Cozumel

Tuesday, July 3: Day Four.

Our fourth day was definitely my favorite.  We didn't dock in Cozumel until 11am, so we enjoyed a slow morning sitting on the patio, eating breakfast, reading, and praying.  So relaxing and wonderful!  Eventually, it was time to get off the ship and begin our adventures.  You'll notice that we weren't the only Carnival ship spending the day in Cozumel- I think that was the Elation ship next to us?

see ya later, Paradise!

We checked in for our expedition and had about half an hour before our shuttle left, so we wandered around for a bit.  Since this area is where the cruise ships enter, it was extremely touristy, but fun all the same.  We found a few photo ops...

such a beautiful day!

It's a zonkey!  (zebra-donkey)

this is me, trying to be intimidating...

A restaurant called Fat Tuesdays- totally Mardi Gras/New Orleans themed.  I gotta say, I'm proud to have lived somewhere that's so cool that even other countries try to emulate its celebrations!

Then, it was off to our excursion of the day, which was... SWIMMIING WITH DOLPHINS!  Seriously, this was one of the coolest things I've ever done.  Taxis picked us up and took us a few miles down the road to Dolphinarias.  Before we started, we watched a few other groups with the dolphins.

the view was breathtaking!

After a brief orientation, it was our turn.  Apparently, our time in the water was only 40 minutes, but it felt like longer.  Our group worked with Nautica, and we were able to give her a hug, kiss her, dance with her, pet her, and ride her.  It was expensive to purchase pictures, but we couldn't resist having at least a few of us in this once in a lifetime experience.

cue the teasing Cori about kissing another woman...

LOVE!

cuties

haha, can you tell how excited i am?  dancing AND dolphins?!  it's too good to be true!

dolphin ride! she swam up behind us on her belly, then we grabbed her fins and went for a little ride.

SO much fun!

We also got to see 4 of the dolphins make some awesome jumps.  It was SO cool!  After we got out of the water and bought photos, it was time for lunch.

mmmm.... fajitas!

After we finished lunch, we still had several hours before we had to be back on our ship.  The staff at the Dolphinarias told us that if we walked a few blocks, we'd find some shopping.  We enjoyed walking around Cozumel, looking into all the different little shops there.  We didn't buy anything, but had a great time looking and enjoying the city.

a picturesque little garden!

love being a goofball with cori!

seriously, this tree was beautiful!

this is my sassy pose!

be it the ocean or a water fountain, i love being near water! 

 On the way back to the Dolphinarias, we stopped to get gelato.  I got mint chocolate chip (does anyone else hear Michael Scott from the Office whenever they say mint chocolate chip?) and Cori got peach.  We got one last picture at the Dolphinarias- that's where the dolphins swim behind us- and then took a taxi back to the port.

I know this is a long, picture-heavy post, but I've still got a few more to share. :)  We snapped some fun pictures as we walked back to our ship...

Cori was playing the color swap thing on our camera and got some fun shots...

Before dinner, we spent an hour or so on the Lido deck, overlooking the water.  It was so relaxing to sit and read and chill after a busy day... for those who know me well- or really, who know me at all- know that time spent reading a good book (I was reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks) is pretty much heaven for me, especially when you pair it with a beautiful setting and being near Cori.  Then, we spent a little time in our room, showering, relaxing, and getting ready for dinner.

haha, this picture is supposed to be of our little towel creature, but it's rather fitting that i'm in the background, eating an ice cream cone.  i was also finishing my book- not long after he took this picture, cori came out of the bathroom, concerned because he heard me crying.  i had to reassure him that i was fine, it was just my book.  

we felt so swanky in our carnival bathrobes!

Then it was time for a late dinner.  During dinner, we enjoyed doing the congo line with our waiters and other fellow diners.  Afterwards, I told the people sitting next to us that Cori joining me for the congo line was proof that he loved me- being ridiculous in public like that is much more my scene than Cori's!  After dinner, we briefly went to a huge deck party.  Sadly, I was exhausted, so we didn't last long.  Cori laughed at me because after enthusiastically dancing for about one song, I started fading, and fading fast, and my dancing became pretty minimal.

had to take a picture of my good-looking hubby in his blazer

okay, clearly not the best picture of me, but i include it simply to underscore what i was saying before about wearing as many different outfits as i could.  i spent the morning in shorts and a tank top over my bathing suit, the afternoon walking around cozumel in one dress, changed into a different dress for dinner, and then after dinner put on this one... and wore it for less than an hour before i realized i was ready for bed.  ridiculous? yes.  but the truth is, i'm pretty proud of myself for fitting so many different outfits into such a short time period.

party on the deck!

