First "real" job!

Taylor got a job!!!!  We are so excited.  She is working at a local movie theatre and loving it.  We are so proud of her.



19 Years & Counting

Saturday, August 10th we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.  I can't believe it's been 19 years.   Crazy.   I'm so thankful that I said, "yes" all those many years ago & I'm thankful he asked!  To celebrate, we went to dinner at Truluck's.  It's definitely a "special occasion" restaurant for us & it did not disappoint!

Happy Anniversary Dave.  You're the best.  I love you!

Crusin' Home

Our last day on the ship . . .

 was spent at sea.  We slept late, worked out, went to lunch . . .

then headed to the adult only area of the ship . . . 

where we relaxed . . .

 & read for hours.  The view was amazing & it was comfortable & quiet.  It was our favorite spot to hang out on the ship while the kids were busy hanging out with their friends!  That evening, we enjoyed a movie poolside . . .

 & a little country line dancing . . .

The buffet that night was extra fancy . . .

 Pretty cool, huh?

 

Each night, they turned down your bed for you & left you an animal made out of towels . . .

Aren't they cute?  We saw a little girl carrying one around with her like it was a stuffed animal! 

 

We were all a little bit sad that it was over . . .

You know it's a good vacation when nobody is ready to go home! 

 

 

Tips: 

*  If you have kids over the age of 11, bring walkie talkies with you so that you can find them quickly.  Ages 12 & up can check themselves in & out of the kids club so walkie talkies would be very helpful if you want to be able to talk to them without having to search all over the ship for them.  I wish we had done this as I spent a lot of time looking for kids.  I didn't think about the fact that we wouldn't be able to use our cell phones as we were out of the country & the rates are too expensive!

 

*  Carnival is a fantastic cruise line for families (although I've heard that Royal Caribbean is a little better).  It is a very fun ship with lots of activities for the kids, & for adults.  I recommend it if you plan to take your kids.  If you want to go without kids, I would recommend something a little bit nicer such as Princess.  The food was much better on the Princess Cruise Dave & I took but I think Carnival had much more to offer kids.

 

*  If you are planning to go to the Western Caribbean, don't go to Jamaica.  Instead go to Honduras or Belize.  We loved Mexico & the Cayman Islands though!

 

*  Bring your own bottled water on board with you to take on your excursions (Carnival will let you do this, but you'd have to verify with other cruise lines).  Otherwise you'll get stuck buying it & it is expensive ($4/bottle). 

*  If you plan on doing any water excursions, I would highly recommend getting everyone a rash guard shirt as it is difficult to re-apply sunscreen as often as needed.  We all got sunburns on our shoulders (everyone but Carter as he wore a rash guard shirt!)


Cozumel, Mexico

Our third stop was Cozumel, Mexico.  This was Dave's favorite stop. 

We went to Chankanaab National Park and did the Royal Dolphin Swim, Manatee Interaction with lunch excursion!  It was everyone but Carter's favorite excursion (his was swimming with the stingrays).  We absolutely LOVED it!!!

The first thing we did was feed the Manatee . . .

Then, the best part, swimming with the Dolphins . . .

We got to hold them . . .

Play with them . . .

Dance with them . . .

 Kiss them . . .

And be kissed by them . . .

But our favorite part was the foot push.  Two dolphins push you on the flats of your feet causing you to fly like superman!

 

Lauren . . .

 

Dave . . .

Halli . . .

 

Carter . . .

 

Taylor . . .

 It was awesome & so much fun! 

 

A close second favorite was the dorsal tow where two dolphins pull you across the water! 
Carter . . .

 

Taylor . . .

 

Lauren . . .

 

Halli . . .

 

Dave . . .

 

We also did a little window shopping . . .

 before heading back to the ship . . .

It was a fantastic day.