102

102. Really? Already?

5 buckets of water and two cute boys can really make this Arizona summer crap quite tolerable....

And who knew buckets could be used in so many different ways?
Yup, that's a rap.

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman was our last and final stop. How I managed to escape such a beautiful place with the least amount of pictures is beyond me. It was a little windy again and the shore excursion to the Stingray City Sandbar was cancelled. We hadn’t quite made up our minds if we were going to brave swimming with stingrays, but with it being cancelled and our minds being made up for us we didn’t have to feel like the real whimps we were probably going to turn into be.

Instead we tendered to George Town, the main entrance to the island, and found ourselves a bus tour to show us around. We drove through the West Bay of Grand Cayman, and learned a lot about the island and its people. We laughed when the tour guide told us that the island is 22 miles long, 8 miles at its widest point and a maximum elevation a whooping 79 feet. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan hit and took its toll on the Island. For months people were not allowed to leave the island, and residents who were off the island at the time that it hit, were not allowed to come back. They were without power, water, or sewer services for several months later. This little pink house was one of the only homes left untouched after Ivan moved through and withstood 170mph winds. Apparently it has lived through a number of Hurricanes and the people on the island who knew its history sought shelter under its roof while they waited Ivan to pass. Look how cute it is?
Next we went to Hell. Really, we went to Hell. Hell, Grand Cayman that is. It was hot and ugly and black, just like I imagine Hell to be. These rock formations are nothing more than short, black limestone. The story goes that Hell received its name when a local official exclaimed, “This is what Hell must look like.” Yup, my thoughts exactly.
We spent the rest of our day at Seven Mile Beach and that’s exactly what it was. Seven miles of turquoise water and white white sand. Don’t think I didn’t fill a baggy up with some of it and bring it home. We snorkeled here too and saw even more amazing fish. I loved laying on beach and listening to the waves. Total paradise---except for the sunburned legs!We had such a fabulous time on this trip. We enjoyed everything about it; the ship, the ports, the no kids around, the sun, sand and sea, and most of all, the company. We had so much fun with my sister and her husband and my parents. How do you thank someone for treating you to a trip like this? It’s impossible. Thank you a million times. We love you! We are so lucky to have you in our lives. You’re the most generous, loving parents ever. Thank you for the bottom of our hearts!

Roatan

If you’ve never heard of Roatan, don’t feel bad. I never had either and being Mrs. Geography didn’t help…but we all know that doesn’t mean anything! Come to find out, Roatan is an island part of Honduras and it was our third port of call.

Our day in Roatan started bright and early. Well, let me rephrase that, it started dark and early.

On the cruise, we were traveling in and out of time zones. To make sure all the cruisers had synchronized watches and made sure to be back to the ship in time before it set sail, everyone was asked to be on “Ship Time”, which was Florida Time. Even if the country we were in was an hour behind, we still stayed on “ship time” as we adventured around. Sounds confusing? It was! If you don’t wear a watch and needed to know the time, if you asked a local, you would need to remember to add an hour or subtract an hour, sometimes two, to get the “ship time.” The cruise instructed us not to ask any locals what time it was for fear that passengers would think they still had an hour at the port when in reality the ship was ready to leave and passengers would be missing. This happened at our first port of call in Cozumel when fours boys were late and lucky for them, the captain was nice enough to wait...over an hour. We so didn't want to be those people.

Our arrival time in Roatan was 7am. Not too early. I can live with 7am. I work every day at 6 so that’s doable. Wrong. 7am was ship time. It was 5am in Roatan. It was pitch black when we left the ship. I still haven’t figured out why the cruise line would let us port in an unfamiliar country at 5 in the morning, but that’s ok. Luckily we had a nice man by the name of Lionel set up to meet us and give us a private tour of his island.

