This is my $10 Jack-o-lantern from Walmart. You plug it in and it lights up. Real carved pumpkins last 2 days in our humidity and attract lots of bugs!! A big disappointment for me! I loved carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. It's like the kick off to the holiday season! Back in PA we would go to Harner Farms and buy pumpkins. The Saturday before Halloween they would do a carry all the pumpkins you can for $10. I would load up Man as much as possible. It was a lot of fun! I miss PA this time of year.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween Florida Style
This is my $10 Jack-o-lantern from Walmart. You plug it in and it lights up. Real carved pumpkins last 2 days in our humidity and attract lots of bugs!! A big disappointment for me! I loved carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. It's like the kick off to the holiday season! Back in PA we would go to Harner Farms and buy pumpkins. The Saturday before Halloween they would do a carry all the pumpkins you can for $10. I would load up Man as much as possible. It was a lot of fun! I miss PA this time of year.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Puppy Puke Yuck!
Cooper is on the raw food diet to help lose weight. He was 103 lbs. at his last weight in at the vet, we want him around 80 lbs.. His food is raw 2 lb. tubes of hamburger, turkey, chicken, and tripe (stomach-I know- gross). He gets one tube a day and he absolutely loves it. He does a little dance at dinner time, his nails clicking on the tile floor. Last night something went terribly wrong. You probably know where this is going... After eating he threw up on the living room rug!!!! Picture 2 lbs. of raw meat mixed with stomach juices all over your rug. Are you crying yet?? The good news is that I wasn't home at the time, but the bad news was that I wasn't home at the time! Man had to clean it up! He promised me that he acted quickly and it was only on the rug for about 30 seconds. He did try to get Cooper off the rug before it came up, but Coop wouldn't move. I was told all this before entering the house last night, like a warning. I was so pleasantly surprised that there was no odor, no stain, and basically no evidence that anything even happened!! Man did an awesome job!! Cooper is feeling fine, he had some banana this morning.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Spicy Pretzels & Vanilla Creme Brulee
Yummy eats over the weekend and Penn State won!! GO Phillies in the world series!! It was a good week in PA sports.
Spicy Pretzels
24 oz. bag Pretzels-we prefer the small pretzels
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper or more (depends on what you can handle!)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Pour pretzels into an oven proof pan. I use either a roasting pan or a 9x13 cake pan.
Mix Ranch, olive oil, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together and pour over pretzels and stir.
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring very 15 minutes.
These are a nice change from plain pretzels!
Man has been wanting me to make Creme Brulee for awhile, so I did it this weekend. It is really delicious and easy! Great vanilla flavor.
Creme Brulee
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
1 Qt. Heavy Cream
2 Vanilla Beans, split and scraped
1/2 cup Sugar
6 Large Egg Yolks (save the whites for yummy egg white omelets)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Hot Water
Pour the cream and vanilla beans and scraped pulp into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes. Remove the beans.
In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks until well blended and light in color. Add the cooled cream in small portions and whisk. Make sure you add it slowly as to not cook the egg yolks!! Once all combined pour the mixture into 6 ramekins (7-8 oz.). Place a paper towel in the bottom of your pan and place the ramekins on top of the paper towel. Pour HOT water carefully into the pan until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The paper towel will keep the ramekins from sliding around. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Cool out of the water bath for about 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before enjoying. They will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, sprinkle generously with sugar and "torch" the sugar with a small butane cooks torch until golden brown and crispy. Don't skip this part because this is what makes creme brulee so yummy with different textures! Man loved these, but I tried to control his consumption of them since they are not very good for you!!
Spicy Pretzels
24 oz. bag Pretzels-we prefer the small pretzels
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper or more (depends on what you can handle!)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Pour pretzels into an oven proof pan. I use either a roasting pan or a 9x13 cake pan.
Mix Ranch, olive oil, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together and pour over pretzels and stir.
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring very 15 minutes.
These are a nice change from plain pretzels!
Man has been wanting me to make Creme Brulee for awhile, so I did it this weekend. It is really delicious and easy! Great vanilla flavor.
