Birthday Girl!

Carly turned the big "5" on February 12. Happy Birthday to her!!! Yes, the cake was decorated by a local bakery to her exact specifications. LOL. Her request was for the two of us (per Carly - the mommy needs to have yellow hair and the little girl needs to have dark brown hair) to be on the beach, looking for sea shells, with the water in the distance. I think they did a pretty good job, huh? We celebrated the big day in style, with a family dinner at Noodles & Co (her choice), and then back to our house for cake and ice cream with the grandparents. Oh, and we can't forget the most exciting part of the day . . . PRESENTS! She raked in quite a haul, including various stuffed animal toys, a couple of Barbie things, Littlest Pet Shop figures, and . . . drum roll please . . . the Barbie Jammin' Jeep, which she has wanted "forever - all my life" as she says. :o) It was quite a festive day, and I must say we have quite a BIG GIRL on our hands now. She keeps reminding us that she is "5 now" and will be going to Kindergarten soon. Can someone please tell me where the last 4 years have gone??? Honestly, it seems like just yesterday that I held her in my arms for the first time. And then I blinked my eyes and here we are with a 5 year old. Sigh!

Here are a couple of photos of the very proud birthday girl:

Happy Birthday to our precious Carly! We love you with all our hearts!

Vacation Memories

Well, we returned from paradise today -- undoubtedly, the worst part of a vacation is the 're-entry' (to reality) process associated with coming home. We sooooo enjoyed our time away - and I'm pretty sure we, along with our dear friends Doug and Tina Mote, left a lasting impression on the Ruby Princess ship and the islands we visited in the western Caribbean. :o) We missed the kids dearly, so that was the sweet part about the ending of a wonderfully relaxing week. I have to admit that it does feel good to be back on land - we encountered some rough waters throughout the week . . . and it also feels good to eat food from my own kitchen - yes, cruise ships are known for their endless supply of amazing food, but I've determined that the human body can only stuff so much in over the course of 7 days before it all starts to taste the same. LOL.

Some of the highlights of our trip:

Day #1
Enjoyed our first (of the MANY we consumed throughout the week - LOL) cocktail during the 'sail away' bash

Explored the BEAUTIFUL ship

Day #2

At sea!

We had hoped for warm, sunny, balmy weather, but instead we got high winds, cool temps, and lots of clouds. We made the best of it, though, and stayed on the sun deck as long as we could stand it.

Day #3

1st port of call - Jamaica! Ya Mon!

We did the "zip line" shore excursion -- WOW, what an experience that was! Flying through the trees hanging from a rope and pulley -- well, it isn't something I can really adequately describe in words. If you've ever done it, you know what I mean. We went on a total of 9 different traverses, ranging from 15 feet to 600 feet in length, over and through the rainforest-like jungle in rural Ocho Rios. Incredible!

Day #4

2nd port of call - Grand Cayman!

After a day of sightseeing and shopping, we enjoyed another fabulous dinner, saw a great comedian/impressionist show, and ended the night by tearing up the dance floor at Skywalkers, the ship's night club. On this night, we were introduced to raspberry martinis (thank you, Doug! LOL). I think I remember my husband dancing on a table . . . Oh my . . .

Day #5

3rd port of call - Cozumel!

We snorkled at a coral reef in the middle of the ocean. I took underwater pics but don't have them developed yet. The highlight of the excursion was the huge sea turtle we saw swimming around at the bottom of the reef. Very cool! The water was absolutely gorgeous -- turquoise and clear. Just like a postcard!

Day #6

At sea! Once again, we had hoped for warm, sunny, balmy weather but instead we had high winds and cool temperatures. We eventually found a somewhat protected deck where we could lay in the sun, but I swear the windchill was around 50 degrees. :o) Still, we braved the elements for a few hours and managed to soak up at least a few good rays of sunshine.

Tina and I tore up the dance floor (once again) at Skywalkers night club - whew, what a night!

Day #7

4th port of call - Princess Cays (private island) in the Bahamas!

Having visited this island on a previous cruise, Mike and I decided to stay on the ship. It was a good thing we didn't go to shore, because as the day went on, I became ill with the stomach flu. Not fun, especially on a ship that is battling rough waters --- I ended the evening by visiting the ship doctor and getting a big shot in the butt (ouch) for the nausea. Not the best way to end the cruise, but thankfully it happened on the last day instead of in the middle of the trip.

We arrived back in Ft Lauderdale this morning, hopped on a 10am flight back to Bloomington, and were home by 2:30 this afternoon. The greeting we received at the airport from none other than Miss Carly was just too sweet for words.

What a wonderful vacation we had. And what great memories we made. Thank you to the Motes for putting up with us for the last 7 days!

We'll always remember . . . What happened on the ship STAYS on the ship! :o)