Cruisin'

Last April I got an email from my friend Wendy inviting a bunch of girls from my old church in Salem (Salem Heights) to go on a cruise with her. With a seven-month baby (at the time), I was very hesitant about going, but I decided to put down the deposit in order to give me time to think about it. The cruise was CHEAP ($200 for 4 nights) and a great "happy graduation" present, so the main issue was being away from Ellie (and Justin). :)

Well, by now you probably have gathered that I ended up going on the cruise and I am so glad I did! I joined seven other girls for the cruise that left out of Long Beach, CA, sailed to Catalina Island, CA - Ensenada, Mexico - and back to Long Beach. The weather wasn't as warm as I had dreamed, but it was sunny the entire time - so I took it with a smile!

Can't you hear it? "Wahoo!!! I've graduated and am going on a cruise!!"

We sailed on Carnival's "Paradise" ship. It had 12 decks, which we slept on deck 7.

The girls! This picture was taken on Tuesday, the second day of our cruise. We anchored about 1/2 mile in sea and "mustered" to shore. In the morning, 3 of us girls went to shore for a glorious run, then all of us went after lunch. The only town on the 24-mile long island is Avalon, which is 1 square mile long. It was neat to be able to tour this beautiful town, run through the hills, and take a lot of pictures!

Here's a view of our ship from the island.

And another view, from on top of a steep hill.

The bell tower. I ran by this in the morning, and then brought some of the girls back up to it later on in order to get some pictures.

The city of Avalon. The sun happened to be hiding behind a cloud at this moment, but when it was out - it was amazingly beautiful!

Kari and Karin joined me on the trek up the hill. It was a good 1/2 mile up a steep hill. I was so proud of them!

The Casino (meaning "meeting place" in Italien). This was built by the Wrigley family when they bought the island in 1919. It hosted the first "talkies" movies as well as a 1000-person dance floor. It was really neat seeing a place that hosted many of the famous jazz/big band musicians that I studied this summer. I can just imagine how cool that must have been to dance to Benny Goodman (or bands like that) in that beautiful setting.

On the third day, we were in Ensenada, Mexico. Honestly, I thought the town was full of poverty with a tourist facade. But, I am still glad I got to see it. Here we are at "La Bufadora" (the blowhole), which is one of only three natural blowholes in the world. It was neat to see the unique natural phenomenon. After we saw the La Bufadora, we bartered for souvinours. I did really well (I had to make my husband proud), and came away with a pair of leather sandals, a necklace, and a pair of maracas for Ellie for $16. Wahoo! :)

Kari and I in Ensenada.

I ate and loved my first fish taco! I look nervous here (because I was!), but it was really good! And - I didn't even get sick afterward. :)

I don't know why my mouth is wide open, but here I am goofing off in Mexico. It was fun! :)

Our towel elephant. It was neat seeing a new animal every evening.

Wendy and I bought the same shirt in Catalina! We took this picture on Thursday - our day at sea. Since we we never went that far south, I am pretty sure we were just sailing in circles most of Thursday. But, that's ok - it was beautiful, and I definitely enjoyed the 4 hours I spent reading on the deck with the ocean as my scenery.

Sorry, I had to. :)

Kari and I on our last night, enjoying the panoramic views of the ocean - from every angel.

A great cruise ending with a great jumping picture!

I think you can tell I had a great time! :)