Our Eastern Caribbean Getaway

We just got back from a wonderful 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, full of beautiful scenery, fun, and TONS of food. We wish we could go back already!


This was our first stop: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Yes, the water really is that color (or prettier) and the beach is fine white sand. That's our cruise ship behind us: the Carnival Triumph. We spent most of our time either playing in the water (swimming, snorkeling, etc.) or laying out on the beach trying to tan our obviously white skin!

St. Thomas was our second stop on the tour of the Caribbean. This was our favorite port we visited. We first rode a sky-ride gondola to the top of a mountain in order to get this shot. Below (where our ship is) is the main harbor. The shopping (essentially consisting of a million jewelry stores) lines the harbor in the distance. Here, we enjoyed a free sail and snorkel excursion (thanks to winning a raffle on the ship), where we snorkeled with sea turtles and a bunch of fish in crystal clear water.

Here is a shot at our table with our new friends, Carlos and Kendal. Carlos, the headwaiter (standing) is from Colombia and Kendal (sitting next to Heidi) is from Haiti. They were awesome and served us some of the best food we've ever had. Also at our table (though not shown on our blog) were Mike, Peggy, and Silvia from Kentucky, as well as Rogelio Sr. and Rogelio Jr. from Mexico (yes, I had a great time speaking Spanish with them). It was a lot of fun getting to know each other.




Speaking of food, here is a TINY example of what we were eating all week long. Granted, this was fancier than most of our meals because it was the 'Grand Gala Buffet', but you still get an idea of what we were FORCED to consume while on board. I think I gained around ten pounds and don't regret a single minute of it!

Our next stop after St. Thomas was San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was a totally different atmosphere than the other three ports. San Juan is very historic, with several huge forts, cobblestone roads (in parts) and a lot of old Spanish architecture. This picture is from an excursion we did in San Juan in El Yunque rainforest. We took a shuttle tour throughout the forest and saw all kinds of cool plants, etc. There was also a tower at the very top that gave you a stunning panoramic view.




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Aren't we a sexy bunch?!? This was definitely a different Halloween than we were used to, but we couldn't let it pass us by without costumes! We had a blast at night on the ship, partying away with a bunch of other people in costume. I can't begin to describe the discomfort of being in a mask and suit in the middle of the Caribbean (it was just a LITTLE warm), but it was worth it for the memory. I only wish I was this stylin' at home!

Before I get to the next picture, I need to mention that our last stop was in Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos). We didn't have a lot of time there due to a previous medical emergency that forced us to go back to San Juan for a little while, so we don't have the best pictures in Grand Turk. It's another great beach area where we dove for conch shells (we brought two home). We also did our best to brave the really chopped water, sent our way courtesy of tropical storm/hurricane Noel.

I got to hold Snappy!! Once we got off the ship back in the port of Miami, we had all day before we needed to be back at the airport. So, we decided to do an Everglades excursion in Miami to have some fun and pass the time. We flew around on an airboat (the ones with the big fans on the back of them that you see on CSI Miami, etc.). We saw one gator in the water, and then were able to go to a show where they fed about five of them. After the show, I had the chance to hold a baby gator named Snappy (it's about the 20th one they've used, and they always name him Snappy).

NOT SNAPPY!! This was an added bonus to our Miami excursion. Once the show ends (and you hold Snappy), you are able to spend the next half hour or so walking through the park and looking at the alligators and crocidiles that are fenced in, much like a zoo. However, since the park is attached to the Everglades, we were treated to a HUGE wild gator that decided to come say hello. This guy is over 50 years old (the guide guessed) and was by far the largest we saw. In this photo, the gator is no more than fifteen feet or so from the sidewalk we were standing on! Once the guide saw how big and how close the gator was to an all-you-can-eat human buffet, he ran the gator off back into the water. It was intense being so close to such a large and powerful wild animal. I believe the guide estimated this gator at about 13 -15 feet long.

After the Everglades, we headed back to the airport and we're happy to be home safe and sound. It was an incredible experience and we're glad we had the chance to do it. Now, we can focus on recovering from all the food we ate, and we're hoping that we'll stop rocking back and forth in a day or two!

Fabulous weekend

I have to add my "two cents" (I think that is all we will have once I start REALLY baby shopping). First off, I am truly enjoying the "Blogging" world! I have been able to get in touch with so many great people. Thanks to those who have gotten on our blog and commented!

