My body lies over the ocean! Day 3 : 09-26-09

Boy it is going to take a while to get through this trip if I am only on day 3 so far!!!! Actually I have made a decision, hard as it may be. It is taking so long to blog about the trip because of these silly slide shows! It takes me FOREVER to re-size, upload, organize, title, and put one of these on my blog! It isn't to bad once in a while but facing 10 or so of them is a bit daunting! SO..... as much as I want to share ALL my favorite pictures from the trip I am going to limit myself. I will only share a few in future cruise posts along with a short itinerary of the day. At least that is the plan! I am falling behind in my blogging journal! Anywho.. this slide show was already mostly done when I made this decision so you get this last one. Enjoy it! After this one you will just have to ask to look at my scrapbook when you come visit my house!

Day 3 was the day we got to set sail! First though we had a fun morning of sight seeing in NYC. Most of our group went to see 'The Statue of Liberty' but Marie and Jer went to Times Square. We took their girls with us.... wasn't that nice of us!!!

After a fun morning seeing the amazing lady in green we got to board our ship. After finding our cabins to be quite roomy and nice Marie needed to find some milk for dear Piper. She asked me to help her track some down with my 'vast' cruise ship knowledge. So we spent a while going up and down elevators and back and forth on the ship to try and find milk! Scott H. Joined us for this little endeavor! We didn't manage to find milk... but we did find the soft serve machine!!!! GO US! I think our family alone could account for one third of the ships soft serve intake for the week!

We had a delicious dinner at our prime seating table (right next to the windows at the back of the ship so we could watch the ocean rise and fall while we tried to keep down our food.) Braden was excited to have fries AND pizza at the same time and decided to make his own creation (pictured in the slide show). Apparently he liked it because he ate the same meal every night of the week almost.

After dinner we spent some more time wandering our new floating hotel. They of course had photo stations set up all over so you would buy their photos for an arm and a leg. They had an old fashion booth set up and I just couldn't resist. I got in trouble (or rather mom did... but that is another story) for snapping personal photos of the kids getting ready... but hey... I bought a few at their outrageous price so I don't feel too bad!

Oh and if you are wondering why there isn't a picture of Scott with the pirate it is because he made me promise not to put the picture on my blog unless I photoshoped out the food stain that was on his shirt and (in his words) "stupid expression" He gave me permission to replace his head with the celebrity of my choice. Like I was going to pass THAT offer up! Wow what a hottie I am married to!


Make sure to come back later in the week to find out what I have in common with Brittany Spears! (not much I assure you)

An Affair to Remember. Day 2: 9-25-09

A family affair at least. The second day of our trip was no less than absolutely AMAZING.

You may think that we just randomly decided to take a family trip and thought a cruise would be fun! Well you would be wrong. The whole thing started because my mother saw a need. She saw two grown girls who had never met their grandmother. She saw a grown man who had not seen his mom in 15 years. She saw a need.... and acted. I suppose I am unique in that not many people can say they lived almost their whole life in the same home as one grandmother, while never knowing anything more than the name of her other grandmother. We didn't even have a picture of this beautiful part of our family tree.

My grandmother Smith lives in New Jersey. This is quite a ways to the East.... like ALL THE WAY East.... And we live "Out in the West!" (Yee haw!) There was only one way to get this clan together.... ROAD TRIP. Oh wait.... we had four little children going with us. And quite frankly NOBODY wanted to drive that far! Gratefully for us we have the modern convenience of AIRPLANES! So we were all going to New Jersey.... but what then!? Several options were discussed.... and then the cruise flier came in the mail!!! Hmm.... a cruise that leaves from New York??? Coincidence.... or Fate!??? So that is how the adventure began. We fly this giant bunch on three separate planes out to NY, drive to Jersey to have the family reunion of a life time, then hop on a ship for 7 days! SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!! There you have it.... a quick background of how this trip came to be. I make it sound like a group effort... but really it was all my wonderful mother. Thank you Mom... You are incredible!

So the second day of our trip we got to meet my 'other' grandmother, Grandma Smith. I could attempt to put this experience in words.... but quite frankly... It would fall short of how incredible this really was! And by the end I would be bawling and gibbering.... so lets just say that it was.... Amazing.... I can think of no other English words to express the love, comfort, forgiveness, joy, connections, and memories that were made that day. After a wonderful day we had to say our goodbyes. They were very hard goodbyes to say. I am grateful that it was 'Goodbye for now - until we meet again'

After our goodbyes we drove back to NY where we witnessed a MIRACLE (as if one in a day isn't enough) We got 2 parking spaces on the edge of Central Park... TOGETHER!!!! We spent a beautiful fall evening walking through the park, after which we drove our two rental vans through Times Square. Yes... you heard it right... DROVE through Times Square... WOW... now there are some NY memories! GO MOM!!!!..... Jer... you drove good too..... And Dad was a pretty awesome photographer hanging most of the way out of the van window. Yeah... the cabies were swearing at mom and waving at dad..... nice.

Anyway... enough boring rambling. Enjoy the selection of photos I chose for you. There are MANY MANY more... but I had to contain myself!

Day 1 - Fly me to the Moon!!!!

Ok..... getting to the moon would probably take longer then just one day..... But getting from Salt Lake City to our hotel in New Jersey DID take a whole day!!!!

