Belize and Miscellaneous Pics

When we stopped at Belize, due to the large barrier reef, we had to tender in to the city. The one thing we really didn't like about cruising was all the hurry up and waiting. We would hurry to the meeting station for our excursions or to get off the boat, then we had to wait to be called, then wait some more in the hall to get to the gangway, then wait some more to actually get off the boat. Larry doesn't do well in those kind of situations and him being agitated, made me anxious and then we would both just be ready to BE OFF THE BOAT ALREADY!

Ahem, anyway, Belize City was totally set up for the tourists and considered the best shopping port. We grabbed the kids early that morning so they could walk around a bit before Larry and I went snorkling that afternoon.



Waiting for the tender.



Waiting On the tender.



We got to the city so early, we didn't get a chance to eat breakfast, so we stopped at one of the only resturants there and all they had at that time were french fries. But let me tell you, those were some of the best french fried EVER. I think we had 3 plates of them.



I was so scared the boys would tumble over the wall behind Shey. We were on the second floor and the chairs were taller than the wall!



Overview of the city.



Heading back to the ship to drop the kids off at Kid Camp and off to our excursion. I can't say enough about Carnival's kid camp! The kids were a little relunctant at first to try it, but after the first time, they asked us to go. We normally kept them during the day, then dropped them off for dinner and a few hours. One night Shey asked what they were having for dinner and after reading off the list, he said, "I am going to have french fries and grapes. (pause) They let me do that." I said great and sent him on his way.

I don't have pictures of the snorkling. Larry's brother bought an underwater camera, but I don't know if he got it developed yet or not. Belize has the second largest barrier reef next to Australia. We were taken about 30 minutes the opposite direction of the city to a little island. There you had the choice to snorkle off the beach or off a boat. We chose the boat because then you swim to the island with the current.

There was a family on the boat with us with two little girls. The youngest wasn't any older than Shey, may have been younger and the oldest wasn't much bigger herself. When I saw them, I assumed that the girls had snorkled before, but when the tour guide asked for first timers, they both raised their hands. Hello, parents! What are you thinking!

So when you snorkle, you have a life jacket, your mask and a snorkle. Oh, and of course, fins that make you very awkward. Add to this that when you snorkle off a boat, you have to jump into deep ocean waters that have waves 2-4 feet and it's a little scary. When I first jumped in, I lost my breath and paniced for a few seconds just trying to get my bearings.

Try to picture this, the dad jumped into the water first. Then the tour guide took the little girl by her hands, swung her out over the water and dropped her. Can you say FREAK OUT! And can you also say, STUPID PARENTS? The little girl had a death grip on her daddy and was SCREAMING.

Her daddy then had the nerve to tell her that if she wanted to go back on the boat, she would have to go alone. I wanted to smack him. I don't care how much my boys may have said they wanted to snorkle for the first time off a boat (and they didn't), I would have never done that. I know I've done some dumb things parenting, but I thought that topped them all by a country mile.

I caught a glimpse of them later and I couldn't tell if it was the little one, or the older sister, but she was clinging to her dad's back. I don't think he got much snorkling in.

And with that, I leave you with a monkey we picked up in Belize

Costa Rica (still cruisin . . .)

Before we travel to Costa Rica, let's stop and reflect on the hugeness that is the ship we were on.



The one thing that kinda stinks about vacations is that you plan them and plan them and plan them, then they come, you have a lot of fun and then they are over. And now I am back at work. But let's not dwelling on that.

Let's instead think on Sloths.



In Costa Rica, we traveled to the Sloth Sanctuary, which was beautiful and lush. Even though Costa Rica is probably as poor as Panama, it's not dirty. Once you leave the port, it is all green trees and tropical plants. Even though the houses were still small, they looked more simple not desolate.



Look at these babies! How could you not want one for your very own? Sloths are my kind of animals. They nap on and off throughout the day and everything is done. in. slow. motion. The family who started the santuary really love these beautiful creatures and have led the way in researching the sloth so that we know more about them.



