The Story Of Us

The last year and a half has been something…to say the least. I probably should’ve blogged along the way or on a pre-wedding website…but I’ve been a little busy. ;) My last epic blog post came from my Magical Mediterranean Cruise in 2011…Who would have known that my life would change (for the better) just a week later.

On August 15th I met Leslie Walker…the person I am now legally bound to for the rest of my life. Not that you asked for it, but here it is…The Story of Us…so far.

After returning home from my Boss’s daughter, Jessica’s wedding…I was motivated and filled with hope that this would be the time I was ready to put it out there in the Universe that I was ready to find my “other half.”

So where does one go find people these days? Well the interwebs of course. ;) Ok so not everyone does this, but when you’ve got a crazy schedule and you don’t go to school or bars this is what you I do. So I signed up for yet another dating site, okcupid.com and began to scroll through the pages and pages of profiles until I came across this particular cute bearded guy with aviators on. This was his only picture and his paragraph was super short. Under the question “What do I spend my time thinking about?” he answered. “Quantum physics of course. ;)” I giggled (I blame my love of the Big Bang Theory) and clicked on his profile as a “Favorite.”

This was Saturday night when I clicked on him. Yes I was the one that initiated first contact, but I’m the kinda person that does not wait for things to come to them. I truly believe you have to go out and get it yourself…CARPE DIEM! ;)

Sunday, I heard back from the handsome stranger. After a couple of silly emails back and forth, our first date was set for Monday at Boston’s in Valley Ranch. (Turns out he lived just a mile from my office.) So he arrived and he seemed super nervous…most likely because it was the first time he’d ever met anyone he “met” online.

*FUN FACT: Leslie’s track record for online dating: met 1/married 1 ;)

He ordered a chicken pesto pizza and after we ate and talked and talked…and ended up talking on the sidewalk outside for the next 30 mins…not wanting to leave. It was a good…not great first meeting. I’m pretty sure we texted each other once we got home and we went ahead and arranged a second date at Benihana…for the next night.

We did the hibachi thing and decided the night was still young and so we went to see 30 Minutes or Less. We came out of the movie and hung out by my truck for the next hour. This was also when we would share our first kiss. ;) As we got into our vehicles to head home I tried to start my truck…and nothing happens. Thankfully, Leslie had not left yet. We quickly decided I had a dead battery. He took it out and drove me to Walmart, where we had our first shopping outing…to buy a battery of all things. Super romantic right? ;) I know that this was a small thing, but I would soon learn that he knew a whole lot working on cars. (I dug this a lot.)

I finally made it home and our date for Wednesday night at Dave & Buster’s for ½ game night was already set. After smoking him at Fruit Ninja, Skeeball and Table Hockey (at least that’s how I remember it) we went outside on that beautiful night and sat on my tailgate and talked. (There IS Something Bout A Truck ;)

This conversation contained two very important statements. He first called me his girlfriend on this night (awesome). But more importantly, Leslie also said, “What’s up with your toes??” …which was both hilarious and unintentionally insulting. ;)

After friending me on Facebook, he had gone through a bunch of my pictures and noticed that every time I got a pedicure, I would post a picture. Well on this night, my toes were not so fancy and he wondered why. Well this was less than a week after I got my Dallas Mavericks 2011 Champions tattoo on my foot…so it was still healing and thus no pedicure that week. I still laugh and give him a hard time for this.

*FUN FACT: Leslie goes with me every 2 weeks to get OUR toes done.

Thursday brought us to our 4th time meeting in 4 days. We decided to order pizza and watch The Social Network. (Yes, early in our relationship, we were only allowed to watch movies that starred Jesse Eisenberg.)

That Saturday was my bro-in-law, Eric’s birthday and Leslie met me at Stratos (a Greek restaurant that becomes a club on the weekends). Here we had a ton of fun and danced together for the first time. I could not get enough of his presence and knew in less than a week that I was HOOKED!

