Day 3- Aruba

 Oranjestad, Aruba!

 This island is gorgeous and way, way tinier than I thought! We rented a car (which took 45 minutes to get) and traveled to the other side of the island to follow the main road through lots of really cool spots. We were happy to have our own car and be on our own schedule.

Our 1st stop was on the east side of the island where the water splashed up high against the dark rocks and was so stunningly beautiful!

 

WE continued up the coast to a fort where you could ride ATVs along the coastline but we took pictures and headed up the coast.  There was a HUGE area of layered stacked rocks, like a zen graveyard? It was so cool!

We made it up to the hole in the rock which was beautiful!

Then we found the church where most of the slaves were forced to become Christian. The history of slaves in the Caribbean is sad everywhere :( The whole middle of the island looks like Phoenix with tons and tons of Cacti and so very dry.

The beaches are gorgeous! Some day we would like to go back and spend time at each beach, visit the animal rescue sanctuary and ostrich farm, and find the thousands of Flamingos!

Almost every night we were able to catch the sunset from our balcony!  So beautiful!

That night we went to the comedy magic show to see Fred Moore.  It was FANTASTIC! I have no idea how he did it all, but he kept us glued the entire 45 minutes!

Side Note: Day 2 was a day at sea. We enjoyed walking around and eating amazing food. At night, we watched the ballroom dance show called "Burn the Floor." It was absolutely amazing!!!  These were top of the line professional dancers and I was blown away. Yes, it made me miss dancing. What a fantastic show!

Cruising the Southern Caribbean!

 I will say, this trip was soooooo very needed!!! The last 2 years have been tough and I am exhausted. We didnt plan this cruise as detailed as we normally do. We kinda went with the flow which has pros and cons as you will see.

Bob and I decided we wanted to see some new islands. We found that if we flew into Puerto Rico, we could catch a cruise to some of the southern islands.

We flew out on Saturday to Chicago and then took the 4 hour flight to Puerto Rico, arriving at 3:00 AM. Took a taxi to our hotel and crashed for the night. When we got up, we went to look at the beach right outside our hotel. We were going to sit in the sand and enjoy but they said we needed to be careful because of the sand lice and midges (never heard of that). So, no thank you. We thought the ship sailed at 3 and we had a boarding time of 11:00 AM. So we got to the cruise port and it took a while to get through everything since we had to do customs, passports, and oh, did I mention the COVID test? We had to have a proctored COVID test on zoom where she walked us through each step and we had to show her the results and then take those results with us. It was intense.

This time we tried a new cruise line, Norwegian. We got on the ship and looked around and started eating the amazing food.

They had like a cold stone open during meals plus the 24/7 ice cream!

Bob really liked the water slides, but  don't do enclosed tubes with water.

We never tried the rock wall or repelling.

The ship is very similar to the Carnival ships. We enjoyed the sunshine on the decks and then heard that we wouldn't leave port until 9PM. What the heck? We could have slept in and checked out of the hotel at 2 and THEN board. Oh well. Puerto Rico is beautiful and the temp was perfect so we soaked it up!

Finally they said our rooms were ready around 2-3PM. Our luggage wasn't there, but they said it would arrive by 6. Then we went down to customer service to check about "Free at Sea" items they promised and guess what? They only honored 1. We were ticked since that is why we chose them. So, no internet which was perfect me, bad for Bob. No free drinks, no deals on excursions. Jerks.

Bob's luggage never showed. We had to go back down and ask for it. They finally got it to us and we went to dinner.  They had a crepe station every night and it was literally to die for! This is a nutella/strawberry one. They had lemon, blueberry, peach, etc. So absolutely amazing!

Then we went to see the comedian Omid Singh and he was hilarious! We got back to our room and set up for bed. Bob looked through his suitcase and it had been riffled through and both my white noise machines and our extension cord were missing. We were so mad it had been stolen. I didn't sleep at all, because Bob's snoring is sooooo bad.

Then we found out they took it out because they thought they were dangerous to the ship. So, we had to get it approved by the head electrician- for heaven sake's, it's white noise. So we got approval to have 1. Carnival never did that.

Also, slight complaint about the room. The couch was as hard as cement. AND the toilet and shower are in see through and separate. Plus the entire room is curved , even the beds!