Creme Brulee
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
1 Qt. Heavy Cream
2 Vanilla Beans, split and scraped
1/2 cup Sugar
6 Large Egg Yolks (save the whites for yummy egg white omelets)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Hot Water
Pour the cream and vanilla beans and scraped pulp into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes. Remove the beans.
In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks until well blended and light in color. Add the cooled cream in small portions and whisk. Make sure you add it slowly as to not cook the egg yolks!! Once all combined pour the mixture into 6 ramekins (7-8 oz.). Place a paper towel in the bottom of your pan and place the ramekins on top of the paper towel. Pour HOT water carefully into the pan until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The paper towel will keep the ramekins from sliding around. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Cool out of the water bath for about 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before enjoying. They will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, sprinkle generously with sugar and "torch" the sugar with a small butane cooks torch until golden brown and crispy. Don't skip this part because this is what makes creme brulee so yummy with different textures! Man loved these, but I tried to control his consumption of them since they are not very good for you!!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Weekend Plans
Carmel apples are on the menu for this weekend! Yum! I'm going to roll them in mini chocolate chips and crumbled heath bars. No nuts!! Man has tree nut allergies! Man requested creme brulee as well, so that will be in the works too. Tonight is grill chicken, roasted garlic red potatoes, and sauteed green beans. Enchiladas for Saturday night and I might roast a chicken Monday night. Sunday will probably be eat whatever you want. I'll let you know how everything turns out and post the good recipes. I'm very excited for carmel apples, it like the beginning of the holiday season!! I love fall, even in Florida, because the humidity starts to drop!! A month until Thanksgiving and then another month until Christmas!! I am already planning my Christmas baking! I am debating between doing lots of cookies or just doing different breads or a mix of each! Any thoughts??
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Yes, I'm a sucker!
I bought $38 worth of POPCORN from a neighbor kid for his boy scout troop! I guess I'll be stringing popcorn for the Christmas tree this year! What was I thinking??
Good Dinner Vs. Bad Dinner
Why is it that when I make a "bad" dinner, it gets gobbled down with no leftovers, but if a make a "good" dinner I have lots of leftovers?
By "bad" I mean not especially healthy. Last night was a quick meal of ham steak, mac n' cheese, and broccoli. I don't consider ham a healthy meat and the mac n' cheese was the box kind. The broccoli however was fresh and steamed in the microwave. The broccoli saved the meal I guess. Man and Relative ate everything last night-all the ham and every noodle of the m n' c was gone! I had m n' c, a tiny piece of ham, and a lot of broccoli. I only had the ham because I dip it in horseradish and I love horseradish. I also have to admit that I love Kraft m n' c!!! When I was a fat child, I could eat a WHOLE BOX! My family let me do that-damn them!! I love fresh steamed broccoli, it tastes so much better than frozen. So over all I rated this a "bad" meal due to the ham and m n' c.
Now a "good" meal-lots of veggies and a lean protein-always has leftovers. I get excited that I am giving Man and Relative a good healthy meal. I try to use spices to get lots of flavor, but they never gobble it up. I always have left overs! Should I cook smaller portions or reheat the leftovers night after night until their gone? They would rather pig out on m n' c! Where have all the health conscious people gone?? Please come to my home and I will feed you vegetables!
Not you could argue that I should only cook healthy every night, but really it takes to long to cook healthy every night. All the chopping of the veggies and the dishes!! Plus sometimes, don't we all just want some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese??
By "bad" I mean not especially healthy. Last night was a quick meal of ham steak, mac n' cheese, and broccoli. I don't consider ham a healthy meat and the mac n' cheese was the box kind. The broccoli however was fresh and steamed in the microwave. The broccoli saved the meal I guess. Man and Relative ate everything last night-all the ham and every noodle of the m n' c was gone! I had m n' c, a tiny piece of ham, and a lot of broccoli. I only had the ham because I dip it in horseradish and I love horseradish. I also have to admit that I love Kraft m n' c!!! When I was a fat child, I could eat a WHOLE BOX! My family let me do that-damn them!! I love fresh steamed broccoli, it tastes so much better than frozen. So over all I rated this a "bad" meal due to the ham and m n' c.
