Now that I've been married for almost two years I am tired of checking two email addresses (one with the maiden name and one with the married). The old one is just full of spam all the time anyways...except for the blog information. Unfortunately, this blog was started right around the time Devin and I were dating, so it's tied to the old account. It makes me sad to have to shut this one down, but I have tried everything I can to switch it over. I was at least able to switch over all of my posts to a new blog, so feel free to go back and browse there as well. Thank you for following my life over the past three years here! Please update your readers and bookmarks to reflect the new site. We can now be found at:
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
A Cruise in Review
Okay, now that I am unpacked, the fridge is restocked, the DVR is a little more clear, the laundry is started, the phone calls are returned, and the blogs are all read, I can finally share a few more pictures and details about our Oasis Week with the internet. We are still adjusting to real life (you mean we actually have to cook our own food?!) but are making the transition back better than I had thought we would...sort of.
Like I said before, we loved our vacation. The Oasis was an absolutely beautiful ship. We rarely felt crowded (although we were rarely on the pool deck during the day) and there was so much to see and do. While eating lunch the first day, this was our view. Down below is the aqua theater while straight ahead was the zipline launch (which we did later in the week).
Devin was really really excited about all the soft serve frozen yogurt available on the ship. Our last cruise only had chocolate and vanilla, so we were excited to see strawberry. The fact that you could twist it with vanilla was even better!
On the second night, Devin was very daring and tried escargot (no thank you). I feel like I'm a fairly adventurous eater, but this was too much for me.
I loved that we got to dress up for dinner. This again was the first formal night outside the theater. It was fun to wear a dress or skirt every evening.
On day three, we docked in Labadee, Haiti. However, this is as close as we got to the island. We've been there before, and it is essentially just a private day on the beach. For two people as pale as us, there wasn't much appeal for laying in the sun. And, we were looking forward to the chance to explore and be active at our next stops more.
While in Labadee, we decided to take advantage of the nearly empty boat and booked a private lesson on the Flowrider. First, I tried out boogie boarding but was not a huge fan of all the water in my eyes. But, we fell in love with the surfing!
Devin looked very natural and very attractive on a surfboard. He was able to offer me tips and advice throughout the week to help me improve.
However, everyone eventually falls down. At least Devin was able to fall correctly and land bottom first.
I was not quite as natural as Devin at it although I became fairly proficient by the end of the week. Anyone who knows me though knows that I lack a certain amount of grace and balance. So, I actually did far better than I thought I would.
When I fell, I didn't always do it right. Because I tended to lean forward, my falls typically looked a little more like this. Oops.
At dinner, there is a staff of three waiters (head, main, and assistant) who take care of you. Our assistant waiter, Fraj, was definitely the best. Every evening he entertained us with some sort of party trick. This was my favorite.
In Falmouth, Jamaica (day 4), we toured an underground cave with a grotto and climbed a waterfall. This was the best shot I could get of the very dark cave lake.
It only seemed appropriate that we had the chance to wear helmets again on this cruise. They required them because the cave ceilings were so low. The hair nets were to protect us from guano...yuck! Afterwards we climbed Dunn's River Falls, walking straight out of the ocean and up them. Because we were in water, though, we have no pictures from this stop.
Day 5 was spent at sea, making it another formal night. We spent the day back on the flowrider, rock climbing, ziplining, and watching the belly flop competition. That night at dinner, Devin ate 4 desserts as part of a bet with the family at our table.
Our last stop was in Cozumel, off the coast of Mexico, on day 6. We had to cover up pretty heavily to protect ourselves from dust while riding ATVs through the jungle. I had so much fun on the ride. We also got to see and hold some of the animals they had rescued there including 6 macaws, a baby crocodile, an iguana, a falcon, and an owl.
We were first in the line of ATVs (behind the guide), and we were still pretty dirty. I felt bad for those at the end of the caravan. Afterwards, we were able to go snorkeling around some reefs (awesome! beautiful!), which washed us off pretty well.
Unfortunately, we had to put the same clothes back on while we went shopping. Devin bought me a fun red dress, which I wore to dinner that night with the sandals he'd bought me in Jamaica. We also bought gifts for some people back home. I love this picture because a) it shows how blue the water was even right off the dock in the industrial area and b) it shows how huge our ship is next to a more standard sized cruise ship.
Pretty much every night, we had a towel animal in our room. Of course, this little pig was my favorite.
Again, we tried rock climbing one day. On the left was a pretty experienced climber; the right was a child. Just behind me was another wall with even more challenging routes.
For day 7, here is a shot with our dinner table group. The Booths were from England and also loved the flowrider. Every night we had some pretty fun conversation. After this dinner, we went for one last swim. Then, it was time for some sleep before an early departure. Sigh. It really was a great week, though. I should soon be loading more pictures onto facebook, so feel free to flip through them over there!
Like I said before, we loved our vacation. The Oasis was an absolutely beautiful ship. We rarely felt crowded (although we were rarely on the pool deck during the day) and there was so much to see and do. While eating lunch the first day, this was our view. Down below is the aqua theater while straight ahead was the zipline launch (which we did later in the week).
Devin was really really excited about all the soft serve frozen yogurt available on the ship. Our last cruise only had chocolate and vanilla, so we were excited to see strawberry. The fact that you could twist it with vanilla was even better!
