Cruise Report - Day 6 & 7 (Final)

So we had another day at sea before arriving back in California. Kevin wasn't feeling well so I went out and watched the belly-flop competition on deck. I also inadvertenly burned myself pretty badly. We took some time and went Ice Skating and took some pictures with some of our favorite employees (they served us so well). As our time came to a close we enjoyed every last second of shows, parades, food, and fun. The last night we ended up hanging out in one of the lounges with some of the cruise staff listening to Jazz music. We weren't sure how we would feel about cruises but it turns our we love it and can't wait to go again.

When we got into L.A. the next day and reached our departure time we found Cindee who picked us up in her branch new mini-cooper. We were glad to see her new car (that she had bought the week we were gone) but it wasn't very easy to fit three adults plus a week worth of cruise luggage (lots of changes of clothes). We laughed and worked it out. We were glad we could see her if only for a moment.

Ready....FLOP!

Vivian - Our Stateroom Attendant

Ashley - We never wanted for a Diet Coke the whole trip!

Kevin rockin' his skates

Whoa...that was FUN!

A few of the ice performers - we saw their show earlier in the week.

Manoj - Our Head Waiter

Dee-Pac - Our Assistant Waiter

"Mini" Cooper Ride

Cruise Report - Day 5

This day we were at our last port, Puerto Vallarta, where we were going to swim with the sea lions. I had been so excited for this and couldn't hardly wait. We were instructed to wear our suits to the preserve. Most of the people who were on the bus were going to swim with dolphins but only 10 of us were able to swim with the sea lions. We got to ride on a boat to a different area of the preserve where we showered and got into a pool with 3 sea lions. The two we were allowed to touch were Cassandra & Shanna (pregnant) but the other one was being ornery so they didn't want us bothering it. We all stood at the edge of the pool while they would swim next to us and we could feel their body and fins. Each of us took turns going out and having them come up and kiss us on our cheeks and hug us with their fins. We each swam out into the middle of the pool and they jumped over us. It was one of the coolest things we've done in our whole lives! After about an hour we got out and went to look at the pictures they had taken (yeah...like we're not going to buy them...right?) and they had a buffet lunch set out for us. A bit later we returned to the ship to change clothes and then set out to go souvenir shopping. After a while it just got overwhelming. Kevin was determined to have at least one authentic Mexican meal while we were there so he scoped out a place and we went in (after some hesitation from me...sorry babe!). We had ceviche, quesadillas, enchiladas (I think that is what Kevin had), and other yummy stuff. I'm glad that Kevin persisted because it was really good. Mexico was playing in a quarter final game of the World Cup. They won their game that afternoon and the city erupted. All the little kids were coming out of school and there were parades and people gathering in the square. I'm glad that I had been through this once in Brazil because I wasn't too scared. Once we got back to the ship about 30 minutes later the rain started coming down (see picture below) and we were very glad we had come back to the ship a little early. That night we went to another show, The Wonders I think, and partied the night away. All three of the ports were fun but this one was by far my favorite excursion.

Our ticket into the Sea Lions

Do you like our excited faces?

I can hardly stand the wait!

Kevin made a new friend!

The Dolphin Tank

Cheers!

This is "Senor Frog" - There are stores and restaurants at EVERY port

Cool picture of the rain at the port

Cruise Report - Day 4

The next port was Mazatlan. It was a very dirty city with armored guards and craziness. We wre going on a tour outside of the city and were able to see the real beauty there. We went and saw how they make bricks by hand, went to a bakery and had some yummy bread, & saw tiles being made. We also had the chance to see the Papantla Flyers. They practice this religion that worships the Earth. All their costumes have meaning...it was really cool to witness. When we got back to the ship we took a nap and then caught the sunset...so cool! That night was a Luau up on the top deck. Kevin bought a pineapple drink in a real pineapple. All in all a great day!

Making bricks

The Bakery

Yummy!

