Seizin' the Day

2012-01-31T07:32:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately, not all thing go away if you just ignore them...

2012-01-27T12:55:00.001-06:00

I just found out Mi Abuelito passed away in Mexico. My heart hurts for my Daddy and my Tios & Tias. I'm tired of people dying.

2012-01-26T16:02:00.001-06:00

Just left the work 401K meeting feeling more stupid than I was before when it comes to financial stuff. #beingagrownuphurtsmyhead

2012-01-23T18:55:00.001-06:00

So Nash just said Hi and touched my shoulder as he left the court. #yeshestillmakesmesmile

2012-01-21T17:07:00.001-06:00

Realizing I was an amazing intern...but not so amazing at teaching interns. #pleasedonttakemyjob ;)

2012-01-19T08:43:00.001-06:00

So if one wants their truck to start in the morning, one should not leave the keys in the ignition. #youlearnsomethingneweveryday ;)

2012-01-10T22:58:00.001-06:00

Date is set...place is set...now to pick a color! :) #254days

2012-01-04T21:54:00.001-06:00

Khloe & Kim just passed me... #thingsthatmakeyougohmm #gomavs

2012-01-01T19:08:00.001-06:00

Sitting in the backseat with My Love asleep on my lap...after a great quick weekend in NOLA with future family... #greatwaytostart2012

MAGICal Doesn't Even Come Close to Describing It...

2011-09-22T16:02:00.029-05:00

Yes it's about 2 months late but unfortunately, reality got in the way of updating My recent 12-Day Mediterranean Cruise on the Carnival Magic. After rewriting/rereading this 10,300+ word post, I think it's more entertaining (to me anyway) than actually helpful. Get comfortable and enjoy. :)

Saturday, July 23, 2011

So of course I woke up at my body clock time of 6:11 in the AM. Super excited to begin my 12 day journey to places I have never seen before. By 7:30 I had already re-packed for the last time and I was ready to hit the road to the airport…finally 10:45 came around and my Momma and I were on our way!

We arrived at the airport and saw Monica’s smiling face just hanging out with a pile of luggage. Soon Debbie appeared and our party was almost complete. A few mins later, Stephanie found us and the trip we were about to take finally seemed real. :) Our cruised was booked a year ago, but only in that moment that I believed that I was going on it!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are now living in a time where all flights are completely PACKED! I am not a fan of this, but that’s just the way it is. Our first flight was to Atlanta and it was packed with kids on their way to Disneyworld. This is great for the…who doesn’t love Disneyworld??? I can’t tell you what I don’t love…and hour and a half of a little girl kicking the back of my seat. But whatever…I was very grateful that his was on the short flight…not the 9 hour (or something like that) flight to Barcelona.

The flight wasn’t bad at all. It consisted mostly of sleeping, watching a couple of movies and dinner and then breakfast. (Note: Flying on Delta with our own personal T.V.s and such was way better than the American flight on the way back without such things.)

Our first panic of the trip came when we never saw Debbie and Monica get off of the plane. Security officers even assured us that there was no one left on the plane and that there was only one way off the plane. So…Momma, Steph and I went ahead and went through immigration. Still no Monica and Debbie. So…we went ahead and got our luggage. Still no Monica and Debbie. After about 20 minutes or so, of thinking “they just disappeared,” they showed up. Ya see, there were 2 ways off the plane…they took the other one.

Next we got all of our bags and headed to the shuttle that would take us to the pier where we would find, in its inaugural season in its inaugural season, The Carnival Magic…a truly fitting name since it was now noon on the following day because of the time change. :)

Sunday, July 24, 2011

After getting off the shuttle, Momma and I were able to walk straight to the V.I.P. lounge, where we were giving our Sail & Sign cards (our currency on the ship for the next 12 days) and our V.I.P. boarding passes, and walked straight on to the ship. Our cards are Platinum. This means that any crew member acts way nicer (which is slightly impossible, since they are already incredibly amazing) to you. This also means that we’ve been on a least 10 Carnival cruises…honestly I think I’m closer to 20 at this point. ;)

Anyways, we get on the ship and head to the Lido deck, where lunch is waiting for us. We hung out for the next hour and a half on the deck watching a Kenny Chesney concert on the huge poolside movie theatre screen. That’s right… I was sitting on a cruise ship…soaking up the Sun…in Barcelona, Spain…with a fruity umbrella-ed drink in my hand…while Kenny Chesney sang to me!!! …Yes, this was pretty close to perfection for me…and I’m good if Heaven is anything just like it. ;)

Around 1:30 we headed to our stateroom, where I got a much needed shower and an even more needed nap to get rid of that nasty jet lag. Mission accomplished!

After a quick safety drill, it was on to the Spa, where I got an amazing bamboo massage from a wonderful lady from South Africa. The ship was now moving and on its way to the French Riviera.

After the massage, I headed back to my stateroom and got dressed for dinner in the Southern Lights Dining Room. The five of us got the most amazing table by the window where we can watch the sunset every night. The view alone was worth the price of admission…almost. ;)

Tonight’s dinner consisted of tropical fruits marinated in a hint of tequila and lime, chicken tenders with candied peanuts over mixed greens, a flat-iron steak, cooked perfectly, with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. For dessert, I went with the assorted cheese plate (Danish bleu, Swiss, brie, Gouda and Port Sault)…and a hot chocolate. :)

Debbie, Monica and Stephanie headed back to their room after dinner, while Momma and I wondered to the Casino…Momma was ready to hit the slot machine! I wasn’t quite ready to gamble, so I made my way to the main gift shop to check out the Goods. I found some good stuff in the “Duty Free” shop, but decided to wait ‘til the end of the cruise to buy…that is if I have any money left. ;)

I walked back through the casino to see how Momma was doing…she was enjoying herself at the slots…so I made my way to “Vibes” (the night club on the ship) where the Reggaeton was bumpin’. :)

The music was great…but I do believe most people on the ship were pretty worn-out and decided to skip-out on the first night of late-night fun. So after my Bailey’s on the rocks, served by a most handsome bartender, in a most fitted black V-neck T, was gone, I went back to the Casino to retrieve Momma and call Day 1 ---a night at 12:10 in the AM. Such a great way to start our trip!

Monday, July 25, 2011

We started out our day by going to breakfast in the Southern Lights Dining Room, next to a family of 5 from Los Angeles…unfortunately; their luggage did NOT make the trip with them to Barcelona yet. (Turns out, their luggage doesn’t arrive til Wednesday.)

Breakfast was great! (French toast, bacon and hashbrowns...yum!) Watching the ship pull into Monaco was truly an awesome sight…we’re definitely not in Texas anymore. ;)

After breakfast, we headed to the Showtime Theatre where we hung out until we were able to get off the ship and on to our excursion for the day. We got on Tour Bus #3 with a group of 49 guests.

David from Cannes was our tour guide for the day through the French Riviera, along the Promenade de Anglais.

Today’s tour was called: The Colours of the Riviera. Tours are great on a bus because you can see a ton of things you may never get around to seeing in a very short period of time. The bad thing about a bus tour (for me anyways) is that I get car sick if I’m not towards the front…thankfully, we were towards the front. :) I quickly found out that the French Riviera is made up of a ton of winding (narrow) roads on hills. I have MUCH respect for the drivers of these huge your buses. I think all the people on scooters are mad crazy, weaving in and out of traffic…and yet I envy them as well. ;)

Our first stop was in NICE, France. Here Stephanie and I headed straight down to the stone-filled beach and dipped our feet into the beautiful water...slightly chilling and refreshing, and totally with it.

We had a few mins to check out the “downtown” area. Usually there’s a flower market there. Because it was Monday though, there was a flea market there instead. Our “old” stuff back in the States has nothing on the “old” stuff here. :) I saw a lot of cool things but nothing I had to have. Momma did buy a cool necklace from a French woman. This necklace will be known as her “Necklace from France.” :)

After a head count at the fountain in the square, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Village of EZE.

This is a beautiful old Medieval village made up of many cobblestone steps and cavernous corridors. Nowadays, these corridors are shops filled with jewelry and art. Here I purchased my first souvenir, a leather pouch with colorful flowers…perfect to hold my jewelry while traveling. (spoiler alert: I end up buying several pieces of jewelry throughout this trip.) These were some serious steps so Momma and Debbie opted out and enjoyed gelato at the bottom of the Village of Eze. I think they enjoyed this very much in the sun-shiny weather. :)

Back on the bus…Next time we get off the bus we will be in MONACO!

We got to what they call Monaco Rock and headed down a side street to an Italian ristorante to have lunch. Here I had my first wine of the trip. We had yummy roasted chicken and “family style” sides.

I also had my first ever Tiramisu and first ever Espresso.

After lunch we started on our walking tour of the country of Monaco.

Fun Fact: Monaco is the second smallest Principality in the world.

We saw the Oceanographic Museum and where Princess Caroline lives (she happened to be home since there were policemen surrounding the place). On July 2^nd of this year, Prince Albert got married. There were souvenirs everywhere celebrating this event. The last Royal Wedding in Monaco happened by in the 1950s, between Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly.

There were historical pictures throughout “The Rock.” We saw the Courthouse that was still decorated in honor of the recent wedding with the national flag as well as the Zimbabwe flag…since the new Princess is from there.

We went into the Cathedral where all the Royalty of Monaco is buried…including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.

Down another street we ended up at the Main Square and the Palace. This is where Prince Albert and his New Princess Bride live. On both sides of the Palace were amazing views.

We had a few mins of free time before we had to meet back with the group, so Steph and I decided to do some “speed souvenir shopping.” I purchased a “blingy” Monaco purse and a Monaco Formula One Gran Prix track jacket. Stephanie bought a couple of bracelets and Monica bought some truffles. :)

We met back at the “Yellow Submarine”…Jacques Cousteau’s…not the Beatles’ ;)

…got back on the bus and we were on our way to our final stop of our excursion…MONTE CARLO!

