Day 9: A childhood memory.

When I was ten years old, my family and I went to England on my first overseas experience.  It was wonderful and part of the reason why I fell in love with traveling.  The things that I saw and did when I was there were unforgettable.  Honestly, I hope to be able to go back to study abroad within the next few years. 

I remember I was soooooo excited because my parents got me a brand new suitcase.  It was light blue and transparent.  (Not sure why that was such a thrilling idea, now that I think about it.)  You can see it sitting beside me in the picture below.  The little girl watching me read is my little sister Amy, who turned seven on that trip. 

We went to Madam Tussaud's wax museum in London.  I had never even heard of a wax museum before, so as you can imagine, I was amazed at all of the realistic sculptures of the famous people I'd always seen on TV.  There's me with President Bush.

Since we spent most of our time in London, we got the opportunity to see the changing of the guard.  I loved the guards' tall black hats. 

Stone Henge was my favorite part of the trip.  For some reason, the mystery surrounding those large stones fascinated me.  I actually wrote a fictional "novella" about it over the next few months about how Stone Henge came to be.  (Now that's a story you'd have to pay to read... pretty embarrassing.)  I think it involves some orphaned kids who get stranded and decide to build themselves shelter or something. 

I loved Stone Henge. 

One of my other favorite parts of the trip was when we went to Bath.  Not only was the ancient bath fascinating, but the countryside surrounding the area was gorgeous.  After we toured the bath, my parents sat down and talked while my little sister and I got to run around the surrounding hills and play in the greenest grass I've ever seen.  It was lovely.

We also got to see some other famous attractions in London, including Big Ben, The London Eye, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and two broadway shows (Lion King and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).  Overall, the experience was amazing.

X: Something X-Treme you've done

I'm a very cautious person.  While my friends speed in the car, I nervously drive the exact speed limit.  When we're outside in the dark and we hear a noise, my initial instinct is to blindly run in the opposite direction.  I'm an anxious person... but I'm working on it!

I've traveled a lot in my short lifetime, visiting about fourteen countries (including the United States).  During each trip, I usually end up doing something quite adventurous that shocks people who know me.  When I travel, it's like I lose quite a bit of my nervousness and I want to experience new and crazy things, like petting the wild cheetah in Kenya or moving in with a European host family and attending an Austrian school for a few days.  I don't mind adventure when I'm traveling, especially when I'm on a mission trip.  Of course, some things intimidate me much more than others.

Two of my worst fears are outside water and heights.  When I say outside water, I mean that I'm not afraid of swimming pools, but I'm terrified of lakes, ponds, creeks, oceans... anything outside that I can't say for sure what's inside.  When my friends decided to go on a canoe ride in the creek near Rebecca's house, it took them quite a while to convince me to crawl into that rickety canoe... even though the water was only four or five feet deep and I know how to swim very well.  I'm just afraid of water.  It's an irrational fear of mine.  (I'm the one in the blue sweatershirt, clinging desperately to the sides of the canoe.)

When I was in Mexico on a vacation with my family, we went to Xel-Ha, an outside water resort.  It's very beautiful with fun things to do like ziplining, hikes, snorkeling, and an activity that literally made me feel sick to my stomach at the name.

The Cliff of Courage.

The cliff was about twenty-seven feet tall, hanging over a lake with dark green water.  My two worst fears, mixed into one.  Immediately, I crossed that off my list of possible activities.  There was no way I would ever take the plunge off of a cliff like that.

My dad is also afraid of heights--perhaps even more so than I am--so throughout the day, we made bets with each other: "I'll jump if you jump," both thinking there was no way the other would ever dare to jump off the Cliff of Courage.  Who would willingly throw themselves off a thirty foot cliff into opaque, fish-filled water?  It was ridiculous.

All throughout the day, I had a queasy feeling in my stomach.  I attempted snorkeling and ended up clambering out of the water faster than I even thought was possible once I looked through my goggles and saw giant silver fish resembling sharks swimming beneath me.  There is no other animal that scares me more than a shark.  I knew what the last activity of the day would be.  I dreaded even climbing to the top of the cliff with the others and looking down over the murky water.

As we began the hike up the cliff, something suddenly tweaked inside of me.  The bet between me and my Dad had spread around our group and everyone was teasing us for our fear.  "I can do this," I started thinking to myself.  "I can show everyone how brave I am.  I can do this."  My fear began to subside more and more until we were at the top of the cliff and I was standing over the edge.

"I'll go first," I heard myself say as I dropped my towel to the ground.  My knees were shaking and I knew that if I stopped for even one second to think about my decision, I would never have the courage to jump into that fish-infested green water. 

I glanced at my dad, smiled at the expression of horror coming over his face, and then jumped.

The fall was quick.  All I can remember is the feeling of, "I'm gonna die.  I'm gonna die.  I'm gonna--" SPLASH!  And I hit the water.  It stung the bottoms of my feet and for a moment, I was sure I would be devoured by a mob of angry fishes.  I scrambled out of the water as fast as I could and then stood on the shore with my fists raised.  Victory!  I had jumped off the Cliff of Courage.  I faced my fears.

Hilariously, my dad never could gain the courage to jump that day.  He was very embarrassed, but just like I was afraid I would do, he waited too long to jump and psyched himself out.

Jumping off the Cliff of Courage may or may not be as extreme as strolling through the third worst slum in Africa or visiting the gas chambers in a concentration camp in Austria.  Perhaps the Cliff of Courage doesn't even seem intimidating whatsoever to most people.  I don't know.  All I know is that in my mind, it's the bravest thing I've ever done.  I faced two of my worst fears and made it out alive.

But do know that I will NOT be doing something like that again.

What is your biggest fear? Have you ever faced it?

V: Vacations

I've been given the opportunity to travel a lot in my short lifetime.  I've visited several different countries.  One of the most memorable was when I toured Europe as a twelve-year-old without any parents along.  Fun, fun.  My favorite traveling experience ever was when I went to Kenya, Africa, but I wouldn't call that a vacation.  My best relaxation vacation was probably this summer when I went on the cruise, but I already journaled that on this blog.  I considered sharing some pictures and memories from when I went to London, England with my family, but decided against it because I wasn't really the photographer of that trip like I am now.

I thought I'd share a few pictures from when I went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico with my family the summer before I started high school. 

This was the first time in my life I was starting to gain confidence in my appearance.  I had just grown out my bangs and was wearing makeup (a tiny bit of mascara) for the first time in my life.  So in the June, 2007 album on my computer, there are a lot of strange pictures of myself with statues and paintings in Mexico.

Some were kind of neat.

Others were... odd.  Let's just leave it at that.

I also took some strange pictures with my siblings.  We enjoyed the many weird statues placed all over our resort.

When we were exploring the little village near our resort, a lady braided my hair, as you can see in the picture above.  At first, I was so excited.  Once she started braiding, my excitement faded.  It HURT.  She pulled my hair back so tightly that I was squeezing the life out of the armrests of the chair to keep from smacking her hands away.  And my head was sore for days.  I actually had to take Advil that night because it hurt to lay my head on my pillow!  Ugh, I will never do that again. 

