Blaine's 24!

Another year has gone by and Blaine's another year older! I've seen him grow from a 19 year old greenie to a full-fledged man! (Well, kind of). As I've done in the past for other VIP's in my life, I'll share 24 things about Blaine that I celebrate not just on his birthday, but everyday that we're together.

1. He's a kid at heart. He acts like he's never played a video game before when he gets a new one. He likes Nerf guns and randomly attacking me, chasing me around our 500 sq. foot apartment. Fun. He loves Disney World and never gets tired of going. 

2. He's smart! One of the things I've always wanted in a husband was brains. He surprises me with how much he knows or how totally nerdy he can be. Last fall semester, he had to start and finish an online accounting class in 2 weeks - the same 2 weeks that he was preparing for and took his finals. Like a piece of cake, this guy got a 97% in the class. How? I don't know. Hopefully, our kids will get his smart genes. 

3. He plays golf (and is great). Come on, how fancy is that? I never had an interest in golf but now that my husband is obsessed with the sport, I think it's great! It takes a lot of skill, practice, concentration, and strength. When Blaine knows that he'll be playing golf the next day, he has a hard time going to sleep because he's so excited. This doesn't happen with anything else other than golf. That's how much he loves it. We have Golf Digest, golf video games, the Golf channel is always on, and we live across from BYU's practice putting grounds. 

4. He's hardworking. He has 2 jobs and works everyday. I appreciate all that he does for me! 

5. He holds me a specific way every night to help me fall asleep. Blaine has no problem going to sleep, even when he's "not tired." I, on the other hand, struggle every night even when I'm dead tired! So he does everything in his power to make me feel comfortable, relaxed, and...sleepy! And if there are times when he falls asleep first anyway, he tells me to wake him up so that I don't have to be awake alone. I don't wake him up often but the few times that I have, he's always there for  me! He's the best cuddler ever! :)

6. He's an amazing family member. Family member = son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson. This is one of the first qualities that I noticed and absolutely loved about Blaine. Kids love him. They never leave him alone. When we're around family, he's always playing with them, changing diapers, feeding them or just keeping them entertained. Whenever we go to Idaho to visit Grandma and PopPop, Blaine does something for them. It can be cutting the grass, putting up the Christmas lights, doing dishes after every meal, changing light bulbs - he's put to work. And he does it willingly. He respects and honors his parents. And since he's so great at all of these relationships, I figured he'd make a great husband and one day a wonderful dad and grandfather! 

       

7. He loves Cuban culture. He likes the food, the language, the craziness, the music - everything about it! This is so important to me. I never thought that I'd find a gringo so understanding and accepting of my culture! It's so much fun when he refers to a saying or phrase that is so Cuban, I have no idea what he's talking about. He teaches me certain words and refrans all the time. He dances merengue, salsa, and bachata a lot better than I ever thought he would. There are times when he randomly puts some music on and we dance together in our living room. One thing is for him to learn how to dance and to do it for me, but he genuinely likes it! 

8. He was a great missionary. I'm so proud of Blaine for deciding to serve. He was the first in his nuclear family to do so and is an example for our future kids. Also, I met Blaine while he was serving his mission in Fort Lauderdale. I remember him being the quiet missionary who always had his Spanish flash cards in his pocket to review them whenever he had a chance. When we go back to visit investigators, church members, and converts that he baptized or taught, I can see how much he loved these people and how highly they speak of him. Also, I can see how much he learned about the gospel in these 2 years. There are times when I have some spiritual epiphany or discovery and he's like "yeah, of course" and goes on giving me more doctrinal information. I know that these are all blessings of him being a faithful, full-time missionary! Also, he met me! :)

9. He cooks. Ever since we started dating, we have cooked together for fun. I've loved it and have learned so much in the process. Now that we're married, I find myself doing more of the cooking (obviously). But every so often, I come home from a long day of school and work and there's a yummy dinner already prepared! This actually happened last week. I had boughten Blaine one of Guy Fieri's new cookbooks (Blaine is a fan). When I got home from my last class of the day, I walked into the apartment to smell something good cooking. He was there, with his new cookbook open, whipping up some Dirty Bird Sketti. It was SO good! It's fun that he enjoys good food and cooking. He watches the Food Network with me, especially Chopped. There have also been times when I come home and he's making a meal as Guy Fieri is explaining it on TV. It is so awesome, and so cute. 