Seriously, I loved EVERYTHING about this day.  It was just so wonderful!

Grand Cayman :)

I realized that I forgot to share one sweet part of our second day.  Throughout the week, we met lots of different people and shared brief conversations- most revolving around the 'where are you from' and 'what did you do when we stopped in Grand Cayman' variety.  On our second night, we sat next to a sweet mother and daughter.  They were enjoying the cruise while the rest of their family- the father and 3 sons- toured different baseball fields.  It was so cute to watch them interact, see how much they were enjoying their mother-daughter trip, and chat with this precious 8 year old girl.  Later, Cori commented, "I'd be okay having a daughter some day if she's like that girl."  To fully appreciate this, you have to know that Cori, who grew up with an older brother (no sisters) and spent his childhood playing in the woods and riding dirt bikes, is intimidated at the thought of having a daughter some day.  When he thinks of having a son, he can imagine a million things they could do together, but I think he's not quite sure what to do with a daughter.  I've assured him that if we have a little girl someday, he'll fall in love with her and be wrapped around his little finger, but this sweet interaction was just the reminder he needed that little girls can be great.


Monday, July 2: Day Three.


We pulled into the port at Grand Cayman around 8am, and Cori and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed early enough (hey, we're on vacation!) to grab breakfast and get on the little boat that ferried us to the island.  

heading towards Grand Cayman!

We hadn't booked an excursion with Carnival beforehand, but we knew we wanted to go snorkeling and figured we'd have plenty of options once we got there.  First, we walked around the little touristy area where we arrived...

After taking this picture, Cori said, "I saw the way you were looking at him!"  ;)

We ended up finding a group that took us to see stingrays and snorkeling.  It was great!  They drove us to another dock, then took us out on a boat to 'Stingray City.'  We got to hold a sting ray, which was pretty cool.... and also pretty slimy!  Afterwards, we went snorkeling.  I'll be honest, I enjoyed the snorkeling, but it wasn't as cool as I'd expected.  I think part of that is because we weren't in the greatest spot- it wasn't as colorful as I'd expected- and the other part is because apparently it is possible to be a bad snorkeler, and I am!  I kept getting water in my mouth and having trouble with my mask.  All the same, it was pretty cool.  Sadly, no pictures of us with the stingrays- we were cheap and chose not to buy the ones they took of us.

beautiful view!

After our stingray/snorkeling expedition, we had a little spare time before we headed back to the ship, so we stopped at a cute little restaurant.

My drink- I think it was called 'the Pirates ARRGGH.'  My favorite part was the little pirate's flag. :)

Since our ship was leaving at 3, we headed back on board.  We took showers, ate lunch, and then Cori watched the Truman Show on tv while I snoozed.  Afterwards, we headed to dinner and then enjoyed some quality time walking around the top deck of the ship.  I was so thankful for this precious time to relax with my husband as we enjoyed each other and the beautiful weather and views.

nighttime on Carnival Paradise

me and the hubs

And of course, no night on a cruise ship is complete without a towel creature...

Our elephant!

first full day at sea :)

Alright, so I'll own it- I'm having a great time going through our pictures and reflecting on our trip... so instead of saving day 2 for tomorrow, I'm going for it today. :)

Sunday, July 1: Day Two

just a glimpse of our beautiful view!

We woke up Sunday morning ready for our first full day of cruising.  We enjoyed a slow morning, eating breakfast from the buffet at Paris Restaurant, which was on the Lido deck, spending a bit of time reading and praying, and then getting ready for the day.

love, love.

And by getting ready for the day, I mean that we changed into our bathing suits, slathered on the sunscreen, and headed to the top deck to get some sun!  We enjoyed reading and relaxing in the sun as the waves went by below us.  We also watched the 'Hairy Chest contest' and laughed as several hairy-chested men competed by dancing and strutting their stuff.  

getting some sunshine!

