We went cruisin'

Well, we made it back safe and sound and only a tad bit burned. As much as I hate using sunscreen this stuff did the trick. Our first full day on the boat was nice and sunny, so we slathered on the sunscreen before heading out in the morning. Only thing is I forgot to put it on my shins and feet. By the end of the day they were blazing red and on fire, complete with finger streaks and sandal strap lines! The rest of the trip I looked like a had a bad rash on my shins. Pretty unattractive, but I was just glad it wasn't on my whole body! I also burned my head where my part is. That sun is intense!

My attempt at taking a picture while passing by Cuba

Overall it was a great time! Flights worked out (even though we were close to having to full on run through the Detroit airport on our way there to make our connecting flight to Florida), our luggage made it with us (something I am always nervous about when flying), and we had no issues traveling with no passport.

Our days went a little something like this: Sleep in. Have breakfast made for us. Lounge by the pool reading or chatting. Have lunch made for us. Watch a men's belly flop contest, play some mini golf, Dean played in a dodgeball competition one day, and we watched people wipe out on the surf simulator.  Then we would shower and/or nap before getting ready for dinner; which was also made for us. Did I mention I never had to make a single meal outside of putting already made food on my plate from a buffet? 

After dinner we would walk around, play some Guitar Hero at the arcade or spend some time in the hot tub outside while a movie played on a big screen. Dean played some poker and I would play some black jack. Most nights there was an audience participation game (Think Battle of the sexes or Quest (a scavenger hunt through the audience type game)). There was live music playing with dancing every night in various locations, and one night they had an outdoor party with live music and dancing.

We spent one day docked in Cozumel, Mexico. To be honest, it wasn't as glamorous as it sounds. You could either just stay by the pier and check out all the little shops in what felt like a compound or choose to do an excursion (see the Mayan ruins, scuba dive or snorkel, go to a beach, etc). Either way you had to pay and be taken somewhere else. I would have been happy with going to a beach, but Dean really wanted to snorkel. I figured it was something that we wouldn't have another opportunity of doing anytime soon, so we snorkeled. Ask Dean, and he had a great time. I pretty much just put up with it at first, and it was alright. It was tough getting used to the whole breathing thing, and my goggles kept fogging up. But once I got salt water in my goggles/eyes about halfway through, it was over. Done. I was perfectly happy to sit on the boat the rest of the time and read my book.

Gotta love the great cropping skills of some random guy walking by.

The last day of the cruise we were off the boat by 11am, and since our flight back home wasn't until the next morning we had all day to spend in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We left our luggage at our hotel and took a taxi to the beach for the afternoon. We got some lunch before settling on the beach, and of course we had to go here!

It was pretty cloudy all day, with just a few breaks of the sun shining through, which was kind of a bummer. The water was chilly, but Dean went in anyways, not wanting to miss out on a chance to play in the ocean waves. Then we just hung out in the warm sand, playing 20 questions for at least an hour, while Dean sat in his makeshift chair and I dug a hole in the sand so I could lay on my stomach.

Yes!

.

I would have to say, not having to cook a single meal for 6 days was probably my favorite part about vacation. It comes close to the warm and sunny weather. And of course spending almost every waking minute with my husband, and never getting tired of each other. That was fun too. Although, I can say I am very happy to be back to eating my kefir smoothies, apples with almond butter and deviled eggs. As nice as it was not having to cook, after awhile cruise ship food gets old.

By the end, we were super anxious to get back home to our boys. I wish we got it on video, but their reaction when seeing us at the airport was the best. They did great while we were away, having fun between both sets of grandparents, but they were so happy to have us home. Will, especially, was full of hugs, kisses and cuddles that first night back.

I thought for sure it would be hard getting back into the normal routine of life, but it has been just fine. I could definitely do without this cold weather though......

You may say I'm a dreamer...

...but I'm not! Now, I'm not saying I literally don't have dreams when I sleep (I actually have very, very strange ones) or have hopes for my future....our family's future. But sitting around and daydreaming is just something I don't do. I was never that young girl who had her dream wedding planned out and a whole list of baby names written out. I don't dream about our future grow old together house and how I would like it to be....although a first or second floor laundry would be nice. It's just not who I am. I am a practicalist. I like to plan. I live in the now, and the short foreseen future. I don't like to spend my time wishing for something grand to happen when there are things to be done today. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I love Pinterest. I think it is a fantastic tool for creative inspiration. For some people it can be very addicting, I am sure. Seeing all these cool ideas and pretty things and dreaming to have them. But unless I am looking to be inspired for something now, I find it a bit frustrating.