No pictures were allowed inside the Casino and they made sure of this by checking our cameras. It cost 10 euro to get in but it was something we definitely had to do while we were here. :) I didn’t do so well at the slot machines but I wasn’t the only one. Monica was the only one to come out on top at the slots…speaking of slots, when you first enter the Monte Carlo Grand Casino, they have an amazing collection of super old “one-armed-bandits.” They were truly works of art. Jus washing into Monte Carlo felt like we were entering a James Bond movie. ;)

I could not leave Monte Carlo without playing at least 1 hand of Blackjack. So I put down my minimum bet of 25 euro and about 6 hands later I walked out of there up 65 euro (I even got 2 Blackjacks!!) thus my purse and jacket were FREE…and let me tell you, that’s pretty amazing, considering NOTHING is FREE on the French Riviera! :) Back to the Bus and then back to the Ship…we crossed the starting line of the Gran Prix en route…going super slow though. ;)

This was an amazing day and a great 1^st Port. I definitely would love to return to the French Riviera in the future.

Back to the room to get cleaned up and dressed for dinner. I then went down to the bar on the Promenade Deck for a martini tasting. During this, I got to taste 4 different kinds of martinis. Believe me, this is not an easy task to do before dinner. I even had to call in Stephanie to help me finish up. :)

Off to the Southern Lights Dining Room for our second night of fabulous dining with our team of waiters: Luis, from El Salvador, Juan, from Peru, and Blago, from Macedonia.

After I finished my hot chocolate, I headed back to my room and crashed pretty quickly…I think the four martinis assisted in this. ;)

Au revoir Monaco and the rest of the French Riviera!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

We had another early start aw we arrived to the port of CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy. After breakfast we (and about 3,000 of the 4, 085 other guests) boarded a bus for the 1 ½ hour trip to Rome.

Once into Roma, our first stop was at the Trevi Fountain.

Fun Fact: Tossing a coin into Trevi Fountain is supposed to ensure you return to the Eternal City…Born in 753 BC. I tossed two in…perhaps this means we were staying for good. :)

There were hundreds, possibly thousands of people surrounding it trying to take pictures and tossing coins in. Of course I had to do this as well.

Momma and I did this pretty quickly, then headed into one of the shops on the Square and got in “cue” aka line for the restroom. Unfortunately, this took forever, and by the time we got back to our “meeting place,” our group and guide were nowhere to be found. A slight panic came over my Mom. Of course she was worried about being separated from the group in a sea of people…and possibly pickpockets. Lol

Thankfully, about 5 mins later, I saw our group leader, Pina and we hustled down ancient, cobblestone streets and eventually caught up with rest of Group #39…thanks to Stephanie for letting her know that we were left behind. The rest of the group and the Guide had NO CLUE that we were even missing.

We walked to Venice Square where we saw the monument in honor of Italy’s first King.

Next we walked along Imperial Forums Avenue. The ruins of these places and monuments are truly incredible! Further down the road The Colosseum came into view. I work at Cowboys Stadium with one of the largest (maybe the largest) HD screens in the world. You can keep all that. The Colosseum was truly breath taking. To think we were standing where Gladiators and Emperors once stood. Our current system of stadium entrance and numbering of seats etc. all came from this place right here. In the States we tear down buildings after 20 or 30 years. This place has been around since 70-80 A.D.!!!! So amazing!

Right outside The Colosseum was also the Arch of Constantine (another amazing structure). I’ve never really been into architecture, but seeing this stuff is truly inspiring…except for the fact that all these things were created on the blood, sweat, tears, backs and bones of slaves. Unfortunately history is not always pretty…even if the final results are.

Next up was lunch in a great little Roman restaurant where we had the most INCREDIBLE 10-layer lasagna I have EVER tasted. I’m calling it right now that THIS was the greatest meal of this entire 12 Day Trip! (I was right.) ;)

Normally, I do not drink wine or eat Tiramisu, BUT “When in Rome…” We totally ate like Romans…with no regrets at all. ;)

This restaurant was sort of away from the main tourist-type areas, which is cool, except for the fact that all the stores around it were closed. Apparently July and August is when Romans tend to take their Holiday…and therefore close up their shops. Roma was quite busy today, but according to Pina (our guide) this was NOTHING. In fact, this is the best and less crowded time to come since a lot of locals are gone on vacation.

Back on the bus we got. Next stop along the Tiber River, passing Tiberine Island, was St. Peter’s Square and The Vatican. Oh my goodness what a sight to see! What I was looking at didn’t even seem real. The statues, the detail, the gold, the marble…so incredible!

Fun Fact: Vatican City is the smallest and most expensive Principality in the World.

While standing in the cue to go through security we passed under/by Bernini’s Papal canopy called Baldacchino, where the Pope does his Easter Mass, etc. The Square was pretty packed today. I can’t imagine what it’s like on Easter or Christmas.

At security, I had to put on my sweater over my dress and Stephanie had to make sure her dress came down past her knees. Shoulders and knees MUST be covered when entering St. Peter’s Basilica. The gold-ness and the ornate-ness immediately blow you away when you pass through the doors. Stephanie, Monica and I turned to the right and there it was, behind the glass, Michelangelo’s (yes that Michelangelo…not the pizza-loving, orange Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) marble masterpiece, The Pieta (1498-1499).

Fun Fact: It wasn't always behind glass. Not too long ago a nut-job somehow brought in a hammer and tried and succeeded in chipping off a piece of the statue.

We spent the next 10 mins trying to take all of the Basilica in. i'm fairly certain that you could be here for weeks and not see every detail.

We had about 7 mins to head back down the street to our bus...but first, I had to jump into the Vatican Gift Shop where I got myself the most perfect and dainty cross. (Crosses are something that I've recently started collecting while traveling.)

Back to the bus...where we would begin our 90 min trip back to the port. We passed by The Colosseum once more. We also passed the Roman Forum, the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and Circus Maximus. What an amazing tour!

Meanwhile, back in the motorcoach...with TEN minutes left in our journey back to the port...the bus breaks down!!!...like "it ain't goin' nowhere down. " So we got off the bus and laughed with Pina on the side of the road as we waited for another bus to "rescue" us.

Pina blames herself...just that morning, she had told the driver that in 27 years of tour guiding, she never had any problems. She totally jinxed us! ;)

We did make it back to the ship. :)

Back to the room for a quick change.

Fun Fact: I am sitting on the Lido Deck with Stephanie...

...writing this, while Gladiator is playing on the huge Seaside Theater above the pool...how apropos. :)

Dinner was once again great and after my required hot chocolate, we headed to do some Karaoke. I did a little "Old Time Rock n' Rock"...and the crowd went wild!...well at least MY crowd of Debbie, Stephanie, Monica and Momma went wild. ;)

We kept the party going and went to Vibes nightclub...here we taught "The Cupid Shuffle" to a group from St. Thomas...and we all learned to "Wobble" from two of the crew members. Monica led us in "We Are Family" and we finally called it a night after "Murder She Wrote." :)

Another great day, followed by another good night! :)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Another early morning of waking up to get ready for our excursion from the port of LIVORNO. The plan of the day was to head to the beach and then see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So I took a shower and went ahead and put on sunscreen before breakfast. The funny thing about having plans is that God and Mother Nature sometimes have different ones. ;) Our beach day was cancelled because it was too cold and there was a pretty huge chance that it was going to rain. The day wasn’t completely shot though. The good people at Carnival got us on another excursion super quickly (as in we had about 10 mins to ditch the beach gear and put on some walking shoes).

Forty mins later we arrived at Miracle Square.

Here we saw the Pisano Romanesque-style Cathedral and the most amazing circular Baptistery.

Here, we were treated to a very special demonstration of the building’s acoustics. I can’t really explain what we heard, but I do know I could listen to it all day long. :)

Oh yeah, we also saw the world famous Leaning Tower of Pisa…a very cool sight to see. We found out from our guide that it’s not done leaning and that every few years they pull it back the other way. There’s also a ton of steps reaching the top of the tower. We did not do this. The Guide wondered why people would pay…just to get tired. ;)

We had a few mins of free time…I got my ITALIA hoodie (and 4 euro worth of grapes)…just in time for the rain to start coming down. Momma got a pretty cool Pisa umbrella and we were on our way back to the Magic as the rain poured harder. So glad that we got to see Pisa today…and that the rain came after. :)

We got back on board and went to the Lido Deck where we had lunch and decided to check out the Pasta Bar at the Cucina di Capitan. So glad we did! I had super tasty bowtie pasta with alfredo and Italian sausage.

The rain continued to come down so the obvious choice for the rest of the afternoon was to take one of the best naps ever! Naps are pretty amazing…too bad I only get to experience them on vacation. :)

After a nap, we decided to try some trivia. Although we’ve been blessed to travel to a lot of places, Steph and I were pretty stumped when it came to international geography…but, Monica found her new favorite drink…behold, the Virgin Strawberry Piña Colada. :)

After dinner we headed to the Showtime Theatre where we watched our first “Big Show” of the cruise called “Groove Line.” It was really good and had a ton of great songs from the 70’s. A lot of fun was had by all tonight!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

“There ain’t no rest for the wicked…”as they say. :)

Today we stopped in NAPLES aka Napoli. Stephanie and I decided that we would tackle hiking to the top of Mt. Vesuvius and visit what was left of the Roman city of Pompeii. Momma took the day off from excursions and Debbie and Monica checked out Sorrento and the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Our first stop though was to a cameo factory…I bought a beautiful necklace with my initial on it. Fun Fact: Cameos are carved from shells that are made up of 3 layers. Watching the Master Carver was pretty cool. No two cameos are alike here since they are all hand-carved. :)

The bus took us up the winding road to Mt. Vesuvius at about 3,000 ft up…they dropped us off and we hiked another 1,000 ft to the top of the crater. Um yeah, I live in Dallas…it’s flat here and I drive EVERYWHERE…but this is something I’m so glad I did.

