On Island Time for Thanksgiving

Well, before the business of the holidays set in around our house we took advantage of a little "Island Time" and escaped with Cary's office on a Western Caribbean cruise. We went the week of Thanksgiving while my parents took over caring for the girls. Our journey began on the Sunday before Thanksgiving at 5:00am when we all met at the Carter's home to pack all the luggage into two vehicles. Sweet Suzanne had coffee and zucchini bread ready for everyone:) We were all so excited that it did not seem to matter that it was so early. The drive to Dallas was so much fun because we were all laughing and having such a great time visiting with one another. Once we got to Dallas we checked in at DFW and boarded a plane destined for New Orleans. I am happy to say that the flight was very smooth and all of our luggage arrived on time . We boarded a big bus and headed for the port with a lot of smiles on our faces. Getting on to the ship was the most time consuming but it seemed to go fairly fast considering we were on a ship that would hold almost 2000 passengers. All of the crew was so nice and welcoming on the Norwegian Spirit.

As always we boarded in time for the safety drill. Aren't we cute? (You can see my newly highlighted hair. It is the first time in my life I have ever had highlights.)

On our first day at sea we all just relaxed and enjoyed the sailing. Except for one of us who was working hard at earning the title of Mr. Sexy Legs. With a little extra help from Mrs. Guatemala he took home the title. We were all so easily entertained by this that the jokes lasted the rest of the cruise.

On Tuesday we arrived at our first port which was Honduras. I have heard that there is a nice vacationers side of the island but we were on the third world country side of the island. It really was heartbreaking to see such small children walking around barefoot in the rain trying to earn some money by holding an umbrella or offering tours of the island.

Our group lead us to this shop. I thought the name was so funny.

On Wednesday we ported in Guatemala. On this island they had built a nice tourist facility with all kinds of homemade crafts. It really was interesting to see the many talents of the people there. They even had some live entertainment for us to enjoy and evidently they are home to one of the largest jade mines. There were a lot of beautiful jade pieces. I did not find anything I had to have but all the other ladies managed to find something to bring home.

Thursday we ported in Belize and Cary went with Phil on a repelling and zip line excursion. I decided to try something a little calmer and went with Karen and Doug on a snorkeling and beach excursion. I enjoyed doing a little jewelry looking at all the great shops followed by lounging on the beach. The weather and the scenery were both beautiful. We both had a successful day!

Our last port was Cozumel and we were so busy shopping that I did not take a single picture. Cary and I spent the morning looking for a few things on my list for the girls. At noon we met up with the rest of our friends for lunch at a great Mexican restaurant. Then we were off for more shopping. I found a lot of jewelry that I would have loved to have taken home but alas they were not willing to bargain as much as I would have liked. However, after we boarded the boat I went shopping in the lobby and found the bracelet I had my eye on for a lot cheaper that it had been in port. Yeah!

We spent the last day at sea relaxing. I was going to work on a little tan until we walked onto the deck and felt the cool temperature and rain. Suzanne, Karen, and I then decided to go play Bingo for something fun to do. We did not win but that did not keep us away from the jewelry counter:) We even managed to eat at the midnight chocolate buffet. I do not know how they carve so many things out of chocolate. There were roosters, lighthouses, castles, roses, and dragons to name a few.

All the food on the ship was delicious especially the creme brule and the lobster. I walked four of the days we were on the ship for exercise but still managed to gain a few pounds. This post would not be complete without our favorite Supervisor in the dining room Daniella and her biggest fan, Larry.

I have to say that we all had a wonderful week together and I enjoyed getting to know everyone much better. Thank you Phil & Mendy, Larry & Carolyn, and Doug & Karen for being so much fun! Most of all thank you to David and Suzanne for making the trip possible and full of such wonderful memories. Cary's office really is like having another family which is something to truly be treasured. We are so blessed!!

Thank you also to my sweet parents and grandfather for taking such great care of the girls while we were away and for the early Christmas treat to spend on the cruise:) We were ready to see these two precious faces by the time we got home on Sunday night. Our trip home was a little longer than expected due to snow falling all around us and a wreck on the highway but we all made it home safely which was an answered prayer. What a great gift to come home to snow!!