning opened the scoring late in the first when Tom Pyatt chipped the puck ahead into the offensive zone, where Malone gathered it, flipped a pass to himself, and out-muscled a defender before skating in against Pavelec and deking the Jets goaltender for a 1-0 lead.
His second of the night then tied it 2-2 after he swatted a rebound past Pavelec from the slot while on the power play. The goal was Malone’s fifth in his past two games following his fourth career hat trick two nights ago at New Jersey. He now has nine points in his past six games.
Caron, despite making just his first NHL start since Nov. 10, 2006, looked sharp throughout the night.
He made a strong glove save on an in-close shot by Hainsey during the first period and denied Bryan Little from point-blank range late in the game to keep Winnipeg at bay and force overtime.
Tampa Bay wraps up the home portion of the schedule Monday night against the division-rival Capitals before concluding the regular season with a three-game road trip through Canada.
Three star selections 1st: RYAN MALONE 2nd: ONDREJ PAVELEC 3rd: STEVEN STAMKOS
Winning Goaltender Sebastien Caron
Losing Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec
NOTEWORTHY
Stamkos’ overtime goal is his 5th this season which sets a new NHL record for most overtime goals in a season. Tied with four OT goals in a single season each are: Patrik Elias (2003–04), Olli Jokinen (2005–06), Ilya Kovalchuk (2010–2011), Markus Naslund (2003–04), Scott Niedermayer (2001–02), Daniel Sedin (2006–07), and Mats Sundin (1999-00).
Ryan Malone’s goals were his fourth and fifth in the last two games, giving him 20 points (10G, 10A) in his last 22 games.
Of Tom Pyatt’s 19 points this season, 16 have come on home ice.
JT Brown made his NHL and professional debut tonight. The only other player to make his professional debut with the Lightning this season is Brett Connolly. Brown, Connolly, Pierre-Cedric Labrie, and Mike Angelidis are the only four players to make their NHL debuts with the Bolts this season.
Sebastien Caron made his first NHL start since 11/10/06 when he stopped 24 of 25 shots for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Nate Thompson made his return to the lineup tonight after missing the last seven games with an upper-body injury.
"Need a Vacation, I Can Help and its a Great Day In Paradise" is my philosophy! I am a native Georgia Girl and in October 2006, I joined the the travel industry full time after my retirement from 27 years of Federal Law Enforcement. For as long as I can remember, aside from my love of the justice system, I was a 'travel agent wannabe' and thru the years of my former career, I fell in love with all that the Caribbean has to offer because getaways were crucial to unwind and back to the everyday. I still try to schedule a "get-away-from-it-all" vacation 2-3 times a year by visiting various all-inclusive resorts and cruises to relax and dive (see below for an ever expanding list of resorts, cruise ships and destinations visited). I plan to eventually live near the ocean and would love to own a sailboat. I am a huge sports fan, and a seasons ticket holder to my favorite NHL team, the Atlanta Thrashers (until they were recently sold), and Atlanta Braves. I am PADI certified (with approximately 34 dives in Cancun, Cozumel, Belize, Bahamas, Caymans, Mobay, Florida Keys, Roatan, Honduras) and I try to get in 2 dives every other day during a 7-8 day Caribbean visit or cruise. I love sailing and I am a history buff, especially Naval/Military history, and I love to find and tour historic locations. I also speak basic Spanish.
As a Specialist, I am affiliated with approximately 40 major tour operators that allow me to give extremely competitive pricing to all of my guests on their vacation packages. Anything you see at a vacation store, I can 99.9% of the time, beat that, and provide you a live, human agent, 24/7/365, with no service fees to you!
I handle each and EVERY vacation as if it were my own and I am very excited about sharing my love of travel with you by making YOUR vacation an adventure that you will never forget, and one that will bring you back to me year after year for more fantastic adventures.
If I can help you, email me by pressing the "Email Me" button above.
What I do for "You"
I wanted to take a minute to let you know how my process works when you book a vacation with me. There is no fee on your part for working with me, you do not pay extra for my services.
So that you can see exactly who you are working with, you can click the the "About Me" tab here which will give you an idea who your Leisure Travel Specialist is, what I look like, what my hobbies are as well as my specialties and certifications.
Also, my facebook business page (feel free to "like" and keep in touch there as well): My Facebook Page
When you schedule a vacation with me at I will immediately send you the following:
An email that will reflect your confirmation information
A payment posted email reflecting the card type and amount of your payment
An invoice (usually takes about 2 days) reflecting all of your vacation details and payments, balance due, balance due date and any other information related to your vacation, including a vacation id number that our office uses to track your vacation as well
Once "final" payment is received, your travel documents will be generated and sent to your email address, all documents are electronic
Your payment will cover your airfare, your taxes, your resort and your ground transportation to and from the airport at your vacation destination.
