Bahamas Birthday Cruise

I told J I wanted to go on a fun trip for my 30th birthday. I didn't really care where, just as long as there was a warm beach. We booked a cruise to the Bahamas.

In preparation for our cruise, I had been making a list for a few days, jotting down things as I remembered them, making sure I didn’t miss anything. A couple people told me not to worry about it; if we forgot anything we could always buy it on our trip. Two days before we were scheduled to leave I was walking into work and I had a jolt – I almost forgot our passports! What a horrible, terrible thing that would have been. We could have got on the plane with our driver’s licenses, but we could not have boarded the ship without our passports. And I don’t know the “correct type” of people to buy one last minute, so…it’s lucky I thought of it. Major crisis averted.

Sunday: 

We flew into Miami and took an Uber ride to our hotel, since our ship didn't leave until the next day. We stayed at Harrison Hotel; I was worried because some of the reviews said it was old and smelled funny. It was older, but it had charm and was quirky. It didn’t smell. 

The entrance to the hotel was very nice.

Neither J nor I had drank enough water, so we ended up with a bit of a headache. That’s what I hate about traveling and staying in a hotel; I feel like I never have enough water. We walked to a little Italian restaurant where we were served by an authentic Italian, whose accent was so thick I had a little trouble understanding him. Joseph kept me quite entertained. 

Discussing the plane ride (there was a bit of turbulence and it frightened me, but J maintains that turbulence is no big deal):

Me: You can die on an airplane.

J: No you can’t.

Me: gives a Look.

J: Well, you can, but you don’t.

I noticed a table after the tablecloth was removed to be replaced:

Me: Oh look at that table! It looks really cool. I would leave it without a tablecloth.

J: It’s easier to clean with a tablecloth. You just take the tablecloth off and wash it.

Me: You can just wipe that down.

J: It would be hard with those little cracks.

Me: It’s my birthday and I’ll be right if I want to.

J: (Immediately agreeing, without a hint of sarcasm): Oh yes, that’s right, absolutely.

Monday - Miami:

We slept in, then walked down to the beach. 

 There was a really nice walking/biking path.

We grabbed some lunch and went back to our hotel to shower. The hotel was nice enough to push our check-out time back an hour, and it really made a difference. Then we caught another Uber ride to the dock to board the ship.

It took us awhile to check in. I had to sign something that said I hadn’t had any gastrointestinal issues and hadn’t experienced the flu, cough, etc. I actually had a cough, which had started out a sneezy cold, but no way was I going to cop to that and go (pay to) see the doctor. As a result, every time I coughed my flemy cough, I was a little paranoid I was going to be quarantined. 

After we boarded the ship we explored, found our room, and ate some food.

While we were exploring, we were at the back of the ship watching as it left the port, and we went through a doorway. I didn’t realize it had a really high threshold and I tripped, completely falling on my face. My feet were still on the other side of the threshold and the door was trying to close, so my shoes and toes were pinched in the door. It was humiliating. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone around. We had entered a room that was intended for nighttime entertainment, so it was empty. I was able to lie on the floor for awhile, waiting for the pain in my feet and knees to subside. Joseph tried to help me up but I told him to give me a minute. I was finally able to get up and hobble around. My clumsiness still amazes me.

When we went back to our room to check, our luggage had been delivered, so we unpacked, then went for a quick swim in one of the pools before dinner. For dinner we were seated at a large table with four other couples. It was a wonderful three course meal. 

One of the couples wasn't there for two of the nights, so I didn't get their picture.

My favorite is always the dessert. Because it was my birthday, J made everyone sing to me. It was embarrassing, but I got a chocolate cake in addition to my crème brûlée.

 I was so stuffed after dinner I felt a little sick, but I didn’t regret it at all. One of the couples we sat with (Josh and Julia) had been on 13 cruises and had a lot of advice for the different stops. Taking their advice, we made plans for Coco Cay and Key West but hadn’t quite decided about Nassau. After dinner we rushed to see the night show, which included a comedian who was able to make us laugh. 

