Nassau & The Atlantis Resort

      From the minute we booked the cruise, Nassau was the island I was looking forward to the most.  I totally had my heart set on going to the Aquaventure Water Park, at the Atlantis Resort.  It was definitely spendy, but in my opinion, worth every penny!  To save money we decided to buy our day pass at the Atlantis Resort the morning we got there.  The cruise ship offered an excursion packet, but they are always WAY overpriced.  So at 7:30 a.m. we caught a taxi and made our way there.  Upon arrival we learned that the ticket office didn't open until 8:30 a.m. so we decided to walk around the resort.  What we stumbled upon was incredible!  They call it Predator Lagoon.     

      Predator Lagoon was the coolest aquarium I have ever seen in person.  It was a house to Sawfish (my kids knew about Sawfish thanks to River Monsters), Barracudas, Sting Rays, Lobsters, Turtles and a variety of Sharks.  We were all in awe!  We could have stayed there for several hours just gawking.  But sure enough 8:30 a.m. rolled around and we wanted to make sure we could get our water park tickets.    

 Aquaventure Park:
      I can't even begin to cover in one entry how cool this water park was!  From the high thrilling waterslides, to the NOT so lazy mile-long river, it was a blast.  And I couldn't believe how brave Austin was on some of these water slides.  I just about had a heart attack on the Leap of Faith, and yet he walks right up, jumps right on, and is gone.  Crazy kid!  On another note, all of our boys met the height requirements so we could move around the park together as a family, yay!!!  We were only able to get a few pictures of the waterslides.  Here are our two favorite:      

 

The Leap of Faith:

The Leap of Faith slide offers the daring and adventurous a 60 ft. almost-vertical drop from the top of the world-famous and iconic Mayan Temple, propelling riders at a tremendous speed through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon. (description from website)

The Serpent Slide:

On the five-story corkscrew Serpent Slide, guests travel on a tube at high speeds through the darkness of the Mayan Temple's core. The twisting and turning ride culminates with a leisurely pass through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon. (description from website)

 

 Before we caught a taxi back to the cruise terminal we hit up the clothing shops at Atlantis.  It was by far the best (but most expensive) place to get stuff.  As we arrived back to the terminal we were surprised to see four other ships docked there.  In the morning when we arrived at Nassau we were the only ship to have pulled in.  Spencer and I really enjoyed seeing the different ships docked and what they looked like in person.  As we pulled out of port, I snapped the picture below.  I love how on the left you can see the Atlantis Resort, in the middle, the cruise terminal, and up front, the Nassau lighthouse.  Man, there were some good memories made this day.  I highly recommend it!      

      Oh, and I almost forgot, this day was extra special because it was my birthday.  35 years old!  Being with my family and spending a fun-filled day together was the best birthday this Mom could have ever hoped for!!   

Half Moon Cay

      Half Moon Cay is Carnival's own private island in the Bahamas.  When we booked our cruise I didn't really expect much from this island because they don't offer many excursions; I looked at it as more or less just a beach day.  So you can imagine my surprise when we pulled into this breathtaking, picture perfect setting!  The water was the most beautiful turquoise-blue color and the white sand was powder-soft.

      Since the island is owned by the cruise line, the amenities were really nice.  They had a large open kitchen where they served a delicious BBQ lunch for everyone.  They had lifeguards on duty all along the beach, and I found out an interesting fact about the workers there; they all live on a nearby island and catch a ferry over whenever a cruise ship comes to port; otherwise, the place is deserted.  

