Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A Beautiful Gift

We're back and we had an AMAZING Holiday!

My hubby had chosen this Cruise as a gift to me to celebrate our first 19 years together, and it turned out to be such a precious gift.
We had time to kick back and relax, see new places, eat and eat and eat some more, soak up the sun, SHOP, laugh with friends and simply enjoy each other.
It was good, and so needed.

Thanks Baby for awesome memories...


Standing in front of our ship "Valor" in the Bahamas


St Thomas, our second destination, we shopped here and enjoyed the lush scenery

Rhonda and I in front of the "girly condos" beside the Atlantis resort in Nassau
Aren't they so pretty? Reminded me of mints.




Our guys at the Atlantis...they were more interested in the huge yachts then the girly condos
Police man directing traffic in the Bahamas
WE enjoyed our dining room experiences on the ship
The colors of the Caribbean were such a delight to the senses....even on the buildings.
I was amazed with what the chefs on the cruise were able to create 
with food as their artistic medium.

Everything from simple food, to the chocolate buffet (above), to the Art pictured below was amazing!


The watermelon chief was part of the Midnight Buffet, to his right, (your left), the flowers were all formed from vegetables...mostly potatoes.
Look closely at this musical trio...the bodies were cooked chickens, with fruit and vegetables carved to form their embellishments. Aren't they great?
During the galley tour, we got the privilege of seeing how a few thousand people are fed wonderful, hot, beautifully presented food every night. One pastry chef even taught me an easy way to make gum paste roses for desserts, then gave me the one he was working on.
Service and attention to detail were incredible.

Sunset from our balcony our last eve at sea...I loved being surrounded by my beloved ocean, being rocked to sleep at night with it's gentle rock.
(trying to walk in heels through a crowded dining room while the wind and ocean tried to knock me on my bottom was quite a different experience though...less like a graceful lady and more like a drunken sailor!)


9 comments:

Shaun and Holly said...

Wonderful!!!!! Loved reading your comments and seeing the pictures were great too!

We missed you 2!!

H & S

Maureen said...

Welcome Home
The pictures are amazing. I like the mint condos.
Everything looks wonderful.
My question is what detergent does that police officer use to keep his uniform so white?

Anonymous said...

Sounds wonderful!!!

Don't you love the exotic food presentations and the colors they use?

Roxanne said...

Wow! Very create with food. Sounds like an amazing trip.

Shari said...

Wow, it looks like an amazing trip. It brings back memories of when we went to the Dominican with Sid and Cheryl.... that seems like a life time ago.

You look very relaxed in the photos... was it hard leaving the kids?

This coming May Kev and I will be celebrating 25 years married. I find myself hesitant to leave our kids in the past couple of years... just knowing that they'll soon all be gone makes me not want to miss out on any time with them. I know this must sound sort of crazy but it's simply the truth!!

Welcome back to the north country!

Jen said...

I seem to be far more tired than I ought to be having been at a relaxed pace for a week!
Otherwise, I am slowly getting us all unpacked , settled and put away...then I can get ready for CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Shari, it was very stressful leaving the kids to 4 different homes, even the dog got shipped out.
It got worse the eve. we were to leave, because Jianna had a melt down here at the house. We had not forseen it being a problem as she had been so excited, but as two of her siblings and the dog left before her, it seemed to hit her...I panicked then. As it turns out, each of them had a really great time and were in no rush for us to come home, (except, that Jon missed my cooking, he'd had a busy week and lived mostly on take out).
Jianna had a wonderful time with her friend and was kept very busy with fun activities, she never cried at all once she got there.

I can see how your stage would be tough too, Shari, With Jon heading away to school in a year and a half, I am not wanting to miss out on family vacation time with him.

Being mothers, we seem to be given a chance to have our heart string tugged at every single stage of our kids' lives don't we?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you all had a wonderful time! I'm glad you had a safe trip and that you were so blessed by your hubby!

Tammy said...

I thought about you guys often this past week. How much fun you must be having and enjoying the warmth and scenery. What a great way to relax, I hope you didn't get seasick. The ocean is incredible isn't it??!!!
WE now have to get together and see your pictures!!!!!

Amy said...

Oh Jen! This looks so fun!!
To date, we have yet to leave the kiddos on while we vacationed--but next year after Mexico, we may have to leave them for 10 days..I am excited about the prospect of getting away, yet NOT TOO SURE I want to leave them..lol..all part of being a mom I guess!!

So glad you had a good time, the pics are great!