Part 4 - Vacation

On Wednesday of our cruise we stayed on the ship while it was returning to San Diego. It really doesn't take a day to get back from Ensanada to San Diego, so the ship was traveling very slowly. Which make the day very miserable for me. For some reason when the ship was traveling faster I didn't seem to notice the rocking quite as much, but on Wednesday I was sick the majority of the day. Mostly nauseated and had a horrible headache. So needless to say it wasn't the funnest day of the cruise. We slept in since we didn't have a shore excursion to get to. We had a nice breakfast. The breakfasts on the ship were huge, you could have almost anything you wanted for breakfast. They had oatmeal, cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, french toast or pancakes (they rotated these two), ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns, bagels with cream cheese, toast, cereal, pastries, fresh fruit, and they had a station to create fresh omelets any way you wanted them. It was really good food and made it so hard to pick what we wanted. We ate our fair share of breakfast food! We walked around the ship for a while, watched a game of bingo and decided to play a game later in the day for a chance to win $3000. We went to a night show and just mostly walked around and relaxed. For dinner that night, the last night, I had spare ribs and Matt had veal Parmesan. The ribs were soooo good, they were tender and just fell apart it was delicious! This night the waiters pretty much knew us by name and the bar tender knew what drinks we wanted and where we were going to sit, so our drinks were there waiting for us before the meal began (we had sodas, the bar tender took care of all drinks alcoholic and nonalcoholic). We had to make special arrangements to get off the ship early the next morning in order to make our 11:25 fight. People were allowed off the ship according to the number their cabin was assigned. Our cabin was number 25, we would have been one of the last people off of the ship and would have missed our flight. But we got special passes with the number 3 on them and therefore we were allowed off the ship in the first group of people. On Thursday when we got off everything went very smoothly, we walked off, grabbed out bags, and got a taxi to the airport. Checked in, checked our bags, went through security, and caught our flight with no problems!! The ship is pretty organized in that sense. I guess they have to be because as soon as we left they got all the passengers off in a matter of like 2 hours, and then the clean the ship and another cruise begins that day. Our waiter said that he works for 7 months straight and then is home for a few months and then returns to the ship to work. I thought that was crazy that the people working are away from home for so long and work so much. They live on the ship for months at a time. I could never do that I would be miserable!! Well after our plane landed to got to our car and drove home not really hitting any bad weather along the way. The kids were really excited to see us when we got home and I think my parents were excited to have their house back to themselves and to get back to their routine. We had a really great time and it was such a good experience. If any of you have the opportunity to go, you should, it is a great vacation. More cost efficient than I would have thought. All your hotels, and food add up quickly and on a cruise that is all included, plus entertainment on the ship is included. So it is pretty reasonable priced! Well I hope you all enjoyed our adventure with us.