I have but one picture for you from this exciting day of travel! lol. I suppose pictures of all our tired bodies hauling around 3 households full of luggage would be pretty exciting... but alas... I was too lazy to drag my camera out and take one.

Basicaly the first day of the trip went something like this (I will give you the Readers Condensed version of this exciting tale) *added later* This was meant to be a condensed version... but I think I failed!!!! So much for that resume I just sent in to RD!

Got up early
Ran through the shower and packed the last minute toiletries and meds away.
Shoved some Costco muffins down for breakfast.
WAY overloaded moms van, piled in, and drove to the airport.
Scott and I had some mis-communication issues and we missed the exit we were looking for... but it turned out well because we found ourselfs at the entrance to Park 'n Jet and decided to go that route (a lenthy discussion the night before had decided we would put the car in long term parking instead..... but we weren't going to argue with fate... so Park 'n Jet is was!)

We got into the airport, checked our bags and were off to security. When we got to security the line was SLIGHTLY longer than we had anticipated.... UH OH! Greatfully before we had time to panic a nice security gentleman came over and hearded us like cows into a seperate security line for people traveling with children! HALELUIAH that the airport knows NOBODY likes to stand in line with a 3 year old. So we were blessed with a quick by pass of the standard security line and got right to the scanners (aren't those so fun Marie.... LOL)

We boarded the plane shortly after arriving at the gate and the plane took off for our final destination of NYC! Once at the Newark airport we rode the elevator a few times before we found our bags and the car rental place.

The most 'exciting' part of the day? Braden almost getting squished in the air train doors... p.s. when they say they are closing they MEAN IT! Greatfully Scott was fast thinking. After he tried to stop the door from closing (it is like an elevator door in looks only) and realizing that the door was winning this push and shove fight he SNATCHED Braden out of harms path and no decapitation was done.

Piling into the rental cars we started our journey to New Jersey. Agnes is mostly UNHELFUL!!!!!! (My fathers beloved GPS.... yeah.... I don't like her so much....) We faught through NYC rush hour traffic and an hour later (or so) found ourselfs at a nice little 'Burger King' in DA HOOD! Serisously.... YIKES! I honestly don't consider myself racist, and all the black people in there didn't phase me one bit..... It was the stragly white guy who barged in, shoved his arm down into the garbage bins fished around (streaching ALL the way to the bottom) and left with a discusted grunt when he found nothing he wanted in them. Uh....yeah..... he scared me....

Back into the car for another run with Agnes. After a few wrong turns... and swiching navigators about 4 times (I finaly ended up with the coveted job.... women and men just can't talk directions to eachother!!!) We were making some head way.

Funniest memory of the day-
Dad kept asking for pit stops.... seriously ... someone should have monitored his liquid intake at the Burger King! Everyone was getting a bit tired of our detours when dad asked sheepishly for yet ANOTHER pit stop.... Mom 'lovingly' said "Hang it out the WINDOW!" Grandma started giggling so bad she was tearing up...... soon the whole car was a laugh mobile. (P.S. Dad didn't get his pit stop..... greatfully he didn't use the window option either!)

After a LONG LONG LONG day of traveling we finaly arrived at the Hotel where we met Marie and Jer and the girls! What a FUN reunion in the hotel hallway! We got to share our travel horror stories of the day before we tucked in for a nice nights rest.

My one and only picture of the day- taken on the plane ride - of my first (and FAVORITE) souvenir or the trip - VODKA!!!!!



Ok... so it was just the bottles... and NO I did not do the drinking! The 'gentleman' in front of us had a few throwbacks on the plane. I saw the bottles and a little light went on in my head! I have a cute little spice rack that I am converting into a 'Bits N Bobs' shelf and I am collecting random sized and shaped little bottles for it. I knew I just HAD to have those two Vodka bottles for my self! Mom asked (in a pleading voice) if I was going to take the labels off. Well..... NO WAY! That is 90% of why I wanted them!!! LOL!

Sheesh... if I have that much to say about the first day that was just traveling.... you are all in for a NOVEL! Oh well... my blog, my journal, my memories! ENJOY!

I'M HOME!!!!!

Ah my home never looked so wonderful to me!!!! I suppose that is what vacation is really all about isn't it. Learning to appreciate what you have in your boring mundane day to day life. Well I had a GREAT, AMAZING, FANTASTIC, FUN FILLED, vacation and LOVED every minute of it!!! (except for maybe the crappy flight home.....) But I must say that this trip made me grateful for the little things.... like;

decent toilet paper
my comfy bed
a family who loves me even when I spend all day sleeping on the couch!
phones
internet
the ability to be in contact with every one at almost any given moment in time
yards!
a laundry machine (I know.... amazing hu!... you will never hear me say that again!)
Church, and being surrounded by people with my same standards!
Solid land!!!!!
My car!
Not having to wait for elevators!
Modest clothing on the people around me!

Seriously though it was a wonderful vacation. THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM!!!!!!!!!!! I had a truly wonderful time!!!!!

Pictures and videos will be coming soon...... but I still have several loads of laundry and a HUGE 'to do' list staring me in the face..... so I will work on it when I can!!!!

Miss A - " Hey Braden, want me to teach you Karate!?"
Mr B - "Yeah"
Miss A - "Wanna know how I learned Karate?"
Mr B - nods energetically
Miss A- "From watching Kung Fu Panda!"
Mr B- in a voice of reverent astonishment "Wow....."


Some moments being a mom is like living with stand up comedians.