As a completely random side note to that last post.... You are not Adele. Choosing her songs for every karaoke session will not end pretty. She is amazing and no matter how awesome you are, you will not sound as amazing as she does. End Rant. ;)
Moving on .... Cozumel was our first stop on our cruise... and it was also our FAVORITE excursion of the whole week! When we first started looking at excursions, one stuck out and was deemed the "priority" excursion. So we booked it pretty much immediately. What was this excursion you ask? Motorcycle Tour of the Island. I usually prefer not to use this word but it was amaze-balls! Seriously.
In order to be part of the excursion you had to have a motorcycle license. This was awesome because there were only 8 people on the excursion (4 couples) so it was intimate and exciting. We had two guides: Carlos drove the lead Harley and directed us where to go, Sergio drove a pick-up behind the group which carried our bags and bottled water.
We started our trek on some back roads that were literally only about 4 feet away from the ocean. It was hot but the breeze from the ocean made it nice and relaxing. We then got on the highway to get to our next area. The highway isn't the typical american highway so it was not as frightening as I would have been in the US but it was still a little nerve-racking. We got up to 75mph which was faster than I have ever been on a motorcycle.
The next stop was a little town called Cedral. We took a lot of dirt back roads to get there and it was amazing getting to see the beautiful cottages as we cruised.
We stopped in Cedral for some water and Carlos gave us the town history. Apparently, Cedral was the original town on the island. Now, it is mostly vacation homes for families on the island but it was so much fun listening to its origins. I love history so this was a special part of the excursion for me.
After we had our break in Cedral, we continued to the our next stop. We stopped off at a "look-out point" where the ocean had made a blow-hole in the rocks.
We then continued on our trek around the island until we stopped for our "beach-break" ... When the excursion description said there would be a beach-break, I was assuming that the end of the trip would be near a beach where we could hang out or go back to the ship. I didn't realize that A) it would be in the middle of the ride and B) that we had the option to swim. My bad.
The beach area we stopped at was INCREDIBLE. It had a large restaurant where we could change, pee, get boozed up or relax. The restaurant does not run on regular power which J and I thought was awesome. (They were actually installing another wind turbine while we were there).... The beach by the restaurant was no where near any hotels or touristy spots so it was calm, beautiful and most importantly empty of cruise passengers ;)
The beach had some rocks that created a natural swimming pool with fresh water. Oh, I wanted to get in it so bad. Oh Well. We relaxed in hammocks and enjoyed the view.
Lunch was also included in the excursion which I figured would be sketchy due to our diet. BUT, it was amazing! The food we ate on the beach was the best food we had all week... and quite honestly, the best fish I have EVER had! The restaurant caught everything fresh that morning so we were literally eating the first batch of the fresh concoctions. They served fish and shrimp tacos family-style with guacamole, beans, salsa, and with your choice of flour or corn tortillas. They also made ceviche which was, once again, amaze-balls! I had planned on taking photos but got wrapped up in the deliciousness and forgot. oops. I wish all food was that fresh.
*on a completely random note: Sergio also made me this cute little grasshopper out of grass near the beach!
The remainder of the ride got a little more adventurous. A 20 minute rain storm rolled into town which made me glad I was wearing long-sleeves and jeans. I had never been on a motorcycle in the rain but it was actually fun... even though we were soaked. We took a quick cruise through downtown Cozumel and then returned to our starting point. At the end of the excursion, they had mexican beer waiting for us. J and I agreed that it was definitely one of the top 3 most enjoyable things we have ever done.
So if you go to Cozumel - look up Sergio and Carlos with their Harley tour. I promise you won't be disappointed :)
Our Snorkel trip in Belize got rained out ... so next up: Cruizin - Jungle Style (Honduras)
Friday, April 27, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Cruizin - The Ship
This past week, J and I had the opportunity to go on a cruise with my family! It was very eventful and a lot of fun so I wanted to recap it with a few posts. Yes, a few posts. You know how much I like pictures... so I have to do more than one post :)
Back Story:
My Aunt's 50th birthday was coming up and she had been chewing over a few ideas of how she wanted to celebrate. She decided that the best way to celebrate would be with all of our family spending time together on a vacation somewhere. My Dad and my Uncle thought it was a fabulous idea and decided they would try to get our whole family together for a once in a life-time vacation. There were 22 of us... so this does not happen very often.
Of course, J and I were on board immediately! We only get to see my dad's brother and his fam about once a year so we were thrilled at the idea of spending time with them ... AND get a sweet vacation!
Plus... I had racked up a bunch of miles on Southwest for work so we got our flights for free. Yahtzee! ;)
J and I had never been on a cruise so we were a little unsure about what to expect. We left from Miami and headed on our way....
So anyways... here is my recap of the basics: Life on-board
Back Story:
My Aunt's 50th birthday was coming up and she had been chewing over a few ideas of how she wanted to celebrate. She decided that the best way to celebrate would be with all of our family spending time together on a vacation somewhere. My Dad and my Uncle thought it was a fabulous idea and decided they would try to get our whole family together for a once in a life-time vacation. There were 22 of us... so this does not happen very often.
