We had such a great Thanksgiving. We went to my Aunt and Uncle’s house and has a great time. We have so much fun with our family. I had to work that morning so I went in and got my hours done real fast and then came home and made a pina colada pie. It wasnt a recipe I had I just happened to have an extra pie crust and decided to play around with it.. it turned out to be the best thing I made!

Pina Colada Pie

1 graham cracker crumb crust

1 package coconut creme pudding mix

1 can crushed pineapple drained REALLY well

3 tbsp dark rum (I used tortuga rum that we bought in Nassau!)

1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/2 container cool whip

1 3/4 cup heavy cream

In a bowl mix the pudding mix and the heavy cream until smooth. Add pineapple and the coconut reserving about 1 tbsp to sprinkle on top. fold in the rum.

pour mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate Top with cool whip and sprinkle with reserved coconut.

That thing was AWESOME.

Steven was responsible for frying turkey’s this year. My uncle usually does it, but his health hasnt been that good, so this time Steven took over and took directions from the BOSS. They did 3 BIG turkeys.

I helped put out the buffet. We have so many people that we just cant do the whole sit down dinner. We do sit together after we fill our plates though!

 

We included Fried Turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, mac and cheese, fruit salad, mashed potatoes,  rolls, collards, feild peas and snaps, fatback, and SO many pies YUM.

 

After dinner we had a great time just laying around and visiting. I played with the kids and they ran around. Of course some of us had to grab a little cat nap.

We stayed all evening and then everyone headed home. I had to be in bed early so we could go SHOPPING the next morning. This is the first year I have ever done the early morning thing. But since I had to be up sp early for work anyway. We hit the stores. It was INSANE. People were lined up to the road by 4:45. It was so crazy. People were pushing and fussing and litterally freaking out when one door opened earlier than another. wow. It was really pretty sad. We did do pretty well though and got what we inteded to get at AMAZING prices. I was in and out in 15 minutes and to work in time to grab some beakfast before my shift. Now I just gotta get cracking wrapping all that stuff.

YAY! I am finally getting on with my trip report.. and about time huh?

Tuesday was the day we’d all been so excited for Pete and Lisa’s wedding day! I was up before dawn of course. I had planned on having room service deliver breakfast.. but had forgotten to do anything about it the night before.. so we decided to go back up to Beach blanket buffet for something quick.. next cruise I plan to take my time and get to some of the sit down options for breakfast and lunch. Steve is all about a buffet though, so it was great for him. After our Mickey waffles we watched as the captain started wheeling us around to dock at Castaway Cay! It was pretty choppy out in the little inlet.

After breakfast we returned to the staterooms to get ready for the wedding, and our hall was buzzing with activity. The whole wedding party and guests were all assigned rooms along the same corridor. It was so fun to be close to everybody. After I was ready,  I ran real quick to iron Steven’s pants while he showered and then stopped in for a moment with the bride. There is something magical about that couple of hours before a woman gets married. The air is electric. I think the angels must hover just a little closer or something. Lisa on this day was no exception. She just dazzled us all day.  She was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen.

  We had been assigned to meet in the lobby of the ship at 10 and then the wedding coordinator would take us to the wedding site so Pete wouldnt see Lisa before the wedding. We were allllmost on time.. which for such a big group is amazing! We disembarked and caught our first glimpses of Castaway Cay.

I have always known that Disney does things right. I am HUGE detail person. I love the little things. When someone puts effort into them it thrills me. Maybe that’s why I am such a huge fan of the disney theme parks. Castaway Cay is no exception when it comes to the details. Nothing has been left to chance. The landscaping is made to look natural, and it does. The buildings themeing is amazing and the photo ops are great. They set everything juuust so you can get great shots of the ship, the island and the Flying Dutchman. (** Disney parked the sound set from the Pirates of The Caribbean movies at the dock soo neat**)

The cruise line had set up to have trams to take us all right to where the wedding was. (Which was good, because it was a long way from the ship.) They took us to a spot that was secluded from most people with a pretty view of the ship. I was worried that people would be disprectful and intrude but everyone was great.  Most of the people on the beach were watching. There were even a few who swam up and were floating in the ocean nearby. It was almost like Lisa and Pete had about a thousand people crash thier wedding!