The next day was Sunday and I had to work Cowboys. After the game I got this distress text from Mr. Walker asking if I might be able to give him a ride the next day to work. He was having a lot of problems with his car and he had about had it! I caught him looking online at “sensible” family cars and I mentioned that I thought Mini Coopers were pretty cool…3 days later, he had the keys to a brand new 2012 Mini that I affectionately named, “Carolina’s Car.” ;)

That day was also the first time he met my Momma. School had just started and he was very sweet to help me put up bulletin boards in her classroom. Obviously, her won her over that night. ;)

The next day I got a notice on my door saying that my rent would be going up yet again, and that I had a week to decide if I wanted to stay. This stressed me out, but I would figure something out. Well, I mentioned this to Leslie and it turned out that his lease was up on the same day…3 days later, we were in my apartment’s leasing office…signing a new lease. We ended up staying at my place because he had about 1/10th the amount of stuff than I did.

*FUN FACT: He was okay with moving in with me because “He had nothing to lose.” (I found out this about a year later.) lol

September 1st came quick and I was off to my “home away from home” Costa Rica, alone and knew after 15 days, I wanted Leslie to join me for every trip or adventure from then on!

September brought Leslie’s birthday and spending time with his girlies, Brooklyn & Arieanna. In fact, the weekend before his birthday we made what I like to call “the most expensive brownies ever!” This happens when the kitchen that you’re trying to use has absolutely nothing in it! ;)

October was our first trip together…and what better place to go than Disneyland in California! We had a great time and realized that Disney was no place for kids! Just kidding…kinda. ;) On this trip we also drove to Huntington beach and spent an amazing day by the water, people watching and deciding that we traveled well together…especially when Leslie is “just along for the ride.” ;)

October was also the month that I introduced him to musicals. Westside Story was his first, and he actually seemed to enjoy it. I then realized he could be cultured…and it wouldn’t be too painful for him. ;)

*FUN FACT: We’ve done a lot together since we first met. Here are a list of all the things we’ve gone to including concerts, theatre, comedy and other random events. Bucherry & PapaRoach, Maroon 5 & Train, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Savion Glover, Mythbusters, Million Dollar Quartet, Cirque du Soliel’s Quidam, Rent, John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown, Giant, American Idiot, Adam Carolla & Dennis Praeger, The Addams Family, Jekyll & Hyde, Jay Mohr, Pablo Francisco, Craig Ferguson, Christopher Titus, Bryan Callen, Medieval Times, Disney On Ice, Mesquite Rodeo and Scarborough Faire. That’s a lot of culturizing I must say. ;)

Halloween eve I was introduced to all the rest of the Walkers at his parent’s house (there’s a lot of them) and although I was somewhat nervous, it was a lot of fun!

November 1st, everything was officially out of Leslie’s old place and moved into mine.

November 6th, we had to see a guy about a ring…THE ring…MY RING…MY SNOWFLAKE!

December 23rd I was asked to wear said ring…after a conversation with my Momma. I was a super happy girl!

New Year’s Eve was my first time to New Orleans and the start of a now annual event with Leslie, Michaela & Brian. Lots of driving in a very short amount of time…but also a lot of FUN!

January…After hours and hours of contemplation, (yes we do everything fast) Leslie had picked a date, his birthday, and I had booked the placed…a 7 day wedding cruise outta New Orleans. An hour to book…9 months to wait for it. The dress was bought on January 22nd. It was the first on I tried on. :)

February 5th (Super Bowl Sunday) My Momma met his parents Fran & Ray and everything went really well…and kinda love that none of us cared about the Super Bowl whatsoever!

*FUN FACT: After everything was planned and booked, I found out that Leslie was not a big fan of WATER!!

That was sweet that he was going along with everything, but he should have spoke up! I was concerned, so I quickly decided we needed to take a short test run to make sure he was going to be ok on a boat for a week…on the most Important Week of our lives!

February 24th We set sail from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. This was the first time out of the country for Leslie (on purpose). We had an amazing time. He couldn’t believe how blue the Ocean could be! After the cruise and a day on South Beach, he was ready to book the next trip. I was super relieved! :)

April 22nd we were on our way to Las Vegas Baby! (another 1st for Leslie) Here we saw LOVE and Zumanity. We walked the Strip and just chilled at the Hard Rock. Once again, lovin’ life together!

May was the month I got My Mini to go along with his. :)

June 29th Off to Daytona Beach, Florida! 2 days on the beach watching the water and the waves and the Bears, (Yes Bears, in matching pink swim trunks) …lunches on the pier and at the Inlet, hibachi dinner at Sapporo, fireworks at the Bandshell made for a perfect pre-4th of July weekend!