10. He's athletic. He plays every sport you can think of, and he plays well. He even danced when he was younger (for about 10 years), and admitted that it helped him be a better athlete. He runs fast, jumps high, and is just so intense with sports. He snowboards and waterskis. I enjoy watching him, but sometimes I also cringe inside. He gets so into it that he almost always ends up getting hurt! The main reason why I like golf the most is because it's so safe compared to everything else! But I am glad that he's sporty and will be able to teach our kids how to throw, kick, catch a ball and all those other sporty things.

11. He's a great hometeacher. This I owe to the great example his dad has given him. He has told me several stories of going hometeaching with his dad, or driving up all the way to New York to go pick up a stranded and gas-less brother from church. He visits every month, no matter how busy he may be. He cares for these people and always tries to help in anyway that he can. He cares more about getting to know them than the numbers. It's not just something to check off his to-do list. 

12. He's into numbers. Blaine is generally smart, but his expertise is numbers (hence, the finance degree). Unfortunately, I abhor math. I just don't get it and it gives me a headache. I can handle the basics but that's about it. I admire people who do like it. And although I don't understand what he's telling me when he gets excited about a particular homework problem, I nod my head and smile. Blaine will be the one teaching our kids Algebra II and up. And I will be forever grateful for that. 

13. He likes the mall. Now this I owe to his mother! This kid could go to the mall everyday. I get sick of the mall faster than he does - and I love shopping. Blaine will never deny an offer to go (window) shopping. He loves trying on different shoes and clothes, seeing what's in style, and searching the sales. He doesn't just like going for himself but for me too. He's very particular about what he buys. It must fit perfectly. I have never had this way of thinking before. I like it, it's cute, I want it, and I get it. But I have learned from Blaine to really see how good a product is. I now see myself thinking about what I buy more. He's very picky and therefore, it takes him several days to make a decision. Once he wanted Vans. We spent a week going to different stores and trying on different styles, sizes, and colors. He finally found some that fit all his criteria, especially the price tag. 

14. He gave me a pretty last name. Now people call me Day Dawson, D. Dawson, Double D, DeeDee. People always compliment me on what a pretty name I have - Daylin Dawson. And I would have to agree! 

15. He has taught me about sports. Not only does Blaine play sports, but he watches them too. As you all know he's a passionate Redskins fan, and I have converted. As a compromise, he has converted to being a Miami Heat fan (Blaine has always loved LeBron). We haven't settled about the Phillies and the Marlins, but I don't think we ever will. But that's ok. Anyway, he takes the time to explain to me what the rules are in football. I'm still learning, but I'll get it soon! I'm part of his family's fantasy league and it's a lot of fun. I'm learning about all the players and positions. I don't know how I lived a life without football before!

16. He's incredibly good-looking :) 

17. He takes an interest in my life. I talk for hours about girl stuff and my "worries". He understands my frustration with my eyebrows and how much I miss my little nail salon back at home. He tries to understand why I need a new dress for his friend's wedding because the rest are worn out. He compliments me on my hair and nail color. He gives me his advice on what I should wear. I talk to him about my friends and their lives. He sings along to all of Taylor Swift's songs with me (his favorite is Enchanted). Although sometimes I'm sure he thinks that I'm crazy and must think that women really are from Venus, he goes along with it and makes me feel valued and understood as a woman!

18. Along the very same lines, he is slightly domesticated. He helps me clean and supports me in decorating our little apartment. At first he didn't understand why I cared so much about decorating our apartment, but he slowly understood and began to enjoy it. He helps me put up vinyls, frames, curtains, shelves, and whatever else I ask of him. He picked out our shower curtain and I couldn't have picked a better one myself! 

19. He wants to be with me always. Blaine is not that type of guy who needs "guy time." If it were up to him, he'd spend every second of his day with me. He wants me to play video games with him, go golfing with him, and do everything that he could do by himself, with him! This is the way it's been from the beginning. When we started dating, we were together every single day. We were inseparable and I liked that. Two years later, he's the same way. 

20. He loves my family. This is extremely important for me because I'm crazy about my family. It literally melts my heart when I see him talking to Ivan on the phone or when out of nowhere he just says  "I miss your family a lot." He gives them kisses and hugs and is the recipient of those as well. He never minds helping them out and is always thinking about them. When we came back from the cruise he said "I miss Bruce and Papo. They're my buddies - kind of like my best friends."

