Oasis cruise days 7 and 8

Our Port for the day was Cozumel.  We have been to Cozumel before and decided to take the excursion to Tulum over on the mainland.  This required a highspeed ferry transfer to the mainland.  We had the option of the top deck that was not airconditioned and had hard benches, or the lower deck that is enclosed and airconditioned with padded seats.  We choose the lower deck, inside with padded seats.  I had read that sometimes the ferry ride can be choppy, so I had taken a dramamine that morning and felt that would take care of things.

Well... when you barely have cast off from the dock and the employees come out with rolls of barf bags and start passing them out, it's not a good sign.  It was a 45 min ferry crossing, and I made it through 35 min of it before I was joining others on board utilizing the barf bags the smell had just gotten to the point that I could not handle it anymore... I was regretting our choice of an excursion and couldn't even imagine how it would be on the way back at the end of the day.

Once we got to the dock at the mainland, we got out and had some fresh air and people started to feel better.  We found our tour group- we had signed up to see Tulum, and then afterwards we would stop and have lunch and some time on the beach.  At this point in time I wasn't sure I wanted to have any lunch before the trip back that afternoon! :)

Tulum was neat, it is beautiful how it is so close to the sea and has been preserved much more than other settlements in the area.  It was used as a light house to guide vessels in around the long black coral reef that protects that part of the coastline.  The Mayan people were shorter than the norm is now, and the small doorways into the walled city were short- they have added to the doorway to make it easier for visitors to go through them now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our lunch and beach time was at a very picturesque beach a little further down the coastline.  The food was good, I kept it simple and just had the rice and beans and fresh pico de gaio, but it was so flavorful and yummy I enjoyed every bite!  We had about 2 hours for lunch and to relax at the beach.  This was on the ocean instead of a cove that we had in Haiti so we played in the waves - in Haiti it was just a gentle wave instead of the real ones here.

 

 

All too soon it was time to rinse off and board the bus for the hour drive back to the dock and our ferry.  I was dreading it, but we decided to try the top deck this time and see if it was better.  The skies were bright on one side, and dark and gloomy on the other, made for some neat pictures.

 

 

The trip back was pleasantly uneventful.  The fresh air did the trick and I didn't feel sick at all.  We were able to enjoy the trip back and I'd gladly trade the cushioned seats for the hard ones with fresh air! :)

 

We were on the ship on the left... the little itty bitty one on the right was a carnival ship that I think is about the size our ship was the first time we went on a cruise.

 



 

The little blue and yellow ferry is about the same size as the ferry we were on.

 

As an aside- the Oasis was scheduled to leave port at 6:30... our ferry pulled up at 6:45 and I was very glad we had booked through the cruiseline so they were holding the ship for all of us on the ferry.  By the time we all got on board it was only a matter of minutes before the gangplank was raised and we were out of port.

 

That night to say we were tired would be an understatement.  Good think we booked our massage package for that night.  We needed every little bit of relaxation we could get that night and I was close to falling asleep through it and dinner that night.

 

The next day was our last day at sea.  We slept in, went ice skating, watched a movie, saw the show Come fly with me- another one full of acrobats and amazing feats- also the singing was beautiful kind of narrating the show.  We then saw the ice show and enjoyed all of it.  The skating they do on the little tiny ice rink is beautiful and the sand drawing is amazing that they can do it so quickly and precisely.  We enjoyed a day full of relaxing and having fun. 



 

We packed our suitcases that night and kept out only the barest of necessities for the next day, and got ready to re-enter life.  We had about 6 hours to wait at the airport the next day before our flight so we found a city tour to take that would drop us off at the airport on time for our flight.  The weather was raining though so we didn't see as much as we would have, but we had a nice time seeing sights around Ft. Lauderdale and learning tidbits of history about the area.  We took a riverboat ride through some canals and saw some spectacular houses (anyone have an extra 20 million laying around to buy one?) and felt it was time well spent instead of sitting in the airport all day long bored to death. :)  At the airport we had pizza... I think it was the thickest pizza crust I have ever had in my life... and I enjoyed my first Mt Dew in over a week. lol! :)

 

What a wonderful vacation it was and we teased each other that we didn't even get tired of being alone with each other.  We had a great time with no fights between kids to break up, no complaints of not liking the food or being hungry 1/2 hour after a meal.  We enjoyed our longest trip ever without the kids and are grateful for friends that made it possible.

 

Next time we decided we'll take the kids along though- it's too good of a vacation to keep to ourselves and we'll try to talk any friends we can into coming along as well!  We have cruised with friends as couples, as a family, as a solo couple, and next time we want to have the experience of cruising with our family with a lot of friends and their families! :)

Oasis Cruise Days 5 and 6

 Our stop for today was Falmouth, Jamaica.  Rich's brother Dave went to Jamaica on his mission so it was neat to be able to visualize where he lived for 2 years and some of what he experienced.  Our excursion for the day was the Zipline Tour and Dunns River Falls.  We had a great tour guide Anna and hilarous bus driver- Crazy Joe that told us what to look at, how to avoid the agressive vendors and just made the day a great wonderful adventure.