Granted, I was slower than most of the folks we were with …I blame my short legs…and the fact I don’t hike…EVER. ;) The other tricky past was the altitude. At one point I wasn’t sure if it was my lungs or heart that needed air. :) But the view at the top made it all worth it!

At the top we stopped for a moment and brought a couple of things, including a necklace for Monica’s birthday next week made of lava rock. Then our group got together and our Guide, Stefano, told us about this STILL ACTIVE VOLCANO.

However, Fun Fact: the last time it erupted was during WWII…so any pictures you see with it erupting are pretty old. The crater was amazing to see and the steam coming from several places was very cool to see as well. The weather was amazing up there, since it was about 15 degrees cooler up there.

After our short stay at the top, we had to turn around and make our way back down. This was of course much easier to me than the trip up. The one scary thing was that the path was made up of loose soil and gravel. SO it was easy to lose your footing at times. Stephanie was worried about her knee but thankfully we both made it to the bottom without wiping out. :)

Before getting back in the bus, we took advantage of the Pay Toilets. They were the cleanest things I have ever seen. I am all for the Pay Porta Potty in the State…that way they wouldn’t be nearly as nasty to use. There was even fresh clean running water to wash your hands with. Who would have thunk that a toilet at the bottom of a volcano in Italy would be cleaner than one outside the American Airlines Center on New Year’s Eve? But enough about toilets. ;)

On our way back to the bus we stopped at a fruit stand where we bought peaches from this smooth-talking 12 year old Italian boy…with a huge diamond stud in his ear. Instead of getting our change back from him, tried to sell us the rest of the stand. But we did finally get out money. ;)

Back in the bus and back down the winding narrow road. We were not the only bus on the road today. I’m pretty sure we passed at least 20 more going up as we were coming down. We even saw one way get to close to the wall (keeping cars from falling off a cliff) and scrape the entire side of his rented car. OUCH! Lol

One very cool thing about this road was that on almost every other curve, there was some sort of statue carved from lava rock.

When we reached the entrance of Pompeii, we had a few mins to eat something.

Fun Fact: Pizza was “invented” in Naples around the 1860s. Margarita Pizza was created in honor of Princess Margarita. The ingredients were to represent each color of the Italian flag. Red = Tomatoes, White = Cheese and Green = Basil. So, it was only fitting that Stephanie and I shared Margarita pizza and Gelato in Napoli for lunch. :)

On to Pompeii we went…

This is probably the most famous excavation in the world. At one time 20,000 people lived in the town of Pompeii. In 79 A.D., there was a horrifying eruption of Mt Vesuvius that killed 2,000 people 20 ft of ashes and pumice stone covered the town. A lot of this has been removed over the last 200 years. It was very interesting to see remains of “everyday” life. The houses and shops (i.e. bakery, laundry, etc) had mosaic floors and painted frescos on the walls that are still very much intact.

We were able to walk through these places and even touch the artistry. We also saw two of their theatres. The stages were gone because they were made of wood and therefore burned in the eruption…but the rows and rows of seating made of limestone were still in great shape.

We even saw a couple of plaster casts of locals at the moment of asphyxiation. So crazy to think that something that was created so so so long ago, is still around for us to experience.

Just as we were wrapping up our tour of the town, we saw several huge lightening strikes and were thankful that we has done the Vesuvius thing earlier in the say and so we only got a few drops of rain on us as we were walking back to the bus. This was another great day of excursions. I never knew I wanted to see these places, or that I would ever get the opportunity to, but I’m so glad we did. :)

After we got back to the ship, Steph and I went our separate ways for a bit and I went back to my stateroom. I was super glad to get a shower after this long dusty day. :) I ordered room service and a movie from Carnival’s “On-Demand” system. I watched Hall Pass. WARNING: this is not a movie you want to watch with your mom. Thankfully, she fell asleep about halfway through. ;)

After our lazy afternoon, we went to dinner and had a low-key night since we’ve been doing some major walking for the last 4 days. :)

Friday, July 29, 2011

Whoo hoo! We finally made it to a relaxing “Day at Sea.” Don’t get me wrong, I have loved everything we’ve done and have seen, but man these first 4 days have been a serious “working” vacation. Thankfully, I’ve walked off a ton of what I’ve eaten this week. ;)

Momma and I met the others for breakfast on the Lido deck at the Pool at the very back of the Ship. At 9 in the morning the pool and chairs were already completely packed on this beautiful sunny “day off.”

A little later we went to the Showtime Theatre to do some “Movie Song Trivia.” Stephanie and I got 16 out of 20 and there was a 3-way tie (of mostly 80s movies) and still got a 24karat Gold Plastic Trophy! Whoo Hoo!

To celebrate our victory, I went back to the room and took another (and much needed) nap. Yes this was a terribly awesome, relaxing lazy day…but that’s the beauty of a Day at Sea. :)

Momma and I ventured over to the Red Frog Pub (think Senior Frog’s-esque…w/o the drunken 18-20somethings). It’s basically a laidback cool Caribbean-styled place that came to life at night with live music. It was a great place to be in the afternoon…sitting on/in their swing/table…eating coconut shrimp with piña colada sauce. :)

Fun Fact: I do not like coconut or piña coladas…but these two are sooo good together with fried shrimp. ;)

It was a bit breezy but it felt great! I think Dallas is back to 100+ for a 30^th day. Not missing that at all!

As much as I love being in new ports and places, there’s something truly relaxing and amazing about stilling and just looking out at the ocean. Mother Nature is definitely a beautiful and magical thing. :)

We pretty much took it easy today until it was time to get fancy for “formal/elegant” night. I’m not gonna lie, I enjoy getting all dressed up…every once in awhile. ;) Before dinner I stopped at numerous photo stations. I knew that I would not buy most (or possibly any) of the photos…but it’s still fun to play. I did end up buying this one:

We had some time so we stopped back into the Red Frog for some live acoustic music and a pre-dinner “Jamaican Sunrise.”

Our waiters were even dressed up tonight...

…and the Prime Rib was most excellent!

To Be Continued...

Carolina's 2011 Summer Comeback Tour (just a reminder to myself)

2011-07-07T23:24:00.005-05:00

So from time to time you need to remind yourself that life IS good. Even when you think your life is less than savory. It was an early June 4th morning when I got a little kicked in the stomach by "life."

Yeah I cried and I pouted and I drank a bit and became a little irritating. But sometimes you just gotta get it all out of your system and rediscover the Sunshine & Rainbows and Tattoos that IS your life. :) (cue the Green Day) lol

Good, Great, Awesome things that have happened since then:

STOMP @ the Music Hall

Chris Hardwick @ the Granada

Dallas Mavericks become the 2011 NBA WORLD CHAMPS!!!!

Going to the Mavs Parade with a Great Friend From High School

Ben Folds @ The Meyerson

Billy Elliot @ The Wyly

Top Golf with amazing friends

Spamalot @ the Music Hall

NKOTBSB w/ the Bestest Friend Ever @ AAC

Hula Graduation

Awesome dinner with Mi Familia for my Sister's Birthday

Last Min Trip to VEGAS for 4th of July Weekend

NKOTBSB @ Mandalay Bay

Thanked some Marines for all they do

Saw Fireworks

Texas Rangers' Game w/ Good Friends

Greg Behrendt @ The Improv (he kinda inspired me to write this tonight as I re-watch He's Just Not Into You) "life is good because CAKE exists." (or something like that)

As you can see...

I am incredibly blessed even if I have those lapses of stupidty. (i.e. crying, drinking things I shouldn't, calling people I shouldn't, texting people I shouldn't, knocking on doors I shouldn't, venting to people I shouldn't) I regret nothing. But I am sorry to any of you I scared or offended along the way.

I am fine and good and on the road to "normal." HA! Who knows what that is anyways. :)

"Forgret Regret...Or LIfe is Yours to Miss." --Jonathan Larson

If it was his last game...

2010-04-09T10:07:00.008-05:00

Working the game last night was tough...we couldn't really enjoy everything that was happening because we had so much crap we had to make sure made it to the screen. The tears were rough for sure but I didn't shed any.

Instead...A ton of things flashed through my head....The Mighty Ducks first introducing me to Mike (and wanting to dig hockey), my 13th birthday in '93 when I got tickets to my first Stars game at Reunion, the Mikey Mo posters on my walls, trying to watch the '99 Stanley Cup Finals while living in Florida, going with my Mom to the NYE games...and then getting paying to watch MY Dallas Stars for a living.

Yeah I got to witness a Mo Jerk moment or two at a media day, but those tears last night proved to me how much he really loves to play...and I'm good with that.

The game was crazy and as if we scripted it. Modano ties up the game.

Turco lets no goals in during the shootout. Lehtenin makes the final goal.

And the Stars WIN!!!

If it was his last game, it will be weird with no Modano in my 2011 Calendar.

Thanks Mike for being a STAR for all these years.

She's baaaaaack!

2010-03-29T11:47:00.037-05:00

First off, I would like to apologize for my absence…I have still been “seizing the day” (Boston, Florida, Vegas, NYC) I just haven’t done well documenting it in the last few months.

So now back to my regular scheduled blogging. :)

Meet Joe…

he did the very cool thing of accompanying yours truly last weekend on a Carnival Cruise to Nassau, Bahamas.

