Hey! We went on vacation!

I have a new policy of not discussing vacations on the internet until they're over because I'm afraid someone will randomly find my blog and break into my house while I'm gone.

So yeah...totally went on vacation and now I'm back and it sucks. We decided to use my bonus money this year for a vacation for just Paul and I. Ryan stayed with my mom all week. I'm not gonna lie - it was hard. I missed my little guy more than I can describe.

We, as a couple, LOVE cruising. We've been on 4 in the last 5 and a half years. We just really enjoy being able to see several places and experience different cultures with the convenience of having food, transportation, etc all taken care of. This was our first time on Carnival and we really loved it. I was a little leery because I'd heard that it's the less nice cruise line. I'd completely disagree with that. We had such an amazing time. We were on the Carnival Conquest and the absolute first thing I noticed was how friendly the staff was - both with the guests and with each other. They seemed genuinely excited about their jobs and like they really enjoyed one another's company. I can't speak highly enough of our room steward, Sohenri. He really made our vacation special.




Our first stop was in Nassau, Bahamas. I think our biggest mistake here was not going to Paradise Island. We aren't big on excursions. We're more of a do your own thing - make your own adventure type of people. So we decided to just wing it. It was just okay. The only neat thing we found was a hidden garden overflowing with flowering trees, so we stopped for a minute and rested. We were there on a Wednesday and it seemed like everything was closed. Coupled with the unbearable humidity, we walked around for a few hours and then gave up and went back to the ship.

Our second stop was in Freeport, Bahamas. It's deceiving because the port is in a very industrial area and you have to take a 20 minute taxi ride to get anywhere desirable. We stepped up and got ourselves a taxi. At first it seemed like the $15 per person cab fare was outrageous but after a 20 minute ride to the beach, then a separate 10 minute ride to Port Lucaya Marketplace and then yet another 15 minute ride back to the ship, we thought it was fair. Plus, gas is over $5 a gallon there! We spent a good amount of time there and liked it.


Our third, and final stop was Key West, FL. We LOVED it. Loved is an understatement. We felt it was by far, the absolute best out of the three. I have a good friend who visits Key West at least once a year so I hit him up for some recommendations. Since it's such a small island, we decided to walk everywhere we went. Which wasn't so bad at first. Then my feet started protesting. We walked the length of the island, down Duval Street to the southernmost point. We went to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. It was so beautiful. I have tons of gorgeous pictures of butterflies and birds. We took some pictures and then stopped for an iced tea. Then we found Sarabeth's and had brunch. After brunch, we walked down a residential street to Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe and got a chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick. They had a beautiful pond filled with koi and a quarter buys you fish food and an awesome show.

After our fun day in Key West, we decided that we'd like to go on a family vacation to Key West. So we're thinking of doing that possibly next April.

Coming back to reality after being on vacation sucks, but, we've been home for a week now and I'm just glad things are getting back to normal!

Look Who's One!

This time last year, I was sitting in my bed, much like I am at this moment, thinking about how my life would change within the next 24 hours. I couldn't have imagined how. I look back over the last year and reflect on not only how my life has changed, but how I've changed and how Ryan's changed.

Oddly enough, the trip to the hospital and the resulting cesarean weren't as scary as bringing that tiny baby home. That tiny baby who was brand new and couldn't do a thing except be loved is now a toddler. A toddling toddler who is into everything and is a busy bee.

We had his first birthday party on Saturday. All the stress and prep work was totally worth it. We had a baseball theme and it was awesome! I was just amazed at the number of people who showed up to celebrate my little boy's special day. Here are a few shots of our fun day.

Time.

It's May 1st. 2011.

How is it possible that it's been nearly a year since my baby was born? This time last year I was in my final days at work preparing for maternity leave and at home for Ryan's arrival. My last day at work was May 4th and I spent the following 5 days waiting. On the 6th day, he came.

Anyways, I'm in awe that it's been nearly two years since we first decided to have a baby. I personally believe your life changes then, not when your baby is born. You decide to change your lifestyle, quitting all things wonderful (booze...diet coke...sushi..coffee) for as long as it takes. You decide to share your body with another human. Of course, your life doesn't REALLY change drastically until you're holding your precious infant in your arms and the weight of the world firmly plants itself on your shoulders for the rest of your life.

I'm rambling. Ryan amazes me every single day. He's been sort of walking for quite some time, since about mid-March...but he'd really only walk from one person to another and only very short distances. Well, he decided on Friday that he was going to walk, and walk he did. He hasn't stopped since. It just amazes me that 8 months ago he was just starting to sit up and in the last year, he's gone from basically being totally helpless to sitting, standing, walking, feeding himself...he's a tiny person who can do everything I can do (almost). I'm so proud every time he toddles across our living room, or looks at me with all seriousness and says, "ah da gur mah ba". Here's a video of my little toddler (no longer a baby):



In other news...I just finished reading Water for Elephants. I think there's a movie out with the same title, based on the book. I casually picked this up (ok, downloaded onto my nook) last week and finished it within a few days. Overall, nice story and kept me reading but I wasn't absolutely blown away. I'm starting The Hunger Games series tonight and hope to hang onto those through the next 3 weeks. Hopefully they're as good as everyone says they are.