Day 7 of Blalock Family Cruise ~ AT SEA

Our last day on our cruise and only a shade or two darker.  That's what you get when one of you  is white-white and wears SPF flannel for sunscreen and the other one is so paranoid of melanoma, age spots and sun induced wrinkles that she lathers up as well. 

Timothy was a good sport and went along with me to the Meet and Greet with the singers from the ship's productions.  I had kind of sort of just a little bit stalking, Jasmine.  You see, she played LEXI in my all time favorite musical of all time, RENT.  A real Broadway star up close and personal.  

And then, like I do with every single person I meet, I glanced at her neck. I don't know why I observe this on every person I meet, but ever since I had my thyroidectomy, I just automatically look.  Weird, I know.  But it is what it is.   And what did I see, an incision that looked suspiciously like a scar from a thyroidectomy.  NO WAY!  Twins! :)  Hers is barely noticeable, and thankfully my incision is as well.   We ended up chatting on the backstage tour, compared scars and talked about what small world it is.  

And this gentleman graduated from the OCHSA - one of the two magnet performing arts High Schools in my county.  Talk about a small world.  

Timothy looooooves his mama.  And she loves her sweet baby boy.  They have a very special bond.  I admire how kind and supportive they are with one another.  I'm quite fond of her too.  What a generous, kind, warm, woman.  AND my future Mother-in-law.

I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine.  Song of Solomon 6:3

Nerds.

Big time.

These are the faces of two very happy, rejuvenated, recharged, jolly souls!

Katie, Uncle Bo, TJ and LaLa at dinner in the formal dining room.  It was our one and only time eating there.  We preferred the eat and run Lido restaurant's flexibility and variety.  It was fun though to eat there on the final night.  The crew put on a fantastic show and dinner was extra delish!

Kathy and Tom ~ married for 20 years and going strong!

A little robot action

Baked Alaska for dessert

TJ even saved some for laytah'!

We are sad to see this cruise to an end.  Oh to be Mama Lou and cruise full time!  Tomorrow we get to visit with Micah and Courtney ~ long time friends of Timothy's who live not too far from the Port in Tampa.

More tomorrow!



Day 6 of Blalock Family Cruise ~ COZUMEL, MEXICO

Hola!

Tim and I ventured off into Cozumel by ourselves.  Spending money to take a taxi to a tourist trap wasn't appealing to us.  So we walked.  And I have a blister to prove it!

The weather was perfect and the water so blue.  A great day to play tourist and just see the local sites and practice our espanol.

This is one of my favorite pics from the trip.  Timothy is a loyal UGA (University of Georgia) Bulldog and LOATHES the Florida State Gators.  He had to take advantage of this photo op.

Yes, the ultimate tourist pic.  

TEQUILA!

We took the advice of our piano bar man, Barry, and ate a delicious authentic Mexican meal at La Choza.  It was off the beaten path and delish.  We ran into Barry and Nathan from the ship there!

Everywhere we went, the locals yelled, YAY GREENBAY - meaning the Greenbay Packers.  Meaning the winners of the Superbowl.  They thought the G on his hat stood for Greenbay, not Georgia.  We laughed and had to snap a pic with this poncho.

We walked and walked some more and were talking about how good a McDonald's (or MACDonald's if you are Tim) ice cream cone sounded.  And what appeared in front of our very eyes? ...

The Golden Arches!

We sat and enjoyed our dollar ice cream and headed back to the ship to have some Kindle time before dinner.  Dinner at The Italian Restaurant, a show and time with Barry from Boston in the piano bar rounded out the night. 

Tomorrow we are at sea.  We're looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing.  This vacation is wonderful!!!

Day 5 of Blalock Family Cruise ~ GRAND CAYMAN

A lovely day in Grand Cayman.  

We had to tender into the George Town Port - the ships are too big to pull up to the dock.

Grand Cayman is one of a group of three magnificent tropical islands Christopher Columbus called Las Tortugas (the turtles) for the sea creatures he found in the ocean water.

Our first stop was the town of Hell.  It is inspired by its unusual rock formations. They are made of limestone and are about the size of half a soccer field.  It is said that that the town received its name when a local looked out to the rocks and said, That looks like Hell! 

How the hell are you? :)

Tim sent a post card with the same sentiment to his coworkers.  The nerve!

The rum factory tourist mecca was a stop on our route.  We sampled some rum AND some rum cake too.

I had a not so graceful fall in the parking lot.  My beloved camera went flying (have not had good luck with cameras on this trip.  My underwater camera hit the ground when we were in Jamaica and has a nice crack on the top now!) and I did too.  Thankfully I only sustained a scraped up knee.  Tim and I found a multi purpose store in town and superglued my broken lens back together.  There are a few cosmetic scratches on the body of the camera but it seems to be working just fine.  LOVE my handyman fiance!

We tendered back to the ship and had some down time before dinner.

We headed to the top deck to snap some photos at sunset.  TJ acted as photographer.  He has some skills!!

Six months ago we had our first date.  And in six more months we will be united as husband and wife.  We feel so very blessed!

I love how completely dorkafied we can be with one another.  We snuck up to the teen deck and spent time in the hammock before dinner.

Timothy and his mini me

A fellow passenger offered to take our family photo.  I think they thought TJ was our son.  We didn't correct them. :)

We went to one of the on board shops to have my ring cleaned tonight.  One of the small stones fell out!  Tim spotted it in the soapy water.  Good eye!!  We put it in a bag for safe keeping and our jeweler will reset it when we get home.  

Tonight's dessert buffet was an extravaganza.  Good thing I don't have a wedding dress to fit into or anything.  GEESH!  The desserts were soooo tempting!  I had some chocolate covered strawberries and some fondue (how could I resist) and Tim gave me commentary on a few of the others.  It was fun to walk around and see the amazing presentations.  Fun!!

We closed out the night with listening to Barry for Boston for several hours.  He is so talented!  Tonight's tunes were Broadway tunes.  So you know I joined right in on the singalong.  Did you know that Timothy is a trivia whiz?  Apparently this talent even extends into musical theatre!!  The man is a walking encyclopedia.  So when you need to find someone to be your phone a friend he's your man!!!

This cruise is going by way too fast!!!  I love being waited on hand and foot and coming home to a perfectly made bed with a towel creation and chocolates on my pillow waiting on my pillow!  What a life!! 

We met a woman named Mama Lou.  She has been LIVING on Holland America Ships for the past SIXTEEN YEARS.  She cruises for 10 months a year.  Timothy and I ran into on the ship and she was quick to tell us her story.  She said that she disowned her family sixteen years ago after her husband passed away and has been cruising ever since.  She said that she is healthy, doesn't go to the doctor or take any medications and added that the only reason why she uses a walker is from a freak accident.  I want her spunk when I'm her age!!  You can find her all over the ship, honking at you as she passes you with her walker and wearing different crew uniforms; gifts from the crew.  She has a larger than life teddy bear that also frequents the ship and is covered with autographs from fellow passengers. 

There are many stories written about her life on board and her great affinity with the ship’s officers and crew and how her lifestyle is the envy of many passengers.   Pleasure meeting you, Mama Lou!!!

Tomorrow is our last port ~ Cozumel, Mexico. 

Hasta lluego, amigos!