What a fabulous time we had in the Caribbean this past weekend as we cruised out of Miami with our wonderful friends Dave and Carrie (San Jose)! After flying to Miami, we met Dave and Carrie at the airport and set out for our hotel right on the beach. That night, we had our first experience riding in a limo as the restaurant sent one to pick us up at our hotel. It may not have been the finest, but it was definitely a lot of fun!

The Kids in the Limo

After spending the night, we boarded the ship on Sunday morning and set sail later that afternoon on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, the largest cruise ship on the waters right now. There were 4000 passengers and 1400 crew members on board the fourteen story ship.

Rowland and I Getting Ready to Board the Ship

William and Jia Set to Board

KeKe Excited(?) to Hit the Ship

The Kids’ Adjoining Room

Carson Enjoying One Last Cell Call

Our first port was San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was “okay.” William’s favorite part of the day was running up and down a beautiful grassy knoll where the fort for the city is located. The adults’ favorite part of the day was sitting in a little courtyard enjoying a nice cold beer! The shopping left much to be desired, as did any beach activities. All in all, it was rather uneventful. After going to bed at 8:10 that night, I was ready for the next port, St. Thomas, early Wednesday morning.

William on the Knoll

Carson Overlooking a Cemetery & the Ocean

The Adults Enjoying a Cold Beer

Narrow Bricked Streets
(Carrie and I: “Ready? Okay!)

Our Fantastic Four

Jia Holding and Feeding the Pigeons - GROSS!

The waters of St. Thomas are absolutely beautiful, and I must say that this was all of our favorite port. We went to Magen’s Bay, voted one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Rowland and Carson rented a kayak, then gave me a turn with Rowland. It was my first time in a kayak, and Rowland was a great teacher. We paddled over to a deserted area and climbed around in the rocks until we realized that our kayak was being swept to sea! The younger kids laughed harder that day than I’ve heard them in a while. They jumped the waves over and over again, while Carrie and I swam out well above my head. Having always been a little afraid of the ocean (too many Shark movies!), it was my first experience going deeper than thigh high. I felt like a little girl as we swam and did flips in the water. I must admit that the margarita that the bartender made me seemed to give me a little shot of courage!! What a beautiful, wonderful time we had!

Carson and Rowland in the Kayak

William Buried Alive

Our last port was St. Maarten, and it was a beautiful little town. As we rode in the taxi boat over to the shopping area, the driver was playing reggae Christian music, Luciano. Fabulous!! We did end up finding a few bootleg copies and are hoping to find some more on line. After shopping in the jewelry stores (yes, Rowland dropped some money on me once again! Lucky girl I am!!!), we had a the best burger EVER on the beach before heading back to the ship.

On the ship, William learned to boogie board on the Wave Rider. He and Carrie were brave and quite talented. Of course, Carrie’s biggest challenge was keeping her bathing suit on!! We all sat and cheered them on as they rode the waves. Kitty made two friends, both from Albuquerque, NM, and stayed at the Kids’ Adventure Club from 10 p.m. until 1:30 a.m., 12:45 a.m., and midnight. Obviously, the girl is major social!! Jia stayed close to me the whole trip, feeling a little nervous on the ship, but she had a blast playing in the water in the water park on board. She also fell in love with Dave and even practiced her flirtatious moves and giggles with him! William swam a lot and ate a ton of pizza while Carson saw every show in the big theater and saw every movie in the on-board movie theater. The boat had an ice skating rink in the middle, and while none of us actually skated, we did enjoy the fantastic show.

Kitty Fresh Out of Kids’ Adventure

The Girls Enjoying the Water

William on the Boogie Board

Carrie After a Great Ride!

Of course, Rowland worked out each morning while I caught a few extra ZZZZZs before breakfast. He and I enjoyed our late night dining with Carrie and Dave in the formal dining area and often had a glass of wine after dinner in one of the many bars on the ship. We definitely enjoyed too much food, too much drink, and lots of never-enough laughter with our dear friends.

Vintage for Our Nightly Before Dinner Wine

Presentation AND Tasty!

Decadent Desserts

Farewell Party in the Dining Room

Once we departed the ship and hugged our friends good-bye on Sunday, we headed to the Jungle Park in Miami where we met TONS of the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen. William and Kitty were able to participate in one of the shows, which was a real treat, while Jia sat next to me and took pictures. Carson was able to get lost even in the Park (as he was most of the time on board the ship) and enjoyed the animals as well. The monkeys were entertaining, as they always are, and the petting zoo was full of goats. One goat ate holes in my shirt, giving me the opportunity to go shopping for a new one!

At the end of a long day, we settled into our Miami hotel to sleep for a few hours before getting up at 3:00 a.m. to catch our 6:00 flight. We came home to fresh snow, mounds of laundry, and our cozy beds. Tonight, it’s great to be home. I love vacation, but I always long to come home to Colorado, my favorite place in the whole world!

Bathing suit shopping! Ugh! Gross! Depressing!! As I’ve gotten older (yes, 43 now), I have grown to hate bathing suit shopping more and more. Shorts - bad enough! Jeans - torturous! Bathing suits - should be outlawed once you hit 40! There are some things in life that you shouldn’t have to deal with for your entire life. My thighs are the least attractive part of my anatomy (which I know really scares some of you who’ve seen my nose and my chesticles!). Where do you put them in a bathing suit? You can’t hide them. Those legs are just hanging out for the world to see. Of course, so are my chesticles as well as my upper arms. Isn’t it bad enough that my husband has to look at them? Why does the rest of the world have to to be tortured as well?

