Back to life, back to reality

It feels good to be back home again and see the smiling faces of my three
amigos.

Jason and I had a wonderful time on our cruise this past week and the time flew by.

The weather didn't want to cooperate to the fullest, and therefore we endured some pretty rocky conditions. I still feel like the boat is rocking even though I am on solid ground. It's such a strange sensation - sea legs. It wasn't until the last day at sea that we had sunshine. Otherwise, it was always cloudy and windy - so windy that at each port of call we went to they had to cancel any water activities.

I experienced a lot of firsts on this cruise even though we've cruised in the past. I wanted to stay open minded and embrace new opportunities. I had my first taste of escargot (a fancy word for snails). And they were absolutely delicious - seriously. Anything you smother in garlic and butter sauce should taste good and these were no exception.

Another first was experiencing the "jump zone" which was freakin' awesome! It's a trampoline with bungee cords that you are harnessed into. When you jump you're launched into the air - it was such a rush! I was even doing back flips. But that harness did a number on my inner thighs. Ouch! In the picture you can see the dark clouds starting to come towards us.

I wanted to try the rock climbing wall, but the weather was too windy and they had to close it for the majority of the trip. I can just imagine someone being blown off into the ocean when they reached the top. No thanks.

While we were in Cozumel, Mexico I held a very large iguana whose name was Tequila - seems like a fitting name. He was a cool dude. I was a little concerned about getting bit or pooped on, but he just sat there and looked at me. Thank goodness.

I took my first salsa dance class and found it very enjoyable. I am sure I was able to work off a few extra calories while shaking my hips. And I also found it a bit challenging to run on the treadmill while we endured some rather large waves. It was a total balance challenge, but I managed to get thorough it.

And get this, I played bingo - Ha! That even makes me laugh. The prize was a free cruise - so yeah, I was going to take a shot at winning. Jason was only 2 away from getting a bingo, but it didn't happen. Oh well - we still had fun. I did end up winning $5 off a pop-open which is similar to a scratch off card. So we weren't at a complete loss.

One of the coolest memories I have of our vacation was a show called Howie & Bert. They are these two comedian jugglers who are very entertaining. We were sitting in the 3rd row and half way into their routine they ask for a female volunteer. Sure, I raise my hand quite timidly and wouldn't you know it? They picked me and up I went on the stage - in front of a packed auditorium. I had such stage fright and could hardly keep my legs from shaking, plus did I mention the boat was rocking? - a lot! As I am standing up there I wonder what in the world I got myself into. Then they bring out 6 really sharp machete knives. I was seriously rethinking my volunteer position, but they made me feel comfortable. So here I stand with these two guys juggeling knives in front of my face and behind my head, praying to god I don't get my nose or any other body part chopped off. And sure enough - I survived. The funny thing was that people kept recognizing me as the "volunter" for the next few days. I guess you could say that was my 10 minutes of fame.

And here is something even crazier. I get an email yesterday through Facebook from a girl that I graduated with in high school and here is what she said:

Hey Lynette, I dont know if you remember me. We graduated together, but I just had to tell you I saw you a few days ago on the cruise when those two guys pulled you up on stage. You were so adorable!! Glad you didnt get cut up! I was on vaca with my family. When you went up there I was like, If shes says her name is Lynette I will freak out. I said to my family, I know her. You should go to the website those guys had. Im sure they tape their shows. I hope you had fun. I still feel like I'm rocking on the boat. Ugh. Take Care, gina

What are the chances of that happening? It was pretty cool I must say. I contacted Howie & Bert to see if I could get a copy of the show, but they don't get the tapes from the cruise. I have also sent an email to customer service from the cruise and I am hoping they may be able to supply me with a copy. I'll keep you updated.

Here I am posing with the very creative towel creatures. We weren't too sure what this one was supposed to be. A duck maybe? Who knows? It was interesting to see what animal would be welcoming us to our room each night.



















And then we started getting silly and having a little fun with the statues that were on different levels of the ship. And yes, that is only coffee in our hands - we had not yet had alcohol that day. Maybe I should have lied so you don't think we're that big of dorks. Oh well, now you know the true me. I am a kid at heart.