Of course, J and I were on board immediately! We only get to see my dad's brother and his fam about once a year so we were thrilled at the idea of spending time with them ... AND get a sweet vacation!
Plus... I had racked up a bunch of miles on Southwest for work so we got our flights for free. Yahtzee! ;)
J and I had never been on a cruise so we were a little unsure about what to expect. We left from Miami and headed on our way....
- Expectation: Classy Claustrophobia
- Reality: Tiny Perfection
I tend to feel claustrophobic in tight spaces that don't have an easy escape route... so the idea of sleeping in a tiny room on a giant vessel in the middle of the ocean was a little nerve-racking. How did it turn out? Awesome! We had a nice King bed with ample space on either side, a desk/vanity, an surprisingly roomy bathroom and 3 closets. Score!
Yes, silly pictures were a must....
- Expectation: Booze-Cruise
- Reality: Dang it.
I happen to ADORE all-inclusive resorts so the fact that we had to pay for drinks on the boat was a little disappointing. I also bought a "coke-card" which everyone said was a must for a Dr.Pepper drinker like myself. But it ended up being a waste. It was $50 which ended up equating to 25 Dr. Peppers. How many did I drink on the ship? 5. LAME! *Sucker*
But we did have some fabulous drinks regardless...
- Expectation: Lazy Days
- Reality: Mini-Vegas
The ship had 3 pools and a water slide! They also had an "Adults Only" area that I kind of relished in. I had assumed that the cruise would mostly be pools and naps but they had stuff going on CONSTANTLY! One night they played Lion King on the huge screen above the pool. We opened a bottle of wine and had a heck of a time. I love Disney. They also had all sorts of shows, a casino ... and Karaoke every night!
I burn EASY and we don't care for gambling so J and I spent a lot of the trip just relaxing in our room, watching movies. A Perfect Vacation is a Relaxing one :)
- Expectation: Scattered
- Reality: Family Fun, All the Time
I was expecting it to be hard to keep track of all 22 of us and really wanted to make a point of spending time with everyone. Especially with my parents, my sis & bro-in-law and their 4 yr old daughter. BUT, it was surprisingly easy. Each room was given a walkie-talkie so we could meet up for the various events around the ship, for dinner, etc. It was nice to be able to go relax and nap in the room but then be able to find everyone when we needed to. And it was especially fun getting to see these 3 little ladies and how pumped they were about everything:
- Expectation: Roughin' It
- Reality: Booty-Lovin' Buffet
With J and I's eating style, I was pretty nervous about the food selection. We had a scheduled dining time of 6PM in the main dining room each evening. Before the trip, we had the travel agent inform the ship of our dietary needs and then my sis contacted the ship again to make sure. We were told that there would be no vegan friendly food on board so I was assuming that I would be eating a lot of granola bars. Truth - the food was rough. It is incredibly hard to find dairy-free items in such a mass-produced setting. Even the "steamed" veggies were dunked in lots of booty-lovin' butter. (Fun Fact: The average cruise-goer gains 7 to 14 lbs during the week... for real!) After a few stomach aches, we decided to stick to what we knew were fail proof... AKA... - PB & J
- Baked Potato with lemon juice
- Fruit
- Veggie patty with veggie fixin's
... and J enjoyed some Alligator... it was dang tasty.
- Expectation: Random Critters
- Reality: Da Vinci aint got nothin' on this!
You can't go on a cruise without automatically assuming you will get some fine art each night in the form of a towel. Hmmm... well that just sounded weird. Anyway - Carnival did not let down! We received some fine animals!
All except the last
night. They had apparently run out of the black eyes, because it just
had red paper eyes. After a quick debate, we decided that it looked
more like a demon than an animal and promptly threw it off the bed.... thus no photo.
The Sting Ray
The Rabbit
The Elephant
The Dog
... I may or may not have insisted it should sleep on the bed in place of Cleo
.... Yes, I am a freak.
The Dino
and .. The Monkey!
Next up: Cruizin - Cozumel ..... stay tuned ;)
Friday, April 13, 2012
4.4.12 - One for the books...
Well last week was our 4th wedding anniversary! Here's a fun little recap of our happy day...
Back in February, there was some sort of deal on couple's massages at Massage Envy. J, being the smart man he is, decided that would be something fun for us to do! Since we didn't get each other Valentines, we had this massage just hanging out and waiting to be taken advantage of.... so Anniversary morning, J and I got our first couples massage. It was UH-Mazing... yes, that good.
I have some neck issues so after the massage, I was pretty wiped out. I worked from home and then J and I watched some Mad Men.... love that show.
That evening, J made reservations at my all time FAVORITE sushi place... Ichiban. I love this place! And I love sushi. I ate sushi 4 x week last summer (obsessive I know) and this place is the tastiest.
Pretty epic anniversary celebration! Here is to year number 5 and all the adventures it will bring! :)
Back in February, there was some sort of deal on couple's massages at Massage Envy. J, being the smart man he is, decided that would be something fun for us to do! Since we didn't get each other Valentines, we had this massage just hanging out and waiting to be taken advantage of.... so Anniversary morning, J and I got our first couples massage. It was UH-Mazing... yes, that good.