*FUN FACT: Okay, okay, yes I’ve taken Leslie to almost all my favorite places. Soon we will start going to places that are new to both of us…but in a min…we still have some surfin’ to do in Costa Rica! ;)

August 4th, Leslie finally got to use his Valentine’s Day present. Apparently driving a Lamborghini is fun! ;)

August 26th Was my Bachelorette Party. A great night with some of my most favorite girls in the World! I don’t think it was a coincidence that Magic Mike came out the month before. ;)
What could possibly top the year we’ve had??? How bout a 7 day cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel where I would come home as Mrs. Carolina Walker! (or so I thought)

The week was perfect and the 34 family and friends that joined us made it that much more special!! Of course I was sick as a dog ON September 20th 2012, My Wedding Day...but thankfully you couldn’t tell in the pictures! :) Seeing my Daddy the day after the wedding in Cozumel made the week complete!

October 3rd was the day I was going to legally change my name to Walker. Easier said than done. Well apparently we are the ONLY people in Dallas that have gotten married in another country. ;) The city of Dallas didn’t have a clue about what to do with our Grand Cayman Islands Marriage License. So after 2 unsuccessful trips to government buildings, I called Leslie in lears trying to figure out what to do. He said don’t worry about it and to meet himn at home. So we went to city hall and got a new Marriage license and got a judge to re”marry us” even though we never even saw him. All he had to do was sign the paper. We were back in the car and headed to lunch and back to work in under an hour. I was able to get back to the unsuccessful offices and got things done…and that’s why we have 2 anniversaries! :)

The night we got back from the cruise, there was a “wedding present” posted on the door saying that rent was going up AGAIN! Due to the horribly loud (has to be 600 pound monster) neighbors living above up, there was no way we were staying and paying for another year.
With the help of my old friend Oscar, November 13th we were able to close on our brand new condo!

Walker Way is where we spent our first married Christmas together…we even had snow!

*FUN FACT One of My favorite things that Leslie has said to me is that even if I was a dude, he’d still be hanging out with me…but he’s glad I’m not. He is the Male Version of Me and he is My Favorite. :)

So this brings me to now, January 22, 2013. The perfect time for a big announcement:







Nah just kidding…we leave for surfing in Costa Rica in 6 days…no time for big announcements here. ;)

much love

FINALLY!! We Believe in MAGIC...Part II

I know, I know it's been 10 months but I finally finished it! Enjoy :)

Saturday, July 30, 2011

I woke up and we were in another new place. Welcome to DUBROVNIK, CROATIA.

Momma and I headed to the lounge to wait for our excursion of the day to begin. By this time the guy selling drinks at the door (to take off the ship with you) knew me, my name, and that I wanted a Sugar Free Red Bull. I like consistency. ;)

Fun Fact: I figured out that Red Bull helps me combat “carsick-ness”. :) They called our group number and we were on our way to discover Croatia!

Fun Fact: Croatia is not part of the EU (European Union) and does not use Euros. They use the Kuna. We also had to carry our passports with us.

We had a 1 ½ hour drive up the Adriatic Coast. Such beautiful scenery!

About 30 mins into our drive from Dubrovnik, we arrived at the Bosnia-Herzegovina border. We had no idea that would be part of our adventure of the day. We saw the Bosnian Riviera and ended up back in Croatia. I find it interesting that a whole part of a country could be surrounded by another country.

We finally reached the Neretva River. Waiting for us were 3 ladjas (traditional wooden boats) and two musicians playing Dalmatian (think polka) music.

They we really fun to see and listen to…and I think they had fun playing for us. :)

We boarded the boat and glided through one of the most beautiful and best preserved wetlands in all of Europe for the next 90 mins. We were surrounded by water, marsh, lillypads (with frogs),

mountains…and that’s about it!

On the boat there were dried figs and Loza (the local brandy aka FIREWATER) for us to enjoy. The figs were awesome…

the Loza, was rough to get through. ;)

This experience was one that has never crossed my mind…but I am very thankful that I got to do it. :)

We finally arrived at the restaurant at the Hotel Villa Neretva in Metkovic, Croatia. You can only get here by boat and it’s totally worth the journey.

We passed a few houses on the way…yes I am jealous. :)

After the “3 Hour Tour” (sorry lol), there was a rush for the restroom at the restaurant. And yes, even in Europe, there’s a line for the women’s restroom. Lol I braved it and went for the men’s room (which was totally fine…even if it was lit by candlelight.) ;)

We sat outside on the patio of the place with a very nice group of people. We met a mother/daughter team from Seattle and a grandmother and grandson from New Jersey. Nice company with and amazing view!

