I LOVE listening/ re-listening, reading and re-reading General Conference talks. :) I learn more every time I listen to these 2 favorites- very good for the soul!
So.... it all started with these two wonderful people. My Mom and Dad. Mom sent me a text several months ago asking if we'd like to go on a cruise to celebrate her retiring from teaching/being principal. Um.... yes?!!! The plans began and they booked it for the end of May- all my brothers, sisters, grandparents and us! We couldn't wait.
This is our lunch stop in CA on Memorial Day. I need to mention that my Dad was super "wound up" (as my Mom would say) and was checking his phone for texts and updates from the other car every 2 minutes or so. Haha- love you Dad! Also, my Dad HATES to stop anytime on a trip. But, his 80+ year old Dad insisted that he will no longer eat in moving vehicles. We had to stop!
Anyhow, back to lunch. I now order gluten free burgers (aka "lettuce wraps") at In-N-Out and every other place we eat out at now. I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant & hypoglycemic just a few weeks before our trip. My awesome new Dr. gave me some supplements, etc. and thanks to this tender mercy, I felt much, much better before the trip began and I was able to enjoy the trip all the more. Thanks for this blessing, Heavenly Father. :)
The ship is huge!! We were on the Carnival Inspiration set for Baja Mexico.
The first stop was at Catalina Island off the coast of California. This place is so BEAUTIFUL! Just like paradise.
We rented a golf cart with Mom & Dad and cruised around the island a bit. Below is a short video of some of the sites.
Here's the whole group after dinner on the "dress up night." Dinner was awesome, a sit-down fancy dinner complete with appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Some in our group figured out you could order as many as you like, too! (Just a little cruise tip, in case you go on one soon. ;)
The water slide on the ship. I think riding the slide was the only time we used our swimming suits- haha! John came sliding down super fast and I came down like molasses and then STOPPED and had to walk out the rest of the way. I was laughing so hard!
Other interesting sites: the bathrooms on the ship are completely waterproof... and small. We thought it was worth a picture.
The towels are also folded into a cute animal on your bed everyday- pretty entertaining!
On Wednesday, we arrived in Mexico! The sign above says it all.
John and I signed up for an 'excursion' on ATVs. It was amazing!
I wore the mask because of the dust. John opted not to wear a mask and had dirt in his smile lines afterwards. :)
We rode through the area with grape fields, olive tree groves and even sand dunes. The boys that led us acted like they live in the greatest place in the world and were so cute.
We bought some yummy olive oil ($2 bottle) and olives from their farm.
After our ATV adventure, we went into town to do some shopping. I haven't been in Mexico since 1991, so I forgot how crazy it can be. We bought a few souvenirs from the kids from a street cart, then we headed over to a street cafe for some authentic tacos.
That's when the real fun began! We had SO many people coming right up to our table selling flowers, bracelets, gum, jewelry... we even had 2 men sing to us with their accordian and guitar! Poor John was trying to eat and was handing out money left and right. Others must have been encouraged by his generosity and seemed to come out in droves. The kicker was the man who took the Polaroid pictures of us for $5/pop!
Here's our proof- yes, we bought 2 and I think John even gave him a tip. I'm glad I married such a nice, awesome guy.
We had a fantastic time and we especially enjoyed driving to and from with my grandparents and hearing stories from their history. They were so excited to be there. THANK YOU Mom & Dad for a huge, wonderful trip and fantastic memories. We'll never forget it!
