21 Reasons Why a Cruise is an Excellent Idea for Family Vacation

Well I am fresh off the good ship fattening. It was glorious. I will share pictures and go into more details that is the wonder of our family vacation at a later time. For now, I give the reasons why this was an excellent idea in the first place.

1.      Both of the cruise lines I have been on have a chocolate extravaganza at some point…. Need I say more?

2.      Fun for all ages, genders, and walks of life. Pools, spas, mini gold, water slides, gambling, game rooms, shows… etc. 

3.      I was commenting to one of my sisters that this is one of THE BEST parts of a cruise… there is no cell service. I know... I know, it’s inconvenient and you need it and blah blah (I am not pointing fingers... I have been guilty of this as well). But when you are on family vacation with a number of people who all have their reasons for needing to be swiping away at their phones all day, it is so refreshing to remove the temptation and be able to enjoy each other without the distraction of technology (whew… run on sentence, I know). 

4.     You really cannot beat the price for everything that is included. Food, accommodation, entertainment, transportation... and these little beauties.

5.     They have a fantastic steam room. Just sit there and sweat out all the cookies you have consumed. 

6.     Excellent gym which includes an assortment of fitness classes.

7.     So many food options, even if you are a picky or snobbish eater, you will find something yummy.

8.     For a runner, it is a beautiful experience to run every morning on the top deck. Just pop in your head phones and enjoy the amazing beauty of endless ocean all around. 

9.     Parents with young children can place their kids in camp carnival for much of the day. This is a free service, and the kids loved it. You really can’t beat that.

10. The ship is small enough where you can find the members of your family if you want… but large enough where you can avoid them if you want as well (not saying that this would ever happen... but just in case).

11. If you live on one of the lower floors, you have the option of getting exercise every time you want to eat, by climbing the six flights of stairs to get to any of the diners. 

12. Whether you have sunshine or clouds, there is always something fun to do. 

13. You have the opportunity of dressing up for nice sit down family dinner. Something that you probably only do twice a year otherwise.

  14.  There are no windows in most of the cabins, so you can stay up or sleep in at your leisure. 

15.  The gentle sway of the ship rocks you to bed at night.

16.  They have a midnight Mexican buffet (I don’t know why you would need to eat at midnight, but at least you have the option) and if you do so choose to partake… it is delicious. 

17.  You can (potentially) see different parts of the world without having to sit in a car or a plane for hours. Instead you can be sitting by the pool sipping Mojitos.

18.  There is a serenity deck with wonderfully comfy lounge chairs and two Jacuzzis. This is in a prime spot on the boat and no kids are allowed. 

19.  Some of the shows they have are hilarious. On more than one instance I belly laughed to the point where I wiped tears from my eyes and had to come up for a breath. 

20.   24 hour pizza bar. Thin crust and cheesy slices of yumminess. 

21.   And finally, cruise ships have the friendliest staff around. They make it a point to remember your name whenever and wherever they see you. They strive to make you vacation exceptional and it shows. 

The Happiest Day at the Happiest Place

Disney inspired letter Q is today’s theme for Wordless Wednesday over at Focused on the Magic. I was racking my brain and going through all my Disneyland pictures to find something inspiring… Queen… quaint… quilt. Nothing truly wonderful came to me until I thought of the wonderful word “Question.”

December 18^th will be four years since Cory popped the QUESTION at the happiest place on earth. Where does the time go? 

And so I decided to take a little walk down memory lane to fulfill the Disney inspired letter Q. 

Cory got down on his knee at Snow White’s wishing well with the beautiful castle looming overhead, telling tales of all the other “Happily Ever Afters”.  It is probably the quietest, and surely the most beautiful spot in all of Disneyland. I still remember all of the whispers as people around were nudging their friends to see the wonderful spectacle we were making. 

Disneyland was the perfect place for Cory to present me with the most amazing ring in the world and a hand to hold for the rest of my life. 

A few months after our engagement, we went back to the memorable place with our Disney gear to take some DIY engagement photos. We still visit this spot almost every time we go to Disneyland (which is by no means scarce), and reminisce about the perfect day which began this wonderful adventure called marriage.

