Road Trippin', Cruisin' and Photo Bombin'-Our EPIC Family Vacation!NEW11/5-BIRDS..UGH

[maryj11]

Congrats to Dan !!

 

[indimom]

Just a little life update! Dan graduates on Saturday and things have been really crazy here! With school ending for the other two boys and all that brings...exams, trips, etc...and planning Dan's grad party, I have not been able to get an update posted. I have family coming into town this weekend for the festivities and we are having a big party to celebrate on Sunday. I am doing most of the cooking, so I'll be a busy girl this week. I have a scrapbook to finish, decorations to finalize, meatballs and chicken to cook, shopping to do....the list goes on!

Please bear with me. I promise I will be on to update next week after the craziness subsides a bit. I will post pics of the new High School graduate as well!

Have a wonderful celebration! And congrats to Dan!

 

[Kaykool101]

I just wanted to say hi. I recently found your TR and I have been catching up. I have really enjoyed reading, so I thought I would say hello and congratulations to Dan.

 

[lsenquiz]

Missing your updates. Hope eveything went well with Dan's big day and the party afterwards.

 

[indimom]

Ditto the above. I got excited when I saw your thread near the top.
(Seriously, take your time, and come back when you get the chance... We'll be waiting!)

 

[jester911]

Loving the writing style and the whole family trip experience. I drive down with my boys too. they love the drive almost as the Disney parks themselves...almost lol

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Thank you all for your patience! The graduation and party went well...I'm a bit tired but happy, proud, and grateful for family and friends who help celebrate our accomplishments!

I am writing an update now, but here are a few pics of graduation and a senior portrait or two of my HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

When I last left you, I was lounging on the GORGEOUS beach in Little Stirrup Cay enjoying a Mango Margarita and soaking up the island sun!

Isaiah and I were on the beach, Jeff and Jonah were taking a walk and checking on Dan who was playing in a beach volleyball tournament. Jonah found this cool photo op on his travels.


When Jeff and Jonah got back from their walk, we decided to do a bit more snorkeling. Dan was still playing volleyball, but the rest of us got our gear on and hit the beach again. We probably snorkeled for about another hour before we called it a day. The waves were still a bit choppy and my stomach was starting to pay the price, so it was most definitely time to get out while I was ahead!

Our long lost volleyball playing son had returned when we got back to our chairs so we thought now would be a good time to take a few family pics before packing up and heading back to the ship. The last tender boat was leaving at 4 and we wanted to be on it! I will never understand the people who go back to the ship early. You are going to have to drag me, kicking and screaming, off of this beautiful island! We’ll take the last shuttle, thank you very much!

We found another family on the beach with the same photo idea so we swapped cameras and got some cool family shots!











By now it really was time to pack up all of our stuff and head to the tender boat to head back to the ship. Time to say good-bye to this….



We weren’t in a big rush as the line was long and we knew that we would not get on the boat that was loading and we’d be waiting. So, while we waited, Isaiah found time to nap, of course!



And so did Dan!



NOOO….Don’t make us leave!



We finally made it onto a tender boat and took the short ride back to the Ecstasy. See how tiny the tenders look next to the ship….



By the time we got back on the ship, unpacked our gear from the day and changed out of our swimsuits it was just after 5:00 pm and we had some time to kick around the ship. I am sure that Jonah went to the ice cream machine and then to the pool and the older boys hit the hot tub. Jeff and I just relaxed on deck.



See, I couldn’t bring myself to wash the sand off of my feet quite yet!


I did finally hit the showers and we all got ready for our last dinner on the ship. We wanted the boys to join us on deck for the sunset, so we were all ready a bit early. The sunset was not nearly as spectacular as the night before, but I’m glad we were all together!

I wanted to get some nice pictures of us all dressed up…..but the next series of photos gives you a little insight into my life with my boys!







Finally, after the silliness, we did get a few good ones!





And we did get a few of the sunset as well.







As we made our way to the dining room, we saw this on deck and found it funny. My family is easily amused!



And that is a good thing because we made a last minute decision to catch the family friendly comedy show in the lounge before dinner! The comedian was very funny and we enjoyed him. I could tell, though, that he was working hard to keep it clean and family friendly. He was scheduled to do an adult show later that night and my older boys made plans to check it out. Now it was time to make our last trip to the Wind Song dining room.

Sadly, it was our last dinner in the dining room with our new friends and our fabulous waiter. We had so enjoyed each meal! The food was very good and my boys tried so many new things. The company was fantastic and I am so glad we got to meet the girls and their aunt. The ship did a really good job seating us with a group with commonalities. We had good conversation and enjoyed the girls’ laughter and interaction with our boys. And our waiter, Witchit, was amazing!



Following dinner, Jonah had a farewell party to attend with his Camp Carnival buddies. Dan and Isaiah went to the comedy show and Jeff and I went to the room to begin packing. We had made the decision to carry our own bags off the ship in the morning as we wanted to get off the ship as soon as possible to head to my happy place!!! So, we had to make sure we were packed and ready to leave first thing and that we had our bags packed in such a way that we could manage to drag them all off the ship! Packing didn’t take too long and before we knew it our suitcases were all packed up and ready to go. Sad in a way, but knowing where we were headed in the morning eased the pain a bit. Ok…a lot!!

Jeff and I wanted to take a last starlit stroll around the upper deck so we headed up there. It was very quiet as it seemed everyone wanted to get their last partying and drinking in! We walked the length of the ship and just enjoyed the quiet and the breeze from the ocean. We ended up at the mini golf course and as we turned a dark corner, we unfortunately stumbled on a couple who obviously wanted some privacy! LOL! They were in a very compromising position, if you know what I mean! Oh my! I was so embarrassed, as they were, I’m sure. (They were young…probably late teens early 20’s) I get flustered when I am nervous and as we walked by I casually told them to “carry on!” Holy Cow! With all the rooms on the ship, we need to use the very public upper deck??? Oh to be young again!

