March 18-24th, 2012
This family cruise journal is a toast of appreciation to the people who started it all...
Cheers to mom and dad for bringing ALL 7 of us into this world and for raising us to be decent human beings!
Cheers to my wonderful sister, Cynthia for coming up with the brilliant idea in the first place!
Cheers to my super organized brother, Spencer for planning every last detail for the past 3 years!
And cheers to all my siblings and their spouses for coming and enjoying this trip of a lifetime!
Every single person made it magical and special for me! Thanks my family!
I love you all and have so many fabulous memories!
I love that everyone made such an effort to save, find child care, clear their schedules, and plan, plan, plan! It's amazing all 16 of us made it and it is also amazing that we managed to avoid missing any birthdays or anniversaries! There were a few situations that arose making us believe that some of us might not make it. I am so grateful that this trip was meant to be and that all of our 27 children were safe during our vacation. All of our flights were on time and we arrived safely! It was such a bonding experience for our family and made each of my relationships stronger. Usually when we get together we have 27 children running around us. Ofcourse we love our children. It was just nice to visit and not be distracted!
Cruising is the life! It's a total care free vacation. No worries or burdens to bear! If anyone hasn't done it, you have got to try it! Curtis and I are officially hooked!
Seeing these pictures makes the anticipation come to life all over again! I was SO excited for our cruise. It seemed so far away and yet it came and went by way too fast!
I was a mommy wreck when I left my kids. I felt guilty and thought, "should I really be leaving them for this long??" I knew they were in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa Hancock and I had no doubt that they would be well loved!! It was just the longest I had ever left my kids. There was little Ella in the doorway wiping away tears of sadness as we pulled away..oh my goodness! What is a mother to do but cry her eyes out too?!!! Well, the guilt slowly lifted and it all changed when we saw Miami! It is a beautiful place! Curtis and I caught a red eye in Vegas Friday and then arrived in Florida Saturday morning. We had a little nap at our hotel in downtown Miami and then decided to take a taxi and tour South Beach! There are some interesting people at South Beach but we tried to look past them and enjoy the gorgeous water and sand. We loved walking back in front of the famous art deco buildings on the main strip. There was restaurant after restaurant and many St.Patrick's Day celebrations going on as well!
Welcome to Miami!
We had fun dining together that evening at a Cuban restuarant. We needed Martha to translate some of the menu items!
Yay, we are so happy to be boarding the Carnival Glory! Can't believe it's happening! I love Spencer watching us in the background and Will and Laurette busy checking in!
Ofcourse we had to go check out our cabin which was 1298. The Sheers were right next door and the Woodwards a few doors down. So fun!
Such a teeny tiny space but so wonderful at the same time. I loved the no windows. Darkness is a good thing for sleeping in! Ya right! Curtis was my alarm clock. He was way too excited to be sleeping in and reminded me of that the first few mornings! I was quite surprised by the person he morphed into for our trip! He was definitely the life of the party and people couldn't get enough of him! Hilarious!
Bon Voyage! We are on our way to a luxurious life! I LOVE this picture! It captures the Caribbean feel so well! Ahhhh, soaking up the rays, floating on the ocean waves with the wind in our hair!
We can't wait to set sail! Life is good!
Miami is so pretty behind us!
It's Freddy the Carnival mascot! Who knows what he's about? Isn't it just standard to get a picture though?! Ha ha!
Some more views as we were leaving. It was fun to dream about owning a house boat or having an ocean view apartment! Curtis loves this city and was happy to be eczema free!
We had no problems delving into the food! We enjoyed lunch at the buffet and this is our first official dining experience for dinner. We had the same 2 tables reserved each night with a lovely view of the ocean. It was fun to play musical chairs so we could enjoy one another's company!
It was so great to feel like we were on a date each night, being waited on, eating delicious food, ordering whatever you wanted, and however much, having NO bill at the end to pay, laughing it up and enjoying good conversation, and walking away without lifting a finger! Let me tell you, this is THE life!
Did I mention the dessert? It was divine! I ordered 3 one night! Hee hee! I think I was the only girl that did that!
The night was young! We found our way into the Karaoke room. The boys were up first with their Bon Jovi rendition of "Living on a Prayer". Curtis stole the mic with his "woa woa's" at the beginning. The wives were just dying with laughter! Such a great memory!
Then it was our turn for "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. It's been a few years since we sang it together.
It got pretty warm with all our performing and dancing!(pics to come) We had to take the evening deck tour to cool off and check out the midnight snacks! Could we possibly eat more food! In the words of Graham, "You betcha"!
Monday was a day at sea! It's just amazing to me that a huge boat like this can float on top of these deep waters! At some points the ocean was 7 miles deep. That was a scary thought for me!
Here is where we were headed!
It was a morning of good intentions. Curtis pretended to exercise.. no he did a few minutes, and I pretended to run on the track at the top level outside, but gave up because of a ridiculous kink in my neck. I soon became the camera man. Anyways, I loved the view of the ocean that the workout room had!
Jenny was the personal trainer and massage therapist for me! Thanks Jenny! It was fun!
Jenny organized this fun volleyball game. I enjoyed being the spectator. So cool that the ball couldn't escape the overhead nets. The dolphins and sharks were missing out on the fun!
It was formal night that evening. It was so exciting getting dressed up for dinner! I curled Chelsea's hair. You look cute Chels! We posed for a group picture. Here it is one more time! I just love my family so much!
Curtis was so proud of his "Mark Anthony" outfit that he purchased at Kohl's! He enjoyed posing!
Don't you love these beautiful sunsets!
And how quickly the sun sinks into the ocean!
Yay it's Tuesday and time for our first port, Cozumel, Mexico!
Rather odd but cool!
Making our way into Cozumel. The cruise ships are huge! Crazy!
It's the enthusiastic Woodwards walking by the shops to get to the ferry.
Palm trees are my absolute favorite! The vegetation was breathtaking!
Could I have a yard like this pretty please?!
Waiting to board the ferry. Cozumel is behind. It was a pretty poor looking town.
Everyone else waiting too! The cute girls and guys!
Nacho Libre got bored of waiting! He had to get some good shopping in!
He drove us in his zebra tour guide vehicle to our next destination. Isn't it wonderful that all 16 of us fit in!!
After a half hour ride or so we hiked out to the Tulum ruins. It's such a cool place where the Mayan people lived. The temple is in the background. He gave us an LDS perspective on it all.
I enjoyed seeing dad in his yellow! I thought we all looked so "touristy".
Here is Helaman, a very knowledgeable guide in ancient Book of Mormon times. He was very interesting to listen to but do you think I could remember much of what he said, no! I am happy to remember the feeling that I had though. You can feel the spirit no matter where you are in the world. I love that about the gospel. It's neat to meet people who have the same faith and beliefs!
Curtis enjoyed watching these lizards that were listening in on the tour!
This is the view behind the temple. Isn't it gorgeous!
These honey bees have no stingers. Perhaps they were descendants of the bees brought over by the Jaredites since they had to have them in their small boats. I didn't even know these kind of bees existed!
Helaman then took us to Akumal beach where Curtis had his first snorkeling experience! He was in heaven! I didn't even see the guy until it was time to get out!
I must say I didn't love my first snorkeling experience. Mom was so great to stick by my side though and help me through my fears!
We bought a water proof camera for our trip and it was so neat to use. Curtis loved taking pictures of the sea life! This is what he found under the water!
His favorite, along with eveyone else's was this giant sea turtle! Following this creature was something else!
Way more snorkeling pictures to come!
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