Up until the week prior to your departure, I continuously watch for price drops, promotions and sales, in case I can get anything either deducted from your balance due, or refunded, if already paid in full.
Before you leave on your vacation, I will:
Contact you to make sure if you have any last minute questions that I can answer for you
Contact you a day or so before you depart to wish you a wonderful vacation
Contact you when you return to get any feedback you may or may not wish to provide regarding your vacation
I will also be on call for you up to, through and following your vacation and will try to make it such a wonderful and easy process that you will consider me for your future vacations.
And, if you refer your friends and family, for every booking referred by you, I will request a $25 credit to you towards future vacations booked with me.
I am a Certified Honeymoon Specialist, Destination Wedding Specialist, Caribbean Specialist, Alaska Specialist, Clothing Optional Specialist, Scuba Dive Specialist (54 dives to date, which is a LOT of dives to the diving community), and many more.
My Formal Specialties/Certifications
Alaska Specialist
Caribbean Specialist
Cruise Specialist (have been on 20 cruises to date)
Carnival Cruise Specialist
Disney/Orlando Specialist
Destination Wedding Specialist
Europe Specialist
Honeymoon Specialist
Bermuda Specialist
British Virgin Islands ( BVI ) Specialist
Caribbean Specialist
Cayman Islands - Master Specialist, Master Family Travel Specialist, Dive and Nature Master Specialist
CLIA Agent - Time Management Specialist
Costa Rica Specialist
Couples Resorts Specialist
Cozumel Specialist
Cunard Cruises Specialist - Queen Victoria World Expert
Dominican Republic Specialist
Excellence Resorts Specialist
Funjet Vacations Specialist - Multiple Destination Expert, Scheduled Air Expert, Air Only Expert
Grenada Specialist
Honduras Specialist
Iberostar Resorts Specialist
Islands of the Bahamas Specialist
Las Vegas Specialist
Las Vegas/Fremont Street Experience Specialist
Norwegian Cruise Specialist
RIU Resorts Specialist
Riviera Nayarit Specialist
Royal Caribbean Cruise Specialist
Certified SANDALS Specialist (CSS)
SPORTS Travel Specialist
Western Hemisphere Cruise Specialist
Princess Cruises Specialist
My Partial Travel Log
Alaska (3 Alaska cruises)
Bahamas (Great Stirrup Cay, Nassau, Freeport)
Canada (Prince Rupert, Victoria)
Canada and the New England States(Cruises and Land)
Roatan, Honduras
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Roatan, Honduras
Belize
Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, Samana and Puerto Plata)
Mexico (Cozumel, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres)
Cancun/Riviera Multiple VIsits
Grand Cayman
Jamaica (MoBay, Negril, Ocho Rios)
St. Thomas
St. John
St. Maartin
San Juan
Florida (Keys, Miami/South Beach, Panama City, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Orlando, Jacksonville/St. Augustine, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Tampa, Sunrise/Plantation, Everglades)
Myrtle Beach
Georgia (All over Georgia, being a Native; including St. Simons Island, Savannah, Kings Bay, North Georgia Mountains)
Las Vegas (including Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam)
California (Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Venice Beach via Palm Springs, Monterey, Carmel, Hollywood; San Diego/Coronado, etc.; San Fran multiple visits)
Boston and The New England States (Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont, Cape Cod, Hyannisport, Martha's Vinyard, Nantucket); Extensive time in and around Boston, Cape Cod and Hyannis, as well, multiple visits
11 Norwegian Cruises
1 Celebrity Cruise
1 Royal Caribbean Cruise
6 Carnival Cruises
My Partial and Evolving List of Resorts Visited
Riu Caribe
El Dorado Seaside Suites
Temptation
The Royal In Cancun
Grand Solaris Cancun
Royal Solaris Cancun
Riu Cancun
Riu Palace Peninsula
El Dorado SeaSide Suites
Le Blanc
Grand Lido
Desire
Hedo
Hidden Beach
Caliente Tampa
Caliente Caribe, D.R.
