Family Cruise 2013

After a lot of time and anticipation, we were all so happy to leave the gray, cold, dreariness behind.  We were looking forward to warmer climates, clear blue skies, and warm water. We flew to Houston on Saturday, February 2 and took the shuttle to our hotel. Always fun and games in a hotel room. (Remember hot lava? Apparently you are never too old for hot lava. I didn't get in on the action, so no pictures.)   They were very nice, big rooms.  We ordered pizza and watched TV.

 

 

Sunday morning, our transportation picked us up at the hotel for the 45 minute drive to Galveston. We checked in and boarded the ship within about an hour.

We are ready for some sun.
 

 

Looking out at Galveston from the ship 

 

 

Mariner of the Sea- February 3, 2013



 

 

It was Super Bowl Sunday and the ship has this awesome, big screen tv on the pool deck. 

 

 

 

 

The view from one of the 4 windows in our room. 

 

 

 

 We had a Family Oceanview room. It was great. There was a small room with bunks for Parker and Colby, a living room area with a couch, 2 chairs, and a tv, a seperate bedroom for me and Allen and a sitting/dressing area outside the bathroom.  Each of these rooms had a large window with a fantastic view of the front of the ship- the helicopter pad.  It was so fun to see where we were heading and watch as we pulled into the ports. 

 

 

 

 

Looking up at our room from the helicopter pad.

 

 

 

Monday was a sea day.  The boys hit the sports court, and we tried to play mini golf.  It was warm but windy, too windy to play golf.

 

 

 

 

It was so nice to see blue skies and sunshine!

 

 

 

 

Monday was our first formal dinner night.  We celebrated Zac and Alisha's anniversary with singing waiters and a candle in a piece of yucky Tiramisu.

 

 

 

 

Why is it so painfully hard to take a nice picutre? 

 

 

 

 

Cozumel Mexico- February 5th, 2013 

 

Tuesday we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico.

 

 

 

It was about 85 degrees and very humid, but it felt so nice after the winter we've had.  We spent the day shopping and sight seeing.

 

 

 

 

Josh and Kasie were very adventurous and rented a scooter to get around Cozumel! 

 

 

 

 

Since Cozumel is an island, everything has to come and go on a ferry.  There was a huge line of cars and trucks waiting to load.  It was interesting to watch.  The ferry must be bigger than it looks, we saw several tankers pull in.

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day, and so much fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Georgetown, Grand Cayman- February 6th, 2013

 

Grand Cayman was our next stop.  It is a beautiful island with great beaches and warm water. 

We had to tender here, but it is always quick, and it is a pretty ride to shore.

 

 

 

 

We hopped on a bus and went to Cemetary Beach.  Cemetary Beach?  Yep, check out the background. It is at one end of the famous Seven Mile beach.  It is so beautiful, it's unreal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh and Kasie went to Stringray City and swam with the rays. 

 

 

 

After the beach we walked around town and the port for a while. 

 

Outside one of the many beautiful jewelry stores

Around the port

The main street along the shore in Georgetown, Grand Cayman

 

The sunset- from our window



 

This view never gets old.
 



 

Falmouth, Jamaica- February 7th, 2013

 

Jamica was our last stop.  We walked around the port for a while, before changing and taking a shuttle to a private beach.

 

 

 



 

Red Stripe Beach

 

 

 

 

 

More beautiful sunsets

 

 

 

Friday and Saturday were our last sea days.  We spent them playing, relaxing, and eating.

 

 

We had a wonderful time, but it is always over way too fast.

 

Christmas 2012

Yes, it's February and I'm just getting my post done for Christmas.  It seems like it was so long ago, I can't even remember the details.  I thought that with the boys being as old as they are, that they would want to sleep in.  Nope, Parker and Colby woke us up at 7:00 am.  (I love it. That means they aren't too big for Christmas.)

Notice the change from pink snuggy to new robe.

Cruise Clues

New vacation outfit.

 

 

The mess...

 

Christmas Eve

     Last year, we went to Little America for Christmas Eve brunch.  Everyone loved it and thought it should become a tradition.  This year we decided to try out the Grand America.  The Harris family and grandpa joined us.  Our tables were in a beautiful room, with huge windows.  The gardens outside were beautiful and it was snowing.  It was a great, relaxing meal.

Family Time

     I am always so grateful that we are able to spend so much time together as a family, especially at the holidays.  We had a family Christmas party at our house on December 23rd, complete with dinner, games, and gifts.  We had smoked pork, salads and sides, and lots and lots of homemade candy and treats.  After dinner, we got into teams and played a Minute to Win It type game.  Hopefully it was fun for everyone.  (It was certainly fun to watch.)

Zac and Brooke- drawing a Christmas picture

Josh- balancing gum drops

Kaden and Cassidy- sucking Jello thru a straw

Grandpa and Jeremy- stacking nuts with a candy cane

Grandma, Brooke, and Parker- shaking the junk from the trunk

Stacy, Dell, and Zac- face the cookie

     After the game, the kids did the gift exchange.  It's always a lot of fun. Not too much stealing this year.

Moving Back

     A lot has happened since I last posted.  Zac and Alisha had the opportunity to move back from Ohio.  Allen and dad flew back to help them move.  They stayed with a for a few days, with the U Haul still packed, while they looked for an apartment.  They were able to find an apartment, here in Kaysville, unload the U Haul, and unpack before Zac had to start work.  We are all thrilled to have them back.  Their apartment is very close to Davis High, very convenient for the brothers to go visit.  It was a great experience for them to be able to go to Ohio, but we are so happy that they didn't have to stay long and they made it back in time for the holidays. 

    

Graduation Day

  

We have been taking Mac to puppy school.  It was a 6 week course to teach them the basics.  He has done well and was always trying to be the "teachers pet".  He loved the instructor and her bag of treats.