We all got into place and it wasnt long before Lisa and her Daddy rode up on a little white golf cart. She was amazing walking down the aisle. The little attendants were so cute.. usually kids DROP flowers on the aisle, but these two switched it up and stopped along the way to PICK UP little shells.. so cute.. and theme appropriate! The minister was a bahamian priest and he said some really great things.  Minutes later it was over and time to party!

We rode our trams back to the ship and the reception at Palo, the Wonder’s fancy italian restraunt. 

 The cake was layed out so pretty. Lisa had cute green beach towells embroidered and had made a cd with every couple on the tips wedding song on it as wedding favors. SUCH a great idea. LOVED it. We enjoyed a champagne toast given by Lisa’s sister and matron of honor Laura. and then one by Edwin, Pete’s best man.  They were both so heartfelt and sweet.

The first dances brought everyone to tears. Being present for it all was such a privelige.

  After the reception we were all ready to hit the beach! I went and changed while Steven went with the new couple to take a few photo’s around the ship. He loved getting to use thier DSLR camera and I think he did a pretty good job. He is by NO means a proffesional, but he is getting better and better.  It wasnt long though and we were on our way to explore paradise.

As we disembarked we met up with Laura and Brandon and little Alyssa. We all went to Cookies BBQ where we met up with Lisa and Pete and some more of the wedding party and had lunch. They had a great spread of bbq ribs, salads, hamburgers and hot dogs. The BEST chocolate chip cookies too.

After lunch Steven and I wanted to give Lisa and her family and friends some time alone,so we rode the tram over to the adults only beach Serenity Bay

  I love the way this trip worked out. We spent a lot of time alone enjoying eachother, but just about any time we wanted to we could find someone we knew to hang out with. We lay on the beach a while and had a drink. After about an hour and a half though, we returned to the family beach and found the crowd in the ocean. We swam and enjoyed the beach. All to soon it was time to return to the ship. If Disney ever made a cruise where you sailed to Castaway Cay and just docked there for a few days. Id be ALL in.

 When we returned to the ship we got dressed for PIRATE night. Steven especially was excited about the pirate theme. We arent generally big pirate people, but tonight we were. We were ready in time to go have pictures made with Captain Jack Sparrow himself. SO fun! We were also there in time to meet up the BIG cheese Mickey mouse. He was all dressed up as a pirate. We felt like little kids.

At dinner the atmosphere was so festive. At each place was a bandana and a special menu. The waiters were all dressed as pirates and we had so much fun. After a great dinner. Steven and I went up to the top deck for the “pirates IN the caribbean party” The show was really fun and the fireworks afterward were amazing. They were so bright since we were at sea and the sky was so dark. After the show they had a HUGE buffet laid out.. with the treat Steven was waiting for TURKEY LEGS! Disney makes these HUGE smoked turkey legs and Steven loves them. We snagged two and returned to the room where I was fast alsleep before I even finished mine. SUCH an amazing day!

ohhhh my gosh its been a crazy week. I still REALLY want to finish my trip report. I have some really neat photos that Steven took to share with you and I never posted this weeks menu plan. grrr. I hate when life gets in the way of posting about my life.

I have been working a lot of extra hours this week. This is such a busy travel week we have been super busy at work. Which is awesome because I like to buy presents at christmas time. My friend Zee and I are going shopping friday morning before work. We plan to be at Walmart at 430 am. Crazy? yeah probably. But those prices are awesome. I am totally up for some combat shopping!

Thankgiving plans are pretty lax. I have a huge huge family and we will all be together.  My Dad’s oldest brother (and a kind of stand in Grandpa) hasnt been in great health and I am looking forward to spending some time with him. We are doing kind of a potluck style dinner and Steven is frying the turkeys. There is nothing like fried turkey. He does a great job. I am sure he will have plenty of comment and “help” from the older men. I am making a vat of fruit salad, a cranberry jello thingee, mississippi mud pie, coconut creme pie and spinach dip with crudite. I have the dip and the salad done… I am just waiting on my cool whip to thaw to make my pies. I also have to look up a recipe on the JELLO website for the jello mold. I cant remember if you can use PAM on the mold? And did it call for nutmeg? i remmeber some kind of spice in it… but cant find the right recipe. grrrr

May your day find you thankful for friends.

