The NCL Jade

I had forgotten that I love cruise ships. I was all prepared for cheesy entertainment, dark tiny rooms, uncomfortable beds and food that was kinda good.

It was so nice to get on the ship, not wait in any lines, head up to out room and find an awesome balcony, big room and comfy beds.

We sat on the balcony as we sailed away from Venice, getting a great view of the city. We met our neighbors, some Brits on their 50th wedding anniversary. They were great, they thought we were newly-weds. I loved them. Kelly and the guy visited all week when they hung out on the balcony.

The Food

NCL has all of these dining options that you can choose from, some you pay extra for and then the complimentary food. Kelly and I are cheapskates so we never opted for the pay extra restaurants. I don't feel like we missed out though. We had great food every day, Breakfast was fresh fruits, omelets, breads, whatever. Lunch and dinner were great too and I always like the chance to try new food and not feel bad if I only take one bite. My new favorite food that I thought I hated is Bread Pudding. They had a different kind every night and I could not get enough.

The Entertainment

The entertainment was pretty great. There was a creepy magician, I mean, Really Creepy, and a Horrible lounge singer from Italy who apparently sang a Pavarotti's wedding (Maybe as a joke or something) but otherwise I was really impressed. I usually feel like it is a total waste of time to go to shows but not this go round.

They also had basketball tournaments, salsa dancing classes, a show tunes night, and a big band night. There was always tons to do. The pool was a great temperature and the hot tubs were rarely crowded.

One of the best things was at the end of the cruise Kelly and I walked off with our bags while we passed tons of people disputing their bills at the front desk. I guess they were shocked that they drank so much alcohol!

I LOVE to cruise!

Cruisin' with Kelly

Kelly has been dying to go on a Mediterranean cruise for a while now and we finally had one that worked. It was very last minute, very cheap and everything fell into place.

Amber (the kids' second mommy) was able to come stay at the house and babysit, Jac went to her mom's and that left Kelly and I to enjoy a 7 night cruise.

We left out of Venice on Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Venice is a great one day visit. We landed, went to the ship, dropped our stuff and headed out on a water shuttle bus to Piazza San Marco. It it a huge square where all of the tourists mill around feeding the pigeons, looking at the beautiful cathedral and other old buildings and eating at the little cafes that line the square.

The cafes all have string quartets playing classical music. You really can't beat the ambiance. But this is not my favorite part of Venice, this is.......

The little bridges that cross the small winding canals and looking up at the people's laundry hanging out the windows and the winding streets that are pedestrian only. The gelato rocks too, but my life does not revolve around food....I swear.

So we wandered around Venice, got cherries at the produce market on the grand canal and sat and watched boats go up and down The Grand Canal. After our refreshing break, we meandered back to the ship peeking in store windows, and trying to catch glimpses of peoples gardens.

Day one started out great, and the trip just got better from here.

Today

Today I am grateful for.......
1. Cameron who, through his special artistic Sharpie skills, has opened the door for me to reacquaint myself with Mr Clean and all of his magical erasing. Mr Clean is amazing and bald+really good at getting marker off=sexy.
2. Ryan who reminds me of me when I was little which reminds me of what a good mom I had, which reminds me that I should be as good to her as my mom was to me.
3. Jannica who is so independent and so good at getting herself up and ready in the morning and never complains about it.
4. Kelly who always makes sure I get a special garden ornament every Mother's Day. "The kids were so excited to get this for you, they just kept putting it in the basket!" Right.

Sweet girls

Jannica has been working on her Faith in God book for church and has to work through some goals and activities. One of the challenges is that the girl is supposed to give the prayer in Sacrament meeting or FHE and then talk to a leader or parent about it. So, Jac, who is never shy about praying in public had no problem with the first part. She is not a big sharer of private info (or maybe I am not and so we don't talk enough). So, I asked her about prayer and how she felt about it and how praying makes her feel. She told me that she knows when she prays, Heavenly Father is listening. I asked her how she knew and she told me that on days when she is feeling lonely or wondering why she is here with us, she says a prayer in her heart and can feel a warm happy feeling all over her body, like she is being hugged and she knows this is where she is supposed to be.
MY JAC ROCKS!
Ryan and I were planting the garden and we were talking about how seeds grow. She was planting them and talking to them like they were her babies. She was quiet for a minute and then asked if Heavenly Father put her in my tummy. I said "no, he sent your spirit to earth and gave you a big hug and said good luck sweet heart, kissed you on the forhead and sent you to me." She smiled and then said, "Mom, I feel like he is doing that to me right now."
MY RYAN ROCKS!
Man, my girls are so sweet! I am so lucky to have girls that love each other and love their Father in Heaven so much. I know he loves them too, cause his spirit is with them so often.

Just not when they are freaking out over getting in trouble or telling each other they are going to "punch you in the face".

But that is rare, I got it pretty good.

And then came Cameron.......

Redneck Sledding

Living in the South, we really don't have a sled waiting around for us to use. But there are a few days every once in a while where it would be very useful. So we grabbed a slim piece of wood, added two laundry baskets, piled the kids in, and threw it down the driveway. Pretty? No. But it worked. That was until Cameron decided to get out and face planted into the ice. After two stitches, he was fine and back sledding again.

Taco Bell $1 Menu Challenge

Yesterday, Mike (a guy I work with) and I decided to take the Taco Bell $1 Menu Challenge. It consists of everything on the $1 menu including, Cheesy Nachos (280 calories), Cinnamon Twists (180) , a Soft Taco (210), a Hard Taco (170), a Crispy Potato Soft Taco (280), a Cheese Roll-Up (200), a Caramel Apple Empanada (310), a Grilled Chicken Burrito (430), and a 20 ounce Mountain Dew (280). 2400 calories of pure Taco Bell goodness.
I'm happy to say, that I took it down no problem. Now, was it a smart idea? Probably not. Especially if you are a co-worker.

If Cameron dies.......

Yes, this is included in many a conversation with Ryan lately. I am beginning to worry.

Ryan: Can we get a new cat?

Me: No, we kill cats, remember? No more cats for us.

Ryan: Well, can we get a dog?

Me: No, we are not getting any more pets.

Ryan: Hey! I know! When Cameron dies, we can get a new cat!

Me: (Trying not laugh and not be horrified) Cameron is not going to die, we are not getting any more pets.

In tonight's bath...

Ryan: What is a mummy anyway?

Me: A mummy is when the Egyptians wrapped up dead people in cloths.

Ryan: So, when Cameron dies, we can wrap him up?

Me: Cameron is not going to die! And people don't do that anymore.

Ryan: Oh...

Ryan LOVES Cameron, but I think this whole cat thing was a little more traumatic than I thought.

BTW those sweet cats left fleas in my house. Any suggestions?

Since we are on the subject of bugs... Jannica came home and told me she thinks our house is "invested" with ants.

Turns out it was. Fun Friday night of killing ants and emptying the pantry.