Day 5-Exploring Puerta Vallarta

Little Ryker is so worn out! He slept in until 9 this morning. That’s rare...and unusual because he has been waking up at 6 the past couple of days. Every once in awhile he would pop his head up and look around and then he would go back to sleep. I’m exhausted so I’m sure his little body is tired too! And he hasn’t been eating as well as we hoped. Too much going on I guess.


We docked it Puerta Vallarta around noon and Ryker was napping so we waited a little for him to wake up. Our first stop was Walmart. I know...not the usual tourist stop but we needed more diapers. 😂 It was crazy to see signs and products written in Spanish! We bought a few souvenirs there. This Walmart had sound systems and mopeds next to diapers and sunscreen. Not quite like in the USA. We walked around the mall next to Walmart for a bit then headed back to the boat to eat and rest.




Walmart in Puerta Vallarta





Matching shirts from Walmart


A race car game cousins let my kids play at the mall



Late afternoon, Rob and I took a catamaran to land. It was called Caletas (the cove) and they say it is only accessible by boat. Granny and Papa watched all the kids while we enjoyed an adults-only evening consisting of dinner and a show called Rhythms of the Night. The buffet style dinner was on the beach and we were surrounded by candlelight. Words cannot accurately describe the gorgeous atmosphere and the calming sound and feel of the ocean. The crew on the catamaran set off the night with music, drinks, and some fun and informational banter. The breeze and the ocean set a soothing tone and helped us relax. The island trails were lit by 3,000 candles and 400 torches! The show was a Cirque type show with a Mexican theme. The flying numbers were controlled by the actors hanging from a giant crane. It was a rustic but effective way of presenting dancing and acrobatics in a creative way.


We rounded out the evening with a high-energy party and a singing/dancing presentation by the boat crew. And I saw a flying fish next to our boat! I never really believed they existed but it was very cool to see it! It was a great evening and much needed time away from kids!

Until next time...

Our table for dinner

Our stunning view! 

Fun little raft-future hangout for Trenton! 

Rhythms of the Night

Path to the theater 

The Cove as we were leaving

Getting off the boat

Character set to greet us

Another character-scared LOTS of people! 

Definitely something you would see in a Cirque show!

Music to greet us!

Fish around the boat as we were leaving

Day 4-Cabo Day

Rykie woke up and the crack of dawn again! It’s funny that at home he sleeps in until 9:00 but on vacation he is up and ready to go. I guess he doesn’t want to miss anything!

Breakfast! I was able to eat this morning! Definitely not as queasy as yesterday morning! The kids don’t have any problem with motion sickness so they are still eating up a storm.

Land's End

Land's End

We had some extra time until we were in Cabo so we were able to watch for whales and dolphins. It was exciting to see the sea life so close up and in their natural environment. We were able to see a mom and baby whale try to escape some boats We also saw sea lions, pelicans and crabs. We also saw the rock formations and arch at Land’s End. With the pirate ships for hire in the area and Land’s End, I felt like I should look for Jack Sparrow!😂

We docked near Cabo and took water taxis to the shore. Ryker LOVED being so close to the water and he could stand up and see out of the boat so he felt like one of the older boys.
Eric and brothers negotiated two passenger vans and we went and toured the glass factory. The demonstrations of how they work with the glass was amazing! And takes a lot of time and patience to make those creations. And it’s dangerous working with glass at such high temperatures! Their creations are amazing! I wanted to buy so many things but worried about getting it home safely.

We headed back to the boat for lunch and nap time but others in our family party went to the beach or did other things. Fortunately Eric took Trenton with him to the beach so T is a happy kid! Jayden and Daegon explored the ship for awhile and J had a swimming lesson with Granny during nap time. The rest of the evening for the parents and Ryker was eating and walking the ship with Ryker on his little backpack leash.

Speaking of the backpack leash...many people have commented about the leash and many have smiled or laughed at us.

The leash! 

Of course we also got some “tsk tsks” and stony looks but I refuse to chase Tiny Tornado Ryker Around the ship. Well, several sources informed me we were the topic of a joke at the comedy club. While telling a joke about pets, the comedian said he saw a child on a leash with a backpack and the mom was following with a poop bag. YES! We are celebrities on the ship!

Early bed for Rob, Ryker and myself while the two older boys play the night away in the kids club. More fun is on the agenda for tomorrow.


Until next time...

Cabo

Cabo

Cabo

Glass Factory

Room at the Glass Factory

I love me a cool chandelier! 

Glass demo-hummingbird and flower!
I wanted to buy it but he threw it back into the fire. :(

Dax got to try glass blowing! 

Day 3- Lots To See and Do While at Sea

Of course the day started at the literal crack of dawn! The second that sun peeked out over the horizon, Ryker was up and ready to go! Jayden woke up soon after and played steward while the adults tried to wake up. Our amazing steward is Jomal, but J kept hearing us say “stewart”. He asked us countless times when we were going to call Stewart to come set up his bed. LOL after I explained his name was NOT Stewart but that his job is called steward. He decided to keep referring to him as Stewart. 😁 So now, we lovingly call our steward...Stewart.

