Happy Thanksgiving, 2013!

Thanksgiving is such a special time of year to be with family and to make us stop and appreciate all of the blessings we receive each day.  George and I were able to spend this Thanksgiving Day with Kyle and Kim and their family in Orlando.

Harley wanted to share the Thanksgiving dinner, too!

Jenna had made darling little place cards for everyone's plate.

The kids wanted George and us to open our Christmas gifts now so they could watch us open them.

I loved my new travel purse with all the fun items inside!

George got a beautiful new sweater and his favorite kind of socks.

The day after Thanksgiving, we drove to Port Canaveral where Kyle had arranged a fantastic 4-day, 3-night cruise on Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas.  Carter took along his friend, John.

When we opened the door to our cabin, we couldn't believe our eyes--we had a beautiful suite with a living room area and balcony!

But the best part of all--a real bath tub!!!!  I have never had a bath tub on a cruise, and I was in heaven! 



First things first:  Go to lunch.

 I'm not going to say what George is eating--you can guess!

 As we were leaving the tables, the birds were right on hand to take their share!

Soon it was time to set sail.  We had never left from Port Canaveral before.  It was a nice little port  The white objects in the very background are the launching areas and holding buildings for the space shuttles at Kennedy Space Center.

The beauty of a cruise is always getting to see the wonderful sunsets.



So many fun activities for the kids.

Brady was so excited to try the rock climbing wall.  Notice:  It wasn't warm by any means when we left.

He did it!

I have learned that Kim is a dare-devil at heart.  She just climbed right up that wall like it was nothing!

With Christmas quickly approaching, we loved to look down at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree where there was always wonderful entertainment.

Our family has always loved the dinner meals together.  We love to talk and just spend that time getting to know  about each person a little more.  Brady loved getting his "Shirley Temple" every night.  Soon the waiter was getting him two at once.  He loved Brady and always paid so much attention to him.

One day we watched the artist who makes all of the food sculptures.  It was absolutely fascinating.  So much creativity!

Our first stop on the cruise was Atlantis.  George and I had taken a tour there on another cruise, but this time we would get to spend time there and actually have day rooms there which Kyle had reserved for us.

Three other cruise ships were at Atlantis when we got there.

John and Carter inside the foyer at Atlantis while we waited for our room keys.

The rooms were fantastic to have because you could change there, as well as watch ballgames on the big screen televisions in your room, (after all it was a Saturday.  You don't take the excitement of college football out of the guys even on a vacation!), and we could come and go to the activities as we please.  This is the view out of our room window!

The most expensive room at Atlantis--rents for a mere $25,000 a night with a 4-night minimum.  One of the earliest renters was Michael Jackson.  The lady who took us to our room told us he had placed what they presumed was a coffee cup on a piece of furniture which left a ring on it.  They have never tried to get that ring out!

Besides all of the water slides and rivers to have fun on, there is just so much to see and do there on land and inside the buildings.

Brady looks very "kingly" as he sits on the king chair with his "Shirley Temple."  I can't even begin to tell you how many of those he drank!

Again, one of my favorite things to see is the Dale Chihuly glass creations which they have throughout mostly the casino area.  I have been a fan ever since Kent and Natalie took me to the Chihuly Museum in Seattle.

One of our favorite places was the aquarium which is under the entire area.

I never knew seahorses came in so many different colors.

Graceful jelly fish.

This fish looks like a bird with feathers.

There's actually nothing beautiful at all about lobsters--except when they are on your plate!  (Ooh, did I just say that?)

These eels are gigantic!

The shark pool!  I didn't take a picture, but there is one place where the kids went through tubes with sharks on every side!

As evening was coming, Atlantis is just as fascinating at night.

After an absolutely fantastic day at Atlantis, it was time to return to the ship.

After boarding the ship, we dressed for the formal evening. 

One of the delicacies of the evening was escargot--cooked land snails!  Carter had never tried them before (neither have I--nor will I ever!), but John told him how delicious they are, so he was a great sport and tried them.

I think he liked them!

One of our favorites was cheesecake with fresh berries.

The next day we stopped at Cocoa Cay where we had to be tendered to the island.

It was so relaxing, even though it wasn't the warmest.

At Cocoa Cay, there were little shops with crafts made by the local people.  Brady saw a huge conch shell which he wanted, so the shop keeper said he would put Brady's name on it.  First, he made his name out of tape and placed it on the shell.

Then he poured a special chemical over it.

And here is the finished product!  Can you see Brady's name actually raised in the shell?  So cool!

We got to see an iguana friend.

Carter and John enjoyed the beach, too.

Just kidding!

After a fun-filled day, it was back to the ship for more fun!

 

 Then it was Jenna's turn.
Great splits in the air!

 Then, all too soon, it was our last evening meal together before the end of the cruise.

 

 The next morning, we looked out and there was our car in the parking lot at Port Canaveral!  We were back!

We sadly said good-bye to everyone--then we drove to our home while they drove to theirs.  What a fantastic time we had!  Thanks so much, Kyle and Kim, for thinking of us and inviting us on this special cruise.  Grandpa and I love cruises, and we loved being with your family!