***This is another one of those churchy blogs. Its who I am. Im not pushing my beliefs on you.. just sharing where I am right now****

I feel like I am in the bog of eternal stench.

Do you remember the scene from Jim Hensons’s The Labrynth? (David Bowie YAY!)

Lately it feels like so many things in my life are like quicksand. If I make one wrong move? Into the stench. Its really quite suck-y. dont wanna hear it? go HERE

 I dont guess I realize how much I put into our getting pregnant on our vacation. I totally expected to come home with a baby. Not only did it not happen?  Now There is something very wrong with me.I have no idea what it is. But I am sick. I am so much pain that it takes my breath and makes me sick to the stomach. My ovaries are throbbing a drum beat that I can litterally hear in my ears.  I dont have medical insurance, so um yeah.It would cost me a gajillion dollars to go to the dr. SO.. Im waiting till monday when I can call a local clinic that you pay according to income.. hopefully they can see me pretty soon.. . Healthcare in this country is broken. Im moving to Canada.

My job is all topsy turvy.I get scheduled for certain hours, but then the GM comes in and sends me home hours early. I know its been slow and that is likely the reason.. but I have been so distracted from hurting all the time that I left a couple things undone the other day. I didnt get in trouble… just reminded. and I know if I wasnt doing well Id be written up or something.. I HATE to not do a good job.  The GM is under a lot of pressure and She is trying to put salaried people on the floor as much as possible..to save money. It makes my paychecks wierd and I wonder what to expect day to day. Since I like routine? It makes me feel very unsettled.

I inadvertently hurt a friend that I care about.  Whats done is done, I cant go back, and It sucks so unbelievebly much. I dont know if she will ever forgive me.

So there you have it. sucky sucky sucky. Wondering where the hallelujah part comes in? Here it is.

Recently our church choir sang a song that has made me thinkabout the way I go about my life.

Hallelujah Anyhow

I believe I’ll testify, God’s been good to me.
Through every test and trial, I’ve got the victory
The enemy has tried his best to make me turn around, bring me down
But my God has never failed me yet so I’m gonna stand my ground.

No matter what comes my way
I’ll lift my voice and say
Hallelujah anyhow
Wait a minute one more time
I think I’ll say it again.
God’s been so good to me; He’s my closest friend
I’ve come too far to turn around now
I’m gonna stand, I’m gonna wait,
Watch God work it out somehow
No matter what comes my way,
I’ll lift my voice and say,
Hallelujah anyhow!
Oh, Hallelu, hallelujah anyhow!
Hallelu, hallelu anyhow!
Hallelu, hallelu anyhow!
Hallelu, hallelu anyhow!
No matter what comes my way, I’ll lift my voice and say,

hallelujah anyhow!

This is what I got for ya.  When things suck? Its not my job to complain and wallow in it. I was created as an instrument of praise.. and thats my only job. God cares about my problems and he is in control. If I trust him? Its all or nothing. I cant waffle from one situation to the next. The good, the bad, the ugly? They all belong to him. He has me on his heart. When I hurt? He feels it. Right now I have to repeat that to myself again and again.  He is here in this. He sees my future and knows that I will benefit from this, if I allow Him to work through it. Does it still suck. oh yeah. It bites. Do I still cry? yup. But I think hallalujahs through tears still count.

I totally plan to get back to my trip report.. Im just having a momentary hiccup.

***warning. the following may get to be TMI for you.. ite medical junk***

I have been having some girlie issues.. My ovaries have been acting very  unfriendly.. and today I confirmed my suspicion that we did not in fact bring back a “souvinear” from our cruise…. blah. We were hoping for a little “Disney Magic” ahhh well. With the Drs permission we did a double whammy with my meds last month just to give us a little extra “pixie dust” BUT After better than a week of almost constant pain I finally called  Dr Baby and Thank god he didnt insist on seeing me since my insurance is lapsed right now… He called in some scripts and he put me on a provera challenge to get my girlie parts jump started again. I am dreading it since I have not seen Aunt Flo since FEBRUARY. It could be armageddon around here by the middle of next week. Yall pray for my poor husband!