Here is our adventure…

Thursday, March 25^th

Waking up at 4 a.m. on Thursday morning was a little rough. But (because of my awesome VIP status) by 1 o’clock we were sitting on the Lido Deck enjoying our first “Fun Ship Special”…and all was right in the world. :)

After grabbing lunch and a quick nap, we headed to the “mandatory” safety briefing on the deck. Of the entire trip, Joe (aka “The Rookie”) decided that this was the least fun 30 mins we had. (If you ask me, this means that means the trip was a a SUCCESS!) After some more “people watching” and another beverage we got ready for dinner.

We got to the dining room and it wasn’t quite open yet so we ended up stopping at a couple of the photo stations where we were “tortured like Gumby.” (Joe’s words) These camera guys were too funny with the stuff they get people to do. It was a funny experience, but there was no way we were going to be purchasing those pictures from the first night. Lol

We killed enough time then made our way to dinner. Here we would find really good food (which you will of course be seeing in picture form shortly) and one really interesting (and when I say “interesting” I mean Oh My Goodness Annoying!!) lady from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

We made our way to table 316 (which is funny since out room was 136).

We said hello to the other couple at the table and the first thing outta her mouth was about how much the ship was rocking (it wasn’t really) and then proceeded to demonstrate by swaying back and forth. (This would not be very helpful to someone who might be on the verge of getting sick.)

They sat us at the end of a long near the window, so we really didn’t talk much to our other table mates but they seemed nice.

Joe likes wine so he decided to get a bottle. This is what he chose -->

…nice name huh? ;) I’m not really a wine drinker, but I have to admit it was pretty tasty.

On to the food…

The first night I went with the flat iron steak with their version of mac n’ cheese. It was really yummy! Pennsylvania chick informed us that she was allergic to gluten and that she was not happy with the mac n’ cheese option. I feel much better that I was informed of this. (I know it’s not right making fun of people, but this lady was asking for it and her story must be told!) ;) Her husband was and interesting car as well. During the 1 ½ hours we were at dinner, he was starring off into space…but whatever.

After the main course, the lights dimmed and it was "Show Time." Our wait staff danced for us and they were good and hilarious! It looked like they were having alot of fun!

Then it was "Sugar Time." For dessert I got cheesecake and an assorted cheese plate. I had a bite of the cake but the cheese is what I was really after. ;) They were super yummy but needed more crackers/bread to accompany them. So tragic. Lol But if this is the worse thing that happens on this cruise…I’m thinking we’ll be having a great time!

After dinner we went to the large theater where we saw the “80’s Show.” The lead chick and the dancers were really good but the lead guy didn’t really fit the part. It was total “cheese” (perhaps the theme of the night with the mac n’, cake & plate.) but the songs were definitely fun!

When the show ended, we decided to walk around a little on the ship. I made the mistake of taking Joe all the way to the top front of the ship “Titanic Style”. This was not a good idea. It was super windy and after about 30 seconds, I nearly lost Joe due to vertigo! That was slightly scary so I promptly lead him back down a couple levels to the lido deck and everything was good again. He got some decaf coffee, while I drank hot chocolate on the deck on a very pretty night…except for the fact there were these two girls at another table were complaining about some guy and what he did. They were complaining at the top of their lungs with the added bonus of profanity. Lol

It was about midnight when we got back to the room. A new friend (made of towels) was on the bed and Joe promptly crashed beside it.

It was a long day…but a great one and great start to our vacation! :)

Friday, March 26^th

This was the first day in months that I didn’t have to wake up at the crack ‘o dawn. And yet my body clock still woke me at 7:30 EST (6:30 CST) exactly the time I normally wake up…but luckily, I was able to fall back asleep for a little while longer. I forgot how great sleeping actually was!

Eventually we made it to the dining room and had a lovely breakfast. I had pineapple juice, French toast, bacon and hashbrowns. Joe had Eggs Benedict. (I should have documented this…it was tasty and pretty.) lol

Next up…drinks and people watching by the pool! Today’s drink…Bahama Mama (naturally)…in a coconut Monkey…that will later become a bank for his son. ;)

About 12:30 we arrived at beautiful Nassau.

We get off the ship and hung out on the pier for a few until our boat arrived to take us to Blue Lagoon Island.

That’s right, this is the island where the movie was filmed back in 1980. The water is amazingly clear and blue and I couldn’t wait to get in it! But first…Don’t forget the sunscreen! :)

A couple of hours in the sun, sand & water is exactly what I’ve been waiting for (since August)…

Everything was completely perfect and wonderful.

After a trip to the souvenir shop, we got back on the "Caribbean Queen” and made our way back to Nassau.

Along the way we saw a few celebrity houses including Oprah (with her perfectly placed palms), Tom Cruise, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Shakira, Mick Jagger, etc. Yeah, property is kinda high priced around these parts. ;)

Looks like we’re not the only ones in Nassau today…

And we will definitely be returning to this place later on in the night... :)

A quick trip to the Straw Market was up next. Here Joe was able to haggle with a woman over a couple of shark tooth necklaces. Good job Joe! The market was a bit overwhelming so we got outta there and just walked down the main street of downtown Nassau for a few. Everything seemed to be closing so we headed back towards the ship, but not without getting my hair braided first. :)

After that we still had a couple of hours before dinner so I wanted to show Joe the Atlantis on Paradise Island. Notice the $25K/night suite...

…that Oprah has reserved for the next 5 years. We walked through the casino and a few shops (that we could never shop at)

and got to the aquarium that contained some really beautiful sea life (shocking I know).

We got in the taxi line and were ready to return to the ship. Well, we got this guy that would not take us back until his van was full. He said if we got a few more people we’d only have to pay $4 a piece, if we didn’t, it’d be $11 total. (Honestly, I was ok with the $11, but whatever lol.) After 15 mins he was finally ready to go with a full van…and he STILL charged us $4 a piece (should have been $3 by this point) but like I said, whatever. :)

Back to the ship after an awesome day in Nassau.

In the room, we had another towel friend waiting for us

...and we got all fancy n’ stuff for “Elegant Night” on the ship. This, of course, led us to taking a couple more pictures on the way to dinner. (Hope it wasn’t too much trouble for ya Joe.) But I really do like how these turned out. :)

Tonight our table was full (fairly on time) but the “crazy lady’s” husband was replaced by a vistor for tonight’s dinner.

Joe and I decided pretty quick why he wasn’t there as soon as we heard her 5 min story about her “booze cruise/snorkeling” adventure…for the next hour and a half. We placed a bet on how many more times she would continue to tell the story about how she danced with some girls that seemed to fancy her. Joe said 6, I said 4…I think she stopped at 5. I have a feeling her husband was off laughing somewhere about how he got outta hearing her stupid story all night. Lol

But back to what was important…tonight’s main course…or courses. Lobster and Prime Rib was on the menu. This was my first taste of lobster tail...

…I must admit, it was most excellent. :) Since I ordered prime rib as well (because you can do that here) I gave the other half of the tail to Joe (he was pleased) and went for the beef! It was soooooo good! For dessert Joe went for the chocolate melting cake and I went for the assorted cheese plate …again. But this time, I held on to my bread that I had with my salad. (Yes Joe laughed at and mocked me for this…and to this I again say…Whatever.) ;)

After hot chocolate and decaf, back to the room we went, changed out of our fancy duds, got a little more comfortable and headed back off the ship and on to Señor Frogs …

We had a blast! The place was packed with people just having a good time. Most were dancing to the live band and DJ spinning in between sets. Others were watching March Madness on all the monitors. (mainly the guys…and me outta the corner of my eye…because I had money on it) ;)

Ladies, I an definitely lucky to have found a guy that actually likes to dance…with me of all people! We had the best time. Even the “lazy” people around us were cheering us on. (I’m sure they were jealous.) ;) We lasted for about 2 hours until my knee started to hurt (no idea why).

Joe said goodbye to his new friend

and we walked back to the ship under the moonlight.

We got back on the ship but we worked up an appetite from all that dancing soooo…we decided to order a turkey sandwich and vegetable sticks…gotta love 24 hour room service!

Another great day in the history books…errr blog. ;)

Saturday, March 27^th

Once again, I got to enjoy the beauty of “sleeping in.” Today was a chill “Fun Day at Sea” and I and completely good with that. 11 o’clock on the Lido deck and we were back in “our spot” …with a “Yellow Bird” in hand…in my new fancy Carnival cup. Lol

People watching commenced! Oh my goodness! How dumb are people??!!! Why do you wanna be lobster red? Why do you want skin cancer? These are the questions that went through my head for about 75% of the people that passed by us at the pool. To each his/her own…I guess.

We decided to do lunch in the dining room today. This was my only bad call of the entire cruise. They totally messed up on the lunch menu. But on the Brightside we got to sit with a couple from New Jersey (they were a hoot and now live in Florida) and a mom and her son also from New Jersey (now living in Orlando and Atlanta). I’m glad we got to meet these nice people…but I was even more glad when we decided to hit up the 24 hr pizza bar. :) Much better choice.

We walked around the ship a little and checked out the super cool new slide on the back…we didn’t do it this time…but next time for sure!

Nap time was next on the agenda. Honestly, nothing can beat that with that with the ocean rocking ya back and forth. Before dinner we had massages scheduled. (Quite possibly my favorite part of the day.) After the massages, we were both told we carry a lot of “stress” in our necks and backs. Huh? Really? I could have told ya that…but it still felt absolutely amazing!

After the wonderfulness was over, we got cute once again for dinner. (No more pictures please.) However, we did look really cute. :)

Tonight I went for the crabcake to start

...and the steak for the main course. Joe went for the duck…he dug it. :) Another super tasty meal. And for tonight’s entertainment our wait staff danced for us again.

