Convention Weekend

Thursday when I got off work, Brandon and I loaded the car and headed to Birmingham. We had a room at the Sheraton connected to the convention center, so we were looking forward to being able to park our car and leave it there until we left on Sunday.

After we got checked in and unpacked our stuff, we met Mike & Jeannie and their kids in the lobby and went outside to catch the DART to Five Points, where we ate at Mellow Mushroom. The food was great. Brandon and I had never been there. And it cost us each a whopping quarter to ride the bus and not have to worry about driving and parking. Nice!

Friday morning, Brandon and Mike went over when the doors opened at 8:00 and got us some seats, and then they drove to McDonald's for breakfast before coming back to the hotel. We ate and then walked over for the convention, which was themed "Keep on the Watch." It was such an awesome convention! And we loved being there with Brandon's family. Here are Hannah & Logan in their matching outfits on Friday.

When Friday's session was over, Hannah & Logan came back with us to our hotel room and spent the night. What a night! We ordered pizza and Brandon picked up a box of fried chicken for supper (healthy!), which they ate on the end of our bed while watching TV. After supper, we took them down to the indoor pool to play along with the other million screaming children that were already in there. Next it was bath time, and then the kids banished Brandon to the cot we had ordered up for them b/c they decided that they wanted to sleep in the king-sized bed with me. I'll just say that when we finally got them to go to sleep, all three of us slept on half of that bed...and I was clinging to the edge trying not to get pushed off. LOL

Logan played 52-card pick up while we waited for our pizza to arrive.


While Logan threw cards around the room, Hannah showed off her smarts with a game of chess on my laptop.


Enjoying a healthy dinner of fried chicken and pepperoni pizza while watching TV on the bed. We might not make good parents, but we're a fun aunt & uncle! ;o)

Logan playing in the pool.


Hannah played with our friend Rachel's daughter, Colleen.


Um...no...Of course they aren't jumping on our bed. ;o)

Saturday morning, Logan got up and went with Brandon to save our seats while Hannah and I finished getting ready. That day we all got to sit together for the session. The kids were good and took notes in their new notebooks I personalized for them. (I blurred out their last names for this post.)

Saturday evening, we went with my Aunt Mary & Uncle Jim, as well as our friend Shannon, to Jim 'N Nick's, which is an awesome barbecue place with a location at Five Points. We were able to catch a bus again, so that was nice. We really enjoyed our dinner with them. I'm glad they went with us!

Sunday was the last day of our convention. We had an excellent drama and lots of great talks all weekend. As usual, we got new releases, but it seems like we got more at this convention than usual. And the nature of the releases was pretty special. (I won't give anything away!) Anyway, when the convention was over, we took two of my honorary parents - Martha & Gerald - home. We stopped in Jasper and ate at Jim 'N Nick's again. Yum!

Back From Our Convention

Well, we're back from our convention in Birmingham, and it was awesome...a truly memorable experience. One of our speakers said they were calling it a milestone in theocratic history, and I believe it. There were so many points I want to remember, and we got so many new goodies! (I won't spoil it for those who haven't been!)

The drama we had today was so touching. It was based on Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. There were nearly 6,000 people there, and I'd venture to say most of them shed a few tears. I sure did. In fact, I cried at least once every day of the convention. It was just so moving! There were lots of points brought out to encourage us while making us see the seriousness of the times we live in. Lots to take in and lots to think about!

I'll post pics and stuff later...It's bed time!

Cruise: Days 4 & 5

June 14, 2009: Cruise Day 4

On the last-full day on our cruise we were back at sea, heading for Mobile. Once again, Brandon and I were up for the sunrise. We barely made it this time, but we did make it! :) It's amazing how every day was a little bit different. They were all beautiful!

Sunday was a pretty relaxed day. We ate breakfast after watching the sunrise and then just took it easy. We watched the kids play in the pool with their new friends for a while then we went for some lunch. After lunch, I went back to our cabin for a much needed nap. All those sunrises were started to catch up with me! LOL

Later that afternoon, we all went up to the top deck to play a game of miniature golf. We actually ended up playing two games. The kids were having a ball, and Logan was really tearing it up. He kept getting a "hole in two" as he called them. He's so funny! Eddie, on other hand, kept getting holes in one. I quit counting on my game. LOL!

