Nassau, Bahamas

Our last stop on the cruise was Nassau, Bahamas.  This port resembled a United States city the most.  There were taller buildings, concrete roads and bridges, and several fast food chains (we saw McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts). 

We chose the Clear Kayak Adventure for our excursion.  It was a little different than we were expecting.  The kayaks were more like clear plastic canoes.  It was very hard to see out of the bottom of them, but we still have fun paddling around and checking out the area.

On the boat ride out to the reef, we got a historical tour of the island.  We also passed huge mansions that are owned by Chuck Norris, Oprah, Nicholas Cage, and Tiger Woods.  The houses were gorgeous!  I have a picture of one below.

After our excursion, we went into the city and visited many of the shops.  Tourism is Nassau's main source of revenue.  They have a huge white tent that they call the Marketplace.  There are several vendors set up, and you haggle prices on the items you want to purchase.  I purchased an all wooden coffee mug with "The Bahamas" carved in it.  It was something different, and since I'm quite the coffee drinker, it will be useful.

The city of Nassau from our ship.

This is not Marc and I, but it is a picture of the clear kayak that we were in.

One of the gorgeous mansions on the Nassau coast.

Nassau was a busy place this day.  These were all the ships docked at the port.  From the left to the right:

Carnival Sensation, Disney Wonder, Carnival Destiny (OURS), and Carnival Fantasy

On the boat ride back to the city.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

The second port that we stopped at on our cruise was Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.  This is a private island owned by Carnival.  We found out that only thirty people live on the whole island.  We had to get tendered in from the ship.  Marc and I chose not to do an excursion here.  We took the day to walk around and lay on the beach.  There were a lot of people on the beach, and the Carnival bar staff was also wandering around offering us beverages.

There was a BBQ on the island for lunch.  This consisted of hamburgers and chicken.  There was a good selection of fruit and other munchies.  Ice tea, lemonade, and water were available to drink. 

The path to get to the beach.  Of course you had to pass the bar!

In the water at Half Moon Cay.  That is our ship in the background.

Someone parasailing over the ship.  I thought this was a good photo-op.

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Our first stop on our cruise (after a full day at sea) was Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.  It is the largest island of Turks and Caicos.

Marc and I chose to go snorkeling and swim with the stingrays.  I don't have pictures of these two events because we didn't have an underwater camera.  It was my first time snorkeling, but Marc had done it before.  It was different.  The reef that we visited was not very big.  There was not a lot of different types of coral, but the fish were everywhere!  Marc and I got to pet the fish, and we even saw some eels lurking in the coral.  Good thing they stayed away from us!  The water was very warm, and it was a beautiful day.

After snorkeling, we got back on our boat and traveled to the other side of the island to see the stingrays.  Marc thought they were awesome, while I was terrified!  We were allowed to hold the stingray, feed it, pet it, and kiss it.  Marc did it all.  I on the other hand, stayed off to the side and watched.  Our instructor made me touch the stingray.  That wasn't so bad until it started thrashing it's tail.  Then I began to freak out.

Our stingray was a female, and she was three to four feet in diameter.  These things are huge!  The men don't grow that big, and they don't like people.

After our excursion, we went back to the island and walked around the shops.  I got some postcards and souvenir coffee mug.  Since our excursion was in the morning, we had the rest of the day to ourselves.  We went onto the beach, took naps in the sun, and splashed around in the water.  I also finished book number one in the afternoon.  Good thing I brought three with me!

Here we are in the plaza waiting to go to our excursion.

Some of the shops on Grand Turk.

A view of Grand Turk while we were on our way to the stingrays.

Our ship and the beach!

Cruise 2010

Marc and I just returned from our cruise vacation Saturday evening.  The pictures are uploaded on snapfish (of course), and now it is time to update you all on our adventures.  I have lots to share, so there will be frequent blog posts.

We left Pittsburgh the morning of Monday, May 17th.  Our flight left the Pittsburgh airport a 6:05AM.  It was definitely an early morning!  We arrived in Atlanta, and we had about an hour-and-a-half layover.  During this time, we went to the restroom, looked around the little shops, and got something to eat.  Thank goodness we didn't have to change concourses in Atlanta.  They have little trolleys to each one because it is such a large airport.  We boarded our plane, and arrived in Miami at 11:45AM.

When we purchased our trip, we also purchased shuttle passes.  Carnival was waiting for us at baggage claim.  We collected my one suitcase, and off to the bus we went.  We arrived at the boat terminal, and waited forty minutes to check in.  The lines were horrendous.  Not to mention that everything is automated now, and half of the machines were out-of-order.  So much for "speedy check-in."

Above is a picture of our ship, Carnival Destiny.  We had an inside cabin on the first floor.  It was a cute little room with a lot of storage space, our own bathroom, and a television.  We liked to watch the TV in the evenings because there were movie channels that played Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and some other newly released movies.  We definitely had a good selection of food on the ship.  We ordered room service for lunch one day, and I became crazy for sushi.  I dragged Marc up to the sushi bar every night before dinner.

The ship had various pools, a few hot tubs, and a water slide.  There was a put-put course and a basketball court.  An outdoor track was also included.  We enjoyed the evening shows, stuffed our faces, and tried exotic beverages.  It was a great way to spend a lot of time together, and the two of us were very relaxed.  It was sad to get up early this morning and go to work...

Deconstruction of Marc's House

Marc and I spent the past weekend working on his new house. He has lots of ideas, and I can’t wait to see what it will look like when his ideas become a reality. The bathroom is the first major project. We tore down the two different styles of wallpaper (this was basically my job), and we also chiseled off the tile that was along the walls. We left the tile that was surrounding the bathtub because Marc is using the shower.

