The crescent-moon-like shadows were really fun to observe. |
Thomas and I were waiting for the theater to open and the girls texted they were on Spaceship Earth. So, somewhere in there are Anna and Kara. |
The crescent-moon-like shadows were really fun to observe. |
Thomas and I were waiting for the theater to open and the girls texted they were on Spaceship Earth. So, somewhere in there are Anna and Kara. |
I think he looks so strong! |
The battle of the books team. |
You can't see it too well, but it is raining confetti :) |
This was okay on Easter, but amazing in the following days. |
Elizabeth brought some adorable frosted cookies. They were delicious! |
Our last full day started with breakfast in the Windjammer. Thomas and I had to wake everyone up at 8:30. We had a laser tag reservation at 9:30, so they needed enough time to get dressed and have a quick breakfast. We saw Mike and Sunshine in the Windjammer and Anna graciously volunteered her laser tag spot to Mike. Fortunately, the worker allowed us to add him to our reservation, so we were all able to play. Laser tag was super fun. The laser tag we play on the ships is the best laser tag we’ve ever played. It was the same as the one we did on Mariner where they divide you into two teams, Aliens versus Robots, and you're battling to see who gets to claim a new planet. All of us, except Thomas were on one team. Noncoincidental, all of us except Thomas, lost the planet. But, most of us had a blast. The girls didn’t really like it for some reason; the boys and I loved it.
After laser tag, Anna and I got off the ship and walked around Nassau. Well, really just the port area. It’s changed since we were last there and we enjoyed browsing the shops. We got a few souvenirs in the straw market. While we were doing that, Sunshine and Kara took Mike and Luke to the FlowRider, then the waterslides and hot tubs on the pool deck. When Anna and I got back on the ship, I went and sat with Kara (Sunshine and some of her family had also left to explore a little and Kara said she was happy to keep an eye on Luke and Mike). The boys had a good routine, they would go down the slide, then jump in the hot tub for a few minutes before going back to the slide. It was actually pretty chilly out and very windy so this worked out well for them, and there was almost no line for the slide.
Luke didn't mind the colder air. After the slides, they headed over to the kids splash area. |
Thomas and Jack went off the ship to visit a new museum on island culture. It was very small, but Thomas said it was nice and both he and Jack said they were glad they went.
Thomas took a few pictures from the colorful museum. |
We had a late lunch in the Windjammer, later Thomas and the girls went to El Loco Fresh and I took a nap. Luke ended up going to the kids club for a few hours. After my nap, I took the Abyss down to meet Thomas and the girls on the boardwalk. Anna and I had missed the morning trivia, so we went to an afternoon trivia and got 11 out of 15. The winner was 13, so it was the closest we had gotten.
Me and my trivia buddy. |
I’m not sure what Jack was doing while we were all doing the above. After dinner, we browsed the shops, looking for a way to spend our remaining onboard credit. Kara ended up getting some perfume, Luke got some candy, and Anna got some funny grape-themed stuffed ‘“animal”. We went to the 730 ice-skating show and then did all our packing. Jack went to the teen club to say goodbye to the friends he made, Kara was going to go, but then ultimately decided to have an early night. Our time to get off the ship was 7:30 AM, so that was probably the right call.
Departure day was sad. We weren't ready to leave. We got everyone up at 645 and went to breakfast. We went downstairs to disembark at our 730 appointed time, but they weren't ready for us yet, so we had to wait around a few minutes. Fortunately, it did not take long and we were in our car around 8 and on our way home.
Before we left, we did one more walk on the music stairs. |
The cruise was really nice. It is different with the teens getting older and having more interest in the later night activities (well, at least Kara and Jack. Anna takes after me and is not really a late-night person). This was also our first cruise where we didn't have anything to do at any port. For the large ships, like the one we were on (Symphony of the Seas) they really are a destination in and of themselves, so it didn't matter too much. It is very different from our upcoming Alaska cruise, where the ship was secondary to the itinerary. That being said, I would definitely prefer a different itinerary next time. It was crazy to not have a good beach day and I missed Coco Cay.
