Details for the very curious

OK, I've got one hour. Let's see how much I can report. I considered Sarah's idea of mini-posts, but the obsessive part of me wants to get this over with, and besides, my brain doesn't hold things in memory for very long! We went along with a group of seven other couples. We only knew one other couple before the cruise, and they knew several of the other couples, but it was easy to get to know them and jump right into their activities. I'm glad we were with a group. Doug and I had lots of time to do whatever we wanted on our own, but it was fun to have familiar faces to tour the islands with and have dinner with.
The ship was basically like a Las Vegas hotel/casino, floating around the Carribbean. I got a little irritated with all the sensless smokers, and we tried to avoid the areas where they liked to hang out (eg. bars and casinos on the ship), but once in a while we'd be lounging in the sun on deck, and they'd light up right next to my pregnant self. If there were smokers in the cabins next to ours, though, I didn't notice. That was something to be grateful for.

It was great to spend a week without having to cook one meal or clean up after myself or anyone else. Twice a day, they would clean our cabin for us. Every night we found a different towel animal waiting for us on our bed. Cute and clever, but Doug and I would rather snuggle with pillows than towel creations.

THE FOOD
There were constant buffets. We didn't have time to get hungry between meals. In the mornings, I liked to visit the omlette chef. Most days we had a late lunch because we were on the islands wandering around most of the time. So we would come back in the late afternoon and have a sandwich from the grill or something from the buffet. We had a late dinner in the dining room every night, and that was definitely the best meal of every day. The menu was different every night, and it was often hard to decide on just one starter and one entree---so we pigged out and sometimes ordered 2 of each! Most nights, we didn't finish dinner until almost 10:00, and then there was often a midnight buffet. One night it was a Mexican buffet, another night it was a fancy food-that-looks-too-pretty-to-eat buffet. By the midnight buffets, though, we were already waddling around the ship with over-stuffed bellies, so we just looked, but didn't really touch. I know there was also a chocolate buffet one day, but we were busy snorkeling and missed it. One treat, however, we had at least once a day: soft serve. They had self-serve soft ice cream and frozen yogurt machines 24-hours-a-day, and we topped off several meals that way, including breakfasts.


The one thing I missed about experiencing all of those islands in one week was the local cuisine. We ate all of our meals on the ship. So, our last day of vacation in Puerto Rico, I was determined to eat some authentic local food. Luckily, we found a little restaurant down the street from our hotel where we got some chicken and rice & beans and fried plantains. Good stuff.


HOW WE SPENT THE DAYS
Saturday night we left home and flew all night. We finally landed in Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon. And guess what: It was RAINING!!! Our taxi driver was telling us how unusual this rain was for them. I didn't tell her that it was my fault, even though I knew it myself. The rain follows me wherever I go. It's true. But it didn't last long, and after checking into our cruise ship and having a bite to eat, we had time to wander the streets of Old San Juan before our ship left port that night. There was apparently some sort of festival going on. ("festival" = streets full of people drinking and being loud)




Sunday night we slept while the ship sailed to St. Thomas. When we woke up in the morning, I looked out our window to see that we were already docked, and....it was POURING DOWN RAIN! This was pretty disappointing, since our traveling group had chartered a catamaran that was going to take us sailing and snorkeling around St. Thomas and St. John that day. It was cancelled. :( We decided to take a taxi to the beach, despite the rain. We swam around in the water, in the rain. We hung out under picnic shelters on the beach. I think there might have been 5 or 6 other people on the beach that day. After a couple of hours, we went back to the ship to dry off.





During a break in the rain that afternoon, we went back into port to do a little shopping. On our way back to the ship, it was another downpour, and we got soaked to the skin, once again. It was comical, by then.


That evening and the next were pretty rocky ones at sea. That night I wasn't too bothered by it, but the next evening, I was feeling pretty dizzy and sick. People who have cruised before said that this voyage was more rocky than others they remember. When I was sleeping at night, the rocking didn't bother me. But when I was trying to eat dinner and walk around the ship, it was really bugging me. And I still feel like I'm rocking today, even though I've been on land for three days now.


Tuesday: We docked at Dominica.
We hired a taxi driver to take us on a four-hour tour of the island. It was raining again, but not so hard, and besides, we were driving through a rain forest, so it wasn't that unusual to have some rain. We stopped at a roadside stand and sampled some fruit, went on a hike to a waterfall, and saw lots of beautiful views of the island. Did a little more shopping at the end of the day--there was no shortage of shopping on this trip. Lots of chances to bargain.






