The Stingrays in Antigua

Every morning when we wake up we step outside onto our veranda and look at the island come into focus as we get closer to port. They have all had that pristine clear water contrasting with the green vegetation on the interior of the island and then these colourful houses lining their way up the hill. This morning everything seemed to be cleaner or more untouched. I'm not sure if it's because the other mornings have been over cast and today the sun was already hot and brightening everything up but I could not get over the colours of the water.
There is something really great to waking up in the morning and going to sit down on your own little balcony to experience something new in the warming sun with no where to rush off to... except the breakfast buffet. We eat breakfast looking outside onto the water and the new city we are about to explore.
Every day it seems we meet a few new couples and they are always really nice and have great stories to share. Maybe it's because we are all on vacation so who could be rude and cranky while on vacation or maybe it's just that nice people have been cruising all this time leaving the cranky people behind but either way it's been a lot of fun getting to know the people we've been travelling and enjoying the ride along with us.

What a fun day! This morning as we were coming into port we saw another ship following us and went up to our pool deck to take a good look at the competition. After we were finished sizing up the other ship we got off the boat and walked around the town for a little bit before our excursion was set to leave. It seemed that the taxi drivers were less pushy then normal and we figured it was because there was twice as many people to heckle and I welcomed the nice change.
We walked up towards to an old church and cemetery and explored the grounds. Unfortunately they were doing some renovations to the church so we couldn't go inside. It looked really amazing though with all the old tombs, stone walls and church towers.

I was so excited for our excursion today; swimming with stingrays. How fun does that sound? We took a shuttle through the island to this pretty little beach. It really looked better then a picture because it's impossible for a camera to capture it. While we were there waiting for direction on where to go we ran into our British friends who came over to tell us that the stingrays "were just brilliant." They loved it which made me even more excited to get out into the water and touch them! We divided up into boats and set off through super clear water in search of a sandbar.

After a short ride you could see this floating dock in the water. The boat pulled up and off we got with our snorkelling gear. We had been told that once you get into the water you shuffle through the sand so that your feet don't leave the ground because stepping on the stingrays tails would not be a good thing. They also said that if you want to get a picture you need to do it before you handle the squid because the stingray will be able to smell it on you and won't relax enough for you to handle it in your arms. Also we were to keep our thumbs tucked into our fist while holding the squid because they have huge suction power when sucking the squid out of your hands, hmmm, maybe I should be a little more nervous? Nah! The water was cold, of course, but it wasn't too deep at all. We first headed over to get a chance to hold the stingray. I guess Ryan wasn't too sure about having it in his arms so he played the role of camera man perfectly while I got my first touch of a stingray. Yea, it was pretty slimy and it was so relaxed it was like a dead weight in my arms.
From there we went to the guy handing out squid where he taught us how to old it in our hands and reminded me to tuck in my thumb. With squid in hand I went to meet Ryan and stuck that hand in the water and just stood there. Da da, da da, da da aaaaahhhhhhh. They just swim up from behind and brush past you with their slimy bodies and then all of a sudden this huge suction comes out of no where and the squid is gone. Seriously, if my thumb had not been tucked in, it may be inside it's tummy.

It took Ryan a little while to warm up to the idea of this Steve Irwin killer to eat from his hand but he did and it was awesome. If you ever get the chance to swim with stingrays, you need to do it.

After dinner tonight we went to the show in the ships theatre. It was an illusionist and he was fantastic and hilarious. I loved it and could have sat for a whole other hour watching him no problem. It was such a great ending to our fun day! His name was Jason Bishop and I would highly recommend clicking on his name and checking out his website.

St. Lucia and Zip Lines

Today we planned on going zip lining through the rain forests but it wasn't until the afternoon so that left us the morning to explore a little bit. We started walking into the city to find a little market and see what there was to offer. Thankfully it was overcast and looking like rain so I didn't have to worry about my poor burn. We soon found a little market with a bunch of shops and walked around for a while. After the market we found a taxi driver that was willing to take us up the mountain a bit and show us a little of the interior of the island. Off we went up the mountain until we reached a little wood carving shop where we had a tour and learned a little bit about the islands traditions. Unlike the market that seemed to have all the same things you find no matter where in the world you are, this little shop had unique carvings and trinkets I hadn't seen before. We left with a small stick off cocoa we can grate into some heated milk with cinnamon and nutmeg on a cold day.

