34 below and

LOTS OF SNOW!

This is not a complaint! The weather has been absolutely beautiful and I was actually

hoping that we would have snow by Christmas. I have been able to walk the kids to school most days this year. I think we had +9 degree weather Wednesday. I may not be able to walk Brayden tomorrow because I think we are expecting a high of -26 degrees (celsius). Brrrr!! It has still been a wonderful fall into winter!

So since it is so cold I thought I would do a little reflecting on our cruise to the Southern Caribbean. I wrote all of the details in my journal and I don't feel like writing them all out again. Basically we started out in Puerta Rico and boarded the Serenade of the Seas headed for the Island of St. Thomas first. Each day we spent time at different ports (which aslo included St. Marteen, Antiqua, St. Lucia, and Barbados) and sailed at night. Ryan and I had a nice room with a port hole window (yes, I was scared)! I don't care much for food, but this was way beyond anything I could ever imagine. Each night had a different menu of about 8 appetizers, meals, and dessert. They always had our glasses full of water or lemonade. The big deal for me was if you ordered something that just didn't work for you they would immediately take away your plate and have you order another meal! One night my brother in law ordered all 7 of the desserts and they didn't squawk a bit! The service all around the ship was wonderful! It was nice to have someone else clearing my dishes, washing them, making my bed, and letting me sleep in and/or go to bed early if I wanted to!

My kids did great with my sister Shana and her husband Diego, and my yougest sister, Gina.

So her are some pictures and if I have more to say about them I will. But all in all for trip that I really didn't want to go on it turned out to be fabulous. The company made it worth every tear!

THE SHIP

This picture just doesn't do the size justice. I think there were 2500 travelers on board and around 1000 staff, 14 floors with about 5 sets of elevators in the main area, and so much that I never saw. I am pretty sure there were four bars, two theatres, indoor and outdoor pools, rock climbing wall, minature golf course, casino, game rooms, stores and shops, basketball court, lots of restraurants besides the main dining room. On a daily basis they served 1600 meals in the main dining room! Crazy! Live music every night and dancing until who knows when. I did end up being sea sick so I went to bed early most nights(it was so nice)!


This is in the main lobby trying to get a picture looking up at the elevators.






Ryan catching the sunset at sea.

The reason we went on this trip! Happy 40th anniversary Mom and Dad Torrie. You are the greatest in-laws I could have ever hoped for! ( And thanks for forking out the money)! HA!

I love this guy!

Puerta Rico-El Yunque

Ryan's little sister Whitney after swimming in the waterfall in the Rainforest. It rained on our hike out of the forest and it was so much fun! Rain is beautiful when you aren't cold.





This was on top of a tower of some sort. Really can't remember what it was, but it had a great view!



Ryan's brother Stan and his wife Sh'Nell looking out a tower window.

Rainforest view

Ocean view

I'm adding in a few of Ryan's photos that he likes to take for photo club he attends once in a while. I think this is one of the pictures he submitted this time.

I wish we would have caught a picture of Ryan running over a huge lizard (2 or 3 feet long) on the highway. He was just cruising and totally smashed it EVERYWHERE! I couldn't believe it! He said that he thought it was a piece of tire until he hit it. Someone else hit one too...the lizards were all over the place.

I had to put this picture in because Tami was goofing off "posing" on the Pirates of the Caribbean ship and I snapped this shot! HA! Hope you like it, Tami!

More later...