cruising and Ohio-ing

Wow. We have had an amazing two weeks. We have been living out of suitcases, thus the reason I haven't blogged in a while. A few months ago, Dan and I decided that we needed to do something to celebrate our 5 year anniversery. We really never go on vacation; we travel it's pretty much just to see family. The last time we took a real vacation was our honeymoon. We were still working on our homestudy, so we figured it would take a long time before we adopted. This would be our last big hurrah before starting a family! So, we decided to book a cruise. There are very inexpensive cruises out of Charleston, and we had never done one before, so why not? Our friends dear Daniel and Katherine actually asked us to go and it was just the opportunity we had been looking for! What could be more fun than vacationing with your friends? Well then, as most of you know, Mia happened. What an outrageously wonderful surprise. Dan and I remembered we had a cruise booked, and thought oh crap, so much for that. We thought about it and said, you know, Mia will be almost two months, we might need the vacation, lets just do it! I'm so glad we did, we had an absolute blast. My sister Emily came down and watched Mia which was an amazing blessing. Other then Mia's grandparents, Emily is probably the only person I felt comfortable leaving her with!

The day we left, charleston was absolutely freezing!!

you can see the ravenel bridge behind us!

Ok well it was really like in the 40s, but to those of us who are used to the warm southern breezes, it sure felt freezing. The first night we all really felt the rocking and I thought I was going to fall over!  The first morning we went to breakfast-cafeteria style and I was saving our spot at a table. I literally felt my body swaying back and forth in my chair. But after a while we all got used to it and it wasn't so bad.

The first night on the ship we were all freezing so we threw style to the wind and bundled up in the warmest clothes we brought. I clearly did not pack appropriately, since most of my attire consisted of summer dresses and cute tops and skirts. Thankfully, our first full day at sea was a good bit warmer and we were able to enjoy walking around and exploring the ship.

We enjoyed a yummy outdoor lunch by the pool!

Our friend compared a cruise ship to a giant floating Golden Corral. I thought that was the most hilarious comparison but also so true! We chose to eat in the semi-fancy restaurant every night which always included a 3 course meal. You could literally order two of everything if you wanted to, and then get room service later that night. Now, how do they expect you to eat like that then try to squeeze into your bathing suit? That is just cruel! ;)

One of my favorite experiences was "formal night." Since Dan and I are not super-fancy people (I prefer maxi-dresses and flip-flops) we didn't bring crazily fancy clothes, just something we would wear to a more formal church (I can't really even say our church because Seacoast is so laid back!). A TON of people however opted for their finest attire which made our night all the more interesting. Women wore the equivalent of prom dresses and men wore tuxes. There was even a rental shop in case you forgot your tux or fancy handbag.  I wish I had taken pictures of some of them! Some women decided to accessorize with cleavage, and I thought really, do you want every man on this ship staring at your chest? I guess you do!

Ha! Well anyway the rest of the trip was a blast. We enjoyed the onboard entertainment, specifically the comedian. It felt like Showtime at the Apollo. The guy was just hilarious. People were literally fighting for seats.

Our favorite part of the trip was probably the Atlantis Resort, in Nassau, Bahamas. I had no idea a giant waterpark/aquarium could be SO fun!!

We found a secluded "adults only" lounge area on the ship and made a habit of watching the sunset in the hot tubs. Well, Daniel and Katherine made more of a habit then we did, Dan and I usually caught up on sleep in the late afternoon. The last day, Katherine and I spent the afternoon laying out and eventually moved to the hot tub where we enjoyed Mai Tai's and a gorgeous sunset!

So, to conclude the cruise tale, Yes, I would recommend going. It really is what you make of it. You can have as little or as much fun as you want! We opted for FUN! (and plenty of sleep!)

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was so so amazing. We had a wonderful time with my family (mine is in Ohio, Dan's is in CT where we will be heading for Christmas). It was almost surreal to be enjoying such precious time with our family and having a sweet baby girl with us. Every day I am more amazed by her and more blessed by her. She is so so cute and sweet I just can't seem to get enough of her! She changes so much on a seemingly daily basis. But the best change of all is...SHE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! thank the Lord!

We had a very full and eventful thanksgiving. My mom finally met Mia. I am so thankful for how well everything went. Without going into detail, our family has been through alot the past 2 years, and it was so nice for my mom to have a nice time with Mia.



My sister Emily and I dragged ourselves to Walmart at 9:30 on Thursday night. I know, we bought into the consumerism, but it was so worth it! We got 1 out of about 20 40" tvs for a ridiculous price. It was my dad's christmas present. He is the type of person who will never spend money on something for himself, so we sneakily got it for him! The funny thing was, he didn't even notice it and we had to point it out to him. He was like, "OH!!" Well it really was the best gift ever because the kids (my little brother and sister, Carmen and Chessie, respectively) had a blast playing the wii on the big screen. Ok, Dan had a blast too. ;)

Pretty awesome. who knew a wii could be so fun? Especially for a 28 year old!

Our favorite family tradition is going to the Pine Tree Barn to pick out a Christmas tree. There have been many miserably cold trips to this place, but we happend to go an a gloriously warm day. Its always a hilarious adventure.



On Sunday, we had a get together with close friends and family. My two best friends from home came with their significant others. I adore those girls and I am so grateful for our continued friendship through the years!

Me, Christine and Kristen :)

My Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie also came, and brought a good portion of their kids and grandkids. It was sooo nice to have them there, and needless to say, we had a full house!!

Uncle Tom, Aunt Julie and a very special dress

Faith, my cousin Shawn's daughter, and Chessie my sister comparing hair lengths

My cousin Jeanette also dropped by. So great to see her!!

All in all, we had an amazing time in Ohio. We are beyond thankful. God has chosen to bless us richly. My family has been through alot of heartache, and this visit was such a sweet time. Having Mia is bringing healing to our family in a way. God allows suffering, but he also offers redemption and joy. I am continually humbled by His grace.

Ok, sorry for the extremely long blog. Next blog-dedicated to Mia pictures!!