But if I could get the chance to have another of those woven things around a lock of my hair, I would do that again.  I kept that thing in for weeks.  The picture below is strange (I used to think it was so cool), but you can get a better glimpse of what was in my hair.

I did some pretty neat things during the trip, one of which I'll share on the sixteenth (X-Treme Day).  I went swimming with dolphins, which was actually quite a brave thing for me to do, considering the fact that I'm terrified of being in the water with any sort of fish.  Yes, dolphins scare me.  Badly.  Sad, I know, but it's true.

The dolphins were very cute and sweet, but they scared me, especially when one pushed me up by my feet and lunged me into the air.  Swimming with dolphins was one experience I got to check off my "dunnit" list, but that I won't be doing again anytime soon.

I went scuba diving... in a pool, but hey, I still did it.  A funny Australian guy taught me and my grandpa how to scuba.  It was fun to swim all around the lazy river in my big goggles and heavy air tank.  I loved sharing that moment with my grandpa.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the beauty of everything around me.  The resort was stunningly beautiful.  I loved the flowers and palm trees and even the architecture.  The staff was very friendly.  In the main pool, there was an underwater bar.  You had to swim through the pool in order to get there and even the bar stools were underwater.  For the non-drinkers and youngsters, there were plenty of virgin drinks to choose from. 

It was a great vacation.  I would most definitely do something like that again.

It's hard to believe that this was more than four years ago.  Wow.  Time goes by so fast. 

We made some great memories on our Mexico vacation.  I loved Xel Ha and the pool and the Cliff of Courage.  I loved taking family pictures on the beach.  I loved eating nice dinners and spending time with my family.  Sometimes it's so nice to be pampered.

What's one of your favorite vacations?

We had to wake up very early this morning, as we had to get off the ship by 8:30. I woke up at about 6:30 and got ready for the day before packing the rest of my things in my carry-on bag. By seven-thirty, we went downstairs and had our final breakfast at the Windjammer, which is the buffet for when you don't feel like going to the fancier diner, Galileo's.

We said farewell to Antonio, our very friendly housekeeper. He's done such a great job all week. It's going to be strange going back to average hotels with housekeepers who don't learn our names and greet us personally each day.

When we arrived back in Orlando, we left our things at the front desk and took off for Downtown Disney. For those of you who don't know, Downtown Disney is kind of like Disney World, but it's composed of city streets with restaurants and stores and shows, all Disney themed. We rented Nawnie a wheelchair and began to explore.

We ate at a sandwich joint called the Earl of Sandwich. I personally can't stand sandwiches, but according to my family, it was very good.

We were delighted to find that Downtown Disney wasn't very crowded. In fact, we were able to make our way around the area with little difficulty.

We stopped in World of Disney, a store full of absolutely everything you could imagine (with a pair of Mickey ears somewhere on each item). I bought a shirt with Mickey Mouse on it, of course. Everywhere we went was blasting a Disney song. Since I love the music from my childhood, I was very excited (and sang along... a lot).

We also dropped into a little magic parlor, where a magician showed us all sorts of card tricks. The one that shocked me the most was when he had me place my hand on a nine of spades and then I picked a king out of the deck without him seeing. In a few moments, he pulled a nine of spades out of the deck and flipped the card that had never left my palm... and it was a king! For any of you who know a bit about illusions, you probably aren't impressed at all, but I was amazed.

Lego World (or is it Lego Land?) was amazing too. Outside, there were all sorts of intricate sculptures and statues made up entirely of legos. Inside the building, there were scenes from movies and real life, such as railway stations and a garden. I'm not much of a lego person, but I was very impressed with how much you can do with a few legos.

For a few hours, we went to Disney Quest, which is a five story arcade. Once you buy the tickets, you get unlimited access to all of the games for as long as you want. We are staying at the Hilton and they gave us all free tickets to Disney Quest. Luke was obviously very excited.

My favorite game was Pirates of the Caribbean. It was 3-D and took place in a pretend ship with fake cannons and everything. You'd shoot at and try to sink sea monsters and other ships until you won treasure. It was great! Some other cool games were Aladdin's Magic Carpet, a raft ride through the jungle, and Mighty Ducks pinball.

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. We had planned to eat somewhere nice for dinner, but we barely managed to get back to our hotel rooms and crash into bed. We ordered pizza, which tasted good.

We've been watching the Casey Anthony trial like crazy every night. It's kind of funny that we happen to be in Orlando at the same time as all of this is going on.

I cannot wait to get some rest tonight.

Today was a very, very lazy day. It may sound boring from an outsider's perspective, but it truly was not. After a hectic last four days of excursions and appointments and adventures, it was so nice to be able to sleep in and read and nap.

I woke up around ten in the morning and walked into my parents' room. Their room was empty. Confused, I went ahead and got ready for the day before heading up to the Windjammer to see if I could find them there. Just as I was about to give up, I saw Mom walking towards me. “We went back to the room and saw that you were gone,” she explained. “I thought I'd come back and sit with you while you eat.” That was nice of her, so I got some breakfast and we chatted a bit while watching the ocean waves beat each other from the window.

I literally do not have much to share. I took a long nap. I read “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis for the hundredth time. I sat on the balcony and watched the waves.

When it came time to have a late lunch, I went downstairs to grab some pizza from Sorrento's. Much to my surprise, the chefs were all out in the royal promenade, showing off exquisite fruit carvings and ice sculptures. They were making towel creatures for everyone to see. The best part was the desserts. Pastries, chocolate covered fruits, meats, mousses... and they were all free for anyone to take.

I filled up several plates with the desserts (and a few slices of pizza from Sorrento's) and then headed back up to the rooms. I coaxed Nawnie from her room and we had lunch together on the balcony. It was nice to spend time together.

The waves and wind have been crazy all day. It's not storming, but the waves seem to be so much higher and more powerful than they have been this entire trip. I can hear the wind whistling and howling around our cabin. At night, it sounds like some sort of crazed demon. For one of the first times, we can feel the ship truly rock. It's not terrible, but we can feel movement. It rattles the hangers in the closet and causes water to move back and forth in my glass.

The captain told us over the intercom that the wind is going steady at about fifty-five miles per hour. See, I should be used to such wind. I live in a city in Texas that was once listed in the top ten windy states of the United States. Some days we get gusts of wind up to seventy or eighty miles per hour. It's insane. But the difference between there and here is that our wind comes in GUSTS. We'll have a huge gust of wind and then a quick moment of peace and etc. This wind doesn't change. It's a constant fifty-five-mile-per-hour wind.

Because of this crazy wind, I haven't bothered to go out on top much today. I don't feel bad about it. On the first day at sea, I sunbathed for a few hours, but I'm already a little sunburned, so I don't feel like I need to do that. I'm not much of one for swimming, so I don't want to go to the pools either. There isn't much need for me to go up on the top anyways.

The balcony is sequestered behind a few low walls, so I can sit out on a deck chair and have lunch or read without having my hair blown off my head. The only difficulty is that I can hardly hear anything because of the loud blasts of wind.