Part 3 - Vacation

The third day of our cruise we docked in Ensanada Mexico and left the boat at 9:00 in the morning to line up to go on the blowhole tour. We were a little early for the tour because it didn't start until 10, but we wanted to get off of the ship early before everyone decided to leave and were all trying to get off the ship at the same time. While we waited, we looked around the shops that were right there trying to find a few souvenirs for the kids, most of the stuff in Mexico is junk!! A little before 10 we loaded a bus and drove about 45 minutes to La Bufadora, aka the blowhole. It was kind of a neat thing to see. The blowhole is a cave that is at sea level and when the tide is high or right after a storm the water rises and fills the cave. The water presses on the air inside the cave and creates pressure. The pressure builds and builds and finally can't take it anymore and explodes into the air shooting sea water straight up as high as 100 feet at this particular blow hole. It is the highest shooting blowhole in the world. We were informed that there are dozens of blowholes all over the world in Australia, Tonga, Mexico, and some in the U.S. I had never really heard of a blowhole, and at first thought it was like a geyser, but it is extremely different. The day we were there the tide was kind of low and so the spray wasn't very high, but still enough for it to be cool to see. After we had looked at the blowhole for a little while and had taken our far share of pictures we headed back toward the bus, going thru a market area. Now in case any of you didn't know, Ensanada's first source of income is through tourism. What does this mean....they hound you to death to come into their shops to by their stuff. It was SOOOOO annoying!!! Every step I took someone was saying hey come into my store, you need this bag, you need these shoes, you need this jewelry. I was like Matt keep walking!! We had seen a few things we wanted, but made sure and went into shops that didn't have people begging us to go in. We got Parker this fun spiderman cape with a mask with it. And we got Paige a cute pink Mexican dress! We also bought some jewelry and some Mexican vanilla. It was interesting to see that almost every other store was a "pharmacy" selling drugs that are prescription here in the U.S. People would grab us and say come into the Pharmacy and get your pain killers, and stuff like that. We looked at a few just to see what was in there, they had ammoxacillan(sp?), Viagra and a ton of other drugs. I can't believe people buy stuff like that and use it, that scares me to use a drug that isn't prescribed. I just thought that was crazy! After bargaining with the sellers to a price we thought was fair we got on the bus and headed back to the ship. We had a really great tour guide that told us a bunch of information about Ensanada. It was pretty interesting. I was amazed at all of the U.S. stores and restaurants that are there. We saw a Home Depot, Costco, McDonalds, Appleby's, and a few others. She said the only thing we wouldn't see in Mexico is a Taco Bell. That was funny! The roads were covered in dirt and people lived in run down shacks and housing developments. It really made me grateful for all I have and for the nice place I have to live. I asked Matt why anyone would want to live there. He said he would. It was pretty along the coastline and by the mountains, but not in the city. The weather was perfect while we were there and we had a great time, but were ready to get back on the ship. We had dinner that night I had mushroom chicken with Alfredo pasta and Matt had the steak again. (he wasn't very adventurous) All the of the meals had starters and then the main dish and then dessert. I tried to have something different each day. One day for a starter I had Prosciutto and melon. I don't think I would have that again. Matt mostly had Tiger Shrimp cocktail for his starter. The best dessert we had was a chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream. It was really good. That evening after dinner we went to a hypnotist show and laughed out heads off. It was hilarious. Some people really do funny things when they are hypnotized. It was a fun evening. Tomorrow we will be at sea all day.

Part 2- Baja

On the second day we got up early because we were planning on going golfing at Catalina Island. I was hoping that the way it was scheduled would be that Matt and I could be a couple at a different tee time than everyone else that was golfing. I have only really been golfing a few times and was just more interested in being with my hubby and spending time with him than the game itself. Well we met in the lobby and me the "golf pro" for the ship and he told us that there were only 2 other guys that were going to be golfing so it was going to be a fivesome. Great! That meant that I am going to have 3 other men, people that actually know how to golf, watching me as I swing and try to hit the ball. I was thinking I was going to be so embarrassed! So we left the boat and got into a little boat that took us to the island. We rode in a taxi to the club house and got our carts and a few drinks for a long the way (Dr. Pepper and water) although one guy we were with drank 10 beers during the course of 18 holes. I couldn't believe he could still hit the ball!! The course was so beautiful and was so green and pretty. Matt said it was the by far the nicest course he has played on! They had a few women's tee boxes so I was excited for the slight advantage. I knew I would need all the help I could get. The golf pro, Jordan, helped me out and gave me quite a few pointers and didn't make me feel like an idiot. In fact all the other guys didn't make me feel dumb either. I had a few good hits and quite a few not so good hits, but we had a really great time. The weather was so nice about 60 and we were loving it. Loving the fact that we knew we had left snow behind and were enjoying "short" weather! Golfing took us about 6 hours and after that we walked around the little town and got a few souvenirs and then we went on a glass bottom boat and saw quite a few fish coming to get something to eat from the people on the boat. It was kinda dumb, but it was inexpensive and after spending $218 on golf, I wasn't looking to spend too much more on a shore excursion at Catalina. After the glass bottom boat we headed back to the cruise ship and got something to eat at the 24 hour pizza place and the lunch buffet. (There is not a shortage of food on the ship!!!) We walked about the boat for a little while and rested in out room. Then we got ready for dinner. Monday night was elegance night so we dressed up and went to dinner. I had lobster and shrimp and Matt had Prime Rib. It was the best meal of the cruise!! After dinner we went and listened to some Karaoke. It was hilarious. It is so funny how people act after they have had a few drinks. The lady hosting the karaoke called it "liquid courage" it was fun! We again were tired from a long day of being out and about. I don't know why, but we just couldn't seem to get caught up on sleep. Tomorrow we are going to be in Mexico!