Five Things You Should Never Do

Well here is to another week with new possibilities, a fresh dose of discipline, and (I hope) a giant portion of organizational skills. Am I the only one who has that desire?

I happened upon a situation this week (could have been me... or someone else) where a couple of the items on this list arose in one day, and I thought to myself, "this should never be done".

I am not confirming or denying that I can give you this advice based on personal experience. Maybe I have done these things, maybe I haven't. Maybe I do some of them on a very regular basis... maybe I don't.

Either way, I think you will find that this list is comprised of very sound advice. 

1. You should never eat a piece of bread without toasting it or fixing it up just right, simply because you haven't eaten all day and you need something substantial in your stomach quick. The calories are going to be the same either way (not that I count calories). So if you are going to eat bread, toast it to perfection and slather it with butter and pumpkin butter. Seriously one of the most heavenly experiences.

2. You should never say no (if you are master of your own schedule) and your dad calls to invite you on a walk complete with fresh air and good conversation.

3. You should never have this sequence of events occur.
        a. Wash and braid your hair before bed
        b. Take it out and leave it down without brushing it
        c. Wear a scarf half the day
        d. Put it up in clips without brushing it
        e. Sleep on it
        f. Go to the gym in a hurry so you throw your rat's nest into a bundle and sweat it out
        g. Wash your hair, put the clips back in, and move on with your day

4. You should never wear ten different outfits complete with shoes and accessories... and neglect to put them away as you go. Never.... Never.

5. And finally... you really should  never be blogging when you are leaving for a cruise first thing in the morning, you haven't packed a thing, you are supposed to have family taco night in twenty minutes, and many one or two of the aforementioned items on this list have occurred!

On that note, I must run. Have a wonderful week!

Oh My Goodness... Make This!

I am just sorry that none of you could have smelt the delicious pumpkin aroma coming from my kitchen this evening. Bread pudding is one of those heavenly creations that could easily force an individual to wear stretchy pants every day. And pumpkin bread pudding.... you may as well buy yourself an assortment of leggings because you will be wearing those bad boys a lot. 

This is a super fun dessert idea for the holiday season. I love me some pumpkin pie, but it is also fun to change it up a little. And its so easy! Five minutes of work time, an hour in the oven, and you will be delving into carb heaven.

·   Butter, for baking dish

·  1 baguette (8 ounces), sliced 1/2 inch thick

·  4 large eggs

·  1 quart half-and-half

·  1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

·  1 cup packed light-brown sugar

·  1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice

·  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toast the bread in the oven for about twenty minutes while you add all of the other ingredients to a medium bowl. 

Add the bread to your pumpkin mixture and let it soak for twenty more minutes so the bread can become all juicy and puffed with pumpkin. 

Pour bread mixture into a buttered 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 300 for 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Heap on some vanilla ice cream (if you choose to take it to that extremely delicious level) and enjoy!

Thinking of the Big Five

Friday already. Crazy! I am participating in Five on Friday over at the Good Life Blog. This means I get to write about ANY five things that I want. Things on my mind, things I love these days…. Anything.

I decided that since five is such a nice round number I would theme my Five on Friday post this week. January is not the only time to be setting goals guys, or thinking about those five important areas that you should be working on.

So here is what is going on lately in my big five. Challenge yourself to think about these areas and set little personal goals. I know, I know, January is just around the corner. But why wait until then to just evaluate what you are doing to improve yourself? It only has to take a minute. Just a thought :)

 

1.       Intellectual

A month after I finished school I missed it. Is that weird? The challenges. The learning. The forced discipline. In the moment I couldn’t wait to graduate, and now I wouldn’t mind being in that place again. Isn’t that always the way of things? Well, huge epiphany! I discovered that I don’t have to be in school to learn, to write, or to be disciplined in these areas. It is so important to continually challenge yourself intellectually. Read books you never would have read, learn random bits of information, write yourself silly in bed at night. This season, this learning on my own season, is so different, but so much fun. 

2.       Spiritual

This is a familiar scripture, I am sure. But have you read it in the amplified version and just let the words hit you?