After golf, Brandon and I wanted to get in the pool for a little while before we had to get ready for dinner. I also wanted to use up the water camera that we had taken to the beach on Saturday, so we went back to the cabin and swapped my digital out for the cheap-o disposable. Wouldn't you know it? On our way to the pool, we met up with Cathy & Eddie, and they spotted a whale! A WHALE! It came back up a minute later, and I did see it (which was exciting), but did I get a picture of it? Noooooo...I also didn't get pictures of the dolphins that showed up after the whale. Waaaaa!!! :(

The last dinner on our cruise was kind of bittersweet. It was sad to think it was the last one, but I think we were all kind of ready to head home. Here are a few pics from our last night in the Seven Seas Dining Room.

After dinner, we met Kelley at Doc Holiday's for karoke. Kelley & I were just there to watch & listen, but Brandon had planned to actually sing. It turns out that they already had their line-up for the next 30 minutes though, and after that they would stop because there was a comedian coming in to do his act. Can you tell it's past my bedtime?

With the comedian being "R-rated", we left before he came out and headed over to the Americana Lounge to listen to a jazz band that was about to start playing. They were really good, and we enjoyed just sitting and listening (Brandon and I even danced to one song), but I felt sorry for them because there was hardly anyone there. There had been a few more people before they started, but then the leader mentioned, "by the way, we're the jazz band and the comedian is at Doc Holiday's," most of them cleared out. Oh, well. We enjoyed them anyway!

After listening to the jazz band, we had planned to go back to Doc Holiday's, but instead decided that that was enough entertainment for one night. I was so sleepy! So, we headed back to our cabins and filled out our room service cards for breakfast the next morning.

Since we were carrying all our luggage off with us, we stuck around our cabin Monday morning and condensed everything down as much as we could. We took a break to eat when our breakfast arrived, and then we finished up packing. Around 8:00 or 8:30, they called our floor to disembark if you were carrying your luggage off. Customs & immigration went by quickly, and by 9:00, we were in our car in the parking deck. Home, here we come!

Free Photoshop Class!

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Cruise: Day 3

June 13, 2009: Cruise Day 3

Saturday morning, Brandon and I were up bright and early yet again. The same as the day before, we got our coffee and went out on deck for another beautiful sunrise. This time, though, we got an extra treat: there was a rainbow as well! I was so busy watching the sunrise that I would've never noticed if Brandon's step-brother, Chris, hadn't told me to turn around and look the other direction. Of course, the photos don't do either one justice, but you get the idea!

Around 8:00, we docked in Cozumel. The water was so blue!! As deep as it had to be for our ship to dock there, you could still see the shapes of the coral and rocks on the sea bed. It was amazing! And even at 8:00 in the morning, the heat was scorching! Brandon and I got off the boat around 8:30 and started the long trek down the pier into town.

Our excursion - Playa Mia Beach Break Deluxe - didn't meet until 10:30, so we had a little time to kill. One of our first stops was Del Sol, which is an awesome store where everything (or everything we saw) changes color in the sun. I got a tank top with a butterfly on it, and Brandon got some really cool sunglasses. The coolest thing about them isn't that they change color. Rather, it's the fact that they have a lifetime guarantee. If Brandon breaks or loses them, he gets another pair free. And if he breaks or loses those, he gets another free pair, and so on. SO WORTH the $45 investment! (We go through lots of sunglasses!!) So we got those two things, and then they gave us a free canvas tote, which also changes color. Very neat! (It paid off to sit in on the shopping talk the day before!)

We hit another couple of stores, and then we decided to find a shady spot to sit. Fat Tuesday fit the bill. It was located right at the end of the pier. There were wooden swings lining the back bar, where you could sit and swing and face the ocean, which was right beneath your feet. It was the coolest place! We each had a Victoria while we enjoyed the breeze and the beautiful view. What a relaxing way to start our day!

Around 10:00, we met up with Kelley & the kids. They were joining us on the excursion to the beach. We walked around a little bit more and took some pictures and then went to the meeting place for our group, where we got our arm bands to get us into the park. When everyone was there, we headed off to the parking lot where the buses were waiting.

There were coconut palm trees lining the sidewalk we were on, which the kids thought were really neat. The man in charge of the excursion told them that there would be coconut palms at the beach too. Logan turned to me and said, "You know what would be cool? If they had limes too...then we can put the lime in the coconut!!!" The little nut. He is so funny!! And then him and his sister started singing that song. LOL We love those kids...

