Roatan

Finally we got down to the Caribbean! It took awhile for the ship to dock and let us off. Actually getting off was a huge fiasco over towels etc. Big line, no fun. But we were excited to be there. Our first port!

We were greeted on the dock by this band. They sang and danced the whole time for tips.

 We looked for Jerry Lewis, Joan said he was the best driver, but we couldn't find him and just hired another tour guide to take us around the island.

We went in his rattle trap van and he took us around to everything there was to see.

 Our first and most fun stop was a petting zoo. this was definitely a new experience for all of us. They had quite a collection of unique animals and birds.

 Yes the monkey on the head was a bit creepy but we just concentrated on how cool it was overall.

 

 The birds were also a bit freaky to be carrying around on your shoulders and head but also fun.

 

 Mine kept pecking on my new Maui Jim's...not cool. But I was afraid to tick him off.

 

 There was a toucan and lots of other exotic parrots and birds.

 I can't remember what these critters were called but you could pet them and they were soft and course at the same time. And pretty cute too.

 He drove us all around and we saw some beautiful resorts. We also saw some real poverty all around us.

We were not too excited about the road blocks with the armed police either. They looked like young kids armed with their AR-15s. We had to keep stopping so they could see who was in the van.

 A gorgeous view up here but of course we had to drive through the poverty to get up there. It was so sad to me because I am sure we didn't see the worst of it. Overall we weren't that excited about Roatan. We were glad we saw it but we feel like we can cross it off our list and be done. If we came back to stay in one of their posh resorts that would be fun but I don't think we would ever step foot outside the resort especially alone. They did some lovely mahogany wood items and great cashews though!

A cashew tree. Very interesting. It's a major crop for them here.

 

 Alot of the houses are built up on stilts even on high ground but that is for air circulation to keep their homes cooler. Kinda cool. ahahha

Our towel friend that night.

 

  After another fabulous dinner we headed over to the production show "Broadway Rhythm & Rhyme"

Our 1st Sea Day

While we were in Tampa it was pretty chilly outside. In fact I couldn't spend much time out on the deck. Too cold for me with the sea breezes too. We spent the day checking out the ship and doing some fun activities while we chugged along.

 I could get used to waking up to this!

While we weren't brave enough to climb the rock wall on the ship I did take a photo of my spray bottle from work there for our contest. Looks like a winner to me.

Or maybe this is the winner?

 While we were exploring around the ship we watched them rehearse their Aeriel frozen show. We never did catch a real performance but saw a few practices along the way.

 We spent alot of the afternoon in the adult solarium. I read and relaxed and Mendis worked on his talk for stake conference the whole time. This is when I discovered the amazing salads at the Park Cafe right there. So convenient and yummy.

 Such a relaxing day with a beautiful sea view to enjoy all day long. It started to get warmer as the day progressed so I was happy about that.

 This was our first formal night. It's always fun to get dressed up and enjoy a wonderful dinner.

 

After dinner we went to The Gary Lovini show in the Theater. He played the violin like crazy and was very entertaining...who knew? When we got back to our room we were greeted by this cute little guy:

Sail Away

We ended up taking a different shuttle from everyone else but we all got there at the same time. We even stopped at Target because the lady with us wanted some wine for her cruise. She told me about non drowsy Dramamine so I ran in and got some just in case then it was off to the dock. Hello Vision of the Seas!

 Bon Voyage

The view from our balcony

 

 The other ship beside us, Brilliance of the Seas left first and we followed behind.

 There was a very long channel to go through before we even got to the very large bay. It took about three hours before we got to the bridge which was the start of open water! We missed the going under the bridge though because we were at dinner by then darn it.

 This was the strangest thing. We were escorted the whole way by a machine gun armed coast guard boat. He really meant business too because if any boat came close to us they and a sheriff boat were right there sirens blazing.

 

 While we waited to get into our rooms we visited and enjoyed the ship. 

So here's a little tour of the Vision of the Seas:

The adults only solarium. We loved this place although it got very hot during the days. They had a great little snack shop there that we frequented every night before bed and lots during the days too.

 

 The Windjammer Buffet

The Theater

The Atrium which really was the hub of this ship and the whole cruise really.

