Anniversary Cruise

We are usually the type of people who say 'one day we will.....' and then never follow through on whatever it is. Gabe and I have said since the beginning of our marriage that we would do something special for our 10th anniversary especially since our honeymoon got shortened unexpectedly due to illness. As our anniversary approached we started looking at trips we could take. It boiled down to price really. The cost of airfare to a resort doubled the cost of any trip like that. Since we live so close to Galveston, a cruise was a great option.

I'll admit, I was nervous about going on a cruise for several reasons. I get motion sickness in a car.... sometimes when I am driving. Pathetic! I am VERY claustrophobic. So the thought of all those people around me...suffocating to say the least. And lastly, I have had a lot of health issues this past year. So my fear of that showing up while on the cruise worried me. But the thought of spending a week with my husband and best friend rose above all my doubts and anxieties.

A few days before our ship set sail we spent a day driving up near Dallas to meet Gabe's Mom and Aunts. They took the kids back to Arkansas with them for the week. From all reports they had a wonderful time and made lots of great memories.

 

The original plan was for Gabe and I to drive to Galveston Monday morning, but at the last minute we booked a room and went a day early. Why not?!! We spent Sunday night walking the The Strand, eating dinner, and just being plain giddy about our trip together. The next day we boarded the cruise ship around noon and enjoyed our first of many meals on the cruise ship. The food was aplenty let me tell ya! The rest of the day we explored the ship, sunbathed, put our feet up, and relaxed.

The Strand in Galveston

Gabe at Yagas

Me at Yagas

YUMMY! (sorry for the blur)

There were funny signs all over the cruise terminal. This was my favorite!

Two thumbs up

Ready for our Cruise

Let the feast begin. This was one of the outdoor grill/buffet right next to the pool.

For just a quick sec, let's get back to the food. The amount of food offered at all times of the day was staggering. The buffets were open all day. The deli and pizzeria were open 24 hours a day. And the dining rooms served 3 meals a day. Monday through Wednesday, Gabe and I ate no less than 7 to 8 meals a day. I am surprised we didn't each gain 20 pounds!! The dining room meals were delish! Gabe made sure to order all the seafood he could get, since I am not one to make it at home. Every meal was a 3 course meal and let me tell you the desserts were heavenly! Especially the warm chocolate melting cake. I think I ate my weight in this over the week. So very yummy! For reasons I will explain later, we cooled our jets concerning the amount of food intake by Thursday and Friday.

Warm Chocolate Melting  Cake

We ate a ton of these turkey wraps

Never ending ice cream!!!

Gabe was just a wee bit excited about his ribs!

Tuesday was a day at sea, so we repeated much of what we did the day before. Eat, sleep, read, eat some more. So nice to have a slower paced day and relax to our hearts content. Tuesday night was formal night. It was fun to dress up and see everyone else dress up. My man was looking mighty nice in his suit if I might say so myself.

Our Stateroom

I did a lot of this!

Isn't he handsome?

Formal night

Comedy club

Wednesday we were in Progresso. We didn't plan an excursion for this day so we just walked the markets and downtown area. The pier in Progresso is over 4 miles long. Crazy right? The comedian on board the ship made a joke that he thought it was a partially constructed bridge to America. He swore every time they went back the pier was a bit longer! Pretty funny stuff. Progresso is not as Americanized as most ports. I loved it though. It was a true small Mexican town. There was one strip along the beach that had a lot of shops and restaurants. Gabe and I laughed that the next time we go to Mexico we are going to wear t-shirts that simply say "NO Gracias" We got hit up to buy everything from bracelets to massages.... constantly. It became quite annoying after awhile. But hey, they've got to make a buck just like everyone else. Can't blame them.

Gabe "owling"

Progresso - look at that beautiful water!

Progresso

Riding in the stinky, hot shuttle bus down the never ending pier

Downtown Progresso

Progresso

Progresso Beach

Should have gotten a picture of the million and two different people trying to sell us something

Pina Coladas in Progresso

Lunch in Progresso

Market

Market

Wednesday night dinner

The Atrium

Gabe really enjoyed listening to this musician

Our room was right around the corner from this staircase

We took this picture for Julia. Loved all the fun towel animals they made each night.

