Five For Friday

1. We've set a goal and I know we'll be able to meet it!
2. You assured me that my project would turn out ok, even though I just wanted to throw in the towel.
3. You were patient while teaching me a thing or two in photo shop.
4.  You gave the go ahead to book flights when I was debating.  Yay for keeping the birthday travel tradition alive!
5.  Avengers! (Your comic book nerdiness is rubbing off on me)

Enjoying Guy's burgers on the cruise

More Vacation Art

Back in the day, I wrote about how Chris and I try to look for vacation art when we're traveling. Before, we would look for actual prints or paintings to frame when we returned home.  Now we're trying to get a little more creative with ways to incorporate our travels into our home decor.

That is a 4 x 6 frame for our gallery wall with a memento from San Antonio which holds a special place in our heart.  It's actually a magnet that we picked up for $4!  I was really excited about how it looks in the frame because of the added dimension from the floating mats and raised backing of the magnets.

On this past cruise we were on the look out to find something that could fill in one of the empty 5 x 5 opening frames that we have and decided on a shell coaster from Grand Cayman.  The size worked out perfectly, but the thickness of the shells... not so much.  I was so sure that I could make it work but alas, the sounds of cracking shells proved that I could not.

No fear, I was determined to do something with this!  I started to cut the coaster apart only to realize that the holes which held the shells together are very noticeable if I wanted to lay the shells flat.

Due to the holes and the amount of space I had between the frame glass and the backing I decided to just work with the little shells around the edge.  I played around a bit until I came up with a design that I was happy with.  Onto some left over scrap paper that I had on hand and this is the final product.

I wasn't sure if I really wanted to keep this color paper, so right now it's just tapped down instead of glued.  Once I finally make up my mind I'll glue it so the paper is flat.  The shells bring back memories of our cruise, as well as childhood memories when I used to collect shells from the shore.

Did you ever collect shells on the beach?

Travelin' Tuesday: Cozumel

Cozumel, Mexico was the first stop on both our 2009 and 2012 western Caribbean cruises. In 2009 we booked a beach buggy and snorkel tour at Punta Sur, while our most recent cruise gave us the chance to learn a thing or two about Mexican cooking.

First off, our buggy excursion.

After docking, we met up with our tour group and hopped into our transportation for the day.  It's a good thing my cousin Jason came with us, because neither Chris nor I are great with driving a stick shift.

Jason loved this arrangement because it meant he was free to hit the open road without having to switch off drivers.  Our caravan made it to Punta Sur and took a little walking tour of the area which included some mini ruins and crocodiles.

We opted out of the snorkeling part and enjoyed the time relaxing on the beach.  Once the snorkelers made it back to shore we had a mini Mexican feast and then headed toward the lighthouse.

Chris has a mild fear of heights, so he stayed on the ground while Jason and I made our way up 130 steps  to the breathtaking views on the top.  After admiring the view, we were back on the road headed towards the pier where we threw back a couple of drinks on the swings of Fat Tuesdays before getting on board the ship.

Our other Cozumel experience came in the form of a Mexican cooking class which we have to thank Jason's wife, Olympia for.  She took this excursion on our last family cruise (while we were driving the buggy) and came back with rave reviews of the food and open bar.  Her excursion this time around (Salsa and Salsa) was cancelled due to a low number of confirmed guests so she joined us and cooked again.

Our chefs Roberto and Luis started off with taking our drink orders before explaining the menu to us.  We worked backwards, starting with making dessert caramelized, chocolate covered plantains.

Roberto showed us a couple of tricks for decorating our plates before we moved onto the main course of fish filet topped with veggies.

We prepped the veggies and fish in the pan, then wrapped it in foil to finish cooking in the oven.  We finished off with making our spicy shrimp appetizer.  Chris likes things spicier than I do, so I was able to pull out my half of the shrimp while he kept adding spices to his.

Once we were done, it was time for a couple more drinks and up to the dining room to enjoy our meals

After lunch we enjoyed some beach time before heading back to the pier.

My view up from my nap spot.

We had a blast cooking and hope to try out the recipes that we came home with!

Five For Friday

1. Your anniversary present was so sweet and thoughtful.
2. Thanks to your gift, I know a computer skill I want to learn from you!
3. You made the suggestion to look at cars with my parents and then head to dinner tonight.
4. You looked so cute while holding Kristen's son.  Can't wait to see you with our future kids!
5. I can't believe it's already been 5 years since our first date.  And an amazing 5 years it has been!

Back in the day celebrating our 6 month dating anniversary with a Fall Out Boy concert

Our First Year

Our first year of marriage has flown by.  I can remember April 23, 2011 like it was just yesterday.