While we were there, we took a canoe ride through the marshland. There were about 6 canoes total and the four of us were on the last one. The first 5 went one way down the river and we went another. It was a bit scary. Larry and I kept looking at each other and headlines were racing through my head "American Family of Four Lost in the Costa Rican Marshland!" The boys kept saying, "we're going the wrong way! Why are we going the wrong way?" Larry was planning our escape route and kept asking our guide about the water to gauge how safe it would be to swim. I just thought, well, if we are going to go, at least we will be together!

Obviously nothing happened and we met up with the rest of our group soon after. Once we got over our inital freak-out, the ride was pretty cool. There were two sloths in the trees that Larry was able to spot, but I couldn't see, as well as some monkeys, birds and a couple of lizards.



This is a banana tree and those little yellow buds will become bananas! Cool, huh.



So pretty. I uploaded this pic to a website and I'm having some note cards made up. We'll see how they turn out.



We brought an elephant home with us.

Just ahead, ANOTHER DAY AT SEA. Whoot!

Larry's New Baby

We pause the cruise talk to show you Larry's new baby.



It's the Volvo C70 Hardtop convertible. We got a great deal on a lease and Larry had been driving such a cluncker for forever.

He's very happy. It rides like a dream.

The Cruise (cont. again) - Panama

After two and a half days at sea, we finally docked at Colon, Panama. Colon is a relatively new port and as such, there was really no touristy things to do in the immediate area.



Because of this, we had to take a charter bus about an hour out for our excursion.



We chose to explore the city of Portobelo or Beautiful port as dubbed by Christopher Columbus way back when. There was also options for seeing the canal and the lockes and while I'm disappointed we didn't get to see the canal, we were trying to pick activities that the boys would enjoy as well.



Panama is an extremely poor country, and it's also very dirty. One of the campaign promises of the man running for President was to add more garbage trucks. The week before we arrived, there was a strike and trash littered the streets. The average wage is $300-$500 a month. On our way to Portobelo, we saw many, many small houses that they call matchbook houses and appropriately so. These houses sell for $20-$30k and the owners are given 30 years with no interest to pay them off.

We are so very blessed.



This is the fort on Portobelo. Real live Pirates fought in this fort. We thought it would be exciting for the boys, but not so much.

While learning about Panama was interesting, it was not our favorite stop and I don't think I would think about going there again.













This is inside the church where the Black Christ is kept. The Black Christ was meant to be somewhere else, but every time they went to move it, strange things happened. On October 21, thousands travel from all over Panama to worship the Black Christ or El Cristo Negro.

Tomorrow Costa Rica and the Sloth Sanctuary.

The Cruise (cont.)

and . . . we're still on the boat. . .



There's just something about being on a big ship in the middle of the ocean without seeing land for two straight days. Not sure exactly what it is, but it's something.



If I posted all the photos of Shey's hamming it up, it would take a long, long time.



This giant chess set kept the boys occupied many a time. Especially when Larry and I would sit on the deck with his iPod and a bottle of wine.



Peyton's favorite part? All the free Sprite I could drink!



and the free ice cream!



The first formal night. Peyton has so much fun dressing up. He even wore this the next night too.



Following this photo on the Flickr group is a few of Shey entertaining again. I think I am going to do a whole scrapbook page of his poses.





Tomorrow, Panama!

The Cruise, Part 1

Since we went so far south, the first two days were spent at sea. I uploaded exactly 100 pics to my flickr Cruise Set, but don't worry, I won't overload you guys with all of those.

So, here we go. This first set will be from the boat . . .



The ship was really nice and I imagine fairly new, even though I never asked. The pool was great because it was only 4'6" and then had a shallow edge around that the boys could just sit (or run around) in.