For lunch we had wine, (my new thing is…I don’t drink wine…unless I’m in Europe) spaghetti bolanese, pork chops, potatoes, and flan for dessert.

After lunch, the locals crowned a “Queen and King” of the trip and they danced around as the musicians played some more. :)

Back into the boats we went and ended up back at our bus. We were very sad that it was time to leave this magically beautiful place.

On our way back to Dubrovnik, we stopped at the Franjo Trudman Bridge.

They originally started building the bridge in 1989 but had to stop due to the Croatian War of Independence in the early 90s. During this time, thousands of lives were lost and so much of Croatia was destroyed from attacks by Serbia and Yugoslavia.

Thankfully the Croatian government was able to regain control of their territory that was previously held by rebel Serbs. We had an amazing tour guide that told us about all of this and how he and the rest of the Croats were affected.

Fact: It’s only been 16 years since the war was over. It’s truly amazing how much and how fast they have rebuilt this country. All of the “new” houses and building have the same orange roofs. You know immediately that these places were bombed by Serb mortar shells. The orange is also to symbolize new life and rebirth.

After our super interesting history lesson, we were dropped off in front of the Old City of Dubrovnik. The walls surrounding the city were constructed during the 12^th – 17^th Centuries…and they are still here. They say that these complex structures are amongst the largest and most complete in all of Europe. Crazy!

Within the walls are mostly shops and restaurants now. Here we ended up buying hats on the pretty, hot and sunny day. After wandering around a bit, we got back on a shuttle and went back to the ship. I would definitely like to return one day to “The Pearl of the Adriatic.” Hvala Croatia! (Thank You Croatia.)

At dinner, back on the Magic, we reconnected with Debbie, Stephanie and Monica. We told them about all we saw and they told us about their adventures of the day. They went to the beach and unfortunately they left Debbie’s camera in a bunker on the beach where they changed clothes. Bummer about that, but they still had an amazing day!

After dinner, we decided tonight would be the night for Karaoke! There were some really great singers…and then there were others that were definitely having fun. ;) I did some Edwin McCain (because Momma likes it when I sing this song) and then Steph and I were backup singers as Monica signed “We Are Family.” She did a great job and we all ended up having a great time. :)

ANOTHER great country and ANOTHER great Day!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

This morning I woke up and we were still sailing. We weren’t supposed to arrive in VENICE until this afternoon…so we took our time and took it easy this morning. The sights from our balcony as we approached the port were pretty cool.

Venice is in this sort of lagoon surrounded by several islands. To get to Venice from the Ship, you have to take a smaller boat or water taxi from the pier. So we get off of the Magic, and immediately boarded a smaller boat for our excursion. We visited two of Venice’s “most prominent islands of the Northern Lagoon,” Burano and Murano.

After a 45 min boat ride, we reached the brightly colored fishing village of Burano. Burano also has a tower with a tilt in its center. I’m thinking that this is a very Italian trend. ;)

This village is well known for its lace making. Women still sit inside of and outside shops creating these beautifully, delicate and intricate pieces...

…and man do they want so they want to sell you what they have! I tried on a beautiful skirt but decided it was way more Euros (let alone dollars) than I wanted to spend there…so I put the skirt down and made a break for it when the salesperson wasn’t looking. ;) My mom on the other hand, is very curious about hearing other people’s stories, and has no problem talking to strangers. Therefore, I think another saleslady, in another shop got offended when my mom was genuinely interested in the lady and her shop and island…yet not interested in buying anything. After this I tried to evoke the “Don’t Talk to Strangers” rule that I always heard about when I was growing up…she refused to abide by this rule. ;) Although Debbie was not with us on this excursion, I have a strong feeling that she has the same problem of being way too friendly. I am not like this…they are both way nicer than I am. ;)

I did end up with a pretty coral scarf from Burano before we got back on our boat to head to Murano.

Murano is known for its glass blowing. We went to a large glass blowing factory and watched one of the master craftsmen create a horse in less than 5 mins…so impressive. Their showrooms were filled with the most beautiful things…but unfortunately we had to leave our cameras off…they said that they are afraid of others trying to copy some of their unique pieces. I left here with a glass beaded bracelet with tiny flowers on the beads. We had a little free time so we checked out all the little shops around and we bought 3 pieces of glass blown “candy” for Debbie, Monica and Stephanie.

