The Ship is Rocking

David and I just returned home from an amazing 5 day Cruise from Long Beach California to Catalina Island and then a stop at Ensanada Mexico. It was so Awesome and a greatly needed vacation. We just walked in the door and we feel so refreshed all around. Thank you Dean and Barbara for all the fun times you create by taking your family on cruises.
It really was fantastic !
On Sunday March 13, David and I dropped both of our kids off in Woodruff with my sister Krista. She was so nice to watch our kids while we went on vacation and I couldn't be more grateful. She not only watched our kids but before we headed back to the valley she fed us a delicious dinner. Thank you Krista!
When we left her house I was a little worried about how Stratton would react with me leaving because he is indeed such a mama's boy. Well lets just say he didn't shed a single tear. For several weeks prior to the cruise I tried to talk about our trip and his trip and how fun he was going to have at aunt Krista's . I told him they have a farm and a lot of animals with a tractor and there was so many fun things to do at her house . He would tell me over and over , " Mom , take me ! Take me , Mom ! When we arrived at their house he asked my nephew Kendall , " you have a farm"? Needless to say and very thankfully he was perfectly content as David and I left on our vacation .
David and I traveled back to the valley that evening and when we got home realized that we still needed to do laundry and pack. We decided to start our vacation together early and found our selves at midnight going out to eat and later swimming in our apartment pool. I can't remember the last time I was actually swimming . . . my arms were free of any children and I was really swimming under the water. We even considered playing a short game of Marco Polo. . . lol . . . no but really it crossed our minds .
We finally got all packed and fell asleep around 4 a. m . with no cares or worries in the world. We were awaken by our Alarm and on the road by 8:00 a. m that morning .
Headed to California with 8 of David's siblings, in-laws and his wonderful parents. It was a long drive but never the less very eventful. We had radios in each car and the boys played jokes on Barbara the entire trip. Bananas were thrown at the opposite vehicles windshields many memories were recalled and a lot of jokes were laughed at.
When we finally arrived in Cali I called my sister Krista to see how the kids had been . I couldn't have been more happy when I heard the excitement in her voice. She claimed that she loved my kids and how happy they were making her. I was so relieved and I knew that Stratton and Emerson were just fine and being well taken care of . She sent me pictures of Stratton climbing trees , watering the dogs, taking a Sunday stroll and some others to keep me posted on their fun in Woodruff. It was very helpful with being apart for so long. I missed my boys more then you know and it took a lot for me to leave them for a week. Krista said Stratton would stop in his tracks during his walk and pull his phone out of his pocket and claim he had a text. He would play with his imaginary friend Jep and walk his imaginary dog. Krista learned fast that Stratton has a very health imagination. Emerson was happy and she said he acctually slept twice through out the entire night. Woo Hoo! Go Emerson and I need to learn a little magic from Krista. I know when we return to pick the boys up Stratton will beg me not to go back to the apartment. He is having more fun then he knows what to do with and surely apartment life can't compete with that.
The first port was Catalina Island. It was beautiful and when we arrived I never imagined that I would have returned to this beautiful island. Old memories of my family vacation from high school all came fluttering back. This island is gorgeous! We rented golf carts and enjoyed a three hour scenic tour around the island with David driving that is. It was scenic but not exactly relaxing :) .
Ensanada was our second stop and here we decided to do couples massages which were amazing and we both thoroughly enjoyed. However, David's shoulders are still recovering from the pressure this very petite girl was putting on his shoulders. He was afraid that he would have bruises later and couldn't wait for her to move on to the rest of his body.
The last day at sea we enjoyed a full day of sailing . David and I slept till nearly 1:30 and by that time we decided that we couldn't sleep like we used too. We both woke up with aches and pains in our hips and shoulders from simply too much sleep. Our days of pleasant endless hours of sleeping are gone.The trip was fantastic and was just the vacation that we needed. We played cards , watched fun shows and ate way too much . Cruise food is delicious and also very fancy . It was fun to try new things and if you didn't like it just try something else. I had Sea food most every evening and I surprisingly loved it . I tried lobster, shrimp and several different varieties of fish. Barbara and Dean starred in the show of love and of course made everyone laugh. The rest of the cruise people were continuously coming up to them like they were the movie stars of the ship.
It was simply a GREAT time!

Thank you Barbara , Dean and Krista for making this trip possible for David and I !