Terra Cotta Inn (Palm Springs, CA)
Aura Cozumel
My Cruise Ships Sailed on (some more than once):
Carnival Triumph (5 sailings)
Carnival Imagination
Carnival Inspiration
Norwegian Sun
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Sky
Norwegian Pearl
Celebrity Summit
Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
My Las Vegas Hotels Visited
Planet Hollywood
Bellagio
The Mirage
The Venetian
The Luxor
Excalibur
New York, New York
MGM Grande
Balley's
The Flamingo
Caesars Palace
Paris
Guest Comments:
Michelle is awesome at what she does. We have booked many trips with her from a couples trip to a large family trip. She gets us great prices which is extremely important. Michelle handles every aspect of the trip. Working with Michelle is like working with a family member and friend. Robyn H.
Michelle, we all had a great time at the Decameron, We've been there several times,we have made many friends there over the years and we meet up there each year. Mostly Canadians. This was our 25th trip to PV. Your service was excellent, I don't know that you could have done anything better. Our flights there and back were also perfect. Thank You. My son will be contacting you in the near future for a trip. Thanks, Rich and Mary B.
Michelle's expertise and professional service are beyond the vocabulary of a ‘Travel Agent’. Thanks for being there for us! - Marcel and Nancy S.
Michelle is very polite and professional. She listens to exactly what you are requesting and caters to that desire with a few small suggestions. I am a relations manager for a Fortune 500 company and I would hire her any day. - Aaron W.
Michelle is unbelievable with her communication and making sure that every one of our concerns were addressed and that all our questions were answered, always staying one step ahead of us - we didn't have to do a thing! She makes it so easy to travel! I have recommended Michelle to all my friends that are planning a trip, and we are sure to use her services again in the (hopefully near) future! She makes traveling a breeze - this was our second trip scheduled with Michelle, and I knew that once we signed up, everything was in great hands. You've got a great agent working with you - be sure to take good care of her, because she goes above and beyond for her clients! Thanks again! - Whitney P
I wanted to speak to the awesome service that we received from Michelle while booking our trip. I had the horrible task of trying to get together a large traveling party. I was constantly having to change dates, hotels, destinations etc in order to make everyone happy. Michelle was with me every step of the way to help. I always felt like I was inconveniencing her by constantly changing back and forth but she was quick to respond and reassure me that this was her job and was willing to help. Her customer service was WAY above and beyond. I manage salespeople in the software industry and I am constantly trying to teach them this kind of customer service! I would hire her in a minute and want to recognize her for her work and willingness to help. - Clayton M.
Michelle is the best! She will bend over backwards and sideways to help in any way that she can. She is always available, her emails are answered almost as soon as you hit the "send" button. She goes out of her way to answer your questions (and I asked a LOT of them) some that were probably not even vacation related, and she answered those too! This was my second trip planned with Michelle and I'm sure not the last. She makes your vacation planning a breeze. I will miss almost daily emails with Michelle. LOVE HER !!! - Chris P.
Michelle has been fantastic! Been so helpful and polite through it all. I didn't think it was possible but we have gotten to know each other which is great especially when the internet can be so dangerous these days. She made me feel safe knowing my information is safe. Thank you! - Luke S. (Sandals honeymoon)
If there was a rating higher than excellent, I've would choose it!! Michelle was the best. Extremely attentive and gave the very best service. Love her!!! - Aramis and Tyron
The quality of the service given by Michelle is exemplary. all too often people will take the time to speak of negative experiences, yet rarely take the opportunity to commend good customer service. I have been in the hospitality industry since 1975, so I believe I am qualified to make such statements. I would welcome her as an employee. but, don't worry, I live in ABQ, NM! GREAT JOB, MICHELLE! - Marian B.
Michelle answered every question I had VERY promptly...sometimes within a matter of minutes. We felt very prepared and knew exactly what we were getting throughout our honeymoon vacation. Michelle did everything and more than we thought we'd get from a travel agent. I told her what we were looking for in a resort, and she found it exactly. She was fast in responding and set everything up for us. We had zero worries and we would certainly use her again for a trip like this. - Adam A.
Michelle has been there for us for the second time. We ask a lot of questions and she is always helpful in finding us the information in a timely manner. She seems to be genuinely concerned about our happiness and satisfaction with our vacation plans. - Lee W.
Once again, Michelle Rivers went out of her way to answer all of questions. She found the perfect vacation for us. It's always a pleasure working with her! - Danielle and Scott
I don't usually use a travel agent for vacations, but I will definitely use Michelle again if I should ever need an agent. She was WONDERFUL. She usually answered my questions before I ever asked them, she kept me up to date with information. This could not have been a better vacation! ~ Chris P
Michelle did a great job of finding a park-n-fly for us in addition to putting together our perfect vacation. She made our trip worry free. We we aware of everything we encountered. She was the finest agent we have ever used. She was always available to me at almost any time or hour. I really don't know how she never sleeps. - Lee P.