21. He's spontaneous and creative. There are times when I have no idea what's going on in Blaine's head. I just see a little spark in his beautiful blue eyes and I know he's thinking of something crazy. He comes up with the weirdest dates or ideas. He finds different solutions to our problems. He thinks outside of the box - always. 

22. He encourages me and supports me. There are days when I'm just feeling down and he knows exactly what to say or do to give me that much-needed lift. The other day I wanted to skip class. He texted me that I shouldn't miss and that it'd be fun (this is my ASL class). And of course, he was right. He gives me that extra push when I need it. He lets me cry in his arms when I need to. He tells me that everything is going to be alright. He offers his help. He makes me see the brighter side of things. One night, I was craving macaroni and cheese. He isn't fond of boxed macaroni and cheese. It was too late and I didn't want to cook. I didn't ask him to make it either. But he made it and brought it to me in bed. It's the little things like that that make him so special to me and the great husband that he is. 

23. He's so much fun. He makes me laugh everyday. When he proposed, he told me that that's what he wanted to do for me for the rest of our lives and forever. So far, he hasn't failed. Sometimes I laugh at him for being such a particular, quirky guy and at other times, we laugh together. Sister Hinckley once said, “The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” And I totally agree. To have a guy who can make you laugh everyday is like medicine for your soul. 

24. He's my best friend, my eternal companion, my soulmate, my love, my better half, my partner, my dreamboy, my prince charming. He is the reason why life is so marvelous and why I look forward to everyday. He is my everything. 

Happy Birthday to the world's greatest husband and friend! I love you and hope you have an amazing day! 

Dela-where? Oh, there.

So I never thought I'd have any connection to Delaware ever. When people ask me where Blaine is from, it's never a fast answer. I have to explain where it is and blah blah blah. The same thing happens when people who don't know us that well come to over to our place. Blaine's mom made the cutest set of pillows for me. One is the state of Florida with a heart in Miami, the other Delaware with a heart over the Wilmington area and the middle pillow is the state of Utah with two hearts in Provo (cute, I know). Anyway, people quickly identify Florida and Utah. Delaware always leaves them puzzled. Happens every time. But seriously, if I hadn't met Blaine I wouldn't know anybody from or anything about Delaware. But I'm so glad that I did meet Blaine because #1 he's my everything and #2 because I love Delaware. And now I know tons of people from Delaware that are awesome.

This visit started off differently from all the rest. Instead of heading to Hockessin, we went to Rehoboth Beach where Blaine's grandparents lived before they moved to Idaho. Rehoboth Beach is such a cute place. I'm not fond of the colder water, but the boardwalk is so worth it. We ate Grotto's Pizza and Dollie's caramel popcorn. We also had ice cream and other treats while we were there. The boardwalk is always so packed, full of life, with shops and all types of fun. Speaking of fun, we went to Funland (a little tiny amusement park that has been around as long as Keith, Blaine's dad, has been around) twice while we were there. It was so much fun to see all the little cute nephews and nieces enjoy the rides. It was hilarious to see how much Chase enjoyed them. I could barely get a smile from her in the beginning. Put her on a ride and she's all smiles, all the time. Her twin brother, Aston, wasn't as fond of them. Miles and Tyson warmed up to them eventually. And Tucker, well I have him in a whole other category now. He's so big! He rode the big boy rides after much persuasion from his dad. Connor is basically my height and Lexi was bigger too. It's crazy how fast they've grown since I met them 2 years ago!

Tuesday during the day, the guys went golfing at the Bay Club with Poppy. Blaine won the round. While they were out and about, I went with Eileen to visit Grandma Sepulveda, Stacey and the kids, Aunt Karen, and I finally got to meet cousin Sarah, Olivia and Baby Victoria. Sarah has been the last of the family that I've met. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet her husband, Pawel. But it was so nice to finally meet her and her adorable daughters! We had lunch and talked. Women don't need to do much to be entertained :) When Sarah and her girls left, I helped Stacey put the kids down for a nap. I put Tyson down, went into the living room, and was reading a little. Out of nowhere, I felt like the whole house was moving. The ceiling lamps were swinging, as well as the rocking chairs. I was pretty creeped out and had no idea what was going on. Eileen, Aunt Karen and Grandma were outside checking out Eileen's new Jetta TDI. Stacey ran out of the room holding Miles, asking if we just experienced an earthquake. It had never occurred to me that an earthquake could occur in the East. I've always associated earthquakes with California! So we definitely did experience one. Cell phone service was down for a while and we couldn't contact the guys other than through text. Apparently, they didn't feel a thing. There was some damage in D.C. - the temple had several spires come off and some marble chipped on the foundation. It was a 5.8 earthquake. I'm glad that we weren't closer to the epicenter and that it wasn't any worse! 