Thursday was our 10th anniversary. We got up and went to the top deck to watch the sunrise. Actually it had already risen, but we were close enough. We were excited for the day ahead of us. We were to be in Cozumel and were going to Passion Island for the day. In my excitement and haste to get out the door, I forgot to take my dramamine which I had taken faithfully everyday of our cruise. I not only forgot to take some I forgot to pack any of my nausea medicine in our bag for the day. I was kicking myself when I realized that our ride to the island was a catamaran. Duh! How did I forget that detail? Since breakfast that day my stomach was unsettled. I thought it was just the overeating and excitement combined. Add motion sickness to that and I had a major belly ache the rest of the day. I was able to enjoy myself at the island but my stomach was uneasy all day. I hated that I felt that way on our anniversary, but it couldn't be helped I guess. We spent the day laying on the beach and swimming in the beautiful clear water. Gabe even tried his hand at wind surfing. He said it was pretty difficult especially for a novice. It was awesome that he tried it though. By the time we left the island and got back to the port, I was in bad shape. We hurriedly bought a few last minute souvenirs and headed for our room. The rest of the afternoon and evening I was seriously ill. It behaved like one of my "episodes" that have plagued me for going on 10 months. No fun at all.

The morning of our 10th Anniversary

Sunrise on the 21st

Cozumel

The water was so clear blue.... beautiful

Cozumel

Waiting to leave for Passion Island

Getting on the Catamaran

Relaxing at the beach

Pardon my blazing paleness..... just how God made me!

Getting ready to wind surf

Wind surfing

Margaritas in Cozumel

By Friday morning I was over it but was very fatigued which is common for one of my episodes. So Friday we took it easy which is not hard to do on a cruise ship. I fell asleep sitting up at one point, didn't even need a lounge chair. Saturday morning we came in to Galveston. It was one of those trips that was just the right amount of time. I felt like we had done all we wanted to do and were ready to go home at the end. We hit the road around 9 am and headed to east Texas to meet up with Gabe's family so we could pick up the kids. We were so ready to see our sweet children. We missed them so much. It was a lot of driving Saturday but we finally made it home around 9pm that night, exhausted but happy.

Gabe and I are both guilty of this

Last day of the cruise. Don't we look relaxed and refreshed?!

Gabe about to go down the water slide

Gabe and I had so much fun at some of the shows just goofing off. We are dorks like that!

Saturday morning, back in Galveston

A few days after we got home we gave the kids their souvenirs. Isaac specifically requested a sombrero, which presented packing issues. So we solved that problem by getting him a miniature version. He thought that was pretty funny. We also got him drums and a t-shirt. Caleb got the same t-shirt as Isaac and a maraca. And to complete our little Mexican band, we also gave Julia a maraca. She also got a little doll named Maria and a t-shirt. They were delighted with their gifts.

Some people have asked me if we liked Carnival. My answer is a definite yes. Keep in mind I don't have any other cruises to compare it to though. They pampered and spoiled us all week. The staff was very friendly and for the most part the entertainment was fun. The one down fall for Carnival was the questionable costuming during their shows. We got up and walked out of one show because the women dressed and danced extremely provocatively. I was shocked that there were children sitting in the front row for that show. It is a fallen world. I think it would be fun to go on a K-Love cruise. How fun would that be to sit out on a top deck while the ocean breezes blew  and listen to some great live Christian music?! Gabe and I are already tossing around the idea of going on another cruise in a couple of years. So fun!

It has been the best 10 years of my life. I am abundantly blessed to be Gabe's wife. He is a wonderful husband and my best friend. He loves deeply and takes care of me and the kids so well. I can't list all the reasons why I love him because they are far too many, but I can tell you the number one reason why I love Gabe. He loves God first. He puts Him above all and leads our family towards our Father. With that, everything else just falls into place.

Happy 10th Anniversary Gabe

I love you 1st!