Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dad and Michele's Birthday 2009

This year for the birthdays we all gathered at the Chaney compound for a celebration. Mom cooked a wonderful spaghetti dinner and for dessert we got homemade carrot cake. Did I mention that it was homemade?
Dad with his grandson, John.
The birthday girl, Michele.
The boys gather 'round grandpa to check out the cake.
All the boys are checking out what grandpa is doing in the kitchen. Is he cutting cake?
Mom & I take a goofy self portrait. Well, I look goofy. Mom looks good as always.
Uncle John shows Brendan how to work the blackberry.

As always, when the family gathers, there's good food and good fun. Happy birthday to Dad and Michele.

Cruise 2009

We recently went on a cruise with our families. This was on the Voyager of the Seas out of Galveston. The stops were in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Honduras. We had the whole crew with us and we had a great time. My mom was there, John's parents, their friends, Jackie & Richard and Juju's friend Cathy.

We had 8 in our group and it was really a blast. Just like last time, the cruise days were my favorite. The ocean was very calm and no one got sick (not even me!). My only complaint was that this time, the 7 days flew by. When we got back, I felt like we'd just left.
We had wonderful weather. The only thing that was bad was the wind. Mom can attest to that. She went jogging on the track on the top deck and I think she had a tough time of it. The others of us that were crazy enough to exercise while on vacation were working out in the gym out of the wind.

Our first stop was Roatan, Honduras. What a beautiful island. Very green.
The water looked so inviting I just wanted to jump in. Unfortunately, I don't like the beach. Too much sand.
One of the really great things about being on a cruise with a large group is that during the day everyone does their own thing. We all break off into little groups and do what we want and then join back up at dinner. In Honduras, my mom, John & I went on a city tour of Roatan. They took us around the island and showed us all kinds of things. Mom, Dad and Cathy went on a glass bottom boat tour. And Jackie & Richard did another island tour. That night, we all hooked up for dinner.
John & Mom on formal night before dinner.
Jackie & Richard and Mom & Dad.
Mom & Me on formal night.
Judy and Cathy.

The problem with formal night is we all tend to go photo crazy. How can you help it? We all look so nice.

After dinner, we hit the casino.
Some of us didn't do so well. The next day was Costa Maya. Dad arranged for all of us to take a tour to Kohunlich, where there were Mayan ruins.
On the bus to Kohunlich.
Ruins at Kohunlich.
Mom and Dad at Kohunlich.

Back on the ship there was a lot of this going on...
Ocean watching..
Enjoying the sights..
Happy hour in the concierge room.
The girls discussing their day while enjoying happy hour in the concierge room.
John enjoys a nightcap at the Champagne Bar. This was a quiet little bar we found on the ship where we met our new friend Ivan the bartender.
The second formal night. We all gathered at Portofino - which was a specialty Italian restaurant aboard the ship.
Here's the whole group. Sitting (L-R) Mom, Dad, Jackie, Richard, Cathy. Standing (L-R) My mom, me and John.
Cheers to a cruise well done!
Alina, our waiter, and Dad. She was able to keep those boys in line. She was a lot of fun.
Both of our waiters for the cruise. They were great.
The cruise was a great time. It's a wonderful way to travel, especially in a large group. There are sea days when you just get to relax and read or find a quite corner and enjoy the ocean. They also have lots of activities, like bingo, scrapping, etc. Then on the port days, you can get off the boat and do a little sightseeing in some exotic places that you might not otherwise go.

One more great vacation for the Chaney clan.