Wednesday we spent the day at the beach house. We went out on the boat while we were there. Some of the family stayed behind and went to the beach instead. We rode by them and waved. Chris decided it'd be fun to swim out to see us. He asked the lifeguards for permission and they let him do it. You know, nothing like a little half-mile swim to get in your day's workout. I thought he was going to stay with us on the boat but he just said that he wanted to swim. So we said hi and then bye and he was on his way back. While we were there, we saw a ton of porpoises around the boat. I was on the jetski with Blaine and was creeped out when they got too close. They're cute but I know they're super powerful creatures. I like them at a distance.


That day, everybody headed back home. Blaine and I decided to go spend some more time with Grandma and Poppy. We spent the night with them, ate dinner, told stories and looked at old pictures. We were also able to pick a picture for Grandma to paint for us! Part of our wedding present was that she'd paint whatever picture we'd like. She doesn't like doing faces so we had a hard time finding a picture that we wanted and that would work. While we were in St. Thomas, I decided to take some pictures of us walking along the beach, holding hands. I'm so excited to see how it turns out!

Thursday was a great day as well. Blaine's grandparents have taken him school shopping every year. Last summer, we didn't have the time so this year he had 2 years worth of back-to-school shopping! This will probably be Blaine's last year. We had a great time, discovering that Poppy likes Express because of their tailored fit and skinny ties. Blaine was able to get some nice clothes for the business school and future interviews. Thanks Grandma and Poppy! While we were staying with them, we found out about Hurricane Irene. Dun dun dunnnn. An earthquake and now a hurricane? So we decided to head to Hockessin just in case conditions outside started to get worse! We made it just in time to eat dinner with the family at a new Italian restaurant at Lantana Square. Brian's high school friend is the owner and we decided to check it out. It was really good. Before dinner, we visited our nephew Jason at Christiana Hospital. We were so so excited to meet him! We had waited a while and have had him in our prayers on a daily basis. He was so cute and much bigger than I expected! He looked healthier than I thought too. I got to hold him for a while. I could've stayed there the whole day! Jason is definitely a special child. He was diagnosed with Rubenstein Taybi Syndrome (RTS), a rare genetic disease. As I sat there looking into his little face, I could sense how strong he was. He has experienced so much since the day he was born. I already admire him. 

It was nice to be in good ol' Hickory Hills. Every time I've visited, I've slept in Blaine's room while Blaine had to sleep in the couch. Now that we're married, Blaine was really looking forward to having his room back and sleeping in his comfy bed! Well, it was a full house (Kim, Brian, Stace & Chris + all the kids) and since I married to the bottom of the totem pole, we were assigned to the living room. It was pretty funny. We went out on the boat again, this time to the usual place - the Elk River. Every summer trip to Delaware isn't complete with some water-sports. I skied for the first time ever last summer. I wasn't really feeling it this trip but I couldn't let the opportunity go by. So I did, and it was great. I was able to waterski with Blaine at my side and he kept trying to get me to hold his hand. I was pretty scared but I did it. It lasted for like 2 seconds...or maybe less. Keith also had me take pictures of all the Dawson "kids", now grown up, for a collage that he wanted to put together for the living room. It was fun trying to catch them in action. Brian and Blaine still played around like if they've never grown up. That night, the guys went to play basketball - another thing that a trip to Delaware isn't complete without. They all came back sweaty and in need of showers. I guess it's their definition of a good time. Again, the girls just had to sit around and talk. I love all the new sisters I've acquired in this family. They're all such amazing, strong, fun, and smart women. After Blaine returned from basketball, we went to Rita's. I'm not crazy about it but Blaine is. I think my first experience there wasn't great and it has ruined it for me. But I'll keep trying it till I like it! 

