Finally!!

Yay! I finally have some time to write! And I have SO much to say! I think I'm going to post several different posts on the different topics I have been dying to talk about over the last few weeks, so get ready for plenty to read!! I hope I can get through all of it...I am having a sleepover right now with Bonita, Linda, Monique, Tasha and Lindsay. So, we'll see how long I last without being called away to judge a dance contest or preview the next great rap. I am SO thankful that these girls have the relationships that they do. I'll talk more about that in a different post...

Of course, I have to start with the cruise! I still miss it and we all are already trying to figure out when we can go again. It was an AMAZING vacation!!

I went with my friends Frank, Elizabeth, Shera, Jonerik and Emily. We flew out pf Philly early on Monday, and even had fun waiting in the airport, playing games and trying to hold in our excitement. We arrived in Miami, immediately found a cab that dropped us off at the ship, and easily made our way onto the ship; and it was even better than we imagined!! Our rooms were kinda small, but who cares! We spent most of our time touring the ship, or touring the islands!!

The itinerary had us stopping at a different island each day, arriving around 8 a.m. and disembarking (or taking off as Jonerik called it) around 5 p.m. So, we had plenty of time each day to enjoy the ship as well as the island. Our first stop brought us to Grand Bahama island. Elizabeth, Frank and Shera decided that they wanted to spend the first day relaxing on the ship, but Jonerik, Emily and I decided to tour the island. First we looked into renting scooters, but it was kind of expensive and it turned out I was the only one old enough (though that would have been a really funny picture...me driving with JE and Emily on the back of my scooter). So, we decided to take a cab into the "city" and hang out at the beach a bit.

God had something even more amazing in store for us! As we walked along the beach we saw some jet skis. We couldn't tell if they were for rent or not but started talking about how much fun they would be. So, we decided to ask and they were for rent!! So, we rented the jet skis for an hour and got to ride over a mile out to sea (over crystal clear blue waters). It was AMAZING and SO BEAUTIFUL!! We had a blast!!!

The next day we stopped at Nassau Island, which has a really amazing casino. We didn't gamble, but did go to their aquarium and took a boat tour of the island. All six of us spent the day together and had a blast (of course). We're kind of like the TV show "Friends"...when you get all 6 of us together, its just awesome. :)

Our last island day was spent in Great Stirrup Cay, a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. The people on the ship were the only people on the island. It was GREAT!! Jonerik, Emily, Frank and I decided to rent snorkel gear and check out the sea life. The water was so clear and beautiful, goggles were hardly necessary. It was the most relaxing day! The cruise ship even had an amazing lunch buffet set up for us on the island!!!

The food on the cruise was beyond delicious and we all ate way more than we ever should. Plus, every night we got to see different shows the ship had, went to a karaoke bar on the ship, and enjoyed walking around the ship (trying to work of some of the food we ate, haha). I also had some good time to spend alone reading, and hanging out with Jesus. Our only complaint was that the cruise did not last long enough. Next time we will definitely go for at least a week!!

That vacation was an incredible gift from God that I am still in awe of. Every once in a while I will find myself thinking..."I was on a cruise?!? In the Bahamas?!?".

Yes, yes I was. And it was SWEET. :)