Girls Only Cruise!

We just got back from our 1st Annual All Girls Cruise to Cozumel on the Carnival Ecstasy! I have been on this ship several times and it's always a different experience! There were eight of us on this time with several first time cruisers! I myself have taken several cruises out of Galveston in January and have always had great weather in the Carribean....well except this time!!! We left Dallas in thelow 30's and arrived in Galveston not much warmer. Didn't matter though, the girls were all pumped to have a weekend away from the normal activities of work and family!! My daughter Jess and I were cabin mates and it really was a good time for us to bond!! We had sisters, friends and even strangers rooming together and it all worked out! This was a short four day cruise which is perfect for first timers! The weather sailing down was in the 60's and once to Cozumel it did go up to the high 70's with very little sun. Four of us had decided to go on the Isla Pasion http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/304107 for some fun and then relaxation! We were quite excited and did run into some rain on the way there along with some cooler weather! As we got near the island the crew let off the people who did not want to "twist" on the ride. The rest of us had total fun with the twist and turns of the boat ride. What I really liked about this excursion is they took care of the people who wanted to go to the island but not the wild boat ride. This really shows how they care for their clients!! Once we were on the island the weather turned a bit cooler so the four of us settled in to relax, read and take in the calmness of the island. Back on the ship we took in as much of the fun as possible on board. Some of us read, some of us knitted (me), some of us enjoyed the spa, and some of us slept....alot...what really mattered is we all did what we wanted to do! The best part is we are already getting ready for our 2nd Annual Girls Only Cruise in April 2012...do you want to come?? Just leave a comment and I will include you in the invite for next year! Until then happy sailing!!

Road Trip - Hoover Dam

Our 33rd anniversary was March 12th and we were deciding what to do to celebrate! Mike had taken off 2 days so we could have a long weekend and really didn't know what to do. My dad and his wife are in their 80's and we hadn't seen them in a while so we decided to drive on Mike's days off and once we were in Phoenix (that's where they live) he could hook up to the computer and telecommute! So off we were on our road trip from Dallas, TX to Phoenix, AZ. The drive was peaceful and our cell phones hardly ever worked! We decided to take a couple of detours and the Hoover Dam was on my list. They are building a new road in which you will no longer drive on the dam but way over the top of it. If you haven't driven on the dam and would like to I would put this at the top of your list. Stopping to take pictures like we did won't even be possible once the new road is completed. Be aware that on Holiday weekends this is super crowded and will take hours to get through the traffic. Plan your trip during the week and not at peak hours so you can enjoy it. Also be aware that Homeland Security and Border Patrol have stops along the way and they can search your car. We had no problems at all but just be alerted to the fact that you could be stopped.

New Years Eve Cruise 2008

This year we decided to go somewhere warm to spend New Year's Eve! We sailed on the Carnival Ecstasy on December 27 and arrived back in Galveston, TX on New Year Day! We visited 2 ports Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico. We have sailed on the Ecstasy several times and always love the staff and crew of this ship! It is an older ship in Carnivals huge line of vessels but we love it! This time was no different except that I had thrown out my back just before Christmas. I was determined to go so I spent some extra time at my wonderful Chiropractor, Dr. Cindy Russell! Thank goodness she is good at what she does, I was slow going but was still able to travel! We have been to Cozumel several times and since my back was hurting that day we stayed on board and visited with friends - we had about 60 of them on board with us! We did get off at Progresso and really loved the small town atmosphere. The cruise ships are just starting to use that as a port and there is some really great shopping there. The prices were about half of what Cozumel has for the same exact things. I wanted to get some Mexican Vanilla for cooking and we found the 16 oz bottle for $5.00 and in Cozumel the 8 oz bottles were $8.00 (that is what our friends paid). There were lots of other great deals there and the town was very welcoming of tourists. The kids and adults here in this town do lots of selling wherever the tourists are. We were even seranaded at the bus before we left!

If you haven't been on a cruise before your cabin steward and several other people that are tied to you (your waiter, assistant waiter & Maitre di ) directly work for tips! Especially your cabin steward will work hard to earn it. The normal gratuity on board this particular cruise is $10 per person, per day. We had a delightful cabin person and each night he had a wonderful towel figurine to greet us as we returned to our cabin each evening. This cruise we also had great service in the dining room. Mike and I always tip our waiter and asst. waiter but this time we went over the suggested amount. They paid particular attention to our 2 tables and the kids that we had traveling with us from 4 - 19. They really made them feel special and included them as much as possible in the dining room activities. Even the Maitre di went far and above the call of duty!

The actual New Year's Eve evening was spent out on the Lido deck around the pool with music, dancing and free flowing Champaigne! I don't know of anyone in our party that didn't have just the best celebration! I would go again on a New Year's Eve cruise - Now to decide where that will be!

A Rainy Day in Hawaii is Better than a Sunny Day at Work!