We all got ready for dinner and were dismayed to find that for the last night of the cruise, we weren't seated in our normal waiter's section. However, Faycal came to us and said he would still be our waiter. It was our last night, after all! It was sad to hug goodbye and take our final pictures together. We also said goodbye to Odalis, who chuckled and hugged us all, asking us to have a picture with the entire family. All of the waiters were told over the intercom to sing us a farewell song, so they did. After that, we all shook hands again. Dad was sure to tell Faycal and Odalis, “God bless you,” to leave a final seed for Christ, and then we saw them for the very last time. It was sad.

As we were eating, we caught a glimpse of Miami. It was only a small silhouette in the fading night sky. We rushed to the top of the ship and I managed to catch a photo of the sun sinking behind the buildings in the midst of a beautiful sunset.

Before we went up to our rooms, we decided to take a family photo. We didn't really have many of those from this trip. We were already dressed for dinner, which was a nice bonus. Unfortunately... my camera was in an accident that involved a long fall and a hard tile floor. It did not survive. The image you see below was the last photograph that camera may ever take. The picture was taken right after the accident and you can tell the camera was already broken. As soon as we get home, my camera will be sent to the shop. I am praying desperately that it will recover.

We spent much of the evening packing our suitcases, since we had to have them set out in front of our rooms for a certain time. We laid out the toiletries and clothes we would need for the next day and set everything else outside of our rooms.

Tomorrow we'll be getting off the ship. I don't want this trip to end!

When we finally got off the ship onto Cozumel, Mexico, a fat Mayan man dressed in colorful paint and a loincloth grabbed me and said, “One photo. Pose for one photo with me.” I'm not sure if I'll have an opportunity to buy the photo later or what, but it was sure interesting.

A man named Santiago—or Santy, as he preferred to be called—stopped us and offered to drive us to a nearby beach. “I take you to the beach for one or two hours and then to a shopping area. It will be nice. Very nice. Good price.” So we all climbed into his taxi and drove for about fifteen or twenty minutes through the hectic Cozumel streets while he told us about the city and life in Mexico.

The beach was beautiful.

Nawnie, Dad, and Amy crashed on some of the chairs in the shade and took naps. Mom, Luke, and I went to a small, private part of the beach and waded in the cool water as the tide came in, bringing hundreds of shells along with it.

After a little while, Mom and Luke got out some snorkeling equipment and found a few flounders and several other kinds of fish.

I enjoyed sunbathing and wading knee-deep in the water. It was HOT outside, probably the hottest island we've visited, but the ocean cooled me off. When I finally returned back to the chairs to relax, I was sweaty and worn out. There's something about being under the hot sun that is absolutely exhausting.

I relaxed in the sun for maybe twenty minutes and then I was overwhelmed by the heat and shared Nawnie's chair in the shade.

We finally packed back up and Santy took us to a small area of shops. He drove by his casa and honked loudly, making us all laugh. We kept passing iguanas along the side of the road. “Delicious,” Santy said. “They are white meat, like chicken. We call it Kentucky Fried Iguana. You cannot get THAT in your restaurants. Only in your home.”

In the shopping area, we got some Mexican vanilla and Coca-Cola, which is amazing since it's made with sugarcane. I also got a t-shirt, a necklace with a charm of the Mayan calendar's October (the month I was born), and a bracelet.

Santy took us back to the pier after proudly showing us pictures of his grandchildren. He was a very sweet man. I'm glad we got the chance to meet him.

We began to wander down the pier. Dad and the kids went onto the ship while Mom, Nawnie, and I stayed behind to shop for a while. We all bought another t-shirt. I loved the shirts at Cozumel! They're all so colorful and bright.

After getting back onto the ship, Nawnie, Mom, and I went to Sarentto's Pizzeria. We got to meet Julio, one of the chefs. He's from Peru. He told us about how he stays on the ship and works seven days a week for seven months straight and then gets a few months off with his family. He says he gets to get off the ship for about an hour after five o'clock. His girlfriend also works on the Royal Caribbean ship, so they go on dates together on the islands.

Julio was a very sweet guy. He told us a little about his life in Peru. Then he asked me why I was still pale if I'd been out in the sun all day. “I don't tan!” I exclaimed. “I could be out in the sun all day, every day, but I'm still just as white as before.”

“Nice for you!” Julio exclaimed. I'd like to have his perspective!

The little towel friend that we found in our room today was a monkey, hanging from the ceiling.

We woke up very early this morning to hurry and eat breakfast so we could shop a little before we went on an excursion. We were at the Cayman Islands today. Even from the boat, the island looked absolutely beautiful. We could see the reef and the fish from our seventh story balcony on the boat! It was amazing.

To get onto the island, we had to take a tender (a small boat) from our ship to the shore. Our tender was called the Carib Temptress. Interesting.

We shopped around a little. For the first time all week, it wasn't at all cloudy, which was nice at first because of the difference, but then we realized how wonderful cloudy weather actually is. It was HOT on that island. Beautiful, but very, very hot.

After we bought a couple of t-shirts and a flute for Luke, we got on board another boat which took us a couple of miles away from the shore. The water was perfectly clear. Even from the third story of the boat, I could see straight to the ocean bottom.

I'll go ahead and admit that while we were on an excursion to go snorkeling, I didn't snorkel. I think I could have if I had really gotten up the courage, but I know I wouldn't have enjoyed myself. For those of you who are regular followers of my blog, you know that my worst fear is deep water and the ocean. I hate the look of it... and I'm also very freaked out by fish. So being right in the middle of it all is not my cup of tea. I was content to look at the ocean from the boat and watch my family snorkel.

At first, I was feeling a little bored and dismal because my family were out having a great time and I was on the boat, but the captain was a very sweet islander who was eager to help me have the best time possible. He gave me a couple of small loaves of bread to throw into the water. Literally hundreds of little (and fairly big) fish would swarm around the tiny pieces of bread, fighting each other for it. Not only did I help people get to see a lot of fish because they all came up to the surface, but I got to truly enjoy myself.

The captain also showed me that on the bottom story of the boat there were several clear panels of glass that showed the coral reef and all of the fish, so I got to see as much as anyone else, whenever I got up the courage to look. Honestly, I don't see what the big deal was. They were... fish. But I was glad that I got to see everything. I even saw a few jellyfish!

One of the best parts about the captain was his accent. He literally had an accent that sounded like Captain Barbossa on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was very difficult to understand at times, but it was quite entertaining. I loved it.

While I was sitting on the bottom deck, feeding the fish, one of the crew went up to me. He looked about my age or maybe a few years older. He was very tan and his hair fell down to his shoulders. “Hey,” he said, “why don't you snorkel with the others?”

“I don't like the water,” I explained. “I'm having a great time right now. I know I wouldn't have fun if I was in the water with them.”

“No, no, get in with me. Just right here on the ladder. We could have fun together right by the boat.”

“No, thanks. I'm really fine how I am,” I insisted.

Pretty soon, the boy climbed out of the water and leaned on the rail next to me. I kept feeding the fish, but I noticed that he continued to gaze steadily at me. “How old are you?” he finally asked.

“I'm eighteen,” I replied.

He looked surprised and then delighted. “Not so young.” Several people I've met on this trip have thought I was younger than I am. I know I look young for my age, in part because of my short stature. The boy smiled widely at me. “You're old enough to drink here, you know,” he said.

Although I'm not interested in drinking, to make conversation, I said, “Oh, really? It's illegal for me to drink in the United States.”