Wednesday: Barbados. Our first truly sunny day. The best weather of the week, and not the most beautiful island to tour around, so we spent the day at the beach. It was wonderful! The beach was huge and beautiful, and the water was warm and clear. Doug and I did some snorkeling (our own snorkel equipment purchased at Costco before we left came in really handy!), and the most exciting thing we saw was a sea ray. I spotted these two bulging eyes, almost hidden in the sand. Doug dove down to check it out, and as he reached out to poke the sand, this ray came shimmying out of the sand and darted away from us. My back got a bit sunburnt that day, but it was worth it.
Thursday: We arrived at the island of St. Kitts. We woke up and could see it outside the window. But then the captain came on the PA system and announced that we wouldn't be able to port there because of "unfavorable wind conditions." That was disappointing. Instead, we headed directly to our last stop: Dominican Republic. Doug and I spent that day on deck, reading and sleeping on lounge chairs, and soaking in the sun. It was a nice way to relax.


On Friday we arrived in the Dominican Republic and went on a sail & snorkel excursion.
It was ok, but the water was pretty murky and the beach was littered with trash. I also swallowed 3 gulps of sea water, because the waves were a bit choppy, and that made me sick to my stomach. On the sail back to shore, lots of people on our tour were drinking Coke & rum, and doing a little dirty dancing with our tour guide. It was really classy, let me tell you. I tried not to think about how nice it would have been if we had been able to do our private sail & snorkel back on St. Thomas.



We stayed in that port overnight, and the next morning we had hoped to go to Santo Domingo to see more of
the island, and visit the temple there. However, we found out it was going to take longer than we thought and cost more money than we had been told to do that, so we ended up there in the port city of La Romana, doing some shopping again. I'm actually glad for the way it turned out, because La Romana was a busy enough place to make me nervous in the streets, and Santo Domingo is much bigger and probably scarier. Even though it made me somewhat nervous, I enjoyed the chance to feel like we were seeing the real D.R., and not just a sheltered tourist site. We shopped around a little market set up in the park, and also a few small shops in the town, and then we ended up at a Jumbo supermarket, buying candy and treats to bring home to the kids.



EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
After dinner each night, we found something to keep us busy until midnight (which was 8:00 pm back home). A couple of nights, we went to shows. There was some singing and dancing, a comedian, a juggler, and an illusionist. There were two formal evenings, and after dinner one of those evenings, we all went dancing. It was pretty fun, because our group were the only dancers on the floor. The mood reminded me of church youth dances I attended, except we weren't so young anymore. (Doug and I were the youngest couple in our group, by about 5-10 years.) There was also a "Destiny Idol" show (Gerb--if only you had been there. It was a perfect chance for you to liven things up, because let me tell you, after 3 contestants, we walked out, it was so boring.), and one night we just ate frozen yogurt and played games with our group.

THE END

Sunday morning we got back to Puerto Rico, and our cruise ended. However, we couldn't fly home until Monday, so Doug and I and our friends, the Litchfields, had one more day to vacation. We checked into a hotel, and then walked to a nearby beach. Actually, instead of the beach, we borrowed a couple of lounge chairs at a really nice hotel on the beach, and sat in the sun by their pool, which was right next to the beach. It was a lovely place, and the weather was perfect. It was nice that our vacation ended with a day of perfect weather.

BACK AT THE HOME FRONT...
Grandma Davies had more than her fair share of challenges with taking care of our home and children: they spent two days without heat when the furnace broke down; electrical shortages when they tried to use space heaters to keep warm; and Hannah got the flu. We're so grateful to her for all that she did, while we were spending a week without cares. My kids are still slipping up and calling me "Grandma"!



P.S. I can't figure out why sometimes you can, and sometimes (like in this particular post), you can't click on the pictures to see them enlarged. Sorry!

Our Date with Destiny

I know you're all dying to hear a detailed report about our voyage on the cruise ship "Destiny". Can I convey to you how overwhelming the thought of writing such a report is? Here's why: I feel like I've been in the Twilight Zone, and I've missed a year of normal life, rather than a week. Plus, I still feel like I'm rocking back and forth on the ocean (When will that feeling end?) which makes it difficult to stare at a computer screen. Let me just say this for now: It was warm (even when it was pouring down rain!), it was relaxing, it was fun, and it was long enough that I was ready to come home by the end, and return to my home and kids and normal life (which happens to include snow right now).

More to come... :)

BON VOYAGE!!!