Getting ready for the muster station drill. I was dreading this with the boys, but we got there late and were on the edge, so it really wasn't that bad.



I thought about having him wear this all week. ha



Here are Larry's parents with the boys. They were kind enough to pay for the cruise for his mom's birthday. Great, right? Her birthday and we get a present!



I think this was dinner the first night.



I can't believe how big the boys are getting. They had so much fun.

I'll post more this weekend or Monday. Two days at sea = lots of photos.

For Rebecca :)

Yes, we're finally back from our trip. :) We had a great time and I have a ton of photos, but have pretty much been exhausted since we got back. Why is that? Why do you need a vacation from your vacation?

I thought our laptop had contracted that virus that is going around, but I turned it on last night on a fluke and it appears to be working now, so I ran a scan and think I cleaned it out some, so hopefully, it will work better. I said all that to let you know that now I can upload my photos and write a proper blog entry about our trip.

Coming soon . . .

Goodbye

Tomorrow, I say good-bye to 31.

Not sure why I am so weirded out by this. I got through 30 ok once it happened. 31 wasn't so bad. But, for some reason, I'm slightly wigging about 32. It may be that the years just keep going and going, faster and faster. I get carried away sometimes with the numbers.

I've been living in Florida for a third of my life. I have been driving longer than I wasn't driving. When I've lived double my life now, I will be 64. And then I think about how fast my life has gone so far and I know the next 32 years will fly by too.

I know age is just a number and all that good jazz, but really it's not. There are things you can get away with at 25 that you can't at 35. Maybe it's just a vanity thing, but I look at pictures of me even 5 years ago and I look so much younger, more fresh faced, less tired. I don't want to be a teenager again. I think I would like to relive my 24th year though. ha ha Right after I lost 20 pounds and before I was pregnant with Peyton.

I think I am just feeling blah lately. We leave on Monday for our cruise. 8 days and nights in the Western Caribbean. Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. I. Can. Not. Wait. I think 8 days of not much responsibility will do me good. Time to just hang with my family and friends. Have a frosty beverage or two.

See ya on the flip side!

Relay for Life

Yesterday, a co-worker and friend lost her mother to cancer. From what I understand, it started as breast cancer and then spread. She has only been working with us for about a month, so I didn't want to pry too much, but also within that month, I've discovered that she is a kind, giving person and it just sucks that she and her family are going through this.

Too many of my family members and friends have been affected by cancer and I imagine you or someone you know has been affected as well. While writing this, I was quickly thinking about people by name that I know personally who have had cancer and the list just keeps going.

I know I've mentioned it before, but we're a little over a month away from our Relay for Life. I've set a goal of $500.00 and I'm a little more than halfway there. I know times are tight and we are all trying to save where we can, but if you are able, any size donation would be greatly appreciated.

Relay for Life

Lost Generation

Sunday, our pastor was talking about the huge increase our church has experienced over the last several months, specifically in the 20's and 30's. The increase in that age group is impressive as our generation is known as the Lost Generation. It seems many of us grew up in the church, but fell away.

I thought it was interesting how a whole generation can share the same mindset, or variations thereof. While I may not be an all out generation x'er who bucks the system in every way, I can definitely feel the restlessness and wistfulness of our age. Is it because so much was given to us in such a short amount of time? The explosion of technology, which connects us in so many ways, but in some ways leaves us without tangible relationships.

We fight the rigidness of past generations, but then we are left floundering without any boundaries.

I Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.


I think though, once we get it together, our generation will be great. We will be real. We will be bold.

The Many Faces of Shey

We gave Shey our old digital camera and he's learned to do more with it than I could. The next three pics are self portraits (he is sooo his mother) and then a video of him swimming. He took five lessons last week and now he's a little fish.









I know it's a little dark, but I think you can still see it.

Whatcha Been Up To?

Well, thanks for asking. Larry and I have been crazy busy lately and I'm not even sure with what. It just seems like I haven't had time to stop and breathe in the last few weeks and now March is almost over. Our cruise is in a week and a half (!!!) and there is still so much to be done.

