we have returned from paradise!

Sorry I've been so lame at blogging! Chris and I just returned from sailing the seas with my family on the wonderful Carnival Splendor. Vacations are so nice ... I wish we could get them more often. Not only does it make you appreciate what you have at home, but it also does wonders for yourself!

On Friday the 9th, Chris and I packed up Betty Sue (who for those of you that don't know, that's the name of my Honda Civic) bright and early and hit the road to make it to California fairly early.

We made a pit stop in Vegas to stretch our legs and to see some sites that mainly I haven't ever seen before.

Our first stop was to the Pawn shop from Pawn Stars. So cool! We had to wait in a little bit of a line, but the weather was great and it moved really quickly. The shop was a lot smaller than I thought it was. Chris and I were hoping to see one of the guys, and it was rumored that they were there, but had just left for lunch. Stink! It was still a fun stop though.

We then ventured to the strip where we went to the M&M Factory and got ourselves a nice little bag of peanut M&M's, our favorite!

I don't ever remember walking the strip before, and boy was it an experience. Chris warned me before we even got out of the car to NEVER look down as I was walking, or anywhere but straight ahead for that matter.

Man there is A TON of really evil and disgusting things in Vegas. It made me feel so sad that a place could be so wicked, and yet so grateful for the gospel in my life.

Anyways, where were we...?

After the wonderful M&M shop, Chris and I walked back to the Bilagio to watch the water show. Pretty fun! We then got back in our car and continued on to California to Chris's aunt's house where we spent the night.

The next day we met up with my family and went to California Adventures at Disneyland. I can never get enough of this place. Oh my heck. Chris and I will forever be going back here because I will never be tired of it. We can't wait for the day to take our future children and share the magic with them.

My aunt Lani and her family came and met up with us, which was so much fun! We haven't seen them since July. We also got to meet up with my cousin Lindy and her adorable little bot Seth for some yummy lunch. It was lots of fun.

I must say though, I was pretty sad to leave that night. The only thing that made me not cry was knowing that Chris and I have a Disney vaca coming up here in less than 2 months :)

(WARNING: picture overload ahead ... proceed with enjoyment!)

Sunday morning we woke up well rested and headed to Long Beach to board the cruise ship of fun! Chris and I were stoaked to be setting sail and on the way to Mexico, we couldn't wait any longer. We were both in much need of a vacation (ok, Chris more than me...haha).

We had so many of these yummy drinks!

Our first stop was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What a gorgeous place! Oh my word. Chris and I loved it here. We got two days to have some fun here. The first day we went zip lining with my family. It was pretty fun. Definitely not as fun as the one we went to in Cancun, but it was still pretty sweet!

 Gorgeous, right!

Our second day in Cabo, we went and did some shopping in the morning. There were quite a few places to go to. I was so grateful to have a dashingly handsome husband that knows Spanish so that we could get some fabulous deals on things.

After a few hours of walking around and buying some things, we decided to rent a jet ski and go cruise the ocean. I'll admit, I was a little terrified. I've never been jet skiing on the ocean before, so I had no idea what to expect. We tipped a few times and that freaked my sister and I out. Haha. But Chris and I went on a pretty sweet ride where we actually saw my Dad from the ship!

Our waiter Max. We was a funny, and apparently a grumpy, old man

The best towel animal we saw all week!

 Movie out on the deck. So fun!

Our other day on land was in Putero Vallarta, and because of recent burglary events, we didn't go too far into town. We enjoyed the beach, went into the ocean a bit, and shopped in the markets right by the ship - where we got ripped off a bit on some of the things we bought. It was still a pretty fun day!

The last two days at sea were unfortunately crappy ... so I wasn't able to get as tan as I would've liked. Oh well. I still got some color to show for our trip! There were some great shows that kept us busy on those days anyways.

These were the best towel animals we had throughout the week. It was almost like Christmas coming home each night and seeing what animal was waiting for us on our bed.

These guys are talented that's for sure!!

Our cruise was so much fun. I will say though now that I've been on a cruise in the Caribbean and the Mexican Rivera, I prefer the Caribbean more. But it was still fun going to Mexico!

Thank you Dad SO much for taking us on this cruise. It was a blast!

Hopefully some day Chris and I can take a cruise in the Caribbean :)