I also found an ATM while we were here. The surroundings were just amazing. The “streets” of water with the bridges that connected them were just so cool! This was another beautiful Sunny Sunday. A lot of the town/village/island was quiet and closed since it was Sunday.

We watch boats pulling up into “parking places” just like they would do if they were in a car on land. :)

Back to our water taxi and back to the Magic. The sun is beginning to set and Venice is just beautiful. :)

Today’s dinner was a little different since the ship is saying in Venice over night. Debbie decided t to sit this one out and so Momma, Steph, Monica, and I had dinner downstairs in the dining room…in a booth…we were very happy that this was not our regular table. (yes we’re spoiled with our current table) Of course the wait staff was nice, but they weren’t OUR guys, ;)

Monica and Stephanie were kinda tired, so we parted ways after dinner. Momma and I weren’t done yet so we went do to the Guest Services desk (yes we used the Platinum line) to find out that best easiest way to see “Venice at Night.” Well the guy at the desk basically told us that it was too far to walk (in the dark) for us. So we took his advice and called it a night. Waiting on my bed was a nose-less Koala…I think out steward needs a little practice. ;)

Monday, August 1, 2011

We woke up to Day 2 in Venice. We saw a lot of cool things yesterday so we decided to take it easy and watched the “Morning Show” with John and Calvyn (the addition of the Cruise Director show with letters and guests on the ship was pretty cool) and ordered room service while we watched “Casino Royale.” Well that settled it, the last scene of the movie took place in St. Mark’s Square…basically RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW…we hadn’t seen that yet…so we got up, got dressed and got out of that room…Off to see more of Venice! I have loved every one of our excursions, but getting to checkout Venice on our own was also extremely cool. Right off the ship we saw a sign for The Hard Rock Café and I knew that was one of my missions of the day…find the HRC and get a guitar pin for my collection. ;)

After walking down the long (long) pier (so maybe the guy at Guest Services was right), we found the water taxis that would take us to St. Mark’s Square.

Venice is supposedly one of the “Most Romantic Cities in the World”…well la-di-da! lol After our tour guide from yesterday informed us of the sewer system (or lack thereof) here in Venice, it suddenly became less “romantic” to me. ;)

Seeing all the gondolas and gondoliers was kinda surreal at first. We pondered throughout the day about paying 80 Euro to take part…at this point; we were still on the fence.

Anyways, the church in the center of the Square was (again) very intricate and beautiful…

...until you looked down. Lol It had been raining a few days before and there still was some water left in the square and thus there were wooden planks and risers leading up to the steps of the Church.

Fun Fact: When the streets of Venice flood, Venetians put on their “plastic boots” and get on with their day. :)

Behind the Square are lots and lots of narrow streets, made of cobblestones and steps, filled with shops and connected by canals. It was a maze of souvenir shops and high end boutiques with pizza and gelato places scattered in between. On some of the wider (not by much) streets there were free standing carts with more stuff to buy. It was (another) hot and gorgeous day and if you were standing in the open areas the Sun definitely got ya…but for the most part we were shaded in the (humid) maze. :)

We stopped in a lot of shops on our way to find the HRC. I ended up buying a couple of blown-glass crosses form Murano, my Mom found a watch she liked and I bought a cool black and white checkered lace mask. Carnival is huge in Venice and there were mask and costume shops everywhere!

If you are a shopper of the latest fashions, this is the place for you! Dolce & Gabana, Fendi, Prada, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Valentino, etc (just to name a few) were all represented. I did a whole lot of “window shopping” today. ;) I was highly disappointed however, that everything in the Disney Store was in ENGLISH and not Italian. ;) lol

We stopped on several bridges and watched the gondolas. Still holding out at this point. ;)

Finally, we found the Hard Rock Café…right across the canal from the Best Western. lol So I went in and checked it out and got my obligatory pin.