Sunday, we worked on the backyard. A month or so ago, we pulled up the old wood tie rails surrounding our screen enclosure (I would link to those pictures, but I can't even access my own blog at work) and then laid the edgers. We also had added a traveler's palm to the back corner and we going to try and create a sitting area. We finished that up this weekend and added a hedge to the area around the pool.



There are all kinds of plants in the corner that should hopefully grow and fill in the area. Plus, I planted lavender, which I hope will smell up the area and attract butterflies. As you can see, Shey is enjoying it already.



I couldn't get a good shot of the hedge because the sun was going down, but here is the overall backyard from our back door.



We also bought the two palms in the planters. Our own little get away. I love looking out there. It calms my soul.

Our bottle brush tree is also in full bloom and the boys discovered that it's a pretty good climbing tree.





It's their Giving Tree.

Greetings from Alabama

The boys and I made it to Alabama safely on Thursday with little incident. Thankfully, the flights were both on time and even a little early and the boys were for the most part well behaved. My bestest bud,Tamara, was kind enough to pick us up from the airport, so we were able to spend a few hours together before my dad picked us up from her house.

We were just hanging in the living room when Shey came out of her son's bedroom and told me he had put some lipstick on. I looked at his lips and they did seem to have a whitish haze on them.

"Lipstick?" I asked. Not freaking too much because I know Tamara's kids don't have cooties or anything.

"Yes."

"Where did you get this lipstick?"

"Back there. It's purple!"

"Ohhhh, why don't you bring me this purple lipstick."

Shey sashayed back to the bedroom and walked back out with a tube of "lipstick" and handed it to me.

I started laughing and held it up for Tamara to see.

It was a glue stick.

Between chuckles, I said, "Don't put your lips together!"

I wish I could have taken a picture of him standing there trying not to close his mouth. It was priceless.

Now we're just hanging out at my parents' house. It's kinda nasty and rainy. We went to the zoo yesterday, which was fun, but my legs are worn out. A few friends and I took one of those bootcamp workout classes on Tuesday night and I am still paying for it.

All right, gotta go, the kids are trying to kill each other.

And . . .I made it

Aside from the cold, pelting rain and the 26 mile an hour gusts, the run was ok. The first few miles were rough because my stomach was bothering me and I had a stitch in my ribs, but once that calmed down, I felt pretty good. Then miles 8 through 11, the rain came and went and the wind took my breath away, but it kinda added an element of entertainment and helped get me through. Overall, even though I feel like I've been beat by a stick an ran over by a semi, I'm glad I did it.

There was a van on the side of the road playing Christian music and the guy was dancing around cheering us on. It was very uplifting and I was choked up for a bit. On the flip side, there was a man also standing on the side of the road with a microphone shouting at us on the horrors of hell that had the exact opposite affect. I just question the man with the microphone's thinking and how he believes that scaring someone will bring them to God.

On another note, I was on about mile 9 when the marathon winner was on about 25. ha ha But honesty, I was on one side of the road as he ran towards me and it was truly amazing. The speed of which this man was pushing his legs was crazy! and that's after 20 something miles.

A little bit after that, the female leader was running by and she was going super fast as well. A guy near me kept pace with her for about 100 yards, but then he was done. Imagine running that way for 26 miles. Amazing.

Even though I feel kinda beat up today, I am still excited about running in the races and I'm going to look for some shorter ones to do since the season seems to be over for Florida as its going to start getting hot in the near future.

Glutton for Punishment

My friend, Shannon was bit by the running bug and after our half almost a month ago, she quickly signed up for another on this coming weekend in Tampa. Crazy woman she is! I was going to go along for moral support and you know hang out at the comfy hotel while she busted her butt running 13 miles AGAIN, but then late last weekend, my other friend Sandy decided she didn't care that she hasn't hit the pavement in a month, nor about the fact that she has been sick, and decided, by god, she was going to do this half marathon thing again too.