On a related side note, let me admit something: I am addicted to cute dresses.  It's funny to think, because 5 years ago, I was still living in shorts and baggy t-shirts, but in the last few years (with some help from my fashionable girlfriends!) I've slowly figured out my style, and it capitalizes on clothes that are cute but comfortable.  Because of this cute dress addiction, I've accumulated quite a few- and while some I wear to work, others I just don't have as many opportunities to wear.  So when it came to packing for this cruise, I was determined to wear as many as possible!  And I gotta say- I think I did a pretty good job of fitting in as many outfits as I could.  Sunday is a perfect example- I wore a cute skirt and tank top in the morning, a bright, fun maxi dress as a bathing suit cover-up in the afternoon, and then another dress that evening.


Sunday evening was 'elegant attire' for dinner, so I happily classed it up a bit and was happy to have my handsome hubby dress up, too.

I mean, you know... I think we make a pretty good-looking couple.

getting ready for the events of the evening!

Sunday night we were able to catch the tail-end of a break-dance show, and then headed to 'Shout,' the singing/dancing performance of the evening.  They went through songs from the 70s and 80s, and the singing, dancing, and costumes were amazing!  I love musicals, so this was pretty much the perfect  thing for me!

hi friend!

We were scheduled to dock in Grand Cayman at 8am the next morning, so after the show we headed back to our room... and were greeted by our first little towel creature of the week from our 'stateroom steward,' Joel.  I'll be honest- I'm not positive what this little guy is, but I love him!

cruisin', day 1 :)

When Cori and I started talking about a summer vacation/trip for our first anniversary, we brainstormed pretty much every option.  We briefly discussed going to the West Coast, but in the end decided to take advantage of the fact that we live in Florida.  We thought about going to the Keys or to Sanibel Island, but in the end opted on a cruise.  The beautiful thing about living near a port is that our vacation was actually decently priced; we didn't have to fly anywhere or pay for a hotel.


I'm going to break down recaps of our trip into different blog posts, but I'll start by saying this: we LOVED our cruise.  We had such a wonderful time and I would highly recommend a cruise to anyone!  Cori had gone on a cruise in high school, but this was my first time.  We had the best time and there were so many different options- you could be as chill or as active as you wanted to be.

Also, just as a disclaimer: while I'm hoping a few people will read this and enjoy hearing about our trip, a big part of the reason I'm blogging is so that I can look back on these posts and remember our time.  So forgive me if I over-share. :)


Saturday, June 30: Day 1


Cori and I arrived at the port of Tampa a little after noon and were able to quickly go through the process of checking our luggage, showing our passports, and making our way to security.  We walked onto our boat, the Carnival Paradise, and made our way to our room.

the Carnival Paradise!  This picture is actually taken during our day in Cozumel.

Our room!

Our room was simple- the only parts you can't see in these pictures is the bathroom and closet- but it was perfect for us.  I loved having a window view- it was fun to look outside and see the ocean or whatever destination we were approaching!

After settling into our room, we ventured onto the deck to explore a little and get lunch.  We immediately took advantage of the soft serve machine... I intended to count how many ice cream cones we had on our trip, but I quickly lost cost!  Let's just say I'm going to need to go for a run later. ;)  After lunch, we took part in the required emergency preparation training- learning how to put on our life jackets and where our lifeboats were- got another ice cream cone, and then immediately headed back to our room for a nap.

We had our first dinner in our dining room, Elation.  We had chosen 'your time dining,' which meant that we could eat dinner anytime between 5:45 and 9:30.  Some people on cruises choose specific dining times so that they can have the same table, eat with the same people, etc., but we liked the flexibility of going whenever we wanted.  Our meal was good, but not mind-blowing.  It makes sense when you're in an all you can eat situation like a cruise is- the food was all great, but it's no 5-star restaurant.

After dinner, we went to an opening night event that previewed the two comedians on the ship, the dancing/singing group, the break dancers, and gave us the run-down of some of the different events taking place.  

All in all, it was a pretty chill first day, but we enjoyed exploring and finding out what the boat had to offer- the pool, the water slide, the hot tub, the mini-golf course (which we never actually did), the different club rooms, etc.

our only picture from day 1 :)

one.

