Southwick: Our Forever Family: Summer 2014: Week 6

The week the kids had been waiting for all summer finally arrived - CRUISE TIME! This year, since Laurin graduated and will be heading out to college (and possibly a mission following that!), Laurin got to help choose the family vacation. All the kids loved hearing stories about Jeff and my honeymoon cruise and have been dying to go on a cruise ever since...so off we went. We boarded the Carnival Imagination out of Long Beach port in Los Angeles on Sunday (July 6th). We actually drove to LA the day before and hung out at our hotel that evening. Sunday morning we found a local ward to attend before packing up our stuff and heading to the cruise. In usual Danny fashion, the closer we got to the cruise terminal the more animated he became. We could tell all the kids were anxious to get on the ship and start exploring. We boarded in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the ship. Initially, Jeff and I were concerned that Danny would quickly get lost without a sibling or parent with him. However, we soon discovered that he knew the ship better than most of us! It was nice to let the kids explore the ship on their own while Jeff and I got to watch it pull away from the port. That evening we had dinner and watched a musical performance before heading to bed.

The kids getting ready to board the ship.

Jeff and I after boarding the ship.

Our first day (Monday July 7th), we spent in Catalina Island. The island was surrounded by shallow reefs so the ship wasn't able to dock close to the shore. I got a panoramic shot of the island before we loaded onto "tenders" to be shuttled to shore.

Our cruise ship from the tenders.

The tenders that shuttled us to and from the ship.

We quickly made it to shore (with minimal motion sickness...most of the kids had a rough time with motion sickness our first night) and began to explore. I have to admit this was probably our least favorite part of the trip. Other than the shops at the boardwalk and a pebbly beach, there really wasn't much to do on a budget. There were some museums, but that didn't really appeal to anyone...so we split up. Amber and I browsed the shops while Jeff, the boys and Laurin hit the beach. The boys and Jeff got in. Laurin just enjoyed sitting in the sun. After a couple hours, we found a reasonably priced place to have lunch...that was a feat in and of itself!

After lunch, Jeff and I booked a trip on a glass bottom boat. We gave the kids the option to tour the island on a trolley or explore the seas on the glass bottom boat. The opted for the boat. This was my first time on a glass bottom boat and I think we all enjoyed it. We were able to see several varieties of fish as well as a pesky sea lion that kept scaring them away. All in all, although not our favorite spot, we still enjoyed our first day.

Our second day landed us in Ensenada, Mexico. This was by far our favorite day! The town of Ensenada wasn't much to look at from the ship, but once we got off and found a taxi (just another moment where I was grateful for my language skills), we headed to La Bufadora. This is a natural water spout or blowhole. Basically there is a sea cave wherein air gets trapped and when the water recedes the air is released. This action shoots water up to about 100 feet in the air and on to the unsuspecting tourists! It was actually really cool to see that. The water shoots up with a thunderous noise. Sometimes the water wouldn't shoot up very high, but other times it rocketed up and got us wet.

After watching the blowhole, we meandered through a sea of souvenir shops on our way back to our awaiting taxi. I think this was the kids favorite part...even the boys. They enjoyed looking at all the silly souvenirs and bartering with the shop owners...again, another moment in which I was grateful for my language skills. I was actually pretty proud of all the kids. We allowed them to take certain allotments of money, but none of them spent it all...including Danny! Maybe some of my "needs vs. wants" and budgeting/saving talk is actually sinking in.

We made it back to the taxi (after feeling like we had run the retail gauntlet) and headed to the beach. Jeff, the boys and I got in the water (although I didn't stay for very long...it was still a little too chilly for me) while the girls laid out on the beach. The boys enjoyed swimming through the waves and trying to body surf for about an hour before we all decided it was time to head back to the ship. I hailed another taxi and, in typical Central and South American style, we crammed 6 people plus one taxi driver into a compact car to drive the few miles back to the ship. As we drove back to the ship, the kids were able to see a small, make-shift residential area with houses made of scraps of cardboard, plywood, and metal. It broke my heart to see such poverty. It also brought back many mission memories. I was grateful that the kids were able to witness just a small amount of the poverty that exists in the world. I could tell it impacted them as they discussed it at dinner that night. It was a great opportunity for Jeff and I to help the kids see the material blessings we have and to show greater gratitude for what they have. I will always be grateful for that perspective in my life. All that really matters is my faith and my family. If I were to lose everything I have tomorrow, I would be ok if I still had my faith and my family.