Saturday morning, the Boston clan left earlier than anticipated to be home before the hurricane hit. I can't wait till we see them again! The rest of us went to Philadelphia. At this point, the hurricane was going to hit Saturday night/Sunday morning. Our flight for Sunday morning had been cancelled. The weather wasn't too bad and Chris had been waiting to try an authentic Philly cheesesteak for too long. A little hurricane wasn't about to stop him. So we made the trip to Philly and ate some seriously good cheesesteaks at Jim's Steaks. This is the place to go if you're in Philly. I've been here once before and thought that it was 'OK.' This time, it was absolutely delicious. Chris was really happy. After 5 years of patiently waiting, his mission was complete. Since it was a rainy day, nobody was really in the mood to do any historic sightseeing or anything. Instead, we took a trip to Ikea. Keith wanted to find some furniture for the beach house. Saturday night was full of hurricane preparations, replacing dead batteries in flashlights, getting things off of the ground in the basement, and listening to the Weather Channel. We were on a tornado watch for about an hour, but fortunately nothing came our way. 

Sunday morning, we woke up with no electricity. The wind outside had picked up some speed but it wasn't anything crazy. We didn't have any electricity for about 8 hours and then the hurricane was gone. I'm so grateful that nothing else happened. It could've been much worse. For some reason though, our Monday morning flight that was rescheduled was also cancelled. At this point, I was getting a little anxious about work and missing out on school. Our flight didn't get rescheduled till late Tuesday afternoon! But this was a nice way of having a forced extended vacation :) 


Monday, we went to visit Baby Jason one last time. We also went early birthday shopping for Blaine. This lucky guy got an iPad 2 from his parents for his birthday. We were both really really excited! Blaine has been wanting a tablet forever with no hopes of getting one anytime soon. He looked like this when he got it. And I have to say, I was like the little girl in the background celebrating too. He's been having a lot of fun playing with his tablet and also using it for school. I like to use it to look up recipes. It's so much easier than bringing out my laptop or squinting to read the text on my phone. It's handy but definitely not a necessity. It's just something fun to have! 


We also went to Strasburg (a city in Amish Country) to ride a steam engine train. Miles was so excited. Miles is a little obsessed with trains. It's so cute. I now know more about trains than I ever have, due to Miles' extensive knowledge about trains. It's awesome. As we were riding the train, I realized that it was my first real train ride ever. So that was kinda cool :) Afterwards, we ate at a smorgasbord. I was already stuffed because Blaine and I ate a pizza cheesesteak (my favorite) and cream cheese filled pretzels from Wawa before. But it was delicious nonetheless. We met up with Kevin, Demery's boyfriend, after for some ice cream - although we didn't need any more food in our systems for another week or so. That night, Keith gave me and Blaine a father's blessing for school. Every time we're in Delaware we get a father's blessing. I love it. He always says exactly what I need to hear and I feel his love, and Heavenly Father's love, for me. I'm so grateful for the great Priesthood example that Blaine has had all his life. 


Tuesday was our last day. Our 3 week vacation came to an end. We spent the day packing and leaving everything ready. The Culvers also left Tuesday, just on an earlier flight. As much as I wanted to be back for school, I really didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave Blaine's sweet parents. I miss them so much. They're so much fun to be with. A week and a half wasn't enough time! Once we finished packing, we headed over to Two Cousins for a chicken cheesesteak - our last cheesesteak before heading to the land where cheesesteaks are lame! Boo! Blaine was really sad to leave the East Coast. It is just so different out west! Right before heading out the door, Eileen surprised me with a small, traveling Janome sewing machine. I was so happy. I've been wanting a sewing machine for awhile but don't have the space or money. This is tiny, perfect for our apartment and for trips to Aunt Jan's so that she can teach me how to sew! Thank goodness TSA had no problem with me carrying it on. I can't wait to use it! 


Eileen dropped us off at the airport and she was the last of family for us to see before we left. Saying goodbye is always so hard! I hate it! But we were really grateful for the time that we got to spend with both families this summer. As much as we missed our apartment, we would trade it for having family around any day. We're already looking forward to our Christmas trip. It's only 2 months and 3 weeks away! But who's counting? :) 

The whole gang. 

Day at Sea - Day 7 (and disembarking...so Day 8)

The last day at sea was nice. Again, all we did was relax. We went to the jacuzzi one more time and enjoyed our last day of unlimited access to food. At night, we stayed up doing the same things we did every night - eating, dancing, arcade-ing, and playing card games. Uli stayed up with us again. This time, he and Bruce played the same little fighting game in the arcade until they beat it. 

Bruce & Uli showing off the credits.

We had to pack and leave everything ready to disembark the next day. We were all not too excited for this. Also, this whole time Damaris and Bruce never found their bag. We looked all over, went to Guest Services everyday, they made flyers and distributed them throughout the ship and nothing. The only thing we could think of at this point is that their bag was stolen. So our plan was to look for it while everybody's luggage was coming out of the beltway. So we woke up really early Sunday morning to try to see if by some miracle we'd find their bag. Damaris and Bruce had V.I.P. (very important pissed-off person) access to getting off the ship so they were one of the first ones out. We looked and looked for a while, and finally decided to give up. We had done all we could do.