Baja California Part 1

Matt and I got home from our vacation on Thursday night and it has taken me a few days to get back to normal and to not feel like the world is swaying back and forth. So today I decided to recap most of our vacation, that is if the kids will let me!
Day 1
We left on Sunday morning about 8:30 and the weather here in town wasn't too bad, just really windy. When we got just outside of Pocatello it started to get bad, by the time we reached Malad we were behind a snow plow and were only going about 35 mph. I thought for sure we were never going to get to Salk Lake and we would miss our 1:45 flight to California. Well the weather continued to get worse and it was probably the worst storm we have driven in all winter and here it was the end of March. How pathetic is that. You could only see about 1/4 mile ahead of you so it was pretty scary. It seemed to get worse as we got into Salt Lake city. It would clear up for a second and Matt and I would get excited and say to each other this is good, a plane can take off in this right. Then it would start up again and just be horrible! I was so nervous to not make the plane because we had to be on the boat 1 hour prior to its debarkation and we were scheduled to arrive in California at 2:40, factoring the time it takes to get the plane landed and gather our luggage and then be shuttled to the port we had about 1 hour of lee-way(not sure of the spelling) so it was going to be pretty close. Well we finally arrived at the Airport in 3 1/2 hours! Got our vehicle parked and shuttled to the terminal. Got our boarding passes and our baggage checked and we had about 45 minutes until the plane was scheduled to leave. As we were sitting in the terminal I was just watching flights that were supposed to leave and noticed that quite a few flights had been delayed. I was sure hoping ours wouldn't be one of them. Well I thought too soon. Just a few minutes later our plane was delayed waiting for flight crew to arrive from a previous flight. That snow storm in Salt Lake had delayed flights from all over the country and messed up the flights for the rest of the day. So the plane was delayed about 45 minutes. I was stressed!!! What if we missed the ship and had paid all that money and we didn't get to go on the cruise!! I was really freaking out, ask Matt! Finally the plane boarded at 2:30 and we were supposed to be in California by 3:30 their time. So I thought we might make it okay! The flight was alright, pretty bumpy and it wasn't a big jet so I felt the turbulence a whole lot more than usual. We landed about 3:25 and were hurrying to meet the shuttle that was supposed to take us to the pier. Well they weren't there (which I was totally mad about. I paid $32 for someone to be there to shuttle us and they weren't there!!!!) So we ended up taking a taxi that only cost us $10 and was supper fast. He got us there in about 10 minutes. So it would have been cheaper to take the taxi. Next time we know!! We got to the dock and got checked in and found our room and all was good! We made it and we were on the boat in time!! Yay! Let the fun begin. After getting situated we walked around the ship to see what is was like. Holy cow could I feel the rocking. It didn't take long before I was sick!! I had taken some ginger pills for nausea and motion sickness, but the hadn't kicked in yet. The ship was so huge!! and I am sure it wasn't one of the big cruise boats!! The ship had 5 or 6 bars, 2 dining rooms, a pool area with a slide, a casino, a spa, a gym, a game area, mini golf, basketball court, a lounge, and a show room! I am sure I am missing some things but oh well. I thought it would take me a few days to not get lost! We were scheduled to have dinner at 6:00 and were seated at a table with 2 other couples. That first night we didn't talk much to them. It is kinda awkward at first. Matt had a steak and I have herb chicken breast with pasta. It was pretty good. We were pretty lazy the first night and didn't stay up for the late show. I was tired from the time change and getting up early to get everything ready to go. So I went to bed and Matt went to the gym and the sauna for a little while. That is the end of day 1. I think I am going to do a different post for every day. That way I can include most of the pictures and give my hand a break from typing!