My mom had booked this tour for us before we left and we were all looking forward to it. Lionel drove us around the entire island and we got to tell him all that we wanted to do. On the agenda:

1. Sight-seeing:
With it being so early when we arrived, we did a lot sightseeing the first part of the morning. The island is beautiful and tourism is their major resource. Right now the island only has one port for cruise liners, with 3-4 ships a week. They are building a second port where they can have 3-4 ships a day. The people are really excited about that. Lionel said that everyone on the island has work if they want. If they aren’t working it’s because they are lazy. I was happy to hear that with all the economic struggles so many are facing. We saw some amazing shipwrecks, the governor's mansion and beautiful beaches as we drove around.

2. Visit an Orphanage & School
The day started to pick up a little before 7 because that is when schools start. Lionel says there are about 18 “neighborhoods” on the island and each one has a school, a lot like it is here in Arizona where we live. In addition to that there are private schools that you can send your children for $45/per month. Not bad. The private schools are where the children can learn English. Before we went to a school, we stopped at a grocery store and bought groceries for an orphanage. A man who runs one of the orphanages on the island met us and helped us shop for the things that they needed. It was fun to shop with him because he grabbed lots of mac n cheese, hot dogs, fruit, rice, and juice…all the same sorts of things that my kids eat. When we got to the orphanage, most the kids were in school but we got a tour of the house. Austin and I were really impressed because it was almost identical to the group home that he worked at in Utah for about three years. Menu boards in the kitchen, cleaning charts, big open rooms for the kids to play, a classroom, bedrooms, a huge table to eat at.

From there we went to a school. When I went to Africa my senior year in high school the kids loved getting school supplies because they couldn’t afford them. Who knew that a ballpoint pen would make a child’s day? It was one of my highlights from my Africa trip, and it was one of our highlights on this trip. Before we left we bought pens, markers, glue sticks, and scissors and Lionel took us to the school where he went as a kid. There were two classrooms and all the kids were in their cute blue and white uniforms. They were so excited to see us and have visitors. I got choked up seeing their smiling faces. They had racecar backpacks and cute braids in their hair. They were playing duck duck goose in the grass. They gave us hugs and asked to take pictures. Oh, I loved them. I could have stayed with them all day. And get this; their school was in a building literally on the sand about 20 feet from the ocean. They said on Friday’s they get to play in the water at recess. So cool!
3. Snorkeling:
Finally, our first chance to go snorkeling. We had all bought some snorkel gear before we left and had been aching to use it. Lionel dropped us off at a little scheduled beach with a little pier and a reef. We ate an awesome shrimp and lobster lunch over looking the water (seriously the best view imaginable) then dove right into the water afterwards. We swam and swam and saw amazing fish and sea life. The colors were beautiful. Turquoise, blue, purple, green, yellow, you name it. I’d only been snorkeling once and I thought I might be a little nervous, but I wasn’t in the slightest. It was incredible. What a day! Our favorite by a mile. It was so amazing to witness the everyday life of another country, associate with the people (who by the way are so humble, friendly and kind), and see another beautiful place. No dancing to post about tonight, just fun with the family. Tomorrow's adventure, the Grand Cayman.

Belize

When we woke up in Belize it was raining! Bummer! This was our first of two ports that we would be “tendering” to land. Basically our ship throws their anchor out in the middle of the ocean and then we board a fairy and take it to land. Belize is known for their great snorkeling with one of the longest barrier reefs and also their ruins, similar to those we saw in Tulum. The plan was to take a boat to a private beach and go snorkeling, but because of the rain and the wind, our excursion for the day was cancelled. Austin and I tried to hurry and get with the group going zip-lining, but they were booked. (I love this pic of my mom on the fairy).

So, we stayed on the ship and played some games and after lunch the rain had let up so we decided to head into Belize City. Belize sits between Mexico and Guatemala in Central America. I wish we would have had the chance to explore it a little more. I loved the bright colors of buildings and little shacks all along the coastline. We didn’t venture too far into the city but enjoyed the shops and atmosphere of Belize. There were ladies braiding hair, live music, ice cream shops and lots of little beautiful jewelry stores. That night on ship we had a lot of fun.

