Sept. 20th - Sept. 27 My family and I went on a Cruise! It was amazing. I had so much fun and I loved spending that time with my family. My siblings have been planning this cruise for about 6 months to surprise my Dad for his 60th birthday which was on the 22nd. When everyone was planning this cruise I was still pregnant with Kaylee and was convinced that it would not be a good time to go because I would have to leave my baby. Not to mention how expensive it costs.
For the last couple of months I would get phone calls from my siblings trying to convince me to go. I just couldn't see how it would all work out. I didn't want to leave my baby and I didn't know if I could get work off. Kim kept calling to tell me that the price went down ($299). At the end of August I asked her, "don't I need a passport to go?" She was disappointed because I didn't have a passport and thought there was no way I could go. After Kim did some research she found out that I could get a passport expedited and get it in 2 weeks. So I applied for my passport on Sept. 2nd and received it in the mail on Sept. 17th. Just in time for the cruise. I found good deals for flights. I started feeding Kaylee formula a couple of times a day so I could pump milk for her. I pumped 40 bottles of milk in 2 1/2 weeks. Then another miracle happened. Eric's mom called and offered to come and help Eric out with the kids while I was gone. It was definitely a blessing that she came out because I knew that my kids were going to be taken care of and I didn't need to worry about babysitters.
The cruise was amazing. We went on the Mariner of the Seas from LA to Puerto Vallarta. My dad was very surprised and excited that we all came to celebrate his birthday. We had 5 out of 6 kids there with 3 spouses. Melissa and John could not come because they are now living in Japan.(We missed you guys) Eric also could not come because he couldn't afford the time off school.
I thought the ship gorgeous and huge with a total of 14 decks.
Here you go, Melissa. Since you could not be there here is the small video of Dad when he first saw we were on the ship.
The ship has so much to do. It has miniature golf, basketball, ice skating, rock climbing, pools, solarium, track, gym, spa, theater, shopping, buffets, dinning rooms, one or two shows every night, and bars all over the place. I am sure the Mormons on the ship were the only ones that could resist the alcohol. :) The best part was just lounging around reading books or relaxing.
My Mom and Sister, Kim, ice skating.
We had fun eating dinner together every night. The best part was that all the food on the ship was FREE and all you can eat.This is my brother, Craig, and my sister, Kim, with her husband, Scott.
We spent some time in Cabo San Lucas by going snorkeling. (sorry, I didn't get any pictures)
Then we went to Mazatlan and spent the day on the beach.
This is a picture of the beach we were on. Not the part with all the rocks but on the other side.
Our last day in Mexico was in Puerto Vallarta and that was by far my favorite.
I spent the day with my parents and we rode ATV's up the jungle and then stopped at a waterfall for a little swim. Then we rode over to the zip lines. We did 10 zip lines and it was gorgeous. I wish I could have taken pictures but I didn't want to lose my camera. We were basically zip lining from one mountain to the next. The longest zip line we did was 480m which is about 1/3 of a mile. Then we rode the ATV's back down to the city.
My Mom with the waterfall
My dad and I in front of some old church.
My last morning on the cruise. I didn't want to go.
It was a very fun and a very much needed vacation. I enjoyed a whole week of no cleaning, cooking, and no responsibility. I have been pretty stressed out lately from my kids and job that it was nice to have a get away. I missed my kids so much though that I was very happy to see them again. I think they were pretty excited to see me to. I think Eric was more excited than anyone to have me back.