I am off to take a painkiller and a hot bubble bath… and have a long talk with my ovaries.

Wow. another monday all ready. Can you believe November is already half over? THANKSGIVING is next week people. good gravy time is flying. This weeks menu Im afriad is not much more exciting than last weeks. A couple nights last week I didnt end up cooking or whatever so I have some carryover meals. Im sure that things will get more interesting closer to the holidays.

Monday- Beef Stew, biscuits

Tuesday-  Chicken Croquets, mac and cheese, collard greens,

** We had these delicious chicken crouquets on our recent Disney Cruise. Im thinking I can re-create them. They were darn tasty and I think the things will like them a lot. You’ll also notice we are eating a LOT of collard greens lately. Thing Two is very difficult to please in the veggie dept and recently she re-discovered collards. SO I am taking advantage of the fad while I have the chance. Steven doesnt eat them at all but the Things and I have been eating them up.

Wednesday- Baked pork chops, rice and gravy, Green Beans, crock pot applesauce

Thursday- Lasagna, french bread, green salad

Friday & Saturday- Thing One will be off with her Mother this weekend. SO Im not really sure what will go on in the kitchen this weekend. I know there might be a trip to florence to see the movie Bolt and dinner at perhaps Chili’s or somewhere over there.. and who knows what saturday. Pizza?

Sunday- Chicken bog with yellow rice, chile cheese corn bread

This morning as we awoke we found ourselves nearing Nassau Bahamas! I was so excited I just couldnt sleep. There was toooo much to see and do! We got up even before Mickey called us with our wake up call and were off to see what we could get into. Steven was off a little before I was and found a sunrise.. bahamas style.

It wasnt long before I joined him and found the day to be perfect. It was warm without being hot with a nice ocean breeze blowing. I couldnt have been happier!

 

Ok.. so maybe I could.. finding Mickey Waffles for breakfast made me pretty darn happy. How could you not be happy eating mickey waffles in the Bahamas?

After Breakfast.. and saying good morning to Lisa and her family.. we took a stroll on the top deck.. and watched the amazing Captain guide our huge ship into the port of Nassau. It was so neat to watch as he turned us around and BACKED into the slot between the two ships you see here.

I could have watched it all day long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldnt get over just HOW blue that water was. It was so pretty.. and to think that this was the first time Steven had stepped out of the US ws fun too!

 

 

 

 

It wasnt very long and it was time to disembark. We walked down the length of the ship right between our ship and a carnival cruise ship. It was amazing how big they were and so close together!

After you disembark there are several photo ops and of course being the tourists that we are had to stop and get our picture taken!

 

 

 

After you take the 1/4 mile walk from the ships there is a little shopping area that you walk through as well as a little security area

 

 

 

 

 

Here we met up with Lisa who was waiting for her group to arrive for thier excurision. We were happy to wait with her until someone arrived. I thought it was so neat that we got to spend so much time together. It was never planned that way.. we just cooincidentally ran into one another. Great minds must think alike!

 

 

After a few minutes Lisa’s guide showed up and we left her to her adventure. And embarked on ours. Nassau is a neat little place. We had a great time exploring and seeing the sights together in the  morning.

As you walk away from the ship area you come into the downtown area where the parliament offices and government buildings are.

 

Steven loved the uniforms all the traffic cops were wearing. Im not sure of thier importance though because traffic rules and laws seemed only to be a suggestion in Nassau.  Everywhere you looked there was someone asking again and again if you wanted a taxi, or a tour, or to get your hair braided. We decided to wait until we had the girls with us to do any mjor excursions and were happy with our own little walking tour of the area. After we walked around some Steven decided to walk to a nearby beach to take some photos and I needed to do a little shopping at the World Famous Straw Market. It was terrifying. Crowded and hot. The venders were crowded into tiny stalled packed with thier wares. You had to barter with them to get a decent price and after checking my purchases with the set price stores near the ships I found that my bartering skills are actually pretty good. I did better than any prices offered in the shops. YAY ME!

I got each of the girls a few things as well as my parents and some friends. I also stopped to see the famous Tortuga Rum cake factory and got to taste some GREAT cakes as well as watch them being made

 I bought some Tortuga  rum so that I can make my own version of the caribean cake this christmas. It was yummy but I think my version will be better!