After dinner we headed to the lounge where they provided all the entertainment. I’m not sure how the “entertainment” compares on other ships, but for us, it was hilarious. There were always great shows, funny funny comedians and a chance for the cruisers to take part in activities. Tonight, Austin provided the entertainment.

When we all got to the lounge they were playing a Battle of the Sexes type game. Apparently the ladies had won the competition for the past five weeks of the ship. The men were taking it very seriously! Lawrence, one of the cruise directors, pulled a male and a female from the audience and chose Austin. When they got on stage Lawrence informed them that they were having a dance off and which ever one did the best they would get a hundred points for their team.

The women went first. When the music started she went nuts. She rocked it. She had some major moves and all the ladies were going crazy. Now Austin was going to have to try to out dance her. Even though I’m all for the females, I was rooting on my man! When the music started he put his best grove on, doing as many Beyonce-esque moves he could muster. He didn’t win the points for his team, but he got some major whoops and hollers from the crowd. I recorded it! Austin will love this! It's shakey becuase I was screaming and laughing so hard all at the same time. He was a good sport and got high-fives all the way back to his seat. He won a 24-carat gold plastic Ship on a Stick medal. Woo-hoo!

Between the Battle of the Sexes game and the comedian we were waiting to see was a Bingo game. My sister’s husband is hugely opposed to playing Bingo, but all the girls wanted to play so the guys got in line to buy the cards. It was three cards for twenty bucks. The game was to make a “T” shape across the top of your card and down the middle. When you only had one spot left you were supposed to stand up. Our cards were so far from being good, but Jenn and Dwain, huge NON-Bingo fans, were doing awesome. They got down to one call and Dwain stood up. No one else was standing. As far as we could see, no one else was even close. The caller called a few more numbers and Dwain was getting uncomfortable standing…the man is 6’4”. But lo and behold, the next call was the number they needed.
Yup, $600 dollars would make me a fan of Bingo too!

Cozumel

Our first port was in Mexico. Out of all the ports we were going, this was the place we for sure knew what we wanted to do when we were there -- it was the Ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum. We had heard from everyone we had talked to who had been to the Caribbean that this was somewhere we didn’t want to miss. And they were right.

Not knowing much about Tulum before we left, it was incredibly fascinating seeing the ruins and learning a little about the history of Tulum. The site was built by the ancient Maya on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. I don’t think anything I write will do the view any justice. It was gorgeous to say the least. The city was built inside a wall to protect its people from invaders coming from both land and sea. The beach played a very important role and served as a dedicated trade peninsula for Mayan ships. The view was breathtaking. After the tour Austin and I walked down to the beach and it was so neat to swim out on the beach and see the ruins from the water. It was our first day in the ocean and it was so warm and the sand was so soft. It was a hot day and a great way to cool off. The ruins themselves were beautiful. It boggles my mind that something like this was created hundreds, thousands of years ago without any of the modern day resources we have now. The buildings were once covered in stucco and painted bright colors that has since faded away. I would have loved to see them then. The Maya used the buildings mostly for rituals and ceremonies. The first two pictures below are of the City Square. The next pictures are known as the Temple of the Descending God and on the outer wall shows a figure sculpted into the rock head down. The figure is thought to represent a deity.

After the tour we enjoyed shopping and headed back to the ship to lay by the pool. Another great day!

Our Cruise

Last night I didn’t sleep very well.

My bed wasn’t turned down with a square chocolate mint on my pillow. There wasn’t a funny animal made of white towels on my bed that also happened to be wearing my new white sunglasses. The light switch was across the room on my wall rather than conveniently located on the headboard. When I turned off the lights my room wasn’t pitch black. Instead the light from the street lamp shone through my closed blinds. Sadly, in the distance I could hear the train and sirens. I couldn’t feel the soothing rocking of the deep blue sea. My dreams weren’t filled with the next day’s adventure of crystal clear blue water and white sandy beaches, but rather the nightmare of the lame excuse of jet lag I had made up for calling in sick to work today. There was no tap on my door of a perfectly ordered room service breakfast plate to wake me up. I didn’t wake up to find my swim suit and cover up laid out on the vanity where I had left it the night before but instead two extra large suit cases filled with six loads of dirty, sandy laundry. There was no Lido Deck with a gorgeous view of a new country we had arrived at while we slept soundly.