On Our Way

Well today I am finishing packing last minute things and tying up loose ends before we leave TOMORROW on our Cruise. We keep telling each other how excited we are and that we can hardly believe that the time has come for us to be leaving. When we decided to go on a cruise back in November, March seemed like a long ways a way. But here it is and I think we are ready. My mom is watching the kids for us while we are gone and I have everything is ready and set up at her house ready to go. All she needs now is the kids. I felt like I was taking half of the house over there, but I just wanted to make sure she would have everything she needed. Isn't that how it always goes when you have kids. There is no such thing as packing light. There is supposed to be a snow storm coming tonight and so I am a little nervous about the road conditions for tomorrow and hoping that there won't be any delays in the flight plans as well. If we miss our flight we might not make it to the dock in time and miss the ship. Wouldn't that be so awful!!! I guess I am a little bit of a worrier and think of all that could go wrong. I just have to keep telling myself that everything is going to work out and we are going to have a great time!! I can't believe that Matt and I have been married for 5 years! The time has truly gone so quickly. It seems like just yesterday he was getting off of a plane from his mission and now here we are 5 years and 2 kids later. I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful man and I am so looking forward to spending some alone time with him for us to fall in love all over again!! I love you Babe!!

I can hardly wait

Only 52 more days until our vacation. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have managed to get Paige somewhat weaned, I am thinking she will be totally weaned in about a week. YAY!!!! I am so liking the bottle right now!! My mom is getting ready to watch the kids too, she is a little nervous about if they will be okay spending the night with her. Parker tried to stay the night over there about a month ago and came home at 10:30 because he wanted mommy and daddy. So I hope they will be good for her and that she will be okay when we get home. Everyday I think I get more and more excited, this is the first time I will be going out of the country and out of the western states. It will be a much needed break from everyday life. I think Matt is excited as well, he doesn't let on that much if he is. I know he has to be somewhat excited because he keeps asking me questions every once in a while about the cruise, so I know he is thinking about it. He just doesn't say out loud that he is "so excited".

I can't believe it is February 5th already. January flew by so quickly. I haven't been that great at updating. After posting every few days in December it seems like we have such a boring life after the Holidays. I am looking forward to spring and being outside with the kids. We are all feeling a little cabin fever. I know it will be here before long!!

Swimming

Matt finally had a Monday night off in I don't know how long it has been. I thought it would be fun to something fun with the kids for family home evening. What to do around here, there aren't that many choices. So we decided to take the kids swimming. It was super cheap $6 for us to get in - half price because Matt is a city employee. So we couldn't get a better activity. The water could have been a little warmer. Both the kids were shivering before we got out. We had a fun time together and Parker really seemed to like it. This morning when he woke up he came into our room and the first thing he asked me was "mommy swimming again?" I could tell that he had a great time and can't stop thinking about it. Matt and I decided that we would have to things like that more often. The kids both slept pretty good. Maybe that is the key...wear them out before they go to bed.

One a side note we are going on our cruise in 61 DAYS. We got our passports and our plane tickets and everything else is in order. Now it is just waiting and anticipating. The only thing that I am worried about is weaning Paige before I go. She will not take a bottle. I am getting nervous, I wanted her to be weaned for about a month before we go so she would be used to a bottle or cup. Any suggestions on what to do???

In 83 days...

This is what Matt and I are doing in 83 days!! We can hardly wait, no kids, no snow, just the two of us!!... oh and golfing.(Matt's choice)