Vacation Review

Ahhh we're back from vacation. 5 days of sunshine, warm weather, blue water, amazing food, desserts, and drinks, what more could I ask for? Well, I won't answer that question because I could actually ask for a lot. As nice of a time as we had (or made it), we were highly disappointed as a whole.

We cruised with Carnival and were supposed to leave Miami at 4pm on Saturday, spend Sunday at sea, arrive in Jamaica on Monday and spend the day, then arrive in the Cayman's on Tuesday for the day, then spend Wednesday at sea and arrive back in Miami on Thursday. Well, we got to the cruise port terminal at noon when it was said that was the earliest time you could board the ship. There were thousands of people there, and no one getting on. The ship arrived WAY late (11:30am when it generally arrives at 6-7am) which prevented us from getting on board. The reason for it's late arrival was a faulty engine, which then prevented us from leaving on time, which then, completely changed our scheduled ports. So instead of going to Jamaica and the Caymans, we were told we'd go to the Florida Keys, a day at sea, Jamaica, a day at sea, then home.

The Keys were nice and it was nice to not have to worry about walking around on our own because it was Florida, but then again, we were a bit upset because it was Florida. We can drive to the Keys anytime we want, if we wanted to...we can't drive to the Caymans to spend the day. We walked around and planned on having a drink at each of the different bars, but decided we needed to eat lunch first. So we found a place called Kelly's Brewery and ate there. Greatest find and greatest downfall. The food was amazing and the key lime pie was to die for, the downfall...we were so full after that that neither of us could drink anything after that.
I had a Havanna Red Ale while John had the mojito


We had this amazing appetizer. Southern Clipper "Pizza." They apparently were out of it and never told our waiter...so they made one just for us, the only one of the day (which then I don't know how you could be out of it, but whatever...it was amazing!!)


John had the chicken salad.


I had the mango barbecue pork. I could only mange to eat a little more than half of the pork, without the bun or the fries. If I was willing to make myself feel miserable, I'd have eaten the whole damn thing!!


And then...there was the key lime pie we split for dessert. Now, mind you, I've never had key lime pie before so I don't have anything to compare it to, but let me tell you...AMAZING!!!


Our waiter was fantastic and he gave us the information of who to get in touch with if we ever want to order a pie. John and I both said we figure it won't be cheap, but it'd be worth it for a special occasion!


The day at sea was ok. We soaked up some sun for a bit, played bingo, and just kicked back. That evening was the captain's dinner so it was nice for us to get dressed up for once. I wanted to get our picture taken by one of the many photographer stations they had set up, but John was unwilling to participate (insert frown face). So all we have are the pictures we took of ourselves.




And then there was Jamaica. We were less than impressed and have NO desire to ever go back. We knew that there were going to be lots of people trying to sell us things and that their idea of selling is, "You touch it, you bought it," but to have people physically trying to put things in your hand and the women telling me and asking me if they can braid my hair was utterly ridiculous.

The first part of our excursion was to Dunn's River Falls which ended up to be really cool. But upon arriving at the park where it was and getting out of the van, there is a guy who is handing out water to everyone (had a badge on like he works there) and then as soon as you took it, it's 2/$5. We had no idea they'd allow someone to do it right there and make you think he works with the excursion company and is "handing out" water. But, oh well, that was the only money Jamaica got from us.

The hike up the falls was neat. You literally hiked up the rocks the water was coming down from. We hiked in a line of 15 or so people while we all held hands to help out if anyone slipped or needed an extra pull. The only downfall of it was that it was not an "intimate" experience. Not sure why I thought it would be, but it was overall pretty cool.

Here's a picture I snagged off the Internet. This isn't our group or us, and I'm not 100% when I'll ever get the pictures developed from our underwater camera since we didn't do anything else that involved water, but I wanted you to get the idea.


After that we headed off to Dolphin Cove for our "Ultimate Beach Adventure." Sadly it wasn't that at all. It was a small beach, a small little portion of water for you to swim in, a crappy DJ who played the same 30 songs over and over, and a bunch of people like John and I who were left disappointed with Jamaica and our "ultimate" beach experience. I did partake in the beer drinking contest, which I lost, and the tug o war contest, which I won. My reasons for participating...so the DJ would stop talking about it and trying to get people to participate. We just wanted to relax! Beyond that, we didn't spend as much time there as we were hoping based on our expectations. Then it was back onto the ship, and setting sail by 5:30.

So overall, it was good to get away. John and I enjoyed our time together and the warm weather. We didn't enjoy the pan-handling, missing out on the Cayman's, or the fact that our stateroom was directly beneath the club. We both had to sleep with ear plugs which, in my book, isn't comfortable. But we enjoyed each other which is what's most important. Our next vacation, we decided we'll just fly to wherever we want to go and stay there...and make sure we've done our research on where it is we're heading.

It was good to be on vacation, but it's good to be home now.

Taste of Childhood

Nothing reminds me of fall and my childhood more than Harrison Home Bakery pumpkin cookies. They look and taste very similar to Busken cookies, but yet, different. Sometimes I think I like them better than Busken, but I'm not sure.

Anyways, my sister went the the Minges Pumpkin Festival and was kind enough to buy me some and send them to me. I was immediately taken back to when I was younger and always went to the Pumpkin Fest. They're so good and remind me so much of younger years.