Nope. Today it was back to reality. At least I woke up to the two sweetest faces I had been missing for the past nine days…..

Our trip to the Western Caribbean was spectacular. A cruise for 7 days with a stop in four different countries. A trip with just adults. A chance to vacation with my parents and one of my sisters and her husband.

Two Christmases ago my parents invited each of us girls and our husbands on a trip of our choice. That Christmas day we took a couples “geography” test which would determine the order in which the couples could choose the week they wished to go. The couple would pick their week and my parents would build the dream itinerary. Anyone who knows me (and my college major) would know that Austin and I should have had our choice of any 108 weeks we wanted. But on that Christmas day I sat 38 weeks pregnant with Wyatt and knew a week of “adults only” was out of the question for the next year. So Austin and I quietly “failed” our test so that all the other sisters could have a fair chance at winning first choice. :)

Side note: For fear of making myself sound incredibly stupid, let me explain. I graduated BYU with a geography degree. Travel and Tourism to be exact. One would think I would ace a geography test related to landmarks, locations, hemispheres and continents, but let me repeat. I graduated in Travel and Tourism. I studied cultures, travel patterns, religions. This does not mean I know the coordinates of Botswana, Africa. When I say, “quietly failed", I really mean failed miserably. My sisters make fun of me. Please, don’t think less of me.

Well, it worked out that three of my sisters ended up picking last spring as their time of year, and my parents figured that one combined trip could accommodate them all. So they got to planning and the eight of them enjoyed an Alaskan cruise.

I was so envious at the time.

Until late last year when our itinerary popped up in my Inbox.

A Western Caribbean cruise! Perfect!! Jennifer, Dwain, and my parents, for 7 days in the Western Caribbean. How lucky are we?? The boys were at a perfect age to leave them for the first time. Thanks to having Austin’s parents close by, we knew they were in good hands.

For 7 days we cruised. We saw breathtaking scenery, experienced once in a lifetime opportunities, ate and ate and ate, played games, snorkeled, read books, and enjoyed each other’s company. Even though a family trip with everyone is always so memorable, it was so much fun to take this trip with my parents and one of my sisters and her husband. We’ve never had a chance like this.

And everything about it was marvelous.

I'll have to post the trip in increments, but this is the first two days.

The group of us before setting sail. We flew to Tampa Saturday and boarded the ship early Sunday afternoon.
Notice me in the picture. I'm happy and excited. This was pre panic mode. About 25 minutes later I start hyperventilating about my “missing” suitcase as we sail away from Tampa. Hours later, between game show and comedian entertainment I'm on the verge of tears when it’s still missing and everyone else's suitcase has been delivered to their cabin. After filling out a report, the steward issuing me a bag of deodorant, sample toothpaste, a free Carnival T-shirt and their apologies does my sneaky sister and husband relay to me through hysterical laughter that my "missing" bag has been parked in their cabin for more than 6 hours. Ha! Good one guys. I'm so still laughing about it.

The next day was spent at sea. Mid-day we were informed that a Coast Guard chopper would be picking up a crew member who had slipped and fell and needed immediate medical attention. It was pretty fascinating watching how close the helicopter idled next to the ship. We got quite a Guardian-esque show minus Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner. Our waiter later told us that the crew member was fine and would be re-joining them as soon as we returned to Tampa.

The ship was incredible. The rooms were so comfortable, the food above and beyond, and the shows and entertainment were unbelievable. Cruising definitely agrees with us. We knew we were in for an amazing week.