BUT I was so absolutely thrilled to see the sun, feel the warmth, enjoy the heat, and be on a cruise.  That is the ONLY way I love to travel- Bob could see the joy!

2021- What will it bring?!

 I am going into 2021 very differently.  I feel like I have learned a ton this past year and want to see how it all progresses for me.

Because of COVID, I learned to FIND time to read my scriptures and the conference talks DAILY.  I was able to build that habit and am able to immerse myself and find joy in my study.  After each conference, I order the conference guide from Deseret News and then read a talk each day.  I also use scripture study guides.  For 2021, I got this wonderful D&C guide to goes along with Come Follow Me. I also got these great Book of Mormon made easier books that I LOVE.  Because if I have learned anything, it is that our priorities, what we CHOOSE, makes a huge difference.

I have taken my health even more seriously. I workout every day. We do yoga every day.  We have started a HART fitness challenge for 2021.  I am careful what I eat and making sure I take care of me and sleep. I also get massage therapy every month.  I feel selfish somedays, but I see me becoming a better and stronger person.

While I despise my mask, and we are back full time with students, I know the Lord is watching over me.  It's hard to breathe and my glasses fog every minute of the day. 

 

While crazy things have happened in the 1st 10 days of the new year (storming of the capitol and a new virus strain), I am going into this year with hope and happiness. We have a cruise planned to the Mexican Riviera and I turn 50 years old this year.  Bring it 2021- i am ready :)

2020- The beauty and blessings

 While this year was tough, the beauty and blessings far outweighed the hard and tough.  

2020 Blessings and Beauty

Cancun 

I was able to take the most amazing trip to Cancun with one of my very best friends. Because of COVID no one was there.  We had the beaches and hotel to ourselves.  When would that ever happen??

Bucket List- Amtrak Train

We got to travel by train through the Rocky Mountains.  There were only 6 passengers on the whole train. When would that ever happen?

New Grandbaby

Rylan was born safely during COVID!  And because of COVID, both Bob and I were able to be there for 3 weeks and work from home.  That time was more precious to me than they will ever know.

Birthdays

Rylan was born on MY birthday AND Anthony's AND we were there to all celebrate together! 

Wedding and new son-in-law!

With the temples being closed and the number of people that can gather together limited, Marisa and Anthony decided to go ahead and do their civil ceremony while we were there.  Also, I know I don't tell them enough but Brandon and Anthony you are the most amazing son-in-laws.  More amazing than I ever imagined. You have no idea how grateful I am that you are in our family, part of our craziness, and that my girls have you for eternal companions. YOU are huge blessings to all of us!

Also immensely grateful they had the civil wedding at that time- there was no way we could know Hal and Ann wouldn't be able to come to the sealing. 

New School

AND because of COVID I was able to take the time to choose every single book. This new position has been an answer to so many deep prayers.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job!  I love the students, the staff, and most especially my principal.  There is no way I could make it to retirement if I hadn't gotten this job.

Alayna graduated high school

This beautiful girl graduated early and got accepted into both BYUs!  COVID cancelled prom, sports, and school anyway ao we were glad she had the foresight to graduate early!  She went to Utah and got to spend time with the girls before she headed up to Idaho for fall semester!

Soooo many more connections with family through ZOOM

Cox Family Visit

We were so thrilled to have Kayla and family come visit after the Derecho to help us with the clean up. More precious time with family and only made possible because COVID let Brandon and Bob work from home.

The Derecho

Yes, this was on the hard list too.  But, boy did we learn a TON.  We met and helped our neighbors and they helped us.  We didn't have any working flashlights and had to get some battery powered lamps.  Battery powered is the way to go for sure!We learned how to do laundry in the bathtub and cook food on the grill.  We learned we really needed more food storage and our 72 hour kits definitely weren't up to date.  Things really don't matter, but people do. We learned...and that will make all the difference in the future.

Trip for Sealing and Thanksgiving

We were able to get to the temple for Marisa and Anthony to be sealed.  What a beautiful incredible experience to not only be there for that beautiful event- but to be IN the temple again.

Quiet and Relaxing Christmas

Because of COVID, we didn't go anywhere or do anything except be home and relax.  We are grateful that Alayna is here for a month!  We have missed her!

 

Engagement and meeting Anthony

Right before COVID spread- we got to see Anthony propose to Marisa at the temple and they got to visit before the world went crazy.