OH!!!! I forgot, on “Elegant Night,” Joe and I also got up and danced in the dining room. I only ran into the table once as Joe spun me. :)

We finished our dessert (poached pear and cheeses…yes I like cheese…deal with it! Lol)

It was kinda sad when we realized we would not be back for dinner tomorrow night…even sadder when we headed back to the room to pack. The alarm was set for 5:45 am and I was less than thrilled to be leaving…another great day!

Sunday March 28^th

Up early to change and grab breakfast in the dining room. Just enough time to get to the VIP lounge so we can be one of the first ones off the ship.

An hour goes by and I was kinda confused as to why I didn’t see land yet. Joe looked out the window

... and saw this

…the U.S. Coast Guard. He asked if that was normal. In my 16 years of cruising I have never encountered such a thing. At about 9 am (normally we’d be off the ship by this point) there was an announcement that at “5:30 this morning there was a bomb scare.” Apparently one guest overheard another guest say something about a bomb and felt the need to report it. (oh how I wish I was there for that conversation) Well since we weren’t going anywhere for awhile (and we didn’t have any Snickers) we decided to go back to sleep…until the next announcement about there being another announcement if they found anything else out.

After 5 hours, interrogating these particular guests, and a “sweeping” of the ship, we finally made it to Port Canaveral and off the ship! At this point I was very grateful that our flight wasn’t until 7 that night. Others weren’t so lucky. I’m sure there were a lot of flights missed and a lot of unhappy people…but we were actually perfectly happy…and thankful that there was no bomb. :)

We got on the shuttle back to the airport and went ahead and got the rental car I had reserved (even though we’d only be using it for a couple of hours). Definitely ready to eat at this point, I took us to Universal City Walk (after a slight detour). We ended up at Margaritaville where we had our final pomegranate margaritas of the trip as the rain began to pour HARD outside.

The weather was absolutely perfect for us until this point…and even this wasn’t that bad. :) We checked out a couple more shops where Joe got me a really beautiful bracelet and himself and kiddos a couple more things as well. We ran back in the rain to the valet line and were very lucky to make the 2 hour rate. We got to the airport just in time for our plane…to be delayed. ;) No worries though, we had a wonderful trip and just waiting to get on the plane…

Thanks Joe for making this a great trip for me and I can’t wait for the next one!

much love

A Weekend @ the Beach

2009-08-20T09:40:00.013-05:00

So last Friday after work I hopped on a plane and headed to Orlando. After I landed safely I got in my rental car (Jeep Compass...kinda cool) and headed North to Daytona Beach.

At 1:30 am I arrived and as I could see and hear the waves crashing outside my window I knew this was going to be an excellent weekend! :)

Saturday morning I woke up to the sun shining and mother nature calling my name. This is Ormond Beach.

I took the camera in the water with me so here's some shots...the water was beautiful (a little cold at first) the water wasn't green...I'm still figuring out the settings in the sun. :)

After a little while in the water...I headed to my towel on the beach and just laid there soaking up the sun (with sunscreen of course) and just thinking what a wonderful Saturday this was and how lucky I was to be there.

While on the beach I was reading this.

Michael J. Fox has always been a favorite of mine and his story is pretty fascinating.

Back in the water to cool down. Then out again (you make notice a pattern). :)

There was this group of about 20+ adults and kids near me. They split up into 3 groups and decided to have a sandcastle building contest. They worked really hard for about an hour. It was interesting to watch. :)

Around 1 o'clock came the ice cream man driving down the beach...

...unfortunately I left my money in the room so no ice cream for me at this moment. But that was ok since I was about to go inside and clean off and then go in search lunch.

I ended up here for lunch. It's just a little place on the water in Ponce Inlet. I enjoyed the shrimp and strawberry margaritas and just watching the water and people on Jet Skis. :) I didn't take any pictures...I was too busy just relaxing. :)

Back to the hotel...but not before stopping at 7-Eleven (there's about 15 on this stretch of road) and purchased and massive Slurpee.

Sun, Sand, Sea and a Slurpee...honestly what more do you need? Life is good. :)

One of my favorite things about the ocean is watching the tide. In the morning it was way far away by the time the sun was setting it was so much closer...the cars parked on the beach were gone by this point. Well almost all of the cars were...I watched for about 30 mins as 3 lifeguard/beach patrol guys dug this one woman's car out of the sand. Man that was a mess!

After the sun went down I went back to my room and got ready for dinner. Saturday night was going to be hibachi night! I headed to my favorite place for Hibachi ...Sapporo Japanese Steakhouse. Here the master chef did his thing while I sat on the end of a table with people from Brazil, Uruguay and Florida...where Portuegse, Spanish and very little English was being spoke...except for this cool 14 (thought she was at least 18) year old Brazilian chick named Wanessa...who happens to be slightly obsessed with money...can't wait 'til she's living in the "real world." :)

Dinner was so delicious. Back to the hotel where I watched as the lightening flashed miles away over the water and the waves continued to crash. Such a great day!

Waking up Sunday was lovely as the sunshine once again came though my window.

*You don't understand how the brilliance of the Sun affects me...I spend at approximately 7 1/2 hours a day in my cave of an office (don't get me wrong I love my job...but my fake window doesn't cut it when it comes to sunshine.)

I decided not to take my camera with me this morning. 10 minutes into being on the beach, I kid you not, 20 guys (and 1 girl) in blue life guard shorts came running down the beach, past me, made a u-turn around a marker, back down the beach and end to ocean and around a bouy. They did this about 5 times while I was out there. It was sooo Baywatch

...only in blue. That'll teach me to always have my camera on me! lol

Anyways...I spent the next couple of hours in and out of the water. The current was crazy today. It felt like something was swimming between my legs...nope just the crazy strong current. :) I decided to let the water do most of the work. I would start off in front of my hotel but would eventually be carried about 5 hotels down. To get back I walked towards the beach and back down. Most definitely a workout!

For lunch I headed to Sunglow Fishing Pier, home to Crabby Joe's. I love this place. I think alot of it has to do with that the first time I came here was back in 2000 with Momma and Nana & Grandaddy. :)

Lunch consisted of a strawberry margarita...

coconut shrimp and hush puppies...

such greatness.

I spent the next 3 hours in the ocean...trying to get my fix until the next time I am near water.

I clean up and packed up and said good by to Ormond Beach.

Next stop was Orlando where I had dinner and spent the night with the coolest Floridians I know.

Meet Ray, Laurie, Evan, Josie, Ellie, Daley and Anselle Combs:

*I borrowed this picture.

The last time I saw them was 9 years ago...at that time there were only 3 of them. They are most definitely an awesome family! I was very thankful that they took me in for the night...since I had a 7:30 am flight the next morning. Each kiddo is truly an individual. I had a blast meeting all of them and witnessing wonderful chaos. :)

I hope it's not another 9 years before the next time I see them.:)

I got to the airport on time...just barely (I thought the flight was at 7:30 not 7). I had a safe flight and landed at DFW just in time to head into work...grr

much love

Back to Vista Guapa...the Final Part...Finally

2009-07-29T09:10:00.018-05:00

Wednesday, May 27th:

No surfing today but we still had to be down the hill for breakfast at 7am and then a field trip.

Edwin was our driver and tour guide to Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos. It had rained that morning and so the trees just kept in all the moisture. Huuuuumid!

Throughout the hike to the top (to see the view) we saw a sloth,

monkeys (white-faced & holler),

a paca,

iguanas,

lizards

and crazy crabs galore!

I was soaked by the time we made it to the top but it was totally worth it…so Eric & Edwin said. :)

After we finished our hike through the park, we had a lovely lunch at a nice hotel/restaurant.

We had fresh fruit smoothies,

pasta and a chocolate brownie with ice cream and strawberries. Good stuff. :)

We had an hour nap on the way back to camp.

Once we got back, Eric got schooled at ping pong.

More pool time.

Followed by an amazing massage by Monsarat…outside, under the yoga awning…with the rain coming down…absolute greatness!

Back up and down the hill, in the rain, to have dinner with Edwin at Jaco Taco…another good place with a ton of good food.

Edwin dropped us off at Los Amigos where we watched the 2^nd half of the Denver/LA game and had a couple drinks. Here we got this crazy confusing bill…we finally figured it out after roughly 15 mins.

Tonight we made it all the way to 10:15! Whoo Hoo! Lol You just down understand the power of the sun and how it drains you…plus the hike through Manuel Antonio…I am completely wiped out!

Thursday, May 28th:

Breakfast at 9 followed by poolage til noon,

in town for the obligatory Taco Bar stop…ready for surfing at 3:30…this is the life. :)

Today Alvaro joined us for the lesson. As we were walking out into the water with the boards, Alvaro bent down to adjust my leash on my ankle. When he did this, he smacked me in the head…with HIS board. Not a fun feeling in the least. I so wanted to cry but there was no time for that. It was time to surf. So I shook it off (as much as I could with a headache) and jumped on my board and started paddling. (Alvaro did apologize a ton of times.)

The waves were coming faster and slightly bigger today. Eric hung with Alberto in the whitewater, while Alvaro stayed with me further out. I caught a ton of waves…it was definitely a good day.

I like it when there’s more waves, that way if I don’t catch one…I don’t feel so bad. :)

Eric lost BOTH eyes this time, and now has a gash on his OTHER foot. AND he got a sunburn and was beginning to peel!! Who knew Eric could burn! lol

Back to camp for another dip in the pool as the sun was setting…con cerveza. :)

Tonight dinner was at Juanita’s with Alberto. It’s pretty much right on the beach. We could hear the waves crashing as we ate…beautiful.