You see where this is heading, don't you.

Bullies that they are, S and S called me stragically throughout the weekend to discuss the run and pump me up. Filling me up with the notion that not only could I make it through 13 miles AGAIN, but that I actually wanted to do it. Funny thing is, I kinda do. I know if I sit on the sidelines while they run, I will wish I should have just done it. What's 13 miles, almost 3 hours and a huge blister in the grand scheme of things?

The nice part is that since Sandy hasn't been training, she will probably stay with me, so at least this time, I will have someone to talk to as we crawl towards the finish line.

Why couldn't I have found a friend who wanted to take up napping as a sport?

Just in Case Anyone Was Wondering

I REALLY want a Kindle2 for my birthday. That's April 4th, for anyone that is wondering and you know, won the lottery or something.

Get Down Shey

Relay for Life

On May 8, 2009, three of my co-workers and I, along with thousands of other participants will be walking in the Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. We will walk for 18 hours starting at 6 p.m. to show that cancer never sleeps.

I would almost guarantee that you cannot find someone that has not been directly affected by cancer, whether themselves or friends and family.

If you would like to help our team in our fund raising efforts, please visit my site and make a donation. No amount is too small and if we all help we can find a cure within our lifetimes.

You have until May, so I will probably post reminder entries in the upcoming months.

Relay for Life

In a Bit of a Dilemna

Larry and I are in a bit of a pickle over a new couple we met at the soccer fields. They are relatively new in town, from Ohio, have two boys about our boys' ages and we thought, at first, it would be a good fit and some new friends to bring into our mix. Without going into the whole back story, we invited them over for New Years Eve with a couple of other couples and apparently throughout the night, this new couple made some questionable comments regarding race, which escalated when the wife flat-out offended my friend's husband, who is mixed.

Oh my. To be honest, we had all been drinking and you would think being somewhat responsible adults, we would be beyond this, but we weren't and things were heated after the comment was made and the night ended on a very sour note.

Larry and I were able to patch things up with our friends and since we have to see this new couple at the soccer fields 3 times a week, we tried to chalk the incident up to the alcohol and ignorance.

There's so much to the story to add, but to keep things brief, we have had lunch with them a couple times since New Year's and after they asked what we were doing for the Super Bowl, we invited them over. Larry and I were trying to make an honest effort to befriend these people as I know how hard it is to move to S. Florida and be on your own.

The thing is, the more I am around them and the more I see how they respond to their boys (who make my two look like angels), the less I want to maintain this "friendship."

Sunday, our pastor preached on King David and his mighty men (II Samuel 23) and the point was "who are the mighty men in your life?" Do you have any? I know I do, but I also know that I am very susceptible to outside influences. And while I will not be mean to these people, I just don't think I can be friends with them. I need strong people to help me navigate the muddy waters of South Florida. My sons need polite children to play with, especially Peyton, who feeds off of other kids so much.

Seriously, and I almost hate writing this, but just to give an example, Larry asked their son, who is 7, along with our boys to clean something up, and the kid whined at him and pouted. I know my boys and I know how they may act around me, but I guarantee you, they would NEVER act that way at another person's house (grandparents excluded).

So, here we are with a month of soccer left and us not really sure how to handle the situation. I guess we will be polite, but conveniently have errands to run every weekend. Ugh, Larry and I are so good at getting ourselves into these awkward situations.

Yay for SuZ

My long time online friend is having her first give away! Even though SuZ has blogged for years, she recently started Not Your Typical Moma and it is really starting to explode. Can I just say that I feel like a proud little momma!

Anyway, she now has companies contacted her to review products and recently she received an invitation to review personalized fruit roll ups. You can go here to read her review and enter her give away for a free box of your own!

The boys would think I was the coolest if I won!