Unfortunately, I looked at cruises for next Spring Break and they are 40% more than we paid for this one. I am glad we have gotten to do so many, but I am not sure it is going to be a frequent vacation for us in the future. The value has diminished with the price increase. For example, our last two cruises were both six nights and just under $6000. Once you add in internet, refreshment packages, parking, arcade, excursions, trip insurance, and other expenses, I am guessing it ends up being around $7500 (less on this one since we had no excursions, more on the one where we did a couple of excursions, but I think $7.5K is a reasonable estimate). We get three rooms, so when you factor in food, lodging, and entertainment for 6 people, that is a decent deal. But, we did two separate weeks in Pigeon Forge in 2022, one at the start of summer and one Thanksgiving week. Both times staying in cabins where we did lots of activities: Dollywood, white water rafting, ziplining, caves, hiking, horseback riding, museums, mountain coasters, etc. and it was around $5K a week. I am sure that those costs have also gone up, but it would be easier to make adjustments to stay on budget. I love a cruise vacation for the complete ease--I don't have to cook, clean, or micromanage our days. Once we are onboard, everything is taken care of. I am willing to pay some premium for that, but we also love our trips to the mountains, so the amount we are willing to pay is definitely capped. And, we may have reached the point where it just isn't worth it anymore. Or, maybe we need to look at a different cruise line. Anyway, that was my tangent on vacation choices. I am glad we went, we had a great time and I hope we will be back. But, if not, there are plenty of other things in this world to see and do. (And, sorry, I know it is a little weird to post how much things cost, but I think this will be helpful for me in future years to see how things change.)
For day three, we were supposed to stop at Labadee, Royal's private beach area in Haiti. However, due to the violence and unrest in Haiti the port visit was canceled. Instead, we had another sea day. Everything felt really crowded, with super long lines for all the ship's activities. Although, at one point Luke and I did the Abyss with absolutely zero wait. We had walked by earlier and the line was super long (probably 50+ people), so it was a big surprise. We actually thought it must be closed, but we just happened to walk by in a complete lull. We were so amazed that we texted Thomas who met us at the top to ride again. Other than that we just kind of bummed around. Anna and I did trivia. Thomas and I went to the adult comedy show after dinner; it was okay, not amazing but not bad either. All in all it was a pretty okay day.
Thomas and Luke also climbed the rock wall. |
Day Four, we were in Jamaica. Thomas and I started our day around around 630 with a visit to the gym. We all had breakfast in the main dining room, which was nice and relaxing. Then, we went off the ship for a little while to walk around the port area. I was interested in taking a cab on a tour, Thomas did not feel like it was a safe thing to do. We had a bad experience in Jamaica on our honeymoon and we have never really forgotten. So we walked around the port and then went back to the ship. Luke did not want to go with us, so we left him in the kids club. We checked on him when we got back and he did not want to leave. He ended up staying there all day! We checked on him every hour or two and he kept waving us off until we had to pick him up at 4:30 because they closed at five. During that time, we did a lot of different stuff. We played miniature golf, ping-pong, had snacks at El Loco fresh, sat by the water enjoying the views, rode the Abyss, and generally just enjoyed the quiet ship until dinner.
Just chatting with some amazing views |
Trying to decide whose drink was better. |
After dinner, Anna, Jack, and I went to the aqua show. I thought it was really, really good. But, Jack left early and Anna said it was her least favorite of the three we’ve seen. To me, that was crazy, because it was BY FAR my favorite. They had an amazing martial artist doing all kinds of crazy flips, there was tight rope walking, synchronized swimming, slack rope performers, and of course amazing dives. After the show, Thomas and I went with Kara to get a snack and then watch the live band. we thought they were doing party songs, but it ended up being slow songs, and we were too tired for that so we left. Jack and Kara went to the teen silent disco and the rest of us decided to call it a night. I ended up walking about 20,000 steps, and climbed 45 flights of stairs. Thomas had about the same number of steps but 65 flights of stairs! It was my favorite day of the cruise so far.
Day five was another sea day. I can’t remember much about the morning, even though it was just yesterday (when I wrote this), the day seems to run together. I know Anna and I went to trivia at 10 and we got 11/15 questions. We were happy with that, although, it did not win us anything. And, Kara and I took Luke back to the rock climbing wall. We also met up with Mike and Sunshine on the Boardwalk. The kids got cotton candy and then Luke and Mike went to the arcade. They played a few games and decided to go to the kids club. Mike had been sick for the first few days of the cruise, so Luke was really happy to finally spend some time with him.
That afternoon, Thomas and I went to love and marriage show at 3:15, it was really entertaining. No way would I ever volunteer to be on that stage, but I appreciate the people who do. We also had a specialty lunch at Jamie‘s Italian. It is fresh made pasta and it was super good, but super rich. I was very full for the entire afternoon.
Jamie's. Thomas still isn't eating added sugar, so I "sampled" two desserts. |
Dinner was good, it was lobster night! My lobster was delicious and I loved it. I was the only one in my family who got it. Jack is allergic to shellfish and nobody else in the family likes it. Kara will eat shrimp on occasion, but shellfish is not really anyone’s thing, but mine. Sad! They used to give you unlimited lobster tails, but they recently changed to just one ($17 for additional). Our waiter, Sergio, who we really liked, saw me enjoying mine and said he had an extra plate. So, I got my two lobster tails after all. Thanks, Sergio!
