One year anniversary cruisin the Caribbean!

Well nothing will ever compare to Spring break 2013 [Marriage!] but I must say our Spring break this year was heavenly!  We went on a cruise to the Western Caribbean.

First we flew to Miami but didn't really see much while we were there other than the ride to our hotel and then to the cruise port.  We did see American Airlines Arena it's really pretty looking over the water and of course Josh loved it just because it was American Airlines!

Saturday morning we boarded the Carnival Liberty bright and early.  Much to our great surprise they gave us a balcony room! Basically a little piece of heaven it was such a fun surprise.  We got to sit on our balcony and watch the ship pull out of Miami to the open sea!

Our ship (:

View of Miami

So in love with having a balcony room!

The first day on the ship we played every game/sport possible: volleyball, mini golf [I won!], shuffle board, basketball, you name it we played it it was a blast.  We read a ton.  Normally Josh won't read with me but believe it or not I couldn't get him to put his book down this cruise it was amazing.

It was so mind blowing I had to capture it on film.

The first day at sea was our first formal dinner.  Once we got on the ship I realized I only had one pair of contacts and was totally paranoid I'd some how lose them the first day on the ship and wouldn't be able to see snorkeling so I took them off and only wore my glasses!

I love the towel animals they make so we documented them
every night!

Dinner- our favorite!

After a full day at sea our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico.  Our plan for Mexico was to snorkel so after we landed on the island we headed to a beach Josh had researched and how did we get there you ask?  Oh Josh just drove us around Mexico again but this time on a moped!

We were very fortunate every port we pulled into our balcony faced
the side with the sunrise.  Absolutely gorgeous every morning (: Here's
our first look at Cozumel. 

Here is Corona Beach we went to to snorkel 

Snorkel buddies!

 After a fun morning/afternoon of driving all over Cozumel Island on our Moped exploring as well as snorkeling we spent the last hour before having to be back on the ship shopping at all the fun Mexican flee markets!  A perfect day!

At least we had helmets I suppose!

Day two we stopped in Belize.  It's a beautiful place.  You have to tender to get off the ship and due to the big waves we almost didn't make it in time to get to our excursion.  Thank heavens we did because it was amazing!  We went cave tubing.  We went with a local company and we are sure glad we did it was much better than the tour provided by carnival.  First they took us on an hour and half bus ride through Belize explaining everything along the way. 

Once we got over to the cliffs we took a 20 minute hike up to the water and caves.  It was absolutely beautiful.  You get to play in the water then they tie all the tubes together and you float through the caves.  The caves are full of waterfalls, beautiful rock formations, stalagmites, and stalactites.  It was dark in the cave that's why we all have headlights and we couldn't get any good pictures but trust me it was incredible.  Once out of the caves instead of having to hike down like the people who toured with carnival we took a 25 minutes float down the river basically surrounded by jungle with rocks to jump off of and beautiful plants and animals.  

Josh is jumping in this picture!

Cave tubing was incredible.  I would highly recommend it to anyone and the company butts up is who you should go with!  Along the way when the water gets shallow they have to yell bottoms up so you don's get scraped by rocks!

Sting Ray.  So cool!

The third stop just so happened to be the most amazing and it was on our anniversary March 12 (: Best day ever.  We pulled up into Mahogany Bay Roatan and got to each breakfast on the balcony while the ship docked and the sun was rising.  Absolute perfect morning. 

Once we were able to get off the ship we joined another local tour to go see monkeys, a bird sanctuary, an iguana farm and snorkeling!  First we went to the monkeys.  There was a sloth there that instead of staying in the trees with the others preferred a chair in the sun.  We got to pick him up and hold him.

Next we got to hold and snuggle a baby spider monkey named Cuna.  Oh my goodness she was the cutest little baby monkey ever!  I was in heaven.

I'm in love!  Such a wonderful experience.  Spider monkeys are really cute and sweet when they are young but when they grow older they bond with only one person and can be very aggressive and mean.  After the spider monkeys we got to go in a cage with a bunch of other little monkeys and feed them.  Turns out they really love sunflower seeds.  They would bounce all over you and cuddle up on your shoulder.  They loved to grab the sunflower seeds out of your hand and crack them in their mouths.  They had a hay day stealing Josh's hat from him.  It was a blast!

This monkey business [HAHA] was most definitely my favorite part of the trip (:  After the monkeys they also put parrots on our heads!

the view from the monkeys!

 After the monkeys we went to the bird observatory and saw tons and tons of beautiful birds.  One who kept shouting hola to get attention!

 After the birds we went on to the iguana farm.. it was so creepy they were huge and everywhere but fun to feed elephant ears to!  We also got to hold a night monkey who loved to lick the sweat off you.  so cute!