“In all of the islands, it's legal. You can drink as many beers as you want.” He grinned at me, as if that would be an extremely enticing suggestion. When I didn't say much after that, he tried again. “After this is over, how about you and me go to a bar and have a few beers together? We could talk and hang out.”

Great, I thought. What's an excuse? I glanced over at my family, who were preoccupied with the reef. “I don't think my dad would be very happy if I did that,” I finally said. I wasn't lying. If I went off into the Cayman Islands with a strange native to have a few beers at some bar, I'm sure my dad wouldn't be all that happy.

“What?!” the islander scoffed, looking shocked. “Your dad is here? Where is he?” When I pointed out my family, he chuckled and said, “Well, then, your dad can come to the bar with us... but only for a little while.”

I finally managed to escape from the persistent islander and resumed conversation with the sweet old captain of the ship, who told me all about the different kinds of fish and even dove under the ship to try to stir up some more kinds of fish for me to see.

As we left the boat, I again came across the young islander. At this point, I had already told my family about my conversation, so they were all poking me and giggling. He very gladly took my hand as I started to cross the gangplank (isn't that what it's called?) to get off the boat and said, “There you go, beautiful.”

Oh, man.

I finally turned around and offered him a smile. Even if I was uncomfortable, I was flattered with his advances. He was a sweet kid.

Again, my mom and I stayed behind to shop. We went to a place called Del Sol that had some of the most amazing t-shirts I've ever seen. They start out in black and white or in a few light colors and then when you put them out in the sun, they burst into a rainbow of bright colors. It's amazing. The store also had nail polish, sunglasses, headbands, hair clips, bags, jackets, and more that all did the same thing. I was astonished.

We finally returned to the ship. Mom and I stopped at a pizzeria, where we had a couple of pizzas and some delicious white chocolate and strawberry mousse. After that, I took a long nap and then Mom woke everyone up. She was going to attempt to scale the rock wall and she wanted everyone to be there cheering for her. Sure enough, she succeeded! She made it all the way to the top of the wall and got to ring the bell.

After that, I decided I wanted to attempt the Flow Rider, which is basically a surfing machine that makes waves. Instead of an actual surf board, I opted for the boogie board so I'd only have to sit on my stomach.

The man running the Flow Rider was... let's just say... very good looking. He was tall, bronzed by the sun, muscular, and English. I was awestruck. I was already dreading the moment I knew was to come—the wipeout.

I climbed onto my stomach on the boogie board and surfed down the Flow Rider. Almost immediately, I wiped out, doing a flip and falling hard onto the bottom of the machine while my board shot out from under me. Even worse, as I got up to walk away, I slipped on the slick rubber surface and fell backwards onto my back.

I was flushing and totally embarrassed... and then I saw the cute guy, motioning for me to try it again. I shook my head frantically, saying, “No, no, no...” but he insisted. So I found myself again getting onto the boogie board while he gave me instructions in his thick British accent (which I loved).

This time, I did better, managing to stay on the board for maybe fifteen seconds or so, which is impressive for that machine. And then the British man came down next to me and said, “Try to get on your knees!” Feeling semi-confident, I did... and wiped out. Bad.

I literally did about three full flips in the water, nearly losing my shorts. For a moment, I thought, “This is it. I'm going to drown in this awful machine,” but I somehow made it back to the bottom.

I was so embarrassed. Words cannot even describe my mortification as everyone laughed and laughed. I know it was all good-natured. After all, when many of the others wiped out, I laughed too. It's funny to watch. But I fell and flipped and floundered far worse than anyone. I got several comments like, “Did you enjoy doing a 360?” and “Wow! That was the best show I've gotten all day!” And again, they weren't mean-spirited at all.

But I was still embarrassed. I still am a little embarrassed. And seeing the look on that cute guy's face was the most embarrassing part of all.

Dinner was formal night. I had salad, roasted peach soup, lobster and shrimp, and ice cream. It was all wonderful.

Dad had taken a Dramamine right before everyone went snorkeling, so he was groggy all throughout dinner.  He could hardly keep his eyes open!

When we returned to the room, we found another little towel friend. It was a sting ray!

I'm in bed now, relaxing. I'm the least sunburned out of all of us ladies. Amy's the worst. Her back is as red as the lobsters we had for dinner. I'm thankfully only burned on the tops of my shoulders and my knees.

Tomorrow we will be in Cozumel, Mexico. It will be our last excursion on this cruise. I don't want to go home!

We got onto the shores of Falmouth, Jamaica bright and early this morning. It was a lot how I expected, with men in dreads and brightly colored outfits walking around with their ukuleles, singing, “Don't worry 'bout a t'ing.” Seriously—that was my first impression of Jamaica.  We shopped for a few minutes and then boarded a bus and rode for forty-five minutes to a river further into the island. I loved the bus ride because I got to see a little Jamaican village, where many people lived. It was very poor and rundown, which made me sad. The best part was seeing the little school children come walking down the streets, dressed in their uniforms. I also got to see a lot of the Jamaican landscape. It was nice to get to see the “real” Jamaica and not just the resort part.

At the river, we had to store our cameras and belongings in a locker, so I don't have any pictures. I wish I could have taken some, since everything I saw was very lush and green and beautiful. We climbed into the back of a truck and held on for dear life as we began one of the most scary car trips I've ever experienced—second only to Kenya, Africa. There were potholes and cliffs and deep puddles of mud everywhere we looked. The entire vehicle was rocked about like crazy. To make matters worse, the driver wouldn't stop speeding and we didn't have seat belts.

There were three guides who helped us through the river: Dennis, Thiopia, and another one whose name slipped my mind. They all seemed like best friends and constantly bantered, teasing each other nonstop and talking back and forth in their own Jamaican language called Patois, which is actually a mixture of broken English and slang, which was fascinating to hear.

One of our guides ran up to us, singing loudly and shouting, “I just listened to Bob Marley! I'm feelin' good ri' now, mon!” In fact, throughout the entire journey, the young men would frequently burst into song. They usually sang Bob Marley, interjecting with cries of, “Oh, yeah, mon! Dat's ri'!”

As we drove in the rocky car back up to the main building, several youths hopped onto the back of the car. One fell off during a particularly rocky spot, but he turned out okay.

After we returned, the kids went back onto the ship and my mom and I stayed behind in Jamaica to shop. There were many little shops with all sorts of little things to buy. I found a freshwater pearl necklace that I absolutely loved, but it was thirty dollars. I finally managed to bring it down to fifteen dollars (I have no idea if that's a good price or not, but I sure felt like it was!).

The man who sold me the necklace said, “If I sell you dis for fifteen dolla, my lady, will you t'ink of me ev'ry time you put it on?”

“Yes,” I finally stammered, unsure of what else to say.

“Promise me,” he insisted.

After I promised, he asked to be the one to put it on me and then he said, “If anybody asks you where you got dis, my lady, tell dem dat your sweetheart in Jamaica gave this to you.”

I smiled and said I would.

In fact, I seemed to be a hit with the men in Jamaica. My whole family was laughing. At one point, while Mom was looking at t-shirts, I heard a knocking on the window beside me. There were about six Jamaican men in construction hats who were whistling and waving and blowing kisses at me. “You are beautiful, beautiful!” they kept saying. I waved back. I was too embarrassed to even think about blowing kisses back at them.