After dinner, we changed, and then some of us went and listened to the house band do music from the 50s and 60s. It was really nice. Then we went to the show, Flight. It was described as a history through flight and I really loved it. So did Thomas. It had some really amazing visuals unlike anything we had seen. The kids liked it, but weren't nearly as impressed as Thomas and I.
After the show, Luke really wanted to do the gaga ball tournament in the kid's club. The only problem for us was that it started at 10 PM. It was during their extra hours time, meaning you have to pay. I think they try to do really fun stuff to get more kids to come. It certainly worked for Luke! We told him he could do one hour, because we were tired. So he went from 10 to 11. But Kara and Jack went to some teen party, so they were out anyway. Kara didn’t come back until midnight, Jack came back shortly before that. So I did not get to sleep until everyone was safely in their rooms. (by the way--15K steps and 42 flights of stairs)
It was a long, very fun day! One funny thing that happened, I was getting a drink from a bar, (nonalcoholic Lava Flow) and a very drunk guy was talking to me. Not flirting, just friendly and drunk. Anyway, he told me that he and the bartender were basically the same person, that they were just so similar and he clearly knew everyone working at the bar, who all came over to fist bump him. So while I waited for my drink, we chatted (well, he chatted and I listened). Then, he told me I had great energy and handed me a $100 bill to tip the bartender. Very strange, but I did it and the bar tender was thrilled. Sunshine was with me and took a picture. That night her daughter told her about some guy who gave her and her friends $100 to stop talking. Sunshine showed Lily the picture and sure enough it was the same guy! I wonder how many hundred dollar bills he’s walking around with? We joked that we needed to follow him around and see if we could collect some of those Franklins!
Luke turned 10 on Sunday, March 17th. The celebration started a little before that. Thursday was the last day of school before Spring Break, so he got birthday bites at school. Parents aren't allowed to send anything in, but can order something from the cafeteria. Luke said everyone likes the blueberry muffins, so we ordered those and juice. The price is very reasonable and it is hassle-free, so win/win. As a parent of a child with allergies, I don't mind the school taking a harder stance against homemade treats. Thursday was also field day, which 4th grade had in the morning, so by the time lunch rolled around, more than half the class had left for the day. That left Luke with a lot of extra muffins and juice, but he handed them out to their companion class and all were happy.
On Friday, Thomas and I took Luke and Adrian to Fun Spot. Adrian is Luke's best friend from his baseball team. This was their second year going for Luke's birthday and they had a lot of fun. It was not crowded and they rode everything multiple times. They had pizza for lunch and spent time in the arcade. A pretty nice day for a turning-10-year-old!
While they were riding the swings, Thomas decided to get one more ride in on the coaster. He had it all to himself :) |
Last minute, Luke decided he wanted an ice-cream cake. We hadn't ordered one, so after Fun Spot we stopped in at Menchie's and picked out a premade cake. We sang to him that night and he opened his gift from Jack--a Calvin and Hobbes pictures (Luke LOVES Calvin and Hobbes).
Saturday was cruise prep day. We had more birthday cake that night and he opened his gift from Kara-- baseball cards.
On his actual birthday, we headed out to Fort Lauderdale for our 6-night Caribbean cruise. He got sung to in the restaurant and opened his gift from Anna (a National Geographic book). More on the rest of the day later.
Since this blog is all about Luke, I am going to go back in time to the weekend before his birthday. He had another baseball tournament. I couldn't go on Saturday, but it went okay for them. They won one game and lost one game. Luke pitched a little on Saturday, but they wanted to "save him" for Sunday. I went on Sunday and they won the first game, which led them to the tournament championship game (they were in a lower bracket because of Saturday's loss). Anyway, Luke started the game and pitched amazing! He gave up an earned run in the first and second (two hits total). After the second inning, he didn't allow a single base runner ;he retired the last 15 batters! He didn't walk a single player and had 11 strikeouts. It is rare for kids at this age to complete the full 6-innings, at least based on my experience-- it definitely doesn't happen for us very often, the games usually end because of time. And, for the same pitcher to pitch the entire game is also rare. But, because of all the strikeouts, Luke didn't actually have that many pitches. It was so fun to watch! I think we are getting closer to the age when most kids quit (they have one more year on the smaller field, then it becomes more difficult). I hope Luke continues to play, but if not, I hope he will remember how fun it was to play a solid game and contribute to his team!