After the iguana farm they took us to an amazing beach resort to snorkel and get some sun.  It was an incredible resort and lots of fun to snorkel and explore.

most comfortable cabana!

the view!

tonight's towel animal (:

Our last stop [so sad!] of the trip was to Grand Cayman.  All these islands were so pretty they looked like they were right out of a movie.  Here we went snorkeling.  It was quite the experience.  To get into the water you had to swim pass these huge fish that looked kind of like carp.  They were at least 3 feet long and quite wide around.  They were use to people so they didn't move out of your way when you swam through.  It was terrifying!!! But once we got through them we saw some of the best coral reefs of the whole trip.  amazing multi color schools of fish (:

right behind us is where you jump in with the huge fish!

After snorkeling we took a taxi to 7 mile beach to play in the sand and water.  It was a blast!  Beautiful beach definitely recommend it!

Today's towel animal.  Very impressive!

Our last day at sea was full of delicious dinner, movies on the deck complete with popcorn [which I made Josh come and get with me almost every night ha] and games with friends.  We met some other people from Utah and ended up having fun card game nights with them.  Small world!

Our last day at sea a man's appendix burst and the US coast guard had
to come get him by helicopter to a hospital.  It was super windy and
 the helicopter couldn't land on the ship so they had to propel a guy down and
a basket to get him.  It was crazy!

Last towel animal!

So grateful for our safety and adventure we were blessed with this back week and a half it was so fun to celebrate our one year anniversary it has been the best year yet I am so grateful for my sweet husband and how close we have grown this last year.

Family weekend & Remembering Lot's Wife.

For any of you who know me you know I am a bookworm so in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday and my love of reading I have to share a quote!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” 

Sorry for the late post! Josh & I had a lazy sleepy Sunday before going to family dinner so here is my late sunday thoughts!  This past week I have been reading and rereading one of my favorite talks: "Remembering Lot's wife."  If you haven't read it it is wonderful and here is a link to check it out: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1819

There are many things to be learned from this story but I will focus on a few I really liked.  Elder Holland in this talk brings up the fact that the Lord commanded Lot and his family as they fled from Sodom and Gomorrah to not look back but we learn in Genesis 19:26 "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

When Lot's wife looked back she wasn't just looking back.  She was looking back longingly, in her heart she wanted to go back.  She did not have the faith that the Lord had better things in store for her than what Sodom had to offer her.  She didn't have faith in the future.  "As elder Maxwell once said: 'such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon.'" 

I've been quite anxious and nervous about all of Josh and I's coming changes in May.  I'm grateful for this talk because it really spoke to me reminding me not to worry and live in the past but instead to have faith in the future.  Elder Holland puts it best saying: "I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives. So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently she thought—fatally, as it turned out—that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as those moments she was leaving behind."

I think at times [especially during big changes] it is so easy to look back at the past, see it for better than it was and to long for it instead of making the best of your current situation.  I know this is a weakness of mine!  I'm grateful for this talk because I know there will be times [especially this summer!] where I may easily fall into longing for home and for the past.  But I know to remember Lot's wife and to remember that faith is always pointed to the future.  

So ironic story, I shared this message from Elder Holland's talk in fast and testimony meeting and then in our gospel doctrine sunday school class [for the past 5 months we've been going to a marriage and families class but it ended last week] we just happened to be talking about Sodom and Gomorrah and this is where my second favorite lesson of this story was learned.  

From reading in Genesis chapter 13 when Abram returned from egypt there was strife between his herdman and Lot's.  Abram seemed to be a peacemaker: "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife between me and thee and between my herdman and thy herdman; for we be brethren." [Genesis 13:8]  when they separated Abram let Lot choose which land he wanted even if it meant giving up the better land.  

For me this is a great lesson to be learned.  Abram was very selfless and willing to give up the greater land to make Lot happy [this is just what I got out of it forgive me if I'm wrong].  It is not worth it to quarrel and have strife.  Sometimes you have to be the bigger person even if it feels like you're always the one who does it!

I could go on and on about all the stories to be learned from Sodom and Gomorrah.  But I just wanted to share two lessons that spoke to me and gave me strength to have faith in the future (:

I am so grateful for my family and friends.  Josh and I had a wonderful weekend!  We spent a lot of time with family and friends.

Josh spoiled me and took me to happy hour sushi (: 

Fun times at sunday family dinner.  You'll never meet
a happier little boy than this guy!

And I just have to brag... We have the cutest nephews in the world!  They just melt your heart!!

 

Luke (:

& Roren (:

And always remember...

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”