Cruise Part 2

So finally, I will give you part 2 of our trip. So fitting seeing as the cold weather has arrived and I can dream and be reminded of the beautiful summer days and nights of our vacation spent on the beaches of the Southern Caribbean..

Gotta have a cute feet picture overlooking the waters... of Barbados!!!

Laura and I in the back of an open Land Rover, about to explore the island of Barbados.. "Off-Roading Style!"

My honey and me before we left for the off-roading trip with our funny islander tour guide!

Just a cool shot I happened upon as we sped through the town of Barbados..

A church at the top of a hill over-looking the back side of the island of Barbados.

The "back side" of the island, where the waves are so big that swimming is not allowed. It was beautiful with all of the huge rocks.

Another angle... All of the rocks are natural.

Teeny-tiny Laura and me underneath one of the rocks. We snuck over there bare-footed and nearly sliced all of our toes open. Because it is so rough on this side of the island, there is no sand, just broken up rock.

Us girls, before dinner one night. Kinda blurry of me, but perfect of Laura. Weird.

Caleb and me, blurry but a cool shot.

The next day, in St. Lucia. We went zip lining through the rainforest, which was an absolute blast! Plus, we got to wear really cool harnesses and hard hats!

Us in front of a MASSIVE tree.

The beautiful hills of St. Lucia as we took a gondola ride down the mountain.

Us.

Leaving St. Lucia... By the way, the "unleaded" beverages were cheaper than the "leaded" ones on the ship, and just as tasty. We didn't actually order both of those beverages, but apparently the waiter who didn't speak English didn't understand our English and thought we wanted two. Oh well. It's vacation and they were quite tasty!

A cool shot of the runway. I'm sure lots of very rich people fly in on their private jets to this runway. I can dream...

Shane and Laura.. so happy they decided to spend a week with us! =)

Us before dinner. Trying to get every couple shot possible. AND, we didn't have to bug a stranger to take our picture and settle for a mediocre one because we didn't want to offend said stranger because their first attempt at taking our picture stunk. Can anyone relate??

Ahh... MY FAVORITE... ANTIGUA!!!!

Just so beautiful. We did an all day catamaran trip where we cruised around the entire island, snorkeled, ate a fresh grilled lunch off the back of the boat, and baked quite nicely in the sun. Fabulous!

A boat slip on the island of Antigua.

Beautiful waves crashing on the rocks.

Us, well baked and tired from a long day of snorkeling and playing.

The mountains and beaches of Antigua. AMAZING!!

Sunset picture as we headed to St. Kitts. Sad to leave such a beautiful place.

The fake happy smile. Love it.

Us girls nearly getting blown over, and struggling for a good picture without our hair in our mouths. This was the best one of about 20. Love the husbands for enduring the photo session.

Us, burned, but dressed for a night of fun... The midnight buffet was this night!

Posey prom pic. Killing time until midnight when we can join the masses for the picture taking, dessert eating extravaganza... Well, we partook in the picture taking, but were still full from dinner and would have to wear a swimsuit the next day, so we abstained from dessert.

The midnight buffet begins. Our boat made out of cheese.

Incredibly artistry with sugar, butter and chocolate.

Watermelon Native American (I am so P.C.) =)

At St. Kitts, being silly girls in the phone booth. But it made for a cute pic!

More of us. We decided to forgo the beaches and just walk around town. We kinda wish we went to the beaches, but had a good ol' time just romping around town and not having a real agenda.

Token pic with the ship.

Our last night. Sunset picture. Memories. Ah.

A random island that is inhabited. It looked like a cool little island.

Enjoying the "unleaded" beverages one last time in the special cups. We saved them, and brought them home, only to find them broken. Oh well.

All in all, we had a most glorious vacation with our friends and are anxiously awaiting the next trip. We have tentatively scheduled our next big vacation. Stay tuned to find out... And I promise it won't be a month before I post again.

The hilarity of teaching elementary school...

Ok... SO here the scoop. I am an elementary special ed. teacher and I teach inclusion. That basically means that to the maximum extent possible, I am in the classroom, supporting and scaffolding for my students so they can be successful and have access to the general curriculum that all other students in their grade level are learning. That means that I get to see soo many students, both those that are "mine" and those that aren't. I have encountered many laughable and memorable moments with kids and I will divulge a really cute story from a favorite student of mine in my building who will remain nameless.