So we went to Tia's for the Sunday family get-together experience. We ate yummy food once again and just hung out. I left with Damaris and Blaine to Damaris' apartment to drop off our luggage. While we were there, Damaris opened the door to her room and I just started screaming/laughing nervously/hysterically. Her missing bag was lying on top of her bed. We couldn't stop laughing for a while. We all felt pretty stupid but I'm glad that she didn't lose half her shoes, and that Bruce didn't need to wear the same 2 shirts every other day. This whole disappearing luggage experience made us more aware (or psychotic) about locking our bags, making them identifiable, putting tags on them, and making note of what's in your bag. So, all in all, this was a learning experience. Also, most valuable lesson learned, check all rooms for luggage before you leave your home! In our defense, we had lined up all of our bags in the hallway by the entrance the night before we left. My sister was double-checking everything the following morning and realized that Bruce had packed the wrong suit pants. So Bruce grabbed the bag, went into the room, opened it, packed the right suit pants, and the bag never made it back to the pile of bags to take. With all the rush and excitement, it was left behind. 

Anyway, the cruise was great and mainly because it was time spent with the people I love most. I was pretty sad to leave Miami and my family. When I was saying goodnight to Yuyo and tucking him in bed, he sweetly asked if I was going to pick him up from school tomorrow. I teared up so much. It broke my heart that as much as I wanted to be there to do that, that I couldn't! I explained to him that I was going to visit Blaine's family in Delaware and that I had to go back to Utah for school. He nodded his head a little and was sad but understood. I really didn't want to leave but I was excited to visit the other part of my family in Delaware! Before leaving Miami, we went to Publix (beloved Publix) and I grabbed some Mini Maria cookies to snack on during the plane ride and in Delaware. I don't know when will be the next time that I'm in Miami, since my family will be going to Tennessee this year for our Christmas vacation but I hope it's sooner than later. There's no place like home. I miss it tons already! 

Grand Turk - Day 6

Grand Turk was a different experience. We arrived and didn't really have any plans. We knew that the beach was an option, but we wanted to see if there was anything else to do. When you enter the island, you have to go through a pretty big shopping area. We asked one of the locals if downtown was any good, and they said yes. So we took a taxi and were really surprised when we arrived in "downtown." It was so small. They were 4 little huts that sold some souvenirs, 1 restaurant, and a couple of other shady shops. Right next to the end of the smallest downtown ever, was a house with 2 walls and no roof. The place was in shambles. We walked the whole thing in less than 10 minutes. It really made me appreciate what I have in my life. I have an opportunity to receive an education, have a job, live in a country where the gospel is preached, and have all the luxuries in life (AC, TV, and basically any form of technology).

This is the nice part of downtown. Right across is where the shadiness began. 

On the taxi ride back, our driver told us how they haven't had a hurricane in a long time and that they were still recovering from when they were last hit. The economy was pretty bad and she was one of the better off families in the island. We passed by her house and it was like a mansion compared to everything else. She saves money to go shopping for her family every year in Miami. They don't have enough stores that sell the basics. She goes to Miami to shop the sales, outlets and flea markets. Just the thought of having to leave my country to go shopping is crazy. 

Anyway, we went back to the beach and were there for a little bit. They had a Margaritaville with a huge pool, free of admission. So we went there. The pools in the cruise are pretty small and are always crowded. So I never went inside of them the whole time. It was nice. We ordered some pina coladas and just hung out in the pool the rest of the day. Other than the beach, there wasn't much to do in Grand Turk that we hadn't already done in other islands. There was nothing pretty unique about it either. The beach was pretty - I'll give it that. But that's about it. We did have a good time. We were just sad that it was our last port of call!

That evening was another Formal Night. Dinner was also a little bit fancier. They had frog legs (ew) and escargot on the  menu. We were all supposed to wear our guayaberas and take a family pic but for some reason, that didn't happen either. After dinner, Uli stayed up late to hang out with the "big kids." We were able to go dancing with him before it became a nightclub. We had so much fun. Uli dances so good! The only thing was that they didn't play a lot of latin music, which is his favorite. They played a lot of disco and boogie. So we were only there for a little bit. We played more card games and Monopoly Deal until Uli went to bed. Then we stayed dancing for the rest of the night (Papo was able to get in without a problem. How do we get I.D.ed and he doesn't?!) It was nice because the music was good and all the songs were clean. Like I've mentioned before, dancing is a big thing in my family. And I obviously don't dance with them often any more due to the distance. I had a blast. We danced until we were tired and then headed to bed. Good food, family, and music in one night is my idea of a great time!