Now, I'm not saying that being a dreamer is a bad thing; that they're all just wishful thinkers living in la la land. Without dreamers we wouldn't have much in this world. Oh, we'd have houses and fire and maybe even indoor plumbing (because lets be honest...there ain't anything more practical than a toilet and some running water.) But it would be a pretty plain little world. You see, not having that dreamer personality, it also means I am not very adventurous. Not a very spur of the moment kind of person.

My husband on the other hand, is a dreamer; a visionary. Like, you don't even know. His brain is constantly going. Always coming up with (sometimes crazy) ideas. He talks about traveling the world when we're rich, and the big house we're going to have. He is definitely an out of the box thinker where as I tend to be more in the box. And yes, I think we can drive each other crazy sometimes. He will want to do something fun very last minute, but then I come in with the practicalities of it all (usually having something to do with a little, eh, problem called the kids) and shut it down. But then if it weren't for me we would have a catapult in our backyard soooo....

But we work well together. Here is a perfect example of our two very different personalities working together in harmony...

This March, we are going on a Caribbean cruise! Yeah, I know. I still can't believe it either. I don't think I will believe it even after it's happened. Dean has been talking for months and months now about wanting to do a big vacation this Winter/early Spring. As much as a vacation would be nice, if it were completely up to me, it probably wouldn't happen. I would most likely blame it on the need to use the money on something more practical or just keep saving it or something boring and practical like that. But Dean was so stoked about the idea of a beachy vacation, I figured if we're going to do it I had better start planning. Researching. Comparing prices. Making sure everything lined up perfectly.

So, come March 6th we will be off to Florida to leave on 4 night cruise in the Caribbean, with a day on either side to hang out in (hopefully)warm and sunny Ft. Lauderdale. We are very excited about it! This is the perfect time to get away for a bit, just us two. The boys do wonderfully being left with the Grandma's and Grandpa's, and this will be the last chance for awhile to get away alone before baby comes in June. I plan on doing a lot of nothing, not eating too much food and hopefully not coming back burnt to a crisp. I have a feeling none of that will happen. Can't wait to be able to share some pictures!

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Back to the everyday

Dean and I had a great time on our trip! It was pretty short, but long enough to make me anxious to get back to our everyday routine (and normal eating!)

We left Sunday morning around 8:30am to meet up with others at a park and ride off of the thruway, and traveled in a big bus. We hit the road officially by 10:30am. It is usually a very nice, uneventful trip. Just relax and read a book or watch a movie they have playing. We stop once for lunch, and are able to stretch our legs and breath some fresh air.

Right around 1pm, we pulled off to a thruway stop. The driver noticed one of her warning lights was on, and saw that she was leaving a trail of something. Turns out there was a leak in the radiator. We ended up hanging for for 2 hours for someone to come fix it. It is a short trip as it is, so wasting 2 hours hanging there was quite the bummer!  Everyone stayed in great spirits though. We finally hit the road a little after 3pm. We started to smell something burning right away, but everyone assumed it was radiator fluid burning off. We had been on the road for about 10 minutes when BAM! We blew a tire! The driver handled the bus well, and pulled to the side of the road. Turns out the guy who fixed the radiator left something out of place that was dragging on the tire. At this point all we could do was shake our heads and laugh.

Thankfully it was a BEAUTIFUL day out, so we all just hung out in the grass on the side of the highway. We must have been quite a sight!

 That tractor trailer? Yeah. It wasn't just slowly passing by. It was going at least 65 mph, and swerving to avoid the bus!

 The whole side of the bus around the tires went flying off too! Thank the Lord it didn't cause any accidents!

We finally arrived at our destination, over 2.5 hrs later than we should have. We had dinner reservations we were late for, so we all had to rush to our rooms to freshen up. My shirt was a bit wrinkled, and dry shampoo saved my dreary travel hair.

Dinner was fantastic, as always, and afterwards everyone went their separate ways. Our first stop was the most awesome bowling alley you will ever see!  (Please excuse the grainy pictures. The dim lights set a wonderful mood, but made for crappy pictures.)