Four Reasons Why I Had a Fabulous Weekend :
#1 Dave and I were able to celebrate his birthday over and over and over again. It is never a "birth-day" in my mind, it is a "birth-week." Many meals and presents were a part of the celebration. My favorite was this Michael Jordan pink baby outfit I found! We get so excited to dress her in it. Dave's birthday wish came true and he had a Mariachi Band sing to him (with the help of my family- see picture).

#2 General Conference. I thought it was amazing this year. Perhaps I haven't really grown up until now, but I think this is the first year I didn't watch the clock or fall asleep (okay, I mean for longer than 2 minutes...blame it on the baby.) My testimony was strengthened and I made a few goals which I hope will help me be happier and stronger. My favorite quote from conference was: (and I quote it with hesitation because I did not write it down) " If you want a relationship with God you need to spend time with him." Elder Wirthlin. I echo Dave in saying I am excited for the next Ensign.

#3 I was blessed to see friends that I haven't seen in a while. These girls and their families basically raised me so it was great to reconnect. I feel like I have always been blessed with a great group of friends.

#4Monday...Monday... ba da ba da da da.... I LOVE MONDAYS!

It is my day off from work and I love sleeping in, getting organized and being with Dave. This Monday, we enjoyed the fall weather while we ran errands. My favorite purchase was a $5.00 special, but has proved to be worth more than I can imagine. Princess Mia (she is way too spoiled) got a new bed, mostly to get her from jumping on the couch. The bed and a bone I think are my favorite purchases thus far! I sat last night for an hour without her jumping up on me... a new record!

Wow, my first true entry in the blog seems to be lengthy... enjoy!!!

Last Week In Review

First off, I'm realizing that it's fun to be part of the blogging world and suddenly reconnect with people that I haven't seen or heard from for years. It's great to hear from friends and family, so keep it coming! I don't have any cool pictures from this past week, so I figured I'd just throw in a cool shot of Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho. We went and saw this on our summer road trip to Oregon. This was during dry season, so you can imagine what it's like during spring runoff!

I won't go through the every day details of last week in an effort to not bore all of you to tears. In fact, I'll just skip to the important part - my birthday! :) My birthday was last Friday, and the Utes were kind enough to beat Louisville in football, though they did their best to lose at one point. My not-so-important-after-my-16th-birthday was full of great gifts, even better phone calls, and a calorie-induced coma thanks to Outback Steakhouse. Thanks to those of you that called, it meant a lot. For those that didn't, I hate you and don't ever want to talk to you again. Actually, I couldn't care less and would love you to call and say hi any time. For those of you religious types, I hope you had the chance to watch the LDS General Conference over the weekend. I thought it was amazing and was surprisingly easier to sit through the hours and hours of talks than years before. I look forward to re-reading talks and remembering some great advice given (seeing that I forget virtually everything that my feeble brain processes within 10 minutes of having observed it). As for baby progress: she's still in Heidi's belly so that's good! I do believe a recent ultrasound revealed a purse, new shoes that match, and a credit card in hand.

Our Other Girl

For those of you looking for an update on our black, hairy child (Mia), well here she is! She is now almost 8 months old and is a handfull. She's faster than we'll ever be, which makes things difficult when she takes off with our laundry. In fact, besides her amazing speed and agility, she's quite adept at hiding under our coffee table, just out of reach, when she's done something wrong. She's definitely a trouble-maker, but she's also a lot of fun. As you can see from the picture where she's in the basket, she has changed QUITE a bit in the past several months (the picture in the basket is from when she was six weeks old). She loves to play fetch, lick Dave's face, and seems to really enjoy having stinky breath. We're planning on breeding her with another pure-bred lab when she 'comes of age', so let us know if you're interested in a pup of your own. Otherwise, you're welcome to come take her off our hands any time you'd like (provided you eventually return her).

It's a Girl!

We've decided to finally join the 21st Century, and what better way to do it than by announcing that we are expecting a baby girl. We went in and had an ultrasound on Thursday, Sept. 27th and heard the great news. The ultrasound picture is about as clear as mud, but if you look closely, the word 'girl' on the bottom picture is between her legs (directly to the right of her distinguishing 'part'). The top picture is cool, but a bit eerie. Her face is towards the right, and you can see her eyeball along with the bridge of her nose. She was being a bit stubborn and wouldn't show us a full profile. Just to the left of that (the round section) is her belly and ribs. She was quite the wiggler so I have no doubt we will have our hands full come February 15th, 2008!