Steven got a LOT of great shots of the Nassau light house as well as the area surrounding it. After our separate exploring we met back on the ship for lunch. There were endless options and we chose to change into swimsuits and get snacks on the deck from Goofy’s Galley.. Im not sure why when we could have eaten anywhere.

 

We joined Laura and Brandon as well as Crystal and Nikki and Jason in the Quiet Cove Adult pool area. It was so nice. The weather was amazing and we found the chaise lounges to be wonderful.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and lazing around talking with friends and enjoying being together. We walked the ship some and help hands and smooched. It was all together perfect.

 

 

 

 

That evening while I was getting ready Steven went up on deck to shoot some pictures of the sunset and of Nassau as we readied to embark. I kept thinking. NOOOOOO slow down. It was going way way to fast!

That night we watched the show Toy Story the Musical. Of the three it was our least favorite. But still fantastic. It follows the movie toy story perfectly and the sets are really great.

 After the musical we met back with everyone and watched as the different families had thier pictures made as it wsa Dress up night. Steven and I had ours made with the Captain. It was neat to get to meet him.

Afterwards we had dinner at Tritons. It was so beautiful in there. There was a subtle Little Mermaid theme to the place

This was a french themed restraunt and I think our favorite meal of the cruise. We really liked that we had the same serving team at each meal. Disney calls it “rotational dining” Tino and Anil were really really great. I had the escargot for an appetizer and Steven was so funny when he got brave and tasted it. It was pretty good (but I already knew I liked it) We also had THE most AMAZING duck as an entree. It was the first time I have ever had duck and it was so so good.  Steven had originally ordered something else but after tasting my duck he had our waiter bring that out as well. It makes my mouth water just thinking abou it. mmm mmm Im hoping someone got a good picture of it. It was that good. I think I had the creme brule for desert.

After Dinner I was pretty tired and SO SO full from that amazing duck. SO I headed back to the room. Once again Charlie, the room steward did not disapoint.

We found this little fellow waiting on our turned down bed when we returned to the room after dinner.

 I was out like a light, but Steven joined the men to celebrate Pete’s last night as a single man. Tommorow he and Lisa would be getting married on Castaway Cay. They must have a had a good time because it was nearly 2 am when Steven crashed in the door.

Sunday morning dawned cold and rainy. boo. This was NOT the weather that I had ordered.. however we were headed SOUTH to the warm balmy shores of the bahamas. I was SO SO excited. Today we were boarding that big ship and seeing all of our friends. I was up SO early. I had the place packed up and ready before Steven was even out of bed. We had HOURS before our shuttle was scheduled so we again made use of the breakfast vouchers offered by Luna Sea Motel and had a great meal at The Omelet Station. Today I had a bagel and cream cheese and some fruit. Steven had a tripple meat omelet.  After breakfast we went back to the Luna Sea and parked the truck in the cruise parking area (right in front of the motel office) and got ready to go. It wasnt very long and our Travelynx motel shuttle arrived.

 We made a couple quick stops and picked up people all heading out on vacations. The atmosphere was so fun.. one lady we met is a mickey NUT. We saw her several times on the cruise. She and her husband and daughter were celebrating her 30th birthday. It wasnt too long and we were arriving at the Disney Port. I was so happy to finally be there. Travelynx was a great deal at $20 round trip and they handled all of our luggage. We didnt have to even worry about checking the suitcases as they shuttle guy did it for us.

This is our first view of the Disney Wonder. Everyone on the shuttle clapped and hollered. It was fun to be traveling with a group just as excited as we were!

 

 

This was taken right after we passed through security. The first wave anyway. I was glad that I had all of our paperwork filled out and ready to go. It was so easy. Disney really has this figured out. 1-2-3 and we were ready to board. We met up with our friends Lisa and Pete and thier party right away and were able to board as a group. It was so fun to see everyone and get on the ship together. There were 24 of us who boarded together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we boarded the ship we were greeted by the cruise staff who asked our name. When we entered the beautiful lobby we were announced. “welcoming on board the Lane family” Since we were boarding with all of our friends we got a huge round of applause. What a welcome. We of course waited to welcome those in our party that were right behind us. The lobby of the ship or the “atrium” is so beautiful. Im sure I looked quite simple with my mouth hanging open as I gawked around. These arent our pictures.. since we were too busy gawking.. but I wanted you to see what we saw!

