Carolina's Coming!

Yeah, so I was going strong, blogging almost every weekday and absolutely loving it. Then, life happened!

We decided to have our living room painted and had to clear those rooms out for the painter, pick paint, pick new curtains, etc. After the painting was done I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the two rooms, which mean floorboards, floors, rugs, every piece of furniture in the room and everything that goes back into the room (including what goes back into the china hutch). It was tough work. After I finished that, I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the back bedroom since my best girlfriend, Carolina, is coming to stay with us. So, that meant scrubbing the walls, floorboards, floors, rug, cleaning the curtains, comforter sheets and everything that went back into my room. My back is crying for a break. Yuck.

But, it will pay off because I get to see my Carolina! I just have to clean the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom tonight and maybe make a few treats for the weekend.

Carolina and I waiting to see "Sweeney Todd" in April.

Me and Carolina at the Cherry Blossom Festival! We had incredibly beautiful weather.

Carolina is from Columbia, and we met in college in a history class. We studied together a couple of times, and we really hit it off. I was a communications/journalism major, and she was a communications/theater major. We ended up having a few classes that overlapped, and we just kept hitting it off. Although I was not involved in theater in college, I loved and still do love theater. Carolina was the stage manager in many of the productions, and I loved going to see her.

Carolina, my mom and me

Carolina looking adorable, while I look like a total bum. We were heading home after "Wicked."

Our second year in college, my first roommate decided to live off of campus, so I was left without a roommate. Carolina was my suite mate, and when things with her roommate didn't work out (think young college girl dating a man older than my parents...blah), Carolina decided to move in with me.

We stayed roommates throughout the rest of our college experience. She was the neat freak, and I was the slob. However, I think she rubbed off on me because I am a crazy clean person now. Yes, my house gets messy, but it drives me insane.

In our junior year of college, Carolina and I moved into a house on campus. That house is where we truly bonded. We got our own rooms and had the chance to have some more space to ourselves. It was really good for us. We spent many nights sitting on each other's beds laughing, crying, studying and gossiping (and we, of course, occasionally opened a nice bottle of wine). It was perfect!

After college, Carolina moved around a few times and is now living in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. We see each other more now than we did a few years ago. The last two Thanksgivings she has come to our place (day after Thanksgiving). Last Thanksgiving, she came down to our place, and we went to Cleveland to see "Wicked" and the house from "The Christmas Story." I traveled down to see her the week of Holy Week, and we went to the cherry blossom festival and to see a production of "Sweeney Todd." It was nice because her birthday is April 2, and I got to see her! Remember, we love our theater. So, that's always an important part of our time together, too!

Carolina and I at "Wicked" last November.

My brother's girlfriend Maria, Carolina and I waiting for "Wicked."

I can't wait for this weekend. Our plans include some Christmas shopping and catching up with friends for a nice dinner. It will be great and relaxing!

At a restaurant featured on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," after "Wicked."

Visiting the house from "The Christmas Story," after "Wicked."

I will try to get back into blogging more. Right now is rough because of the holidays and other big things going on, but I am trying to get back into the swing!

Have a great day!

Travel Thursdays - Our First Cruise

This is a long post and very picture heavy. Proceed if you dare!

Cruising wasn't something that Joe or I had ever done, along with most of the rest of my family. However, it was something my parents always wanted to do. So, for their 25th wedding anniversary in 2006, my sister, brother, Joe and I threw my parents an anniversary party and asked that everyone, in lieu of gifts, consider donating toward a cruise for them. The feedback was positive, and we were able to write my parents a nice check for a cruise of their choice. Their anniversary was two weeks before our August wedding, and they took the cruise in May 2007.



Come sail away with me!



Well, fast forward two years later (June of 2008), and we all decided to go on the same cruise they went on. When I say all, I mean all nine of us, including: Joe, Mom, Dad, Kayla, Derek, two friends, our friend Finney and me! It was all set, we decided to cruise on the Carnival Miracle for nine days (same exact cruise my parents did). We left from New York, which was driving distance for us, and we went to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Tortola.

Dad, Finney, Mom and I by the pool one morning. Notice there is no one else there.

Let me tell you, within minutes we were hooked. If you have never been on a cruise, you have got to try it. Envision drinks and food available all day, someone cleaning your room twice a day, napping as you please, getting lost in a good book, excellent food, going to Vegas-style shows every night, laying poolside and gorging yourself with soft-serve ice cream. It really is magical.

Waiters singing Mom and Kayla "Happy Birthday." They share a birthday, and my sister turned 21 on the cruise!

