Bahamazzz

We are officially cruisers. I was always curious if cruisin' was my thang. We had a blast. I am sure we will cruise again someday. The Bahamas were everything I dreamed they'd be, ok except that I thought the water would be a tinge warmer...just a smidgel. I was expecting bath water, I just haven't experienced that yet and I thought this might've been the place. The water was definitely warmer that Bermuda!! I realized we didn't take enough pictures, I stink at capturing the great moments! I am too busy enjoying myself and never have my camera close enough(we did get footage of the trapeze thank goodness). So pretend you really like to see Dave and I posed in front of the ocean...cuz that's about the only times we remembered to take pic's, before we got in and as we were about to leave.

We did lots of other things I WISH we got pictures of, like jet skiing in the ocean, snorkeling, body surfing, volleyballin', and the highlight of our trip, competing in the Dancing with the Sky Stars!! My only regret is that we didn't get that whole thing on video bc now I have to explain what happened instead of just show it. Our friends who came with us got a little bit of it on their camera, maybe I will post it when I get it from them.

So the short and condensed version...our ship had a Dancing with the Sky Stars ("sky" because our ship was called the Norwegian Sky). As one of the evening activities, 6 of the staff dance with 6 volunteers, and they have judges and vote people off and the whole sha-bang. I thought it might be fun so I entered my name in the drawing...and unbeknownst to David, I put his name in too. I was hoping at least one of us would get picked. Well...David was the FIRST name drawn!! They announced, David from Utah...and Dave just sat there waiting for Dave from UT to take the stage. It finally dawned on him when I nudged him with that sneaky look on my face. I was DELIGHTED, I was going to sit back and relax while Dave got to humiliate himself in front of a HUGE crowd of people!! Well fate would have it that I would not get away so easy and as the 5th name was drawn...Heidi from Utah was heading up to the stage!!

If you know Dave and I, you know we don't shrink from an audience who is eager to cheer us on. There were three rounds and by the last round we were BY FAR the audience favorites(my partner and I were the REAL favorite) . They were enamored with our dance moves, and I think the crew had never had the likes of the two of us bounding around the stage before (and sober too, though no one would suspect it). So it came down to a dance off with three couples left. Mid performance I am swept off my feet by David from Utah and we finished the last dance together, I believe at one point I was on Dave's back with my "lasso" and Dave was spankin' my booty. Oh dear. The decision was made by the judges and the crowd that Dave and I were the Sky Star champions. It had never happened before and I doubt it will ever happen again, we are Norwegian Sky legends.

(first day, still docked in Miami waiting to set sail)

(third stop, Great Stirrup Cay)

(riding the waves, if you couldn't tell by that face I am hard core)

(Atlantis, Nassau, that archway connecting the bldg. off to the right is owned by the late M.J. and it's only 25,000 per night)

(the Norwegian Sky from the rear)

(bus ride to Wyndham Resort, Freeport)
(some kayaking at Freeport)

(trapeze artist in the making)

(true love)

(es cargo...chewy)

(loungin' at Great Stirrup Cay)

(um...culture)

(snorkeling at Nassau)

(First stop, beach resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island)

(The gruesome foursome, us and our cruising buddies BJ and Vivian Weight)

(spreadin' the love around)

(2nd stop, beach on Nassau)

(dock at Freeport, look at that big ol' ship)

hours on an airplane...

We got back from our cruise last NIGHT(11pm)...and walked into our home this MORNING(1:30am)!! It was a looong day. I was so anxious to get home and squeeze my babies. This is how I survived...

The Diary of Mattie SpenserI really enjoyed this story, it's kinda up the same ally as the books I have been reading recently. It takes place around 1866 about a girl who marries and departs with her husband across the plains to Colorado Territory. I am still just so intrigued with the kind of toughness these people had to settle in this part of the country. I just don't think I could've hacked it most people couldn't, alot of them ended up going back. Anyway its a really good story that makes you think about love and commitment and enduring hardships.

I will write and post pictures of our cruise soon, but let me just say we achieved celebrity status on our cruise...hopefully i will actually get to posting something about it, seeing as I never did post anything about Scarlet's ballerina b-day OOPS! You may just have to ask us, if I have sparked your curiosity...

What have we here...

I am on a serious historical fiction kick. They are just so fascinating. Every time I am reminded how little I know about our worlds history. It's like I am taking a little mini college class, but I come and go when I please and don't have any tests or papers. Delightful. I just finished this one, it was a gem.

Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross.