So anyway, we loaded onto our bus and took about a 10-15 minute ride to Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. The first order of business when we arrived was reapplying a good waterproof sunscreen to the kids as well as ourselves so we didn't all cook. Then, we took advantage of the lunch buffet that was included in our excursion. They had lots to choose from and the food was great! One of our favorites was the spicy fried grouper. Delicious!

After eating, it was time to check out the beach. We picked out some lounge chairs and got some umbrellas for a little shade. The people there really take care of you. The guy that brought our umbrellas over and set them up and even took a towel and wiped what little bit of sand was on the chairs off. Nice! Anyway, so we decided we would take turns playing with the kids so that someone would always be at our chairs with all of our stuff. (We didn't find out until right before time to leave that we could rent a locker!) Here are some pics we got with our disposable waterproof camera while Brandon and I were in the ocean with Hannah & Logan.

Later, Kelley and I played got in the pool with the kids while Brandon sat with our stuff. I think they liked the pool better because it wasn't salty. Here's a pic Hannah took of Kelley & I. See the coconuts? ;o)

While Brandon had the kids, a man came up and let them hold these macaws. Brandon had to help Logan with his!

One of the last things we did at Playa Mia was take the kids out to the water trampoline they had anchored off the beach. They absolutely loved it! It did look fun, but I opted to stay on my blue float and enjoy the last bit of cool, clear Caribbean while I had the chance. It was so beautiful! Here's a shot of the beach from my float.

Our bus was scheduled to leave at 3:30, so by the time we turned in the kids' life jackets and our floats, we only had a little while to get our stuff together before we had to go. We used those last few minutes to relax in the hammocks. Of course, laying in a hammock makes you lose track of time and so then we had a mad dash to the parking lot to catch our ride back into town. There were a couple of others rushing as well. At least we weren't the last ones on the bus! LOL

Back in town, we didn't have long before we had to be back on the boat. We were all supposed to be back on by 4:30 so we leave at 5:00. Hannah had lost her flip flops at the beach, so her very sunburned, but very loving uncle Brandon gave her a piggy back ride all the way back to the boat. I love this picture of them together!

We had such a great time with Kelley & the kids. It was a good day! :)

Cruise: Day 2

June 12, 2009: Cruise Day 2

Amazingly, Brandon and I were both up super-early Friday morning. We had both showered, dressed, and I had my makeup on by about 5:30. (What was wrong with us???) When we were both ready, we headed up to the Lido deck. We grabbed some coffee and then went outside to wait for the sunrise. There were only a few people that were out there besides us. It was so peaceful!! After the sun was up, we went inside for some breakfast. They weren't serving the hot stuff yet, so we got croissants off one bar and some cheese and deli meat off another and made some breakfast sandwiches. Pretty good! :)

Around 8:30, Brandon and I went with Tyler to the Americana Lounge for a little talk about shopping in Cozumel. The shopping director (or whatever his title was) told us about all the stores in Cozumel that had agreements with Carnival. He gave away some samples and also some coupons. So that was our morning. I think we did pizza for lunch that day. It was all pretty laid back. Spent a lot of time by the pool with the kids...always fun!

At some point Friday, we also went to the art auction to find out what the price of the Picasso was: $39,500! We didn't win, but it was interesting anyway. And the auction was kind of fun...plus we got free champagne, which is always good! ;o)

Friday night was the captain's cocktail reception. Here we are with Hannah & Logan. They really enjoyed dressing up and going to the "party". The captain came out on stage and introduced all the head staff members, and servers came around with fruit punch for the kids, which they thought was just great. And I don't know how many comments little Logan got on his suit. He's such a cutie! :)

And of course, his sister is beautiful as well. Here she is with her equally beautiful Mom, Kelley, at the dinner table. Oh, and see the goblets they served our water in? The kids loved drinking from those!

Dinner that night was a little fancier than the rest of the cruise. We were all already dressed up from the captain's party, but the menu was a little bit "more" as well. One of the options was lobster, which Logan ordered. The expression on his face when they sat that plate in front of him was priceless! (Click to see it better!) And he ate every bite!

