Spending time with Hannah & Charlie

David and I got to spend some time in Kansas recently helping Patrick and Jana. They moved to Pratt about 2 months ago and have been working on a house. David only got to stay for 5 days and most of that time he and Patrick got to work together painting, fixing floors and enjoying working together. So Jana could also help at the house, I got to spend time taking care of Hannah and Charlie. David and I both felt thankful for the chance to help out!

Hannah and Charlie are so special and have such great personalities. Hannah is very busy and has a great imagination which she can verbalize very well. Charlie is such a sweet baby! He is very mellow and happy all the time. He started "cruizin" around furniture while I was there and will soon be making life much more interesting for his big sister.

Hannah loves to read books and we love to sit and read them to her!

Hannah is a big helper! We just finished washing dishes together. She actually does a great job and follows direction very well. We had a great time!

It was a quick trip and very busy so we were thankful that we got to see several family members. David's parents and my mom have been able to help Patrick and Jana with the house and with the kids. It is great Patrick and Jana get to see them regularly now. I know it is a blessing to all!

Cruizin!

We set sail on RCCL "Freedom of the Seas" from Port Canaveral, FL on May 23rd to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We were so excited and looking forward to one of the best weeks of our lives!
We decided this trip was a long time coming and only a balcony room would do. We were not disappointed with our room at all. We weren't there a lot but when we were we had plenty of room to relax and spent some time on the balcony everyday!

We enjoyed room service our first morning at sea!Our first stop was Coco Cay, Bahamas, RCCL private island. We decided to take advantage of specials in the spa in the morning. This was our first time getting massages and LOVED it! We had no idea what we were missing!

I have always wanted to para sail!

This was one of the most exciting things we have ever done and plan to do it again sometime!

We enjoyed relaxing near the pools. David actually read a whole book! Next time we go on a cruise I want to do more of this activity!

David loved exploring the ship!

Our second stop was St. Thomas. We planned to take "The Best of St. Thomas" tour. The day started out a little overcast and by the time we were on our way back to the ship it was pouring rain. Unfortunately the views were not as pretty because of the weather. I guess that means we will have to go back to see it in the sun!

We went to this cafe in St. Thomas which we found out later has been featured on the travel channel! St. Thomas is famous for jewelry shopping with 300 jewelry stores on the main street. We enjoyed the old buildings and beautiful foliage found in this tropical area.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experiences! The food was excellent and the service was beyond exceptional!

Alicia was our waitress each night. She is from Trinidad and has 3 children who are taken care of by her mother. She is on the ship for 6 months at at time then only has about 6 weeks off. All the staff were so friendly and always made us feel special.

The first Dr. Pepper David had in several days was found in St. Marteen, our last port of call. We again had a cloudy, rainy day making our power boat/snorkeling excursion a little less than perfect. We had a lot of fun anyway, getting back late and being the last people back on board the ship!

I think he is so handsome!

The last day on the ship, David climbed the rock wall and did the flowrider! How fun! We also did a walkathon for Make a Wish and spent more time in the sun enjoying an absolutely beautiful day with glass like seas and a gorgeous blue sky! Perfect!

We spent our evenings going to various shows including an ice show. The promenade was always busy with activity such 70's Dancing in the Streets and a circus parade. There were games and live music all over the ship for constant entertainment. We truly had the time of our lives celebrating the many blessings of our life together.