Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cruisin'





Our vessel


A friend to greet us... Oh mints! Are you hungry Love? Because I sure am! (sorry, our little joke, despite seeming implications- it is a clean one.)


My hair looked like this every morning- and Glenn still loves me. Bless him. Has anyone else thought their hair was quite difficult to deal with on their cruise?


Legal Tender Mercies


Dinner time. We loved the molten-lava chocolate cakes for dessert.


Avalon harbor, Catalina. Charming.


At the beginning of the bike ride. I probably shouldn't confess that I hid behind a truck to change my clothes mid bike-ride, but I did! Uphill for 25 minutes tends to get warm!


Glenn after kayaking- he is so cute. It is hard for me to explain why this picture charms me so much. I just see my good, loving Glenn getting ready again after sea kayaking together. He was so fun to kayak with, I kept trying to make it an opportunity to follow his lead, and he really just let me lead anyway- all the while propelling us to the front of the pack without trying. He's a natural.

We were in a two man kayak....


Our ship made us laugh! We really felt stuck in 1994 (even though it was built in 1998)- the decor, the cheesy background music, the uniforms. It felt good to hear some modern tunes when we got home.


Wow, it actually looks more modern in the pics...

I look a little too soulful about our stingray there. This is when we came back to change for dinner when we arrived and saw it was apparently a formal attire night... so much for our jeans to dinner!


Mexico!

I hate this picture- it caught me mid-movement and makes me look so arrogant. But Glenn loves it- how smug I look, how eager the man in the background looks... Heidi, I especially put this one up for you.


We made this towel dog (yes, it's a dog) following the towel folding class.


Well, we actually did it- we left the children. This was our first vacation since we've been married and it was A LOT of fun! More than anything- it was a blast to be with my best friend with no interruptions for four whole days. Everything else was just secondary to that. But, it was wonderful to not have to cook, or do dishes, or even make the bed for a few days :). By the end, we were both REALLY ready to do some good solid work... which was good because our kids require nothing less!

The highlight of the trip was definitely Catalina- we rented bikes and rode up to a botanical garden, sea kayaked for a couple hours with a guide (we LOVED this! Glenn is an awesome kayaker), ate gelato in the sunshine, and did some shopping (I found pineapple soap! Who could not love that?!). Perfect day. I was exhausted by 9:30 and went to bed. Unfortunately, I woke up at 2 am fully refreshed and unable to sleep any longer. So, what to do? Order room service, watch a movie, and laugh together. Nice.

Maybe we should go to bed at 9:30 more often.

Mexico was fun, but a little less than we expected (Catalina was a little more than we expected, so it evened out). We went to La Buffadora (a blowhole) and did some flea market style shopping. It was quite fun to barter. Out of character for me, but I got into it fast. Both Glenn and I felt that if we didn't haggle, we really weren't having the true Mexican experience :). Funny how walking away not needing the product is always the best bartering strategy!

We had a competition going with one of the ladies on the bus as to who could get the best deal of the day. She had got a man down from $85 to $10, and I thought she was the winner until a lady let me have some tortillas for free (I offered to pay)- and I was declared the new winner. Free apparently trumps all other deals!

The last day on the boat was wonderful- there were no excursions, just boat time. We woke up, worked out in the gym and at the jogging track on the top deck, then grabbed breakfast. I ate sparingly because of the next thing on our list- a body evaluation at the spa. It was really cool actually- we learned our personal fat/lean mass numbers, resting metabolism, true BMI, etc. We both loved it, but were not surprised when it was followed by a "buy our detox program for $500/pp per month for three months" pitch. Anyone out there in the blog world vouch for this sea algae bath method of detoxing? I have to admit we had a good laugh over it in the end (and obviously did not buy it, no pun intended).

The rest of the day let us actually read (and finish!) the books we had brought along to read- a true luxury for both of us-, catch a comedy show and a bit of a towel folding seminar, and miniature golf. It was just all around enjoyable.

Friday morning found us really ready to see the kids again. Sara picked us up and I think we were both happy to see each other! Sara had been fabulous with the kids all week and even made it through the water heater breaking... Murphey's Law that the landlord fixed it five minutes after we arrived. Sweet Sara had been boiling water for the kids to take baths. As if mothering three kids alone wasn't easy enough for the week! She was an angel!

So, there it was- a lovely rejuvenating cruise that left us ready to hit the ground running (back to the boat, that is!). I only tease. We'll cruise again, but not for awhile. For now we'll keep enjoying the trips to Wilderness park, Cuddling to Disney movies, and dispelling child melt-downs. Life is good!

9 comments:

Lauren said...

Kristen! Sounds heavenly! So glad y'all got to do that! I love the pictures! Y'all are an adorable couple! Love you! So fun to read about your adventures!

Sheri said...

Fun, fun, FUN!! I've never been a cruise. We always swear we'll do it someday, but who knows when someday will happen. I still think I need Hawaii first, then a cruise. Anyway... I loved your pictures, stories... everything! You vacation sounds like it was amazing and I am both happy for you and green with bitter envy. ;o)

zaharacafe said...

So glad you got to do this! One thing less on the bucket list! What a wonderful way to start the new year!

MeiLani and Michael said...

What a fun trip! Kristen, I had to laugh at your post about your hair! My hair struggled with a similar problem on our cruise back in November!I too had to post a picture! http://michaelandmeilani.blogspot.com/2010/12/cabo-san-lucas.html

Andrea said...

Looks like it was a great vacay for you both!
We have yet to take a trip, just the two of us, since our honeymoon. Someday....
Good for you! You definitely deserve it.
Oh, and you do look quite smug in that photo....he he!

Jen said...

I am green with envy but so happy for you! What a fun trip! I don't remember what a real vacation -- with adult fun and sans tantrums -- feels like. I bet it was magical.

TM CLAN said...

Good for you all! Sounds like you had a wonderful time enjoying all of life happening around you. This might inspire me to leave my kids too.

Heidi said...

I am glad that I am finally getting to comment! I have looked, but not been able to read and comment...you know me well! I LOVED THAT PICTURE! NOT TO MENTION THE AWESOME REMOTE PICTURE ON FACEBOOK THAT PROVOKED THAT DEEP DOWN CACKLE...Thanks for being a good sport and letting your BNHFF in -9 degree weather warm her soul for a few moments...Just a reminder that people like to vacation where you live more than they like to vacation where I live (especially this time of year!) Maybe I need a month long vacation in California now...I guess I am too poor...Keep posting great pictures in the meantime!

Melissa said...

hope you don't mind me snooping around your blog. so glad you all had a wonderful time. can't wait til i can make a similar post!