Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas at sea

This Christmas was a different kind of Christmas for our family. My grandfather, my mom's dad, who will be 92 in just a few days, told us the past spring that he wanted to take our whole family- my immediate family and my Aunt Debourah and cousin Alyx, who live in Columbus, Ohio- on a cruise. Since we couldn't all get time off this past summer, we decided to go over Christmas. We had done this once before with my mom's side of the family, when we went on a Disney cruise in 1998. I don't really love spending Christmas anywhere but South Carolina, but having all of my family together still makes the holiday special, no matter where we are.

We set sail on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Mexico on Christmas Eve out of Tampa. We spent Christmas Day at sea, then arrived in Costa Maya, Mexico the day after Christmas. We went from Costa Maya to Cozumel, then spent one more day at sea before returning to Tampa. It was SO nice to be in warm weather and not have to worry about layers and coats! We all liked Cozumel better than Costa Maya, and I think we were all ready to be off the boat once we left Cozumel. But there was plenty to keep us entertained during the at sea days, and I already miss my family! As it always does, Christmas seemed to come and go entirely too quickly.

Richard was thrilled to have a few days away from the hospital

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve caroling

nothing says Merry Christmas like a little family Blackjack

Christmas morning visit with Santa

two of the best parents a girl could ask for

opening presents in my aunt's stateroom- definitely not designed for 9 people!

Christmas evening, which was formal night on the ship- Richard and I took advantage of this opportunity to wear some of our more festive attire- his white dinner jacket and my Lilly ball skirt that I bought several years ago

with four of my absolute favorites

Richard and the boys went on a bio-canopy zipline tour in Costa Maya- they are all much braver than I!

Richard in action

one of Will's souvenirs- a Carolina Panthers poncho

the beach and sea kayak was much more my speed

enjoying some beach relaxation with my cousin Alyx and my mom

I think we posed with the big Christmas tree every night- this was the day after Christmas

a rare shot with my grandfather, who doesn't love to smile for pictures- just thankful that he's in good health and still wanting to travel!

How cute are Morris and Pearl? This was during a "Love and Marriage" gameshow, and he was 96 years old. They'd been married for 66 years and were adorable. We have no relation to them, but I'd get excited every time I saw Morris on the ship after the show.

pool party

In Cozumel, Richard and I went over to the near city of Tulum with my mom, Aunt Debourah and Alyx to explore the Mayan ruins. It was hot and crowded but very interesting. Especially timely with the Mayan calendar set to end on December 21, 2012. Our guide, who claimed to have Mayan blood, said that all the hype over the world ending on that day was unfounded. He said that while there would be a significant solar event on that night, it would likely only last for a few minutes and not cause any harm. Apparently this also happened in 1982...who knew?

Mayan ruins at Tulum

sisters and cousins- our Ohio family didn't love the heat

Richard bought a fresh chilled coconut in Tulum- he drank the milk, then the man who sold it to him hacked it open and put chili powder and lime on the inside flesh. Delicious!

the beach in Playa del Carmen was almost as pretty as Anguilla

returning to the boat at sunset from a fun day at Cozumel

love this picture of my family, Richard and me

a round of (windy) putt-putt on our last day at sea

what better way to end a family vacay than a trip to the Club Vortex? all in all, it was a great trip!

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