Cruise

Tyler and I were able to go on our first real big vacation together. When Tyler decided to join the military we decided to go on a fun vacation before we would be separated for several months. So we booked our Caribbean cruise as fast as we could, then later found out we still have a while before Tyler will leave. Oh well, we were ready for a get away! 

It was such a fun vacation. Any time spent with each other is definitely a cherished time! Tyler and I are so glad that we had the opportunity to get out and see the world a bit. I can't wait to have more adventures with the best hubby. 

I was pretty nervous at first while I was getting everything ready before we were off. I haven't traveled much in my life, and whenever I have my mom and dad got everything organized. It didn't help that the week before was jammed pack with work, family being in town, and my brother Travis' wedding. On Sunday night June 22, we finally got on an airplane for a long red eye flight to Florida. 

Peace out Utah! 

Yep, already miss waking up to this every morning! The sunrises were amazing (I was never on the right side of the ship to get a sunset picture, bummer!) 

We got on the cruise ship on Monday afternoon and had a day and a half out in middle of the sea. Those were some fun relaxing days. We layed in the sun, ate lots of food, and slept a lot! The cruise had plenty of entertainment, like dance shows, comedies, and dive in movies. We only went to one of the dance shows.

The food on the ship was so good! They had ginormous breakfast buffets, and we always got the personalized omlets. For lunch they had several buffets. And dinner was always in the dining room, which was pretty fancy. It was fancier than most restaurants that Tyler and I would go to on a regular basis. There were a few nights that several items on the menu sounded good so Tyler and I would each get TWO meals! It was insane! And then there was the room service where we ordered whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it. We probably gained more weight than needed, and probably ate a whole pig in bacon. We also each had at least one hamburger every day of the cruise. 

Two full meals each? Sure, why not! 

And when food is endless, you try things that you might not normally. 

On Wednesday we arrived at the island of Grand Turk, which is the capital of the Caribbean islands. It was definitely my favorite part. Grand Turk is a small island 7 miles long and less than 2 miles wide. It was full of islanders and was definitely the most authentic. We took a safari tour around the whole island. We saw an awesome lighthouse, schools and airport, the houses. You would hear people talking about "when the hurricane hit(s)". And you could tell that they have been slammed with a few hurricanes! There was seaweed hanging on branches and holes the walls if houses. We shopped at some of the islanders booths for suveniers. And of course chilled on the beach:) 

On Thursday morning we stopped the ship at a private island called Half Moon Cay, part of the Bahamas. This island was so pretty! All the palm trees, hibiscus, and green everywhere! We were caught in a tropical storm for most if the time. But I didn't mind, it was actually fun to be in the down pour! It was so warm, green, and pretty!! We went and swam with stingrays, fed them parts of gross squid, and had loads of fun on the white powder sand beach. It was definitely a day in paradise! 

Our last stop was the Nassau island in the Bahamas. It was so different from either of the first islands. It was huge, and more of a city. It has the famous Atlantis resort and hotel. We shopped some more in the crazy straw market where a ton of islanders would pull us in and try to sell us stuff. And finally we were able to go snorkeling. It was Tyler and I's first time ever, so we weren't pro or anything, but we had so much fun and saw some awesome sea creatures! It is definitely a highlight of the cruise. 

On Saturday, we were so sad to get off the cruise ship for the last time back in Florida. No more endless food or sleep, no more perfect beaches. We also had some fun in Florida doing an airboat ride to see some gators. We stayed the night there, and got on an airplane to come back to Utah on Sunday to end the trip. 

Maybe this vacation got the travel bug out of me for now. Hopefully we will be able to go back to the Bahamas sometime in our life, but we will try to see some other parts if the world first. 

Traveling is not about the monuments, it's about the moments.

The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever! 

As fun as it was, and as much as we want to go back, we were ready to go home to our Tessa kitty and own bed.