Cruise - Day 7: Day at Sea

Our last day at sea on the way home!  This was my absolute favorite towel animal.

We got to sail through Tropical Storm Paula on the way home.  Not so much fun, but there were some really impressive clouds.

The last performance of the week featured guests of the cruise signing as legendary performers.  Here's us with Gloria Estefan and Elvis.  (I think I'm getting in trouble for this one.)

A final picture of the chandelier I love so much.

Our final towel animal.  Not exactly sure what this one is.  Seal? Walrus? ????

We had a fantastic time!!

Cruise - Day 6: Jamaica

Day 6 we docked at Ocho Rios, Jamaica!

This sign was at the end of the dock as we were entering Jamaica

We had lunch and drinks at Margaritaville right on the beach.

Cruise - Day 5: Grand Cayman

On day 5, Andy and I were planning to go snorkeling and the stingray farm in Grand Cayman.  Unfortunately, the only sting rays we ended up seeing were our towel.

 But as we got up to leave the ship, there were a lot of storm clouds!!

It rained a lot!  So much rain and the thunder and lightening meant no snorkeling, but we tried to make the best of it.

We did some sightseeing and shopping on the island instead.

I have nothing to say about this one.

We went to Maragaritaville.  They have a water slide!

The small boats we had to take to and from the boat.

Andy really liked this rock in the bay near where the boats dock.

Cruise - Day 4: Day at Sea

Another day at sea!  Rest, relaxing, swimming, eating!!

Our towel animal of the day was a frog

The advantage of going on a cruise with theater people who like to sing?  Karaoke is WAY more interesting!! 

Cruise - Day 3: Cozumel

Day 2 of our cruise was a pretty uneventful day at sea.  We hung out, read, got a massage, and ate a lot!!!

On day 3, we docked in Cozumel, Mexico.  The plan for the day was to go on a shore excursion to Tulum.   But first, my favorite part of the Carnival cruise!!  They fold towels into animal shapes and leave them in your room every day.  Today we got a dog

When we first arrived in Mexico, the sun was just coming up.

We left our boat and transferred to a much smaller boat to go across the bay to Playa del Carmen.  Our ship is on the right and the small boat is the yellow one on the right.

From Playa del Carmen, we took a bus to Tulum.  There were lizards all over basking in the sun.

The ruins of Tulum are amazing!  The city is built on a cliff over the ocean.  There are tons of cool astronomical things in the buildings where the sun comes from small holes at certain times and dates each year.

It was pretty hot, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible while listening to our guide.

Our whole group standing on the cliff over the ocean.

Lucas, conqueror of the free world.

Cruise - Day 1: Miami

We just got back from a fantastic week-long vacation in the Western Carribean.  We sailed on the Carnival Liberty with our good friends Stacie and Lucas.  I'm going to split these up into a few days so that I can share the most pictures.

The first day was in Miami.  We got on the ship and found our room and started eating.  I don't think we stopped eating until we got off!!

Here's a picture of our room.  I was surprised at how much room we had!

We had to go to a very boring safety briefing at our muster station - where we'd go in case of evacuation.  I did get a cool picture of the side of the ship reflecting in the terminal window.

Next, we took the opportunity to explore the ship.  Here is the garden atrium - a few story open space with a dome over the top. I really liked the chandeliers.

The view from the top deck near the waterslide looking over the rest of the deck.  You can't see the other pool or the hot tubs on this deck.  There was also a pool and another set of hot tubs on the other side of the giant fin.

A picture of our group (minus me). Left to right: Lucas, Stacie, Andy.

Finally it was time to leave Miami and start our adventure!!!

Fall Fiber Festival

Welcome to the Blog!  We're hoping to document some of the fun trips and everyday adventures we have together.

First up, the Fall Fiber Festival!  This takes place in Orange, VA the first weekend of October every year.  It's about an hour and a half from our house, closer to the mountainous part of the state.  It's a great area.

We walked around and looked at animals, like the angora bunny

and the cashmere goat

and watched sheep dog trials!

Andy's favorite part was the truck selling fresh-made donuts.  They were delicious!