We got a balcony room, and I don't think I can cruise any other way. Think about it, a private balcony to read on while sailing the ocean. Can you smell the salt water right now?

Our ship in Puerto Rico.

There is much debate over Royal Caribbean versus Carnival, and honestly I can't give a real review because we have only cruised with Carnival. But, we have cruised with Carnival three times, and we love it. Does that say anything? Carnival is a fun ship; it is true. There are events that are a little corny (belly-flopping contest, etc.), but we just don't go to those. There also are jewelry sales, art shows, bar musicians, trivia games, casinos, bingo games and so much. If there is something that interests you, you can go. If you don't want to go, just don't. It is time for luxury and relaxation. Speaking of luxury, my sister and I always take advantage of the spa. I just realized I need a cruise right now.

Each port was unique. We had three sea days before reaching Puerto Rico, and let me tell you, we love sea days. We could wake up anytime we wanted and really relax. In Puerto Rico, my mom, dad, sister, brother, Joe, Finney and I did a tour of the island and went to the Bacardi Rum factory. Although the tour of the factory left much to be desired, we loved our free rum, and we got to take some great flavors home with us. On the tour, we saw where Roberto Clemente is buried and shopped in some of the markets near the port. We were there a good while (3-11 p.m.), which we really loved because it gave us a lot of time to enjoy the city. After dinner (we ate in the lido deck dining room on the ship), Joe and I went and sat on the top deck completely by ourselves, and I mean completely by ourselves. It was dark out, and we could look at the city with a gorgeous view. That was probably the best part of the trip for me. I think Joe would agree. That night, we had a Mexican buffet and dance party while our ship set sale for our next port, which was St. Thomas!

Kayla and me at Bacardi!

St. Thomas was gorgeous. I don't care what anyone says. We did a tour of the island again and stopped at Magens Bay. We had the whole beach to ourselves. Seriously, there were maybe two dozen people stretched along the beach. The water was crystal clear and just gorgeous. We loved it! For that excursion day, it was just my mom, dad, sister, brother, Joe and me. After the beach, we went to (what we call) tent city, and I got my very own Coach purse. Kayla got two purses. It was insanely hot, and I believe Joe was delirious when he told me to find a purse. I promise I didn't even ask for one. Finney went by himself that day, and he said Magens Bay was packed when he went. We really lucked out. Don't worry, that day we got free rum too.

St. Thomas

Joe, me, Derek and Kayla at St. Thomas

My sister at Magens Bay with no one in sight. Incredible.

Our third excursion day was Tortola, and it was the best excursion day. Kayla and I went swimming with dolphins. I thought we would be in a huge group and get very limited interaction. Boy was I wrong! The big excursion group broke into smaller groups, and our group was approximately seven or eight people, and we had two trainers and two dolphins. We got to feed them, pet them, ride them two times each and do tricks with them (getting them to speak and spit water). It was fantastic! I highly recommend the dolphin excursion in Tortola. We purchased a video and pictures at the end. It was hot, so when we got back to port, we only went shopping for a short while before heading back to the ship.

Joe and me on our balcony in Tortola.

While on the ship, we had two formal nights, which you don't have to attend, but I highly recommend them. It's fun to get dressed up once in a while, right? Carnival's dress code isn't too strict. The ladies wore anything from cocktail dresses to gowns, and the guys pretty much wore suits or at least dress shirts and ties. The first formal night (earlier in the trip) was what they call "Captain's Formal Night," where you get to listen to the ship band play music in the main theater, meet and shake hands with the captain and crew and indulge in free alcohol and appetizers. (Although food and drinks are included in the cost of cruising, there is a cost for alcohol.) My parents got to go to a special past cruisers event later in the cruise (which we got to attend in later cruises). Those are fun too!

Dancing with my baby brother one night!

Joe and I at our first formal night!

One of the highlights for our group was the piano player, Roger, in the piano bar. The piano bars on the ships are like a group sing-a-long, and they are a blast. Roger was a great entertainer, and we became regulars of that bar. It is bad, by the way, if you are regulars on a nine-day cruise.

Second formal night.

The second highlight for our group, was that Finney won bingo twice (totaling something like $800), and our other friend won. It was so cool. When Finney won the big bingo, he paid a round of drinks that night. It was a ball!

Our whole gang at dinner with our waiters on the last night. The picture is fuzzy, but it was a group shot.

Our dining room

Since that cruise was two-and-a-half years ago, I don't remember all of the details. But, I think I did pretty good.

