Western Caribbean Cruise

After about 8 months of anticipation, planning, working out, and just plain excitement, September 5 finally arrived, and Erik and I (along with 4 other couples) set out on our Western Caribbean cruise. (And in case you're wondering, the whole "working out" thing wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, but what can you do?)

Our adventure started when we picked up the McCombers at 4:00 a.m. - yes, four in the morning - for our flight to Miami. Just let me say, flights to Miami from Salt Lake are not convenient. It was either this ridiculously early flight the day before the ship left or a redeye on the same day. Despite the early hour, I'm glad we went in the day before. We were able have a nice, relaxing evening (including a Cuban dinner) and didn't have to feel rushed getting to the cruise terminal.

Once on board, it was pure heaven. Ice cream and pizza 24 hours a day. Gorgeous views every where you look. A new country each day. A fantastic manicure. Some good shows, including a very funny ventriloquist. Not quite Jeff Dunham, whom I LOVE, but it was fun.

This time around, we opted for the Caribbean rather than Baja Mexico, and I am so glad. While snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas was fun, it was nothing compared to the warm, beautiful, amazingly blue water of the Caribbean. Our first stop was Grand Cayman where we did some snorkeling and went to Stingray City. Stingray City was AMAZING!!! We were able to stand in water a little more than waist deep and just watch the stingrays swim all around us. Well...they did more than that. They were very friendly and even jumped out of the water and bumped up against everyone. I was brave and held one although I decided I didn't need to feel one suck a raw squid from my hand.

Roatan, Honduras, was our next stop. To me, it was the epitome of "tropical island." It was so green and beautiful. Erik decided to windsurf along with Jared and Eric. The rest of the group did some more snorkeling, but I decided to hang out on the beach with my book and watch Erik fall off his board. :-P Not really. All three guys did a great job for their first time despite Mickey's (the instructor) constant insults and complaints at their lack of ability. Let's just say he lacked some people skills. Mickey's operation wasn't affiliated with the ship at all, so we were able to get a view of the island that probably many people don't see. We headed to the opposite side of the island from the pier and had fabulous views all the way there.

Our third port was Belize. This was the stop I was most looking forward to since we were taking a tour of the Mayan Ruins, and I loved them. The site wasn't as big as I had expected, but for the most part, it was very cool. We were able to climb to the top of the tallest ruin to see the entire site and learn about some rituals that were performed on the altar (they weren't pleasant). One disappointing thing about the site was the reconstruction of some of the ruins. Apparently some features were covered up when they rebuilt parts of the temples, but it was still pretty impressive. The second half of this excursion was a river tour. Honestly, we both could have done without it. It was blisteringly hot that day, and the boat didn't have a cover. And the animals weren't really cooperating so it ended up mostly being a hot ride in a bumpy boat, but the iguanas were very cooperative and posed nicely for us.

Our final stop was Cozumel. Erik and I went on Mini Jeep tour of Punta Sur, an ecological preserve. It was very dusty, but we were able to see come cool stuff. There was a Mayan lighthouse and hurricane alarm. The top had conch shells placed in a way that when the wind blew just right, they would sound and warn everyone a hurricane was coming so they could move inland. We also climbed to the top of a modern lighthouse with an amazing view. We wrapped up our day in Cozumel relaxing in some hammocks at a fairly deserted beach.

One unexpected twist to our trip was the rescue of some divers after leaving Cozumel. The ship detected a distress call, and we headed out to investigate. It turned out to be some divers whose motor broke and started drifting. We ended up anchored in the middle of the ocean for a while with a little boat tied to the side until the Mexican authorities could come pick them up. So even the time at sea was eventful!

Our last day was spent in Miami. Again: flights between Salt Lake and Miami are not convenient. We were off the boat about 8 a.m. but our flight didn't leave until 5:30 p.m. So we all rented a few cars and headed out to the Everglades. We stopped at the Everglades Alligator Farm and took an air boat ride and watched a crazy guy stick his head in an alligator's mouth. We ate lunch in South Beach and then headed home.

It was a great vacation, but we were both ready to get home to Lily and Laddie. When Lillian woke up Monday morning, she looked around for Nana before realizing were were in our bed. "You guys came home?!?!?" She was so excited to see us, and I have to say, I was thrilled to see her. I think we're done cruising for a little while, but maybe next time she can come with us.

Here's some pictures from the trip because I know everyone's favorite thing is to see slides from someone else's vacation... :)

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Celtic Festival and Highland Games

I have a very fuzzy memory of my mom taking me to a Celtic festival in Salt Lake when I was little. I think it was at This is the Place State Park, but I can't be sure. I do remember the Irish step dancers, though. So when Erik discovered that Cache Valley would be holding its inaugural Celtic Festival and Highland Games, I jumped at the chance to go.

I wasn't sure what to expect, really. But they had some fun things going on. We watched the dancers for a little bit and looked around the booths full of Celtic knick-knacks. We also tried some"authentic" Celtic food. We opted for the meat pies; haggis seemed a little too authentic. :)

Then we were treated to an awesome pipe band. I know what you're thinking. One bagpipe is bad enough but an entire band? Well I have to tell you, if you've never experienced a large group of talented pipers, you don't really know how great a pipe band can be! They were all dressed in their kilts, and it was so cool to watch them march and play. Since Utah State claims connections to the Scottish (umm, hello!! The Scotsman is played at EVERY SINGLE SPORTING EVENT!!), we decided they need to get their pipe band started and put them all in an Aggie tartan.

Maybe USU should also start a "weight over bar" team and compete in traditional Celtic sports, which were also going on. Their record couldn't possibly be worse than the football team...

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A small monkey

Lillian Schaelling proudly presents Conversation 5607...

