Cruise Photos

I know I've taken WAY too long to stop already with sharing the details of our Cruise that ended a month ago today, BUT I just have to share a few more things.

We traveled with the travel gurus, Matt and Erin. And let me tell you, traveling with them is THE. WAY. TO. GO.

1. They research every aspect of every minute of the Cruise, sorting through the necessary information to help you plan the BEST trip ever.
2. They are easy-going, and not discouraged when their hours of planning are destroyed by a slight itinerary change. Stupid Swine Flu! Your well-planned Western Caribbean Cruise turning into a last minute Eastern Caribbean Cruise doesn't phase them.
3. They stay up all night researching the new ports!
4. When your husband would rather eat at the midnight buffet, your SIL Erin will dance with you!
5. Erin will also sing karaoke with you!
6. They are the only dinner mates who won't think you're crazy for ordering 5 different entrees. And appetizers. And desserts. Every night.
   
7. They will let you use their calling card to check on your babies.
8. They will make you laugh 'til you cry.
9. They will make you feel good about your scary Gloria Estefan karaoke performance.
10. They will bring along a really expensive camera, and send you the eleventy billion pictures!
11. A few of the pictures will look like this....

THE FOOD
THE BEACHES

THE FORMALS

THE STOMACH-ENLARGING FOOD

THE BEST TRIP EVER!!!

Thanks, Matt and Erin! We'll travel with you again anytime (even without the big, expensive camera!)

Joe's "Chicken" Karaoke

I'm not the only one who sang Karaoke on our trip! First, Erin and I decided to do a little rendition of Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now. We were pretty proud of ourselves in our matching black dresses......but we were put to shame by my cute husband. His "chicken" rendition of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling won him lots of drunk friends. He proves that you can have fun without alcohol! We all vowed that "What happens on this ship, stays on this ship." But some vows were meant to be broken. (Although I'm pretty sure I'm not going to post my Gloria performance in video...come to my house if you want to see it!) Here's JOE! (Love you, babe!)

Let's Start at the Very Ending...A Very Good Place To Start!

I promise not to bore you with every last detail of my Cruise--I still want friends when I'm done! But I couldn't go without blogging about one of the scariest, yet funnest moments of my life! (I wouldn't be me if I didn't find SOMETHING, even on vacation, to stress me out just a little bit.) I found it on the first night of Karaoke: auditions for the final big show of the week on the Carnival Glory...Carnival Legends! Auditions were being held that very night for none other than Gloria Estefan! I signed up. I sang. I sat down. I waited for someone else to audition. NO ONE DID! So, by default, I won the audition! So throughout the week, while others on the beach listened to their own music, I listened to a little mp3 version of Rhythm is Gonna Getcha to prepare for my big night!

So I never made it past the first round of American Idol auditions, but I had my shining moment on the big Carnival Glory stage. I actually had a blast and decided that I'd WAAAAY rather sing on a big stage with lights shining on my face, in front of thousands than in Church! In Church you can see everyone's face. On the big stage, I couldn't see a darn thing!

Praying I'd remember the words...

Me with my "dancer-escort" at the end of the show...

Showing off the new look...

And the full Cruise-passenger cast...

I'm thinking about coloring my hair...what do you think?

By the way, if you're ever planning a vacation, plan it with a family photographer! My cute sister-in-law, Erin, documented EVERYTHING! Thanks to her, you're probably going to see way more pictures than you want. Stay tuned. (She may even have a few goodies from the beaches at St. Maarten...look out!)

Cruise, Glorious Cruise!

Hi, friends! Is anyone still there? I'm in denial that I no longer have a vacation to look forward to, so pulling myself together to post a blog hasn't exactly happened. And now that I'm ready to share with you all the blissful 8 days I spent away from my children, I can't find the camera cord. So instead I'll give you a few highlights of my Western turned Eastern Carribbean Cruise on the FunShip Carnival Glory!

• Food, Glorious Food!
• Sleep, Glorious Sleep!
• Sun, Glorious Sun!

That pretty much sums it up, but here are a few more glorious moments...

• Riding on the back of a motor scooter as my husband tried to remember to drive on the LEFT side of the road in Nassau, Bahamas.
• My husbands brother, Matt pretending he's a race car driver in our rented jeep on the island of St. John (while winding through the mountains also on the left side of the road!) Aaaaahhhhh!
• Island smoothies.
• KARAOKE! Joe did an amazing chicken rendition of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by the Righteous Brothers.
• Performing in the last, final big funship show as Gloria Estefan. I looked like a homeless person in the big, black curly wig, but I got to sing Rhythm is Gonna Getcha in front of a few thousand people! My years growing up listening to my dad's favorite Latina singer, Gloria, paid off. Aaaaahhhhh!
• Learning that you should NEVER, under ANY circumstances go to the beach on the island of St. Maarten unless you want to see lots of wrinkly, fully nekkid bodies. F.U.L.L.Y. N.E.K.K.I.D. Not what I signed up for. I'm still trying to get the images out of my sheltered mind. But the beaches were beautiful!
• Running (fully clothed) with my (fully clothed) husband on said nude beach.
• On Deck For the Cure
• Joe winning the free-throw contest
• Our cruise director, Butch from Minnesota...ya!
• Getting dirty looks from the drink servers everytime we ordered ice water.
• Being more tan than all of my Utah friends...won't last long, but I love it while it lasts!

It was great. It was even greater coming home to my babies. Sort of. But I'm ready for another sleep-ful trip.

Pictures will be up soon, if anyone's still out there. What have YOU been up to?