If it's Gotta End...Might as Well be in the Bahamas!

Once we boarded the boat after an awesome day in Honduras.  We were ready for Cozumel, Mexico.  Unfortunately high winds combined with a narrow shipping channel exiting port kept us in Roatan overnight forcing us to miss our port in Cozumel.  It was pretty disappointing, but we had two days at sea to relax and enjoy time on the boat.  We sailed Wednesday and Thursday before arriving in the Bahamas Friday morning.  Princess Cruises has their own private island to relax under palm treas and eat lunch on the beach.  We found a couple of chairs in the shade and parked for the day.  We took a the opportunity to explore the coastline and enjoy the sunshine and 80 degree weather.  Several hours after lunch, we returned to the ship to set sail for Ft. Lauderdale.  We still had an evening of dining and enjoying the entertainment on the boat before retiring to bed and returning home.  Best we can figure...if you have to go home, might as well spend the last day in the Bahamas!

It was a fantastic trip to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (even though it's not till June).  Back to reality!

Grand Cayman

After setting sail from Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon, we spent a day at sea on the way to our first port. We arrived in Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island first thing Monday morning. After a brief walk around the town, we headed on Capt. Bryan's Stingray Adventure. We boarded a catamaran and set sail for Stingray Island, which is a sandbar near the barrier reef. There are hundreds of stingrays swimming around this sandbar, and they are docile enough to be fed, touched, and even kissed :)! After a stop at Stingray Island, we went to two other snorkel spots close by. It was windy and the water was rough, but the coral and animals were beautiful. After a long morning in the water, we raised the sails and headed back for Grand Cayman and a wonderful lunch at Breezes restaurant with a waterfront view.

One of the best parts of the day was meeting some new friends. We spent a lot of time with a fun family who had visited Stingray Island before. They were able to help us get and up close and personal experience with the rays!

A Five Year Treat!

Four weeks ago, I woke up to a black computer screen with white lettering that read:  Push the Button.  When I did press the button, a slideshow created by my husband started playing.  He had worked hard to plan a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean, and his slide show gave me all of the details, including clues about the "off the beaten path" adventures we would have at each port.  The reason for this surprise vacation?  We're celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary this year.  Even though our anniversary isn't until June, my spring break was the perfect time for us to escape.  We returned this weekend, and what better way to relive our fabulous trip than to share it with you!  Today, I'll share some general pictures of the ship and fun things we did on the boat.

The Air is Thinner in Colorado

We recently made a trip to Colorado to visit Kathy's sister and family. We got to visit our niece as well as spend time with family and Kathy's mom. The mountain house is located 9,200 feet above sea level where the air is pretty thin. The first day we were there we suffered from a little altitude sickness. Everytime we would exert a little energy we'd have to stop to catch our breath. I felt like a 20 year old chain smoker suffering from emphysema.

While we were there we did a little snow skiing at the local resort Eldora. It was only Kathy's second time snow skiing and she did fantastic. I got to break away and catch an afternoon of black diamonds. It was great!

The temperatures hovered between 20 and 40 degrees while we were there. There was a this great wood burning stove we would keep burning to stay warm. Our niece had a great game she liked to play called "brother, sister, sister" where Kathy and I were her brother and sister. The picture by the fire is of me and Ellie playing brother sister wrapped up by the fire. Kathy found it quite amusing.

We also got to make a trip to the Rocky Mountain National Forest near Estes Park, CO.  The scenery was breath taking (literally).  We had a great time and look forward to returning soon.  Until next time, this is Brian signing off from the Rocky Mountain National Forest.