Bahamas Cruise, Day 1

Since we didn't have to be at the cruise ship until around lunch time, we were not in a huge hurry to check out of the hotel.  We went downstairs to the restaurant where we had dinner the night before for breakfast.  It was a standard breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, etc.  Nothing exciting there.  Then it was time to pack our things back up and head out to the Port of Miami to get to the ship.

We shared a van taxi with an older couple.  Robyn, who was sitting right behind them, overheard this couple or at least the woman mumbling that she didn't like sharing the van with other people.  HUH?  We're all going to the same place, what's your problem?  Oh well.

Yay, we're on the ship!

The Royal Caribbean onboarding process went really smoothly.  It might have helped that the 4 of us had done some pre-boarding paperwork ahead of time so that we wouldn't have to do it at the "gate."  Per my boss's advice, we got to the ship around lunch time to save the money/time that we'd be spending on trying to get lunch in Miami.  I was already impressed by the efficient onboarding process and that continued when I saw how clean the ship was and how they kept the dining room a) stocked with a variety of food/desserts and b) so clean, considering how many people they were going to feed over the next few days.

After lunch, the four of us went up on the ship's deck to enjoy the view of the port, soak in the sun (with sunscreen, of course), try to tune out the spring breakers that were clearly already in party mode, and wait for Meg's friends from their running club- Megan and Kristen.  Page and I were content to hang out by the deck chairs and catch up some more (she was telling me about pharmacy school), while the others went to get drinks and walk around the deck to explore.  At some point, we also had to do a safety drill and learn where to congregate in the event of an emergency.  Some people came late and this one guy in particular came when the English version of the safety shpeal was done and they were saying it in different languages.  "Hey, speak English!" he yelled obnoxiously.  Later on, I heard that Page said under her breath, "Well, you would have heard it in English if you came on time..."  Mmmyep.

Soon after it was time to change into nicer clothes and go down to the dining room for dinner.  We got interior staterooms to save on money and roommates were assigned prior to the trip: Robyn/me, Meg/Page, Kristin/Megan.  Initially the two beds were linked side-by-side to create one bed, but Robyn and I decided that it'd be better to have the stateroom attendant separate them into two beds.  We also got an extra pop-up table as a result.  The bathroom was a little small, but for a short/small person like myself, that didn't pose a problem for me.  Robyn, who stands at 5'10"- 5'11", experienced something totally different. #tallpeopleproblems. 

Our waiter, Putra, was so friendly.  He had a smile that you'd think would make his cheeks sore at the end of the night.  I ordered a Sunburst Splash, a caeser salad for a starter and seafood spaghetti (it had scallops, I had to get it!) for my main course.  With Meg wearing her birthday girl sash, the waiting staff took the initiative to bring a chocolate dessert called the Chocolate Sensation to the table and sing Happy Birthday.  We each got our own desserts too.  I went with the Chocolate Sensation because the bite that I had of Meg's birthday portion was so yummy that I wanted some of my own.

After dinner and dessert (2 hours later), Robyn, Page and I tried our hand at the casino.  Like my most recent casino experience, I burned through my $10 daily budget for gambling on video game poker and video slot machines.  Cry, cry, cry.  One moment that I didn't appreciate was when a drunk male spring breaker brushed up against me and grabbed my butt.  I gave him the death glare and he slurred "Oh, sorry, baby."  I thought, "Oh, you'll be really sorry if you try that again."  Anyway, considering how many drunk people were on the ship by now, having only one of those moments wasn't a total shock.  After the casino, we went to sit in the bar and have another cocktail.  The other three girls showed up and we all went to the dance club where they played music from the 70's and 80's.  At some point, a bunch of male staff came out dancing with different costumes: policeman, Native American, sailor, construction worker, etc.  Y-M-C-A blasted from the loudspeakers.  Shocking, I know.

Hooray, we're here!  Let's get on the boat!

Waiting the small water planes take off.

Yep, we're officially on vacation.

Me and Page enjoying the view.

Me and the Birthday Girl!

My first drink on the trip: a Sunburst Splash

My first dinner on the trip: Seafood Spaghetti

Waiters serenading Meg for her birthday

Page and Robyn trying their hand at a poker video game

Kristin and Meg dancing away to...some 70's or 80's music?

Pre- Bahamas Cruise: Miami

I decided to spend the night at Robyn's place last night because she lives closer to the airport.  It would take me a good hour on the Metro from my place, and I didn't want to risk any delays in getting there on time.  We watched several episodes of Big Bang Theory and ate pizza before "springing forward" and going to sleep.

We met Meg at the airport and off we went.  Onward to Miami.  Even though the cruise didn't leave until Monday, we wanted the extra day to hang out with Page and not be in a huge rush to get to the ship.  We met Page at baggage claim in the Miami airport and our college buddy quartet was complete.

The hotel that we stayed at was called Casablanca by the Sea.  The hotel still used metal keys instead of the plastic access cards.  How old school.  The view from the hotel room was beautiful- we could see the ocean and the beach and do some serious people watching.  After getting settled in and changing into clothes suitable for Miami weather, we went on a search for lunch.  The other three got fish tacos and I got chicken tenders with fries.  It was nice to catch up on life in person finally.