Right outside was a gondola stop, so we sat on a bench and watched for a bit. There were several of families of tourists waiting in line for their turn at the “experience”. I saw a couple of kids splashing around on the steps and I just wanted to shake their parents for not noticing that their children were playing in SEWAGE WATER! EWWWW! The sun was in full effect at the part of the day and we watched several gondolas full of hot (temperature wise), sunburnt, and therefore slightly cranky passengers. At this point I realized that this experience is one we could pass on. I don’t know about you but, floating around fairly close to sewage water began to sound less appealing. But don’t get me wrong…Venice is still an amazingly beautiful place but…I was thoroughly spoiled by the riverboat in Croatia two days earlier. :)

After a few hours and a lot of walking, we decided we saw all we could that day…but not before I got to try some gelato. I went with their version of cake batter…and it was an excellent choice! ;)

We made our way back to the water taxis and then back to the Magic.

Back to our room as we pulled away from the dock as the sun began to set…Ciao Venice!

Dinner was great but nothing of extra special note.

But you must see our towel friend that was waiting for us after a stop at the Red Frog Pub. :)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Today was another Fun Day at Sea. Although I’m very thankful for these days, I wish they were spread out a little better over the 12 days. We definitely needed recovery days during the first 4 days. :)

Coconut shrimp was lunch.

I had another massage today that involved these herb ball thingys (yes that’s the technical term). It was good stuff, but honestly, I enjoy the old fashioned regular hard pressure massages more. :) After that, I had a consultation with the acupuncturist…Thursday I’ll be seeing him again.

Other than that, I didn’t do much until we had to get ready for our 2^nd Formal Night. I headed back to the spa one more time today and got my nails painted. I had brought polish with me but had no remover…and none of the shops sell remover, but they are happy to redirect you to the Salon. ;) What the heck, I might as well. :) The chick that did my nails was form England and her name was Jade. It was fun taking to her as she dished a little Carnival dirt and made me feel awesome when she said I didn’t look 30. ;)

Before dinner we went to the Captain’s Cocktail/Past Guest Party where we had complimentary drinks and h’ordeuvres. They also showed us a video of basically the history of Carnival and introduced the new ships coming up, with new routes to Greece and Australia…and yes that totally got me thinking! ;)

I took a few more pics (that I didn’t buy). We did some pre-dinner sushi…well actually; I ate some while my mom made faces. ;)

Prime Rib and Baked Alaska was the good stuff for dinner! :)

The one criticism I have about the entertainment of the week, came from tonight’s show. It had a crazy corny game show theme…and that’s about all I could tell you about it…since Steph and I left after about 10 mins. ;)

We called it a night and when I got to my room, a lovely swan was waiting for me and a plate of petit fours.

Good Night! :)

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Happy 27^th Birthday Monica! Welcome to MESSINA, Sicily!

Fun Fact: “The Godfather” movies were filmed here in Sicily.

Today we were finally heading to the beach! I think a day at Naxos Beach, was a great way to spend the first half of Monica’s birthday. :) The beach was privately owned and full of beach chairs fairly far away from the water. At first I was slightly bummed, but once I dropped my stuff in the chair and headed to the water, all was right in the world. :)

Fun Fact: The Adriatic Sea is slightly FREEZING! 

But Monica and I sucked it up, grabbed hands and headed in. The water was rough in the impact zone where the waves were breaking. But once you got past the breaks it was rather calm. Debbie and Stephanie joined us while my Mom sat on the edge of a paddle boat just enjoying the view. :)

Speaking of the view, from the water, you can see Mt. Etna, another living volcano. Texas has a lot of things, but volcanoes ain’t one of ‘em. ;)

After a bit, Stephanie and Monica headed back to the umbrella and chairs. I then proceeded to talk Momma into joining me in the Sea. She agreed and I helped her into the FREEZING water as she screamed for about 3 mins. ;) After she was no longer frozen, she was glad that I got her out there. I love the water in case you didn’t know. There’s nothing quite like it when you’re just floating out there with no cares in the world. Very tranquil…until a wave gets you and fills your nose and mouth with salt water. :)

When the 3 of us were ready to get out, I went into “Baywatch” mode to help 2 “self-proclaimed old ladies” get out of the water alive. ;) Like I said, near the shore the water was pretty rough so I escorted Momma back to solid ground and then returned to get Debbie back to terra firma. :)

Back in the beach chair, I took a quick siesta, as Momma bought jewelry from a vendor that was walking around the beach.

We were getting close to being hungry (fighting with the ocean will do that to you for sure), so we got out of our wet stuff (Momma got yelled at by a Sicilian woman for changing in the bathroom instead of the “changing” room) and we were off in search or lunch.