 It was totally amazing. After we all boarded (we were missing our sweet Shanny.. but she and her family came along a little later) we went in search of lunch. We followed our bride to Parrot Cay where they had an AMAZING buffet laid out. Everything you could possibly want and maybe just a little more. The prime rib was my favorite. Again with the file photos of Parrot Cay.. but we were just to involved in the meal.

We sat at one long table and the atmosphere was so fun. Everyone was just so excited. Before to long it was 130 and our rooms were ready. I was a little nervous that the room would seem clausterphobic since were were in an inside stateroom with no windows. But honestly it was just fine. The room was small, but just what we needed. I dont even think wed need more with the girls. We’d just need to be more attentive to how we leave our stuff laying around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right after we checked out the room we left our carryons and went to explore the ship. It is truely beautiful. Disney does such a great job at details. And as I am a detail person I wont bore you with all of them. But every single place we looked there was something that thrilled me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that I have a Bahama Mama drink in hand. There are roving waiters all over the ship with trays of these yummy drinks. Good thing I ony had one!

Steven was looking out at the Port. I think he MIGHT have been missing our girls juuuust a little. I think the idea of leaving the country without them was a little scary for him. But they were in good hands.. besides it was time for the Muster Drill. This is a safety drill that is performed on all ships embarking from US ports. Everyone has to prove that they know how to don life preservers and that they know the Disney way of getting to life boats ect. It was funny to see everyone all decked out in Orange Life Vests.

 

Everyone showed and it didnt take but a minute to get instructed on how to get off this tub if it decided to sleep with the fishes!

 

 

Steven looks so cute in his life vest!

After the drill we all headed up to the Sail away party. Mickey and the gang joined us as we danced away. We were under way. I think I MIGHT have gotten a little misty eyed when I heard the ships horn sound “when you wish upon a star” It was just too much fun.

 The weather was still pretty nasty. So we sat under the awning and watched the kids dance more than anything. They gave out fun streamers and we went up top to make sure we waved at the staff at Grills. We actually saw Cindy waving away!

Dont I look enthused? In the background you can see our friend  Pete.

 

 

 

 

After the sailaway party we all went and got ready to watch the first of three broadway style shows in the Walt Disney Theatre. I have to say. These were one of my favorite things on the ship. They were amazing. As a Disney fan it was especially fun.  The first night’s show was “The Golden Mickey’s” an awards type show. The costumes were particularly wonderful. The girl who played cruella DeVil was AMAZING.  Everyone was of course sure to point out that Jennifer Hudson had once been a star in the golden mickeys. How cool is that?

After the show we headed to our first Dinner on board. I was sure feeling the movement of the ship by this time (a few others as well.. we saw one girl.. um loose her cool on the deck of the ship.. eww) But Lisa came to the rescue with a patch for seasickness and I was feeling ship shape (lol pun intended) in no time. Dinner was fantastic. I had an amazing prime rib and potatoes and CREME BRULE CHEESECAKE for desert. wow. I could die eating that cheesecake.

They also offered a banana breadpudding with coconut ice cream that was AWESOME. and.. since I could decided which to have? Our amazing dinner host brought me both. Totally decadent to have two deserts.. but totally worth it. YUM

After Dinner Lisa and Pete and Steven and I went to Wavebands which is an adult night club to watch a gameshow called “Match your Mate” We were hoping that Pete and Lisa would get to play since they were newlyweds.. but alas they werent picked. It was still fun to watch.

By the end of the show and after taking a quick spin on the dancefloor I was pretty tired out. So we left Pete and Lisa smooching on the dancefloor and headed up to our stateroom. When we arrived we were tickled to find that we had been visited by our stateroom host and he had turned down our bed as well as left us a towell creation. It was so nice to come “home” to the bed all ready to climb into.. I could get used to that kind of treatment!

It didnt take me long and I was lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship as we crossed the Florida straight and headed for Nassau!