This photo was taken in March of 2006 on our 30th wedding anniversary! It is beautiful, sunny, with gorgeous flora in the background and not at all how the previous 6 days had been for us in Oahu! In fact our Mantra for the week became, "A rainy day in Hawaii is better than a sunny day at work!" But our anniversary is March 12th and we wanted to be there for the celebration! It takes me back to our wedding day in 1976 - yes we really have been together that long! In fact we knew each other for 3 years prior during high school!! I was blessed enough to marry my high school sweetheart!! So back to 1976 and our wedding day! It rain, thundered, poured and guests were stuck out in their car and couldn't get into the church! When the minister said, "Those Whom God Hath Joined Together Let No Man Put Asunder", the biggest bolt of thunder rocked the church!! Almost 33 years later people who made it into the church still talk about it!! So back to Hawaii, I guess it fits our tradition of Rain!! We still had the most wonderful time in Oahu and crammed as much as possible during those 6 days. We went to Paradise Cove and enjoyed a traditional luau on the beach and wonderful Polynesian dancing! Notice that we were in a tent it was raining too hard to have it outside like they usually do. We also went to the Polynesian Cultural Center to get a big vision of what the islands are really like and the different people that inhabit them. This is an all day trip so plan accordingly when you get there. The Mormon church runs this place and does fantastic job of employing many people from the islands.

One site my husband really wanted to see was Pearl Harbor and I can tell you that is a very moving place to go to. They have a museum, grounds, a movie to see and then a trip over to the USS Arizona Memorial. It truly is a place where we can remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of fighting for our rights! I recommend this as a must do when you go to Oahu.


So would we go back to Hawaii again? In a heartbeat! I would like to try a couple of the other islands though. Oahu is a bit commercial but still has a lot to offer anyone visiting the island. We are looking at going back out there in 2010 for our 35th anniversary. I'll let you know how that goes!!

Travel Beverly Hillbillies Style!

Everytime I see this picture vivid images pop up in my mind!! You see it's always been about travel and going places for our family - even when we had no money. This picture captures our creativity or desperation some of you might say!! We were going on our summer vacation with our 3 children ages 4, 6 & 7 to Tawas, Michigan to stay at the FREE family cottage for a week of beach, sun, fun and of course bike riding! Did I say we had no money??? Doesn't matter though you can see how creative we were!!!

I can't tell you how ecstatic Mike & I were that we got everything into the car that we might need for the week we would be gone!! Let me give you a few of the details! First off this is a GLC Mazda Station Wagon. When you hear station wagon you probably think of the "good ole days" of huge a car and lots of space for packing. As you can see from the picture - no space, still lots of stuff packed in there! Let me give you a list: In the back of the wagon were all of our suitcases and clothes for 5 people for being gone a week plus bed linens, towels, beach towels, bike helmets, toys & games (in case it rains), pots & pans (did all the cooking there), paper towels, toilet paper - well you get the idea and that is just the back of the wagon. Let's take a little look at what was attached to the outside of the car! First on top we have the car top carrier with all of our food (guess we didn't think they would have grocery stores up there), on top of the carrier we have (look closely) 2 beach chairs - one for each parent. Didn't I say we were going to bike ride? Well as you can see we have 2 bikes on top of the car, 2 adult bike behind the car on a bike carrier and then the third bike is attached to the front grill!! Now pack inside a family of 5!! We were on our way and everyone was giddy with anticipation of a great time! Mike pulled the car carefully out of our subdivision and onto the main street and that is where the laughter began!! I'm not talking about our family (though we were already having fun) but the people on the road that saw our car! Wives were poking husbands in the drivers seat pointing to our humble vacation travels laughing and laughing hysterically! That was just the beginning of our 5 hour road trip to the cottage. We brought alot of people laughter all the way to Tawas and all the way home!

I think though that our family had the last laugh! We still have great memories of our trips there with lots of family photos! This past year we were in Tawas again and now our grandchildren are able to visit those same places!

Don't pass up opportunities to travel with your family, when the kids are gone and have families of their own, they will still remember!!Mike, Me, Matt (son), Seth(son-in-law), Jarod (son), Ethan (grandson), Mom, Jessica (daughter), Aiden (on lap granson)

Romance & Love - Weddings & Anniversaries

What is the perfect romantic get-a-way? The perfect honeymoon? Do you want a destination wedding or to rekindle your vows for your anniversary? Those are just some of the choices that you can research online and in particular you can go to: http://www.ytbromance.com/traveletc.

Do you have enough silver, crystal, sheets and towels? You can register your honeymoon once you book it right at the honeymoon wishes link. This enables you to possibly have all or part of your honeymoon paid as a gift. Your guests can go online to purchase gifts for your honeymoon that you choose or if they don't have internet access they can call the toll free number to order over the phone! You can set up a honeymoon wishes web site with your picture and story right on it. Your guests will be able to read about where you are going and how their gift will be used. It makes it so much more personal for the giver and the reciever. You may not remember who gave you the crystal glass but you will have pictures and wonderful memories from your honeymoon!
Click on all the tabs at the top of the site to get a great idea on what you have availble to you! Don't have your passport yet - you can purchase that at this site also, check under "Extras"! You can also book all of your excursions, theatre tickets, concert tickets & sports tickets right there.

If you want to be on our mailing list just sign up right at the site, the form is in the lower right hand corner and travel emails are sent out once a week with some great travel specials! Once you sign up for the newsletter don't forget to look in your box for a confirmation email that you want to recieve them. Depending on your filter it may go to your junk box, check there also. Once confirmed you will recieve these newsletters right in your email box!!


Want to know how to have your own site? Go to: http://www.yourticketouttathere.com/ and click on the informational video.