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Day 5

San Juan was my favorite port of call. We were up super early for our half day ziplining adventure with Acampa Nature Tours.  We literally had to be the first ones off of the ship to make it on time. While we were ziplining, the rest of the family went to visit the famous hotel, El Conquistador and part of El Yunque. As soon as we were on the island, you saw the name "Papo" everywhere. I think Papo enjoyed that.



When we were greeted by our tour guide, Ramon, he asked if any of us were Puerto Rican. We explained that we were Cuban and from Miami and that Blaine was a quarter Puerto Rican (Blaine's maternal grandfather is Puerto Rican). The guy just laughed and started talking to his assistant in Spanish about how this white boy was crazy. Blaine just listened and didn't say anything.

The ride to the rainforest was pretty bumpy. I rarely get carsick and I definitely did this time around. The roads were also very mountainous, narrow, and steep. The ride was about an hour long and I just ended up falling asleep to avoid feeling worse. Once we arrived, our tour guides explained how all the equipment worked and what our schedule was for the day. We had to hike to the top of a mountain at about 1000 ft elevation. On  the way up, we saw the frogs that are unique to Puerto Rico - the coqui. The coqui doesn't have webbed toes and is one of the only animals with a bi-tonal call. Let me explain: the "co" portion of the call attracts a partner while the "qui" establishes their territory. So the females here the "co" part and the "qui" is heard only by the males. We also learned more about the fauna of the rain forest. At one point, we came across some termites. Our tour guide explained how they were edible and a good source of protein. He put his finger down in the middle of their nest, waited for them to crawl up on his finger, and put it in his mouth. I think everybody in the whole group tried, including Papo, Bruce AND Damaris. Blaine and I are pansies. If I ever needed to survive in a rainforest, sure. But not while on vacation.

    

  

Anyway, we had to climb waterfalls to get to the top of the mountain and I fell - twice. If it weren't for the tour guide helping me, I would've never made it up that waterfall. My shoes kept on slipping on the rocks. The moss on the rocks combined with the mud on our shoes is a recipe for disaster. But we were guided wear to step and to step into the water instead of the rocks. We were completely soaked. I didn't expect this tour to be that intense! We felt like we were on Survivor or something. Pretty cool. We finally made it to the first zipline. We had 6 to take before we were back to the base of the mountain. It was very fast and it felt great. I felt like I was flying. Ramon would go first and catch us on the platform on the end of the zipline. We learned how to spin on the 3rd zipline.

By the 4th zipline, Blaine asked Ramon where his family was from. By this point, Ramon noticed that Blaine did speak Spanish. He said that he lived in San Juan, but that his family is from Sabana Grande. Blaine went on to explain this his grandfather is from Sabana Grande. Ramon then started laughing and asked, "So you really do have family from Puerto Rico?" Blaine then proceeded to tell him that his grandfather's last name was Sepulveda. Ramon's eyes got huge! He stuttered as he said "My name is Ramon Sepulveda!" He said that he's been giving tours since 1996 and he's never come across another Sepulveda. Apparently, that last name isn't common and Sabana Grande is a very small town. The rest of the tour he kept on shaking his head saying that he couldn't believe this white boy with blonde hair and blue eyes could possibly be related to him. He kept on calling Blaine "primo" (Spanish for cousin) the rest of the time.

Blaine and Ramon. I am to blame for the spot on the lens. It had some mud on it and I didn't notice!

While we were on the 5th zipline, it started raining - hard. So hard that Ramon told us if we didn't get out there soon, we'd be witnessing a flash flood. We already starting seeing the water turn brown and little streams started forming. But we made it back in time just fine. We had to wash ourselves with a water hose and change in some car garage. We were dropped back off in Old San  Juan and only had a little bit of time to get food before the ship left. Ramon recommended that we go to "El Jibarito" Restaurant for lunch.