Fun Fact: Sicily is the birthplace of the Canoli. 


So yes, the plan was to find canoli! But first, we stopped at a restaurant next to the beach and had some of the most AMAZING PIZZA EVER! Unfortunately it took forever to get to us. I’m fairly sure that they had to milk cows, and make their own cheese that made up the AMAZING 4 cheese pizza…and went to an orchard and picked their own apples to make the apple cinnamon pizza we had for dessert. But it was totally worth the wait!

However, we basically had to swallow it whole so we wouldn’t be late for the bus to take us back to the Magic. We had a ton left over so when we found Monica, Debbie and Stephanie we had them help us out. And with them came the magnificent canoli. Debbie let us try hers and it melted in your mouth for sure!

Unfortunately, we only got to enjoy Sicily for half a day but it was such a great day nonetheless. :)

I dropped stuff off at the room and Stephanie and I decided now was the perfect time to check out the waterslides on the very top level of the Magic. When I got to their room, Monica was in the shower…so we decided this would be the perfect time to do some birthday decorating. Banners and a bed full of balloons! :) She was definitely surprised! We’d do more celebrating later night.

We got to the top deck and as we were waiting in line, it was cool to see a panoramic view of Messina. The slides were fun and the WaterWorks thing was great but cold! After a bit of lounging on the deck and almost falling asleep, I headed back to the room and got cleaned up yet again. :) This was now the most opportune time to enjoy a nap on the balcony…so I took it!

I was pleasantly awoken by the voice of our Cruise Director. A little while after leaving Messina, we were fortunate to pass Stromboli…another active volcano. This was so cool and the fact that it was on our side of the ship was even cooler!!! My mom and I were pretty much in awe of this and in awe of the fact that we were so close to it. Right as we were exactly in front of it, black smoke began coming out of it…like it was staged. I even got video of it! That is definitely Mother Nature at her finest!

Pre-dinner sushi again and Momma and I checked out the casino. Here, I met Aleksander from Algeria (or maybe it was Albania) either way, he was a cocky 22 year old blackjack dealer that was a hoot…but mainly because I was winning. ;) I played up until it was time for dinner…aka Monica’s Birthday Dinner! We had decorations, horns and everything! Hearing waiters from all over the world singing Happy Birthday is always greatness!

After dinner, it was Monica’s choice as to what we did next. Monica is awesome at slot machines...so off to the casino we went! They went to the slot machines and I went back to blackjack (to lose what I had won of course) but this time with Daniel from Miami. I can’t believe that my own countryman took my money! ;) Well I can…but it’s usually in Vegas…not in the middle of the Mediterranean. ;)

After we played a bit, went to Red Frog Pub where Monica decided to call it a night and I ordered a Cruzan (appropriate brand for this bar) Vanilla Rum and Coke…yes I it’s what I call an “Adult Coke Float.” We sat and chatted as Momma got a Rum Punch…minus the rum and Debbie got an actual Rum Punch. ;)

Timmy was our entertainer for the night from one of the Carolinas. I had seen/heard him play throughout the week. He’s great! He plays everything from Jason Mraz to Kenny Chesney to Sister Hazel and even did a medley of Sublime and Hanson and Zac Brown Band. Yes he played a lil of everything and when I say everything I mean everything I would possibly like. :)

Another great ending to another great day!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

This is our last Fun Day at Sea, aka Acupuncture Day, aka LAST DAY on board the Carnival Magic!!! This day came way too soon. :(

Momma and I watched the Morning Show and I got a special surprise when my Mom’s letter about me was read during the show. I love you Momma…even if you are crazy from time to time. ;) I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to see everything we’ve seen and done over the past 30 years.

I had lunch once more courtesy of the Red Frog Pub and their coconut shrimp and salad from the “create your own salad” bar outside the pub. I took it to go and joined my mom on the Lido Deck. Today is all about taking it easy and enjoying being here one last day. :)

I went back to the spa for my acupuncture appointment. This is the first time I’ve tried this. Although though it was super relaxing, I don’t think that it did much for me. I wouldn’t rule out doing it again, but maybe it’s something that needs to be done several times before you can feel results.