This cruise was Royal Caribbean, and it was different from Carnival, our first cruise. It was definitely smaller, which may be why I could feel the ship moving.

Tuesday – Nassau: 

We didn’t set an alarm, so we slept in. We bought the cheapest room and there wasn't a window, so the sun didn’t wake us up. We had to scramble to get ready so that we could make breakfast before it closed. The timeframe for Nassau was from 7:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night, so we knew we had plenty of time. We hadn’t booked any excursions and were just planning on checking things out. When we got off the ship, we walked around a bit, but it was a large city and we weren’t really sure where to go. So we got back on the ship, asked guest services for advice, and were told that there was a free beach you could walk to, but people usually take a taxi over to Atlantis. The package to visit the waterpark was too expensive, so we automatically ruled that out, but he said the aquarium was $20 a person. I didn’t really want to spend $40 on an aquarium plus the money for a taxi, so I was thinking about just walking to the free beach, but J surprised me. He said we were going to take the taxi over and check out the aquarium. 

J is the kind of person who doesn't usually have a strong opinion. He is just a nice, go-with-the-flow person. When discussing what to have for dinner, our conversations used to look like this:

J: What do you want for dinner?

Me: I don’t know, what do you want?

J: I don’t know. Are you in the mood for anything?

Me: I could go for some [lists a few options]. 

J: OK.

Me: Well what do you think?

J: I’ll have whatever you want.

And it could go on for awhile. I finally just started making decisions. If J comes to me with two choices, or asks my opinion on something, I will just make a decision. I can not care about something at all, but I will just pick one to avoid the back and forth.

However, it’s a little different for vacations; it’s harder for me to be decisive. Too many choices. I’m also very frugal. I try to minimize spending money. So when J made up his mind that we were going to Atlantis and checking out the aquarium, I was surprised, and I went with it.

I kind of liked it.

We got off the ship. J realized neither one of us had a credit card. I am so glad he thought of that, because it ended up being important later. So he got back on the ship (for the second time), grabbed the credit card, and off we went.

The taxis were $4/person. As we were walking to the taxi, it was just me and J. The driver said he was going to have to charge us extra because it was just us two; if he could pick up two other people, then we could have the $4/person charge. I started getting a little nervous. I hate negotiating. You really don’t negotiate in the US and that’s how I like it dangit. Well J got really firm with the guy. J said, “The sign said $4 per person.” The taxi driver said that was the group rate. J repeated that that is what the sign said. The taxi driver said if he could pick up two other people, then we could have the “group rate.” J said, in a tone that indicated it wasn’t up for debate, “I’ll give you $10.”

I kind of liked it.

I did partially feel bad for the guy. I can see how he needs to maximize the number of people he takes out there in one drive. But it also wasn’t our fault. Luckily, he was able to pick up three other people, so it didn’t end up being an issue.

We got to Atlantis, and realized the guest services guy didn’t know what he was talking about (to be fair, he had warned us, “This is just what I’ve heard, I haven’t gone myself” and gave a little laugh). To see the aquarium it was $39/person. There was a beach and aquarium deal that was $69/person and it came with lunch. We discussed it, and went with the beach and aquarium deal. We definitely did not have that much cash, so the fact that J went back to grab the credit card saved the day. We would have spent the money on the taxi for nothing. Even though I was not very happy about spending the money, it ended up being a really fun day. The aquarium was amazing and the beach was wonderful. I was surprised at the size of Atlantis; we got lost a couple times. On the beach there were chairs that had coverings (not quite umbrellas) and it really made a huge difference. The water was warm and clear. J wore his euro-shorts (it's a running joke with his bestie Brian), which made him a little self conscious, so he would speak in a fake (British? Australian?) accent. It was pretty hilarious. 