We weren’t sure what we would find after tearing these things off the wall. I guess it wasn’t too bad, but there is some fixing up to be done when Marc’s dad comes for a visit in another week. We also took down the wallpaper that was in the kitchen and the entry-way. Marc isn’t a fan of wallpaper. I guess I’m not either, but sometimes it looks okay.

Here are some of the pictures to document the demolition.

The two types of wallpaper that was in the bathroom.

Marc taking off tile.

The pile of tiles from the bathroom.  This was not all of it.

Wallpaper that was taken down in the entry-way.

Giustino and Mario

Last Friday, I got the pleasure of baby-sitting my two little cousins, Giustino and Mario, while their parents went to the Penguins playoff hockey game. I arrived at Joe and Heather's house just in time for dinner. I had already eaten before I showed up, so it was just the boys. The three of us sat around the little red plastic table and chairs. Man did I feel like a giant. I barely fit. Giustino had chicken nuggets, french fries, and chocolate milk (a favorite of the Racchini house), while Mario had fish sticks, french fries, and juice. The boys ate really well for me, and I even got to "taste test" their french fries, with their permission of course!

After dinner I got the boys set up in the TV room to watch a movie and I cleaned up the kitchen. I had to clean up fast because Giustino was worried that I would miss an important part of the movie. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakuel. It is a really cute movie for little kids! Giustino sat in the chair and occasionally got up to dance every time the chipmunks sang a song. Mario watch (with Puppy in hand) and sat on the couch with me.

Once the movie was over, we got out the memory games. Giustino asked if they could have some more chocolate milk because they were really good during the movie. I agreed, so I poured them each a half glass of chocolate milk. Giustino gulped his down before I could put the milk back in the fridge. Mario had a few sips and asked to save it for later. Then he announced that he had to go potty. He is close to being potty trained, so I was really excited that he told me he had to go. Off to the potty we went, and while we were in there, Giustino was a little sneaky.

Giustino got back into the fridge and decided it was okay is he drank the rest of Mario's chocolate milk. Mario discovered that his chocolate milk was gone, and Giustino told me he drank it because it was just sitting there. I replaced Mario's chocolate milk, and of course, Giustino got mad. I told him that he couldn't have any more because he already had plenty.

The three of us finished playing memory and it was time for bed. The boys prolong bedtime like it is their job. Giustino took twenty minutes to put his pajamas on because he was too busy trying to tell me how the clouds make rain. Mario was spinning in circles in Giustino's room because he thought it was fun. With both boys finally dressed for bed, they each picked out a book to read.

Giustino picked a Mickey Mouse book. He read it to Mario and me. Since he can't read yet, he makes up stories from the pictures. He actually made sense, and it was funny to watch his facial expressions as he was formulating his story. Mario then read us the book that he chose. It was a cute little book called "Whose Nose and Toes." We went around the room and answered the question. This ended quickly however. Mario went out of order once, and Giustino threw a fit because it wasn't the right way. Once I got them settled, I tucked each other them into bed, and went back downstairs to clean up the mess.

I watched the rest of the hockey game on TV while I waited for Joe and Heather to get home. They arrived around 11:00pm. I shared the night's events with them, and back to the apartment I went. I didn't realized how tired I was until I got back to my apartment. Those boys wore me out, but it was still a fun night. Giustino and Mario told Grandma and Grandpa all about their night that Sunday at church, so I guess they had a good time too!

April

This month has been pretty hectic, and we are only the second week in.  There has been a lot going on in my world.

On the 1st, Dad finally has his hip replaced.  It was a long morning waiting for the phone call that he was alright.  Everything went well, and he will soon be a new man living the retired life.  From the hospital, he was suppoed to go to a rehab center in DuBois for therapy.  However, there was a conflict with the insurance, so he ended up in a nursing home in Clearfield for one night.  I talked to him the next day.  Dad said he couldn't take it, and the nurses did not really know how to take care of someone who had gotten this type of surgery.  So he is now at home with a physical therapist visiting the house often.  It is probably for the best because he can get the care he needs on a one-on-one basis.

Since Dad was in the hospital recovering over the Easter holiday, Marc and I went to Clearfield to visit.  We got home later than usual on Friday night because of my crazy work schedule.  The two of us ordered a cheese pizza for a quick dinner, and we ate the whole thing ourselves.  We can be pigs sometimes.  Mom came home later that night, and my best friend Jordan stopped over as well.  We missed each other over Christmas because Duke arrived.  We left for Philly the day that she came home to Clearfield.  We talked about our upcoming plans, and I gave her an early birthday present.

Saturday before Easter, Mom, Marc, and I traveled to State College to keep Dad company.  We hung out in his room and chatted and watched TV.  Mom, Marc and I left to go have lunch at Wegmen's (huge grocery store).  Marc and I then decided to catch a movie.  We were off to see "Alice in Wonderland."  It was a very good movie, although I think it is a little too dark and twisty for little kids.  After seeing the movie, I want to read the book.  There were characters that I had never heard of, and it was very unlike the cartoon version.

Easter day was spent in State College again with Dad.  We went to Applebee's for lunch, while Dad ate hospital turkey and potatoes.  It was a very untraditional day, but I was spending it with people I love, so it didn't matter.

Since last weekend, I have been very busy at work and slightly overwhelmed.  I have been working about 60 hour weeks.  Everyone around the office is getting anxious because April 15th is a week away!

Marc is supposed to close on his house on April 13th.  He is very excited, but there is lots to do!