His high leg kick looks like he is standing on one foot in this picture. |
It's been a little while since I have written. So, in the past three weeks, from youngest to oldest:
Luke is playing a lot of baseball. His team is doing well. Luke has been pitching more and is a really good pitcher. He has a reliable fastball and a decent curveball. He is also on the Battle of the Books team and they have practice every Thursday, gearing up for the big competition in March. We went to Wonder Works one Sunday. Every year Wonder Works has a one-day $15/ticket sale. I bought 6 last year and they were a week from expiring. The older kids didn't want to go (sad), so Thomas and I took Luke and his friend, Mike. We had a fun visit. Fourth grade had a field trip yesterday to St. Augustine, but Luke didn't want to go. It was a long day, they had to be at school by 630 and didn't get home until 630, so we didn't make him. He stayed home and met his friend, Avon, who also did not want to go, at a park for lunch. Today, he has another baseball tournament. He and Thomas had to leave at 625 this morning.
Kara is doing great with lacrosse. They have practice every day after school and lift twice a week before school. She has to be at school at 555 for the weights, so when that is coupled with after school practice, it is a really long day. She was chosen to go with the varsity team to an away game last week. She also played a JV game where she started and played for most of the game. And, she got her learner's permit.
Jack had his concert band MPA yesterday. He said it went well. They had after-school practices once a week to gear up. He is also doing track, which meets every day after school (initially he would split the time on band days, then as the MPA got closer, he missed track, but got permission from his coach to do the runs at home). He runs distance and has recently raced both the 1 and 2 mile. He is new to running, but is doing great. In his first race, he did the 3200 meters (2 miles) in 12.50. In his next race, he ran the mile, which he did in 5.42. This morning, he had to be at school at 625 for another meet. He is running the 3200 meter again. He is still working on driving and we are trying to get him more time behind the wheel. He drives to and from school a lot (with Thomas and me). My writing of this blog was interrupted because the track bus didn't show up and I had to go and pick up Jack. Chauffer duties never end :)
Finished the two-mile at 1250 |
Anna is doing lacrosse. Sometimes she seems to enjoy it and sometimes she doesn't. It is a big time commitment and she isn't sure she will do it again. She took a test yesterday that will allow her to do dual enrollment at the community college. She, Kara, and I went to Lakeland one Saturday to see my Dad. Afterward, we went to lunch and shopping. It was a nice girls' day out (Jack had track, Luke had baseball). They didn't have lacrosse practice yesterday (Friday) for some reason. So, they are having one later this morning.
For me, work is incredibly busy. I ended up having to work extra hours this week. We aren't allowed overtime, but we can get credit hours to use as future leave. It has to be pre-approved, but sometimes it is just necessary. I am really unhappy about work. I have felt overwhelmed for the past 6-months or so and it is definitely taking its toll. I am not sleeping well. I am exercising, but not eating healthy. The kids are busy, which means we are extra busy. It just isn't a good time for me. I try and keep it big picture, because the things that really matter are fine (my family is healthy, I have a husband I love, food to eat, a nice house, etc.). And, really work isn't that bad. The timing of things just collided, but eventually it will (hopefully) return to a more normal pace.
Thomas' allergies are bad right now. Everything is covered in pollen. He is helping out with Luke's team. He runs Gamechanger (live scoring and metrics) at all the games, so he can't miss any. Work is also busy for him, but fortunately, not quite as busy as it is for me. So, he is stuck doing all the appointments. There always seems to be appointments, dentist, orthodontist, doctor, etc. Jack's first track meet was in Lakeland, so he went to that and afterward he and Jack went to opening day of Spring Training. He loved the game and is hoping to get to more, but it probably won't happen.
On the Wonder Works ropes course |
Oh! I forgot something kind of big. Jim, Sheryl, Josh, Sarah and Sarah's boyfriend came and visited one Saturday. Sarah graduated from OCS, which was in Alabama and then they drove to Florida for a few days. We hadn't seen Sarah since Jack and Anna were babies! We had dinner, played games and really enjoyed their visit. We had recently seen Jim and Sheryl, but it had also been a while since we had seen Josh.
Marta also visited one evening for dinner. We hadn't seen her in a few months and had a good visit.
It is Saturday morning. I have been up since 5. I drove Jack to school for his meet, then had to go pick him up when the bus didn't show. I am watching the live stream of Luke's game. In about 10 minutes I will take the girls to lacrosse. Then, I will pick them up. That will make 4 trips to the high school today. After I bring the girls home, I will drive Jack to his meet and watch him run.
The moon was amazing one night Anna and I went for a walk. |