The second day of our vacation for me started kind of roughly. I wasnt feeling super good. This of course panicked me to no end. But thankfully it was just a short lived indigestion from likely to much rich food at dinner. We did stop at a pharmacy and get some tummy meds just in case though.

We started pretty early and since our hotel offered vouchers for a local breakfast place we zipped right over there. The Omelet Station is FANTASTIC. Our server Richard was super fun and you could tell that he enjoyed his job.. as a restraunt manager I love to get people like that.I had a fruit and yogurt plate and Steven REALLY enjoyed the super breakfast buffet they had. It included a yummy looking omelet station and eggs benedict. I was still feeling a little iffy so we took our time and after eating my tummy began to settle down. With our vouchers our bill came to something like $7 including tip.

After breakfast we headed out the Merrit Island Wildlife refuge park. As a wildlife lover Steven was so SO excited about this plan. We were detoured a little when the bridge connecting the island and the mainland malfunctioned. We ended up driving 20 miles out of our way to the back entrance of the park, but it was well worth it.  Our first stop was a Manatee veiwing platform. I was particularly excited to see them. I did a report on Manatees in elementary school and was spouting off manatee facts to Steven the whole  morning.. he was mildly interested and treated me to his rendition of the Veggie tales hit. “Barbara Manatee” complete with veggie tale dance moves included when we stopped. ”barrrrrrbra Manateeeeee.. you are the one for meeeee. Sent from up above. You are the one I love.” The manatees muct either like his singing or are accustomed to the song because they came to see us! I was SO excited.

This is just about the best picture we got. Those manatees were a litle camera shy. But it was so fun to watchj them bob along the edge of the water. We stayed there for some time and enjoyed the sun and just being together. We also met some very nice people and chatted with them for quite a long time before we moved on the the Black Point Wildlife Drive  It is a 10 mile loop where there are specific wildlife habitats..Where you follow a pamphlet and look for certain wildlife in certain areas. It was very fun and Steven was in wildlife photography heaven.

Steven could tell you what kind of bird this is.. but I just like it. We saw TONS of birds, and so many different flowers and plants. Steven had done a lot of research on what we might see there so he was able to identify things for me and point out neat things to see. It was such a fun relaxing morning. It was free except for the gas money and we enjoyed just being together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was amazing to me to watch how patient Steven was in getting his shots. I love the colors in this one.

 

 

 

After we completed the wildlife drive we went to the Merritt Island information center. They have all kinds of exhibits on the wildlife found on the refuge and a boardwalk to go out on the marsh..

This little guy was guarding the entrance to the boardwalk.

The weather was just perfect and we walked around the place a good bit. I sat under a tree and wrote the Things some post cards. We mailed them from the center and they had a merritt island postmark.

 

There were several birding trails you could walk.. but I wasnt up for a 5 mile walk.. so we just took our picture in front of the sign

 

 

 

After we explored the wildlife center we headed back to Cocoa beach. The bridge was still out so we had to detour all the way around titusville fl.. it was about a 40 minute drive and I of course took the opportunity to nap. Steven continued to seanade me with veggie tales songs.. When we returned to the motel Steven enjoyed the pool a little and we got cleaned up and went in search of dinner. I had read on the DIS that there was a decent place to eat and watch our ship the Disney Wonder’s sister ship the Disney Magic embark. It seemed like a fun idea so we drove to the port and got deck seating at Grill’s Bar and Grill. 

They had AMAZING cheeseburgers (the menu item was actually “cheeseburger in paradise) at really decent prices. Even better we got front row seats to watching the Magic as she steamed on by. We even got to hear that special horn sound as she went by.

 We dont usually drink much.. but honestly? I dont think I have tasted much better than that cold beer and those burgers. It was totally a fun place to go and SUCH a neat way to get pumped up for our cruise!

People were yelling and waving them off. Our waitress Cindy wsa super nice and said that she’d be sure to wave extra hard since she knew we’d be on the ship sunday! I ws getting really excited to see my friends and get on that big ship!

 

After our dinner we sat on the deck and watched the sunset. It wasnt as spectacular as the previous evenings, but it was so special to be together and enjoying it. After the sunset we headed back to the Luna Sea to get packed up to leave on the ship the next morning. I arranged for our shuttle to pick us up at 11 am and got things organized to go. Steven wandered a little more and ran to walgreens to transfer all of the wildlife pics to a disc so we had empty data cards. I was fast asleep when he returned. So much for being to excited to sleep!