As you know, all cruise ships have never-ending food! This ship was no exception. There were always buffets on the "Lido" deck by the pool, but each night we made sure to have dinner in the formal dining room...in hopes to instill some proper table/dinner etiquette. I don't think I was very successful, especially since it was Jeff I had to control on a couple occasions! How can I expect for the kids to have appropriate table manners when I can't even get Jeff to comply?! Sheesh! I have my work cut out for me! Still, I enjoyed the times we spent together and the laughs we shared. This summer has been so busy that it was nice to just be together as a family. After dinner each night, we found some show to go to. The first night was a subpar musical medley of some of the more famous Divas (Beyonce, Cher, Madonna, etc.), but the second evening we found a fun, family-friendly comedy act. It was hilarious!! We all laughed so hard our stomachs were sore (especially after filling our tummies with so much good food at dinner...not to mention the non-stop ice cream cones available. We rarely saw the kids without a cone in their hands!).

The third evening the cruise director hosted a life-sized game show. Danny and Dallin were both chosen to participate in two separate games. Danny did a bowling/Yahtzee game and Dallin played Operation. Neither of their teams won, but each walked away with a small Hasbro game. Our last night on the ship, we returned to Xanadu Lounge (yes, the ship had a 70's vibe to it) for another comedy show.

Our last day was spent at sea. The kids found various activities to keep them entertained. Jeff and I joined them for a morning shot at golfing followed by some ping pong and a game of cards (that Danny won from the previous night), but once the boys decided to get in the pool, we found a quiet area to read and reflect on the trip. We thought about our last family vacation to Colorado and discussed how far we've come since then. As time passes, our family feels more cohesive. There are still difficult moments when one or all of us feels the pressures of the blending process, but I can feel the Lord's influence in our family's life. I know He has helped us get to this point. We are in a good spot and headed in an even better direction.

Two extremely happy people enjoying our time together!!

The last night we were all exhausted! We headed straight to our rooms after the comedy show to pack up and get ready to leave the ship the next morning. Here are just a couple pics of our rooms and all the fun, quintessential towel animals. The cruise seemed to fly by...but we have memories that will last a lifetime.

We got off the cruise ship on Thursday (July 10th). We could have driven straight home but decided to stay an extra day and explore a little of LA. First stop, the Los Angeles temple. I love this temple! It became one of my favorites after my first time inside. It may not look like much from the outside, but inside the walls are floor to ceiling murals. We explored the visitor's center then walked around the temple grounds before leaving.

I love this picture of us.

After leaving the temple grounds, we grabbed some lunch then jumped on the PCH and headed to Malibu. There we visited the Getty Villa. J. Paul Getty was a philanthropist who donated two large museums to the city. These museums are free. I'd been to the Getty Museum overlooking LA and the ocean, but had never visited the Villa. It was gorgeous! I know it probably wasn't on the kids' Top Ten List of Things To Do, but they didn't complain. I think it's important to expose them to all kinds of activities and cultures. They may never really enjoy it, but I feel it gives them a more well-rounded perspective on life and culture. It seems that too often too many kids have never stepped foot in a museum. I would much rather expose my kids to this than to some of the foul behavior and language at other venues. In any case, the Villa is dedicated to Greek and Roman art. It was fun to see relics and artifacts from the time of Chirst. I pointed this out to the kids and discussed other aspects of that time that Christ may have actually seen or taken part of. Art is always great to look at, but it comes alive when the history becomes present. We spent a couple hours exploring the museum before heading to our hotel to rest before our long drive home the next day. All in all I think it was a very successful, memory-filled trip!