I want a drink with an umbrella, a lounge chair in the sun and ocean as far as my eyes can see right about now.

Travel Thursdays! Honeymoon, Part One

My husband and I love to travel. Growing up, my family always took annual vacations. We didn't always go places that were really exotic or far away, but I think we went every, single year. Some of the places I remember are: New York, Tennessee, Canada (Niagara Falls), Hocking Hills in Ohio, Virginia (beach, Busch Gardens, etc.), Maryland, Gettysburg, lots of camping in our motor home, Sea World, Washington D.C. and Disney World. I want my kids to someday have the same fond memories that I have of vacationing. My husband's family didn't vacation quite as often, but when they did, they went big: Disney World.

In the four short years we have been married we have been to a lot of places: Disney World (honeymoon), Minnesota, Virginia, three cruises and a wonderful trip to Ireland this past summer. We have also been on a lot of mini trips and adventures. I would like to start chronicling our vacations. Some of the details of the trips that were taken in the beginning of our marriage may not be as detailed because it has been a while, but I am going to try.

On Thursdays, I am going to try to blog some of our adventures!

I guess I should start with our honeymoon in August of 2006. We decided to go to Disney World, which really fit into our wedding theme of "Happily Ever After!" I think the best decision we made was leaving the Monday after our wedding, instead of the day after. We got married on Aug. 12, 2006, and we spent the next day opening gifts, eating wedding leftovers and cookies and visiting with our closest family members and friends. It was wonderful.

The next morning, Aug. 14, we woke up in our new home (we didn't live together before our wedding night) and headed to Pittsburgh airport to catch our flight to Orlando.

I always tell Joe that one of my favorite memories of when we first got married was when we were sitting in the airport eating bagels and sipping on coffee while we waited to board the plane. It was such a simple time, but it is one I will always cherish. It was our first real conversation as a married couple, and I will never forget it.

Once we flew to Orlando, we got on the Disney transportation, sans luggage. (The beauty is that they take the luggage to the hotel for you, if you are staying in Disney.) Then we headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! It was new at the time, and we got a great deal because of that fact. We had a safari view room and a balcony, and we were so excited that the animals could come so close to our windows. Joe loved the giraffes! We were also pleasantly surprised to see a towel animal on our bed.





Once we realized our luggage was running a bit behind schedule and we wouldn't have it in time to have a nice dinner that night, we decided to head to Hollywood Studios.

We explored the Hollywood Studios, and we made sure we got our bride and groom Mickey ears! Those ears proved themselves necessary for extra special treatment throughout the rest of the trip. We hit some rides and watched "Fantasmic," our favorite show at Disney, and then we called it a night! Side note: We love "Fantasmic" so much that we used it as the entrance song for our reception!

The next day we were up bright and early and ready for the Magic Kingdom, the most important park in all of Disney World, right? We rode rides, explored the park and watched the coronation ball of Cinderella. At the coronation, Joe told me my wedding dress was prettier than Cinderella's; we were such newlyweds! The castle was beautifully decorated because it was the 50th anniversary of Disney World. Gorgeous!



The most bizarre part of the trip was when we went to Mickey and Minnie's house, and we were getting ready to meet the mouse, and a little girl came up to me and said, "Are you Renee?" I was floored; I mean I know I am awesome, but I didn't think the whole world knew my face (just kidding). Anyways she went on to tell me that her grandma worked with me, and she knew we were going to be at Disney around the same time as each other, and the ears gave us away! I couldn't believe she recognized me; we only saw each other once before. Bizarre! What are the chances?!

Anyways we met the mouse and had pictures with him, and he admired our rings, and then we met Chip and Dale, and we got pictures. We hit a lot more throughout the day before we rested and got ready for the Main Street parade and fireworks!







The next day we headed to the Animal Kingdom where we got to ride the new Expedition Everest (awesome). It was toasty that day. I mean who in their right minds heads to Florida in August? Um, that would be us. We saw some shows, rod ethe dinosaur ride, ate some ice cream (this is where Joe and I fell in love with the Toll House ice cream sandwiches...yum) and headed to 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. We got some great marital advice from our waitress (who has been married three times; means she knows what not to do, right?).

Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the luau at the Polynesian Resort. We got prime seating the front, had a table to ourselves, got to dance on the stage with other honeymooners. It was top notch!







That takes us through Wednesday, The rest of our honeymoon will be in a later post because this could get really long, and we are only halfway thorugh. If you have gotten this far, I admire you! Plenty more fun to some!

"M-I-C, see you real soon; K-E-Y, why, because I like you, M-O-U-S-E!