Cruisin!

Hey All, hope that the cold weather is treating you well! This stuff is enough to make anyone frantic for the comforting warmth of a deep freezer. At any rate, a bunch of the family was able to head south for at least a little reprieve. Jen, Audrey, Pam, Joe, Auntie Lala, and myself just recently got back from a glorious Carnival cruise the last week of January. It was spectacular... the food, the laughs, and little Miss Popular in all of her glory (Audrey always has a host of fans wherever she goes).

We initially had a one night stay over in Miami and were fortunate to have a fairly uneventful flight. Audrey slept during part of the flight and spent the rest of the time hopping from lap to lap. When bored, she simply peered over the seats to find Grandma Mimi and Papa Joe to find someone to make funny faces at. Audrey got the chance to meet a good college buddy of mine Garrett- who actually is finishing up his residency in neurosurgery. We got a chance to chat and wander around some of the shopping areas. I think the most curious part of that evening was trying to get Audrey in bed with 5 other adults in the room! Once Mimi and Papa left for an evening stroll and Ryan, Laura and I pretended to be sleeping, Audrey eventually did fall asleep.

The next day we boarded the ship and the fun began!

Ryan, Audrey and I had a cozy interior room and my parents had the fabulous room with the veranda. A room with a view- how spectacular. Ultimately I think our cruise shenanigans would be best summarized by a Dick Top Ten. (Please pardon the fact

1) Quite the Belle of the Ball, once the waiting staff knew of the easiest way to Audrey's heart, there was VERY LARGE plate of watermelon waiting for her at each dinner. Go figure, the rest of us had to order!

2) The weather- no rain, only sun, and a few beaches that would knock your feet off.

3)The excursions. Jen and I had a wonderful time snorkeling and the rest of the crew explored Mayan ruins a few days later. There was also a spectacular turtle farm with turtles the size of a bus! (that might be a slight exaggeration, but the turtles were quite large). Nothing like a little adventure.

4) Towel animals on the bed each night had Audrey a little fearful at the beginning, but none of them came to life in the end and it was an adventure each evening as she carefully approached each one! (Rabbit, elephant, crab...)

5) ELMO! (can you tell this is more of an Audrey top ten and Audrey is the apple of her parents' collective eye?). This little red rascal was used to distract the little miss when the tight confines of the room were getting to her. If you haven't seen the crazy antics of a furry fiend tracking down his favorite blanket, this is a flick you don't want to miss. This was a Daddy and Mommy 2 Thumbs Up.

6) Food. Endless. Delightful. For yours truly, the endless part was the most spectacular. I'm pretty sure there was not 2 hours that went by that we didn't eat. An endless pizza bar was the most used but the most controversial. If the pizza bar is endless, then why does it take so long to get one? But never fear, most of that waiting time was used hitting up the cookie buffet and ice cream dispenser. Jen's personal favorite endless beverage was the hot chocolate. I have never seen anyone on a sugar high from hot chocolate overdose- but Jen actually required restraining on two occasions by professional staff due to conduct unbecoming a passenger. (Why do you think her parents had to come along on this trip? Because I can't control her.) Her detox program is fortunately going quite smoothly.

7) This is the moment in which I give amazing props to the rest of the family- a Papa Joe, a Grandma Mimi, and an Auntie Lola. At times a little Audrey can go a long way, and they were spectacular with her when Jen and I needed a little R n' R. So a big thank you to all of their help over the course of the week!

8) Adult revelry aboard a cruise ship? You bet. The "R-rated" comedy was an interesting spin-off from what could have been a family comedy show. Yes, Audrey was asleep. This is a number 8 only because Jen fell asleep during two out of the 4 acts. However, some of the jokes were pretty spectacular.

9) Ping Pong Champion of the World. Let's just say that it's a little lonely at the top. Day one, I took down 4 opponents for the ultimate prize, a plastic replica of the our Carnival Cruise Ship "The Glory". All I wanted was a t-shirt, but in the end, I have gained some increased awe and respect at my clinic. The trophy adorns my top shelf and the glare has caught a few of my co-workers off guard.

10) Finally, another favorite cruise activity- Jen, Lola, and I participated in a scavenger hunt that required your truly going down a water slide in clothing and Lola borrowing a chefs hat. Nothing like wandering around the boat and making other individuals feel a bit uncomfortable.

Bottom line- we had a fabulous time and now we have a child obsessed with Elmo.

Love and Hugs!
Ryan, Jen, and Audrey