We made it back up to our room just in time for the sky to fall…crashing thunder and lightening all night…it was pretty awesome but I did wonder a couple of times if we would be washed away down the hill. :)

Surfing at 5:45 am tomorrow morning so going to bed early tonight is intentional. :)

Friday, May 29th:

“California Love” was the song that woke me up at 5am. We made it down the hill by 5:45 and we were off with Alberto and Durby.

The water was completely beautiful and pretty clear like glass in Jaco this morning.

Eric ventured out further and he was glad he did.

We caught quite a few waves today and we even have proof!

I got a lovely bruise today on my knee from the fin…I’m surprised that it’s taken this long to be honest. ;)

Breakfast back at camp and being that it was only 8:45 in the morning we headed back up to the room and had a nice (and needed) nap until about 1. :)

Later we headed into town in search of a farmacia for ear drops for Eric (his ear has been hurting for about 24 hours now). The pharmacist said 3 drops, 3 times a day…and stay out of the ocean…we’ll see about that last part.

After checking email we got in a taxi and headed to Hermosa Beach to the Backyard Bar. There we had lunch and margaritas as we watched “real surfers” for a couple of hours. I say if you’re gonna just sit and drink somewhere…the Backyard Bar would be the place to do it. :)

The rain came down so we got back to camp and chilled a bit before our dinner at Jungle Surf with Edwin. Tonight, Mango BBQ Chicken…yum!

Saturday, May 30th:

5:45am solo surf lesson this morning with Alberto. (Eric’s ear is not doing well at all)

There were several good waves this morning but we had to wait a long time in between sets.

*Story time: So I was paddling out after a good ride all the way in when I thought this wave was gonna go over/under me but instead turns me and my board completely around. So I held on and decided to rie the wave all the way in on my stomach…good times :)

The fin got my other leg today and so I now have matching bruises…but still totally worth it!

Back to camp for Breakfast at 8 with Eric then back in to town to check my e-mail. One of the e-mails was from my friend Michael asking if I was available to work a soccer game next week…FC Dallas vs a COSTA RICAN team!! How random is that?? :)

Next we headed to Clarita’s sports bar where I had a Tequila Sunrise…yes I realize it’s 10:15 in the morning, but since the drink has the word sunrise in it….it’s completely acceptable. :)

I am now at the pool writing this…next up…most likely a nap.

Back into town to find another farmacia for Eric (the ear is not any better)…amoxil this time, hopefully it will be better be the time we fly on Monday.

Taco Bar once again (there’s gotta be franchise opportunities right?)

Finally, we made our way back into the room with A/C. Ahhhh :) goodnight.

Sunday, May 31st:

Today was an excellent day of surfing…which was good since it was our last :(.

view from my board...

I put my camera in my boardshorts today and decided to see what we could get anything good. Have mentioned I LOVE my camera? :)

After our last breakfast of wonderful yummy goodness,

I spent most of 9am-noon at the pool finishing off my Smirnoff Ice (in a can lol) and the book I brought with me. (Eric was medicating his ear, resting and packing up in the room during this.)

Off to the Backyard Bar where we spent 3-6 just watching the waves, talking and just enjoying life. (Tequila Sunrise is soo the drink of choice for the day.)

Just as we were about to pay our bill, Alberto (and his amigo) arrived with a CD for Eric. It was good to say goodbye to Alberto one last time before we left…especially since we spent a good amount of our time here with him. :)

Dinner with Durby at Rioasis once more and said our goodbyes to him. Then bye to Wendy and she gave us CDs of us surfing...It’s hard saying goodbye, but I’m sure I’ll see them again down the road. :)

To pack and to bed since 4:30am is when the alarm will be going off.

Monday, June 1st:

At 5 this morning “crazy driver” Edwin picked us up and into San Jose where we arrived at the airport with about 2 hours to spare!

As we sit here sharing a Cinnabon we realize that the Adventure has come to an end. It was a great one…even with a few bumps, bruises, lost eyes, gashes from fins, earaches, etc. Until next time…

¡pura vida!

Back to Vista Guapa...Parte Dos

2009-06-30T09:46:00.015-05:00

Memorial Day, Monday, May 25:
Breakfast was once again most delicious consisting of tostada Franceas, queso frito, y heuvos revuelots con queso y jamon. ( Eric is now practicing this for tomorrow’s breakfast.)

Back to the pool with my trusty “jukebox.”

Two “visitors” showed up at the pool.

Two cows have been added to the Vista Guapa family. :)

Eric decides this is a perfect opportunity for him to practice his pool handstands (aka party tricks). Our friends from yesterday left so we have the pool (and camp for that matter) to ourselves and so now we can be as stupid as we wanna. :) (did I mention that I have the most awesome underwater camera)

Day 2 of Surfing…better than the first for sure. Durby paddled out with me and Eric rocked the white water with Alberto. Today’s session included: 1 surfboard in the head, 1 gash on the ankle from a fin, 1 lost light brown contact and 2 bruise shins from the board…and yet we’re still smiling. :)

Back to Taco Bar for our post-surf snack…where I lost my most favorite hat :( …I hope whoever “found” it enjoys it as much as I did.

As we walked down the street something funny happen. This chick asked (what I thought was us, but now know was aimed toward Eric) “What time is it?” and the when he didn’t answer she said “Que hora es?” When Eric still didn’t answer I told her and then I got the LOOK OF DEATH from this chick. Apparently she wasn’t thrilled that I was with Eric. I think she was looking for her next client. I found this all to be hilarious as we continued to walk down the street. Eric was glad that I was there to “protect” him. lol

Another slightly weird incident followed right after this. We went into this (fairly nice) surf shop (the plan was to take in some A/C) and seemed to be followed by the sales clerk. We promptly left…we must have looked suspicious. lol

We headed to another surf shop where Eric picked up some goggles…no A/C in this one though…more like a sauna.

Back to camp for more poolage and pool tricks…Eric has new goggles…check ‘em out!

The rain started coming down as we headed back up and down the hill for dinner.

Alberto took us to Rioasis where we had pizza and strawberry margaritas, while watching Lakers vs Nuggets.

Another good day.

Tuesday, May 26:

Did you know the sun comes up at 5am here?

After breakfast we decided to go on a canopy zipline tour. This was tons of fun and super sweaty.

The view was amazing and we even saw poisonous frogs. lol

I went upside down a couple of times (sooo awesome) but the trick was not to lose my sunglasses, camera or wallet. Good times :)

Chilled on the porch with the dogs before it was time to surf.

We got to the beach where Eric finally found his boat!! lol

…he even did a little blowfish “fishing.”

The waves were good today but few and far between. Eric rode quite a few today. Whoo Hoo! :)

Back to camp where there was a wheelbarrel full of fresh mangos from the tree by the pool.

Then more chillin’ in the hammock with cerverza y agua

…of course with a doggie companion.

Meet Noe... Alvaro's son. One of two super cool kids that live at Vista Guapa.

Dinner with Alberto at Rey Marino. For starters we had fried plantains with black beans (soooo good). Then for the main course we had the “Especial Grande” that was huge and had absolutely everything on it!

So full, so tired.

Back to Vista Guapa ...Part I

2009-06-24T12:34:00.010-05:00

So…I’ve been informed (by a little bird) that it has been over a month since I last posted. It’s not that I haven’t done anything since the last (in fact I’ve done quite a bit) it’s just hasn’t been a top priority (read Carolina’s been lazy). So here we go with Costa Rica 2009 !

This is my 4^th time to return to Vista Guapa Surf Camp in lovely Jaco, Costa Rica. This is the 1^st time that I have brought someone along. I hope Eric (my traveling buddy) enjoys (his first time) surfing as much as I do.

Friday, May 22:

Our adventure began the night before we were supposed to leave. I went see Fiddler on the Roof with Momma and I received a text from Eric asking what time I was coming to pick him up. I told him. He replied “That’s early! Ok.” Well that seemed weird so I called him and said you know I meant 3:15 PM right. He thought I meant AM! So glad I called, or I’m sure he would’ve been waking me up wondering where I was. Lol

Saturday, May 23:

I think Costa Rica knew I was coming. I say this because as the (super full) plane was landing I looked out the window and saw fireworks going off. :)

We got our luggage and got through customs and immediately I spot Edwin (mi amigo/driver) and we were off to Vista Guapa! It was pretty late by the time we arrived at camp, even though Edwin got us there super quick (think Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at DisneyWorld), so we crashed pretty early.

Sunday, May 24^th:

We headed down (the infamous) hill to breakfast where we were greeted by 3 new puppies and DURBY!! At the breakfast table we also met Deanna from Cleveland and Gig from NYC. Both seem very cool.

After an amazing breakfast of blackberry whole-wheat pancakes,

eggs, queso frito,

fresh fruit, etc. we headed to the pool. The water is sooo refreshing...yeah we were already sweating at 10 am.

Alberto arrives and begins to show Eric how to “pop up”.

We have about 2 hours until the first surf lesson/session. I am excited and slightly nervous for Eric…

Woah! So yeah, the first time for Eric was a bit rough (to say the least). At one point I was truly scared for my friend. The wonderful lady we know as Mother Nature can most definitely knock you down when she wants to…and fill your mouth with salt water. But in the end, we both got up on our boards. I call this slightly successful. Eric got a pep talk from Gig that seemed to relax and pump him up at the same time. I’m sure tomorrow will be better…

After the “workout,” I knew we needed food. So I got the guys to drop us off at Taco Bar (oh how I’ve longed for you since last Labor Day). The Freezing Lemonada

and shrimp tacos

(Eric had Tropical Iced Tea and Mahi Mahi tacos) hit the spot.

Mas x Menos (a grocery store) was our next stop, where we picked up some liquid essentials (redbull, Gatorade, water, Imperial and Smirnoff Ice (in a can)).

