Out to Sea....9/11

The cruise is coming to a close, no more ports to stop the boat on so we will not see land for two entire days. Just the thought of it makes me a little stir crazy, even if we are floating on a boat the size of a small city, with just as many things to do to keep us busy. I must also note that it has been a total of 5 days since I've seen my babies and I really miss them. It will also be important to note that if your remember the announcement in an earlier post I was already pregnant when we left for the cruise, so it is at this point when sensitivity to smells along with any thoughts of food make me nauseated. Combined with 2 days straight on a swaying boat in the middle of the ocean does not make for much fun:) Don't get me wrong, I loved our cruise; unfortunately, these last two days are the memories that come to mind most often....

Although we had traveled to some of the most beautiful islands I've ever seen, I think we took more pictures these last two days on the boat. Kendall, the photographer, didn't want to leave anything to memory, so he captured every square foot of the Freedom of the Seas ship on camera. Don't worry, I promise not to post them all on this blog, but I will share some of my favorites, those with the best memories although all of them bring back great memories of our trip. For example, I failed to mention in my very first post that upon arrival to our ship there were beautiful flowers waiting in our room. I first assumed that everyone received such a lovely display welcoming them aboard: however, upon closer examination I realized that my dear, sweet, husband Kendall had arranged for them to be delivered. How does he think of this stuff, he had it all planned before the trip even began, he really made this anniversary trip special!!

Whether you have been on a cruise or not yet, (meaning everyone should go at least once in their life :) you already know that it is all about the food! You can eat anytime you want, they serve everything you could possibly think of, and there is always more food then you will ever eat. You decide if you want to hit the buffet, have breakfast in bed, eat formally, or grab a piece of pizza on the way to your next activity. You better believe by the end of that week we knew exactly where, when, and what our food options were at any given time at any place we happened to be on the ship. The only time the thought or smell of food bothered me was at dinner, I would dread having to eat dinner because I knew I had to but the thought of eating in the evening made me sick. I would like to point out that not once did I ever have to throw up, I was determined to make it the entire cruise, pregnant or not, without having to say I got nauseated. That is everyone's first question, whether or not you got seasick, I blamed any sick feelings I ever had that week on pregnancy, I think otherwise I would have been just fine.

Pictured above are some of the only people we met on the cruise, our dinner mates, Sue and Bill. There is a little anxiety that first night at dinner when you're waiting to meet the people you will be eating with every night for the next week. I must admit when Sue and Bill first approached we didn't think they looked like our "type" of friends, shame on us, they turned out to be some of the only "friends" we spoke to the entire cruise! They were a great couple from Ireland, it was fascinating to compare our lives, families, and experiences together. It turned out it was their first cruise and they were also celebrating their anniversary, 25 years, so one night at dinner the rest of the guests sang to everyone at our table.

Next is our waitress Pauline from the Phillipiines and our assistant waiter Wei Wei, both of them were very sweet and treated us like royalty every night at dinner. By day 2 they address you as "Madame Michelle" or "Sir Kendall" and know your drink of choice and anything else you prefer at dinner. I wonder if there really are people who live like this everyday:)

Then there is the famous "cruise" picture of Kendall and I on the grand staircase, everyone has to be sure to get picture like that thanks to Titanic:) The dining room is enormous, I mean that in every sense of the word. As you can see we couldn't even fit it all into a decent picture, because there is just too much of it. If I were to guess, because there were too many to count, each level had at least 100 tables, and there were three levels. That doesn't even begin to cover the amount of mouths they have to feed, because they have to schedule two separate seatings to accommodate everyone. If you can even fathom the amount of food that requires. Even more impressive is that they don't sacrifice quality for quanity, the food is just as good as any fine resturant you might go to.

The menus offered all kinds of options, and you could order as much as you want, or send it back and get something else if you prefer. I decided since they wouldn't make me eat it and I could just turn around and order something edible, that I would venture out of my comfort zone and try some new foods. The highlight being escargow, translated means octopus tenticals! I'm here to tell you those are not meant to be eaten and why in the world would anyone choose or actually enjoy eating them. They are slimy, chewy, and I sweat it feels like they are sucking to your tongue as you are trying to get them down your throat. Our dinner friend Sue, was so very impressed that I would even touch them with my hands. Kendall ate the rest of them, but I think that was only because they were floating in butter, because even he can't admit that he actually enjoyed eating them. Kendall is always more adventurous when it comes to food, so he was in heaven and enjoyed all kinds of new things, especially the lobster dinner. Luckily Sue and I agreed on what should and shouldn't be eaten, we alternated between chicken and steak every night.