 

 

I think this was the cove that Columbus sailed into (I could be wrong)

A beautiful old bridge across the river- they told us before the new road was built two trucks would drive on this bridge in opposite directions... with an inch to spare on either side.

 

 

A monument errected in appreciation to the Queen who had the new road built.  The road was named "The Queens Highway"

 

All suited up and ready for our zipline adventure!

 

 

Don't let the face fool you, he was having fun! :)

 

By the time I got things figured out- how to stay going forward and not swing backward, and how to keep  my feet up at the landings, I was done with the entire course. lol! :) 

 

 

Such a fun experience and great way to see the rainforests and all the beautiful plants.  The guides were great and would stop and tell us about the different tree's and flowers and plants.  They kept everyone laughing and smiling and having fun through the entire time.

 

We had lunch after the zipline and were treated to jerk chicken and traditional rice and beans and a coleslaw- all yummy.

 

Then on to Dunns River Falls.  We were amazed at how many people were there, and we were told afterwards that this was a "slow" day and not crowded at all!  Everyone went up the falls in groups with guides leading the line.  Holding hands so everyone would walk the paths that were the safest and to warn each person behind them when holes or other obstacles were hiding under the water.

 

Down at the bottom as we started up the falls...

Somewhere about 1/3 of the way up Rich snapped a picture of me.  I knew I wanted to be able to take pictures on the trip, but didn't want to spend money on a waterproof camera.  We found a waterproof case to put the iphone in and it worked great!  It was buttoned in a pocket on my shorts for the whole trip up the falls and it kept it nice and dry and we got some pictures to remember the day.

 

This is about the halfway point.

A picture as we left Falmouth that evening... the picturesque look...

 

 

And our fun towel animal of the night- a bat with my sunglasses on.

Dinner that night was just in the dining room, we went and watched the Love and Marriage show- (like the newlywed game, but a newlywed couple, one married about 15 yrs, and one married 57 years) and enjoyed the evening.

The next day was at sea... we slept in, ate, read books on the deck, mini golfed, had icecream, watched movies, had a yummy dinner at Chops (steakhouse) and went to the comedy show that night.  I didn't take a single picture that day... :)

Oasis Cruise Days 3 and 4

After having slept in all morning- we spent the day at sea just relaxing. Reading, exploring the ship, eating, watching movies, and we caught the belly flop contest... lots of laughs from that!

 

There was a jogging track all around deck 5 and there were some chairs right at the back of the ship so you could see the wake... made me think of my favorite wake boarding girl- wonder if the ship goes fast enough they could wake board behind it??  lol! (just kidding!)

We had dinner at the fancy restaurant on board.  The chairs were these cool coocoon like chairs that wrapped around you.  My eyes look a little scary and I'm all leaning back and relaxed (they even had bolsters in the chairs) but it was a great dinner!

After dinner we went and saw the Aqua show.  It was amazing, platform diving on a ship!  Along with acrobats, and synchronized swimmers.  Loads of talent and a really incredible show.

 

A nighttime view of the rockwall and part of the Boardwalk.

 

The next day was Labadee- Royal Caribbeans Private Beach/Island.  The skies were clear, the weather was gorgeous and we got lots of sun, reading, sand and water time!

We went casual that night with dinner at Johnnie Rockets- Burgers, onion rings, fries, and soda's with milkshakes for dessert.

We had the tv on earlier in the cabin while cleaning up from the beach and caught part of a Captains "briefing" on where the ship was and what course we would be sailing that evening till the next port.  He mentioned we were passing right by Turtle Island... why would that be of any interest?  Well it is where portions of the movies "Pirates of the Carribean" were filmed.  He said we would be going by around 6pm, so when we didn't have anything particular to do at that time I dragged Rich out to see it and take a picture of it for Ashley- our resident Pirates fan at home.

We enjoyed listening to some guitar music that night in Central Park.  The guy was amazing with the songs he played and how intricate the different sounds were coming from just one guitar!

Oasis Cruise- Days 1 and 2

Rich and I were able to get away last week for a trip with just the two of us. My friend who is the most awesome person in the world and her hubby came and stayed with the kids while we were gone.

Friday morning we got up, got all the kids off to school and then hit the road. Airline flights are usually cheaper out if Dallas, so we drove down and got a direct flight from Dallas to Ft Lauderdale. There was a great burger restaurant right behind our hotel. We were extremely impressed with the service and the food. The owner was greeting everyone at the door and explaining the menu, the food was delicious and we felt like our trip was off to a great start!

 

 

The next morning we slept in, had a great breakfast and waited till it was time to go to the port and board. We could see the ship from the balcony of our hotel room.

Let me say the boarding process at the oasis is amazing. It is organized and we went from the cab to walking onto the ship in about 15 minutes. No lines at all!

