Happy 5 Month Birthday Girls! We're So Happy To Be Back Home!

It's gonna be a long one, so you're forewarned. ;-) What a great trip. There turned out to be no hurricane, so off to Florida we went. We arrived around 3 & went straight to our hotel, The Hotel Astor. As always, I found the hotel on Trip Advisor. Miami's expensive so I was a little surprised that the # 5 hotel was only $150/nt! :-0 We were even more surprised that we were upgraded to a 2 room suite! The room was really nice & we were only 2 blocks from the beach. The front desk clerk recommended a Cuban restaurant around the corner (I was dying for my favorite, a Cuban sandwich). After lunch, we walked on the beach, had a beer on the infamous 'Lincoln Road', then back to the hotel for a nap. (I was a zombie after only sleeping 4 hrs. the night before.)

After we got ready, we went to Wet Willies for 1 1/2 very strong slushy drinks. They were called "Call A Cab", but Jeff thought they should be called "Call A Stretcher"! ;-) We went to a Greek Restaurant that I had read about & it was so ridiculously loud, we left. (My Dad would have loved it there! lol) I had briefly read somewhere about an Italian place near our hotel so we checked it out. It ended up being one of the best dining experiences we've ever had. We ended up staying about 2 hours & it was so nice to relax & be pampered. I remembered my Mom said she sent us a picture so we opened it right there & both cried!! (It might have been the slushies & bottle of wine. haha) I was already missing my girls like crazy.

Friday, we got on the ship about 1:00. It was RCL's Majesty of the Seas. She's 16 years old, but has been refurbished 2x & looked great. We checked out the entire ship, had lunch @ the buffet, then took a little nap. Then, up to the pool deck for a drink @ the sail-away party. Dinner that night was pretty good. We were seated with a Mother-Daughter, Kit & Amanda. (Amanda goes to ASU for all my Sun Devil friends!) There was another couple from N.J. that weren't the greatest tablemates so we were happy that they only joined us the 1st night. Unfortunately, the boat was pretty rocky & Jeff went back to the room to lay down. (He wasn't the only one- a bunch of people were sick!) I stayed & ate dinner (mine & his, since he had already ordered!), then went back to check on him & order room service for him. Thank God he was feeling better & we just went to bed.

Saturday we arrived in Coco Cay, RCL's private island in the Bahamas. They have tons of beach chairs & hammocks everywhere & different activities you could do, but we just wanted to relax. Such a bummer, it was overcast all day, which made it so you couldn't see just how turquoise the waters are. We decided to go back to the ship for lunch cuz there was a Johnny Rockets on board & it was soooo good. Jeff decided to stay, watch football & go to the gym & I went back to the island to lay out more. I stopped by the casino on my way to find Jeff & played some Blackjack. I won $65 & was excited to tell him (It may not seem like much, but it was at least some Mojito $$! lol). I found him & just as I was gonna tell him, he blurts out "I won $500!!!" He was playing the Wheel of Fortune slots. So much for my $65! Whoo Hoo!! :-) That night was formal night & our waiters came & sang Happy Birthday to Jeff & Kit. (Not only did he begrudgingly have to dress up, he had people singing to him too! haha)

On Sunday am., we arrived in Nassau. It was pretty cloudy but still beautiful. We went to the Atlantis hotel & walked around a bit. (Had been there before.) We then went to the Sheraton & hung out on their gorgeous property. There were only about 8 other people there so it was so nice & quiet. We then went & had a beer @ Senor Frog's, then back to the ship. Here's where the huge disappointment came..... we went & played Bingo & I was ONE NUMBER away in the final Bingo game. I was one of 5 people of about a 100. I needed I-25 & he called I-23. I thought my heart was gonna pound out of my chest. He then called 3 N's & some woman won $1900!!!! It took about an hour before Jeff & I got over it. lol

Although we missed the girls terribly, we had such a great time. I'm so grateful I have such an amazing husband & wonderful relationship. I'm also so blessed I have fantastic parents that love our girls dearly & didn't hesitate to watch them for 5 days so we could get away. And last, but not least, that my adopted Godmother Harriet asked to take each girl for 24 hrs. as if they were her own granddaughters. They, too, are very lucky girls & I'm so happy to be back home with them.