#9 The Disney Wonder

Well, I figured I should show you more about our fantastic cruise we enjoyed with my family in November.

We had the BEST time. The weather was a little bit crazy/windy, so we didn't have much pool/beach time other than Castaway Cay, but that was totally find by us! We are such home bodies, that we enjoyed lounging in our room with the balcony open, watching all the awesome movies on TV. I think we saw all four Pirates of the Caribbean at least once, and a ton of old cartoons and other Disney Classics (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, anyone??).

Here's a pic of our boat, the Disney Wonder. Disney's cruise ships are styled after old steamboat liners. I love it! Such a fun ship too--super clean and well maintained.

When we got on board, we discovered many gifts in our room, from people who wanted to wish us a Bon Voyage! So fun!! These are just some of the treats we got. We also had flowers, bath robes and some on board spending sent! Woohoo!




Our cruising was the first one decorated for Christmas. Love it. It was so tasteful---the decor and the holiday accents. You'd think there'd be crazy characters everywhere, but there wasn't. This is outside one of the main dining rooms called Triton's.

And here we are!

Here's a funny one of Izzy. I guess she got some binoculars before the trip and was totally obsessed with them over breakfast one morning.

The day we stopped in the Bahamas, Dan and I bought a daypass to the British Colonial Hotel. It was AMAZING! Here are a few pics. We got to use their beach, kayaks, pool, lounging areas--pretty much anything a normal guest would get. So fun!

 Thanks for reading, friends!

#10 Castaway Cay

Hello to all 1.4 of you who still read this funny little thing.

Where has the time gone?

My last post was in July, so BOO on me.

I have decided I'm going to do top ten posts of 2013, counting down to the New Year! Really in no particular order...just 10 fun things we've done since last time I blogged.

So I give you:

Number 10.

Castaway Cay.


IN my last post, I wrote about how we were going on a cruise, and cruise we did my fraaands. A Disney cruise, in fact.

This is something I likely would never have done if 1. it wasn't totally funded by our rad Uncle, and 2. well...we don't have kids. Not that there isn't enough stuff to do on the ship despite this fact, but we would have probably looked at another cruise line first.

The most magical stop on our Bahamian adventure, was the island owned by Disney: Castaway Cay. Daniel and I spent half the day at the beach with my niece, snorkeling and building sandcastles, and half the day at the adult only area, catching waves on our rafts in the gorgeous blue ocean, eating ribs, and snoozing. It.Was. Awesome.

Here are some pictures!

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!!

Cruising, Again!

You know I have a countdown for this, front and center, on my phone. HA! It'll be here soon!

Of course, I already have our budget made, and on schedule and a general packing list, because this cruise is going to be a full 7 day-8 night adventure, unlike our last 4 day adventure.

I was perusing our pictures from Disney World last year and came upon this one, of us and the Partney's. (Dan's face cracks me up! He was midsentence.....click!)

This picture has such a great memory attached to it. We had just arrived at the park, had our fill of Fish and Chips, and REALLY good ale, and Izzy was having the time of her life. The excitement of vacation had started to sink in, and we were living the dream! The weather was also...amazing. Every day after this, it was ICE COLD. In Florida. Lamesauce.

Anyway, we are going on a cruise to the Bahamas and I couldn't be more excited. We aren't planning a single excursion, and will just in the sights and beaches at our leisure. There's going to be a whole lot of relaxing, getting caught up on reading, laughing a ton, and eating some really great food.

Sigh....patience.

Got some cruising tips?? Holler.

Thanks for reading!

Dinner Is Served. Twice!

I love getting together with my family on Sunday evenings. This has become a loose tradition around here. Dan usually plays cards on Sundays, but this week decided to join the festivities, too!

This summer has been the BEST year to grill out, ever. It's been super hot, but not nearly as exhausting as years past. And I think we've pretty much tried everything on the grill. Last week, we did scallops, artichoke hearts, chicken, turkey burgers, and PEACHES.

Heck.

Yes,

Here's a little picture from our feast.

After we cleared the table, Izzy and Ruby decided they wanted to serve us a second dinner. I have to say--I like their style!

Thanks for reading!

mettling at mettle

There's a group of six of us who get together on a semi-regular basis to pow-wow about the world. It helps that I'm related to two of them. I also work with one of them, was roommates with another, and shared office space with the other. We all have different stories and backgrounds. Some of us work in publishing (yet contribute to this market in very different ways), one works in a corporate office, one is a stay at home mom, and one works for an incredibly amazing theater project. It's just fun to talk about life with these women.

Last week we got together at an incredible new East Austin Eatery called Mettle.

We tried a little bit of everything. I recommend trying the Salmon Crudo and Beets for sure. The miso aioli that comes with the fries, is also not to miss.

Thanks for reading!

New York, New York!

Holla.

We just got back from a long weekend, and much needed vacation to New York. Man, it was hot. Like really hot. But, we had an amazing time! It was Dan's first trip to the Big Apple, so it was fun to show him around and take in all the sights, via museums, theater, and a lot of ridiculously good food.

We stayed at an awesome boutique hotel at Times Square, which in and of itself was a total madhouse (but kind of fun at the same time). Our last day, we made it down to see the new building going up next to the 9/11 Memorial. Surreal. I didn't get any pics, but here are a few favorites from the other days.

This pic is from the Subway at Rockefeller Center, just a block away from where we stayed.

The cool dinos at the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History. I'd say we spent a good portion of our Tuesday here seeing lot of amazing things.

A view inside Central Park. I had never been here during the day, and we walked a good portion of it. I had no idea how much there was to see!

 30 Rock! It was so crazy to be there during the summer, when the ice skating rink wasn't set up. But you have to go by here when you visit NYC. So close to so much. I was really hoping we would see Liz Lemon.

The MOMA had a lot going on during our visit, and was probably the most crowded touristy thing we did. They had a photography/architecture exhibit I wanted to see that was incredible. They also had, you know, their usual fair share of crazy modern things on display, like a giant dog bed. And a barstool with wheel attached to the top. (I will never understand this.)

Oh my. I've seen a lot of shows on Broadway. This might have been my favorite. We also saw Phantom of the Opera...because it's Phantom of the Opera. Classic Broadway. But back to Once...all the actors also played musicians, so they were their own pit. So cool. And they were Irish and Czech. So double, triple cool. I have always said that the Irish are the best storytellers, and they did not disappoint. I cried (ugly) during the entire second half. And we were on the front row, so I could hardly stand to look at the cast when they were taking their bows because I had mascara all over my face.

Thanks for reading!