To Guide Us in These Latter Days

We had our stake conference this weekend. Elder Richard G. Scott attended and spoke to us. To me, the most meaningful lesson he taught was this:

1. Take a piece of paper and (with your spouse, if you have one) write down a list of things you feel are essential for you to accomplish during this life. *It won't be a long list.
2. Take another piece of paper and write down how you spent your "discretionary time" during the past year.
3. Compare the two papers.
If you spent a good amount of your discretionary time doing things that will help you accomplish the things on your List #1, then you are on the right track. If you spent very little of your free time working towards those goals, then you have unconsciously fallen off the path that will lead you to where you want to be, and you have become a victim of the adversary. One of his most effective tools, which he uses often against those who are trying to be good, is distraction. What you should do, then, is choose to eliminate some good things in your life, in order to do that which is essential.

It reminds me of Elder Oaks' talk from the last General Conference session.

Good stuff to ponder.

P.S. We left our house 1 hour before the conference began, and still, when we arrived, the parking lot was full (we had to park at an elementary school a few blocks away--thankfully it was not raining or snowing today) and we sat near the back of the cultural hall. Note to self: If you want a padded seat and a parking spot within walking distance without breaking a sweat in your church dress and heels, camp outside the building on Saturday night.

Saying Goodbye

I don't know what that Auld Lange Syne songs means exactly, but doesn't it have something to do with remembering what you have lost during the past year? For the sake of this post, let's pretend that's what it means.



We experienced a few farewells worth mentioning during 2007:

• Great-Grandma Lizzie, who could put a smile on our faces with her stories, swingin' hips, and foot rubs (maybe that was just a special treat for me!)


• Liberty, our longest-lasting pet ever


• Our faithful old Contour with the purple tinted windows


• Binky-Bunny (Hannah gave up her bedtime buddies to Santa on Christmas Eve, and hasn't even looked back. I, on the other hand, cried over this loss--no kidding!--and after burying my face in Bunny and taking one last long sniff, I stashed Bunny in Hannah's memory box.)


• Nursery. Hannah is now a Sunbeam. Yesterday there was a lunch for all the Primary kids, and for the first time ever (and only time it will ever happen), all of our children attended the activity.


• Finally, today I said goodbye to the Beehives and other YW I have worked with over the past 2+ years. I squeezed a lot into that time, though: Dance Festival, Girls Camp, Trek, plus all the weekly activities and lessons.

Don't be sad for too long, though. Think about saying Hello, rather than Goodbye. We'll be saying hello to someone new in just a few months, and she'll need a name. This is a very important decision to make, and I know you all have opinions. So, I'm adding a new feature to my blog: The Weekly Name. This is your chance to voice your opinion on the name we'll give our new baby girl. Speak now, or forever hold your peace. These names will change weekly, and they'll all be names we have been or are considering, but some will be more seriously considered than others. I'm not sure how else to start, so for this week, I'll start at the beginning of the alphabet, with an A name.

New Year, Same Old

We spent the first day of 2008 sledding in the mountains. (Well, I didn't sled, but everyone else did.) We went along with 3 other families from our ward. It was actually the first time we've played in the Washington snow, except for in our own front yard. We don't even own a sled. The girls have snow clothes, but we had to scramble to find some snow pants for Doug. It was very chilly, and after a while, Hannah and Lauren and I settled ourselves in the van, eating snacks, drinking hot cocoa, and chatting with another mom and her daughter, Hannah's friend.

When we came home, it was time to pack up Christmas. Usually, I'm ready to take down our tree as soon as the day passes, but this year, I've been especially sad to see Christmas end so soon. I'm not even tired of my holiday music yet. Any excuse to redecorate, even if it's just going back to the same old decor, helps to make the house feel fresh, but I still felt surprisingly melancholy about putting an official end to the Christmas season.

However, it was good to get back into our old, pre-holiday routine again today. Doug went back to work, the girls went back to school, and I got back to the laundry. Not that it hasn't been done during the holiday season, but it felt satisfying to spend all day doing several loads. (I'm very sure that satisfaction will fade within a few weeks, and I might be dreading my old routine again!)

Sixth Birthday = Sick Barfday

It's a rotten time to have a birthday. Prospective parents should really avoid each other in March/April, unless they want their prospective child to be tortured with a birthday that is constantly overshadowed by other festive busyness. The things you don't think about until it's too late....

Anyhow, Lauren was excited about her birthday, and thankfully, didn't begrudge the fact that I didn't do anything to plan a party for her until yesterday. Luckily, with just 24 hours notice, all five of her friends we called were able to come to a party today. So Lauren and I spent the afternoon yesterday preparing and planning her party. We decided on a cooking party. We bought supplies and put together chef's hats for each guest, and cool cooking-themed goodie bags, and were all ready to make personalized placemats and mini pizzas and decorate cupcakes and play party games.

The day after Christmas, we transformed our Christmas Tree into a Birthday Tree --an idea I read about in a magazine (the upside of time spent in waiting rooms at doctors' offices). It's hard to get a good picture of it, but trust me, it looks different than it did last week.