Our first of many memorable meals together!

The creme brulle was to die for.
After dinner we walked around the deck or watched the guys hang out on the deck alot. We went to the welcome aboard comedy show that night too.

Our Cruise!

Finally after months and months of planning it was spring break and time for our cruise to the Caribbean. We went with the Keels and the Jensens. We asked pretty much everyone if they wanted to come but just ended up with our faithful few. We all flew together Friday 3/27 to Tampa.

 On our way to the airport. We were hoping to get in on the free parking deal at the bus station but there was only room for the Keel's car so we parked at the long term lot and all met up at the check in counter.

 

We hungout at the airport and then boarded our flight to Tampa. It was nonstop and it went by pretty fast. Mostly because we were so tired from the last minute rush and chaos of getting going! We got to our hotel late that night and made our arrangements to get to the dock the next morning. Let's light this candle!

March Happenings

We started our month with a trip to the Winn buffet with Ashley & Benjy. I owed Benjy a big thank you for making my shelves in the closet so off we went. They had never been before and we love introducing people to that food wonderland lol.

 A big event was the Relief Society Birthday dinner I had to do. I think it turned out really good. It was so cute I should have taken pictures. Shelie and I took the day off to cook and get ready. We made pulled pork sliders, coleslaw, beans, potato salad and super cute strawberry shortcakes in mason jars for dessert. When the ladies came in they got their pictures taken with cute props and then helped themselves to a trail mix bar. I found the most adorable mini red solo cups for that. Then we had decorated with every one's quilts all around the room so they walked around with their trail mix and judged the quilts. I won! lol Then we played fun minute to win it games. It was a great evening that turned out fabulously even though it was alot of work.

Mendis had Creda meetings in SLC so I helped Alisha get ready for Ali's wedding while he was gone. We had financial planning meetings and regular appointments going on. On March 21 we went to Hayden's last football scrimmage. He had just decided recently to leave football. It was time for him to focus on school. Now he would have time for a job and internships and his wife. A wise move but a hard one for him.

We had visiting teaching and home teaching, family home evenings, hair appointments, three birthdays (Benjy, Charlie and Alisha). I had a baby shower to attend. I had a couple of trips to Vegas mostly getting gifts, groceries and getting ready for our cruise at the end of the month. Baseball season started so we had coach pitch for Rees and Tball for Cooper (finally) to watch. It just the cutest thing watching those little boys play ball. So March was busy as usual so we were ready for our vacation at the end of the month for sure.

Scrap Camp 2015

One of the best weekends ever is our annual Scrap Camp at Patty's cabin. There's nothing like ditching out on responsibilities and chores and heading up to Utah for a fun filled getaway. We just kick back and relax and do what we want. It's taken on a life of its own over the years and evolved into such a treat we wouldn't ever want to miss out on it.
Picking the date is the worst part. It's a miracle we ever can do this with our crazy schedules that never ever want to line up. We left late Wednesday night this year so we could be back Saturday night. That way Jolynn didn't have to miss another Sunday at church. Getting there is such a chore because we have so much to do to get out of here. We all have busy lives and we have alot of packing of scrap crap to take. Once we get there it's worth the hassle.

 The amazing part is you might be able to tell by the mess we really do accomplish a ton of scrapbooking. Every year we each bring up a scrapbook challenge for us all to do in an hour and that's rally fun and stressful too. We scrap and scrap, pausing to eat and sleep a little. We always have one dinner at Milt's across the street and we each bring up a dinner so we don't have to stop and prepare meals too. We also went and did laps at the pool Friday morning which was a new thing for us. Patty and Paco have been walking the lazy river in the mornings so we gave it a whirl. Very refreshing.

This year was a first though. We played a movie while we scrapped. What did we pick? Well Jolynn had never seen the newest Pride & Predjudise so what choice did we have. It's my new favorite version even though we debated it for quite awhile.

Friday night we opted for another new adventure we hadn't done before either. We put our stuff down for a bit and went to a movie. We went to the new Cinderella which was just wonderful. Then we had movie popcorn to munch on all the next day before we had to pack up and go home. :(