Cruisin’
We took our first vacation (together) since our honeymoon, Mason’s first ever, and my second in less than a month and went on a 7 day cruise to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. It was nice to be worry free and on a beach for a few days and it was good spending time with the McBreen clan as well. Jerry and Kathy were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and Kathy’s 50th birthday 😉 The dancing grandma was in party mode all week and left us all in the dust. I can safely say that I was in bed earlier than her every night that I was on the ship. Yes- I was out partied by my mother-in-law. Mason also got to meet his only cousin (for now) Hayley and Uncle Peter for the first time, as well as Liz and Rudy. I don’t know how the familial tree works well enough to tell you how Liz and Rudy are related to Mason but they’re family so that’s all that counts.
One of the things we did while my parents were visiting was to take dance lessons. My dad had promised this to my mom for years and finally came through on his word. I now know where I get my rhythm from- thanks mom! Anyway, after a month of west coast swing lessons I was ready for some public dancing… or so I thought. Turns out that dancing on the open seas as a beginner is not that easy, especially when the boat is traveling through some rough waters. But we had fun and I got to learn some new tricks courtesy of Peter and Stacy.
Our time off the boat was definitely my favorite (and Kelly’s). We did a couple excursions on St. Thomas and St. Maarten, including a snorkel tour on St. Maarten. The boat captain and his coworker were great and really made the trip. We did some great snorkeling and ocean tubing, which was new to me. I will warn any guys who do this that a cup might be a good investment. Enough said on that one. As for the cruise ship, the staff on the boat was amazing. They loved on Mason like he was their own child and it was great to see such friendly people at every turn.
Mason update: He is very close to crawling now. He is getting pretty good at rocking back and forth or “ground humping” as I refer to it. Yes, that’s inappropriate, but if you know Kelly and me then you know that we are often very inappropriate, so this is really a pretty modest description. He also had his first cold recently which really sucks because there is nothing you can do for it except suck boogers out of his nose at every opportunity… but not too much because then their nose gets irritated. I really feel bad for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and infants. There are so many common remedies that we all take for granted until we can’t use them- like allergy medicine, cough syrup, and pretty much anything besides Children’s Tylenol. Mason hasn’t shown any signs of discomfort other than a stuffy nose and a couple sleepless nights. Other than that, he is a happy and playful camper. I have to say, his ability to interact has made him that much more of a blast to be around. Kelly and I love to make him laugh and he entertains us every day. Two posts in one week so you know the pictures were piling up. Here they are…
Hello- I’m Mason and when I wake up I like to read and laugh.
First day on the boat and they were already settled in.
On the pier in Nassau.
This is my boat. We were actually just cruising down to Nassau to pick it up. I have a few of these on various islands throughout the Caribbean. Yup- I’m pretty big time.
The “Dream”
I don’t remember taking this picture and I don’t know where it is, but Mason looks pretty cute.
The kid knows what he likes. This store had the most busty and bootylicious mannequins I’ve ever seen. I think Mason was hungry and figured this would be a good place for lunch.
A church (can’t remember the name) in Nassau.
The president’s house… or someone important. I don’t think I’d have a pink house if I was that important. Actually, I know I wouldn’t have a pink house regardless of my importance.
This is the Provence House. I though it was another governmental building of some sort.
Turns out it’s just a PWC building. They’re everywhere!
Inside the straw market. I remember this place being much more interesting the last time I was there. It seems to have lost some of its flare.
Mason agreed, and he took a nap on grandma’s shoulder.
C. Miller painted Mason a beach scene to commemorate his trip. It was cool to watch him create this piece in about 15 minutes- all on a piece of wood paneling and with about 4 tubes of different paint colors.
Love this shot. Happy baby!
Mason had the searsucker pants ready to go for formal night on the boat.
Grandma and her grandkids.
Every night on the ship the steward would make animals out of towels. We couldn’t tell what some of them were- like this one- but Mason liked them all. I think it’s a donkey…
Crazy uncle Peter!
40 years and they still got it.
Hayley was shocked by the kissing grandparents.
The shoreline by the dock on St. Thomas.
On the open air bus on the way to the beach.
Coki Point Beach. I did a little snorkeling while the rest of the group lounged. Had a barracuda follow me for a bit and had a few fish eat out of my hand and try to take my thumbs too.
Mason was a seasoned veteran at lounging.
Jerry and Kathy hit the surf. Actually the surf hit Jerry a few times as he tried to make an exit. It wasn’t the most graceful thing I’ve ever seen but it was very entertaining.
Ahhhhhh
Family nap time!
Mason didn’t mind this so much.
But he was not having the water. I don’t know if it was the sound or the temperature or both but he was not excited about the ocean. Maybe next time buddy- you’re really not gonna have much of a choice since your mother and I are beach bums.
This lookout point gave us some great views down on the main harbor of Havensight, St. Thomas.
And he’s still sleeping. It was a long day for Mason- lots of napping, ocean crying, napping, and sleeping.
Kelly is probably going to kill me for posting this but it’s too funny not to. I told her not to go Goth but she wouldn’t listen.
Your seat cushion is actually a Mason and can be used as a flotation device in case of an emergency.
On the snorkel excursion boat on St. Maarten. We had a blast on this tour. We snorkeled and tubed and captain Paul and first mate Peggy made us an awesome island lunch of salami and gouda cheese on a French roll. The island is half French and half dutch and the salami is native, so it was a mix of all the island’s best. Delicioso!
“I’m on a boat!”
Cheesin
In case you were wondering- you shouldn’t drink if you are pregnant. Although, if you want to get pregnant then alcohol may be useful to you. This is like the giant death warnings on cigarette packs in some countries. Aren’t people just gonna smoke and drink as they want anyway? Yes. But I hope they keep making these labels for my amusement.
I’m ready for some snorkeling Ma!
The whole crew after a day on the water. That’s captain Paul in the back. I think he was disappointed that I took a long time to get thrown from the tube. Don’t feel bad, Paul. I have long arms and exceptional water skills. I’m like an octopus minus the suction cups, ink, and general sliminess.
I tried to be artistic and took this shot as we walked back to the boat at sunset after a perfect day.
Mason likes to do some reading before bed.
Rudy and Liz gave him this monkey as a gift. He cracked up every time the monkey sound came on.
Grandpa Mac and Mason sharing a moment.
Peter and I were in deep discussion- probably about the next recruiting classes of Georgia and Ohio State football.
The ladies and the dinner servers. The ship crew was amazing and they really did make the trip for us.
Aunt Stacy and cousin Hayley giving Mason one last squeeze.
Well, that was the trip… well sort of. We had a rough departure as someone took our suitcase instead of theirs and then our carseat was sent to the Bahamas instead of Austin. I’m not sure how someone grabs the wrong bag when there are 3 labels that have another person’s name on it and a “Keep Tahoe Blue” sticker on the handle. But at least they returned it and we got it just in time to hop on our flight and get to Austin to find out we had no carseat. Suffice it to say we were happy to finally get home.
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