cruising: flying and boarding and more

Okay. I am now sufficiently rested and sort of calmed down about our surprise road trip returning home from this vacation... I am officially ready to start tackling sharing all about our cruise! Consider it an experiment in denial that one, the cruise is already over and b, that school starts in less than two weeks. Consider away.

The family opted to fly as I may have mentioned yesterday. I'm a big fan of road trips and personally we love to drive to Florida but this time we flew. First time in nine years for me. We had to meet at my parent's house at the ripe hour of 2 a.m. I believe. The mind is a sieve. Just mine? We loaded up two party buses and headed to get my brother and his family as they were on the way to the airport. And then off! To BWI! Baltimore! And! Me!

The timing was really quite great, we checked in (only had to rearrange one dress shoe of Matt's in order to meet weight requirements), went through security, ate breakfast, used the bathroom (never pass a potty) and then it was boarding time! So I consider that a win. I had a good happy buzz going to take away my nerves and on we went! Don't forget to rub the outside of the plane kids! My Grandma always insisted it brought good luck! Say hi to the pilot! Oh wow look at all those buttons okay yes let's sit down and just let mama white knuckle the arm rests mmmm k?

recovery.

If you weren't aware, we spent last week on a Caribbean cruise. The entire family, totaling in at 17 humans from the ages of six months and well, up. You know the drill: Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman. Et cetera... We flew down there (which for the record, I loathe to fly) and had no problems but upon departure well... We had problems. A delayed flight turned into a cancelled flight turned into panic mode turned into brainstorming mode turned into a few hours later we all piled into two twelve person passenger vans and headed north for the long drive home.

the way we do 35

For some reason this birthday sort of hit me the wrong way. Not the actual day just the significance of the age, I guess. Something like that. It left me sort of like, meh. How did I want to celebrate? Matt asked. I had nothing. No ideas. He was off work (the saint) so I felt like we should do something. Maybe it was the weather which has just been so weird lately? Let's blame a lot on the weather. 

I woke up in the morning to the laundry already folded and basically every other little mundane morning chore of mine done. That Matt, I mean. I scored big. Huuuuuge. I had an appointment to get my nails done and then decided to go to Target where I found a new dress on clearance, just in time for the cruise! Yay! Walking around Target solo is really like a little mini vacation. I don't have to head count. I can take my time.... Always good for you, solo Target runs. When I got home Matt already had the kids dressed and ready to go to the Bullshead for lunch. Because that is always a good idea as well.

letty's official birthday

Letty's actual eighth birthday was last week and we pretty much let her call the shots as to what she wanted to do, even going so far as to letting her cancel on her tutor (I gave the birthday girl many side eyes about that). She requested Hersheypark, not the water park, and she wanted to play the same game that David had played on his birthday. She woke to presents of course beforehand and her favorite was the hair chalk. She gets to have crazy colored hair and I get to know that the second she jumps in the pool it's gone. Poof! She thinks she looks like Mal from The Descendants.

lena is four!

For those who don't know, Lena is my niece. And she just turned four. I'm not sure how that's possible! Letty was her age the day she was born and I cannot! Just cannot. Oh these cousins! I love the lot of them!