What to Do on a Day at Sea?

I woke up Tuesday morning feeling much better – and I was so glad, because we were at sea the entire day and I could not bear to feel sick for all of it. It was SUPER windy that day, so some of the things on the ship weren’t open for safety reasons. We had a great time despite some of the stuff being closed.

We started out by going to the Morning Show on the boat. {You can take the girl out of broadcasting, but you can’t take broadcasting out of the girl, apparently.} It was a live TV show, and we {along with less than a dozen other people} sat in the studio audience. 

It was hosted by Butch, our cruise director, and the two assistant cruise directors – Ryan and Kelly. Kelly really, really, really likes to drink. Oh my goodness. 

During the Welcome Aboard show, Butch invited anyone to write him a letter and he’d read them during the morning show, so we did…told him how we were celebrating 9 months of marriage and the fact that we’d survived home renovations inside the first year of marriage. 

He read our letter on the air {we know this one was ours because I accidentally addressed it to Bruce instead of Butch and had to cross it out. Good grief} – and then proceeded to send a bottle of champagne to our room. LOL!!! We don’t drink!

The morning show was fun…and then that afternoon, RYAN crossed something off of HIS bucket list. He’d always wanted to be a contestant on a game show, so we got in line early for Hasbro the game show – and made it onto the floor, where contestants were picked from. They picked them via answers to Trivial Pursuit and the question came up “Almond Joy has what that Mounds doesn’t?” Ryan jumped and clapped and raised his hand and Butch picked him – and with the answer of NUTS – he was on stage.

The guy next to him was SO mad he didn’t get picked and I’m not gonna lie – I really didn’t appreciate his rude comments and lack of sportsmanship. Even the people on the other side of me looked around me at him like “Seriously, dude???” RUDE.

Ryan got on stage to play the game Simon Flash. The team had to make the colors on their boxes match the color sequence provided.

 In the end, Ryan’s team lost {I should point out that was not HIS fault} – but he still got a little handheld game as a consolation prize! I was so proud of him for getting the chance to be part of the show!

When we weren’t busy attending shows, we hung out on deck and at the pool – it was a sunny one that day!! Loved being able to just rest and enjoy the day. 

And then that night was formal night number one at dinner. I wore another of Kari’s dresses and got all fancied up with pearls and heels and the whole nine yards! I felt a bit like Vivian in Pretty Woman.

Ryan was all handsome in his shirt and tie…

…and we had a great time before dinner, running around to the different photographers around the ship having our photos taken. That is so much fun!!!

Dinner was QUITE scrumptious. 

We started out with baked stuffed white mushrooms with spinach and romano cheese...and spicy alligator fritters {Ryan got them, but yes, I tried them AND liked them}

 And then...prime rib with a baked potato for me...and ribs with coleslaw and corn for Ryan...and because I'd never tried it, we shared an entree of lobster with potatoes and broccoli...

 And for dessert, cherries jubilee with ice cream for Ryan and for me - THE winner of the desserts that week. Caramelized apples on a puff pastry served with cream. I could have eaten six. {I did not.}

After dinner, we went dancing in one of the lounges – just a couple of slow dances – which I adore being asked to do. 

We went to see a show again – this one was the music of Motor City. {No Gaither music was used so I was pretty much lost the entire time – but it was a good show.}

 We tried to watch a movie out on the Lido deck at the dive in movies...but we were too tired. So we ate popcorn and headed back to our room...

You know...to find a new towel animal....

SUCH a fun night - and whole day, really! I was so glad I felt better again!

And one more little treat...

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday...we technically arrived home from vacation! Got home about 1:30 in the morning and collapsed in bed - exhausted. And we had the privilege of staying disgusting and exhausted all day Sunday, thanks to our broken, leaking water heater. Ryan had to rip it out, dry the wet floors and install a whole new heater. Finally got to take a shower that night! Never felt so good to get rid of airport grime!

* Monday was a vacation day for us...Labor Day...and that's exactly what Ryan did ALL DAY LONG. He labored under the house fixing leaky pipes he found when he went to put fans under the house to dry the floor from the water heater. I cried. No more broken things!!! Here's the out-with-the-old pipe picture. So nasty! And I'm so thankful he's knowledgeable about this kind of stuff!

* Tuesday we both went back to work, and I was greeted with all the mail that came in while I was gone! Can't say that I felt unloved! I spent most of the day wading through everything on my desk and trying to catch up! Even though we were sad to say goodbye to vacation...we were happy to see some sense of routine return to our lives!

* And then there was Wednesday. The day that kind of smacked us both in the face. This return to reality has not been a smooth one! That night we scrapped all original plans and ate tenderloins from Penguin Point and did chores around the house. And I finished my September mantel - the apple themed mantel. Loved the way it turned out!

* I'm sure I don't need to tell you that Thursday was...the start of football season!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOOOO!!!! {For those of you who might be new...Ryan loves football, and I love the excuse to scrapbook while he watches a game!} So we settled in for the big Ravens/Broncos game Thursday evening...and I scrapped and watched the game WHILE RYAN SLEPT!!!! Shaking head....

 * Friday night was date night at the Shaffers...with our first ever trip to Five Guys! We are in love - with each other and with Five Guys! After that, we went to our first movie {excluding the drive-in experience we had this summer} and then we TRIED to get Starbucks but annoyingly, all of them around here close at 10 p.m. That's about when we START wanting coffee!!