The last thing I bought was a t-shirt that said Falmouth, Jamaica. The t-shirt vendor was a fairly older man and he actually gave me five dollars off, although he refused to bargain with any of the people before me. Before I left, he actually called my mom over to us and said, “You mus' tek a picture wit' me to remember.”

“O—okay,” I finally agreed. I didn't have much footage of Jamaica anyways since most of our day had been in the water. Perhaps this would be an entertaining picture... and it was, but for different reasons than I thought.

It seems that this man also liked me, even though he wasn't a young guy like the others. When we posed for the picture, he got a little... close. I'll let you see for yourself.

The man put one hand on my stomach and the other hand on my lower back. And then he was sure to get as close as he could with his face on my head. Mom later said, “I was afraid he was about to molest you while your mother was sitting there taking a photo!” Thankfully, he didn't get THAT close.

Dinner was casual, so there isn't much to report about that. I love our waiters: Faycal and Odalis. They're two of the sweetest men I've ever met.

When we got back to the room, we couldn't find a little towel friend. We were disappointed, thinking our housekeeper must have forgotten. And then Luke looked up towards the ceiling. It was a bat! Our little towel friend hung from a hanger hooked to the ceiling. We all had a good laugh about that.

Tomorrow we arrive in the Cayman Islands. It should be an interesting day.

When we woke up bright and early this morning, we immediately spotted a little wooden rowboat rocking precariously in the deep waters of the ocean. “We must be near land!” we cried out to each other, clinging to the rails and watching the tiny speck of a rowboat in the distance.

Soon the island of Haiti loomed into view, green and mountainous. Heavy rain clouds cloaked the top of the mountains.

We arrived in Labadee, Haiti around 8:00 this morning. We got off the ship around 8:30 and walked down a pristine white dock towards the island, surrounded by crystal-clear water. When we looked down, we could see coral and rocks, but I'm pretty sure the water was much, much deeper than it looked.

Nawnie was given a funny-looking wheelchair for the long walk.

We were immediately taken onto a water taxi with about ten or twelve other people. We rode the waves of the ocean for about fifteen minutes while we were taken to another part of the island with a private beach only for us and a little Haitian village.

A sweet woman named Rosie took us on a tour of the village, showing us how to make Haitian peanut butter, bread, and chocolate and how they make their houses. She even showed us a tree with a cure for insomnia, saying, “Ninety-five percent of Haitians have insomnia. The parents lay awake at night wondering how they will feed their children and send them to school since we have no public schools. The children lay awake at night because of hunger.” It put my thoughts into perspective when I realized that while I had been given the opportunity to relax on the beach with my family, there were people on that same island who were going to bed hungry.

I went to buy some trinkets from the islanders. This is the only way many of these people make their livings, so I spent two or three times more than I would normally be willing to pay. I bought a little bead bracelet, a small statue of Haitian people, two metal painted lizards, a t-shirt, and a stone heart.

Our little private island was absolutely beautiful. Amy and Luke enjoyed scampering through the waves and finding several hermit crabs and clams. I was able to sunbathe a little and even got a bit of a tan, I think.

We returned to the main beach in a couple of hours. We ate a lunch of fruit, bread, and pound cake, and then Nawnie and I sat out on the beach and waited while the others prepared to go on a zip line that was 500 feet above the beach.

It became cloudy and rainy through the afternoon, so it wasn't quite as nice as the morning, but I still liked it. At times, I hid under my umbrella as I poked in the sand with my toes. I love the feel of grainy sand beneath my feet.

Finally, the rest of my family came by on the zip line, beaming widely and waving at us. They came back to the beach with a jerk as their lines hit a spring and bounced them backwards to stop their fall. And then it was over.

Mom and I decided to go shopping in the little Haitian artisan while the others returned to the ship. The little shopping market reminded me a lot of Kenya's. Many vendors lined the roads where men would come and call out, “Pretty lady, pretty lady, come and see what I have to show you. Let me give you a gift. Don't you want something nice? Don't you want something beautiful?” It was always very difficult to say no to any of them because not only were we helping them to feed their families, but when we said no, we were also saying no to their artwork. At one point, Mom made the mistake of calling my name and after that, wherever I went, I heard cries of, “Emily! Emily! Emily, come see what I have for you. Beautiful Emily. Where are you going, Emily?”

After buying a few little things, Mom and I returned to the ship, showered, and took a long nap before getting ready for dinner. I had crab cake, sirloin steak, baked potato, steamed vegetables, berrymisu, and lemon tart. Everything was delicious. Our waiters, Faycal and Odonis, are wonderful.

Waiting for us back in our room was a little towel turtle.

I'm writing these words from my bed. It's only 8:30, but we'll probably retire early again because it's been a busy day and we have another long and exciting day tomorrow in Jamaica. Can this trip get any better?

The moment I woke up and looked outside, I was amazed. The water literally looked gold from the sun. It was so bright and beautiful that my entire family stood in awe of what the Lord had made. The clouds hung gently in the sky, only making the brightness of the water even more magnificent. Beneath us, the water was a deep blue. Churning white waves erupted from beneath the ship.

We got up around 9:30 in the morning and went to eat breakfast. I had an omelet, scrambled eggs and baby shrimp, peach yogurt, a banana, watermelon and frosted flakes. Delicious!

After breakfast, we ventured out to the poolside, where Mom and I stretched out in the sun to try to improve our very weak tans.  I dozed in the sun for a couple of hours and then we went to lunch, where we had a pretty good meal. We went back to the poolside after lunch and watched Luke and Amy both climb to the top of the ship's rock wall. It was fun to see everyone's amazement as adults struggled to reach halfway and both brother and sister made it all the way.

Not a whole lot happened today since we were at sea. No excursions or big activities. All we did was relax and nap and enjoy ourselves, which was very, very nice. I don't do that often.

Dinner was formal wear, so we all dressed up very nicely. Dad and Luke wore suits, Amy and Mom both wore dresses, and I wore a swimsuit cover-up. No joke. I got a black swimsuit cover up when I was back in Texas. When I tried it on without a swimsuit, Mom and I burst out laughing. It seriously looks like a nice dress, especially when it's paired with a black set of heels and a pearl necklace. So that's what I wore. A thirteen dollar fancy dress and nobody ever noticed anything.

Dinner was very nice. I had shrimp cocktail and even tried some escargot. In fact, the entire family tried some. I absolutely hated it, but I felt adventurous for trying. I had some prime rib for my main course and then some strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Overall, it was absolutely wonderful.

We went onto the main deck to watch the sun set, but unfortunately, the sky was covered in thick clouds that blocked the sun from view. Also, the wind was terrible on that side of the ship and tended to blow our dresses around terribly. We couldn't stand without having to hold the hems of our dresses down.

When we got back to the room, we found a few towels formed into the shape of a dog. The towel dog was absolutely adorable and it was wearing Amy's sunglasses. I skipped the show tonight and spent the night relaxing before going to bed early.

Tomorrow will be our first excursion: to Labadee, Haiti.

