Last week Dave and I flew to Miami to set sail on a cruise to the Bahamas! My best friend Megan and her fiance Andy booked the same cruise and we met them in Florida for some couples time away in the sun. Don't worry we weren't on the cruise ship that was stranded, thank goodness.
It was a week of relaxation. We snorkeled, kayaked, hot tubbed it up, played roulette (and won), ate delicious food, and laid out in the sun.
My favorite...feet in the sand, beautiful view, holding hands with my man.
The snorkeling was amazing. I had never been before. It's unreal to watch fish swim around right before your eyes. We swam around for a good long while but as soon as I saw a couple of jellyfish I was more than ready to get out of the water.
After I finally got the hang of using my mask I was good to go. Dave and I jumped in the water and swam around the coral reef. Holding hands watching the schools of fish swim around me was honestly one of the most amazing things I've experienced. The boat that we were on had a rock climbing wall as well as a slide which we happily used.
Our first big vacation is over and I can't wait to go on another one with Dave. Paradise with my baby is heavenly....actually anywhere with Dave is just perfect. Yeah I know I should have warned you it was going to get mushy at the end.
This weekend Dave and I went to Rochester, NY for a wedding, to visit his family, and for a trip to Niagara Falls. My mom always says, "it's all about the story" which I always made fun of but now use lovingly. And it's true. On Friday Dave and I got up and drove the hour and a half from his childhood home to Niagara Falls. We went to Goat Island on the NY side to check it all out. As soon as Dave and I got out of the car, took one picture of the falls....it started POURING rain which, for me, made it even more fun. The fact that nothing went the way we wanted made me laugh. All week it had been beautiful, sunny, and hot but the one day we decide to go on a day trip outside it pours and is overcast. Too funny.
This is the only dry picture of us from the falls.
We went to the Cave of the Winds which is amazing. If you want some Info about it click on the link. The Cave of the Winds takes you down an elevator shaft and out to 120 feet below the falls. You then walk on wooden planks and stairs and wind your way up the falls. I was amazed by the placement of this, at some points I leaned over the railing looking at the foundation. It was wooden planks resting on giant rocks, I'm impressed that the water didn't wash it along with us away. We made our way up to the Hurricane Deck which is 20 feet below the Bridal Veil Falls. You get soaked by the falls and it's a strong pummeling feeling. Dave kept pulling me back to get closer and closer but already I was getting completely drenched even under my poncho and silly me had my purse with our camera, phones, and wallet so I got out of there quickly as to not ruin everything.
This is a picture of the Cave of the Winds tour. Dave took this from the Maid of the Mist boat that we took to get us closer to the falls. It was an amazing day.
That night we went to Dinosaur BBQ in the heart of Rochester. Apparently it's a famous place and Dave had never been there. We waited for 40 minutes for a table but that gave me time to talk to his parents and his best friend and his girlfriend. And when we were finally seated the food was delicious. Baker and his girlfriend Allison beat us at the sweetheart's dish. Sadly Dave and I had leftover ribs and they devoured theirs. We wear our shame openly, and will rematch them next time.
AND if that wasn't enough for the weekend...
Saturday we went to the Cornhill fest and visited his old friend. THEN we went to the wedding we had driven there for. The reception was so much fun. We all danced our butts off, and we may have had a little to drink. Dave's dance moves are a combination of embarrassing, hilarious, smooth all rolled together. I've never laughed so much, smiled so wide, or been dipped so many times.
Sunday morning we had breakfast with my cousin and her husband. It was so nice to see them and spend some time together. Then we went back to his house made sure that everyone was alive (from the drinking and dancing) and hung out till we needed to get on the road. It was an amazing weekend and I'm such a lucky girl.
That's my update. Ooooh and I came home to my roommates new puppy Sadie. I just want to eat her up she's so adorable.
This past weekend I went to VA Beach to see my sister. I love it down there. I love my sister. I love the beach. I love walks along the beach (a cliche I know.) I love picking up seashells. I love the sound of the ocean. I love laying out and not thinking about anything. But I also love when I leave the beach and can get my hands clean from all the sand.