We turned in the vouchers they gave us for lunch. J went to get us tables and I brought the food over. I told him I thought it was a bad decision having the one who is clumsy (fell on my face the previous day) and slightly scared of seagulls (had one rip a churro out of my hand when I was young, those things are crazy aggressive) carry the food. We sat down and started to eat. Then the sun came out and we realized we didn’t have any shade so we should probably move.

We grabbed our bag and drinks and moved over to the next table. When I turned around, our food was covered in the seagulls who were gobbling it as quickly as they could. I yelled and ran over and Joseph let loose with a karate kick (he did not kick at seagull, he was just trying to scare it away). A portion of the fries were gone, a section of J's fish was gone, and my sandwich had little dents, but it really wasn’t too bad. We tried not to think about birds touching our food and ate it anyway (builds up the immune system). One of the employees who saw everything thought it was quite amusing and asked if J had taken karate lessons, because apparently it was a very impressive kick.

After lunch we walked and checked out more of the aquarium. Apparently it is the second largest in the world.

 After we had enough of the beach and aquarium we took a taxi back, did a little shopping, then got back on the ship to prepare for dinner. Our dinner mates were very friendly and entertaining again. Dinner was so wonderful. I never get tired of a “free” three course dinner. I made sure to save room for dessert (or three).

Wednesday – Coco Cay:

Coco Cay is an island owned by the Royal Caribbean cruise line. Thanks to the wonderful people we sat next to at dinner who had been on 13 cruises (Josh and Julia), we knew that this was the island where we wanted to snorkel. 

There were chairs and hammocks everywhere. It was wonderful. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. I was in heaven. We met up with Josh and Julia, and it was nice to have other people to talk to. Josh is definitely a high-level extrovert. He can talk to anyone.

There wasn't a place for the ship to dock right next to the island, so we had to take a smaller boat in.

Before we left on our cruise, we had bought snorkels and an underwater camera. The two other times I've gone snorkeling with J, we rented snorkels, and he swallowed too much sea water and ended up puking. So I found "dry" snorkels online - you can dive under the water and come up and still not have any water come through. They worked beautifully.

Josh was able to point out the best spots. In the first spot, we saw a stingray and I found two conch shells. The conch shells still had living things inside, so I just photographed them and then put them back. 

Because the cruise line owned the island and we had to take the small boat in, the food was brought out to the island.

In the second snorkeling area, it was much larger. The cruise line had sunk cannons and a plane. We found the cannons, but there was an alarming number of jellyfish in the water, so I didn’t seek out the plane. After the fourth time of almost running into a jellyfish and giving a little yelp, I decided I’d had enough and swam for shore.

I’m assuming those jellyfish aren’t super poisonous, because there has to be a reason people weren’t being stung like crazy. They didn't have long tentacles, so maybe that had something to do with it.

When we got back to the ship we watched the belly flop contest, which Josh won (his ninth win).

We walked around the ship and watched the water. It was a little creepy. Apparently some people take a cruise to commit suicide and jump off the side of the ship. That sounds like a horrible way to die to me. 

After dinner we went to a couple shows. The juggler was also a comedian and it was a really entertaining show.

This is a volunteer from the audience. The juggler told him to put his hands over his man parts. He said, "Don't worry, I have $1 million in insurance." Then he chuckled and said quietly, "In pesos." Then he told the volunteer that his insurance only covered "large incidents" and so his "small incident" wouldn't be covered.

He did all sorts of crazy things. In this one he's jumping rope and bouncing a ball off his head. It was quite the show.

 After the juggler there was a Battle of the Sexes game and a second game called Quest. We were sitting next to our new buddies Josh and Julie, and they wanted to play Quest, so we found another couple to make up the six required people. There had been warnings that it was an “adult” game, but I think they should have said, “If you want to play, be prepared to say goodbye to your dignity.” At one point Julie asked me, “So you guys don’t drink huh?” I think she was worried we couldn’t perform. But we put her concerns to rest. D and J don’t have to be drunk to be a little crazy.

