cruising: formal night with AUrate

The cruise offers us all a rare opportunity to get all dressed up in our finest for two nights a week on their formal nights. I don't know why I still like it, as I'm a purely leggings kind of gal the majority of the time, but I do. We all clean up real nice I think! Just look at the lot of us! Seriously, how lucky are we! I love my big family!

cruising: a day at sea

Days at Sea are the best, I think. You really get to enjoy all that the cruise ship has to offer. And enjoy we did. I started the morning with a quick run around their lap deck, practically getting dizzy because well, one lap is like... a tenth of a mile or some such thing. We had breakfast and then the kids got a quick swim in before they hightailed it off to Camp Ocean. Hand in hand. They just love that place so much and all five of the kids couldn't wait to get away from us all. Which, okay. Sure I guess it is their vacation too. But then! The most miraculous thing happened! Matt and I were able to lay around on the deck and have a drink and gasp, even read! It was quite nice and hasn't happened since 2009! What does one even do with oneself!!? We hung out with John and Sadie while those other family members of mine with kids too young for the camp did other things, like have coffee and attempt to get their baby to nap. That stuff. 

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.