Now a "good" meal-lots of veggies and a lean protein-always has leftovers. I get excited that I am giving Man and Relative a good healthy meal. I try to use spices to get lots of flavor, but they never gobble it up. I always have left overs! Should I cook smaller portions or reheat the leftovers night after night until their gone? They would rather pig out on m n' c! Where have all the health conscious people gone?? Please come to my home and I will feed you vegetables!
Not you could argue that I should only cook healthy every night, but really it takes to long to cook healthy every night. All the chopping of the veggies and the dishes!! Plus sometimes, don't we all just want some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese??
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Weekend Recipes Not Worth Posting
I made a couple things this weekend that I was really disappointed in. The first was Banana Bread with Rum. Man requested this item, he's been on a rum kick lately. You couldn't taste the rum and I thought the banana flavor was weak. Man liked it though , so I guess that's good enough. I also made Lemon Coconut bread, it was disappointing too. The lemon and the coconut flavor were weak. It was very moist though, like pound cake. I ate a piece for breakfast covered with yogurt and raspberries. Then I made Ginger Pear Muffins with whole wheat flour. These were more cake like than muffin textured. Man and Relative did not like them, I thought they were okay. I couldn't really taste much ginger, which I thought would be the star in the muffin. I was wondering if my ginger was still fresh. I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate off what I need. Maybe freezing the ginger effects the flavor?? Any ideas out there?? I'm not posting these recipes because of their lack of flavor. I only want to share the "good stuff".
We did some shopping this weekend for shoes. I am not a big shopper. I don't like trying on clothes or digging through the racks of cut too low shirts or pants for something classic to wear to work. I would like to bend over at work and not have my underwear or butt crack showing. I also can't still the bright geometerical designs of shirts that seem to be in all the stores. I am a basic girl-plain stuff please! Black/brown/tan dress slacks with a colored shirt/blouse/sweater-no glitter or sparkles please! Back to shoes.... I like to wear closed toe, 2-3 inch heels (not spike), and basic colors like black and brown. I work in an office and need to dress appropriately. I think open toe shoes with dress slacks look silly. Plus, I wear knee high panty hose under my pants purely for shoe comfort. Have you ever worn closed toe heels in Florida without hose- not good on the toes or heels at all! For months now I have been looking for the perfect shoes to meet all my requirements with no luck, until.... A co-worker recommended DWS shoe store-hello lover! They have so many shoes that were perfect for me!! I never went there because I thought it would be too expensive!! Talk about bad judgment on my part! Shoes were $30-$60 a pair. I think that is a good price for daily work shoes. I got a new black pair and a new brown pair-closed toe, 2.5 inch heel, and comfortable!! I also got a cute brown suede purse for $25. The purse brand was Poppie, Man called it Poopie, they had a bunch of bags and wallets that were really cute. Just trendy enough, but still plain, just the way I like things! Man even found a pair of shoes! I highly recommend DWS shoes!
We did some shopping this weekend for shoes. I am not a big shopper. I don't like trying on clothes or digging through the racks of cut too low shirts or pants for something classic to wear to work. I would like to bend over at work and not have my underwear or butt crack showing. I also can't still the bright geometerical designs of shirts that seem to be in all the stores. I am a basic girl-plain stuff please! Black/brown/tan dress slacks with a colored shirt/blouse/sweater-no glitter or sparkles please! Back to shoes.... I like to wear closed toe, 2-3 inch heels (not spike), and basic colors like black and brown. I work in an office and need to dress appropriately. I think open toe shoes with dress slacks look silly. Plus, I wear knee high panty hose under my pants purely for shoe comfort. Have you ever worn closed toe heels in Florida without hose- not good on the toes or heels at all! For months now I have been looking for the perfect shoes to meet all my requirements with no luck, until.... A co-worker recommended DWS shoe store-hello lover! They have so many shoes that were perfect for me!! I never went there because I thought it would be too expensive!! Talk about bad judgment on my part! Shoes were $30-$60 a pair. I think that is a good price for daily work shoes. I got a new black pair and a new brown pair-closed toe, 2.5 inch heel, and comfortable!! I also got a cute brown suede purse for $25. The purse brand was Poppie, Man called it Poopie, they had a bunch of bags and wallets that were really cute. Just trendy enough, but still plain, just the way I like things! Man even found a pair of shoes! I highly recommend DWS shoes!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sammy's Stare of Death
Man emailed me this photo he took with his iphone. I died laughing. It was captioned:"This is what I see everyday at lunch time"
Sammy sits on the chair beside Man's desk and stares at him while he eats lunch.