Today has been a long day, but a great day. We left the hotel around 10:30 in the morning. A snazzy black SUV picked us up to take us on the hour-long ride to Port Canaveral, where we quickly checked through security.  As I passed through the metal detectors, a guard stopped me and said, “What do you think you're doing? You can't get on this ship!” I froze, feeling startled and nervous. I couldn't get on the ship? What? “You're going to have to go buy a Longhorns shirt somewhere because no Aggies are allowed past this point.”

A smile broke across my face. I was wearing an A&M t-shirt. Of course, the guard was only teasing me, so we exchanged fist bumps and grins after I passed through the metal detector. “We're cool, we're cool,” she reassured me. “We can still get along.” What a Longhorns fan was doing in Florida, I'll never know.

We are traveling with Royal Caribbean's "Freedom of the Seas."  The ship is HUGE and very fancy!

Boarding the ship was a little nerve-wracking for me. I'm terrified of the ocean, as many of you know, so as I stepped over the bridge and onto the slightly rocking ship, I knew there was no turning back.

It really isn't that bad. When I walk, I can feel the rocking of the ship the most. Dad says he feels like he's drunk or something and I see what he means, even if I've never been drunk. The ship moves up and down between steps, so it's easy to lose footing. Luckily, none of us is seasick.

Our room is very small. Amy, Luke, and I all have to fit into three twin-sized beds and a bathroom that somewhat resembles an airplane restroom. However, the beds are topped with memory foam and soft sheets, so while we are in cramped quarters, we will be comfortable.

In our room is a balcony that overlooks the ocean. At first, the balcony made me a little nervous, but now it's not so bad. For a little while, we enjoyed pointing out stingrays and jelly fish that we could see bobbing just below the surface.

We put on our bathing suits and Amy, Luke, and my Dad all went for a swim in one of the several swimming pools on deck. Mom, Nawnie, and I decided to tan instead, laying out on beach chairs and relaxing. I'm not sure if I tanned at all, but the sun sure felt nice. We get complimentary ice cream and soda wherever we go.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, the ship departed, quickly leaving the shore behind us. We are now only surrounded by a deep blue ocean that tucks behind the curve of the earth. No islands are in sight at this point. Tomorrow's journey will be entirely at sea.

We took dinner at a nice restaurant where we met our waiter from Tunisia. He's a very nice man and I'll enjoy getting to know him over the next week. He has a very thick accent and it was hilarious to see him try to communicate with Nawnie, who is half-deaf and forgot to wear her hearing aids today. With everything he said, she'd smile and nod and not understand a single word until I finally tapped him on the shoulder and said, “She doesn't have her hearing aids, so she can't understand a thing you're saying.” We all had a good laugh.

We went to see a show after dinner. At first, a very corny musical group performed, which made us all cringe with dread. Was this going to be the entire hour-long program? Thankfully, a comedian came and spoke, and two acrobats performed as well. Overall, it was a great show.

Now we've returned back to the room. The door to our balcony is wide open, so a light breeze is drifting into the room where I sit. I can hear the loud sound of the waves crashing against the boat. It's a little eerie to look out into the black ocean. The sky and water are both very dark. It's a little frightening. The water is so big and deep that it could easily swallow me up and out of sight.

It's best to not think of such things!

Anyways, it's been a great day so far. I can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow.

I'm leaving on a cruise in a few days, so I've been working hard the last couple of weeks, figuring out what all I need to pack.  Earlier in the week, I shared what clothes and toiletries to pack and today I'll share some miscellanious items.  I hope these tips help you out.

Obviously, you're going to want to bring some money.  Everywhere you go, there will be places for you to buy souvenirs.  That's just how vacations work.  Be sure to bring at least forty or fifty dollars to buy on t-shirts and trinkets.  You may even want to buy some small gifts for family and close friends.  Try to hide your money in various locations so if you get pick-pocketed, you won't lose everything.  Be sure to bring some small bills as well, because you'll probably be tipping some of the help.

Also, be sure to bring photocopies of your identification, especially if you're going out of the country.  If your identification is lost or stolen, you want to be able to get back home without a hassle.  Be sure to bring extra copies of your passport, driver's license, and any other identification you might need.

You'll have a lot of downtime on the cruise, so be sure to bring some relaxing things to do.  Bring an iPod or your mp3 player and a pair of headphones for easy listening on the beach.  You'll also want to bring some reading material.  If you're going on the cruise with your family or a group of friends, bring a pack of cards or some small, travel-size board games.  You also may want to bring a little journal of some sort to record some of your memories.  Be sure to add a pen or pencil into the mix.

Another no-brainer is a camera.  You will MOST DEFINITELY want to take snapshots of everywhere you go.  Bring your digital camera.  You may want to bring some extra memory cards or batteries, in case you run out of space (especially if you aren't taking a laptop).  Also be sure to bring your charger.  If you have a video camera, you may want to bring that along as well.  I recommend purchasing an underwater disposable camera ahead of time, especially if you'll be snorkeling or scuba diving.  I'm sure they'll have some available, but they'll most likely be double the cost than at your local drug store.

Go ahead and bring a miniature sewing kit (couple of colors of thread, a couple of needles), in case you have an emergency and need to sew on a button.  Also, be sure to bring some wrinkle remover and stain remover.  You'll probably need both of those things at some point.  Also, bring a trashbag of some sort to put your dirty laundry.  You won't want to mix dirty and clean clothes in your suitcase. 

You'll want to bring a few extra accessories as well, like scissors and tape, for those "just in case" moments.  Also be sure to bring an umbrella and perhaps even a rain poncho of some sort, especially if you're going to the Caribbean.  Be sure to bring all of your chargers--you don't want to forget those--and a portable alarm clock.  You won't want to wake up late on an excursion day.

You'll also want to pack a fold-up duffel bag.  Depending on how much you pack and how much you purchase, you may not have room in your suitcase to bring home all of your souvenirs.  An extra bag, just in case, will be a great way to bring home all of your new goodies, especially if they're breakable and you'd like to bring them carry-on anyways.

For your carry-on bag on the way to and from your vacation, you may want to bring a few items.  Ear plugs might be nice in case you'd like to take a nap on an extra loud flight.  If you're flying a very long ways, you might even want to bring a sleep aid.  You may also want to bring a travel pillow and a light blanket, as sometimes flights get chilly.

The last thing I'd like to share are a few tips of what NOT to bring on your cruise.  Try to avoid valuable-looking jewelery, like diamond necklaces and etc.  These will pinpoint you as being wealthy and might make you a target for theft.  Don't bring anything that would absolutely DEVASTATE you to lose because luggage is lost sometimes.  Also, remember that your suitcase can only weigh fifty pounds without giving you a fine.  Be sure to weigh your suitcase ahead of time.  You don't want to be charged with any unexpected fines.

The last thing I'd like to say is... have a wonderful time on your cruise. :)

It's been a long day.  As celebration for my graduation, we are leaving for a Caribbean cruise.  The cruise isn't until tomorrow, which is a good thing, because it's a fairly long distance from Texas to Florida.  Thankfully, we didn't have to drive anywhere.  All I've seen today are airports and airplanes.  It's been fun, but it's also been tiring.