**Name has been changed to protect the identity of the student** =)

Tammy Third Grader: Mrs. Morrith, I have missed you the last few days. Where have you been?
Me: Well, Tammy, I was gone on a trip with my husband. We went to Washington D.C.
Tammy: Ohh, WOW. How cool!! Wathington D.Thee.
Me: Washington D.C. is a very special place in the U.S.A. Do you know why?
Tammy: Yeth. Thpecial people live there.
Me: That's right. Special people do live there. There is one person in particular who is very special that lives in a very important house in Washington D.C. This man is a very famous person all over the world. Do you know who he is?
Tammy: Ummm.... yeth. JESUS!!! Jesus lives in Wathington D. Thee.

Cute huh?? Happy Thursday! The rest of the cruise pics will be up soon! I only have about 10 more pics to upload!

Cruise Part 1

Ok people. So here goes on the first half of the vacation...

SO, we knew that with all of the home renovations that we were going to need a break when it was all said and done. The timing of this vacation couldn't have been more perfect. We kicked off the vacation with the John Mayer and Colbie Callait concert at what is now the Super Pages dot Com center in Dallas. I blogged about that, so scroll down to find out about that. The next morning, we woke up super early (I think we got 3 hours of sleep) to catch our flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Our vacation was not just "ours", but was shared with our wonderful friends Shane and Laura, who decided they liked us enough to vacate with us for 8 days! So, off to the airport we went and after a 5 hour plane ride, a nearly finished book (Marley and Me- AWESOME), the movie "21" and our last Dr. Pepper for over a week, we arrived in PR ready to play!

Us in Old San Juan, posing for a cute pic!

Looking out over the graves and the deep blue yonder, salivating to start our cruise early!!

Another view of Old San Juan and some of the fort.

Vacation Day 2... Waiting anxiously to get on the boat and get the real party started!!

I just could not contain myself with excitement over dinner.

Ok, I got it together. Past the thrill of unlimited food options, momentarily.
At the "muster"... They are smiling because they DIDN'T get in trouble.
I'm smiling because TROUBLE is my middle name... notice the smirk on my husband's face?? That's because I just got a stern "talking to" (more like a yell, but whatev..) by a crew member for not taking muster more seriously. Apparently photos aren't allowed. That wasn't in my Carnival Caper SIR!
DAY 3... St. Thomas, USVI.. On a bus to Magen's Bay, realizing that this trip is going to cost us more than we thought. Mexico and the Southern Caribbean should get together and talk about the whole bargaining thing and what a novel idea it is in tourism.

View of the boat and the cruise terminal in St. Thomas. I think the big (small in the photo) white building behind the ship on the bay of St. Thomas is the Marriott hotel my parents are going to next summer... Can we come???!?

The couples in St. Thomas.

And here it is... (GASP!!!) Magen's Bay! One of the most incredible beaches I've seen. Plus, it was Caleb's first view of true clear blue water. His only comparison is Gulf Shores and Myrtle Beach.. A-MAZING!

In the water between frolicks.. hoping we get the nice "base tan" we forgot to get before leaving so we wouldn't burn.. woopsie!

Who's ready for some board games on board??

Posing before dinner and BINGO.. are we lucky??

That would be a no....

But we learned that Caleb isn't picky over boogers.. He'll take what he can get!

Our cute towel animal... Can you guess what it is??

DAY 3: Dominica, an island that is nearly 100% rain forest and quite lush... Smile if you're ready to hike 2 hours to a waterfall in the pouring rain!!!

In the bus to the hike and waterfall.. shiny!

A banana plantation, one of the major exports of the country. And to answer the burning question, NO there are no monkeys on this island. For real... they would eat all the bananas.

Just a pretty picture at the base of our hike.

We are ready for what was alleged as a 45 minute hike... that took more like an hour and a half! It was amazing, though and worth the yucky hair dos and drenched clothing.

Caleb hanging on to bamboo.. which grows at a minimum rate of 1 inch per day in Dominica.

My tarzan... Isn't he cute??

What our guide says was NOT a waterfall... Yea, he's spoiled.. and obviously doesn't frequent Texas, where the only waterfalls you see are in someone rich dude's backyard that isn't in my neighborhood.