Cooper is in the corner of the photo on the floor being his usual good boy.
The Good Boy
So I got home from work last night and Man proudly said what a good boy Sammy was all day. Wow!! Sammy was good all day! Could it continue into the evening??? Yeah, right!! It was like he understood Man's praise and decided he was done being good. Sammy proceeded to fight with Copper, chase squirrels and birds, and beg at dinner. While I was in the bathroom, he place his front paws up on the vanity to say hello to me. That wasn't too bad, more cute, we hugged and looked at each other in the mirror. I know he tries hard to be good, the little stinker!! At dinner he would place a paw on my lap begging for food. When we went for our evening walk he freaked out in excitement and jumped on me and poor Cooper. I still love him so much, even when he is bad. Later that night, he settled down and curled up on the couch like a little angel! He was so sweet looking I could help but cover his nose in kisses. Annoyed, he jumped down and stretched out on the floor and farted. Nothing says I love you too like a doggie toot!!
The Secret Blog
I don't think I have mentioned this, but my blog is a secret! No one knows I write it, not even Man. Is that bad?? Untrusting?? No one is reading it anyways accept me. It makes me smile that I created it on my own. I can log on and look at my pictures any time for a quick pick me up. Posting at home is difficult because we have one computer in our small house. I can only post my photos from home, which I try to do secretly. I wait until Man goes to bed to do my photo posting and then I clear out the history on the computer. I just want to be able to write freely without be judged or perhaps hurting someones feelings. A couple times this weekend I wanted to burst out, "Hey, I'm going to blog about that!", but quickly decided it would totally blow my cover. Man can be very sensitive, so this blog could totally back fire on me. I wouldn't want him to be embarrassed about something I post. I want to get into some personal issues soon that may be uncomfortable for Man. They are uncomfortable for me as well, but I am hoping that writing it out will help. More secrets to come...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Can't Wait for the Next Cruise
This handsome guy was left on our bed the last night.
This handsome guy is with me!!
Cruise Pictures As Promised
Entertainment before leaving the port...
Nice View!
This is our ship...
She's a beauty!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Survivor, Project Runway, and the Amazing Race
Do you watch Survivor?? I do, it's not my favorite, but I still enjoy it. Russell is such a rat!! I can't believe the others haven't caught on to him yet. It seems like every season the contestants walk on the island and become completely stupid. They fall for the same crap season after season. You would think they have never watched the show before. You need to talk to each other folks! Find out who is talking to who, who has an alliance with who. If you both have an alliance with the same person without knowing it a little red flag should come up in your head and maybe you shouldn't trust that person!!! Russell has alliance with like 5 people and none of them have talked to each other!!!!! None of the women, except Besty and she was voted out already, have emerged as strong competitors. I think Mick is a dark horse. I think he will emerge as a power player soon. We'll find out...
Project Runway has been a bit of a bore this season. They have made some amazing clothes in the challenges, but there is no big character this season. Everyone seems very blah, no drama queens in this bunch yet.
I love the Amazing Race! It is my favorite show. I really like Matt & Gary, the father and son team. I hope they go all the way. The producers have really thrown them into the "crazy" countries right off the bat-China & Vietnam. By "crazy" I mean crazy traffic, densely populated cities and major language barriers. I always picture Man and I in the race and wonder how we would do with each road block. Of course, in my head we kick butt and win. Our weakness would my Man's stamina in a foot race and my weakness would be puzzle solving. I have always wanted to do the race...
No big plans this weekend except house work and reading. I don't know if PSU plays Saturday or not. I will get cruise pictures posted this weekend. I promise!
Project Runway has been a bit of a bore this season. They have made some amazing clothes in the challenges, but there is no big character this season. Everyone seems very blah, no drama queens in this bunch yet.