So we started trying to get directions right. Thank goodness all of us speak Spanish. We had to ask several people and walk around quite a bit before we found it. The city was full of brightly colored apartments and cobblestone streets. People say that it reminds them a lot of Cuba. I guess getting lost wasn't that bad. Once at El Jibarito, I had garlic chicken mofongo, which is a mashed and fried green plantain dish. Damaris had a yuca mofongo, which I had never had or heard of before. It's probably one of my new favorite things ever. We ordered and ate the food in less than 20 minutes. We were starving but we also needed to get back on the boat before 3:00 PM. We ran all the way back. We really want to return to Puerto Rico soon. We were only there for 7 short hours. It was not enough time to explore all that Puerto Rico has to offer!

Thursday night they had a big party on the Lido deck. They played music, made a massive conga line of over 300 people, and just had numerous games and activities going on. We were there for a little bit to kill sometime before the midnight buffet. The theme was Mexican. So I was pretty disappointed in the midnight buffet. On all previous cruises, it was amazing. They had a ton of ice sculptures all over the buffet; this time they only had one. Before they would display the food beautifully and creatively and served really good food. This year it was just OK. They barely had any fruit displays and the food was just there. I barely ate. I don't know what happened that caused Carnival to downgrade on the midnight buffet. It's something that everybody always looks forward too!

    

St. Thomas V.I. - Day 4

Our stay at St. Thomas was so memorable. None of us had been there before and were really excited. We heard from some friends that the best place to snorkel was at St. John's Trunk Bay. This is an island that's part of the Virgin Islands. We had to take a boat ride to St. John's. It was about a 45-minute ride. They had a tour guide pointing out houses of famous people like Madonna, Michael Jordan, and Tim Duncan, just to name a few. It was pretty hard to hear because the speaker system wasn't the greatest and the wind and waves from the outside were loud. But Blaine was able to understand some cool facts. The craziest one was that a gallon of milk cost $10! They don't have any cows in the islands and have to import a lot of goods. It's all brought in by ship, since they don't have any airports that are big enough for cargo planes.

Once we arrived at St. John's, we were greeted by our taxi drivers. So the "taxis" were F150s that were seriously hooked up. They put some seats in the beds of the trucks with a little roof and there you go! The drive to Trunk Bay was pretty crazy. First of all, they were driving on the right hand side and were driving super fast. The island was very mountainous and the streets were very narrow. Every time we made a sharp turn, we couldn't tell or see if anybody was coming our way! They stopped several times so that we could take some pictures with the bay in the background. It was a very beautiful island.

Trunk Bay was so awesome. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty scared of snorkeling. I've never been good at it. Never. The area where we could snorkel was pretty far away and I didn't know if I could be there that long. To my surprise, I was able to snorkel successfully for the first time ever and loved it. They had signs at the bottom of the ocean with arrows pointing you in the right direction. They also had signs with information about the fish and coral that we were seeing. It was really relaxing and a lot of fun. We were out there for about an hour and half. We couldn't touch anything because it was a reserve. So we had to keep afloat the whole time. Damaris' underwater camera came in handy here. We were able to take pictures of the fish and fun pictures of us snorkeling.

As soon as we were done snorkeling, it started raining! So the timing was perfect. We grabbed a quick snack before being taken back to St. Thomas. I wish we had more time to check out the rest of St. John. They had a lot of cute little shops that looked interesting. At St. Thomas, we walked the mall. We didn't really buy much other than some souvenirs. My family has this thing where we buy a magnet of every place we've visited. My grandma started this tradition and now we won't leave a place without one! I didn't like any magnets that I saw, so I bought a Christmas ornament and converted it into a magnet.

Once on the boat, we showered and got ready for dinner. After dinner, Blaine and Papo headed to the arcade again. This time, they were literally there for hours. They played one racing game, over and over again until they finally beat it. While they were doing that, the rest of us just played card games. At one point, Damaris and I just wanted to go to the club right next to the arcade for a song or two. The security guy didn't let us go in because we didn't have our I.D.'s and he thought we were under 21 despite the fact that we were both wearing our wedding rings. We were both so upset that we went all the way to our room, grabbed our I.D.'s just to show them to this security guy. It was so ridiculous. We were laughing the whole time we were going to our room. What bothered us was that some younger girls in from of us that were dressed pretty skimpy weren't even asked to show their I.D.'s. We went inside after proving our legal age status, and danced for a couple of songs. We laughed for a while. I love having a sister to share these simple, yet ridiculous moments with.

We went to bed earlier than usual because we were docking in Puerto Rico really early and had to be well-rested for our ziplining adventure!