The Fun Ship

Carnival advertises as "The Fun Ships" and they truly are. It is the ideal vacation for a large group- big enough with enough variety of activities on the ship find individual activities, and small enough to reconvene at times to enjoy family time. We had people ages 2-66 on board the ship and found something fun for everyone to enjoy. Including "Camp Carnival" for the kids. None of our kids wanted to be separated from us, as I predicted, but maybe on a future cruise the lure of bright lights and video games (ahem Ryan) will entice them. Ryan was invited to a party one night in one of the lounges from 10-1am! Fun Ship indeed! These kids are learning how to party hard core from a very early age!

The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins on the ship. They loved the pool and waterslides and especially the mini golf course up on the sun deck. I don't know what Ryan would have done without that!

Tim and I had a good balance worked out which included me taking the kids back to the cabin after the nightly show had ended around 10pm and getting them settled into bed (after a bit of swinging from the bunks like monkeys) while he went to the casino for a couple hours with the guys. He enjoys a good game of Craps and has gotten either very good at it or very lucky. He won 60 bucks one night, the same night that someone lost 200, so he must have felt a little smug about that!

And before you get to feeling sorry for me that I had no free time... my me time came in the mornings. I snuck out very early and was usually the very first person at the gym. I enjoyed a nice workout and then sat on the sun deck watching the sunrise, in a quietnesss only the first one awake on the whole ship could enjoy. Then I took a nice long hot shower in the spa, where they have an unlimited supply of towels and tons of space, not like the little mini-shower stall in our stateroom with the floppy nozzle that keeps twisting and pointing in the wrong direction.

It is the little things, you know, and when all the little things are just right, they add up to make one very happy vacation.

The Long Haul

The price of plane tickets for 5 to Tampa is a little steep for us, plus there's the added struggle of not being able to bring as much stuff. When you're loading up the car for a long trip, you can pack almost everything. Except toothbrushes, why can't I ever remember those? So it was a no-brainer that we were going to drive to Tampa for the cruise. We like to do our long drives at night. Get a couple hours under our belt, stop for a late dinner, and pop a movie on for the kids and BAM- they miss most of the journey, happily cuddled up with their pillows and blankets. And we actually get to have good conversations with each other, rather than running interference and throwing snacks and crayons to the kids. And we can listen to good music instead of the Wiggles or Sesame Street (not that I don't love a good Ladybug Picnic).

What we didn't expect was that Tim's dad would want to drive down with us... commit to 12+ hours in the car watching Disney movies and napping in an upright position. Especially since he could have flown down with Tim's mom and been there in a couple hours. But rotating 3 drivers behind the wheel would lessen the strain on all of us so we snatched him up when he offered. Plus, come on! Doesn't this look fun?

So here's how our drive went:
5:00 pm starting our journey, all smiles, excitement looking ahead to our vacation

7:30 why did I have to eat that chicken fried chicken at Cracker Barrel? I can feel that gravy congealing in my arteries while I sit here... all semblance of the healthy eating plan is out the window in preparation for the cruise

9:00 the way we've positioned the seats and cargo, there is enough space for me to curl up on the floor of the van. I don't sleep while sitting, so I finagle my way onto the floor with some pillows and am almost as comfy as I'd be in a bed... well, ok maybe that's a stretch, but it's not bad

12:30 I'm awake, it's my turn to drive. We're just pulling out of a gas station in NC when BAM a giant splatter of bird poop hits the windshield, right in my line of sight. What kind of bird is even awake this late?

1:00 I'm enjoying my quiet ride, everyone is asleep. Tim is using a roll of paper towels as a blanket, poor thing!

1:45 Wow does South Carolina have a TON of adult video stores! Glad the kids are asleep and not reading these billboards!

2:30 What in the world is Claire doing awake?! She's in a half awake dazed slumber mumbling "Mommy Hand, Mommy Hand." So now I'm holding her hand while sitting sideways in my seat. Great. Why did I sign up for the midnight - 4am shift?

3:00 Now Claire is watching a movie. At least I have my hand back. My numb, purple, dead hand.

3:30 There's Mr. Pete's Pecans and Gas... there's a store I think we'll pass on

4:00 Someone else's turn to drive, I'm heading back to sleep...

7:30 Look out Tampa, the Erny's have arrived! We're looking for a Bob Evans for breakfast and Ryan is complaining that he slept through all of South Carolina, he really wanted to see that state! Bummer for him, maybe on the way back he can check out the "Gentleman's Clubs" ugh, we'll have to find another distraction for him, or at least an alternate explanation for what those places are!

Multi-tasking

I am hardcore. I've gone to the dark side. I will not miss my workout to cuddle and coddle this baby of mine. I am tired of her going to sleep at 10:30 or 11 and leaving me with no me time in the evenings. So today I had a crazy thought... and stumbled on a new multi-tasking endeavor- weight lifting and cardio all at once! She loved being in the backpack and kept saying "Giddy-up Mommy" (thanks Tim). 28 minutes into my workout the bouncing suddenly slackened and it felt like she doubled her weight. Finally. Asleep. Apparently she is just as hardcore as I am. Let's set the score at Mommy=1, Night Owl=0.

I carefully finished and stealthly, smoothly climbed off the pedals and maneuvered her ever so cautiously to the bed. I was nice and sweaty so the backpack slid right off and I was absolutely positive she was still fast asleep as I peeled her out and laid her gently on the bed. I was just turning to finally breathe and walk away when I caught her out of the corner of my eye. She was smiling up at me from the pillow and whispered, "Boobie Time?" Grrr. And the score's even.

This is how much she loves the pool...

BeBe Choot On!! BeBe Choot On!! This is what I hear all day long, Claire chanting, asking if it's time to get her bathing suit on.... She is never satisfied, even if we spent the entire day at the pool, and so far 4 hours is the max for Ryan and Katie, Claire is still digging her fingernails into the door frame of the locker room as we try to pry her from her beloved pool.