I love the Amazing Race! It is my favorite show. I really like Matt & Gary, the father and son team. I hope they go all the way. The producers have really thrown them into the "crazy" countries right off the bat-China & Vietnam. By "crazy" I mean crazy traffic, densely populated cities and major language barriers. I always picture Man and I in the race and wonder how we would do with each road block. Of course, in my head we kick butt and win. Our weakness would my Man's stamina in a foot race and my weakness would be puzzle solving. I have always wanted to do the race...
No big plans this weekend except house work and reading. I don't know if PSU plays Saturday or not. I will get cruise pictures posted this weekend. I promise!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Housework After Vacation
When I go on vacation I like to leave with the house clean, so I can return to a clean house. Unfortunately, that never happens when you have a dog sitter. To go anywhere over night the boys need to go to someones house or someone needs to stay at our home. We have Relative living with us, so he is always our dog sitter.
I always leave with the house clean. It gives me peace of mind, it calms me. Traveling back from vacation I begin to get a dreaded feeling washing over me. I know to always have low expectations when I walk in the door. I try to schedule an extra day of vacation for recovery time, house cleaning, unpacking, and grocery shopping.
The return from our cruise was no different. As soon as I opened the door, I could smell a problem. Greeting me on the floor was dried up dog diarrhea-not alot, but enough to smell. Relative is a night owl and our boys are not. That always worries me when we go away. The boys go to sleep and Relative stays up until 3am and sleeps until noon. I know my boys don't like to get up from a sound sleep to go potty in the middle of the night. They are 9pm to 6am sleepers, it's called a schedule. This is something Relative hasn't understood yet. I have dogmares during vacation of my boys standing at the door, legs crossed, waiting to go outside while Relative snoozes. This is what happened-I'm sure of it!
I also have a strict request that door to rooms with carpeting stay closed. I can home to our bedroom opened and a sheet over the bedspread with evidence of dog hair. Relative let them sleep in our room after I specifically asked him not to. Did we get home to early for Relative to clean up the evidence?? My reasoning for doors closed to carpeted rooms is that Cody is very old and may have an accident and Dogs throw up occasionally! Luckily, doggy diarrhea was not tracked though the house or the carpeting. My boys were smart enough to walk around it.
So now I have poop to clean up and a bed linens to wash in addition to cleaning the house again because there is dog hair everywhere. If I don't vacuum every other day, dog hair takes over. I ended up having to give Cody a bath because I knew he was responsible for the poop after a dog butt inspection. I had 7 loads of laundry-rugs, dog towels, bed sheets, bed spread, dog bed coverings, and 2 loads of clothes. The dryer was on for 10 hours straight!! Can't wait for the electric bill... Cleaning the house took 4 hours in between laundry checks.
Once Relative woke up (1245pm!) we had a little discussion. He said he took the dogs out at 2am (we got home at 930am) and let them in our room because they were staring at the door (too bad, they would have gotten over it). It just sucks having a great vacation and coming home to lots of clean up. It just puts you in a fowl mood and not wanting a dog sitter again. We tried a kennel once, but I felt to guilty. This is a very mild case of messy house after vacation. We had a friend dog sit for us and he left a huge mess, sleept in every bedroom(??), used both bathrooms(??), and had food crumbs all over the counters and table. What do you do though? Never go anywhere or deal with the mess when we return? I know I am a Type A clean freak, but that's how I was raised. Believe me, I am laid back compared to my Mother. She's a whole other post!!
I always leave with the house clean. It gives me peace of mind, it calms me. Traveling back from vacation I begin to get a dreaded feeling washing over me. I know to always have low expectations when I walk in the door. I try to schedule an extra day of vacation for recovery time, house cleaning, unpacking, and grocery shopping.
The return from our cruise was no different. As soon as I opened the door, I could smell a problem. Greeting me on the floor was dried up dog diarrhea-not alot, but enough to smell. Relative is a night owl and our boys are not. That always worries me when we go away. The boys go to sleep and Relative stays up until 3am and sleeps until noon. I know my boys don't like to get up from a sound sleep to go potty in the middle of the night. They are 9pm to 6am sleepers, it's called a schedule. This is something Relative hasn't understood yet. I have dogmares during vacation of my boys standing at the door, legs crossed, waiting to go outside while Relative snoozes. This is what happened-I'm sure of it!
