Cruising

Have you ever taken a cruise? The most exciting one we did was to the Bahamas. It was one of those travel deals taking you to Orlando, Florida for three days, Daytona Beach for two, and then cruising the Bahamas for three. The crystal clear water was unbelievable! Remember, I came from Alaska where the water was murky and you couldn't see more than five feet down.

Our ship tied up to a dock with five others. These ships are HUGE. They each hold 3-5,000 people plus the staff who run the show. In comparison, the town I grew up in had two thousand people. We went to the Blue Lagoon where Brooke Shields made a movie by that name. You can race over the water in a small boat and see the bottom of the ocean as you travel. It's surreal. You have to try it. You will NEVER forget it.

Talk about coincidence. Our cruise ship had a prearranged dinner time (in order to accommodate everyone) so we were seated at a table with six others. It turns out the people across from us were from Louisiana. They lived two blocks over from where my husband grew up. They even played on Watts' road (named after Jack's grandfather) when they were kids.

The food is fantastic. You can literally eat 24 hours a day. They had specialty foods plus buffet style restaurants. It was fun exploring the ship and finding all the dining areas.

When you get a chance, take a cruise. Check out this site and see if it fits your cruising needs.

Travel: Lessons I Learned

Isn't traveling fun (sometimes)! Over the years of traveling by car for short trips or flying to a destination we have learned some great lessons. Like take your own pillow if you are particular about the softness of the pillow. Making a list of things to take really helps me so I don't forget items we need. I have my list honed so now I just print it from the computer.

When we traveled by car with the kids we would wrap 'presents' and let them open one every so often. They were simple things like coloring books and crayons. But the kids were so excited to see a bag of presents they would play with the toys longer than when we just brought them unwrapped. We also gave them their own Tupperware container of favorite snacks. These tips were passed on to me and really benefited our family.

Flying got us there quicker but then you had to deal with lost or delayed baggage. We would take a change of clothes in our carry-on so at least we had something clean to wear the next day. Also we took medications in our carry-on. When we had a cold or sinus allergies we found that these special ear plugs (from Walgreens) helped our ears adjust to the pressure change as the plane descended.

Letting the kids know months in advance about a trip was half the fun. They would plan and plan on what to take and what we would do when we got there. They told ALL their friends and family that we were going. I really enjoyed listening to them. We have some great memories!