We were given a card with our number (we were team 26) and they gave us certain tasks. The teams had to run up front and show the host that the task had been completed and show the team number. The first team received the most points and the number of points went down after that. They started off pretty easy; we had to find 5 pennies. A guy had to go up wearing lipstick. A girl had to go up wearing men’s shoes. Then it got a little harder. I had to go up and do the splits. Then the worm (another special ability I have that J was not aware of*). Then the task was to have a woman come up and show him something fake. I had to go up and show cleavage (for the record, The Ladies are not fake, no matter what J’s aunt thinks, but I got second place points). It really went downhill from there. Pants came off. Bras came off. My throat hurt from laughing and yelling.

But gosh darnit if we didn’t win.

Thursday – Key West:

The lame part of Key West was having to go through immigration. Everyone on the ship had to show their cruise card and passports. I don’t know what the point of that was, but it took forever. When we finally got off, we rented bikes and traveled around the island.

This is the farthest point South in the US. I didn't want to stand in line to take a picture next to that.

The beach was a little disappointing. I was surprised that the beach had rocky sections and the sand actually felt like mud. It just oozed around my feet. The water seemed dirty. It was nice to cool off though; it was hot and humid so I didn’t mind getting wet. 

I told J to point at this sponge man. He said, "You want me to do an HP?" I love that he knows my intentions. My friend HP (Hilary P) points in her photos and I make fun of her for it. So the tradition of teasing continues.

After the bike ride and a little shopping, we came back to the ship and took a nice nap. Our last dinner was spent telling stories about the previous night and laughing. Names were exchanged to find each other on Facebook.

After dinner we played a game similar to Family Feud (and did not win), played some bingo, did a little karaoke, and watched the comedian. We thought he was pretty good and we weren’t the only ones judging by the volume of laughter.

Friday – going home:

Josh and Julie told us we could hop on the shuttle to the rental car place. They flew out of Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami; they had found that it was cheaper to rent a car and fly out of that airport. I felt a little bad jumping on the shuttle since we weren’t renting a car, but I am also pretty cheap. We saved a good $30. We gave Josh and Julie a hug and told them we’d keep in touch, and then headed for the airport. I had a wonderful vacation but I was definitely ready to see my little fur children.

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*Posted to FB September 17th:

A few years ago J and I were driving in my truck when I started whistling along with the song on the radio. "You can whistle?!" J exclaimed in amazement. "You can't?!" I yelled back.

Tonight, we were dancing to Michael Jackson. J yelled, in the same amazed tone, "You can moonwalk?!"

"You can't?!"

I have two observations: 1) It amazing how long you can be married to someone and still discover new information. 2) Apparently my expectations for basic life skills aren't realistic.

A Rant about the Logic of a Wee Five Year Old

I consider myself a logical person. That isn't to say I'm not emotional. I can get angry pretty quickly. Once I calm down though, I can usually reason through the situation and take responsibility if necessary.

Joseph doesn't remember much about his childhood. I find this very strange. I have random memories that I will just occasionally think about. Sometimes they're important, but usually it's just mundane and random.

I remember when I would get out of my half day of kindergarten, my Mom would let me watch Nickelodeon. She taught me how to use the remote to record my favorite shows on a blank VHS tape, and how to pause it to cut out the commercials. This was a glorious time for me. Growing up as the fifth of nine children, having the TV all to myself was a rather special treat. I fondly remember watching Ureka's Castle, David the Gnome, and my all time favorite Noozles.

There was one show that I can't remember the name. It was just ok. It was a man (he may have had a beard) who had this secret "hideout" area in the woods. He would "hike" to get there and then do I don't remember what. Maybe played a guitar a bit. I have a vivid memory of one particular episode. He found a "friend" who lived on a different planet. This friend was a stuffed toy. It bothered me that he was talking to this stuffed toy like it was a person. And the story only got worse. Apparently this friend/stuffed toy got here because his planet was so hot, he "fell off." He made it his quest to send the "friend" back to his planet with some water.