     Playing on the beach was paradise.  Spencer rented a couple of tubes for the kids to float around on and bought a paddle ball set.  I made friends with the six women sitting next to us.  They were all friends traveling together.  When I told them our story about not having any luggage, and how badly I missed my flat iron, they told me that they would gladly bring me one to use for the rest of our trip.  I absolutely took them up on their offer and was able to finally style my hair again! :-)     

      This place was perfect!  And the sign leaving the island said it all:

Grand Turk Island

      Our first port stop on our cruise was at Grand Turk Island.  The boat docked at 7:00 a.m. and we were ready to get off as soon as they gave us the okay.  We were on a mission!  After we got word that our luggage was lost we stopped at Target in Orlando and purchased the boys swimsuits so they could wear them on the boat and start playing right away.  Spencer and I didn't worry about getting one for ourselves because the airlines assured us that our bags would make it before the ship left Miami.  As it turned out, our luggage did not make it on the ship, and the clothing store on board only sold swimsuits for men.  So I was out of luck.  So our first priority when hitting the island was to track down a swimsuit for me and clothing for all of us.  I was in the right place to find a swimsuit, unfortunately, it was trying to find one that was appropriate!        

      After a couple of hours of frantically shopping we were ready to hit the beach.  The boys rented snorkel gear and I rented a floating mat.  The temperature was in the low 80's and it just felt wonderful.  We played on the beach for hours.  Finally around 1:00 p.m. Spencer pointed to the sky in the distance and said we had about a half hour left before a massive rain cloud worked its way toward us.  Sure enough, a half hour later the dark cloud came and we got poured on!  At least it was warm rain though.  By the time we pulled out of port, around 2:30 p.m., the rain cloud was gone and it was beautiful again.         

Caribbean Cruise - Aboard the Carnival Victory

      My family and I recently returned from a wonderful family vacation in the Caribbean.  It was definitely one of the most unique vacations I have ever been on, seeing as how the airlines lost our luggage for the entire duration of our trip, but it made for an exciting story to tell (more on that later).  

      Our cruise length was 5 nights and it left out of Miami, Florida.  We love sailing with Carnival because they allow up to five people in a single room and they have an amazing kids program aboard the ship.  Not to mention they are SUPER affordable!

       This was our first year of having a balcony room, and I must say, I can't ever go back!!!  I was so impressed with our room on this cruise.  It was so peaceful watching the ocean, and ports, go by while being in my own private quarters.  It also allowed us to see some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets. 

       The fun aboard the ship was endless.  Daytime activities included: swimming in the pools, riding down the waterslide, playing chess, and relaxing in the hot tub.  I think the kids maximized their time in the water activity department!

      Night time brought on a whole new set of activities.  That's when the kids loved going to Camp Carnival.  I was amazed at how many kids were aboard this ship.  At Camp Carnival they had dance classes, made volcanoes, went on scavenger hunts, had a pirate party, played dodge ball and had Wii competitions.  They had such a blast!  While the kids were away, Spencer and I went to dinner together.  We also did a lot of shopping in the gift shop, trying to clothe ourselves and purchase toiletries.  We saw a comedy show, and even had time to go back to our room and bask in the peace and quiet.

     One of my favorite things about the Carnival Victory was the outdoor movie screen and movies they would play every night.  They provided "Dive-In Movie" blankets, popcorn, and hot chocolate.  And as always, ice cream is never too far away ;-) 

      And of course, walking into our room at the end of each evening was always a treat.  Wondering what kind of animal you would find on the bed never got old, neither did the chocolates on our pillows.  It always put a smile on my face! 

 

My Word for 2014

      Although I have chosen to focus my attention on one word this year, it will forever be a lifetime resolution; the word is Charity.  I chose charity mostly due to the following quote by Elder Marvin J. Ashton:     

      One thing I know to be true is that this kind of charity rarely happens by chance.  Instead, it is an intentional decision that we make in our lives.  Acting with charity is not always easy!  It's much easier to judge others, and pick out their flaws.  Sometimes our defenses tell us to hold back from helping or loving someone, but doing so leaves you feeling empty.  That is why I am making a conscience effort this year to work on how I see and treat others.