The top of the big mamma waterfall...

The middle of the big mamma waterfall...

And the bottom of the big mamma waterfall, including the pool we couldn't swim in because there was too much rain that day. Sad, but really I'm glad because I lived to see so many other beautiful places on this trip that I may not have had I been pulled under by the current of the falls in the pool. Hm.

Us posing and trying to look cute despite the destroyed hairdos and soaking wet clothes. Oh well, just focus on the waterfall, ok?

Another photo of the "un-waterfall". Incredible, huh?

This is crazy... This is a picture of a Banion Tree, aka Strangler Fig, that grows from the tops of the trees down to the ground, strangling the "host tree" and replacing it once it has died and no longer can get oxygen to survive.

We clean up well after a 4 hour waterfall hike, eh?

Them too...

STAY TUNED... MORE TO COME SOON!!

Hmm...

Written by someone... don't know who but I like what it says...

'As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.” ‘The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''
A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
D. Maybe it is the ability to walkinto a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?
F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.
H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.
K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?
Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here. I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an “other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable” ' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane! Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

Catching Up Part 2: Colbie Callait and John Mayer- LIVE!

We decided to kick off our summer vacation in true style, with a live concert at whatever-the-current-name Ampitheater (I know it as the Smirnoff.. the name changes by the minute it seems) in Dallas. And what better concert than 2 amazing artists, Colbie Callait and John Mayer!!! There were 8 of us who went, Caleb's mom and Geary, sisters Alli and Emily, friends Trog and Mendi, and us. Well, 4 of us girls got there early to secure the creme-de-la-creme spots, and after sprinting across the grass with my mother-in-law and losing a shoe -temporarily- we got some awesome lawn seats just off center and in the front section of the lawn! The concert started late due to power outages, but thankfully the show went on without any other hitches. There was an opener of which his name I do not recall, followed by Colbie and then John. Colbie and John were both incredible.. beautiful voices and music, but I would have to say that for me, John was the show stopper!! He did some crazy, crazy, wild guitar work that had all of our jaws on the grass and had a great encore! All in all, this concert was definitely in the top 5 of all time for me next to Josh Groban! Enjoy the pics!

John-Sorry it's fuzzy!
Caleb, Katie, Mendi and Trog-pre-concert...
Trog and Mendi-beautiful people.
Us... =)

Catching Up Part 1: Our Crazy, Awesome Housewarming Party!

A few weekends before we left on our vacation, my parents (with the help of my mom's friend, Karen Green) threw the Housewarming Party of the Century!!! It was the most adorable decor, so well thought out and planned, and I hope everyone enjoyed seeing all of our hard work with their own eyes! The theme of the party was Home Depot, seeing as how we have now become the biggest fans and advocates of that place, and really, what does it hurt to throw a couple extra dollars down at that place to decorate not only the hard surfaces of our home, but also for our party!! If you look closely at the pictures, all of the food was served in bright orange paint trays and we used caution flags to accent all of the pictures of the remodeling project. I tried to include pictures of all of the rooms in their finished state, but I am having problems with uploading pictures so that will have to be at a later time! But for now.. enjoy!

The Cake, lising all of the remodeling projects we took on with this house!

Our new side board, decorated with paint cans, orange and white flowers and orange silverware for the snacks!

The Whole Spread, YUMMO!

The Guest Sign-In Table, so cute!A bigger picture of the sign-in table.. and yes, even the pens where Home Depot!

Dear Faithful Blog Friends...

I am sorry that I have been MIA on this blog in the last 3 1/2 weeks. Don't you worry, though. I have been plenty busy to fill my time. From the time I last blogged, we have almost completely finished the inside of our home (minus the backsplash in the kitchen), had a hugely wonderfully blessed Housewarming Party and now packed for a much needed and awaited vacation that we leave for tomorrow. I apologize for my lack of photos (my not so quality laptop battery is dying at a rapid speed as I type), but I promise that when I return from our vacation I will chronicle the last month in pictures!! Pray for us and the Seiferds (our precious friends who took over for us as the CARES Team at Post Legacy) as we travel to Puerto Rico, then cruise for a week to a bunch of islands. We have never been more excited or ready for a trip as we are now! We need it! Love to all my blog friends.. see you in a week or so!