I also have a strict request that door to rooms with carpeting stay closed. I can home to our bedroom opened and a sheet over the bedspread with evidence of dog hair. Relative let them sleep in our room after I specifically asked him not to. Did we get home to early for Relative to clean up the evidence?? My reasoning for doors closed to carpeted rooms is that Cody is very old and may have an accident and Dogs throw up occasionally! Luckily, doggy diarrhea was not tracked though the house or the carpeting. My boys were smart enough to walk around it.
So now I have poop to clean up and a bed linens to wash in addition to cleaning the house again because there is dog hair everywhere. If I don't vacuum every other day, dog hair takes over. I ended up having to give Cody a bath because I knew he was responsible for the poop after a dog butt inspection. I had 7 loads of laundry-rugs, dog towels, bed sheets, bed spread, dog bed coverings, and 2 loads of clothes. The dryer was on for 10 hours straight!! Can't wait for the electric bill... Cleaning the house took 4 hours in between laundry checks.
Once Relative woke up (1245pm!) we had a little discussion. He said he took the dogs out at 2am (we got home at 930am) and let them in our room because they were staring at the door (too bad, they would have gotten over it). It just sucks having a great vacation and coming home to lots of clean up. It just puts you in a fowl mood and not wanting a dog sitter again. We tried a kennel once, but I felt to guilty. This is a very mild case of messy house after vacation. We had a friend dog sit for us and he left a huge mess, sleept in every bedroom(??), used both bathrooms(??), and had food crumbs all over the counters and table. What do you do though? Never go anywhere or deal with the mess when we return? I know I am a Type A clean freak, but that's how I was raised. Believe me, I am laid back compared to my Mother. She's a whole other post!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Majesty of the Sea
Sorry for the absence, we went on a three day cruise and it was awesome!!! We wanted to get away before our busy season starts at our jobs. Man and I needed some alone time anyways. Relative was left in charge of the boys and the house (more on that later). We got a great deal on a cruise out of Miami, 3 days with stops in Coco Bay and the Bahamas.
Day 1 Friday
We were on the ship by 1:30 pm and explored for a few hours. Of course we had drinks on the deck because someone is constantly asking you if you need a drink. I had more drinks with umbrellas in them this weekend than in my entire life! We were on the ship for 4 hours and Man suddenly breaks out in hives-really bad ones!! I thought we would be the first to see Medical, but there was someone else there. The doctor saw us right away since it was an allergic reaction. After 2 shots in the butt (HA!) and some Benadryll, Man was feeling better. Man was wearing a sea sickness patch and the Doc took it off and advised against it. Doc said a lot of people get reactions from them! Nice! After the Doc, Man laid down in our room and passed out for a couple hours. There I was, our first evening on the ship and I was alone!! I borwsed the shops, enjoyed the sunset, and had a drink, Man woke up when I went back to our room and he was feeling a lot better. He felt really bad about screwing up our first day, but I told him it was fine-he couldn't help it!!! We had dinner at the buffet (very good) and hit the casino and went to bed kind of early.
Day 2
We were at Coco Cay on day 2, Royal Caribbean's private island. After breakfast we got on the ferry to the island. It was beautiful-crystal clear water. We didn't know what to expect, so we wore shorts and shirts. We aren't beach people, so we didn't wear our swimming suits. What a mistake!! There was a breeze, beautiful water, hammocks, and lounge chairs. There was plenty of clean bathrooms, food/drink stands, and shopping stands. It was perfect. We sat in the shade facing the ocean and just laid there for a couple hours. We are rookie cruisers so this was a learning experience for us. Next time we'll know-bath suits & towels & sunscreen!! We stayed on the island until about lunch time and headed back to the boat. We had lunch, hit the casino for a while, and watched most of the Penn State game in a bar and on the top deck. PSU won!!! We then relaxed pool side for a while and met some other PSU fans-all nearly twice our age. We had a late dinner, shopped, gambled, and enjoyed the night air outside. It was a great day!
