Holiday Cruise

This Christmas, we decided to take a holiday cruise since all six of us were able to go. 

We drove to Alabama to pick up Ashlyn & Alex, then departed out of the Port of Mobile.

Once onboard, it was time to eat!!

Our favorite items at breakfast included lox & bagels, eggs benedict, french toast, and Ceasar salad with salmon. 

Our youngest decided to order 5 boiled eggs and didn't think that was strange. 

In the evening, we'd have to dress up a bit more in the dining room. But the food there was just as delicious!

The wait staff entertained the cruise guests with singing or dancing every night. 

And then for lunch, the ship had an amazing buffet on the top deck along with specialty foods like Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana.

The challenge was to burn enough calories at the gym to counter all the food. Then after every workout, we'd relax in the whirlpool or sauna.

Our cruise itinerary had 4 days at sea and 3 at the Bahama islands. On sea days, the ship kept things fun with trivia contests. Our family attended several of these activities and did well with sports trivia, The Office, general knowledge, and mind games, but only took home the trophy with Seinfeld trivia. Streaming all 9 seasons this fall paid off! 

Something new on ships now is to find rubber ducks. They are hidden all over the ship. Families will bring them to hide, and others look for them to keep. Luke found one and re-hid it for the children. 

Our first island stop was Nassau. We walked around the city to look for a catholic church offering Mass, but it was a holiday for them (Boxing Day) and services were on a different schedule. So we did a few touristy things like climb the queen's staircase.

A short walk later we arrived at Fort Fincastle overlooking the bay.

Then my favorite, rum shots at the Graycliff Chocolate Factory where you also eat the cup!

After that, we tried to tour John Watling's Rum Distillery with their amazing pina coladas, but it was also closed for the holiday. We decided to spend the extra time relaxing on the beach.

But then found some rum punch stands and had to partake.

Our return time back on board the ship was 4pm, which was perfect to clean up for another amazing meal. Our dinner time varied between 6pm-7:30pm, depending on when we scheduled our reservation. When we had time to spare, we took a few pictures.

Our next island stop was Bimini, a smaller land mass that's only 7 miles long. We rented a golf cart to take us to the north beach.

There, the girls enjoyed tanning while the guys built a "fort" around them. Eric enjoyed riding the current in the water. 

Our last island didn't have much to offer since the weather was rainy, but we did manage to explore a bit and found thier volcanic rock coastline. It was just as peaceful as it was gorgeous!

Back on the ship to head home, one of the kids snapped this beautiful picture. The sunsets at sea are so pretty!

Campfire Bday

Our youngest celebrated her 17th birthday with a campfire party. We set out some great snacks then added lights and music.

The evening was really cold, but her friends didn't disappoint as about 12 braved the weather to help celebrate he special day. 

Eric an I took turns going outside to keep an eye on things. He manned the wood for the fire while I was in charge of the snacks & smores.

A surprise package came in the mail that next day...sweets from our family in Germany! We had gummies, chocolates, biscuits, and beautiful kitchen cloths made in Weseke.

These yummy treats won't last long for sure. We love them!

Ultimate Frisbee

Our godson plays on the UT Tuff ultimate frisbee team and they had a tournament only an hour away at UGA in Athens, GA.

The one in the middle with the white hat (#23) is our favorite player. The team wasn't hard to spot. We just looked for their orange shirts and boots on the sidelines.😂

Although we missed his first game, we had a chance to visit before the next one started. 

My favorite part was their huddle cheer. 

I wasn't prepared to video the huddle above, but I did video it again later in the day. I love their ending!

Sometimes our player would man the camera.

Other times, he would be on the field. 

If you've never watched the sport, it's incredible to see how accurate the throws are. In this clip, UT is playing NC State where NC scored (included for my son-in-law). But no worries, UT ended up winning the game. 😊  

The game is self-ref'd, and there's a "spirit of the game" where it's more about the fun than the competition. I didn't understand that for the first two games, and I was the only spectator cheering. 

After all 4 games, our hungry godson was ready for a buffet. We took him to the dining hall at UGA where he ate plenty of protein to fill him up. 

Next year, we'll come better prepared with snacks for the whole team! So much fun watching!

XC 2023

The Cross Country team this year was really strong and fun! Our youngest made a new PR (22:12) and, in one of the races, led her team with the fastest finish time! 

All Region winners who finished top 10!

Then after a strong showing at Upper State, the team advanced to State!

We cheered on the team with posters and pom poms!

Our girl tied her PR and kept a consistent pace throughout the race. She was simply running for fun and ended up doing really well.

Here's her state team with the seniors at their last race. This picture hit home that she only has one XC seaon left. Oh my, we're not ready for this!

AL Visit

 Our first visit to the newlyweds in Birgmingham, AL!

Their house is near the interstate in a cute townhome subdivision.

They did a nice job decorating it! Very comfortable and elegant.

Nearby is a outdoor community park where we enjoyed a nice walk. 

The park offered surprises like this wooden teepee. It also had a bonsai garden and an outdoor wedding venue.

Ashlyn is a great cook (always has been since she was little), so her meals were delicious! 

While she was inside, Alex was working on his car with Eric. 

The next day, we headed to another park that boasts the largest cast iron statue in the world to pay tribute to the city's steel heritage.

Overlooking Birmingham.

Another great trail to get some exercise.

That evening, they took us to a unique ice cream parlor run by a Catholic family. There's a dress code and a code of conduct to enter. The place was all lit up with lights on the trees, had the most beautiful bathrooms like the Sistine chapel, and played soft Christian music.

After we got our ice cream, we sat at tables that made you feel like someone special.

We eventually had to head out so they could prepare for their busy week ahead. On our way to Huntsville, we detoured to see the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Just driving in was pretty amazing!

Once through the elaborate gates, we were in awe of the size of this church. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was gorgeous. This is actually a monestary.

On the opposite end of the circular grounds is a gift shop in the design of a castle.

We continued on our journey to visit friends from college, Keith and Lou Ann Siddall. They were gracious hosts with a home decorated to the T with all things fall, including a Texas Tech pumpkin.

I couldn't make a stopover in Huntsville without visiting NASA. It was a Monday morning and perfect for low crowds.

A simulated 'command center' for jet propulsion testing.

We had fun without the lines to take photos!

The last Saturn V rocket to check off our list: only 3 exist and now we've seen them all. One is at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the other is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Our coolest take-a-way was the many conversations with NASA engineers and scientists who were on hand to tell us about their 40-year work history on projects they helped to design and discoveries made. For once, I had to pull Eric away!