Being surrounded by the love of our friends and family is something I will cherish forever.  From the amazing moments, such as looking into Chris' eyes as we said our vows, to the funny moments like the cake dropping - I treasure the memories we made on that day.

Our first year for the most part has been amazing!  I'll be honest with you, it had it's low points too (from an outside source), but it taught us that we are stronger together.  Sometimes we just have to step away from a situation, focus on the good that we have in our lives and hope that time will heal the hurt that they caused us.

But enough of that, lets get to the celebration!!  Our family cruise was planned for the beginning of April so we decided to celebrate our anniversary a little early sailing the Caribbean.

On Isla Roatan, in our Mexican cooking class in Cozumel, enjoying a martini tasting on Carnival Liberty.

For our actual anniversary on Monday we kept to the tradition of eating the top tier of our wedding cake.  Here it is in all of it's glory on our wedding day.

And here it was a year later after defrosting for a couple of hours.

We never had a chance to taste it on our wedding day because our top tier was different from the two tiers that were cut. Chris and I love strawberries, but we didn't think that all of our guests would be big fans of strawberry cake/strawberry filling combo so we saved that just for us.  The cake part was a little dry, but the middle section with the filling was very tasty for year old cake!

After tasting the cake, we enjoyed dinner at Brio and exchanged gifts.

Since we're gearing up for a house hunt (yay!) we decided to keep it small and stick to the tradition of paper.  Each of us came up with something to add to our future gallery wall (thanks for the idea Amanda!).  I finally printed a couple of our wedding pictures and decided on a double frame.  The top half has one of my favorite detail shots, our rings on top of our personalized cake topper. The bottom frame contains the words we said as we slipped those rings on to each other's finger, printed in the font from our invites and matted on the green and blue cardstock that we used in our DIY projects.

Chris' gift was amazing and touching as always!  He took passages from the book he wrote for our wedding day and incorporated wedding images into the words "Love Of My Life!".

I can't wait to see what the next year brings for us!

Travelin' Tuesday: Cruising the High Seas

My first cruising experience set sail back in 1998 and I've been hooked ever since.  I love the inclusion of all  meals, the fun on board activities, and the option to see different islands and ports all within one week.  I love these family vacations because we always have the option to explore on your own or enjoy what is available with the rest of the crew.

Chris' first time on a ship was our last family cruise in 2009, right after we got engaged.  Since the itineraries were similar (two of the ports were the same), the next couple of weeks will include pictures from our 2009 trip as well as the one we took a couple of weeks ago.

The rooms on a cruise ship range from inside (with no windows) up to awesome suites.  I've roomed in an inside and can honestly say that I felt like I lost so much time on that trip.  This was due to sleeping in and thinking it was still early (because it was so dark in the room) and then learning it was actually almost noon. I'll always remember one cruise with Corinne's family where Corinne and I had to run to the spa because we overslept for our massages.  I have wised up over the years and now remember to bring a portable alarm clock just in case, and have also shelled out a little extra money for outside cabins (ones with a window)

or balcony rooms.

The rooms on Carnival are pretty generous in size (for a ship) with two twin beds, that can be pushed together to make a king, and a sitting area with a couch and chair.

Every night a daily guide of the following day's activities will be placed in your room with a cute towel animal.

They have everything from pool contests, trivia and bingo to karaoke, wine tastings and the casino.  Some of those activities are free while others come at a minor cost, such as bingo, a mixology class, wine tasting and the casino.

Food & Wine Pairing

Mixology Class

With our favorite master mixologist Ioana

Martini Tasting

The meals on board are pretty tasty...then again, I would enjoy anything when I don't have to cook for a week.  Some of my favorites:

Strawberry Bisque, Lobster & Shrimp, Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, A study in Sushi

On this past cruise, I really wanted to try some foods that I have never tried before.

Cured Salmon & Candied Tomato, French Onion Soup, Chateaubriand, Smoked Duck & Caramelized Oranges

Carnival has started to incorporate a specialty dining restaurant that you can opt to enjoy for $30.  The delectable meal is a special treat and great for any celebration.

Chef's starter of Salmon & Parmesan, Ahi Tuna Tartare, Shrimp Cocktail, Surf & Turf

Caramelized Washington Apples

Our latest cruise ship, Carnival Liberty, was one of the first ships to go through the 2.0 upgrades with features such as the BlueIguana Cantina with made to order burritos and tacos (a favorite of Chris')

Guy's Burger Joint, with a menu crafted by Food Network personality Guy Fieri

Serenity, which is an adult only retreat area

And several nice bar areas like the EA Sports bar, Alchemy Bar where you can create your own concoction from their unique ingredients, and the Piano Bar.

While the ship is an experience in itself, traveling to exotic locations is the part I love most about cruising. Stay tuned for a look at each port and our exciting excursions.

Have you ever cruised before?  Were you a fan?