With that, it was time to call it a night. I wanted to repaint my nails from my “cruise” look to my “Disney” look! As I laid in bed, I could feel the ship rocking a bit. It was obvious we were moving quickly. YAY!! The faster we get back to Port Canaveral the faster I get to see Mickey!!

Our last towel animal of the cruise….

 

[maryj11]

The beach and the sunset looks so beautiful

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

ah the dreaded last day on a cruise no matter how long it is 3, 4, 7 , 14 or 15 nights long the last night is always the hardest.

 

[indimom]

I'm glad your graduation celebration went well. He's got some great senior pictures! I'm assuming the young lady is his girlfriend? Is she heading off to college also?

What a lovely last cruise day. I noticed in one photo, it looked like you picked up some sun on the beach. I hope you weren't hurting for the Disney portion of your trip. Eek!
I love the pictures with the cruise ship in the background. There's are really nice.
I had to laugh at your sleeping boys photos. What is it with boys? I swear, they can sleep anywhere. My son is the same way. He could take a nap in the middle of Walmart. lol.

Can't wait to hear about the Disney portion of your trip!!!!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Missy, I'm glad to hear that Dan's graduation and party went well. He's a fine looking young man and I know that ya'll are very proud of him.

How convenient that you ran into another family and were able to take each other's family pictures. That was nice of ya'll to do. Speaking of those pictures, they turned out great!

Oh, the cruise is coming to an end. At least, you've got a mouse in your future to brighten your spirits.

 

[lsenquiz]

Glad the last cruise day was so enjoyable.

Sounds like you handled the youngins up by the golf course with style

The family pictures look great.

Can't wait to read how the land part of the trip went.

 

[Kaykool101]

Most of the time I think of myself as "young", barely and adult really. Then I hear about situations like the one you stumbled upon and my first thought, is, "really? that's so impractical, who's got energy for that?" and then I feel incredibly old.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Most of the time I think of myself as "young", barely and adult really. Then I hear about situations like the one you stumbled upon and my first thought, is, "really? that's so impractical, who's got energy for that?" and then I feel incredibly old.

 

[indimom]

Most of the time I think of myself as "young", barely and adult really. Then I hear about situations like the one you stumbled upon and my first thought, is, "really? that's so impractical, who's got energy for that?" and then I feel incredibly old.

I tell myself, it's not that I'm too old for that sort of youthful adventure, it's just that I now have enough money to afford my own room with a comfortable bed. lol.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

We leave tomorrow morning for our annual 10 day camping trip! I had hoped to get another update posted, but that is just not going to happen. I promise that I will be better about updating when I get back...after all, we are at the DISNEY part of the vacation!

A little teaser.....where do we spend our first day and who do we find there??

 

[mommytothreeboys]

The beach and the sunset looks so beautiful

It was such a nice day! I love the private island...so relaxing!

ah the dreaded last day on a cruise no matter how long it is 3, 4, 7 , 14 or 15 nights long the last night is always the hardest.

Agreed.

I'm glad your graduation celebration went well. He's got some great senior pictures! I'm assuming the young lady is his girlfriend? Is she heading off to college also?

What a lovely last cruise day. I noticed in one photo, it looked like you picked up some sun on the beach. I hope you weren't hurting for the Disney portion of your trip. Eek!
I love the pictures with the cruise ship in the background. There's are really nice.
I had to laugh at your sleeping boys photos. What is it with boys? I swear, they can sleep anywhere. My son is the same way. He could take a nap in the middle of Walmart. lol.

Can't wait to hear about the Disney portion of your trip!!!!

The girl in the photo is Dan's girlfriend, Samantha. She is very nice and we like her a lot. She is also headed to college in the fall, but she is staying local and attending Roberts Wesleyan College. Who knows what will happen with the long distance between them, but I guess we'll see!

I did get some sun, but not enough to be painful We did see a guy on the ship, though, who I am certain must have ended up in the infirmary. He was SO red it looked dangerous. Poor guy.

Great update!

Missy, I'm glad to hear that Dan's graduation and party went well. He's a fine looking young man and I know that ya'll are very proud of him.

How convenient that you ran into another family and were able to take each other's family pictures. That was nice of ya'll to do. Speaking of those pictures, they turned out great!

Oh, the cruise is coming to an end. At least, you've got a mouse in your future to brighten your spirits.

We seem to run into those families a lot on vacation. People are pretty willing to help you out!

We are very proud of Dan! It's a bittersweet moment watching your child graduate!

SO excited to share the Disney part of my trip!!

Glad the last cruise day was so enjoyable.

Sounds like you handled the youngins up by the golf course with style

The family pictures look great.

Can't wait to read how the land part of the trip went.

LOL! I don't know if it was style or embarassment! Either way, it was funny!

Most of the time I think of myself as "young", barely and adult really. Then I hear about situations like the one you stumbled upon and my first thought, is, "really? that's so impractical, who's got energy for that?" and then I feel incredibly old.

HA! I totally agree!

I tell myself, it's not that I'm too old for that sort of youthful adventure, it's just that I now have enough money to afford my own room with a comfortable bed. lol.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[indimom]

We leave tomorrow morning for our annual 10 day camping trip! I had hoped to get another update posted, but that is just not going to happen. I promise that I will be better about updating when I get back...after all, we are at the DISNEY part of the vacation!

A little teaser.....where do we spend our first day and who do we find there??

Sounds like fun! Have a great time camping!