Whew.

Oh, we are back, thank goodness. We did have a great time (right, C and M?) and there were many relaxing moments. The cruise ship staff was wonderful and the food was pretty good. We also enjoyed the ports we went to and had an absolute blast with Sweet Thang and her hubby. But- I do have to say that it was the first and last Carnival cruise I will ever do if I can help it. We went on the Princess Cruise line last time- and it was more than we could have ever expected from a cruise. Just truly awesome. This time, they did not have any 7-day cruises on Princess during the Summer and we didn't want to leave the kids any longer than that, so we looked at Carnival and decided to go with them. If you are looking for a cruise that is similar to a continuous college Spring Break party for 7 straight days, then you should choose Carnival. That is what it reminded me of. The environment was just really loud and obnoxious and even the decor was tacky and gaudy and over the top. Our cabin was decorated in puke pink and melon with some orange (yes, I took pictures so you can see...)- and there were bright abstract paintings on the wall. People partied into all hours of the night and would walk down the hall yelling and laughing until 2 in the morning. Every time anyone near us/ beside us/ above us would close their door (room door or door to the balconies) it was really loud. Then the cruise director would start making really loud announcements over the loud speaker by 9 am most mornings. So, I slept about 5 hours a night on average. The last night we were there, we had to get up at 5:45 the next morning so we could get the heck off the boat first thing, and people were still running up and down the hall yelling at 2 or 3 that morning, so it was 3 hours of sleep that night. I came home, took my aunt and cousin to my grandmother's house and collapsed in the bed. The girls were so glad to see us and we could not wait to hug them and love on them for a while. We are still so worn out. But, like I said- we did have a lot of good moments, too- just when comparing it to Princess- it did not measure up. I think the biggest difference was the movement. On the Carribean Princess ship (which was the same size as this one), I would sometimes forget I was even on a ship because it was so stable and still. The Carnival ship (Liberty) was so unstable, it was constantly rocking and rolling. Poor C had his "Seabands" on almost the entire trip. So- although we had a good time and the ports were cool, we won't be going on a Carnival cruise again if there is another option. However, just the fact that we were on a cruise for a week was great- so it was still a blessing and an overall good experience. This week the girls will be going to VBS at my parents church every night. It is a long drive to do every night, but they feed them dinner every night and the girls always have a blast- so it will be worth not having to cook for a week and also letting them have some fun. I plan to catch up with my friends from that area and spend some time with my grandfather this week. I will get around to posting pics from the cruise this week. (Don't worry- none with me in my bikini!) I did gain a pound back, and I am ok with that- I went to the gym on the ship several times so that I wouldn't be in trouble with that when I came home. ; ) I will say that the cruise did wonders for me and B and our marriage. Every couple needs to take time away from the kids every now and then to boost up their relationship with each other. I know we do, at least. Well- gonna go get the girls ready for VBS kickoff tonight. Then it is home and sleep catch up time! Talk more tommorrow.