Day 3
We slept later than normal this day-730am!! We were docked in the Bahamas at 7am. After breakfast (I loved the b-fast buffet) we headed off ship to the Bahamas. It was hot!! I was not really impressed with the Bahamas. Most of the shops were closed and the ones that were opened were full of pushy sales people. We walked the main streets where most of shops were. It was very run down and old looking. The streets were a bit crazy-cars honking and speeding. Overall it was a little scary. I bought a t-shirt for Relative and I bought a purse at the straw market. It is a cute little Coach purse. Man thinks it's a fake, but if it is it's a good one!! They wanted $25 for it, but I bargained down to $15. I would have paid the $25, but I wanted to try my hand at bargaining. I did very well! After shopping, we went back on the ship for our forgotten credit card and headed back out. We wanted to check out Atlantis on Paradise Island. I was told that Atlantis was a must see. We were told a taxi was the fasted and cheapest way to get there. Once on the port again, we were bombarded with taxi driver fighting over us. We were herded to a taxi with some other couples. I kept telling Man to find out how much it was before he drove off. I had seen on the Amazing Race where racers were screwed over with taxi fare in other countries. I didn't want to get over there and find out it is $20 per person. We asked and it was only $4 per person!! The taxi ride was an experience in it's self. I felt like we were on the Amazing Race!! There were no seat belts and the speed limit was not obeyed. There was a lot of honking and swerving. I white knuckled it the whole way. The Atlantis resort was absolutely gorgeous and expensive!! It is a lost city of Atlantis theme-very Greek god looking. We walked around and gambled in their casino, which was huge and beautiful. We window shopped in the resort because the shops were Gucci and other ones like that. We tried to walk out to the beach, but were stopped since we weren't staying at the resort. We tried to go to the aquarium, but were stopped since we weren't staying there. We could have paid to get in but we figured it was too expensive. We heard it cost $125 to use the swimming pools. Now they are huge and beautiful, but come on people $125!!! We just walked around for an hour or so and caught a taxi back to the boat. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool on the boat. We showered for dinner and went to the casino for a drink and watched some football. We went to play Name that Tune and came in second! It was really fun. The rest of the evening was spent walking around and at the casino-of course. Man likes his blackjack.
Day 4
Off the boat by 7:30am and home at 9:30am! The boys really missed us.
We will definitely go on a cruise again, it was fun. There is a list of activities everyday for every hour! Just people watching at the pool is fun or hanging out on the deck watching the ocean. Man really enjoyed himself too. We didn't do the late night partying, but we heard it was wild. Next time we will do more activities and go with friends. On a side note I was really surprised with all the obese people on the cruise. Now I certainly am not judging these people because I could use to lose 15 lbs. I was blown away by their confidence. They wore bikinis!!! Sometimes it was just too much to see!! Then we would see them at dinner or breakfast with their plates piled high! I ate a lot this weekend, but I had egg white omelets, wheat toast, fruit, spinach salads, fish, veggie stir fry, and a few desserts! I guess I just can't understand how someone can be so large and not care what they eat?? And also put on a bikini in front of hundreds of people!! I won't even wear a bikini. EVER!!!
Yes, we took pictures and I will post some this week. Bye!
Day 1 Friday
We were on the ship by 1:30 pm and explored for a few hours. Of course we had drinks on the deck because someone is constantly asking you if you need a drink. I had more drinks with umbrellas in them this weekend than in my entire life! We were on the ship for 4 hours and Man suddenly breaks out in hives-really bad ones!! I thought we would be the first to see Medical, but there was someone else there. The doctor saw us right away since it was an allergic reaction. After 2 shots in the butt (HA!) and some Benadryll, Man was feeling better. Man was wearing a sea sickness patch and the Doc took it off and advised against it. Doc said a lot of people get reactions from them! Nice! After the Doc, Man laid down in our room and passed out for a couple hours. There I was, our first evening on the ship and I was alone!! I borwsed the shops, enjoyed the sunset, and had a drink, Man woke up when I went back to our room and he was feeling a lot better. He felt really bad about screwing up our first day, but I told him it was fine-he couldn't help it!!! We had dinner at the buffet (very good) and hit the casino and went to bed kind of early.