Our taxi driver took us back into the city and let us out but not before telling us that if we ever needed any kind of smoke he was the one that could get it to us. I guess he has himself a little side line.
We made our way back to the boat and gorged ourselves again at the buffet. I would like to know why it is that when someone else makes me a sandwich it always tastes better then when I make it for myself. I am addicted to the deli sandwiches they make for you.
After lunch we headed by boat south to the town Soufriere. It was established by the french and they still have the little square in the town where the guillotine used to be. The boat ride was pretty with the view from the water and the rain clouds hanging out on the tops of the mountains.

From the boat we took vans up the mountain to where we would be zip lining. We all got hooked up with our cords, helmets and gloves before a quick safety pep talk and away we went. It was a series of about 8 lines which took us through the forest. I was amazed at the amount of bamboo I was seeing because I hadn't really noticed it being used anywhere unlike the Philippines where it seemed like almost anything was made out of Bamboo, the houses, fences, furniture, boats and more. My mouth was also watering at the amount of mangos that were hanging in the trees. If they weren't green I would have been tempted to do some crazy tarzan moves to swing up and grab a few, that and the fact that we aren't allowed to bring any food on or off the boat. Anyway, I'm not too sure how long it took us to get through all the zip lines because I was loving the views; the Piton Mountains, the ocean and the forest.

After we made our way back down the mountain to Soufriere where we waited for the boat to come and take us back to the ship. We walked a little while we waited meeting some little school kids walking home. I was actually able to use my very small retained french education to my advantage when I understood one of the cute little boys ask us how we were. I responded in french and got a big grin in return.

Ryan of course had to make friends with one of the locals who had become the town crazy. He told Ryan a little of the history of the town before Ryan asked if he could give Ryan his best Snoop Dogg impression.
Finally the boat came for us and we took off back towards Castries where our ship was at port. It seemed that Ryan and I were the only ones on this little boat who weren't there for the free rum and so we passed on the crazy dancing that was going on and just enjoyed the free show while watching the famous Piton Mountains escape our view.

Swimming With the Turtles in Barbados

This morning our boat made it's first stop and we docked in Bridgetown, Barbados. Ryan and I had signed up to go swimming with sea turtles for the morning. I was pretty excited to get off the boat and see these turtles.
We made our way to the shuttle bus that was going to take us to our boat and we quickly made new friends. These two friendly sister in laws were cruising with their mother (whom they left on the boat) and were from New Jersey. We could have listened to their accents all day, they were the perfect start to our day.
Once everyone was on the boat we were off and heading towards turtles and beaches. While we listened to our funny tour guides tease each other in their caribbean accents we made some more new friends, our favourites being the couple from Britain. Oh wow, they were "brilliant." They were on their second consecutive cruise on the Summit and have pretty much travelled all over the world. I loved hearing about the places they had been and what they did with their time there.
After a bit the boat started to really slow down and I saw a turtle poke its head out of the water and we got to jump in.
It was about at this point that I realized that I've been really spoiled as far as beaches and water goes because this water was FREEZING. I could not get the goose bumps to go away and apparently the water really wasn't that cold.

Our guides brought out some dead minnows which attracted the turtles like crazy. There were quite a few of us all in the water together but I didn't really mind. There were enough turtles that everyone got to feel them a few times and floated away from the groupie it was very peaceful. Unfortunately our friend Indiana (we nicknamed our friends by where they were from) witnessed me accidentally boot kick one while I was treading water but in my defence he really snuck up on me and I had no idea the turtle was there.

After we swam with the turtles we spent some time at the beach. Ryan and I walked down quite a while before turning back towards the boat. Ryan stayed on the beach for a little while making friends with some dude selling fresh Aloe Vera for people with sun burns. One guy on our boat claimed that he bought Aloe from the guy a few years ago when his bald head got badly burned the last time they were at that exact beach and that Ryan's new friend remembered him and his head. Um, sure.

