My "Big Boat" Vacation

So, it has been a couple weeks since I got back from my AMAZING vacation but I still deem it worthy of a post!! The minute we got back my life became as hectic as ever, but with the rain and canceled sports practices; I am finally getting a chance to reflect on my trip. Sparing you all the details . . . I will give you a few of the highlights, and if you wish, feel free to view a handful of the thousand+ pictures taken over the course of the 8 days! The trip was completely relaxing. There was lots and lots to do on the boat, and as my family explored, I basically spent my days lying by the pool in the warm sun. The kiddos loved being in the pool and I enjoyed mingling in the spa with the old folks! In an attempt to balance "cruise eating and the average 2 pound/day weight gain" I dragged my sisters out of bed early each morning to run on the top deck of the ship . . . the most beautiful track view ever!! We made every attempt to walk the 10 flights of stairs from our room to the main deck of the ship every time!! We visited the gym and made a daily visit to the steam room - something I fell in love with (although if you were in that room with me on my first visit you would have never guessed)! We got to explore some of the most beautiful (and not so beautiful) places in Mexico and although nice to visit, at the end of the day it was great to get back on the ship and remind us how thankful we are to live where we do. There weren’t a ton of kids on the ship. Our kiddos roamed and explored at their leisure, made friends, and became quite comfortable with much of the staff. My sister in law and I laugh . . . It wasnt bad enough that the bartenders new our kiddos by name, but some of the bar patrons were also quit chummy with them. My brother liked to see how quickly he could drain the pool of the older folk and we were referred to as the "cannonball family! (not sure that was a great thing)" Overall, we ate too much, slept too little, got a bit too much sun, drank way too many diet cherry cokes (with extra maraschino cherries), and had lots and lots of fun!! At the end of the trip, mom and dad were surprised to find nobody was ready to go home, and we are all eagerly awaiting our next get away!! I am lucky to be part of such a great family and am forever indebt to my parents for taking us on such a great family vacation! We are a growing family and it was great for all 13 of us to be together and create life long memories!! Oh yeah . . . I forgot to mention I had to drag my bother away from an almost fist fight (with a well deserving passenger) but thats a whole different story!!