I continued to watch, thinking he would gather barrels and barrels full of water. Nope. After he was done with the toy-man, he said a tearful good-bye, and then wiped the tear from his eye and put it in a plastic box. And gave the tear to the toy-man. And bid him on his way.

I reflected back on this frequently as a child because there was so much wrong with this story. I don't remember knowing much about space travel in kindergarten, but I remember thinking this was a ridiculous story. The toy-man fell off his planet? Even at that age, I knew that people didn't fall off my planet. How can you live on a planet that is so hot you would fall off? Why would you send someone back to a planet that hot? WHY WOULD YOU SEND HIM BACK WITH A TEAR? This nagged me. It also plagued me that he never explained how the toy man would get back to his planet. He had no space ship. This planet wasn't hot enough to cause him to "fall." I stopped watching the show after that. The bearded man had lost the trust of this young child.

It is for this reason that Santa Claus haunted me as a child. Growing up in Phoenix, we had neither snow nor a chimney. Flying reindeer did not make sense to me. I would sit in the car and reflect on the number of houses, the effort and time that would go into providing and transporting toys for children, and wonder how it could be done. If it was "magic," why hadn't I seen it? How does one acquire magic? Why are there multiple Santa Clauses in malls throughout the world?

This is not to say that I didn't have an imagination as a child. My stories just made sense. This also isn't to say that I'm the type of person that has to see things to believe them. I know there are many things in this world that can't be explained. But they're not crazy reindeer-flying, falling off hot planets, ridiculous situations. We just haven't figured out the entire logic of the world.

A world that does not include toy-men from hot planets or Santa.

Eight Years

Joseph My Heart,

We've been married eight years. I was trying to think of what I could do to celebrate

There was that year I took non-stop photos and documented The Many Faces of J. That was fun.

I decided to do something similar.

This was a hard year. I'm not going to go into why here. Some things are personal. But we came through.

I wanted to document all of the reasons I love you. I started this summer.

June 9, 2014

Today I wasn’t feeling well. I haven’t been able to hear out of my ear all day. I have a headache and cramps. You offered to give me a neck massage. You asked if I was feeling better. You asked if there was anything you could do for me. You looked at me with concern in your eyes.

You make me feel precious and loved.

June 10, 2014

You scooped me a bowl of ice cream. When you handed it to me, you told me that you scooped it with love. When we sat on the couch to watch Big Bang Theory, you scratched my back, because you know I love it when you do that.

June 19, 2014

Today we planned my birthday cruise. I sat next to you while you put a spreadsheet together to calculate the costs of the different trips we are considering. You looked at me and asked if I needed my blanket. I knew all I had to do was say the word and you would go get it for me.

I was feeling a little crabby. Reading a book will do that to me – I don’t like to be torn away. You give me a hug and kiss my forehead and say sweet things to me instead of telling me to quit being a grump. You are so sweet to me that it prompts me to apologize. You make me a better person.

June 26, 2014

We were discussing mentoring a foster child, which could potentially lead to fostering a child and maybe even adopting. I asked if you wanted us to have a baby of our own. You said you didn’t care. I said I didn’t know if you wanted a little piece of yourself. You said that doesn’t matter. You thought about it and said you wouldn’t mind a little piece of me. I started getting teary eyed, thinking it was such a nice thing to say, then you grinned and wiggled your eyebrows and said, “I meant that sexually.”

June 27, 2014

We went to Yellowstone. I didn’t realize it was so cold. I would have been miserable if you hadn’t insisted on bringing a blanket along for me.

June 28, 2014

J: I twee-twooed you.

Me: Twee-twoo?

J: Yeah. I can’t whistle so that’s the sound that whistle makes.