* Yesterday was amazing. After a crazy week at work...fixing the house...etc., we slept in until 10:00, rested all morning, and I worked on our scrapbook while Ryan worked on the backyard landscaping. He's SO CLOSE to being done. So close. I love the pavers he put down on the patio area...

The Saturday Six

Today's post is inspired by things we took on vacation with us that I'd highly recommend!!

One.

Ryan bought some of these Ziploc Big Bags to pack our clothing. You can buy different combinations of sizes...and put your clothes inside...and then use a vacuum to suck out all the air. It's similar to what I've seen on infomercials before {not that I watch infomercials, you understand} but much cheaper! They worked very well and gave us plenty of space in our suitcase for other things!

Two.

Source

I'm several years late to the party on this one, but just in case you are too, may I submit to you that the Tide To-Go pens really do work? It's POSSIBLE that my chocolate covered Kind Bar may have made a bit of a mess on my khaki pants ON THE FIRST DAY of vacation, but this bad boy really did take the chocolate right out. SWEET. 

Three.

Source

We weren't sure we'd have access to an iron on the cruise {turns out they did have ironing rooms on the ship...just no irons in each stateroom} so we took some of this Downy Wrinkle Releaser in case we had wrinkly clothes. We bought a big bottle {couldn't find it in the store in a small/travel size} and poured some into a 3 ounce spray bottle we purchased in the travel section. It actually worked fairly well except on the clothes that had impossible material. We just sprayed it on our clothing and hung the clothing in the bathroom while we took showers - and we were pretty wrinkle free!!

Four.

Too bad you can't enjoy these bad boys any time you want. Burgers and fries from Guy Fieri's burger joint on the ship topped our list of favorite foods and have our biggest source of withdrawal, post-ship-life.


Five.

I was perfectly content to get my Christmas ornament souvenirs and call it done on the fun spending {we get Christmas ornaments everyplace we visit so we can build a collection of memories of our travels} - but Ryan urged me to pick out a piece of jewelry for myself while we were in the Bahamas. Ryan is the only man who has ever offered to buy me jewelry, and that memory is sweeter than the purchase. We went into a little local island shop and I picked out this bracelet that I ADORE {top left}. Goes with everything and coordinates with a necklace I already had!

Six.

You'll read more about this lighthouse later, but we saw it from the ship as we were leaving the Bahamas. It is the first time I've ever wanted to be a fiction writer. I just KNOW there's a story in there. 

And Then She Got Seasick

I had no idea, really, if I struggled with motion sickness. I pop Dramamine as a preventative measure every time I fly. I go on speed boats in the lake all the time with no problem, and I had no issues on the dinner cruise Ryan and I took on our honeymoon. Nevertheless, I took Dramamine religiously on the boat just to be sure I would be okay.

And it failed me.

I’m not sure if it was the combination of the heat in Key West, along with the strange eating schedule {lunch at 2 that day} and going farther out into the ocean where the boat moved more or WHAT, but by dinner time on Monday evening, I was not feeling well at all. Not so much sick to my stomach as just really unstable on my feet and very hot. 

But I should tell you…before that…we did have a few hours after getting back ON the ship after our Key West adventure…before we had to eat dinner, so we enjoyed some time up on the deck. I was content to lay on a bed on the adult deck {did I MENTION there were 1300 children on this cruise? THIRTEEN HUNDRED CHILDREN. That’s a lot of children. A lot of fit-pitching. A lot of screaming.}

Ryan, however, wanted to play in the water park. So we went to the water park and he rode the water slide…

…and then he played in the park with some kids. 

Okay first of all…I lost him in the park. I was walking around like a tourist, camera in hand, searching for him, muttering to myself, how did I lose a bald man in a kids’ water park? HOW?? Reason #46432 why I am not mom material. 

So then I found him and took all manner of photos of him. A guy came up to me and said, “Who are you taking pictures of?” I said, “Oh my husband.” {Not my kid. My husband.} Cracked him right up. I said, “He’s that one right there shooting kids with the hose.” 

So that was our afternoon at the water park…and then we got ready for dinner. I wore another dress borrowed from Kari...

 

 ...and we headed to the dining room, where I started feeling progressively worse. We’d pretty much just eaten lunch, so I wasn’t hungry, either, and we didn’t last in there very long. I felt really bad about it…I didn’t want to ruin Ryan’s cruise!!!

Nevertheless, here's a peek at the food we got that night. {No dessert in the dining room that evening because I felt too sick to stay past the main course.}

For starters...some French onion soup for Ryan and a chicken quesadilla for me. {My only major food disappointment of the week was that quesadilla. I only found one little piece of chicken...and way lots of black beans. And I hate beans.}

 And then for our main dish....

Jerk pork loin with fried rice and baked beans and chicken Sicilian style with stewed potatoes and green beans....

After our dinner attempt, we went back to the room so I could rest for a while...and then we tried again with some dessert:

Sorry I look so bad!!! I really felt terrible!

After this, we went to watch a juggling show. When you feel dizzy, watching a juggler is probably not the best plan. But we did it and after that was over, we went to our room, checked out our towel creature, and went to bed!