On Monday, Cori and I hit a milestone- one year of marriage!  Our big celebration is the vacation we're getting ready to take- holler, cruise!- but we did a few things on Monday to mark the special day.

In the morning, I spent hours and hours making Cori a delicious, nutritious breakfast... and by that, I mean that I took cinnamon rolls out of the can and put them in the oven.

SO sweet- so many precious people sent us anniversary cards!

After work, we went out to dinner at a restaurant we've been hearing about since we moved here-the Columbia.  It was AMAZING!  Here's Cori with his half of our appetizer, delicious crab cakes!

Cori got mahi mahi and I ordered the lobster cannelloni.  Both were absolutely wonderful!

Our waiter brought us 'anniversary flan' and sang to us.  We also got to watch flamenco dancers!

:)

flowers and a poem from my sweet husband

I'm so thankful for this past year with my sweet husband.  Here's to many more!

the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference

  

This weekend I had the wonderful privilege of attending The Gospel Coalition's Women's Conference with some sweet girlfriends.  Lindsey, Akenia, Stephanie, and I left Tampa on Friday afternoon and made the hour and a half-ish trek to Orlando.  We were blessed to hear from fabulous speakers- Tim Keller, John Piper, and more- and spend quality time with each other.


I can be a slow processor sometimes, so it may be a while before I can fully write about what I learned.  I will say that I enjoyed how every speaker fully focused on Jesus and the importance, the beauty of seeing His face.  I was also encouraged that they acknowledged that life is hard; so often, I think Christians can pretend that being a Christian equals no more struggles or hardships.  The reality?  Life is rough.  But the beauty is that Jesus is our Advocate, our Rescuer.


...and, just a side note... I chopped off my hair.  It had gotten super long, but it's short again.  Pictures to come! :)

Menu Monday

I have loved following Rachel's Menu Monday posts and have found myself using a fair amount of her recipes or recipes from other people that link up.  Today, I'm finally joining in and am  excited to share some of the meals my husband and I have enjoyed this past week.  The amount of meals I cook varies week to week, depending on our schedules, energy levels, and leftovers.  This week I have 4 meals to share!  I'll go ahead and own it- this is not what we ate last week.  Due to work craziness, the last couple weeks have only included a few notable recipes, namely buffalo chicken garbage bread, which the husband LOVED.  So these meals are from a couple weeks back.


Our first meal of the week was beef stroganoff.  This was one of my favorite meals my mom would make when I was growing up.  It was perfect for us because 1. We have an abundance of egg noodles that we need to use up (still do- any suggestions?) and 2. Cori was still recovering from getting his wisdom teeth removed, so the consistency of the sauce, beef, and noodles was good for him- he got to eat a real meal, but it wasn't too rough on his mouth.  


The next two nights we tried new recipes, and they were both winners!


Basil marinated chicken.  Thanks to my friend Ruth for pinning this recipe and then sharing it on her blog!


Not the best picture, I know, but this was definitely yummy!  I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and actually doubled the marinade.  The only thing I would do differently would be to cut the chicken into smaller pieces before marinating it so the marinade could soak in a little more.  We paired it with asparagus (just sauteed it in olive oil and some garlic powder) and mashed potatoes.  






Hobo dinner.  I don't remember who posted this recipe, but I'm glad they did!


I worked at a day camp one summer in college and we would make these every week- the kids would help us peel and chop the carrots, potatoes, and onions, and then would choose what they wanted to put in the pack.  Throw it in the fire pit and voila- delicious meal!  I was so excited for a throwback to those days when I found this recipe, although we obviously cooked it in our oven and not in a fire pit. ;) Cori was admittedly pretty skeptical when I tried to describe to him what we were making, but when it came time to eat, he was a believer! 


Last, we had one of our fave meals that we discovered this year, Spaghetti Carbonara. Because my husband loves to have meat at dinner, I always mix in chicken (cut into chunks, sauteed with olive oil and garlic powder).  I also usually use low-sodium bacon; I don't think turkey bacon works the best with this recipe, but you've got to cut out fat somewhere!  I also drain at least half the fat from the bacon and add in an extra egg.  Seriously, I absolutely love this meal, and it doesn't hurt that it's super easy to make!


This is another busy week for us, so we'll see if I'm back next week. :)