A New Year Cruises On By

I don't know about everyone else, but I can't believe we are already into 2009. I guess having Christmas, New Year's, and then a next day departure for a 7 day cruise made the beginning of 2009 fly by. I haven't blogged since before Christmas so I have a lot to catch up on.

Christmas- Christmas was really fun this year. It seemed to go by super fast, but it was memorable. We had a very family-oriented Christmas this year, spending time with both my family and Casey's on more than one occasion. Normally this is something that drives me insane...family dinners full of screaming nieces and nephews, my moody brothers, and Casey's insanely loud siblings, but this year I was quite surprised by how nice everything was. It was really pleasant to be surrounded by both of our families and I felt grateful to have so many people in our lives who care about us. I was also spoiled with lots of great gifts, including clothes, shoes, and a laminator (thanks Mom and Dad).

New Years- We rang in the New Year with a bang as usual. We began the night with a fantastic dinner at Cafe Molise, and ended it with Fireworks, Champagne, and an annual middle-of-the-street sparkler dance by our good friend Darrell. It just wouldn't be New Year's without sparklers and dancing! Happy New Year!

The Cruise- January 2nd we took off for our 7 day Mexican cruise. We drove to Vegas where we spent the night at a friend's house after dinning at a local sports bar and watching the U of U game. GO Utes! The next morning we were up bright and early in order to make it to L.A. where we departed for the open water. This was my first cruise, and before hand I didn't realize that once you are on that ship, there ain't no where to go! You are STUCK on that ship. Everyone always talks about how much fun cruises are, and although I did have a lot of fun, I don't know that I would do another cruise. The food was not all that great, the entertainment was terrible, and being on a ship for two days straight after all of our Mexican ports were finished with, got a little old.

With that said, I'm not trying to be a complainer, the trip was still a blast. Mexico was a lot of fun and every port we went to was something new and exciting.

CABO- We first stopped in Cabo San Lucus. It was an overcast day and it wasn't super warm, which was a little disappointing, but pulling up to the port and watching the famous Arch go by definitely got me excited to leave the ship. Once we were on land we decided to take a glass bottom boat tour of Lover's Beach and the surrounding area. We had been warned not to take the glass bottom boats since you really can't see anything, and although that turned out to be true (other than some coral and a few tropical fish) it still only cost us $10 and we did get to see quite a bit of the surrounding area, including pelican perches and a colony of sea lions. We also had the option of being dropped off on Lover's Beach for an hour to frolic in the sand and sea. After exploring the caves and swimming in the ocean our hour was up. Once back on shore we decided to walk around the port area and explore Cabo a little bit. I must say that I wasn't all that impressed with Cabo. I thought the city seemed really dirty and super congested with local merchants selling crap. I'm sure there are much nicer areas to visit, but we didn't have time to find any of them.

Mazatlan- Our second stop was my favorite day of the entire trip. Mazatlan was very different from Cabo, including the much needed warmer weather. We got off the port and a large group of us (18 to be exact) decided to hire a personal chauffeur for the day. Humberto had "the biggest van in Mazatlan" and he was willing to be our private driver for a very reasonable price. We hired him and took off to see the city. After exploring the "old town" we went and watched cliff divers risk their lives for a few tips from the American tourists. We saw statues and old churches and went shopping in the markets...but the best part was the hours we spent at a resort swimming in the pool and laying on the deck that overlooked the ocean. Humberto was in cahoots with this hotel and we were able to take full advantage of the bar, pool, and facilities that lay right on the beautiful beach side.

Puerto Vallarta- Our third and final stop was Puerto Vallarta. Although Mazatlan was my favorite day of fun, Puerto Vallarta is definitely a city I would like to travel back to and stay awhile. We ended up going to the Blue Chairs section of the beach and hanging out for quite awhile playing in the ocean and being trashed by the massive waves. After we were done with the sand and surf we walked through town admiring the city and its old-world charm. Puerto Vallarta is really beautiful. We met a very sweet American from Milwaukee who lives in PV during the winters to escape the cold. After offering to take our photo he struck up a conversation about the city he loves, the best hotels and bars to visit, and why we should come back and visit again. We asked him for a recommendation on a restaurant for lunch, and instead of giving us the name of something to find, he walked us four blocks down the street and pointed it out directly. The restaurant was amazing Mexican food and the strongest Margaritas I have EVER consumed. After walking and shopping for a few more hours we headed back to the ship exhausted.

The cruise was a great experience, and I am glad I had it. It was an amazing time and we had a great group of people to hang out with; 28 is quite a large number to try to organize, but it seemed to work out really well in the end. Variety is the spice of life afterall.

What's Next- So...no more holidays, no more cruises, no more fun to look forward to. I am back to school and work and the mundane, and my memories of better times will have to suffice until I get another break away from all the stress in my life. Poor me! I do get to visit Mexico again real soon though. My school is traveling there in April on a teaching trip. We will be in Cuernavaca teaching in the local schools and staying with Spanish speaking families. I was a little nervous about this trip, but now that I have experienced more of Mexico (other than TJ) I am really looking forward to it.

Oh yeah...and my Birthday is on Saturday! Even though I'm not REALLY looking forward to turning 28...I'm sure it will be fun!