 

      Since being a charitable person doesn't happen by chance, I have set some smaller goals to help me be more deliberate in my attempts:

1)  I need to consider, daily, the benefits of being a generous person; 

2)  I need to embrace gratitude.  It's time for me to start sharing what I have with others;    

3)  I need to start small.  I know I can't change old behavior overnight, but I can start by giving small and working my way up to grander endeavors; and  

4)  I need to give without expectations. 

         

      C.S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less."  Being selfish has always been my roadblock when it comes to charity.  This is my resolution to change that!

New Year's Eve



      New Year's Eve this year was pretty low key, but still a lot of fun.  We spent the evening at the Cottrell's house, along with the Smiths.  We played games, blew up balloons for the kids to pop at midnight, and just to mix it up a bit, Barbra, put together a scavenger hunt for us to go on.  For the scavenger hunt we divided into boys vs. girls and we're handed matching lists of things to acquire.  I thought the girls were cruising along pretty well until Spencer called and said they were done.  A couple of days later we found out they cheated, surprise, surprise! ;-)  Not all of the kids stayed awake until Midnight; Cameron, Andrew, London and Rhys were found knocked out on the landing of the stairs.  For everyone else who stayed awake we rang in the New Year with a toast and lit some fireworks off outside. 

 

      Cheers to a New Year!    

Andrew's Bat Wings

      One of the running jokes in our family is that all of our boys have bat wings.  Bat wings appear when the kids position their arms on their hips in just the right angle that causes their shoulder blades to protrude out.  Well, Andrew by far has the most prominent bat wings in our family!  It's almost disturbing how much his stick out.  He is a skinny kid, but man does he eat!  He is just so darn active he burns through all of his calories.  At first, Andrew, was a bit shy about showing them off, but I think he is enjoying the attention he gets from it now.  Every time the kids take their shirts off they just have to show off their bat wings to us. :-)

Ryan, Ashlynn, and Baby Bria

      What a treat it was to have Ryan and his family come for a visit after Christmas.  During their visit we were able to meet their five month old daughter, Bria, who is such a doll!  The boys were so excited to see Ryan.  They LOVE it when Ryan is in town because he plays hard with them.  They can play Monkey in the Middle all day long. 

      I am so glad that my kids are close to their cousins.  I grew up not really knowing mine, and now as an adult it feels awkward because we're family, but we don't know each other.  I know this won't be the case with my kids, and for that I am grateful!!

Our Christmas Holiday

      Christmas came WAY too fast this year!  I was ready for it, shopping wise, but not in the decoration category.  We got our tree up and ornaments put on.  Our stockings were hung and a few decorations were set out, but our tree never got it's skirt on, no outdoor lights were hung up, and my beloved nativity was never displayed.  Nevertheless, Christmas still happened and memories were still made.

     Spencer had to work Christmas Eve, so it was just the boys and I who partook in our tradition of bowling with friends and lunch at Burgerville.

      Christmas Eve festivities are always held at Mom & Dad's.  Dinner consists of a smorgasbord of homemade soups, and of course Mom's homemade bologna & cheese sandwiches. My contribution this year was Zuppa Toscana.  After dinner Caylin read the story of Christ's birth from the Bible, and then we played carols on the chimes. 

      Christmas morning we had to wake the boys up at 7:00 a.m. to open gifts.  It was evident that the boys were up during the night because presents had been shuffled around and stockings had been rifled through, but at some point they retired back to bed and zonked out.  Santa Claus was good to everyone.  He didn't go overboard this year because we opted to go on a family vacation instead, which we are all very excited about!

      Unfortunately, I woke up sick Christmas morning so after breakfast at Marie's house I came home and slept for about 5 hours.  During that time Spencer took the boys to see the second Hobbit movie.  I continued to lounge on the couch while everyone congregated at our house for dinner.  The good news was it got me out of setting the table and cooking :-)  But it didn't get me out of clean-up :-(  After dinner we put on our new Duck Dynasty DVD and drank some Reindeer Milk.  A pretty good combination in my opinion!  Christmas this year was pretty simple, and I found that I really liked simple.