It was truly AmAzInG to see first-hand some of the destruction from Hurricane Isaac.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Cruisin'
We were given an extremely generous
cash gift at our wedding to spend on ourselves for our honeymoon but decided to
put that toward a cruise…. A few months ago we booked a 5 day cruise with Adam
and Julia leaving out of New Orleans. Our plan was to pick up Adam and Julia at
the New Orleans airport, park the car at a nearby gated church, and have a
friend drop us all off at the port but when the day to board the ship arrived
we learned that Adam and Julia’s connecting flight in Houston had been delayed
2 hours. Bryce and I ended up
boarding the ship without them and just praying that they would arrive before
the ship set sail. We planned out different scenarios in preparation of them
being left behind. (How we could get them into our apt. etc so at least
they would have a place to stay) Luckily that didn’t need to happen because
they made it on with four minutes to spare! The cruise would have been a
totally different experience without them and we were so grateful they made it!
Dancing with the Cast – the first day we happened to be in the theater when they invited everyone up to learn ballroom dances. Before we knew it they started selecting two people for each dance and Bryce was selected for the Tango and I was selected for the Samba. They had an audience choice and I guess we beat out the runners-up. They told us we would have a few practices and then perform in the show the last night on the ship. We learned new routines and they decked us out with costumes for the night of the show but it turned out the night of the show, the ship was so rocky that they canceled the dancing part of the show. Bummer! We came out and bowed in the finale with the rest of the cast but of course felt silly since we didn’t even get to do our part of the show.
Day at Progresso, Mexico – We decided to forgo paying Carnival for an expensive shore excursion, but rather found our own transportation (taxi) for a fraction of the cost. We adventured out to see some Mayan ruins called Zibilchaltun and swam in a Ceynote (Spanish for sink hole). The Ceynote was full of fish you could reach out and touch. The water was cool/fresh from an underground river that went as deep as 130 ft. After that we enjoyed cheap massages on the beach, eating a taco, and chatting in Spanish with the natives.
We were surprised how long it took
us to get out of the Mississippi River but realized the next morning it was
obvious we were not in tranquil river waters but in the raging hurricane
waters. It was a pretty rocky ride.
There were so many things about the
cruise that made it so memorable.
Eating ALL the time – we enjoyed formal meals and 24hour food on the ship. We sat at a dinner table with some cool southern women (former college friends who were reunited after like 30 years) and another old couple. The church came up a few times and it was fun conversation. It was fun to taste each other’s food and order anything and everything on the menu including multiple desserts.
Day at Cozumel, Mexico – My favorite! I loved the crystal clear water and we loved our private beach and snorkeling all day. It was Bryce’s first time snorkeling and I was so excited for him to have a good experience. The only problem was that the sunscreen we used was not so good and he got toasted on his back. We saw so many BEAUTIFUL and unique fish. As we were about to head in I felt really sick and before I knew it I was throwing up in the ocean while snorkeling. So memorable and so nasty!
I felt like a real pregnant/throwing up woman as I experienced throwing up in my hand (before I could reach the bathroom), over the railing of the cruise ship, while snorkeling in the ocean, and on many other occasions. I’m convinced that it was purely sea sickness and bad reactions to the meds I was taking because I hadn’t thrown up for weeks before the cruise and haven’t thrown up since.
Summer Recap
July 31st I flew to Utah
and the next day joined the caravan to California for the EFO reunion. My
favorites of that reunion were riding in the Hilton, Seegmiller, and Mom and
Dad’s car, playing at the reservoir, eating and preparing meals with hundreds
of relatives, the testimony meeting, and skyping and texting pics to Bryce
throughout it all.
A few years ago at the EFO Reunion we started at this point (where I am standing in this pic) and made it to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
That weekend we surprised all of Bryce’s family and Bryce was able to participate in the blessing of his niece. We loved picking peaches from the Anderson’s neighbor’s trees and enjoying fresh produce from the Anderson garden.
The Utah trip had a smashing finish with another amazing Ed Week Experience!! I LOVED going to classes with Lacy, Lani, Lori, Ang, little Adam, Jay, Nicole, and their friends Johnny and Kirsten, and all of you! It’s time to pull out my ed week notes again and review all the amazing and inspiring things I learned, especially from Mom and Dad’s class.
The MRO reunion was amazing! Of course my absolute favorite part was that Bryce showed up with the Denver Olsens and surprised us all!!! I LOVE the shirts, good food, spotlights, water balloons, giant water turtle, relaxation station, and trying to ski (for the first time that I can remember). Thanks Mom and Dad for all your efforts and money to create and plan such a fun and memorable reunion! We are so grateful!
That weekend we surprised all of Bryce’s family and Bryce was able to participate in the blessing of his niece. We loved picking peaches from the Anderson’s neighbor’s trees and enjoying fresh produce from the Anderson garden.
