Bahamas/Snorkeling Slideshow

Cruisin' the Bahamas!

So after talking to my sister Kristi today, we realized that I never write about anything good on here. Kristi pointed out that all I blog about is leaving for vacation and when I'm home from vacation. So I promised I would post pictures from my trip so here they are. Now you have to remember that I hate taking pictures of myself, and even more so, I hate asking people to take a picture of me in front of things! I'm crazy I know. So most of my pictures are of things I saw while in the Bahamas or while I was snorkeling. So here it goes.

Day 1: Miami, FL

My roommate Jodi and I left for Miami, FL early on Thursday morning. Now I had been looking at all the weather reports for like two weeks in advance and they mentioned that while in Miami and the Bahamas there would be thunderstorms! Yikes! But luckily when we arrived in Miami it was just overcast with slight sprinkling. But as soon as we walked out of the airport I could feel the instant humidity. I was hot and sticky. No wonder people just go everywhere in their swimsuits! :) Our flights were long with a short layover in Atlanta. I don't mind flying but I hate wasting the whole day traveling! So needless to say I slept good at the hotel!

Day 2: Arrive at Port and Sail Away!

We woke up and took a taxi to the Miami Port. I had heard from others that it took forever to get on the ship.
But it was just like an airport terminal. We waited in a small line to check passports but then we got our room keys and walked right on the boat! It took maybe 15 minutes! The ship was so nice! Everything was exquisite! As soon as we got on there were people waiting with champagne and Orange Juice (for all of us lame people wo don't drink! Just kidding!)We were able to go straight to our stateroom and drop off our luggage and then we toured the boat. But it was so big we were still finding new places everyday! They also had lunch ready. The food was good. They had like 7 different places to eat and it was all pretty good. Hey for free food, I've got no complaints! That night we had a sail away party with lots of dancing and yummy drinks! Virgin of course! :)

Day 3: Nassau, Bahamas

We arrived at our port in Nassau, Bahamas the next day at like 8:00am. And yes it was finally sunny! We walked off the gangway and met our group on the dock to go Kayaking and Snorkeling. Nassau was a pretty city. Full of vibrant colors as well as the pale pink color that you would find on a conch shell that Nassau is famous for! We walked down to the harbor and jumped on a catamaran run by some local guys. They were hilarious and kept calling my roommate and I "pretty girls". As we sailed through the harbor they gave us a tour of Paradise Island. This is where all the famous people build houses, store their yachts, and even the hotel Atlantis is found here. We arrived at a small island where we got in our clear bottom Kayak and meandered around for a bit. It was neat because right underneath us we could see all the way to the bottom of the ocean! After a while we jumped out and snorkeled around for a bit. It was my first time snorkeling. But luckily I had practiced at home in my parents' pool so I felt ready! What I wasn't ready for was the fish that just swam right up to me and completely encircled me! It was crazy! And totally awesome! The water was amazing! So bright and clear! And the fish were beautiful! Afterwards we headed back into the harbor and did a little shopping! There was a few stores and what they call a "Straw Market" which is basically a big tent where these women would bring their goods and haggle with you for the best prices. I loved it but my roommate wasn't so keen on the whole atmosphere. So we walked around some more and then had to head back to the ship. I loved the carefree and happy attitude of the Bahamian people. That night I went to a Vegas type show on the boat and they had a "White Hot Party". They even had snow and ice sculptures on the boat. This is a picture of me before the party showing you my half of our stateroom which surprisingly wasn't that small to me! I also loved our towel animals that our little friend made for us each day!

Day 4: Great Stirrup Cay- Private Island

The next day we got to Norwegian Cruise line's Private Island. There aren't any docks so we anchored off shore and took a tender over to the island. The island was absolutely gorgeous. Once again beautiful blue waters and crystal white sand. We were able to layout and snorkel all day. There was also a BBQ, sand volleyball, and a small straw market to buy souvenirs. I spend most of my day in the water of course! I saw some amazing fish! I saw this amazing trumpet fish. I also saw some baby squid but of course those pictures didn't turn out!This little guy is also one of my favorites because it is unique and different. I'll post a slide show with all of my snorkeling pictures. But overall it was a nice relaxing day. But the best part was as we were on the tender heading back to the ship. As we were almost there, we got to see dolphins swim alongside our tender! It was amazing! And once again it happened so quick that I didn't have my camera ready! That night the ship had a funny comedian and some game shows to play along with, which were hilarious to watch! I swear, drunk people will do anything! We also had one last dance/toga party before getting into Miami at 7:00am!

We got on a flight at 11 and were home by 4. Overall it was a fun trip! I would recommend the Bahamas to anyone who wanted to go! And the cruise was nice and relaxing with lots of fun stuff to do. They also had raffles everyday and lots of free give aways! And the Norwegian Sky was a beautiful boat!