I have some neck issues so after the massage, I was pretty wiped out. I worked from home and then J and I watched some Mad Men.... love that show.
That evening, J made reservations at my all time FAVORITE sushi place... Ichiban. I love this place! And I love sushi. I ate sushi 4 x week last summer (obsessive I know) and this place is the tastiest.
We enjoyed some yummy rolls and tasty cocktails and then made our way over to our favorite drinking spot... the Red Door. Their Espresso Martinis are a special occasion staple! :)
Now... one thing you may not know about J and I is that we LOVE skee-ball! Adore it, in fact! So much so that we outplayed the kiddo last time we went to Chuck E. Cheese with our friends and their daughter. True Story.
So when we were thinking about our Wednesday evening anniversary plans... we decided we would rather play skee-ball then go to a show, the Real Game or whatever! So after our martini's we drove over to FatCats where we enjoyed some beer and skee-ball....
We had a tough competition.... these are our game faces:
And J beat the highest score!
Not to mention, I got to wear my new dress :)
Pretty epic anniversary celebration! Here is to year number 5 and all the adventures it will bring! :)
I love you J!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Blast from the Past ... Cinema style
Alright... took a little break there to talk about my handsome husband. But feel the need to finish up my blast from the past blog series... First, was books. Then was TV shows. And now MOVIES. yes.... movies.
I'm going to stick with what I watched as a youngster ...
First and Foremost. I would like to mention The Chipmunk Adventure from 1987. The BEST chipmunk movie of all time! The story is basically that Alvin has entered himself and Simon and Theodore in a hot-air balloon race around the world against the Chipettes to deliver diamonds for a group of diamond smugglers. But hilarity and a fabulous dance number or two ensues. I wanted to be a Chippette SO bad! And isn't Theodore the cutest?!
I've tried to find this on DVD for YEARS! but it's always sold out or super expensive. dang.
Next up is Dance 'til Dawn ... a made for TV movie from 1988 that my parents happened to record for my sister and I. It's your typical high school prom scenario except with an all-star cast including:
Amazing?! Yes, yes it is! And I found it on DVD about 2 years ago! SCORE!
I'm going to stick with what I watched as a youngster ...
First and Foremost. I would like to mention The Chipmunk Adventure from 1987. The BEST chipmunk movie of all time! The story is basically that Alvin has entered himself and Simon and Theodore in a hot-air balloon race around the world against the Chipettes to deliver diamonds for a group of diamond smugglers. But hilarity and a fabulous dance number or two ensues. I wanted to be a Chippette SO bad! And isn't Theodore the cutest?!
Next up is Dance 'til Dawn ... a made for TV movie from 1988 that my parents happened to record for my sister and I. It's your typical high school prom scenario except with an all-star cast including:
- Teens
- Brian Bloom as Kevin McCrea
- Alyssa Milano as Shelley Sheridan
- Christina Applegate as Patrice Johnson
- Chris Young as Dan Lefcourt
- Tracey Gold as Angela Strull
- Matthew Perry as Roger
- Tempestt Bledsoe as Margaret
- Parents
- Kelsey Grammer as Ed Strull
- Edie McClurg as Ruth Strull
- Alan Thicke as Jack Lefcourt
Amazing?! Yes, yes it is! And I found it on DVD about 2 years ago! SCORE!
I can't talk about beloved movies without mentioning Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Disney's the Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Robin Hood. My dad actually tossed Girls Just Want to Have Fun because my parents were afraid it would breed rebellion in my sister and I.... Wow they've come a long way since then :) And to say that my sister and I still sing Little Mermaid songs complete with hand gestures whenever we see each other would be the complete truth! We won the movie on VHS from a coloring contest. We were hard core! But since I am guessing that my readers also watched them incessantly, I will move on ....
Next... was that oh so delightful comedy... I also currently own on DVD... Big Business. The 1988 film with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin as 2 sets of twins who got switched at birth. One set grew up rich in the big city and the other set grew up poor in the country. AMAZING! If you haven't seen it, you should. :)
Next up ... BIG and The Money Pit ... Tom Hanks is a genius in so many ways. And you can't forget about Overboard... my favorite Goldie Hawn movie Ever!
And last but certainly not least.... I was obsessed with a little movie from 1989 called She's out of Control. Tony Danza at his finest as a father trying to deal with a daughter who is suddenly the hot new thing in town. I also own it on DVD so feel free to borrow it at any time :) Matthew Perry is in this one too!
Besides the staple Disney faves, what were your favorite childhood movies?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
4.4.08 - Four Years and Counting ...
4 Years!
Man oh man, I can't believe it! You can read the story of how we met and our engagement here. This post is very photo heavy! But hey, I am a sentimental sap so just deal with it please :)
2006 (the night we first met)
2007 (I moved to Utah)
The Proposal! (Venice Beach)
Our Engagement!
2008 (Married and moved to Vegas)
Our Wedding!
Our Honeymoon!
2009 (moved back to Utah)
2010
2011
2012
Wow... a fun little walk down memory lane :) It's been an incredible four years! Here's to year number five!
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