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].

Superabundantly… I love that. Not just super which signifies "above, over, or excess" and not just abundant which means "available in large quantities; plentiful".  What a word combo. God is so able to do superabundantly all we can ask or imagine! The hope, the power, the authority, the purpose that is in these words just resonates in my spirit. Don’t limit God. He CAN do it. We meet him half way and do our part, but he can and will go beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. That is absolutely amazing because I can hope and dream a lot. But my imagination is limited, God’s isn’t. I think I will tap into his purpose for me. 

3.       Physical

As a rule, I am very consistent in my workout routine. If I am home I will not miss a day going to the gym… until the holiday season (which has already begun) comes around. For some reason it is like I let myself have a little excuse in the back of my mind... this time only comes once a year…. And if I gain five pounds no big deal. But no! You always have to fight against those thoughts. And so, this holiday season I am going to be better. I am not going to let my gym days fall to a measly two or three times a week. After all, fitness is a lifestyle! Make that choice, you will feel so much better about every other area in your life, trust me on that.

4.       Emotional/Social

I am pretty elated in this area because next week our long anticipated family cruise arrives. Hooray! We are going to get out of the cold mountain weather (though it has not really been cold) and enjoy the beautiful Mexico sunshine. It is going to be grand. 

5.       Financial

In preparation of the holiday season, Cory and I decided to do a month long fast from spending any extra money. No eating out, no trips, no random presents etc. I am not sure how long it lasted…. But we did really poorly. Cory would spend bits here and there and then tell me he didn’t realize that particular purchase was part of the fast. I got an opportunity to go to Palm Springs with all the girls for an overnight Christmas shopping extravaganza… and I didn’t hesitate. So we kind of failed… But the bills are still paid and we are quite happy, so why worry about it?

What are some of your thoughts and ideas for these five areas in your life? Have you discovered a new work out you love or been hit by a powerful spiritual revelation? I would love to hear!

So Many of You Would Be Appalled

Go ahead and be shocked and appalled but yes... I have had my first Christmas party of the year. If you read my brilliant post 10 Reasons Why Christmas Should Start Now, then you understand all of the logic of my ways.

It is indeed the beautiful, wonderful, Christmas season.

Since the first year of our marriage Cory and I have hosted a "Christmas Season Commencement Party". We are kind of like the little elves in my family, sprinkling the Christmas cheer all around. Therefore we judged that it was our duty to proclaim the commencement of the Christmas season, thus our fabulous idea - Now the third annual party.

It was an extremely private affair, only the very elite were invited, after all it was a black tie (mostly because my home can barely house more than my family).

Because I relish an opportunity to be creative, I made and sent out invitations. My inspiration was a Christmas ornament.

I love throwing parties. It is the perfect time to try new recipes.... or is it? I think perhaps not. Oh well, that is what I did. I was in the kitchen the entire day, trying to put together a million gourmet appetizers. Some were good, some were definitely sub par. But it was all fun.

The menu was comprised of various delicacies such as fondue, bacon wrapped dates, cranberry brie bites, pumpkin dip and many other fattening treats. We purchased a new cookie cutter specifically for the party which Cory insisted suited us perfectly… I am inclined to agree. I made several batches of my most delicious eggnog (if I do say so myself).

We ate, socialized, and ate some more. Just what should be done in a small family gathering.

It is a tradition in my family to sing the twelve days of Christmas together. We do it at every Christmas party (yes there are a lot), at Thanksgiving, and of course, Christmas eve and Christmas day. Since the tradition has begun with our commencement party, we also host our first round in song. It is hilarious to go through the lyrics while people try to harmonize... or not harmonize. It gets louder and louder each time. Oh it is truly grand.

So here is to the first celebration of the Christmas season. I hope that you find a little inspiration to bring to your own holiday season and family traditions.

Fall Colors and Cute Kids

A few weeks ago I took my cute little niece and nephew out for a a little photo shoot. I was so happy to capture them amidst the beautiful fall colors. Little buddy was in a rather stoic mood, so I was not able to catch many of his bright smiles. However, this serious expression on a little man is ridiculously cute as well.