We got up early this morning and finished the remainder of our packing before (almost tearfully) saying goodbye to our dogs.  It'll be eleven days before we get to see them again. 

As we loaded everything into the back of our van, I was scared I would forget something important.  After all, if I'm on a ship in the middle of the ocean, it may be difficult to get what I need.  Dad reassured me, however, saying, "The ship will be like a small city.  It'll have everything we need."

We finally left our home and went to Nawnie's house.  I'm sure I've talked about Nawnie on my blog before, but she is my very cute, very sweet, seventy-eight-year-old grandmother.  Nawnie agreed to come with us on the cruise this summer.  We helped her load up all of her bags--and she had probably double the amount of all of us together, including a walker--and then stuffed ourselves into our very, very full mini-van.

The drive to the airport seemed to take forever, since we were crammed into such a small space.  But it was entertaining, so we laughed for most of the time.

The plane rides were quick, but the layovers seemed to take forever.  We went from my small Texas city to Dallas and then to San Antonio, where we stopped and ate lunch from a sandwich place called Blimpie.  I have no idea why any "health food" restaurant would call itself Blimpie, but oh well.  From San Antonio, we left for Orlando... but then had to stop halfway in New Orleans to fuel up.  According to our flight attendant, it was because: "This plane is packed full of people who decided to bring everything they owned with them."

We arrived in Orlando about two hours later than we were planning, but it was okay.  We didn't have anything planned for tonight anyways.  Tomorrow is when the fun will start.  Where I live, there is absolutely no humidity, so the second we stepped out of the airport, it was like we were dumped into a sauna.  I could literally taste the air, which is an unusual experience for me.  But I love it.  I absolutely love heat and humidity since I'm so cold-natured.

We finally arrived at our hotel--the Hawthorne--with our huge cart of bags.  We had eight suitcases, around ten carry-ons, and a walker.  The rack was nearly full to the top.  My eleven-year-old brother Luke decided to step up, be a manly man, and take control of the heavy cart.

I'm writing this from our hotel room now.  Honestly, I'm not all that impressed.  This hotel is located very close to the airport, which is why we chose this place, but it isn't very nice.  It makes me feel even more excited about our cruise.  I'm ready for some luxury! ;)  But believe me when I say that on each bed, there are literally dips in the sagging mattress.  Kind of scary. 

Can you tell?

Anyways, it's been a long day.  I'm exhausted.  It's funny how I've done nothing today but sit around in airports and airplanes and yet I'm still very tired.  Tomorrow will be an exciting day.  I'll be sure to keep you guys posted. 

In a few days, I'll be leaving for a cruise as my graduation gift from my parents.  I'm very excited because I've never been on a cruise before and I can't wait to spend some time with my family.  I've been packing on and off over the last couple of weeks, but I've done a lot of research about what to bring to make sure I wouldn't forget anything.  I mean... I'll be on a ship in the middle of the ocean.  I'd better not forget anything!  I thought I'd go ahead and share a list of things to pack with you guys who are also going on a cruise this summer.

Obviously, you'll bring basic clothing items like shirts, shorts, capris, and underwear.  If you're going on a Caribbean cruise like me, dress lightly with cotton clothing and shorts (that aren't too short, because I've seen a few different cruise lines ask their customers to dress fairly appropriately while not in the water).  It's going to be hot outside--it is the Caribbean, after all--so you don't want to bring a whole lot of long-sleeved outfits, although you may want to bring one or two, just in case if there is a chilly day.

Although it will be hot outside, we'll be in the middle of the ocean at times, so I've heard it will be windy and chilly at night.  Be sure to bring at least one light jacket to wear when you're out and about in the evenings.  You also may want to bring one long-sleeved shirt and one pair of slacks or jeans. 

When you're choosing your pajamas, you probably won't want to bring more than two or three pairs if you're going to be gone for 7-12 days.  you may want to bring one pair of warmer pajamas, just in case your room becomes chilly at night.  You'll also want to bring a few extra pairs of socks to wear at night.

Bring at least two bathing suits.  I've heard that you never want to put on your bathing suit while it's still wet because it will stretch and fade. (And remember to rinse your bathing suit after each use!)  Be sure to bring a couple of swimsuit cover-ups as well.  You may want to make one cover-up a dress or long shirt of some sort and the other one a pair of long shorts and a shirt that can get wet. 

Shoes are very important for your cruise because you don't want your feet to hurt wherever you go.  Try to avoid filling your suitcase with several pairs of shoes because that takes up too much room.  Instead, bring a few pairs that can work for several days.  You'll want to bring:

• One or two pairs of comfortable walking sandals or flip flops.
• Tennis shoes or sneakers for exercising, long-distance walking, or comfort.
• Water shoes. You'll need these for the beach and a lot of water activities.
• Nice shoes to wear on formal night.
• A pair of sandals of some sort that you can get dirty... these you can wear to the pool and short-distance walks.

There will be a formal night on just about any cruise you attend.  Ladies will want to wear a cocktail-style dress and some low heels or nice flats.  Men will want to wear a nice suit or very nice slacks, a shirt, and tie.  You may want to bring some pretty jewelry to wear with your outfit.

You'll want to bring a watch.  Many of your excursions will only last for a certain amount of time, so you'll want to keep track of how long you're out.  Wear a water-proof watch so you won't have to worry about taking it off every time you get in the water.  You'll probably want to go with something inexpensive that you won't care about if it gets lost, faded, or broken during the cruise. 

Bring a hat of some sort.  Lightweight straw hats are popular right now and they'll shade your face from the harsh rays of the sun.  You'll also want to bring two or three pairs of sunglasses.  I've heard some people suggest that you only bring one pair to save space, but I disagree.  My sunglasses break like crazy, so bring as many as you can. 

Normally, you'll want to pack frugally.  Remember that you'll probably be purchasing t-shirts and random articles of clothing.  Bring one shirt for every day of your cruise or less, but no more than that.  However, I do suggest that you bring some extra delicates.  Remember that you may be taking a shower a couple of times a day, so you'll most likely want to change underwear each time you shower.  Just a thought.

Finally, you'll want to bring a little shoulder bag or fanny pack (if you don't care what that looks like) to carry with you on excursions.  You'll want a place to put your camera, chapstick, and small toiletries like that.  Make sure the bag is lightweight, able to hook over your shoulder or onto your person in a way where it won't be easily snatched when you go on sure, and has a hidden inside pocket to carry your valuables.

Check back soon to see tips of toiletries you should bring when you go on a cruise.

 

I'm going to show you another picture I took while in Kenya, Africa. 

This photograph is simple, but beautiful, in my opinion.  The elderly lady in this picture was so sweet and gentle and soft spoken.  The creases and lines on her worn face only give her more grace. 

Whenever I see her picture, I know that she's been through many difficult times.  She's seen things I couldn't imagine.  She knows what it means to suffer, but she also knows joy. 

I pray for this woman and her family quite frequently, even though I never even learned the woman's name. 

You know, I think she's absolutely beautiful.

I took this week's photograph while I was in Kenya, Africa in July of 2009.  It's actually one of my favorite pictures that I took over there. 

This was taken through the window of a VCT clinic. 

I love the vivid colors in the photo.  The mother's dress is so beautiful, but so is the rich and beautiful shade of their skin.