Day 2
We were at Coco Cay on day 2, Royal Caribbean's private island. After breakfast we got on the ferry to the island. It was beautiful-crystal clear water. We didn't know what to expect, so we wore shorts and shirts. We aren't beach people, so we didn't wear our swimming suits. What a mistake!! There was a breeze, beautiful water, hammocks, and lounge chairs. There was plenty of clean bathrooms, food/drink stands, and shopping stands. It was perfect. We sat in the shade facing the ocean and just laid there for a couple hours. We are rookie cruisers so this was a learning experience for us. Next time we'll know-bath suits & towels & sunscreen!! We stayed on the island until about lunch time and headed back to the boat. We had lunch, hit the casino for a while, and watched most of the Penn State game in a bar and on the top deck. PSU won!!! We then relaxed pool side for a while and met some other PSU fans-all nearly twice our age. We had a late dinner, shopped, gambled, and enjoyed the night air outside. It was a great day!
Day 3
We slept later than normal this day-730am!! We were docked in the Bahamas at 7am. After breakfast (I loved the b-fast buffet) we headed off ship to the Bahamas. It was hot!! I was not really impressed with the Bahamas. Most of the shops were closed and the ones that were opened were full of pushy sales people. We walked the main streets where most of shops were. It was very run down and old looking. The streets were a bit crazy-cars honking and speeding. Overall it was a little scary. I bought a t-shirt for Relative and I bought a purse at the straw market. It is a cute little Coach purse. Man thinks it's a fake, but if it is it's a good one!! They wanted $25 for it, but I bargained down to $15. I would have paid the $25, but I wanted to try my hand at bargaining. I did very well! After shopping, we went back on the ship for our forgotten credit card and headed back out. We wanted to check out Atlantis on Paradise Island. I was told that Atlantis was a must see. We were told a taxi was the fasted and cheapest way to get there. Once on the port again, we were bombarded with taxi driver fighting over us. We were herded to a taxi with some other couples. I kept telling Man to find out how much it was before he drove off. I had seen on the Amazing Race where racers were screwed over with taxi fare in other countries. I didn't want to get over there and find out it is $20 per person. We asked and it was only $4 per person!! The taxi ride was an experience in it's self. I felt like we were on the Amazing Race!! There were no seat belts and the speed limit was not obeyed. There was a lot of honking and swerving. I white knuckled it the whole way. The Atlantis resort was absolutely gorgeous and expensive!! It is a lost city of Atlantis theme-very Greek god looking. We walked around and gambled in their casino, which was huge and beautiful. We window shopped in the resort because the shops were Gucci and other ones like that. We tried to walk out to the beach, but were stopped since we weren't staying at the resort. We tried to go to the aquarium, but were stopped since we weren't staying there. We could have paid to get in but we figured it was too expensive. We heard it cost $125 to use the swimming pools. Now they are huge and beautiful, but come on people $125!!! We just walked around for an hour or so and caught a taxi back to the boat. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool on the boat. We showered for dinner and went to the casino for a drink and watched some football. We went to play Name that Tune and came in second! It was really fun. The rest of the evening was spent walking around and at the casino-of course. Man likes his blackjack.
Day 4
Off the boat by 7:30am and home at 9:30am! The boys really missed us.
We will definitely go on a cruise again, it was fun. There is a list of activities everyday for every hour! Just people watching at the pool is fun or hanging out on the deck watching the ocean. Man really enjoyed himself too. We didn't do the late night partying, but we heard it was wild. Next time we will do more activities and go with friends. On a side note I was really surprised with all the obese people on the cruise. Now I certainly am not judging these people because I could use to lose 15 lbs. I was blown away by their confidence. They wore bikinis!!! Sometimes it was just too much to see!! Then we would see them at dinner or breakfast with their plates piled high! I ate a lot this weekend, but I had egg white omelets, wheat toast, fruit, spinach salads, fish, veggie stir fry, and a few desserts! I guess I just can't understand how someone can be so large and not care what they eat?? And also put on a bikini in front of hundreds of people!! I won't even wear a bikini. EVER!!!
Yes, we took pictures and I will post some this week. Bye!
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