Once onboard we got some lunch, and started checking out the ship. The pool deck, solarium, aqua theatre and boardwalk, promenade and Central Park. Then we checked our room that was ready, got our suitcases unpacked, attended the muster drill, and sat on the balcony for sail away.  The coast guard boat was having a fun time racing back and forth beside our ship and doing sharp turns and getting cheers from the crowd on board watching. 

 

As we watched the land fade off in the distance we headed off to dinner, and after dinner we watched hairspray; a broadway musical on a ship... just a tad bit shorter than the real one, but very well done.  So funny and really good!

 

 

 

 

 

On our previous two cruises I could barely keep my eyes open after 11pm... the rocking motion put me to sleep so fast- I always loved it, but on the Oasis it is so large we hardly felt that motion at all, so the good and the bad was I wasn't falling asleep before midnight, but I also didn't have that instant sleep I've had on past cruises.

School is back in session!

School is back in session!
.... And I laugh at those who don't have kids in school that think my time will free up with all the kids at school all day. :)  I've been busier than ever the last three weeks!

Ok so yes I do have more free time, but I've been filling it up with lots of good stuff.

Homeroom mom, PTA volunteering, Carline, exercise, cleaning, carpools, grocery shopping, and vacation planning!  Ashley asked me why I didn't have hobbies like a friend of her's mom has, and I told her I do, they are just different- and that's ok.  I like and enjoy the time I spend at the school volunteering.  I enjoy carpooling and listening to the interactions of the kids with their friends.  I enjoy the planning that I put into vacations- from the plans for everything here at home while I'm gone, to the planning for my time away.  All of that is my hobby. :)  Now the cleaning and grocery shopping- well us moms still have plenty of that to fill up our time too.

I can't believe Rich and I leave one week from tomorrow!  I'm so excited and know the kids are going to have a great time here at home with our friends that are staying with them.  I've been working on getting all the details for them written up, things organized and everything I can think of to make it easier on all of them here at home, and that alleviates me stressing out about it when I'm a thousand miles away and can't do anything about it. :)

I just unloaded a bunch of pictures on the family blog- newtonaaaa.blogspot.com of the kids birthday's and other stuff that happened in August.  Last weekend we went down to Dallas and played at Six Flags over Texas, and the Great Wolf Lodge.  I still have to get pictures off the camera from that little trip, but we had a fun time despite the 109 degree weather at six flags and had a fun labor day weekend.

The kids all have great teachers this year and I've been impressed with them so far.  Alex and Ashley have kept up with homework this first two weeks...  crossing fingers we can stay on a good level of getting it done on time for the rest of the school year. 

Alex is in 8th grade- His last year before highschool and early morning seminary.  We are enjoying not having to get up until 6:30.  Next year he will be at seminary at 6:30!  He is the sole tuba player in his 8th grade band at school and is excited for the science club to start up this year. He wound up getting classes together with some good friends and all of his friends all have lunch together so he is very happy about that. :)

Ashley is in 7th grade- She made the advanced math class and she and Rich have been spending a lot of time each night working on her homework.  I'm so glad that Rich has an easy time with math and can sit and help her work through problems and show her when she gets stuck on different steps.  I did do that math in school, but I can't remember any of it now and to explain it to her would be even harder!  She also has her good friend on the same team at school as her this year and has started cross country- so we have been introduced to School athletics with that. 

Alyssa is in 4th grade- She is now one of the big kids at school and has grown into that roll quite well.  She loves that they have spanish and get to learn some and has gone and learned all sorts of spanish songs that Ashley showed her on a utube channel that is targetted to kids learning spanish.  She was a little dissapointed that none of her best friends were in her class, but she is making new friends in her class and she still has recess and lunch with all of her other friends.

Angela is in 2nd grade- I can hardly believe my baby is no longer a baby at school.  She's been going to school for three whole years and doesn't want mom to walk her to class, or hover around.  She knows where to go and feels comfortable.  She came home and told us her friend told her she talks a lot at school.  For my girls that is so uncommon- they are usually more on the "painfully shy" spectrum of things and don't talk a lot.  I'm glad that she is feeling so comfortable at school that they get to see the spunky side of her we all know and love at home.

New Blog posts...

I got posts up about our summer trip on the family blog yesterday... go and check them out. :)

www.newtonaaaa.blogspot.com

Trying new things

A dear friend is moving to Utah. We all wanted to do something fun with her before she left, and she introduced us to a little art studio in town. Paint your heart out specializes in painting parties and teaching people to paint step by step.

Monday night we had about 18 of us girls/moms and we all got to choose our color palette for our painting. Then they walked us through it step by step with the background, roughing in, shading and flowers and flourishes.

I've always thought I didn't have much artistic talent at all, so I'm shocked at what I was able to paint...

Magnolia tree

Last year we bought a magnolia tree to put in our front flower garden. In the fall when we had the big storm, one of the casualties was the top of the magnolia tree. It snapped right off. I've worried a bit about this tree. It has an odd shape and looks much more like a bush than a tree, but I was so happy to notice this morning after taking kids to school that it had flowered. A nice big beautiful flower to give me a smile for the day.