At 19, I thought I looked fat in my skimpy bikini. At 28, I knew that I looked fat in my skimpy bikini. At 38, I didn’t really go for the bikini at all but felt pretty cute in my one piece. At 43…….not so much! It seems to me that once you have your first hot flash, you should automatically be exempt from wearing bathing suits. There should be something really cute like leggings and a cute little tunic top that you get to graduate to once peri-menopause hits. Some kind of reward for turning older should be given. Those over-40 should not have the same requirements as those under 40 and certainly not the same requirements as those under 30!

This afternoon and tonight, little Kitty, Hollie (my 18 year old surrogate daughter), and I had a girls’ night. We shopped and ate and went to see a movie. We laughed and had a wonderful time together. Truly! Then, right before the movie, I lost my ever-lovin’ mind and went bathing suit shopping. Those tankinis looked pretty cute from the waist up. The problem was that I couldn’t find the leggings that went with them! I called Rowland in the middle of the store and cried. Yes, I actually cried while shopping! Anything that makes you cry at a store shouldn’t be in the store! Shopping is therapy; it doesn’t send you to therapy! Stinks! The only bright side of the traumatic experience is that now I’ll have something to discuss with my therapist when I go tomorrow! Thanks, bathing suits!

(And, no, there will be no pictures attached to this rant!)

Anything you want…we can make it happen
Stand up and turn around
Never let them shoot us down
Never….Never….Never Run Away!!!
- Heart

Those of you who’ve known Rowland and me for any length of time know that we’ve had some major peaks in our relationship and some MAJOR valleys! Our commitment to our relationship as we’ve walked through those valleys of darkness has never completely disappeared, thankfully! Someone once described me as a “pit bull” in relationships because I hold on for all I have in me. Fortunately, Rowland’s a fighter as well! And God has truly given us the endurance to make it through the last 15+ years together. We’ve definitely come out stronger on this side and have a closer bond than we ever thought possible. He’s my rock, and I’m his, and nothing (especially Satan’s prowling around!) is going to shoot us down!

However, sometimes dates and times cause a few problems! As I wrote in an earlier post, we showed up for the Heart concert a night early. It was great, though, because we were able to have two nights out in a row. Hmmm…..wonder if that was REALLY a mistake on my precious husband’s part…..

We dressed up again on Saturday night and headed to the concert where we had fabulous seats at the Wells Fargo Theatre. We were only twelve rows back and on the outside - plenty of dancing room! Ann and Nancy Wilson definitely came to give a show worth singing and dancing through. They didn’t pull any new songs out of their hats but played every song you’d identify with them through the years. College days were swarming in my heart!

We go to concerts often, really often. I’ve figured out that a concert is a perfect date for us. Rowland absolutely loves good, classic rock (and some country). He watches every lick on the guitar, every beat of the drum, listens to all the cool musical movements happening. I, on the other hand, love to sing and dance. While he’s tuned in to the musical expertise, his precious wife is acting like a fool next to him, shaking what she’s got and singing with all her might. I kept thinking that Ann and Nancy would hear me, see my amazing moves, and call me on stage to hand me a mic!

Well, no mic, and no one asked Rowland to rip a guitar lead either, but we had a blast - once again! Great memories!! Great time!! Hot night with my handsome man!!! And the knowledge that neither one of us will ever let them shoot us down!!!!

A Little Last Minute Mending of My New Jeans
(Rowland: “Starting early, huh?”)

I love that Man……Truly!!

Nowhere More Secure Than in His Arms!

On March 1st, William celebrated his 10th birthday. Actually, he celebrated for three days! Uncle TB and Aunt Karla were here on Friday night so we went to Parry’s Pizza for our family birthday party. It was so wonderful having family here! We topped off the night with chocolate birthday cake (yes, Momma, my kids do like chocolate!) especially made by Jia. He loved his game from Nana and Pop, his remote control mouse from Uncle TB and Aunt Karla, his new bike from Mommy and Daddy, and the money he got in the mail from other family.

Then, on Saturday, the celebration continued. Three little boys came over to spend the night. Rowland and our neighbor Joe took the boys to Pizza Hut where I’m certain the other patrons enjoyed the noise that accompanied their evening out. After pizza, the boys went to see The Pink Panther, then came home to more cake and gift-opening, followed by a sleepover.

William had had a blast so far, but the celebration didn’t stop there. All of the boys went to church with us where, as luck would have it, I GOT TO be their Sunday School teacher! They actually were wonderful and went out to lunch with us for the final phase of birthday weekend. William’s Double Digit Birthday was definitely a hit with him! Thanks to everyone who made it so special!

The Most Motliest of Crews!!

You buy tickets to a Heart concert. You work out a babysitter, and you tell your wife all about the date you have lined out. You and your wife get all dressed up and go out to dinner, then drive all the way to downtown Denver for the concert. As you pass the Paramount Theater where the concert is being held, you comment, “It sure is dark……Today is the 7th, isn’t it?” (Wife: “No, honey, it’s the 6th!) Enough said!

All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go!