We got back to the cruise ship in time for a nice buffet lunch before we wandered out to explore the city. We walked around and explored a bit but I could sadly tell I was pretty crispy. For whatever reason my 75spf did not do the trick earlier while out on the water and I had promised myself I would not get burned the first day. I failed.
Later on the boat we saw our New Jersey friends from a distance as they located their mother on the outdoor patio enjoying the live music and warm weather in her awesome motorized scooter. When I get old and walking is hard I really hope my kids hook me up with one of those!

Open Seas

Today was a day at open sea. Our boat is taking us all the way down to Bridgetown, Barbados and as you can tell from this handy little map I "borrowed" from the Celebrity website, it's a LONG way from San Juan!
Anyway, what do you do at a day at sea? Well, you explore. For all you folk who have never cruised before, these boats are huge. It seemed like we walked and walked and then all of a sudden after we thought we'd seen it all ... BAM ... we stumble into a casino or a new little lounge with live music. We found a spot in the shade and sat out on the deck by the swimming pool for a while, we pigged out on the buffet with their endless selections and we made friends with all the Filipino workers because Ryan's Philippine shirt was attracting them like moths to the only light in a room.

In the evening we got dressed up and made our way down for dinner. Each night we eat at 6pm with the same people and we have to at least dress smart casual if not formal. It's like date night every single night! It has been a looooong time since I have sat through a meal without hearing the word "mama" and drawing straws along with the kids to get to see who gets to sit beside daddy. Well guess what kiddo's!? I get to sit beside daddy all week long.

San Juan, Puerto Rico!!

For our 10th wedding anniversary Ryan and I are celebrating by cruising! We had a budget, (thank you Focus!) and I let a travel agent do all the work. I have never, not once in all our travels, let a travel agent plan a trip for us. I have always done all the researching, finding the cheapest prices for hotels, flights and activities and it was so amazing to one day have all these reservation confirmations in my email inbox. Seriously, who knew it could be so easy. This travel agent did a great job. She played around with flights and hotels to book us on a classy cruise line, hooked us up with a couple extra days in Puerto Rico and made sure we had some $$ left over for some fun excursions.

Well I am so excited to say that our vacation has finally arrived! We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 12:30am, slept and venture out this morning to see what adventures would find us. Oh, I forgot to mention that we were shorts, it was hot and when we left Calgary it was snowing, what a great feeling.

We spent our morning walking around Old San Juan looking in some different shops, walking along the sea wall and enjoying the cloud cover. We found a couple little plaza's that were filled with people feeding pigeons (seriously hundreds of nasty pigeons) and playing majong.

We had learned from our taxi driver earlier that all the trolleys in Old San Juan were free and they took you around to the old Forts and their Capital building. Since Ryan and I are big fans of anything free we knew we would have to check that out but decided to save it for after the cruise when we had a couple days to play around. Instead we walked along a different part of the old wall that used to surround the city and kept it safe from outsiders. We loved the colours in the streets, the humidity and warm wind that kept us cool and it made me miss the Philippines. I've never been a fan of winter.

Early in the afternoon we made our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags and embarked on the Celebrity Summit which will be taking us down to the Southern Caribbean for a week long, island hopping, food fest.

Warming Up The Bike In The Snow

Not even the cold weather and snow could stop Ryan from getting on the dirt bike and playing around today. It's always nice to see him excited like our kids at Christmas!

My Super Heroes

This afternoon we had a few hours to burn before Sydney's talent showcase at school so we headed to Walmart to play around. I know that if I was some evil villain I would be scared of this gang.

Maddy's First Dirt Bike Ride

Ryan was pretty excited to try out his new dirt bike for the first time and his biggest fan was right there with him. Last year Madison was just a little too small to ride on the Hayabusa and she was pretty bummed out about it. She had grown used to riding on the motorbikes with us in the Philippines so it was hard to explain to her why all of a sudden the rules had changed. This was a great opportunity for her to get on the dirt bike with dad and wear Sydney's pretty pink dirt bike helmet.

