Vacation!!

 

Ron and I decided this year for our end of Tax season break we would go on a cruise to the Southern Carribean. We love to cruise, but don't always love days at sea. So this cruise was perfect with a port everyday. Our friends decided to come with us which made it so much fun. We had to fly to Puerto Rico to get on this cruise, so we flew in a day early and spent some time seeing San Juan. In the morning we went to church at a ward nearby. It was fun to go to church there even though we couldn't understand what they were saying. (All in Spanish) Their building was small and they didn't have windows, just metal blinds that shut and lock. It is always nice to see how even though your in another country things are done the same and have the same look and feel. Before we got on the boat we went and toured one of the Forts in San Juan. Then it was time to board the ship.

Carnival Victory

 

Here are a few pictures from our time on the boat.

St. Thomas

 

This was the first island we went to on our cruise. We rode on the tram they have that goes up the side of the mountain. It was a pretty view, but not high enough to be worth the money. We then went on an excursion where we rode jeeps around the island and visited two different beaches. The first beach was okay, but the second beach, Sapphire beach was lots better and it wasn't crowded like the famous Magen's beach. Mike was our driver and did a great job since they drive on the opposite side of the road. Not only do they drive crazy, but he had to stay bumper to bumper with the other jeeps on our tour. We'll just say it was very interesting and we used the horn a lot. You can break all the driving laws as long as you honk your horn while your doing it.

Dominica

 

Dominica was the prettiest island. We were in the rainforest most of the day and the scenery was beautiful. This is an island I would love to see more of.

Tubing in Dominica

 

This was definitely my favorite excursion. We spent the afternoon tubing down the river. It was so fun and the scenery was great. Most of the time you were just enjoying the ride, but there were a few times when we went over some small rapids. It was fun to see how the current would take you. You would be in front for awhile and then you would get stuck and end up in the back. This is something I would do again.

Barbados

 

Barbados definitely had the best beach on this trip. We spent the morning snorkeling and spending time at the beach. They took us to two different locations for snorkeling. The first was an area where they see Turtles. We were able to swim around with the turtles for awhile before we went to the second location which was a shipwreck. It was fun seeing a shipwreck, that was new for Ron and I. The Guides would swim down and scare the fish out so they would be every where around you. After the shipwreck they took us to a beach (the best beach) and served everyone Rum Punch or for us water and Soda right in the middle of the ocean. We heard so many jokes about Rum Punch on this trip.

St. Lucia

 

We had so much fun zip lining in St. Lucia. We went on 18 zip lines, a tarzan swing, and repelled down from a platform. The guides were real fun on the Zip Lines and of course knew Utah from the Utah Jazz. The Zip lines went right through the jungle and we seemed to come out without mosquito bites, unlike one of the other girls in our group.

St. Kitts

 

In St. Kitts we spent the mornig riding ATV's. We were a little disappointed that our guides went a bit slow, but it was interesting to see and hear a little bit about the island. They showed us a plant that gives you a temporary tattoo and let those that were brave enough drink the cleanest water on the island out of a dirty bath tub. (Well out of a pipe above the dirty bath tub.)

St. Kitts

 

After the ATV ride we decided we wanted to see a little bit of St. Kitts and go to a beach. We found this guy that took us on our own private tour of the island. St. Kitts is a beautiful Island and it looks like it is more developed than some of the other islands we visited. He took us to the beach and we swam for awhile before heading back to the ship.

St. Maarten

 

Our last day of the Cruise was spent in St. Maarten. We went Horseback riding, which was a first for me. I was a little nervous at first with a fidgety horse, but once we started on the trail he calmed down and so did I. Ron had some added fun when his horse decided to roll in the sand with Ron still on his back. Luckily he was okay and only his foot got stuck under the horse for a minute. After the Horseback riding we decided to spend our last day at the beach snorkeling. It was a beautiful beach and we enjoyed getting our last bit of sun.

This was such a fun cruise and we had a blast going with our friends and getting away from the pressures of home.

Welcome Home!!!

Wow! I can't believe my parent's are back from their mission. I have missed them so much and I am so excited to have them home again. They have been such a great example for our family and we have been blessed by their willingness to serve. My family had a big Welcome Home party with pizza and Grandpa's Ice Cream bar. I love spending time together with family.