July 2, 2014

Today I had a problem with my computer. As always, you dropped what you were doing to help me. And you fixed it. You are brilliant. Then when we were making plans to leave, I asked if you didn’t mind driving Marcus, my truck. You said the following:

Why would I mind? I don’t mind driving your truck. No, actually, I consider it an honor.

You make me laugh.

July 14, 2014

Today you made me a tuna melt for dinner. And you carved a heart in it.

July 16, 2014

Today I was at work and you offered to take me out to lunch. I love that you want to send time with me. After lunch you walked me to my truck and held my hand. I liked it.

July 19, 2014

We went to the gym. I watched you do a couple pull-ups.

Thanks for being so sexy.

Today I dragged you to an antiques store. I found a cabinet that I was pretty sure I loved, but it didn’t really have the storage space I was looking for. After a conversation listing pros and cons, to include “utils of happiness,” you encouraged me to buy the cabinet.

July 22, 2014

I finished a book today that, while it had a happy ending, it had some sad parts, which made me feel a little melancholy. I found you at your desk and asked for some ice cream and a cuddle. Then I noticed that you were working and I asked if I should leave you alone. You looked at me in that earnest way you have and told me that I am more important and that you were always here for me when I need you.

July 30, 2014

I wasn’t feeling well today. You are always so sweet and make sure to ask me if you can do anything for me. Makes me feel bad for calling you a sissy when you are sick.

August 13, 2014

We got into a pretty big fight yesterday. You knew I was still upset so you spent a lot of time texting me.

One time awhile back I told you about my favorite America’s Funniest Home Video. The guy was in a bowling alley so my first reaction was, “Pfft. This guy is going to drop his ball, or fall, or do some other typical bowling alley type embarrassing thing.” So my expectations were pretty low. Guy managed to roll his ball down the lane. It did not go in the gutter. He actually made a strike. OK, so then I thought, “He must get excited and do a dance and fall down.” His friend walked up for a high five and HIT HIM IN THE FACE. Oh, I was not expecting that. I laughed until I cried. The guy made a strike and then got slapped. Hahaha sucker. I had tried to find the clip on youtube so I could watch it and laugh but I couldn’t.

You found the clip and texted it to me. When I asked how long it took you to find it, you told me 20 minutes.

I appreciate the effort you go to when you’re trying to get yourself out of the doghouse.

August 15, 2014

Today you were dropping me off back at work after picking me up for lunch. You told me you would get my door for me. So you rolled your window down and then walked to my side. I told you thank you for rolling your window down, since you left your keys in the ignition.

We both remember that fateful day when you locked your keys in the car and we had to wait an hour in the heat for the locksmith to come.

You told me you only do it because I asked you to. All those years ago. And you still remember.

Plus you opened my door for me, so that was extra Gentleman Points.

August 27, 2014

I flew home from MN today. I was gone for a few days for a work trip. You picked me up at the airport and had such a big grin. You were so excited to see me. I had to work a bit, but after that you asked what I wanted to do that night. I told you I wanted to go look at paint for my redecorating project. You told me that before we do that, we needed to go shopping and find an accent piece before we looked at paint

WHAT! You want to go shopping?? Aw yisss.

We went shopping. We didn’t find an accent piece, but it was so nice being with you, and knowing you were doing something you didn’t really want to do, but you wanted to make me happy.

I teasingly asked if you were being nice to me because you felt guilty about doing something bad while I was gone. You looked at me with sincerity and said you had missed me. My heart melted.

September 6, 2014

We were at dinner in CA on our LA trip. A commercial came on for flipping houses and you scoffed, said it was a scam. You said anything that promises money is a scam. I asked, what about money managers? You said that’s a scam too because you can make more by purchasing an index fund. I didn’t have a clue what you were talking about so I asked questions, and we ended up talking about the S&P 500. You fully explained everything the way you always do, never talking down to me. I couldn’t help grinning at you because you’re brilliant. Then you were suspicious and wanted to know why I was grinning. I wasn’t making fun of you. I love our strange conversations.