Taxied back to camp and back for some more poolage with afore mentioned liquid refreshment. :)

A couple hours passed so we headed back up the hill to relax

and get cleaned up and ready for dinner. Tonight we went to the Jungle Surf Café with Durby where the coconut crusted Mahi Mahi, accompanied by mashed potatoes, was absolute goodness!

The dinner conversation centered around the question: “What 3 People would you like to have dinner with?”…interesting to say the least. But the craziest story of the night took place in the van on the way back to camp. Deanna told us her story about her being in the Tsunami the day after Christmas back in 2004. I can’t imagine!

The NBA Playoffs are going on and we tried to go watch Cleveland vs Orlando tonight…but because it’s raining…the satellite at the bar we were going to is knocked out. We decided on Plan B where we sat on the porch of our room and watched the lightening storm.

Good Plan. Good Day. Goodnight.

Girls, Graduation, Goals and Good Music

2009-05-22T09:04:00.007-05:00

So last weekend was short but full.

Friday night I headed to the PM Nightlight Lounge at Dallas' Joule Hotel with Stephanie and Eric. There we saw Allison and her Burlesque Group perform. They did an excellent job and was had a good time as always. :)

Saturday morning was dreadfully rainy but we made our way 90 miles east of Dallas to Texas A&M Commerce where my Aunt Stephanie graduated Suma Cum Laude. This was a super cool moment for her and the rest of the family.

...shortly after the ceremony, I had to skip the celebration and head back towards Dallas (actually, past Dallas and all the way to Frisco) so that I could work the FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders FC at Pizza Hut Park...which ended in a tie. But still fun to work.

Sunday, about 12 hours after being at Pizza Hut Park, I was back there with Momma as we attended the Kenny Chesney Make Up Concert for the one that ended up being washed away. It was GREATNESS!

This time around the tickets were all first come first serve. Because of this we ended up standing in line waiting for the gates to open for about an hour and a half. It was a beautifully awesome day that became more AWESOME when Kenny Chesney himself came out through the parking lot on a golf cart to say hey to everybody waiting and tailgating. Did I mention I touched his arm? Yep, after a little hustle through parking lot I got close enough and TOUCHED HIS ARM. lol Yeah, that kinda made my day.

Anyways, we finally got in and we got the most perfect seats. I could have stood against the stage but I really wasn't feeling standing in the sun for another couple of hours. The seats were just fine for me and Momma. :)

The curtain was raised and Kenny took the stage and said, "Now, where were we... ", the crowd went wild and he sang There's Something Sexy Bout the Rain...the song he stopped on 2 weeks ago. He then started the show over and played for the next THREE HOURS. Half the songs were his...half everyone else's. I always knew the man is an amazing entertainer. But now I know he's an amazing Person. Thanks Kenny for bringing the good times back to Dallas for a night. :)

much love

...headed back to Costa Rica for more adventure and stories...stay tuned :)

Viva...Las Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T11:39:00.012-05:00

Friday May 8, 2009

After seeing only one swine flu mask in DFW airport, Momma & I boarded the plane, and we were on our way! I was planning on sleeping all the way, but ended up watching the in-flight movie, He's Just Not That Into You. (Yeah I'm a sucker for that movie and ended up watching the whole thing.) The credits began to roll and we landed in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

We headed to the taxi line...with about a couple thousand other people...also ready to begin their weekend. The line was ridiculous! It felt like we were waiting in line at Six Flags...a much cooler Six Flags of course. :)

We arrived at the MGM Grand Hotel

...dropped our stuff in the room and headed to our 10:00 pm reservation at craftsteak...OH MY GOODNESS! This was some awesome food. Of course I have to share lol:

Lemonhead Martini:

Cutest/Yummiest Rolls:

The Ribeye:

Chocolate Souflee & Banana Ice Cream:

Sorry it was amazing!

After dinner we began to explore the hotel and did a little bit of window shopping...followed by some actual shopping. :)

It was roughly 11:45 pm when the Dave Matthews Band concert let out at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and we were all of a sudden caught in a flood of DMB fans. (Think the wildebeast stampede in The Lioin King.) After the heard was gone, we headed back to the room where the most comfy beds ever awaited us!

Saturday, May 9th

At about 9 am I woke up and headed to down to the spa. It was packed. My massage was good but I must remember next time to request a dude. Checks just seem to be slightly weaker. Nonetheless, it was still good.

During my massage my awesome Momma went and found us a couple of chairs at the HUGE River/Pool. This was not an easy task, and I am soooo thankful she did this. Eventually I found her. I got us a couple of tasty beverages and got in the River...with my yard o "pink lemonade" and proceeded to do some great people watching. :)

After a couple of hours at the pool we went inside in search of lunch...and a Mavs' score. When we walked through the Sportsbook we were up so we kept on walking.

We ended up doing lunch at Rainforest Cafe. There we shared steak, ribs and shrimp. Another good meal. :) Back through the Sportsbook and we were now tied 33-33 with Denver. So...since I figured we were safe, I dropped my mom at the slot machines (after I played $20...I quickly foundout the addictiveness of the one-arm bandit) and headed back out to the pool...yard in hand.

At the pool I found a couple of cool sisters from Alberta, Cananda and hung w/ them as we laughed at boys from Seattle and a bachelor party full of Pittsburgh guys with a Groom from Lewisville, TX of all places!! I had a ton of fun til the sun went away and they closed that part of the pool...which was fine since I was shivering at this point.

I went back to the room where I found Momma...and foundout that the Mavs lost...by one point! (kinda glad now that I missed that game.) So, I laid down for a super quick nap that was much needed.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena was the destiantion of the night. Opening Act...Jason Mraz...followed by Dave Matthews Band!! (Which is the second reason of why I chose Vegas on this particular weekend.)

After buying the obligatory T-Shirt...we headed to our great seats and Mr. Mraz was already singing his first song. I could listen (and have listened) to his voice all day long. He just makes me happy. :) I wasn't the only feeling like this. When he sand "I'm Yours," everyone was on their feet and singing and dancing along. Good times fo sho'.

Next up...Dave Matthews Band. (a first for my mom) There was non-stop dancing...Momma got a kick out of this. I do love the DMB fans. They know and love the music. The vibe of the show was super up-beat...just the way I like it. :)

Momma left a little early but it wasn't because she didn't like it...because she most definitely did. It was just a super long day...

New stuff off the album coming out in June was also played and I am really looking forward to owning it! :)

Dave Matthews Band put on a great show and I was super glad and lucky in life to be there. I know this.

It was after midnight when they left the stage and the lights came up. The venue was great...even if it did take about 20 mins to get out of there...The only bummer of the night was that I had a ticket to see Jason Mraz's headlining show at the Palms @ 11:59 pm. I decided to forgo the ticket, being that it just didn't seem plausible with trying to get a cab ride off the strip at the time. So I missed the show...but I'm pretty sure Jason still knows I love him. :)

Yeah I know you're not supposed to sleep in Vegas...but I feel that this rule only applies if you get to sleep in and/or have a substantial nap. Being that I did not get either of these I was allowed to sleep.

Sunday, May 10th: Happy Mother's Day!

So,I never did get used to the time difference and that meant I was up at 5:30 am...but thankfully, I was allowed to eventually fall back asleep for a couple more hours. The next time I woke up I did the shower and dress thing and we checked out right on time at 11.

We decided to head to the Hard Rock Hotel (my Birthday Home Away from Home) and we check our bags and walked over to the Cafe for some lunch. Where I had the Haystack Salad and twisted Mac 'n Cheese...yum!

I also had a Velvet Crush and Momma went with the Mangolicious something. :)

After lunch we headed back inside where Momma played the slots and I played Blackjack! Yes, I finally got around to gambling on the trip. lol The two dealers I played with were both nice ladies (one actually had gone and seen Dave on Friday night). I was having a fantastic time at the table. I was up $200 at one point! Notice the was. lol But once I colored up my chips and got my original $100 back in my wallet...I decided to keep on playing til the "excess" was gone. I walked out with my $100...and that's waht I call a good day of playing. :) Momma had a good day playing as well. We decided to head back to the airport on a high note.

And here I sit writing this. ..we had a GREAT Mother's Day Weekend and I sooo don't wanna leave...but alas...two jobs await me back home...not in Vegas.

much love

All Good...

2009-05-07T12:02:00.007-05:00

So the last couple of weeks have been full of extra curricular activities.

Not really all that motivated to talk about each one so here's a visual representation of each. :)

4ish times a week since January:

April 25, 2009 Henry's 25th Birthday:

April 26, 2009:

April 30, 2009

May 2, 2009 Kenny Chesney Part I:

May 3, 2009 New Shoes:

May 5, 2009:

May 6, 2009

Okay, okay, I have to talk about this last one. Last night Momma and I went to see Rent. We were on the front row. Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp from the original 1996 cast starred in it. It was amazing. I was having a so-so day...but as soon as Mark (Anthony) begins his intro:

We begin on Christmas Eve with me, Mark, and my roommate, Roger. We
live in an industrial loft on the corner of 11th street and Avenue B, the top
floor of what was once a music publishing factory. Old rock 'n' roll posters
hang on the walls. They have Roger's picture advertising gigs at CBGB's and
the Pyramid Club. We have an illegal wood burning stove; its exhaust pipe
crawls up to a skylight. All of our electrical appliances are plugged into one
thick extension cord which snakes its way out a window. Outside, a small tent
city has sprung up in the lot next to our building. Inside, we are freezing
because we have no heat.

Smile!

...My heart was once again filled with love and I knew the next 2 1/2 hours were going to be something special.

I wish everyone could/would see this and realize that it's all about love, tolerance, and living each and every day to it's fullest. So how can it possibly be a bad thing?

much love

Happiness...