I headed back to the room to chill a bit (since I was now full of mellowness). Steph called and wanted to check out the ropes course on the top deck. Unfortunately it was pretty windy today at sea so it was all closed up. Note to future Magic guests: if you really wanna checkout the ropes course, don’t wait until the last day…because it might be closed. ;) More good ‘ol fashioned laziness on the deck happened instead. Sadness began to set in when I got around to the daunting task of packing. But it was fun looking at souvenirs and such from each stop. :)

Dressed for dinner, Steph and I decided to meet for a pre-dinner drink at Red Frog Pub and sat on the deck at the swing/table. I would love to have one of these. (I later found out that these are super expensive.)

Our last supper included an awesome crabcake

and the crowd favorite: Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

…and a hilarious round of “find the butter” that my mom invented. ;)

One last night with our amazing wait-staff…We will definitely miss Luis, Juan and Blago. *Not sure who the waiter is making the “kissy” face…he just wanted to be in the picture too. :)

One last walk through the Casino and one last stop for some live music and we called it a night to make sure everything was ready to leave tomorrow. All good things come to an end…sigh. :)

Waiting in our room was our last towel animal; I think it might be a lobster???

Also waiting for us was a medal, autographed picture of Cruise Director John & Calvyn

and a GOLDEN SHIP ON A STICK!!! Lol This was all because my mom wrote a letter to that silly Morning Show. What a great way to end our journey on the MAGIC!

Hasta mañana Barcelona!

 Friday, August 5, 2011

Waking up in Barcelona was good…except for the fact that this means we gotta get out of “OUR” room and off “OUR” Ship. Farewell, Magic you will be remembered fondly! :)

Before we head back to The States we need to checkout Barcelona! Thankfully we had signed up for an extra day in Barcelona with transfers from the pier to the hotel…otherwise; we would have been in this lovely 2 hour taxi line…No gracias! ;)

We got to the hotel and only one of our rooms were ready so we dropped all of our stuff and got on a shuttle that would take us to the center of Barcelona. Here we met our personal tour guide for the day, Ivan. :) He happens to live in Dallas, but was home for the summer. He was super kind to show these “crazy” ladies around Barcelona. :) We met him at the bottom of the Christopher Columbus (ring a bell?) monument and this is where we would start our long day of discovering Barcelona…

Our first stop was by the beach. Steph and I had to at least stick or feet in. ;) (Later I found out that the “Beach in Barcelona gained status as the best urban beach in the World according to National Geographic and Discovery Channel, with the third total beach in the World.” We should’ve stayed longer. ;)

The sun was shining and the humidity was definitely high today. Lunch time was here and we stopped close to the water at the Santa Marta Barceloneta restaurant for sandwiches...

 and authentic Sangria!

After a quick pit stop…

we were on our way through the streets of the city. 

If I didn’t know where I was, I my think I was in New York City. I had the same feeling in some places we saw in Italy. But it makes sense since NYC was basically built by European immigrants and we ARE in Europe. ;)

Once again, there are some absolute beautiful places here. Dallas does not look like this. All of the architecture of the buildings and churches and fountains are super impressive.

After walking through the never ending maze of streets and buildings, we reached Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s most famous street. This street was packed with tourists and street performers and souvenirs and trees and pet shops and flower stands and, and...there was even a Hard Rock Café (where I got my pin) 

and a Starbucks (where I got my “Barcelona” cup). :) It was cool but just incredibly packed.

From here we rode the subway to take a short break from walking. This was a 1^st time experience for Momma. :) And yes, there are rats that run next to the tracks a la NYC. ;)

Our next stop (via taxi) was up at the top of the hill of El Carmel. We arrived at Park Gϋell that was made by the artist Antonio Gaudi. This was an amazing site and sight. :) The buildings look almost like a Candy House from “Hansel and Gretel.” The whole park there was made of beautiful mosaics. At the top level of the park there was an amazing view of the city. Too Cool!

This post may not seem like it, but we have now been walking for close to 7 hours. 

The last shuttle back to the hotel is 1 hour and 15 mins from now…just enough time for us to stop for dinner. We ordered some tapas and I tried a little of Ivan’s Ox Carpaccio. Not terrible at all. ;) The bill seemed to take FOREVER. 

So we had to run to the shuttle stop…we got there just in time to see that the shuttle was full…and the next one would be on its way…in 30 mins. ;) So we all took a seat and caught our breath near the harbor.

 I turned around and saw this spray painted on the wall…and then I knew our journey had come to an end.

Adios.