Making Tiles

Kevin & a Tequila Tree

The Papantla Flyers

Our Tour Guide - Mario Sr

We had to get a picture of the Armored Truck!

So Beautiful!

Kevin, His Pineapple, and our Towel Animal (thanks to Vivian)

Cruise Report - Day 3

On Day 3 we pulled into Cabo San Lucas. There isn't a port there so we had to "tender" into the city by small boat. As you can see I was all smiles as we started our journey. We were going with an excursion called Baja Buggy's. They picked us up in a very small van (14 of us to be exact) and we had a 30-45 minute drive. Once we got there everyone was given their gear and we suited up for the ride of our lives. Kevin was the first driver (and only driver because he loved it so much). We had to follow our tour guide and stay with our group. We drove out in the desert and by then by the ocean. It was so fast, dusty, and bumpy. Nothing we have experienced before. We were able to stop a few times and enjoy the scenery at a calmer pace. When we got back into town we needed to find something to eat (low blood sugar = no fun). We finally made the long (and hot) walk to the Hard Rock Cafe where we had Diet Coke, Nachos, and a really nummy dessert. It was expensive but it was good! After that we shopped for a while and found some interesting people on the boardwalk. When we got back to the ship we went to the show that night (I think it was the comedians but I could be wrong). We were exhausted but had a wonderful day. I tried to only pick a few of the pictures that highlight our day.

Dawnie on the Tender

Our Tour Company

Kevin - My Awesome Driver!

Our Tour Guide

Being Silly

The Full View

At the Beach - Refreshing!

This is one of those guys all dressed in gold

Rockin' It at the Hard Rock

Have you got your Jazz Hands ready?

Nieces Sleepover

Okay, so I've not done a great job of blogging about the fun things that have been happening in our lives. I'm going to try and catch up with some of the highlights over the next couple of days. This summer we had a couple of nights where we had our nieces come over for sleepovers.

First was Eliana & Cadence who were going to attend our Ward Swim Party at the Roy Aquatic Center with us. I picked them up after work and we drove home, which for them took FOREVER, and picked up Kevin. We went over to the party and I think these girls are fishes! They love the water and showed us all their swim moves that they have been perfecting. We finally convinced them to leave when their teeth were chattering and their lips had turned blue by promising them a treat after dinner. We went and grabbed dinner and cookies...yum! When we got home and dried off we watched my favorite version of Cinderella (staring Whitney Houston) until their little eyes couldn't stay awake anymore. I told them we could finish it in the morning and we got ready for bed. Kevin read two stories and sang them songs before they went to sleep in the living room. I think they got way more sleep than we did that night because I kept waking up and going to check on them (which in turn woke Uncle Kevin up as well...sorry babe!). After they woke up and I recovered from their stealth nature in the morning (seriously they both almost gave me a heart attack) we had breakfast, watched the rest of Cinderella, and headed home. We had so much fun and loved sharing that special time with them.

Second it was Lexie's turn to come up and stay with us. Josh dropped her off at my work and we headed the 30 minutes that seems like forever to a kid, toward home. We stopped and got some dinner at McDonalds and Lexie played on the toys (Madame Alexander dolls in her meal...so cool!). When we got home we played Candy Land, watched Sleeping Beauty, colored in coloring books, and waited for Uncle Kevin to get home from school. It was so cute when Kevin came in. Lexie was so excited that she almost knocked him over. Once we got her settled it was time for bed so Kevin read stories and sang to her until she could fall asleep (he is going to be the best dad someday!). I slept out on the couch so that she wouldn't be in the main room alone (which was no small task with a fractured rib). The next morning when she woke up we had breakfast, got ready, and I had to get her to swim practice by 9:30 (which is early for me but we made it!). I stayed and watched part of her last swimming class and played with Jaden.

We had such a good time with all the kids and hope that we can do it again sometime...maybe when we have a bigger house! Thanks to Steven, Aspen, Josh, & Stacie for sharing their kids with us. We love you all!

Cadence, Eliana, & Lexie