3 out of the 4 of us (not me) that went to the beach tried surfing that day, and thus became awesome! Yea I missed out but there's always next time. I can use it as an excuse to go visit my sister...No sorry boss I HAVE to leave early on Friday, my sister is teaching me to surf, I missed out last time.
We also made an epic sandcastle. Miles (my sister's boyfriend) spent a lot of time working on it and may have even made a little boy cry because his efforts weren't as awesome as ours.
Note: I work in casualty and mortuary affairs, so I deal with death of some sort on a daily basis.
A co-worker came over to me today and picked up a picture that was by my desk (not my picture) of a funeral. He commented on the coffin, and how beautiful it was, and I said something about how I didn't want a coffin because it's more expensive and I just wanted to be cremated. He then said the weirdest sentence anyone has EVER said to me. He first looked me up and down and said, "With your stature, and weight you'd burn in an hour." Ummm thanks? Anyways, conversation was turned to other ideas for your remains and he told me about this one idea for shooting your remains into space. I didn't believe him so we looked it up. Click on the link below to see the website.
Anyhow, it's a weird concept, and personally I don't want to be outer space trash. I'd rather not be placed in an urn for people to look at (I am totally picturing a Meet the Parents debacle, for which I would like to avoid for my loved ones.) So have me cremated, enjoy a walk on the beach and scatter my ashes there, or have the cremators dispose of them. There's no need to hold onto the ashes. You have pictures and memories that you'll keep with you, a pile of ashes isn't going to do much.
Although if I can find a way to be put inside a football and used during a Steelers game, I'm totally going for that one...
Today I stumbled upon a tradition while reading one of my favorite blogs (stylemepretty) which I had never heard of. I was surprised I hadn't heard about this since I grew up in Europe and did my fair share of traveling. Anyways, this is how it goes: In Italy lovers write their names on padlocks and lock them to bridges and throw the keys into the river. Its said that if they do this their love is locked forever. Romantic...yes I think so. So many people participated in this tradition in Italy that for a while officials were banning this practice. However, this did not make the Italians happy. Those that were banning the love locks were seen as anti-love....which in Italy is not a good thing.
Picture by travelnevada There is a Lovelock, Nevada where the above picture was taken.
Image by ngythanh The tradition also happens in China. You can find lovers locks along the Great Wall of China from lovers who want their love to last as long as the Great Wall stands.
You would think that "I'm on a boat" by Lonely Island would be old by now. It's not. I'm pretty sure Megan and I randomly burst into this song daily on our trip. I was afraid that I would over do it and Megan would ban it for the rest of the cruise (it's happened before...although it was only for an hour. Try not saying, "that's what she said", when every one is setting things up perfectly. Arghh...we did manage to go one whole hour without saying it, for the record.)
Anyways, I'm back from my week long vacation. I turned off my cell phone and thus lost all communication with the outside world. It was very freeing, however we did find places twice to check our e-mail and send messages to our boyfriends and family. I have to say that a cruise is definitely a good way to go see places and not worry about a thing. I didn't have to think about how to get any place, I didn't have to worry about where to eat, what to do, etc.
My mom always says it's all about the story, and I used to roll my eyes at her, but now I appreciate what she is saying. It is about the STORY, and Meg and my story from this cruise is a good one. Here are some things you should know about the ship we were on....
The average age of people on board was 65, maybe older
We played bingo
We played team trivia everyday
Random facts I now know from the Ryndam Team Trivia:
The average weight of a human head is 8 lbs
The black dots on dominoes are called pips
The G in G-string stands for groin (not G-spot like the old lady in our group made me write down...yeah...shocking)
I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had with Megan, so here are some pictures to help.
This is Me and Meg before we left port in Tampa...we had to get a briefing on the safety equipment. Since we were on a geriatric cruise, Megan whispered to me that she would push the people out of the way because she had more life to live!
At our first port. Cozumel, Mexico
A picture taken from the tender boat we had to take to Belize from the cruise ship. Our ship had to stay 6 miles out.
In Belize we visited Altun Ha, an ancient Mayan city.
One of the many beautiful Christmas trees on board.
So this one is probably not verypolitically correct and you know what, I don't care...sorry.
