Vacation 2012

Some pictures and memories from our road-trip vacation:

- We drove through 11 states down to Florida and back with Christopher's entire family.

- Loki spent most of the 45+ hours of driving on the lap or on my feet. A little too much togetherness.

- We spent a little bit of time helping Christopher's sister's family moving into their new home. They live in a little lake community in rural Orlando.

- Chris and I drove to Satellite Beach to visit my cousin and his family. We ate at the same taco place we went to when we visited for their wedding several years ago. We went to the beach and played with their little boys.

- Then we left Loki with our family (who graciously watched him the week we were gone) and sailed away on a cruise ship to visit the Western Caribbean.

- We went snorkeling in Honduras and learned that isn't the best activity for us because I can't see much without my glasses and Christopher's beard made it hard for his mask to fit properly. We also kayaked that day which was a nice redemption for that excursion.

- We had ice cream ... every afternoon. Ice cream, in my mind, is within the definition of vacation. Usually not everyday but poolside ice cream overlooking blue waters quickly became our standard afternoon activity.

- We spent a lot of time walking around the promenade deck and talking about various things in our life. Being removed from the responsibilities of our daily life and the stress of work and school really helped us connect and see things clearly.

- We went to Altun Ha, Mayan ruins in Belize. We were a little too early for the end of the Mayan calendar, though!

- We met a couple on the cruise who invited us to drive with them around Cozumel, which was my favorite day of the cruise. The beaches were beautiful and we ate fresh seafood in the sand at a little Mexican restaurant on the ocean.

- And then, at the end of the week, Christopher's parents brought Loki to the port to pick us up. We were pretty excited to see him. =) ... Oh yeah, and the rest of the family, too.  But, who are we kidding, really Loki.

- We celebrated an early Christmas with our family in Orlando and we enjoyed spending time with them. Christmas with kids around is decidedly more fun than with just adults. The three dogs also added to the fun.

Since coming home, we've been doing a little bit of Christmas-y things and are keeping with the low-key, relaxed vibes that came from our vacation. Our shopping is done, our little tree is up and decorated and only a little bit of snow would make it feel more like Christmas.

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season with your family and friends!