Everyone who works on this cruise is so nice! And they do whatever they can to make sure people are comfortable. You can tell the ones who really enjoy their job. Many of them love to see Ryker and say hi because he blows them all kisses and waves. He’s like a celebrity on the ship.

Lido Deck worker took time to make this bird for the boys! 

J loved it! 

The food! The first thing people talk about when you tell them you are going on a cruise is the food. There is so much of it. All the time. Everywhere! Trenton is in heaven! Rob and Trenton jokingly decided at the beginning of the cruise they were going to have a contest to see who could gain the most weight. Trenton already pointed out to me that they have an attendant assigned to the section with bacon so people don’t take the whole tray. I didn’t want to tell him there is an attendant in every section. He would probably be the one to steal the bacon tray when the attendant looked away! Every time I run into one of my kids, they are eating an ice cream cone! Free ice cream anytime is quite the perk and definitely the favorite activity (???) so far!


Napping on the bench!

Late morning provided us with many activity options but the best one by far was the Eric Dodge country line dancing event. Friends and family gathered in the El Morocco Lounge to learn some popular line dances. It was entertaining and fun! We are looking forward to more Eric Dodge events on this cruise...especially since he is the reason we are all together on this cruise. 😁 Ryker was a little show off when we first went into the lounge. He ran through the room laughing the whole way like he owned the place. As soon as the event started though, he fell asleep on a bench and woke up two hours later! I’m happy he is wearing himself out!

We enjoyed lunch at the buffet when Ryker woke up. We were able to enjoy some time with our friends Teri and Pat. That was nice!

After a little break and a nap, we had dinner at the buffet. It was formal night in the dining room. People were looking fancy but the dressing up part just wasn’t for us. Casual is comfortable and dressing up six people is A LOT of work!

Later in the evening, we went to a comedy club called Punchliner Comedy Club and listened to comedian Richie Holliday. He was good! And family friendly!

Loving the show! 

We also saw the evening show 80’s Pop To The Max in the Spectacular Theater. It was super cheesy but many of us (I will not name names!) were loving the music from the 80’s. The show was about thirty minutes long but packed with action, costumes, lights, and fog! Ryker clapped along and danced through the whole thing and was so cute, most of us were watching him instead of the show. 😂 

Checking out the show!

Dessert and food were the priority on our way back to the room and then bed for the littles. The older two boys played hard in their kids clubs until 11 then headed back to the room to sleep.

We have already done SO much on this trip...I didn’t realize it until I started writing this post! I didn’t even write about all the other things the kids have done today like swim in the pool and play hide and seek on the boat. Tomorrow in Cabo promises to bring more adventures and excitement!

Until next time...

Line dance learnin'!

Eric Dodge teaching line dancing!

The kids are loving this event! 

Taking a break!

Watching the dancin'!

The baby whisperer!
Granny can get him to sleep anywhere! 

Having fun dancing! 

Playing with Winston the Turtle! 

Day 2-Bon Voyage

Goodbye land! 

Checking out the pier

It’s departure day! This cruising business is new to me and my family...except Daegon. He has had the opportunity before (twice) to cruise with his uncle and grandparents. Lucky duck! So we are pretty excited and a little anxious about this adventure. It’s pretty incredible that we have technology that simplifies our lives so much. We were telling our kids on the way down about the good ol’ days when we had to pull out the extremely large and bulky paper map to find our way. And we didn’t have a navigation app to show us the freeway in red when when the roads were super congested. So we are pretty fortunate to have iPhones and Siri to help us with our traffic challenges. Rob navigated the California roads like a boss and we arrived on time at the pier to check in for our cruise. It was touch and go for a little while but we successfully made it on the boat and enjoyed the launch of the Carnival Splendor from the balcony of our room. There is something about the ocean and the breeze that just soothes my soul! Jayden and I quietly sang the words from Moana as the ocean “called” us.😂 Ryker and Jayden loved watching the land disappear from the comfort of our balcony but Daegon and Trenton were way more adventurous on the upper levels of the ship.

DINNER
The buffet! Wow! Food for miles...well it feels like miles. So many people were eating and milling around when we boarded. We decided to wait a little bit to eat because we ate at a mall somewhere in California before heading to the boat. But I had my eye on the huge plates with burgers and fries I kept seeing everywhere so I had to go back for that after our muster drill.

Muster. I kept thinking people were saying “mussel” drill and I could only think of the critters people have to clean off their boats when they come back into Utah from Lake Mead. I couldn’t figure out why we would need a drill for that. Well...it had NOTHING to do with mussels and everything to do with what can go wrong on a large boat. 😱 It was informative but took forever to account for all of the passengers. Ryker cried through the whole thing but we got to leave the drill early because of him! Thanks Ryker!

