Celebratin' like Celebrities....CRUISE TIME!

Well, since so much has happened recently worth celebrating, we decided a few months back that we would go on a cruise. Our personal victories include: Alan's graduation, my job ending, PA school starting, both of our birthdays, and our one year anniversary! Anyhow, Cruisin' has got to be one of the greatest activities EVER! We had such a blast! We sailed out from NYC on Sunday, May 9th, after a wonderful tour of their pot-holey streets through Brooklyn on a shared van that took us straight to the ship. We talked to our moms as it was Mother's Day, and although Lorraine wasn't very coherent, I think it may have struck her on some level that her son was calling her. She took a turn for the worse that day... However, Alan and I had come to terms with her death a long time ago, and we placed all our faith in the Lord's hands and will for her. We know the Plan of Salvation is real, and that we would see his Mother again. If anything, we just hoped her pain would end quickly, and that she might be free from worldly sorrow and pain. So...we said our "I Love You's" and took off. We waited for nearly an hour on the last block of the street, and we were watching people get out of cabs behind us and just walking themselves up to the ship! It was pretty funny. We saw this one couple where the man was hauling on like 6 pieces of luggage while the woman next to him walked with the style of a celebrity....The older couple in the van announced to everybody "See how it should be!"... A few minutes later, another couple walked by, where the woman now was lugging all the suitcases while her hubby in a baseball cap walked ahead of her by a few feet. He was very nice to look back and 'checkup on her' every now and again. That's when Alan then announced to the van "Now, THAT's how it Should be...." Everyone got a good laugh at that one. It was freezing outside, and sooo windy--apparently it did some damage to the ship's boarding planks or something, so we had a late start, but we didn't mind like others did, because we were to busy checking out the ship. Exploring, we decided, might take us all 9 days of the cruise!

Calling our Moms from the airport...

We had two full days and nights on the ocean, and as we neared the Caribbean, we saw the Coolest Bird-Fishes...We aren't entirely sure what they were, but there were these little bird like creatures that would come flying out of the water, and then they would dive back in and swim for a while. I tried to catch a good shot of them, but they were too quick. You'll just have to settle for some shots of the ocean views...

Manhattan...our future home? Perhaps....

I absolutely LOVE this pic. Isn't he handsome?

We went to four different islands on the cruise...First stop-PUERTO RICO!!!! Yaya! Back to the mission! It was soo much fun. We walked around everywhere, sweating like pigs, exploring the area, and eating real authentic PR food. It was neat for Alan to get a little bit of a taste of the culture of my mission. He was such a champ while we walked up and down all the the steep hills and streets, and for trying a personal fave...Mofongo!! It was his lunch. I had a plate of good ole' arroz con habichuela. It was nice to go back. We explored the island, and then made it back to the ship in time for a little swim and our dinner.... OH our dinners! They were incredible!!!! I thought the food was delicious, every night being like a 5 course meal, and we got to eat anything our little hearts desired. They were soo sweet and our first night on board brought us a special "Happy Anniversary" treat, and sang to us in front of the whole dining room! It was such a fun celebration of our anniversary! Here's some of the food, and some shots of our fun times with our amazing Nelson. He is from the Phillipines and always had the biggest smile. We just love him!

Nelson--he kept bringing more and more food!

Beautiful oceanfront view...


I watched from the front of the boat as we pulled in to PR

Alan had his first batida de fruta... it was so good!

The view from the castle was just incredible...

mmm....Mofongo!!!

Dessert was definitely our favorite part!

Sooo funny! Since I still have my maiden last name,

They thought there were two separate couples celebrating
A one Year anniversary!!! We got two culinary creations!

Our 2nd stop was to the lovely island of St Marteen. We had a blast there. We had a tour of the island that lasted a few hours, but was worth it. We got to see the French side and the Dutch side. I think I am more a fan of the Dutch influence than the French. Our driver made it a point to take us to their fine and esteemed Orient Beach--apparently... A NUDE beach! And we are now "cultured" :0) It was so fun to see that they spoke papiamento there, and I could chat a bit with our driver, who was originally from Aruba--in fact, the neighborhood that I served/lived in for all the months I was there. It was so much fun!




So True...

This man had an entire cart filled with these coconuts

So there is this runway that starts literally just across the

Street from the beach, and when airplanes come in, they
pass just over your head--This is without zooming in at all!

This is the view from the top--heading into the French side...

3rd island...Sigh! ST THOMAS...I imagine the Celestial Kingdom will be much like the beautiful beaches of St Thomas. It was more than I have ever imagined! This island was by far our best adventure ever!!! We went to the most gorgeous beach that felt like it was in a cove, surrounded by lush green islands. The water was absolutely crystal clear! Now, I thought those words painted a pretty clear picture, but I had no idea, and I don't think anyone else could understand the beauty of the ocean without having seen it with their own eyes! Absolutely unlike anything I could have ever imagined. Anyhow, enough of that. We got to do yet another thing we have always wanted to try out...We went parasailing!! It was sooo fun! 500 ft in the air, they brought us down and dipped us in the ocean, and then while we were all the way up there again, I looked down and could see a giant sea turtle...The guys said it was a good 60 feet deep, and i could see all the way down to the floor! We were so sad to have to go back to the ship after our adventures on St Thomas.

The most amazing swim of our lives!!!


St Johns was over to the right, and we were surrounded
by all the gorgeous islands while we swam

Those are Alan's legs...

Our 4th stop was such a disappointment after St Thomas, but we tried to make the best of the Grand Turk...it was really just beach, but we had a good time visiting Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville! I wish we could have enjoyed the swim up bar and all, but I was taught not to drink and swim...or rather...not to drink at all:0) We enjoyed our walk along the beach, and watched the funniest thing! There was this younger girl that kept posing in cheerleader-esque moves and this really old man taking pictures of her! After every sexy pose, she would run back to look at the camera/picture, and then return to her spot for another great move....It was so funny! We kept trying to figure out their relationship...but it was just so funny... and Weird.



MargaritaVille

We might have been sad if those were the last days of our beloved vacation, but Alas, no....we still had two whole days to get home!! I spent most of my free time reading by the pool. I read The Hunger Games, as well as my dear Jane Austen faves...Mansfield Park and Persuasion. We laid by the pool, drinking margaritas and pina coladas endlessly, and then we had our fancy pants dinners, saw some AMAZING ballroom dancing shows, and finished up relaxing with a movie under the stars until we crashed...It was so much fun, and yet....just exhausting:0) I know...there are worse things! Here are just some fun shots of life on a Carribbean Cruise!:

Alan has yet to beat me at scrabble!!!

There was supposed to be ballroom instruction,
But no one was there, so we chose the next best thing!

Formal dinner night....Lobster tails were divine!!!

Baked Alaska anyone? It was on fire just before this!

There was an incredible gym! Don't worry, the only

time I saw it was to look around while eating my ice

cream cone:0) Lots of unhappy people that day!

Reading while the jazz swayed me into bliss...



Alan...watching PrisonBreak....



Bedtime Stories...also, please note the mirrors of

eternity!

Our battle for the chocolate.

Apparently, He really loves His chocolate!

This was such an adventure, and obviously, I have more than enough pictures to go around, but these are just the highlights. They were so amazing on the ship! Our room was cleaned like 5 times a day--Alan reallly liked the 24 hr buffet, although, thankfully, I think it got a little old for him...around day 6, and I loved spending every minute of every day with the most amazing husband in the world. I don't know why or how he puts up with me, but I'm thankful! We're going for another year!!! Wish us luck:0)