Michelle was extremely helpful in planning this vacation and was always readily available. i will definitely use her again and recommend her to friends : ) - Kate R.
My agent, Michelle Rivers, was excellent in planning out our trip. Michelle picked the right location and beach for our trip. I would recommend Michelle Rivers to all my friends and family. She is marvelous! - Gloria H.
We had a great time in Punta Cana and I am so grateful that our travel agent, Michelle Rivers, was such a great help in getting our vacation together so quickly for us!! thank you sooo much Michelle for all of your help and assistance in booking our vacation!! you are truly a gem!! - Carly P.
Michelle got us everything on time and we were well prepared for our trip thanks to her. After talking with others we certainly had one of the better deals for our vacation.
Michelle is always on top of every trip I have taken and would never think of using anyone else but her to book my trips. I never have to worry that I wont have what I need and I can always get hold of her immediately in most cases which is spectacular!!! - Paul C.
Michelle Rivers is absolutely a delight to deal with. Her customer service skills are superb; she's courteous, responsive and extremely intuitive. Kudos to you for having a true professional representing your company. ~ Thanks, Tino G
Michelle always does a wonderful job in our travel arrangements. She is also very helpful in helping us choose a resort when undecided. I recommend her highly! - Kim and Randy P.
Michelle was outstanding. If the trip is as good as her help to set it up this will be the best vacation of my life. - Nathan R.
Michelle is wonderful. You can tell she really takes pride in her work and in making sure her clients have everything they need and want in a vacation. I can assure you that I will be calling her again for our next trip! Thank you! - Kimberly R.
Our vacation was terrific. Michelle did a terrific job for us, and when we had a minor problem with transportation, all it took was an email for her to take care of the problem for us...... She is an excellent communicator, answers emails promptly, finds the answers quickly, and treated our vacation like it was her own. - Leigh Ann R.
LOVE Michelle. She is the best - I feel like I've found a great agent and friend! - Sis P.
Michelle Rivers did a terrific job at making our vacation stress-free! - Virginia K.
I talked to her about a quote I had gotten from those vacation package search engines on the Internet. She not only matched the price but made sure that the time I wanted (which the other company did not offer) would come true and it did! She actually made my dream vacation happen! - Maria C.
Repeat traveler with Michelle - Excellent service. - Danielle M.
Michelle Rivers is a great agent... we will book all future trips through her... excellent customer service. - Randy P.
Michelle was awesome. Frontier canceled our return flight and Michelle was on it. She also helped us narrow down our resort choices. She did an excellent job. We are very pleased. - Michelle A.
Michelle Rivers is awesome! I wouldn't use any other Agent. - Kim K.
I wanted to congratulate you on your excellent customer service from a representative that works there by the name of Michelle Rivers. She actually made my dream vacation happen! She she is very professional and intellectual in what she does. She is willing to go those extra mile to help her customer get what they want. I would tell everyone who wants to make a reservation for the Caribbean to do it with Michelle. Thank you for having someone so capable, willing and determined to help in your company. - Maria Fe
Michelle got us the perfect room just tens of feet from the ocean. Documents were provided on time and we received timely reminders regarding the booking and travel process. - Wade C
Michelle got us FABULOUS ACCOMMODATIONS! i have to say that this was one of the best vacations i have taken all the way around! from the first conversation with Michelle to the second we landed home it couldn't get much better! - Joann C
Michelle was amazing, as was our trip...thanks! - Kelly W
Michelle is the best! I totally trust her with all my travel arrangements. - Suzanne S
Michelle answered all my questions and helped me every step of the way. Would definitely book with her again. - Tina C
We would not even CONSIDER using anybody else......Michelle has made this the greatest experience I've had with travel! - Kelly Y
Michelle was extremely helpful in planning and finding our perfect vacation package. Michelle has answered all of my vacation questions/inquires promptly and in a professional manner. She has also made several valuable suggestions which made our vacation experience even more enjoyable. I will definitely work with Michelle in the future and I will recommend Michelle's services to my friends and family (I have already recommended Michelle to my sister and her husband and they are going to Jamaica in August. - Aga C
Michelle helped us to get an excellent vacation at a great price. We have been using her as our travel agent for 7 years. I consider her a friend and enjoy booking a vacation with her. Robin H - May 13, 2016 at 3:51 AM
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The Wicked Wrister 