2009-05-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

much love

Wonderful Weekend

2009-04-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

It’s Sunday night and I was just thinking about what a great time I had last weekend…so I thought I’d share.

Thursday, April 9^th

So after a super late Mavs game (that we won), I missed 6am yoga but did make it to work early. After work, and a nap, I headed to Nokia where I saw the Rescue Me Comedy Tour with Denis Leary. This man is too darn funny. I would never say 1/3 of the terrible things that come out of his mouth, but some times you just need to laugh in these crazy times…and that’s exactly what I did.

When my laptop was gone for a week for repairs, I had the opportunity to start and finish his entire book…

It was really great, and at times, surprisingly/depressingly true. Cover to cover in under 4 days…I was super impressed with myself.

Anyways, my seat was on the 3^rd row and here are some pics.

If only I had had my book with me, I’m pretty sure he would have signed it.

Cool show, cool guy…yes I have a new celebrity crush. :)

Good Friday, April 10^th

And a Good Friday it was indeed. On Wednesday, my boss was so generous when he decided that he would let us have the day off in honor of Good Friday.

This was the first time in a LONG time that I did NOT have to set my alarm. It was greatness!

It was a super nice day, so I met Eric, Michael and Peter at Top Golf (kind of a driving range with targets). I am not in the least bit good, but I did manage to get better (than worse) and even tied Eric once! Whoo Hoo!

Next up on the list for today was the Mavs vs. New Orleans Hornets game…that we won! Again…I say WHOO HOO!

After the game my cousin Kellie, her new husband Christian, Eric and I went to the PM Nightlife Lounge at the Joule Hotel to see my friend Allison perform. She’s in a burlesque troop where she sings and dances…Oh My! :)

Swanky place, good drinks, excellent entertainment, great company…all in all, a fantastically foolish night had by all!

The night did not end there though. Kellie & Christian dropped me at Rembrandt’s just in time for last call (where I knew “my people” would be) and they were. Eric even showed up…that I had been with not 10 mins earlier (great minds…). So we got our last drinks and partied (and sang) a little while longer on the porch of Rembrandt’s. What a great night.

Saturday, April 11^th

Good Friday was followed by a great Saturday!

Scarborough Faire was the destination of the day. This is one of my most favorite days of the year. I am ALWAYS looking forward to Faire Day.

I got out there about 11am and thus the merriment began. I have a routine for how the day goes.

I always get my hair braided first thing. A great deal of people watching is done during this time (oh how I love the sport of people watching!).

…this was followed by pineapple on a stick (so good)...I then had to see my friend Shawn at the puzzle ring place. Of course I bought a new one…this time a special order that will arrive soon! This year I also added a massage in the mix…so glad I did!

Around 2 o’clock, I was joined by some of my most favorite people (X, Eric, Mark, Peter, Jason, Blair, Willie) and a few others that came along for the merriment. Bellinis were next, along with other things on sticks and stakes.

Please enjoy photos of said merriment (thanks Peter for letting me “barrow” some of these.)

And yes I dressed up, and yes I am a dork! ;)

Easter Sunday, April 12^th

After a rainy and stormy night and morning, my mom and I wet to III Forks and had an amazing Easter Lunch.

First Course

Asparagus Soup

Second Course

III Forks Salad

Entrée Choice

Chateaubriand

Served with duchess potatoes, sugar snap peas,

off-the-cob cream corn, ripe tomatoes and spring onions.

That concluded with strawberry shortcake and a mimosa. YUM!!

It was kind of a weird and mellow Easter but that’s ok…I had a lot of TV to catch up on.

Such a fantastic weekend!

Also...THIS weekend wasn't in the least bit shabby. Saturday night I went to the House of Blues and saw

...who know divorce could be so funny? :) There was not a moment that I wasn't laughing.

Then after wards, it was off to Rembrandt's for another beautiful night on the porch that included a cheeseboard...there was even a wedding reception complete with sparklers! Such a good night with good company (perhaps more on that later). :)

much love

Seizin' the DVD

2009-03-21T21:55:00.004-05:00

It is now 12:25 am on Sunday. I have not left my apartment since 2:00pm on Thursday. I have been sick. The kind where you can't sleep and your chest and back aches because you keep coughing. This has been super unpleasant. But nonetheless...I will survive. :) Do to the insomnia I have had the opportunity to catch up on several unopened dvds of mine and a couple of previously un-viewed movies on TV.

I started off yesterday with 10 episodes of

I love this series and everything about this period...well except the beheadings and such. ;)

Next up was

Sean Penn is brilliant. Such a good movie.

This morning began with

This is a crazy show...but that's probably why I like it. lol I got it awhile back but never got around to watching it...until today. I got interested last year after reading the book of the same name. Yes it's true...she reads. lol

Last Tuesday this was released on DVD

I was so glad to watch this for the second time. Once again Sean Penn= brilliant. We already know how I feel about this movie.

From one Oscar Winner to another

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century."
Really good. Really interesting. I never knew about this event. It's cool learning about new things. :)

Next up

This movie has been out for a few years now. Super cute. Typical romantic comedy...that makes me want to travel and find my foreign soulmate...or whatever. ;)

I'm finishing up the night with this.

In between all this, I also watched most of a losing Stars game. There's always next year...right?
And... I've been having fun trying to keep up with my March Madness brackets. I'm in 4 pools but I'm really only concerned with the one I have money in. So come on Michigan State!

Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully I'll be feeling "new"...well that's the plan anyways. :)

much love

Don't Worry Baby...

2009-03-13T23:46:00.006-05:00

I'm a worrier. I worry about alot of things. I worry about things that I shouldn't worry about. But I worry anyways. I'm 28 and I have gray hair...alot of gray hair. It began roughly 8 years ago. I'm certain that the hue of my hair and the worrying are closely related. Maybe, maybe not.

I love my life...about 95% of the time. The 5% of the time spent on worrying frustrates me.

Most of the time I try to be a positive person. This is sometimes hindered by others around me and their negativity. I've decided to be silent when such negativity occurs. I realized (recently, hopefully not too late) that wasting a single breath during such rants only fuels their miserable fire. There is sooo much more to worry about than what they choose to spit out...believe me...I know! At these times I feel quite alone...and the worry then transforms into anger. Once I'm out of the environment it's like a HUGE weight has been lifted from me. But here I type...24 hours later...still full of worry.

I was going to list the current worries...but I didn't want to worry others (mainly Momma)...don't worry Momma, I'm fine (for the most part)...just needing to get this out. :)

I agree that the glass is twice as big as it needs to be...and therefore I believe that things/life/nature/the world has it's own way balancing itself out.

Recently I have been changing my lifestyle up a bit...in a good way (i.e. more yoga, less libations, more self reflection, etc.) I have discovered that I do not have an addictive personality. I am not addicted to anything...except maybe traveling but as I can't do it everyday...it's not possible to be a full out addiction for me.

Is it possible that I am addicted to worrying?

I worry that I will always worry. Perhaps a change of scenery...down the road will change my worries...at least my frivolous ones.

I just started following a "friend's" blog...he just joined the Peace Corps and he's now in El Salvador. Amazing. Could I ever do that? Talking about Sezin' the Day...taking risks...that's a risk of the highest caliber to me. But you know what...it's not totally out of the question.

I'm not afraid of much...but I do worry.

much love

And she says dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Dont worry baby
Everything will turn out alright
~The Beach Boys

ALOHA!...the finale

2009-03-11T11:23:00.013-05:00

I know it's taken forever to finish, but here it is...

February 2, 2009 Day 5:

Happy Ground Hog Day everybody!...whatever that means. :) This morning we walked one last time on to Waikiki Beach. It’s pretty peaceful…and there are no waves in sight.

We hit McDonald’s for breakfast. One super cool thing about the value meals in Hawaii come with FRESH PINEAPPLE. Um…YUM! :)

While driving through the town we saw President Obama’s High School. That’s pretty cool…if I do say so myself.

The mission for today was to get to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu. Mission accomplished! Please enjoy the pictures. :)

Here we learned about and interacted with the people of Hawaii, Samoa, Maori New Zealand (Aotearoa), Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Tonga.

the tree Elvis sang in in Blue Hawaii :)

Watched Hawaii’s only canoe pageant

it was raining :)

And Enjoyed their world-famous evening show, Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky

sorry for the blurry-ness but the NO FLASH policy was in full effect lol

By the end of the evening it was super windy and cold. (I know weird right) We made it to the Laie Inn…and yep you guessed it…crashed. :)

February 3,2009 Day 6 (aka my last Day in Hawaii):

This was a lazy morning in the hotel room with muffins and juice in bed as we watched Cash Cab on the TV the palm trees blow in the cloudy wind through the window. It was a good morning. :)

We left North Shore…for the last time. We stopped along the road for one last ocean view.

Back in Kailua, Stephanie and I had lunch at Buzz’s where I ordered at blue cheese burger that came out with no blue cheese. No worries though, it was now FREE! Love how stuff just works out!

Quick stop at Longs (like Walgreens…but not, according to the locals) to buy some “gifts” for half the price…Stephanie ROCKS!!! But we already knew this. :)

I made my second purchase of luggage…after the return of the super expensive (but cute) stuff. (yes responsibility does jump in every now and then)

I dropped Stephanie off at her apartment and said goodbye. I was off solo towards Waikiki in search of the ALOHA Gas Station where I had rented my car 6 days ago. I found it and called a taxi. There was a ton of traffic…during rush hour…of course. But that was okay because I was entertained by the crazy Samoan taxi driver lady. Lol I made it to the airport with time to spare. :)

Currently I am at the airport bar…having my last vodka/pineapple and mango coconut shrimp.

All in all, the trip was almost completely perfect…really, nothing could be better than being with Stephanie in Hawaii!

ALOHA!!!