While on our cruise last week - which I'm going to post about, I swear - Erik was joking about our river guides because every time they pointed out an animal, it would disappear. At dinner tonight, it came up and he said, "Oh look: a monkey! Oops. It's gone." Lillian looked very excitedly in the direction he pointed. Here's what happened next:

Lily: A MONKEY!!! It's over there!

Me: Really? There's a monkey?

Lily: It's coming over here. IT'S ON THE TABLE!!! (She was very excited.)

Erik: Where's a monkey? I don't see one.

Lily: He's right here (pointing to the table by her plate). He's a small monkey.

Me: Oh...a small monkey. OK.

Lily - wacking the table where the monkey was supposed to be standing: I squished him!!

She looks at her hand. Then she rubs it with her other hand and says...

Lily: I CAN'T GET HIM OFF!!! HE'S STUCK!!!

I about fell off my chair. Who knew the kid had such a good imagination?!?!?

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Just a little glow

So I've never been a tanner, not that kind any way. I've never had a desire to pay to put on weird goggles and lie on what looks like a very uncomfortable bed under UV lights for something that is completely and totally free. Don't take this to mean I'm an SPF freak, though. (Although, I probably should be, especially as I continue to inch closer and closer to 30. I'm sure my skin would appreciate it.) Admittedly, this means that my tan usually has several layers with my arms and neck getting fairly dark by the end of summer, my legs having a little color, and a lighter layer that outlines my swimsuit. Since the number of times I'm actually in swimsuit is pretty few and far between, I don't stress about it too much.

Last year, we had one of those coupon cards for some local organization with all sorts of discounts. One included a Buy One, Get One Mystic Spray Tan. As our May cruise approached, I was SO tempted to use it. I did some research to see what to expect. It seemed simple enough: stand in a booth and get sprayed with a mist. A few hours later, gorgeous tan. But I never did do it. I'd used self-tanners before and as hard as you might try, you always miss a spot or you use too much and turn orange. I just decided I didn't want to risk looking like a Cheeto in my cruise pictures. I opted instead to go on our cruise in my normal post-winter paleness. After the cruise (and once the sunburn faded from the spots my spray-on sunscreen missed), I had a beautiful tan. You could still see my tan line this spring, actually.

Here we are again, getting ready to go on another cruise. This time however, it's after summer, so I've had the chance to get a little color. Which, as I mentioned, means I have a couple different levels of tan depending on where you look. I had resigned myself to this and figured one good "Fun Day @ Sea" would probably adjust any inconsistencies and I'd be good to go.

Then Tina, a fellow cruiser I happen to work with, sent me an email. "I'm getting a mystic tan," she said. "It's BOGO on Mondays. I also have a coupon if you can't go today. Would you be interested in using it?" I thought about it, remembering all the reasons I opted out last time. But I was still EXTREMELY tempted. I figured, at least we'd look like Cheetos together if it turned out bad, right? Plus, I made sure her appointment was right before mine in the hopes I'd catch her on the way out of the spa and have the chance to be warned to RUN AWAY!!! if needed.

When I arrived, I was told someone was just getting instructions on using the booth so it would be just a little while. Turns out it was Tina because soon, she came down the hall looking...well, let's face it...not any tanner than when I'd seen her at work. Apparently it does take a while for the color to actually develop, but I was wondering where my instant tan was. She relayed her experience with the only admonition being not to forget the hair net as she had, but otherwise, it was painless. Judging from her account of her time in the booth, she left out a few details.

When it was my turn, the staff member explained the process and showed how to apply the barrier cream that would keep dry skin and hands/nails from absorbing too much tanner. It should be goopy, she said. Before she left, she asked if I wanted "clear" or "bronze" tanner. Apparently, the bronze version put a little color on immediately while the actual tanner develops the end color. I went for the bronze option. After she left, I donned my hair net so there was no way I would forget it and lotioned up. Once I thought I'd done a particularly goopy job, I waved my hand in front of the sensor and stepped in the booth.

"Spraying will commence in 5 seconds." I assumed the position as she'd shown me and prepared for the cool blast of mist I knew would be coming. I'd been warned not to scrunch my eyes when it hit, so I was making a conscious effort not to. But that was the LONGEST FIVE SECONDS EVER!!! The anticipation of the first blast was causing me to scrunch my face more and more as I waited. Once it finally hit, I had to remind myself to relax so I didn't get scrunch marks. When the process had been explained, I was told it would spray "up and down, up and down, up and down." After the third round, I expected it to stop. I don't know how many more times it went up and down, but it was definitely more than three. The theory is that it's safe to breathe, but who can remember to breathe when you're surrounded by suffocating, nasty-tasting mist and being shot with cold jets? And that was just the front side! The back was much easier since at least I wasn't being sprayed in the face, but by then, the booth is so full of mist, it might as well be spraying you in the face.

Once the door opened, I stepped out, dried off, and made my second appointment for Friday to make sure I have the best tan possible before we leave on Saturday.

The next morning, I was putting in my contacts and noticed my thumbs were orange! Apparently my definition of goopy and the correct definition weren't the same thing. From my hands, I looked to my feet, which were just about as bad. No where else seemed to be orange, so I tried to exfoliate the orange off. It didn't really help. I chalked it up to a learning curve and just accepted it. Thankfully, a few showers later and some more exfoliating, and my hands and feet have pretty much returned to normal. I was told that in my first shower, it would look like a lot was coming off - and it did - but that was just the bronzer. But apparently my hands and feet absorbed more bronzer than anywhere else and they needed a few extra washings.

So, I'll be keeping my follow-up appointment on Friday and will not skimp in any way, shape, or form on the barrier cream. All this to avoid tan lines in my swimsuit...

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