This is going to be a pretty detailed trip report. Might even be kinda boring. You know how people used to go to someones house and they’d bring out the slides of their vacation to boca and youd sit on the couch and snooze while they talked about Aunt Tillie and the snad fleas? yeah. you are so sitting on my couch But then again. I have enjoyed reading the trip reports of other people who were on the trip with us.. so without delay? Day one.

Friday-

We had asumed that I would be working this morning so we got to start our trip a full 4 hours earlier than planned. I was up before Steven…way to excited to be sleeping, So I made a pancake  breakfast for the Things and spent some time cuddling with them on the couch. Something I used to do a lot in the mornings before I started working so early. The little one was a little leary of mama and daddy going off without her, but they both did really well.

  As soon as the girls were off to school we finished packing the truck and we were gone! After a quick stop at the freeway for gas and drinks we hit the road and headed south! We were both so excited.. it felt SO good to finally have made it to our day!  

However it didnt take me very long to leave Steven to himself and the road. I am a terrible roadtrip companion, because there is something about that movement that puts me right to sleep. I was out like a light before we even hit the next town over.

 

I spent the morning dozing and it was amazing what good time you can make when you dont have to stop at every potty along the way! If ya wanna get somewhere fast traveling without the kiddos is the way to go.After my nap I broke out one of the books that I hade been saving to read on the trip. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.. its fantastic and I cant wait to see the movie.

 Before I even knew it we passed the GA/SC line and it was time to stop for lunch. We had some gift cards to use.. but I was in the mood for a salad. So we stopped at Ruby Tuesday near Savannah. They do not have a good kids menu. We were very happy about that situation. We both ordered soup and salad and were super happy with it. The broccoli soup there is SO SO good.

After lunch I settled in to watch a movie on the portable dvd player we brought along. I didnt end up using it as much as I thought I would. But I had a couple grown up netflix movies that I had been saving to entertain myself with.

The sex and the City movie was just ok.. certainly not fantastic. Although it was fun to check in with my favorite girls from my collge days. I used to LOVE that show.

I cant tell you how fast the trip down went. One second we were in SC the next we were pulling into our Motel parking lot. This was just a precursor for how fast the rest of the trip would go!

 We Stayed at the Luna Sea Bed and Breakfast Motel. It was a GREAT place. Super clean and very very affordable. For $69 a night we got a nice clean room, beakfast at the Omelet Station and free cruise parking. We did have to pay for the shuttle but it was only $20 round trip. Totally worth the money and a really fun place to stay. We absolutely recomend them to anyone planning a cruise and plan to stay there whenever we get to take our girls on a cruise.

After we checked in we decided to explore the Space Coast a little bit. So back in the truck we found oursleves at the beach. It was a cool afternoon and the wind was whipping! But there were TONS of shells on the beach and we enjoyed the walk after the long day in the car.                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After watching kite boarders ride up and down the coast for a while  we headed back to the room to get cleaned up for dinner. On the way we stopped to see the sunset. It was very romantic. Just the two of us on a deserted dock. It was almost like you could hear the sun sizzle as it dipped into the ocean. We were alone that is until after the sun had set and this hilarious black woman and her husband arrived a little late to catch the sunset. When she discovered that they had missed it she began hitting her husband with her purse and screetching at him.. very funny.                                          

Skreetching women aside it was such a special moment.

 

 

 

 

 

After we left the man to defend himself to his wife we found a seafood restraunt that I had read about and printeda coupon for.. it did not look promising. Something about strip mall does not say good seafood to me. So we stopped and asked a local and she directed us to Florida Seafood Bar and Grill. We were not disapointed. We had a GREAT seafood dinner for a pretty reasonable price. Steven had prime rib and snow crab where I had a mixed steamed seafood plate that included scallops, shrimp, snow crab and sweet Ga white shrimp.  GREAT place to eat in Cocoa Beach.

After dinner we called the Things and touched base with them. And after a quick stop at Walgreens for some forgotten neccesities we headed back to the room and the SUPER comfy beds at the Luna Sea.

 

I warned you it was going to be detailed.