Back to food... so once we were out of the harbor, we went back for the burgers and fries. They did NOT disappoint! Was it the best burger I’ve had? Meh...it was cooked quickly and mass produced but everything tastes better while on vacation, right?!? The pizza place was open too. Rob said it was pretty good! So three great options so far! At that point, Trenton and Dax joined us for “second dinner”.

We had time the rest of the evening to settle in and explore the ship. The kids have already explored the whole ship and found all the places. Probably even some they shouldn’t have been!! But they are great little navigators and are having a blast! This will be an amazing adventure!

Until next time....

Bridge to the boat

The boat is in sight!

Checking it all out from our balcony

The FOOD! 

Here we go! 

And no one knows....how far it goes...

The Sweet Spot! See you in a week! 

Kids tour the boat!

Hurry mom! I need food! 

Day 1-Travel Day

Our first day of our trip was a travel day. We decided it would be so much easier to take a day to travel to California so we wouldn’t be rushed the day we were to set sail. We would be able to stop whenever we needed to. We found out the night before that Rob’s flight from Chicago was delayed and he would miss his connecting flight to St. George. After carefully weighing all of his options, he decided to rent a car in Salt Lake and drive home, which gave him a 4:00 am arrival. Fortunately, he is used to functioning on very little sleep.

Annoying Big Brother

The excitement of going on this trip (Trenton) and the chore of packing (Emily) kept some of us awake the night before and crankiness ensued among family members when Ryker didn’t get his way and screamed at everyone while traveling.

Hanging out at Buffalo Bills

We stopped at Buffalo Bills in Primm in hopes the Desperado roller coaster was open. Sadly, it was not. Trenton has been wanting to go on it forever!! It just never seems to be running when we are there. We had lunch at McDonalds and Panda Express then headed on our way.

     After some grueling traffic and scary freeway interchanges, we made it to our hotel. When we travel to see family up north, we stay at Staybridge Suites and the boys really like it. So, we found a Staybridge 15 miles from the pier and it was just what we hoped. Robert grabbed Little Caesar’s for dinner and we were done for the night! Fortunately these no nap days help us get Ryker to bed easily!

Until next time...

Settling In

Sharing

What defines you?

     Change is good! Change makes us flexible. And stronger. Right??? Sometimes we gracefully move in the direction the universe is telling us to go and other times we go kicking and screaming!

     I have this friend...we met in a normal way but became fast friends immediately. It was like I knew her soul and she knew mine. She is older than me. Her children are around my age. Maybe it is her motherly instinct or our spirits reaching out for each other, but for whatever reason, we bonded through acupuncture sessions. She is a healer and I needed healing. She is a master of change and truly has faith she will be led in the direction she is meant to go. Soon after I met her, she packed up and moved to Hawaii. I was sad, but she knew she had to go. We lost touch for a year or so then one day, she randomly texted me and said she was back! She didn’t have a job or a place to live but she knew her current life calling was here, in St. George. Soon after she moved back, I was put on bedrest. The pregnancy was rough. And scary. Along with my family, she was an amazing support to me through the pregnancy and NICU experience. We had a few (what she called) “helping visits” where she would come over and clean or do laundry. It was hard for me to accept the help, but she didn't give me the chance to refuse. A beautiful friend in my time of need! She has since moved on to a different calling in California but I bring her up because I am inspired by her free spirit. I want to be like her!

My dear friend and baby R

As a person who carefully plans everything...and I really do mean everything...I currently find myself in a bit of a transition period... 

     I’ve been a teacher for twenty years. Ouch! Half of my life??? Teaching is what I do, it's who I am. The role of teacher kind of defines me. Well...yeah...I am also a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister...but my calling...my purpose has always been to teach. I never wanted to do anything else. My calling to help young people with their education and self-discovery was always clear to me. So you can imagine the big feelings going on inside me as I am coming to terms with the truth that I am currently not a teacher. Of course I will always be a teacher at heart, but I am taking a break. I need a break. The decision didn’t come easily. In fact, it was a battle with myself for weeks. There were many conversations in my home about it and a lot of questions we needed answered. Losing my pay and benefits when I was pregnant was devastating and we are still recovering from it. So the biggest question was, "Can we make this work?" Here is where the faith comes in...like I mentioned before, I REALLY need a break. I felt like I was limping along through daily life. I wasn't a good teacher or a good mother or a good wife. It was hard to get up in the morning and all I could think about for most of the day was going back to bed. The details of my health issues aren’t important in this story, but there are some big things going on with me and I need to figure them out. So what is important in this story? Just the awareness that I need some time to focus on myself, my health and my family. I have possibilities and options and honestly, as I stand at the threshold of opportunity for healing and self discovery, I feel a tingle of excitement, but also fear of the unknown. Big fear! 

Let's take a selfie! 

The role of teacher no longer defines me. I plan to go back.
I don't know where or when. It might be soon and it might not. But I can't give up the passion that easily. ;-) But for now, I'm going to take care of myself and my family and do my best to accept what the universe hands me!