When the servers in the dining room did their nightly performance, they also got a lot of us up to dance. I'm trying to remember, but I'm pretty sure they were singing, "That's Amore", which I never can hear without thinking of Lady & the Tramp. Wasn't that on there? Or is my memory completely faulty? LOL Anyway, I'll have to ask someone else if that was it. It was pretty fun. Our server even got Hannah up for a dance, which she loved. :)

Cruise: Day 1

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting about our cruise.  I have lots to share, so I'll break our trip up by day.  Here's day one: Thursday, June 11th.  Don't forget you can click on the photos for a larger view! :)

After spending the night at a Microtel Inn in Meridian, we got up and left for Mobile around 9:00 Thursday morning.  At 11:30, we arrived at the cruise terminal.  Well, we drove past the cruise terminal.  They wouldn't start boarding for another hour and we needed a few things, so we set off to find a dollar store.  We ended up getting on I-10 going the wrong direction and going through the tunnel and then across the bay.  Oops!  Oh well, we got what we needed and made it back to the terminal in about an hour.  After that, we had to go through all the homeland security stuff to get checked in and boarded.  That took forever!

Once we were finally onboard, we found our cabin and dropped off the bags we had carried on, and then set off for the Lido deck.  In the dining area, we found Brandon's brother Tyler.  We each grabbed some pizza from the 24-hour pizzeria and sat down for lunch.  I had their La Chevra, which had goat cheese & mushrooms, and Brandon ordered a calzone.  Everything was great!  

After we ate, we ran back to our cabin so I could change into something cooler and then we headed outside.  Out on the Lido deck, we found Eddie & Kelley with Logan & Hannah.  We were were excited to see the kids.  They were already having a great time!  Logan had found this little paper umbrella somewhere and was having fun playing with it. :)

Just before 4:00, the announcement was made to get our lifejackets from our cabins and head to our designated muster stations for the lifeboat drill.  Our cabin was assigned to the Promenade deck next to the casino.  We crammed into that little area like sardines.  I thought we'd all suffocate before we finally finished the drill!  We finally finished though and were free to do what we wanted. After dropping our lifejackets back off in our cabin, we went back out on deck to watch as we pulled away from the terminal.  Cozumel, here we come!

About an hour or so out of port, we were inside on the Promenade deck looking at a Picasso print that would be featured in an art auction the next day when Brandon looked out the window and saw this awesome lighthouse.  I literally ran upstairs and outside to get some photos.  It was so pretty!  Back inside, Brandon, Kelley, and I all put in our guesses as to how much the Picasso was worth.  The person getting the closest would win a prize at the art auction the next day.

At 8:15, it was time for dinner.  Our group was assigned to a table in the Seven Seas Dining Room.  It was nice because our group of eight had our own table.  We had a great server, whose name escapes me right now.  He really took care of us!  When he overheard Logan mention to one of us that he'd love to have some more fried shrimp (the starter he had chosen), in just a few minutes he was setting another plate full in front of him.  Logan loved all this fancy food, by the way.  He ate two plates of fried shrimp, all of his chicken nuggets, his chocolate cake, and half of mine! LOL

Ready to CRUISE!

Well, we're leaving this evening. Our cruise to Cozumel is tomorrow. I am so excited!! I'll be sure to post lots and lots of pictures when we get back!! :)

Baby Birds, Funny Cat, and More

Well, another weekend is coming to a close...I'm still scrambling around trying to get everything done before our cruise this week.  I have made some progress but still have lots to do.  Hopefully tomorrow after work I can get most of it taken care of!

Friday after work, I went to Tupelo for some shopping.  I found a few shirts, a swimsuit & coverup, and some jewelry.  OH, and a new book: Rhett Butler's People.  I've been wanting to read it since it came out and found it on the bargain table at Barnes & Noble.  Before I went home, I went to Petsmart for cat food and also Staples to get some notebooks bound for the convention.  Finally, I hit Kroger.  I didn't get home until 10:30.  I was so tired!

Saturday I spent the morning cleaning the house and doing laundry.  I got to take a break when my dad stopped in to see us.  He had been to the chiropractor with a bad back.  I could tell he was still hurting. Hopefully he'll feel better soon!   While he was there, Sam kept up with her tradition of running to him to chew on his fingers.  She's so funny!

Saturday afternoon, I went to clean one more time for our friend who was on vacation this week. We have been cleaning one of her businesses for her while she was gone.  Brandon went with me every day except Saturday.  He had worked Friday night and then again last night so he was napping while I went to clean.  

Anyway, while I was there look what I saw over the back door.  They must've just hatched.  The mother had been feeding them when I saw them through the back door, but of course she flew off when I went out to take a picture.  Her babies were so cute!

This afternoon, I took both dogs outside and gave them baths.  (THAT was fun.) and then laid out for a little while.  I really need some sun before our cruise, but I think I'm going to end up using the sunless tanner I bought at Walmart today. ;o)