We headed back to the hotel and relax and talk some more until it was time for dinner. There didn't seem to be too many places to eat around the hotel, so we settled for the hotel restaurant.  I had a salad for dinner and mojito...the vegetables were definitely welcomed.  Robyn asked for a gin and tonic and the waitress asked what was in that.  Page had to clarify that it was an alcoholic drink that had gin and tonic in it.  Clearly the waitress wasn't a bartender too.  That definitely got a few laughs.  Then it was back to the room to start winding down the day.  It had been a long day with all the traveling and walking we did!

Check out the fixtures outside the hotel...how unique, right?

View of the beach from our hotel window.  The hotel website said that an ocean view would cost $8, but we got this view without that charge.

Page (left) and Meg (right)

Robyn and me

Birdie Birthday Card

Today is my last day in the office before the vacation.  I'm FREE until Monday, March 18.  :D

Here's a new card that I made for a family member's upcoming birthday.  I used a green doily scrap that I was originally going to use for this card, but then decided at the last minute on a different color.  I didn't want that piece to go to waste so I used it for this card.  With a different sticker and colors, the card changed from baby to birthday. 

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Green Charcoal, Prussian Blue
Stamp: Studio G (sentiment), Hero Arts- Cling Dots (polka dots), Stampin' Up- Elementary Elegance (bird, butterfly)
Paper: Chatterbox
Die: QuicKutz- Nesting Lace Doilies
Sticker: Martha Stewart Heirloom Framed Bird Stickers

Snow Day

The federal goverment was closed today, so I got a snow day!  The snow wasn't really all that exciting because it was wet snow and everything looked really slushy outside.  Oh well, I got to sleep in and that was awesome. I was on my work computer doing email for a little bit today and based on what I see on our office IM system, a lot of us were on our work computers. Sometimes the show must go on. Given all the stuff that's been in the news about the Yahoo CEO doing away with teleworking and yucky weather days like this, it makes me feel so lucky that my job allows us to telework and that we have the technology to do so. It's one of the best benefits I have! 

One alarming thing that happened this morning was that when I checked my phone when I woke up, all my text messages on my iPhone were gone! ACK, WTH?! Good thing I had a recent backup on my iTunes. That was a good reminder for me to backup my phone every night before bed because you never know what could happen!

New Nails

I did my nails again last night and since I had some extra time, I did some stamping too.  I was surprised that the Konad pink polish didn't perform as well as the Sally Hansen polish.  Maybe it's a fluke thing, I dunno.  I'm also on the lookout for a good white stamping polish.  I saw some on BornPrettyStore.com that looked affordable.  We'll see.

Base coat: China Glaze in Aqua Baby. (2 coats). Pink: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Presto Pink. Bundle Monster plate #206.

Goodwill Goodies and New Baby Card

Goodwill Goodies: After going to spin class this morning (man, it was tough to get out of bed, blah!), I went to Target to get 4 more yellow placemats to add to the ones that I got  yesterday.  Now I feel like I have a complete set...ones for people to eat on and then a few leftover to put in the center of the table for the food.  I also got some Snickers and Twix eggs.  I didn't HAVE to get them, but I had a coupon, heh.

On the way home, I went to Goodwill and found these goodies: a framed print for $4.98 and 3 CD wire racks that I thought would work for a jewelry stand.  The price tag said $1.96 for one of them.  The other two didn't have a price tag.  The cashier sold them to me for $0.96 each.  Huh?  That can't be right.  Confused, I asked him what the price was again and he said $0.96 for each ($2.88 total for all 3).  Oook, I'm not going to argue with you. 

I took some black twisty-ties that I had in my kitchen drawer to secure these racks together.  I thought of using my hot glue gun or my Glossy Accents, but that seemed too permanent to me.  Now, most of my dangle earrings as well as some necklaces are displayed nicely.  As for the framed leaf print, I originally put it in my living room, near the kitchen, but since the wall paint is similar to the frame, the art kinda gets lost on the wall.  I moved it up to my bathroom, where the walls are a pale blue.

Card: Here's the card that I made last night for an upcoming baby shower that I'm going to in a few weeks.  Martha Stewart came to my rescue again.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Warm Red, Charcoal
Stamp: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment), Hero Arts- Cling Dots (polka dots),
Paper: Die Cuts with a View
Die: QuicKutz- Nesting Lace Doilies
Sticker: Martha Stewart Blue-Green Fabric Rocking Horse Sticker

Leaving for my cruise in a week! :D

Target Haul

I was on a mission today.  a) Go to a moving sale near my parents' house and b) go to Target to find some placemats because the ones that I have now are not washable and there are some pen marks and nail polish stains on them.  I wanted to buy ones that were for eating only (no crafting or doing my nails on them...).  I'm happy to report that Target was very good to me today.  I found 4 daffodil colored washable cloth placemats for...get this...$0.68 each!  I also found some good deals on jewelry.  My next crafty adventure will be to build a framed jewelry holder so that I can display all my earrings in the bedroom.  The pottery bowls they are in now doesn't do them justice because they get jumbled together and you can't see all the colors in their glory!