Yes, the baby is crying.  He may have been ill, which was why they were in the waiting room of the clinic, or he could have easily been tired or hungry instead. 

My favorite part of this picture is the look on the mother's face.  She's smiling at her child like she is so proud of him.  Even though he's crying, she is eager for me to photograph her child because she loves him so very much.  A mother's love is a beautiful thing and I'm so honored I was able to capture that in this picture.

I could look at this picture forever.  So lovely.

I took this picture when I was in Mexico some years back, the summer before I entered high school.  I was actually able to travel to Mexico twice that summer, once on a vacation with my family and then again on a mission trip with my friend Rebekah.  Both visits were a total blast.

Like I've said before, I'm no professional photographer, although I do enjoy taking pictures.  My friends call me a picture hoarder.  I suppose what appeals to me about this picture today is the fact that it's yellow and green and flowery and... well, it's an escape from the bland winter I see when I look out my window. 

I like the shimmery rain drops you can see on the leaves.  I like the vibrant colors of this unedited picture.  I like flowers.  I like how this plant wasn't just part of some garden.  It brings back good memories.  On a shivery December day like today, I'd like to be able to see some pretty yellow flowers and vivid green leaves in real life.  No more winter!  Let's see some pretty flowers.  Oh, how I miss the heat and color of the summer.  Sigh...

Yes, I greatly enjoyed visiting Mexico, both times I went that summer.  My Mexico vacation was beautiful and relaxing.  I was very well pampered there.  I went to the Playa del Carmen resort.  The second time I visited Mexico City and stayed with some family friends who work in the mission field over there.  That was a very fun and uplifting trip as well. 

For the fun of it, here's another picture.  It is of me, my friend Rebekah, and our friend Priscilla who is an MK in Mexico City.  I'm the one on the far right, Rebekah's in the middle, and Priscilla's on the left.  We're all dressed up to perform a silent skit of Cain and Abel.  I was Cain, Rebekah was Abel, and Priscilla performed... well, God.  That was a fun day.  I like our outfits.  We look so young here.  After all, this was over four years ago.

I love traveling.  Where's your favorite place you've ever been?  

Day 14: A vacation you would like to take

I've always wanted to go to Australia.  I would love to tour Sydney and take a ride through the outback.  I think it would be amazing to see kangaroos in the wild.  I love the Australian accent and I've always wanted to try Australian food.  I've also had a dream for years of witnessing to the aborigines. 

I think the dream of traveling to Australia one day stems from my adoration for Steve Irwin I had as a child.  I loved that man.



 

It's been a fun day so far.  We got up bright and early and went on a two hour horseback riding trail.  Everyone in our family got to ride a horse.  Dad got a funny-looking gray-speckled horse named Chief.  Mom got a pretty white horse named Silver.  I got a dark brown horse named Busta Move.  Amy got a chestnut horse named Tater Tot.  Luke got a dun-colored horse named... Elvis.  I know!  Elvis!  I was incredibly jealous at first, Elvis being my favorite person in the universe and all, but Elvis the horse turned out to be slow, grumpy, and old, so after seeing his temperament, I wasn't jealous after all.



I never knew that New Mexico was pretty, but it is.  We rode along canyons and the base of the mountain.  Everything was red and purple and blue, as if it was painted right onto a canvas.  It was beautiful.  The weather was perfect as well.  We plodded along and talked and laughed and enjoyed ourselves.

At one point, a paint horse in our group got spooked and bucked off its passenger, a sweet girl with cerebral palsy.  She was okay- she wasn't even really frightened- but I felt bad for her.  Who expects to go on a slow, safe trail ride and get bucked onto the rocky canyon floor?

For lunch, my family ate beside the pool again.  If you ever check out the Tamaya resort, the nachos with queso are very tasty.  Don't leave without trying them out.

All five of us swam.  Tamaya has three different pools, but the most popular one has a water slide.  It's enclosed, so when you slide down, everything is pitch black.  You lose your sense of direction completely.  You feel yourself veering to the left and to the right and up and down. It's a little frightening.  And then suddenly, you drop down and see a shimmer of light.  And then whoosh!  You fall smack into the salt water of the pool.

After going down the slide a hundred times and relaxing in one of the hot tubs, we moved to the funny-shaped kid pool.  It's long, thin, curved, and three feet deep.  Originally, we thought it was a lazy river.  It wasn't, but it's perfect for races and games.

We finally returned to our hotel room to rest.  Mom checked her phone- we have very little reception, but occasionally a message gets through- to discover with a shock that my Naana fell this morning and broke her knee cap in four places.  We're currently all waiting in the room while Mom maneuvers herself onto the edge of the balcony, trying desperately to keep enough signal to talk to her mom on the phone and make sure that everything is okay.  I can hear Mom's side of the conversation.  Things don't seem great.  Naana is going to have to have surgery.  My aunt Denise is on her way to Amarillo to take care of her until we go back.  Our family friends are being great and taking care of our grandparents while we're gone.

We may end up returning home early.  The disappointment of that fact is dimmed with worry.  I think we all just want to make sure that Naana is okay.  I'll write more later.

Immediately after waking up, Dad and Luke went to go golf, and Mom and Amy and I left for the spa.  I've never been to a spa before, so I didn't know what to expect.  The moment I arrived in the spa area, I was offered a glass of fruit water and ushered into an area where I could change into a robe and slippers.  There was a hot tub, steam room, and sauna available while I waited (clothing optional, so I skipped out), along with a peaceful room with fluffy couches and tables of fruit and cold water.

I was escorted into the pedicure room.  Of course I've had pedicures before, but this one was much more extravagant.  I won't go into all of the boring details, but this pedicure was filled with soap scrubs and massages and all sorts of lovely things. 

The nice lady who did it all told me about her youngest daughter, Desiree.  She adopted the four-year-old girl six years ago.  Desiree was malnourished and had a receding hairline from lack of nutrition.  She'd been neglected by her mother and left to cook her own meals with the few ingredients left in her house... at age four!  Her mother had burned her, left her alone for days, and treated her horribly.  Now, at age ten, Desiree was like a new girl, filled with laughter and joy.  The story warmed my heart and again reminded me of what my parents told me.  Even though I was spending money on myself, it is helping this family, and in the long run, it's helping Desiree.

After our morning at the spa, we went and lied out by the pool until Luke and Dad got back from golfing.  The Tamaya Resort is about half an hour away from Albuquerque, which is a relatively big city.  We went into town to have dinner at the Boston Market and go to a game center just to hang out as a family.  We raced Go-Karts.  I passed my sister- yes!- and was ABOUT to pass my dad when the race ended.  After the exciting race, we all went to play Lazer Tag.

I must say, I am the worst person to play Lazer Tag.  I'm a very big advocate of peace, and I'm not a fan of guns, at all, so I have trouble bringing myself to hold even a lazer gun.  And I always feel guilty about shooting people.  Despite all of that, I love to play Lazer Tag.  I love being in a dark room lit only by a black light, ducking behind all the obstacles with spy music playing in the background.  It's so much fun.  But I was creamed.  I shot two people and was shot about eighty times, so I ended up getting zero points.  Oh well.  It was still fun.

I will write more tomorrow.