Lauren woke up hungry and excited on the big day. But as I made the breakfast she requested, she started complaining about her tummy. As I was baking the cupcakes and Lauren was trying to eat her breakfast and convince me that she felt just fine, it splattered all over the kitchen floor: vomit. So Lauren turned six and got sick, all in the same unfortunate morning.

We had to call the party guests and uninvite them, less than 24 hours after they had first been notified of the party, and only 3 hours before they were supposed to arrive.

Lauren, however, has been a sweetheart through it all. She just looks at it as her birthday lasting more than one day, since she knows we'll reschedule the party as soon as she's well. And hopefully, the sickness will stop with her...

Lauren spent her sixth birthday sipping diet soda and watching movies. I spent it scrubbing every germy surface in the house, and wishing I had knocked on wood the other day when I breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "Phew, we made it through the holidays without anyone getting sick!"

It's not just the cheap ones...

Expensive Christmas gifts are just as easily broken, almost as soon as they're opened.

For a couple of years, Emily (and some of her sisters, too) has been begging for a Nintendo DS. Finally, two days ago, Santa came through, and left a pink DS and two games under our tree.

After breakfast had been eaten and cleaned up, I decided I'd jump in and take my first turn with the new toys. The one I wanted to play was a brain game on the DS. But we couldn't find that game anywhere. (The disk is only about the size of a quarter.) We searched the house--seriously searched it, going through bags of trash and everything. It disappeared, and we have yet to find it.

Well, that doesn't much matter now, anyway. This morning, Hannah decided to give the DS system a bath in the sink, along with a few of her other toys. Bye bye, expensive gift.

I bet Santa's pretty upset.

Sugar and Spice

Baby Bidia is on her way. We opened the package tonight, and found this inside:

Do you know what Hannah immediately said?



"TOLD YA!"





The long story is this:



Doug, Katelyn and I went to my regular scheduled ultrasound appointment at my doctor's office last Thursday. Although the technician took a long time and tried several different angles, prodded my belly with the probe to try to encourage the baby to move, and even had me move from side to side, she couldn't get a clear enough view of the baby's heart to settle her mind that it was perfectly ok. So she told us that the doctors would probably recommend a follow-up ultrasound sometime in the next few weeks, just to make sure. As we were waiting for my appointment with the midwife, one of the doctors pulled us into her office and explained that there was some concern about possibly some fluid around the baby's heart, so they would like to send us to Maternal-Fetal Medicine and have them do a thorough ultrasound again. We took the doctor and ultrasound technician at their word, which was that we shouldn't worry about it, they were just being cautious. But still, you can't help but wonder and worry a little bit...



Meanwhile, I had this package with some important information sitting under the Christmas tree, which I was very anxious to open. To tell the truth, Doug and I both thought that we saw "girl parts" during Thursday's ultrasound, but the technician kept us wondering if we really saw what we thought we saw. She had a good poker face. As we left that appointment, however, I was really unsettled about it all. Boy or girl, I wanted to really see with my own eyes. So I decided that one of the good things about having to return for another ultrasound (despite the worrisome reasons for it) was that I could get another good look at the baby's gender. Just so I would have no doubts about it.

On Friday, the MFM office called and scheduled me to come in this morning--Christmas Eve. I was really glad that they could get us in so quickly, but then that sort of disrupted our plan of not finding out until Christmas. I convinced Doug that he and I could find out at the Christmas Eve ultrasound, and still keep everyone else guessing until Christmas Day.

Well, even though the baby was very wiggly and a little bit uncooperative, it wasn't too long before I could see again that it looked very much like a girl, and the technician confirmed my guess. She gave us a 5% chance of error, that it may be a boy, but tonight, when the girls all opened one gift from under the tree, I opened the anticipated package and saw that we had a second opinion to confirm--It's A Girl!


And the best news: The baby looks perfectly healthy--heart and all. Our Christmas miracle.

Sneak Peek

After enjoying the ultrasound screen this morning for about an hour, here's what I do know:

This baby is very cute! And photogenic. He or she has great leg muscles just like Daddy.

This baby is also very punctual. Bone measurements put this baby EXACTLY, to the day, at my expected due date. So I see we have a little perfectionist here.

And here's what I still do not know:

Boy or Girl???

I must admit I was looking for a clue throughout the entire session. So was Doug. (Kate was with us, too, but I don't think she was looking for anything.) And I thought I would recognize girl parts for sure, and probably recognize boy parts...but....it was never obvious to me. The technician says she knows for certain what the gender is, but she has been doing these things for 20 years, and I've only been seeing them on and off for the last 11. So, I am extremely anxious to open this present on Christmas morning!