Back to Life, Back to Reality!!

Words can not truly describe what a fantastic week we had while on our cruise!
I am not one of those moms who can’t bear to be without my kids for a period of time.
As much as I love being with them, I also love being without them! This is the longest I have gone without them and I was somewhat apprehensive leaving them but only because I know what a hard job they are!! Blessings, but they have some hard moments! I was so excited to be able to spend a week with Jason and I know that the time we invest in each other reaps huge benefits for our kids as well.
We arrived last Sunday and it took us about an hour or so to get on the boat. We went with two other couples and we were all first time cruisers so we walked on the boat and had no idea what to do really! We finally set sail and explored some and then got ready for dinner. We were seated with a man and his 3 boys. We had a great time at all our dinners trying new things and ordering whatever we wanted. It was so cool! We went to the opening night show and were not impressed with the dancing portion, at all! We joked that watching “So You Think You Can Dance” has made us all experts in the area!
Monday we arrived in Freeport, Bahamas and took a taxi to the beach and shopping area. 4 of us decided to ride on the Banana Boat which is like an inter tube for 8 people! We had a blast. Then we did a little shopping and it was time to get back on board. This was formal night, so we dressed all up and I actually fixed my hair (every night). We went to the show again and it was a little better but we still left early to go watch Talledega Nights on the big screen. It was cool to watch a moving outside.
Tuesday was a day at sea, so we sunned on the deck and read. We went to some of the festivities on board and mostly relaxed. We went to see a comedian this night and he was pretty good and since it was a family show it was fairly tame!
Wednesday we arrived in Grand Cayman. This was by far the best port we were in. We had chartered a private boat for just the six of us and it was awesome. Our guide was great and we loved not having to battle the crowds and be able to explore on our own. We went to Sting Ray City and fed the sting rays. I was a little freaked out I must say, but i managed to feed one huge sting ray. Next, we went snorkeling on a coral reef and saw some cool fish. Then we went to a beach and saw some starfish and ate lunch in a beach side restaurant. Then we tubed around for a while and went on a mini eco tour. After our tour was over, we did a little shopping.
Grand Cayman is beautiful and I would definately go back again. That night it was 70′s and 80′s night in the disco, so we shook our groove thing a little! It was fun. We also went to see some karaoke and that is always fun!

Thursday we were in Costa Maya Mexico. Jason and I went to a local beach and relaxed on the beach which we love to do. It was a great day. We also did some shopping and got most of our gifts here. We had another formal night and we almost missed it. We had about 30 minutes to get ready before dinner! We went to a broadway review show and it was the best of the week.
Friday was another day at sea and we did some shopping on the boat and went to some of the games. We went to see a comedian that night and he was okay.
Saturday we arrived back in the States and began our trek home. We got home around 4:00 and only had one delay, but they held the plane at our next stop. Can you believe that???
I was glad to see my kids. They had done great while we were gone. Mom got Parker to school and they had a good week. Bradley has done well since we got home and not been overly clingy!
I was reminded on our 10 year anniversary trip that I am so glad to be married to Jason. He truly gets me! We have so many shared interests and have such a great time together.
I know it seems getting away without the kids is not important and we can all come up with a million excuses why we don’t, but the bottom line is that it is important to focus on each other and regroup. We all get caught up being mommies and daddies, but we are first wives and husbands.