Monday morning we got to sleep in! We had a little breakfast, and then Dean had to walk around the convention doing whatever it is he had to do. The past 2 years we've gone I have always told myself I would get to the gym while Dean was busy, buuuuut I always ended up being a lazy butt and just lounging in the hotel room watching tv. But this year I finally hit up the gym. I was pretty proud of myself.

I met Dean for lunch, and then we had the afternoon free! We walked around a bit, played some pool and because we just had to...played some slots. This place is so huge with casino's everywhere. I couldn't imagine going there with the sole purpose of gambling (which is what most of the people were there for)! We were pretty lame getting super excited and dancing whenever we'd win, even if it was only $1.00, but it was a lot of fun to goof around.

 Picture taking wasn't allowed in the casinos or else I would have taken some!

We went up to the 25th floor of one of the towers, and got a picture of just part of the whole place.

Monday night there was a cocktail dinner for the convention goers. It's fun to dress up, drink some wine and eat some awesome food.

I brought my camera with us hoping to get some nice pictures, but it just never worked out to take it. We'd usually be away from our room for an extended period of time, and I didn't want to lug the thing around all day/night. Thank goodness for cellphones though! We at least got some pictures, even if they did look like this:

The trip home Tuesday was uneventful. We were very anxious to get home and see the boys, and they were happy to see us!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Got any fun plans for the weekend? Dean and I will be having an extra long weekend since we are leaving tomorrow morning for a little business trip/vacation and will be back Tuesday night. We'll be traveling on a bus with other appliance business men and women to Connecticut for a convention. This is our 3rd year going, and we always have a great time! This is where we will be staying...

via google images

It's ok. You can be jealous. And yes, it really is as nice as it looks. Wish me luck on the penny slots! Come oooon big money!

We went camping....in a tent.

This past weekend we went to our church's annual Family Camp! We get together one weekend a year at a campground overlooking Ontario Lake in North Western NY. We have been going to this particular campground for....9 years now? And it is always so much fun. We come home super tired and very sore from all the sports and games we play.

You have the option to stay in a tent, rv/camper, bunkhouse/cabin or a lodge. So, for 6 years now, with the tenting being the cheapest option we, of course, have always opted for that. This is the first year that my whole immediate family wasn't there. My parents wanted to send my 3 youngest sisters, and stay back to get some work done on their house. Although, my mom ended up spraining her ankle a week before, so she hopefully spent the weekend resting. Dean and I offered to take my sisters, and we all crammed into my parents big red 12 passenger van. In the past we usually just pitch our tent back in our little corner, and then spend most of our time at my family's cabin where they have the whole set up: Canopy, picnic table, grill, food, electricity! But this year...this year we took over the tenting site...

And I took on the role of resident mom, taking care of the planning, packing, food making and clean up. Big props to my mom who has been doing that for all these years. It's a LOT of work! But in the end everything came together well, and we all had a great time.

When Will was a baby, and now for Sam, we'd stick a porta crib in the back of a van (it used to be Deans work van) and hope for the best. Thankfully my boys are super sleepers, and it has always worked out great!

 Our home away from home.

There are always a bunch of planned activities that you can choose to participate in, whether it's water games and relay races, volleyball and dodgeball tournaments, kids crafts and swimming. There is always something going on. This year I led one of the kids "craft" times, and we made some good ol' cornstarch and water...goop. As you can see the kids had a great time making a big mess.

We had beautifully perfect weather. Warm in the sun, yet nice and cool in the shade. The nights were crisp and a bit cold. Perfect for wearing sweatpants and hoodies and huddling around the campfire with friends.

Will and Sam haven't been huge fans of the water so far this summer, but were more than ready to get in the pool. Which, of course, I wasn't fully planning on. I packed Will's swim trunks just in case, but nothing for Sam. He went right in regardless, and well...you'll see.

Uh, hott?

We also played mini golf...

And air hockey.



Played volleyball...

Ok, tried to play volleyball.

Made silly faces.

And watched the beautiful sunset.

Switching to color for this one ;-)

On our way back from camping it has become a tradition to stop and get ice cream at a certain little spot right down the road.  It's always fun to get all packed up and say bye to your friends, only to see them again 3 minutes later for one last hoorah before heading home.

Ice cream and curly fries.

He always has something to say.

 Friends.

Sunglasses. Oops.

 Aww!