The Utah trip had a smashing finish with another amazing Ed Week Experience!! I LOVED going to classes with Lacy, Lani, Lori, Ang, little Adam, Jay, Nicole, and their friends Johnny and Kirsten, and all of you! It’s time to pull out my ed week notes again and review all the amazing and inspiring things I learned, especially from Mom and Dad’s class.
BYU Graduation
After the honeymoon I finished my last week of student teaching and then we both celebrated our graduation as a married couple at BYU graduation!
Honeymoon
The first of many honeymoons.
After our beautiful and magical reception in Orem, UT we spent Friday night in Park City at the Mountainside Marriott in a beautiful and spacious suite. My cute groom had arranged (with some help from some siblings) for rose petals, candles, sparkling cider, goblets, an assortment of delicious fresh fruits and fancy snacks. Bryce surprised me with a gourmet breakfast the next morning and we spent Saturday exploring Park City. We went to some outlet stores and had lunch at an amazing sandwich place. We found a cute Italian Restaurant on Main Street and enjoyed a delicious pizza and salad for dinner.
Although I had almost completely forgot, my amazing husband was ready for Easter Morning... he had hid Easter eggs full of candy around our Marriott Suite. I eventually found my Easter basket that was hidden in the dryer and full of delicious Easter treats. We loved being together on that Easter Sunday morning to read scriptures together, talk, dream, hope, and begin our marriage together. We attended church in Midway, Utah and then enjoyed a beautiful Sunday drive to St. George, Utah where we arrived that afternoon.
Bryce had reserved a beautiful condo for the week. It was clean, beautifully decorated, and perfect for the two of us. We loved using the condo's many amenities including mini golf, air hockey, ping-pong, tennis courts, shuffleboard, basketball, swimming pools, and hot tub. We enjoyed having a kitchen to make our own meals or go out to eat as we pleased. We had some pre-made cookie dough and we started a nightly tradition of fresh hot cookies with vanilla ice cream and strawberries.
We visited some historic St. George sites including Jacob Hamblin home, Brigham Young's winter home, and the St. George temple and Visitor's Center. (We were excited to see that the temple was dedicated on our anniversary April 6th)! I remember watching the Visitor's Center "family" interactive video that shows powerful quotes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World" and a girl as she grows and eventually marries. It was spiritual and powerful and it reminded me how grateful I am for the plan of salvation and eternal covenants.
We spent a day nearby in Zions National Park and hiked to the top of Angels Landing. It wasn't a first for either of us but doing it together was, and I'm sure we were the happiest couple in that whole park. I felt like I was on top of the world on top of that mountain enjoying that incredible view with my handsome husband! I felt like we could do anything together and we would!
After our beautiful and magical reception in Orem, UT we spent Friday night in Park City at the Mountainside Marriott in a beautiful and spacious suite. My cute groom had arranged (with some help from some siblings) for rose petals, candles, sparkling cider, goblets, an assortment of delicious fresh fruits and fancy snacks. Bryce surprised me with a gourmet breakfast the next morning and we spent Saturday exploring Park City. We went to some outlet stores and had lunch at an amazing sandwich place. We found a cute Italian Restaurant on Main Street and enjoyed a delicious pizza and salad for dinner.
Although I had almost completely forgot, my amazing husband was ready for Easter Morning... he had hid Easter eggs full of candy around our Marriott Suite. I eventually found my Easter basket that was hidden in the dryer and full of delicious Easter treats. We loved being together on that Easter Sunday morning to read scriptures together, talk, dream, hope, and begin our marriage together. We attended church in Midway, Utah and then enjoyed a beautiful Sunday drive to St. George, Utah where we arrived that afternoon.
Bryce had reserved a beautiful condo for the week. It was clean, beautifully decorated, and perfect for the two of us. We loved using the condo's many amenities including mini golf, air hockey, ping-pong, tennis courts, shuffleboard, basketball, swimming pools, and hot tub. We enjoyed having a kitchen to make our own meals or go out to eat as we pleased. We had some pre-made cookie dough and we started a nightly tradition of fresh hot cookies with vanilla ice cream and strawberries.
We visited some historic St. George sites including Jacob Hamblin home, Brigham Young's winter home, and the St. George temple and Visitor's Center. (We were excited to see that the temple was dedicated on our anniversary April 6th)! I remember watching the Visitor's Center "family" interactive video that shows powerful quotes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World" and a girl as she grows and eventually marries. It was spiritual and powerful and it reminded me how grateful I am for the plan of salvation and eternal covenants.
We spent a day nearby in Zions National Park and hiked to the top of Angels Landing. It wasn't a first for either of us but doing it together was, and I'm sure we were the happiest couple in that whole park. I felt like I was on top of the world on top of that mountain enjoying that incredible view with my handsome husband! I felt like we could do anything together and we would!
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