When I need to find a good book I go here, 'What should I read next?' You put in a favorite book and it finds similar books for you. Anyhoo, thank you WSIRN (that's what its called on my toolbar) I may not have stumbled upon this book without your help. So, Pope Joan! I had no idea if there really was such a person. I thought it was maybe Joan of Arc or something. Different Joan, different story. For some reason it took me a few chapters to decide if I was going to enjoy the story or not. I am so GLAD I stuck with it. Her story takes place around 800ad., during the dark ages, it was a scary time to be alive and an even scarier time to be a woman. Especially to be a woman who had a will to be educated. Just an amazing novel, the author does a great job helping the reader see what life was like at that time. The best part is Joan's story (part of it) was a real! If you are looking for an engaging story...here you go.

Reading contract

We had "reading contracts" in elementary. My first and not last experiences with lying. I sold my soul for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. The day before it was due I would fish it out of my back pack, all crumpled and torn and write down all kinds of fake numbers. There was no way I was going to forfeit that pizza prize!! I can still remember the layout and the smell of that Pizza Hut we went to on university ave. I was suppose to read a certain amount each week and I probably really did read that much...I liked to read. I just didn't like tracking it everyday...and so it went throughout my schooling...jumping through hoops to get what I wanted without doing the work. I did eventually figure out, half way thru college, that learning isn't so bad, and can even be enjoyable. I didn't become a family SCIENTIST without having to know my stuff, sheesh! I turned right out ok? I mean...ok so I still sometimes try to get stuff for free...like the carpet cleaning incident and the fire safety dinner disaster. Live and learn. Anyway I am trying to console myself by admitting that I wasn't a sterling scholar kinda gal, not every mother's dream daughter (as far as excelling in my studies goes) but I somehow got a college degree and married a heck of a husband and have some fantastic kids to boot. And what do you know I read, bring it reading contract...

Half broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. LOVED this book. I haven't read her first and bestselling prequel, Glass Castle all the way through yet...I am working on it. But I think this book is BETTER!! Its just feels so authentic to those early days of the west. And what it meant to rough it, I got a whole new insight about cowboys and education and on and on... I couldn't put it down.

The Sweet by and by. Good enough to get me to the end, but just barely. I don't know it was a little cliche and sappy for my liking...and contrived. But it had a good message.

Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks. Really interesting read, and I really liked some of the authors insights about our relationship to God. It is based on an account from a village during the plague in the 1600. The village really existed and the book is taken from the records of the village. It was a really fascinating story about a time in history I didn't know much about. Made me grateful for modern medicines, among many other things.

Wishing for love

On the car ride home from my mom's house we had an entertaining conversation with Scarlet. She is really into getting married. The other day she asked if we could go for a walk so that she could knock on doors and find someone who wanted to marry her. She usually has a top pick, it kind of rotates between her cousin (don't worry we've explained it to her but she says he is just so nice!) and another little boy.

Tonight she informed us she was going to marry my little 12 year old nephew (who is a step nephew, so for the record it would be more acceptable than marrying her cousin). Then she says, "Maybe if we have a new brother I can marry him when he grows up." Oh boy, we straightened that one out pretty easy. THEN after some thought she says, "well two girls can get married" Hmm, so I said something like, they can? She says, "yea I saw it on a show." Uh-oh maybe I am watching too much Oprah...? So I probe her a little more because I think she is making it up. She tells me she watched it at Hannah's and the show is called "Wishing for Love." I am speechless, that could be a real show! What a little mind this girl has. The longer the conversation went on, the more I believed she was spinning a tale. Because soon there were fairies and princes and the whole bit.

For a minute there I was afraid I would have to try explaining the complexities of "two mommies" to my 4 yr. old!! I am going to have to double check with Hannah's mom. Wishing for Love, how did she just whip that out!?! What a goofy gal.

and some pictures...

Trouble

First comes trouble. I am lost in thought as I am doing my hair in the bathroom. I am completely unaware of any activity going on below me. I happen to glance down and see Rosie laying on her belly, completely quiet and absorbed in a toy, or book perhaps. Of course that's never the case...

LIPSTICK

(Look at that mischievous look on her face!!)

Not my lipstick of course. I don't own lipstick. It's Scarlet's, which she got from a purse that Grandma Julia gave her (I don't think the lipstick was meant to be in the purse). Anyway...I believe I have a picture like this at a similar age. Don't we all. How do you get lipstick out of CLOTHES!?!


This stuff was CAKED on! She didn't stop with that face either she was like a little naughty statue. Not an ounce of regret.

Interpretive dance...

I just had to post these pictures. This girl is a performer to say the least. If there is a gathering of people she feels like they must be there waiting for a dance performance. It just tickles my heart to watch her dancing about. The music just takes over her body. Its going to be a fun journey with this little firecracker.