It was absolutely perfect to sit in a comfy chair with flip flops on and eat an ice cream cone that first day! And, we had one just about every day afterwards. We also had a doughnut almost everyday although I never photographed them. Nutty Nougat became my favorite!
On the second night, Devin was very daring and tried escargot (no thank you). I feel like I'm a fairly adventurous eater, but this was too much for me.
I loved that we got to dress up for dinner. This again was the first formal night outside the theater. It was fun to wear a dress or skirt every evening.
On day three, we docked in Labadee, Haiti. However, this is as close as we got to the island. We've been there before, and it is essentially just a private day on the beach. For two people as pale as us, there wasn't much appeal for laying in the sun. And, we were looking forward to the chance to explore and be active at our next stops more.
While in Labadee, we decided to take advantage of the nearly empty boat and booked a private lesson on the Flowrider. First, I tried out boogie boarding but was not a huge fan of all the water in my eyes. But, we fell in love with the surfing!
Devin looked very natural and very attractive on a surfboard. He was able to offer me tips and advice throughout the week to help me improve.
However, everyone eventually falls down. At least Devin was able to fall correctly and land bottom first.
I was not quite as natural as Devin at it although I became fairly proficient by the end of the week. Anyone who knows me though knows that I lack a certain amount of grace and balance. So, I actually did far better than I thought I would.
When I fell, I didn't always do it right. Because I tended to lean forward, my falls typically looked a little more like this. Oops.
At dinner, there is a staff of three waiters (head, main, and assistant) who take care of you. Our assistant waiter, Fraj, was definitely the best. Every evening he entertained us with some sort of party trick. This was my favorite.
In Falmouth, Jamaica (day 4), we toured an underground cave with a grotto and climbed a waterfall. This was the best shot I could get of the very dark cave lake.
It only seemed appropriate that we had the chance to wear helmets again on this cruise. They required them because the cave ceilings were so low. The hair nets were to protect us from guano...yuck! Afterwards we climbed Dunn's River Falls, walking straight out of the ocean and up them. Because we were in water, though, we have no pictures from this stop.
Day 5 was spent at sea, making it another formal night. We spent the day back on the flowrider, rock climbing, ziplining, and watching the belly flop competition. That night at dinner, Devin ate 4 desserts as part of a bet with the family at our table.
Our last stop was in Cozumel, off the coast of Mexico, on day 6. We had to cover up pretty heavily to protect ourselves from dust while riding ATVs through the jungle. I had so much fun on the ride. We also got to see and hold some of the animals they had rescued there including 6 macaws, a baby crocodile, an iguana, a falcon, and an owl.
We were first in the line of ATVs (behind the guide), and we were still pretty dirty. I felt bad for those at the end of the caravan. Afterwards, we were able to go snorkeling around some reefs (awesome! beautiful!), which washed us off pretty well.
Unfortunately, we had to put the same clothes back on while we went shopping. Devin bought me a fun red dress, which I wore to dinner that night with the sandals he'd bought me in Jamaica. We also bought gifts for some people back home. I love this picture because a) it shows how blue the water was even right off the dock in the industrial area and b) it shows how huge our ship is next to a more standard sized cruise ship.
That night, we saw our last show in the main theater. We had an entertaining warm up from the cruise director Richard Spacey. We enjoyed seeing him before every show. In all, we saw at least 7 or 8 shows. And, we didn't get a chance to see them all! It was great how much free entertainment was available.
Pretty much every night, we had a towel animal in our room. Of course, this little pig was my favorite.
Again, we tried rock climbing one day. On the left was a pretty experienced climber; the right was a child. Just behind me was another wall with even more challenging routes.
For day 7, here is a shot with our dinner table group. The Booths were from England and also loved the flowrider. Every night we had some pretty fun conversation. After this dinner, we went for one last swim. Then, it was time for some sleep before an early departure. Sigh. It really was a great week, though. I should soon be loading more pictures onto facebook, so feel free to flip through them over there!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
We're baaaacccckkkk!!!!!
If I had to sum up our cruise in one word it would be "AWESOME!!!!" I know it's lame that I'm not more creative, but it's pretty accurate. If I had to sum up the cruise in 6 pictures (that don't spoil my ability to do a more detailed post later) this would be it.
I could not stop smiling. On the second day, my neck was legitimately sore from all the ridiculous smiling I did the first day.
I learned how to surf. Well, surf on a flowrider, which may or may not be easier than the ocean. One of my dead toenails came off in the process of learning. Two others are still hanging on but might be gone soon.
We went on amazing shore excursions. They were fun, dirty, wet, and interesting. Plus, it let us see some pretty fun and beautiful places and views.
I woke up every morning to this. There is something truly breath taking about being in the middle of the ocean with nothing but bright blue water in every direction.
We saw a lot of amazing shows. It was crazy how many different shows and different venues they offered on the ship. We saw at least one a day and couldn't see them all!
Then, King Julian bid us goodbye. Just like that the trip was over.
Now, I have 24 entries in my Google Reader, 30-ish emails after deleting all the junk, several hours of quality shows in my DVR, 2 dogs I haven't seen in over a week (who are passed out at the moment), and I haven't even logged on facebook yet! A more detailed post will follow after sifting through my other media, unpacking, and settling back in at home. Until then, this will have to suffice!
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