Back Among the "Landlubbers"

Well, despite not packing all the essentials (like pjs, underwear and swimsuits), a little seasickness, some chillier-than-expected weather and a cancelled shore excursion, we had a wonderful vacation! (Thank goodness for big-box stores, ginger pills, sweaters and refunds)!

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the Kemah Boardwalk, where we rode rides and ate seafood and took in all the sights. Sunday morning dawned chilly, but that didn't keep us from playing on the beach after breakfast and then spending most of the rest of the day at Dickens on the Strand, where we saw Victorian England come alive before our very eyes. When the festival was over, we made our way to one of the historic neighborhoods, where many beautiful, old trees were destroyed during Hurricane Ike. In an effort to preserve something of the beauty and majesty of these trees, many of the homeowners hired chainsaw artists to carve the remaining trunks into beautiful sculptures. The results are absolutely amazing! When it got too dark to see the sculptures, we found another seafood restaurant on the beach, where we enjoyed the food, the view and celebrating the anniversary of when we got engaged 13 years ago to the day, on that very beach.

Monday morning found us back on the beach, under slightly warmer conditions, where we played for a while before boarding the Carnival Ecstasy. The cruise was absolutely wonderful, and we would highly recommend it to anyone considering this type of vacation! The kids, undaunted by the chill in the air and the water, spent most of their time aboard the boat swimming in the pool, lounging in the hot tub and zipping down the three water slides--while Jeff and I, huddled under towels and jackets, relaxed and read on the deck. There were many other things to do aboard the ship as well, and each day was packed with fun from early in the morning until late at night. On Wednesday, we arrived in Progresso, Mexico, where we saw ancient Mayan ruins, ate at an authentic Mexican buffet and took in a horse and dance show. Thursday brought us to Cozumel, where our sub-ocean boat tour was cancelled, due to high winds and unsafe conditions. Instead, we did some shopping and then spent the rest of the day aboard the boat, enjoying all the Ecstasy had to offer. As we made our way back to Galveston on Friday, we learned how to make towel animals and witnessed the carving of an ice sculpture aboard the ship. It was a fabulous vacation, and we are all looking forward to another opportunity like this in the future!

My plan is to select a *few* of the 500+ pictures I took and dole them out in batches during the upcoming week. If you aren't a picture person, we certainly won't be offended if you skip the forthcoming slideshows. But, if you'd like to have a visual of our trip, we welcome you to join us here over the next few days.