I know that the face in the picture might say otherwise but she was so excited. She had so much fun and was screaming in delight. At first I thought she might be screaming with terror until Ryan stopped and we asked her if she wanted to get off. There was no way she was getting off that bike, she wanted more. I guess it's official, all three of our kids are going to be bikers. The older two are going to be pretty disappointed when they learn that Madison got a ride and they didn't. Hopefully it will be warm enough soon for them to get out there little dirt bikes and they can all go around together like a little dirt biker gang.

A Trade

Last night Ryan traded his Hayabusa racing bike for this truck and dirt bike. He seems pretty pleased and it will be nice to have a truck to pull the trailer with. The kids really were hoping that Ryan could take them to school in the truck but no luck there. It's always so much more fun when your kids are just excited as you. Here is a picture of Ryan and the kids just hanging out in the truck before having to leave for school. I wish they were that happy about just sitting in the van, I'd have way happier children.

Sydney is 7!!!!

This weekend we got to celebrate Sydney. Her birthday is today but since its Sunday we had a mini party yesterday down in Lethbridge. We asked Sydney if she wanted a big party or if she wanted to go to the movie theatre as a family. She chose the movie theatre so the five of us went to The Croods and picked up a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and took it to Grandma's. Cousins joined us for the blowing out of candles and she had a couple gifts to open up. It was a success.
This morning for Sydney's actual birthday we had a big brunch with strawberry crepes, bacon, and sausages. Auntie Kait, Uncle Matthew, Nana and Papa showed up for the feast and then she got to open even more presents.

Sydney is the type of girl that makes me want to be a better mother because I know she deserves the best. She is so affectionate and loves deeply. She can keep up with the boys, belch bigger and louder then the best of them but would never pass up the opportunity to put on some nail polish or make up. She is brave and likes a challenge. Sydney loves to learn and has a flare for the dramatics with her interpretive dancing, opera singing around the house, the English accent that pops out every now and again and her love for crafts. She is truly unique and I'm incredibly thankful she is a part of our family. It is my hope that she will always have these wonderful traits because I know that with them she will have a huge world open up to her with amazing opportunities and she will take them.

I love you my beautiful Sydney Jean.

The Bike Is Out

Today the temperatures reached double digits in the positives and even though there was still snow on the ground it couldn't stop Ryan from getting out the bike. It's still way too cold for me to hop on the back but Ryan really enjoyed himself.

Countdown Is On

It's one of those things that I can't grasp yet and everything took so long and then went so quickly it was like a roller coaster road but since everything is signed .... we're moving. In one month we take possession and I'll move for the last time in long time and I am SO SO SO excited!

The Price Is Right!

Today the Price is Right was in Calgary and we all got tickets in our stockings at Christmas! Lucky us. Going to the Price is Right is something on my bucket list and if I was ever called to come on down and be the next contestant on the Price is Right I might pee myself. The show was so much fun even though I didn't get picked. We laughed, we cheered and had an amazing time. Watching it live is so much more fun then watching it on TV!

My Baby is 4

It was a busy weekend with family visiting, the Calgary trade show and the most important; Madison's birthday.
Saturday we had a little treat because she had some cousins in town who would be leaving later that day and not able to make her birthday party. She was thrilled to blow out candles and unwrap presents to her audience.

Today is Madison's birthday. She wasn't officially 4 until 6:30ish pm but we didn't tell her that. We had much bigger issues to deal with. It was snowing ... hard. So hard in fact that they closed down the highway from Lethbridge to Calgary so none of my family could make it to the party. Thankfully Ryan's mom made it up the day before so Madison had someone at her party. We made due with what we had and waited for the boys to get done at the Calgary trade show before we cut the cake. Since the boys got stuck in the snow coming up the driveway and had to dig themselves out it made for a late night but Madison is worth it.

Happy birthday Madison. We love you. I could not imagine what our lives would be like without you in them. Your animated face, dramatic reactions and constant chatter keep me laughing all day long. I love how you pray for Sage every night that she is safe even though she's been gone for 5 months and how when we mentioned the coyotes ate her you just stared at me blankly and refused to retain that piece of information. You are determined, you don't forget and you're fiercely independent. You are one special little girl.