Home Sweet Home

I am finally home from my amazing vacation to the Bahamas! It was nice to be out and doing something relaxing and fun, but it is so good to be home. I wish you can go on a vacation without the days of traveling to and from your destination! It is so exhausting that its taken me a few days to recover! And not to mention all the laundry! But it was definitely a good time and I would do it all over again anytime! I'll post more about the whole trip when I get all my pictures back on Friday! But it sure is good to be home! Well...until my next trip next week!!!

VACA!

So today is the first day of my vacation! I am officially on track break for three and a half weeks! Today I slept in, got caught up on some of my shows, and basically doing a whole lot of nothing! Sometimes this is much needed! But I have to admit, I like having to get up and get ready in the morning and needing to be somewhere. I think I need that because it forces me to do something! But for today I am happy to not have to put on makeup or get dressed or even leave the house! Also its getting down to the wire for my cruise! So I'm trying to get things ready for that. And I am super excited! I went and got travel size shampoo, conditioner, contact solution, lotion, everything that I would need without having it all take up a lot of space in my luggage. Especially since I only get to take one bag! I hate all these new flight restrictions and extra fees! Stupid if you ask me! But we finally booked our hotel in Miami and now I think we are all set! I leave next Thursday for Miami. Then our cruise leaves on Friday. While in the Bahamas I plan on doing A LOT of relaxing by the pool and on the beach but we also decided to do some snorkeling and kayaking and of course shopping! So if anyone wants a souvenir put your requests in now and if anyone knows where to get an underwater camera let me know! So I know the countdown has already been going but now it really starts! Friends have always made fun of me because I tend to pack and get things ready way ahead of time. I even tend to start packing like a week or more in advance! Crazy I know, but I am so not the type who likes to rush and do things last minute. So maybe I'll go start packing I me there is only seven days and counting!

Seven Things

Well, I have few spare minutes before I have to get ready for the big singles dance tonight...Pathetic I know, but what's a single girl to do??? So I decided to complete my seven things that my lovely sisters tagged me for. I have no husband or babies so I hope its atleast somewhat interesting for you all! LOL

Seven Things:

7 Things I want to do before I die:

1. Get married
2. Go to Australia, Paris, Italy, Sweden, and Ireland
3. Have lots of children
4. Own a house
5. Get my masters
6. Build a school in a third world country
7. Be fluent in sign language and spanish

7 Things I do now:

1. Get up early
2. Wash my hands....oh so many times!!
3. Fix boo boos
4. Grade papers
5. Teach
6. Go to church (and sometimes FHE)
7. Blog!

7 Things I can not do:

1. See my nieces and nephews daily as they grow up
2. Loose weight!
3. Be there when my mom and sisters need me
4. Read my scriptures EVERY night (I'm working on it!)
5. Get married....too hard!
6. A pull up! Not even one!!
7. Buy any more shoes! :)

7 Things that attract me to a man....had to change it a bit! (and yes I know I wont find ALL of these things in a man!) :)

1. If he can hold an intellectual conversation
2. His smile
3. If he likes sports
4. If he can sing or even play the piano...HOT!
5. Yes of course his body! You'd know I was lying if I didn't put it!
6. The way he treats his parents and siblings
7. If he likes children

7 Things I say most often

1. "Sit on your pockets"
2. "Zip it, Lock it, Put it in your pocket!"
3. "Try your best"
4. "Sound it out"
5. "Ew gross, go wash your hands"
6. "Awesome Job"
7. "Have a great day!"

7 Celebrities I admire:

1. President Monson
2. Celine Dion
3. Martin Luther King
4. Helen Keller
5. Hayden Panatierre
6. Benjamin Franklin
7. Sandra Bullock

7 Favorite Foods:

1. Mashed potatoes
2. Salmon
3. Shrimp tacos
4. Enchiladas
5. Tortilla Soup
6. Fruit snacks
7. Rocky Road Ice Cream

7 People who should do this:

1.I think I am the last one to do this so anyone else who has a few spare minutes should do it!

Is it time to go yet?

Well if anyone has been keeping track of the date, like me, you would notice that it is almost October 23rd! Now you probably might be thinking..."what's so special about October 23rd?" Thats the day I leave for some much needed VACATION silly! And this is no boring vacation! Its the BAHAMAS baby! (Can you tell I'm REALLY excited??)I have 20 days left. This is the time where it gets really hard. I just want it to be here already! Oh family trips I would always be the first one to ask, "are we there yet?" so now I'm asking, "is it time to go yet??" Last night I was trying to book my shore excursions. But there are so many things I want to do and its hard to just pick a few. I definitely want to go snorkeling but what else? Here are some of my options....

1. kayak in a clear kayak and snorkel in the reef
2. Swim with dolphins or stingrays or sea lions
3. tours to zoo, pirate museum, Atlantis resort, etc
4. sailing
5. ride a segway transporter through the forests
6. submarine experience
7. parasail

The hard part is that times are set for each thing so some of them overlap so I can't do everything I want to. I have to pick the best ones. Which should I do? And then there is shopping! I guess my family knows what they are all getting for Christmas! LOL thats what happened when I went to Mexico one year! Sorry fam! LOL

So a week and a half until track break and then a week later its cruise time!! I hope you all are as excited as I am! :)