September 10, 2014

We are painting the living room. I appreciate that when I make up my mind to do something, you go along with it. You help me out. I don’t think other husbands are like that. Plus, you have a special painting skill since you can paint straight lines by hand.

Today I asked if you would make me a cake. You looked at me like I was crazy. And then you made me a cake.

September 12, 2014

Today I ducked into a fast food restaurant to go to the bathroom. While you were outside a homeless man asked you for change. You had a dollar and a twenty. You gave him the dollar, and felt bad about not giving him the twenty, but that was your lunch money. When I came out of the bathroom you were standing in line with him to buy him a burger. I’m not sure if he was uncomfortable with silence or if he was just glad to have someone to talk to, but he babbled and told us about living in an abandoned house, making sure his bike was locked up because he’s had it stolen, and how really needs a bike because he hurt his back. He mentioned how hard it was to ask for help, and he couldn’t be prideful because he needed help. He was really thankful for the meal and said he hadn’t been helped out in awhile.

Later, right after we left him, you smiled at me and said you were glad that I didn’t mind that you give money to homeless people. I had just been thinking how proud I was that you do.

September 21, 2014

Today, driving home from dinner, you told me that if you had the option to marry me all over again, you would do it.

LA Trip

J had a Wordcamp conference this last weekend. I took a couple days off from work and went with him.

One of my favorite parts was watching HGTV in the hotel room. We don't have cable and the shows aren't on Netflix, so when I travel, I take advantage.

As you can see, I got J hooked too. Oh yes.

Now I have someone to bug with my questions. Like how can the people on the show say their budget is $420,000, but then buy a $350,000 house and drop $70,000 in renovations? Do they just have that extra cash? Did they get a loan? They couldn't have obtained a mortgage that large. And how much of the budget is going to stage the home? If I was a homeowner, I would want my money going straight to renovations and just keep my old crappy furniture...but then it wouldn't look at great, and it is TV.

My friend at work told me she has a friend who was on House Hunters. It had really bugged me that they always buy a home. How do they always end up with the home they pick? They're never out-bid. She told me that the house is already bought and paid for. I still love HGTV even though that is CHEATING. I don't like House Hunters anyway, I prefer the renos. 

Anyway.

J took a half day on Friday and we went to the beach. We went to Santa Monica Pier.

While we were there, the ocean decided to change to high tide and came up 20 feet (I'm not even exaggerating). It was interesting, because it came up to the left and right of our stuff, but our stuff didn't get wet. We still snatched it up and fast as we could and retreated. Others were not so lucky.

I kept myself entertained while J was at his conference. To include going shopping and finding some things for my living room re-decoration. It's coming along nicely.

Our last day there, the developers/designers/other nerds met up downtown, so I got to wander around and check things out. The homeless situation was a little disheartening. But the buildings and fountains are beautiful.

When it was time to go home, our phones kept ringing with a flash flood emergency warning. Which was funny, because then we got home to....Phoenix's worst flooding in years.

Have I mentioned my curse with rain? It poured during my sister's baby shower, it rained on J's birthday when I bought him a car detail, and when I was in FL for a business trip, the outside event was closed down because of weather. So I think it's pretty safe to say I dragged the rain with me from CA. Joseph the dirt nerd was besides himself with glee. He probably won't have to water anything for the next year.

It was a great vacation but it's also nice to be home. I appreciate my Mom watching my little fur children. I missed them. 

Cake

I was at lunch with coworkers.

Me: Joseph made a cake last night but he forgot to pack me a slice.
Laura: You should have gone home and eaten it.
Me: Dang! I should have.
Laura gives me a look that tells me she was being sarcastic. She decides to take it further.
Laura: You could have him deliver it.
Me (perks up): Oooh, I could have him deliver it.
Laura looks at me like I'm crazy.
Me: I could have him bring enough for all of us.
Laura: So should you call him or should I?