In Laws

John's family arrived today and are staying with us until Thursday morning. They spent the weekend in Washington D.C., came here, will head to Niagara Falls on Thursday, and head back to Ohio on Friday. We don't have much planned for while they're here since they said they were happy just hanging out. We took them downtown today and got some frozen yogurt from a new place in town called Plum Dandy. They had pumpkin frozen yogurt which was amazing!! I topped mine with crushed graham crackers and it was just like eating pumpkin pie. We then stopped at Betty's Cakes which is a cupcake bakery and pick some up for dessert tonight. Mine is a coconut cream pie cupcake which I am beyond ecstatic about. I love anything with coconut...well, most anything.

I made a pan of lasagna for dinner and they're currently downstairs watching MacGruber. John and I rented it last weekend from the Redbox and laughed, so he wanted to get it for his parents. Tomorrow John, his dad and brother are going to go hike Prospect Mountain while his mom and I go shopping and get pedicures. Outside of that, I don't know what else John has planned. He said something about apple picking, so we'll see.

Heat

Today is a sad day for our bank account. We had to break down and turn on the heat. Granted, we only turn it on 64 for overnight, but when John got up this morning, it was 62, so we had to bite the bullet and turn it on. It's not that big of a deal yet because it doesn't kick on during the day at all, but it's cold at night and does kick on. It won't be bad for probably another month or so, and even keeping our house at 66 during the day is still a giant chunk of change when the propane bill comes every month in the winter. Guess this means winter is on it's way.....

Milk man

I was so excited today when we got the mail and we had "real" mail. A letter from my Aunt Susan with an article attached of a local milk man (it's 2 guys, so, men I guess) who delivers milk door to door around here like they did in the old days. She sent it to us along with a nice letter (thanks Aunt Susan, it was nice to have something other than junk) keeping us up to date with her and my uncle.

When I read the article, I knew exactly where one of the guys lives because I see the truck parked out near the road every time I go to Malta. I saw that it said "home delivered" but I didn't know if it was something they already did or were going to start doing, and I never thought to Google it. We don't drink much milk in our house anyways, so maybe that's why too. But it was a really cool article and I'm glad my aunt sent it.

Candy Corn and Peanuts

My neighbor is notorious for having no self control when candy corn comes out for Halloween. She can eat a bag in one day (and of course it doesn't show) and is always texting me telling me how she's out of control. Well, the other day she mentioned how she was out of control with the candy corn and peanuts. It struck me that I, myself, hadn't had that in a long time and it sounded good. It just so happened that she had text me that right before John and I went to the grocery, so obviously it remained on my mind while we shopped, and sure enough, in the cart I throw a can of of peanuts and a bag of candy corn.

When we got home, I combined them in a container and John turned his nose up. Not sure how the man has never had it, but I gave him a handful and told him to eat it. Ever since then, we're both in that container 3-4 times a day. It's a damn nuisance!!! I can't stop it!!! Luckily it's almost gone though.

I text Melissa and told her I was going to throw it at her door as a "Damn you" for putting the thought in my mind. She laughed and said they made some and finished it the same day they made it. So I guess, as out of control as I think we are about it...we aren't that bad.

Catching Up

It's been 2 weeks, I think, since my last post. We've been quite busy up here! Mom and Dad came up for a week which I really enjoyed. We took them down to Sleepy Hollow on Saturday for The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze (the same thing we went to last year). The weather was perfect, which was greatly appreciated since it rained all day Thursday and Friday. Many of the scenes were the same this year as the last, but they did add some new ones and change things around. I hope my parents enjoyed it as much as we did. We didn't get to do too much else while they were here since that Saturday and Sunday were the only decent days. We went to the racino one day and one evening, none of us ever hitting it big(no shock there), but we did have fun which was all that mattered. Here's some pictures we took while they were here.







They left on Wednesday and my days went back to the same old, same old. Saturday, John and I ran a bunch of errands. We had to go down to the Crowne Plaza in Albany and pick up his race packet, number, and timing chip for his marathon that he ran today. I'll fill you in on that in a minute. We then scouted the starting and finsh line, and then went to the mall so I could return some jeans that I had bought a week or two ago. I finally got to buy a cookbook that I have been wanting forever. It's Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This" cookbook. It's 150 (I think) recipies for junky/comfort/normally bad for you food that he's made MUCH healthier and lower and fat. I saw it on Good Morning America a while ago and have been wating it ever since. I had $10something left on a gift card to Borders so I was happy that it really only cost me half price.


Today John ran the Mohawk Hudson marathon down in Albany. It was a gorgeous day for a run...cold in the morning, but warm in the sun, and a high overall of 64. We had to get up and leave by 6:45am so it was a very early day for me. The race began at 8:30, so at 8:20 he told me I could leave and go do whatever while he ran and to look for him to finish somewhere between 12 and 12:30. So, I went home, ate breakfast, did a load of laundry, washed my hair and then headed back down to the finish at 11. My neighbor and her husband had both run the half, so I stood with Melissa at the finish line as we waited for John, and her husband Jason stood .2 miles from the finsih and said he would text Melissa when he saw John pass so we knew he was coming. At 12:15 she got the text, and sure enough, seconds later we see John headed for us. He finished in 3:45:16 (give or take some seconds) which is 15 minutes faster than his first marathon in June. He did really great!! God knows you couldn't pay me to run that far. I'd like to think I could do it, but I don't think my body would physically let me. Who knows though...maybe someday. The only downfall, poor guy had to work tonight. Stupid work! Hopefully he won't have to work the whole time and he'll get to come home early than expected.

So that's what I've been up to these past 2 weeks. My apologies that these show up late. I write them and then forget to post them! I'm not sure how many more posts I'll get in this month, but I'll try for at least 1 or 2 a week. John's parents are coming next week, and then we leave on the 23rd for a cruise!! So, bear with me. It's a busy month!!