Day 1- Day at Sea!!

After spending a restless night trying to sleep on the ship as it rocked & rolled ALL NIGHT LONG, I woke up to sea sickness like no other. I legs could barely hold me up, my hands were shaking, and I wanted to barf ( I said it) like no other. I was not alone though. Julie had spent the whole night sick, and Tucker & Cass felt sick as well. So we all took some motion sickness medicine and went back to bed. So I have to admit that Day 1 was not starting off as I had imagined it would. After spending the day resting me, Cass, and Tucker recovered enough to do some exploring and went in search of ice cream cones and frou-frou drinks.....

May I also just say how weird it is to be out in the middle of the ocean and completely surrounded by nothing but water. Kind of unnerving. This night was also our first "Formal Night" and we all got dolled up to head off to dinner looking FINE!!!!

After a fancy dinner of stuff like lobster and ribs we went to see a musical show in the main stage. It was pretty fun. Photo opportunity anyone...say cheese!!

On any cruise they have all these photo booths set up everywhere so you can get pics taken. We took advantage of these booths (EVERYNIGHT) and made it our personal Glamour Shots. Everyday it was a different back-drop, a different outfit, and a different pose...even stupid silly ones (there's a story coming later about that).

I just want to thank my awesome sister and brother for letting me be a part of their family for a week. They included me in their family pictures and made me feel loved. I just love spending time with them and love them all so much!!

First Night!!!

So on the day we got on the ship it was Tucker man's 14the birthday! I just want to take a moment to write about what an awesome young man he is!! I know I've written birthday tributes about him in the past but sometimes you just can't say enough about how great you think a person is. I love this kid!!! He makes me smile everyday and laugh till my belly hurts. He has a great outlook and a sweet personality. I love that I got to spend this week "cruisin'!!!" with him. Whether we were miniature golfing, exploring, eating yummy desserts, or being silly....he really does make my heart sing. I love that he always says, "Hey, Steph". And I go "What?" and he says "You're cute!" And I say thanks. Its kind of our silly thing that we do. I love him even when he "fabricates" stories to get out of getting in trouble. He is truly growing up to be a kind, sweet, funny, smart young man. And I hope that he always stays my friend and never gets embarrased to be seen with me because I WILL hug and kiss him every time I see as long as he will permit me to. That's a promise!!! Happy Birthday Kid!!! I hope that you had a great birthday, not many kids get to sail off to the Caribbean for their 14th birthday.

MiAMi bAbY!!!

After getting some rest we woke up to warmth and palm trees....two of my favorite things. We went for a walk to explore Miami before we headed off for the big boat.

After getting through security and going through the hassle of getting on the ship we stopped to pose for a picture to begin our adventure. By the way, I haven't mentioned how great my Big Sis is for including me on their family vacation.....even if I do look like the dark haired step-child amongst all those blondies. jk
My pics may come in a weird order as I receive more from everyone's cameras. FYI.

CRuiSiN' BaBy!!!

After a year of planning and saving up, we (Rick, Julie, Cass, Tucker, and I) decided to go on a cruise to the Western Caribbean. So as the blistery cold of winter settled in we packed up our "warm wear" and headed of to sun, the ocean, and the beach......

What shall we do on our 3 hour flight.....let's play with the camera on the plane....

Before we know it and MANY MANY hours later, we finally arrive in Miami. So day 1 of our adventure is over and we head off to bed to catch some R&R, for the next day we were going to set sail off into the wide open ocean......

Makeover Time!!

So I know for a fact that I am NOT Martha Stewart, but I decided to try my hand at a little makeover project of my own. I haven't "re-done" my bedroom in several years and I was getting tired of the same old bedspread in purple & green. So after much deliberation I decided to change it up and go for a new look. The problem is that I am the cheapest person and wanted it on a D.I. budget but have it look like a million bucks....I don't ask for too much. So I asked many people's opinions and thought, "Hey, I can do that!".......I was naive and much more confidant in the beginning. So here are my before and after pics of my projects. I still have some "tweaking" to do and am open to hear opinions on what to change. See what happens when I go crazy with a can of spray paint for the very first time...

My little shelf that was green and I painted it teal. Wow color!

My frame and a few little knick-knacks I found or made.

My top shelf. This was the hardest thing of all. So any suggestions to make it look better? I thought of maybe a garland or something.....

My mirrors I bought years ago and gave them a new coat of paint.
What do you think of the different colors? Yay or nay?

Old bed with new bedding. Too busy?????

As you can see I have attempted to be the next HGTV star but am seriously doubting some of my choices. I need validation people! jk Let me know what you think?

EaSt CanYoN BaBy!!!

My sister Julie & her family recently invited me to go camping with them at East Canyon. Of course I was excited to go! I never go anywhere, let alone anywhere fun. I had a great time hanging with the coolest cats around. Me, Julie, and Cass drove up Friday night where we met up with Tucker & Rick. We immediately hit the pool....it was freezing!! We spent the rest of the night stuffing our faces, talking around a campfire, and having a good time. I love spending time with my awesome niece & nephew, Cassidy & Tucker. For some reason they haven't reached the stage where they are too cool to hang with their dear old auntie! I don't give them much more time before they realize I'm an old tag-a-long and ditch me. So I will enjoy the time I have with them before they grow older and forget me. jk

We woke up Saturday morning and started our day off with an intense game of Truth or Dare (we were wasting time waiting for Rick to get back and fix us breakfast). It was funny to see Tucker talk in an Italian accent, Cassidy dancing on the picnic table, and was topped off with the can of biscuits exploding and scaring the crap out of us. I guess you had to be there. After a heart attack on a plate for breakfast (it was yummy) we headed for the pool for a lounging day of sun.

After the pool me and the kids headed to play some shuffle board, took a walk, and headed back to play some volleyball. Tuck & I had a blast!!

The night ended with a community picnic an Rick once again cooking us a yummy dinner.

After dinner it started getting windy so we rented a movie and settled in for the night....sunburns and all. Fun times!!

Thanks Long Family for letting me be a part of your awesome family for the weekend!

Love you guys!

EaRThFeSt!

Oh, to be young again! I recently got to experience this sensation when I went to an outdoor concert with my youthful niece & nephew. We went to Salt Lake City to EARTHFEST! It was an outdoor concert with about 8 bands playing in a 6 hour period. Some were local bands and some were more famous/popular bands, like A-Yaz, Cobra Starship, Boys Like Girls, etc. We were there mainly to see Cass & Tuck's favorite band ALL TIME LOW. My cute niece Chelsea and her friend met us there.

One of the local bands lead singer was from my gym so I felt semi-cool that I knew the singer of a band.....we sweat together in Body Pump (sounds cooler than it really is). So as Tucker and I STOOD through 5 hours of bands and rowdy teenagers (Cass ditched us to hang with the cool kids...jk), we spent our time sweating, eating shaved ice, laughing at people dancing, crazy moms who thought they were still 14, and taking pics of the two of us.....

As we were waiting for All Time Low to come out Chelsea got a text saying that she had just won tickets to meet the band backstage. She got to go and meet the guys and get a picture signed. Cass & Tucker were jealous! Then they finally came out and the crowd went wild!!!!

This was Tucker's first concert ever and he got to see his favorite band!

He was Rockin' Out!!! And I think he loved it!!!

I was so glad I got to spend this day with my favorite people and the best part.....stopping at Arctic Circle for a Moosetracks Shake on the way home.

If you haven't had one, I highly recommend it!