After dinner (where Megan and I had champagne and wine) we came back to our room and discovered this lovely towel animal on one of our beds. I was ECSTATIC!!! Megan decided to document all the towel animals we got. When she turned around to take the picture, there I was on the bed pretending to be Steve Irwin.
Then we went to Guatemala and took a boat to a four star resort and rode horses, laid out on the beach, and played in the pool.
"Look Ma, no hands"
My horse liked to go off the path to graze.
NOW MY FAVORITE PICTURE
Eunice, Don, Blanch, Me, Megan, Joan
These were our team members for team trivia everyday on the cruise. We never won but we did learn a bunch of random things. Some of the best people.
WARNING:I'm about to be that girl. Bare with all the mushiness, I'm incredibly happy.
Yuck I know.
Friday I left work early and headed to Pinehurst, NC to visit my best friend for the weekend. My wonderful boyfriend hadn't seen me the day before and wasn't going to see me until Sunday, so he met me at the gas station while I filled up my tank. It was seriously only like 5 minutes together, and before I drove off he went to his car and came back with a cup full of red Gerber daises along with a card. It was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful. I couldn't stop smiling all the way down there.
I think it's the little things that count. The love is in the details. I mean sure, it's important to know the BIG things too, but to really know and love someone you have to get to know the idiosyncrasies that make them them. The slight twitch they get when they're a little nervous, how they'll try your iced coffee every time but will still hate it, or the way you have to brace yourself for that jump hug you get when you haven't seen them in a while.
(3 separate shout outs!)
Getting to know the details is the fun, intimate part to any relationship whether it is romantic or friendly. I love when people know little things, and when I in turn know the little things about them. It means you're invested and that you care enough to pay attention.
This past Saturday I picked up my friend Tera, and drove to VA Beach to visit my sister (and her best friend) Katie. Katie is amazing, and very busy, so this was really the first time since she moved there that she was free so Tera and I decided to take full advantage and visit her for the day.
She lives four blocks from the beach and we just happened to visit on the same weekend as the Neptune Festival on the boardwalk. There were a ton of vendors, and the fragrances wafting from each of the food stalls were heavenly (although Tera refused to pay $6 for a funnel cake...ridiculous prices right?)
For the Neptune Festival they had a sand sculpting competition which I was so excited for. I made the girls walk about a mile down the beach so we could check it out. I was impressed with the sculptures people made out of sand using only water. These creations were amazing as you can see from the pictures. I think I was particularly impressed because my sandcastle building skills rival those of a 3 year old. Maybe, on a good day, a 5 year old.
Tera and I were amused by the no foul language sign.
Sunday morning before we left we ate at Pocahontas Pancakes. There was even a Tepee inside the restaurant. We will be going back to visit again hopefully soon, because Tera needs more salt water taffy...which I also enjoy(but only the pink kind.)
"I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain
Thank goodness I found out a while ago that I could travel the world with Megan and not want to kill her. I think Mark Twain got it right, it is a great way to tell whether you have a strong relationship or not. And I've found that Meg and I can spend long car rides, getting lost, museums, late nights, and early mornings in a happy atmosphere together. Which just proves that our friendship is built on some steady ground. Although sometimes I'm not so sure about how she feels about traveling with me because on more than one occasion I've been yelled at to, "look at a map!", which may have been deserved every single time, since I am directionally challenged. However this trip I anticipated this and made an itinerary for us which included a map, travel plans, and highlights to hit. For our long Labor Day weekend Megan and I flew to Nashville, TN to see what kind of trouble we could get in to.
Friday night we got in just in time for the night life to start, and headed to meet up with some of Meg's friends at Dan McGuinness for drinks and a late dinner. Our first night in Nashville just wouldn't be complete with out heading to Broadway and a ride on a mechanical bull. That's right, I said a ride on a mechanical bull. My explanation of the experience isn't as good as watching it so here it is for your entertainment and my humiliation.
(Turn down your volume because the video is loud)
The rest of the weekend can better be explained with this slide show. However the wine night/dance party/backyard tire flipping and soccer game in Clarksville, there are no pictures of sadly. I do have the vague memories to hold onto though.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So here are my gazillion words worth of pictures.
