I never thought I'd love snow this much!

We're back.... finally!

Here's the quick rundown of our vacation:

Sunday- night Fred's parents drove us to the airport. We almost missed our first flight because we were being spacey- luckily they were barely closing the door and let us on! :} Then in Philly a plane slid off the runway and our flight from Philly to Miami was delayed 5 hours. Did I mention I hate flying? We finally made it to the hotel Mom D. reserved for us at 2am.

Monday- we went to the port and that's where the never ending tipping began- tip the taxi driver, tip the Port worker that took our bags for us, tip the cruise workers, tip restaurant waiters, I felt like I was giving out our money left & right! We checked into our room then looked around the ship a little. At dinner that night the other couple that was assigned to our table threw a fit because it was "a special occassion" and they wanted their own table, so they sat somewhere else. For 3 nights Fred & I had a table to ourselves.

Tuesday-Our first stop was in Nassau. Fred & I went on a catamaran & snorkeling tour. The water was FREEZING! Fred laughed because he said he could hear me squealing even after I went under water. (Yes, I'm a wuss.) That night was a dress-up night at dinner. They have these photographers come around and take your picture and the first night we told him we didn't want a picture so the next night he didn't even stop at our table. :}



Wednesday - We spent the day at Half Moon Cay, it seemed like a private island that Carnival owns. We kayaked around the bay, which was a lot of fun. Fred & I had a little plastic kayak that wasn't as easy to manuver & very tipsy, but we managed to stay dry! We saw a starfish on our ride that was easily 12 inches across and the water is so clear - I wish I would've had my camera but didn't dare take it out on the water with us. The 2nd half of the day we spent laying out on the beach. Fred ventured out to play in the waves, but I stayed where it was warm. Since the cruise ship didn't come all the way in we had to take a tender boat into the island- thankfully they hosted a bbq on the island. That night the water got kind of rough. I was already a little motion sick from the boat in general- whoever said you can't feel the boat very much lied!

Thursday - The rough water made it so we ported late in Grand Turk. As soon as we got off the boat it started raining. We had to wait a little while for our shore excursion but it was worth it! We took a dune buggy around the little island, up to a light house, and saw some beautiful views. I drove the last little bit, after it was done raining and didn't do a very good job of dodging the puddles. You're supposed to get muddy though right?

Friday - Was a day at sea and surprisingly the day I felt best on the boat. But I was disappointed with the activities they had planned for the day. Fred & I played shuffleboard & mini-golfed, watched the hairy chest competition, took a nap & packed.

Saturday - I woke up early to try to see at least one sunrise. (As soon as I got off the boat I was fine. Fred had sea legs for the next 2 days.) After we docked Fred & I took a taxi to pick up our rental car. Probably the most random day at the rental car place ever. 1st - Fred's driver's license was expired! (So I had to drive.) 2nd - they were out of maps! 3rd - there was a lady in there wearing a silver velour track suit & 5 inch gold heart shaped earrings. She was upset that they had rented her a car without automatic locks. All we could gather is that she had locked herself our of the car and missed a funeral. The best part was when she said "Do I look like I dress like this? I look like I'm 24!" The rental guy asked "How old are you?" Hilarious!

We managed to tour Miami only turning around once! I love road trips with Fred--- even if I have to drive because he didn't renew his license. :} First we went to the Gator park- so redneck & SO fun! We road an air boat around the everglades looking for alligators. The tour guide was funny - telling us that if a gator jumps in the boat, wave a $20 and that'll get him to stop laughing and jump down from his stand to throw it out.

After the boat ride they have a little animal show. The guy had me give my camera to Fred and take a picture of me kissing a toad. I look terrified! After Fred took a picture the guide said, "There, now you have a before and after picture."

Next we went to Coral Castle. Ed, the guy who built it was left the night before his wedding and was so broken hearted that he bought this piece of land and started quarrying coral and building a castle with rooms that he and his "Sweet Sixteen" would have lived in. There is a perfectly heart shaped table that weighs 5,000 lbs!

By 3pm we were starting to get really tired, but I figured we only had one day in Miami, let's see everything, so we drove out to the Everglades. About 10 minutes into the park I decided I was too exhausted so we went back to the hotel by Miami Beach. We checked into one of the most run-down hotels that smelled awful! Not our room luckily- just the hallways. We got dinner & walked around then went to bed.

Sunday - We walked along the beach for a little while then packed our bags and headed to the airport. Which is a whole other story---- 2 days later, at 12:05am we landed in Utah! I've never been so happy to see snow!