This past week cruised right by; there were some bumpy seas, but not too bad, and we sailed right through them. I'm not just speaking metaphorically. John and I, oldest son and his wife, and youngest daughter spent the week on a cruise. I have plenty of things to be thankful for today.
1. I'm thankful for the time we were able to spend with some of our kids. As most of them have moved away, time together is not as abundant as it used to be. It was nice to be able to eat, talk, and play together.
2. I'm thankful for the beauty of the sunrises over the ocean horizon.
2. I'm thankful I learned something new. In the past, whenever we would go to Catalina Island, we would rent a kayak and go snorkeling. This time, we decided to try something new, so we took a tour of a tile studio and learned how to make tiles. I wrote about our experience in yesterday's blog post.
3. I'm thankful for my daughter-in-law's sense of fun and adventure. While John and I were making tiles, our son and daughter-in-law were out kayaking and snorkeling. In talking to them before hand, we had mentioned how much fun the kayaking and snorkeling were, but had said they could do whatever excursion they preferred. We didn't realize until afterwards that our daughter-in-law is actually not fond of being out on open water in a little kayak. However, she made the decision to face her fear, and she said she had a good time. That impresses me about her; she is gracious, kind, and willing to try new experiences.
4. I'm thankful for the cruise crew. Our waiter, in particular, was exceptionally good: he was very attentive, funny, and even performed a magic trick for us!
5. I'm thankful for the flexibility a cruise offers for families. We could all be together on the ship, but individual schedules could be kept without impacting the others. If someone wanted to sleep in or go to bed early, no problem. If someone wanted to get a bite to eat, no problem. If someone wanted to go to the gym, but another wanted to go see a show, no problem. Of course, we did spend plenty of time together, as well.
6. I'm thankful I learned something new. On a shore excursion to see La Bufadora, our tour guide pointed out some bluefin tuna fish farms. I don't think I had a picture in my mind of what a fish farm looked like, but now I do. In the photo below, those circles in the water are fish farms.
7. I'm thankful for the mesmerizing waters of La Bufadora.
8. I'm thankful for wildlife. Our tour guide vouched for the legitimacy of a particular rescue organization, and we chose to believe her. And that is how, after a small donation to their cause, I found myself holding a lion cub. I've always been a dog person, but I think I like cats, too.
9. I'm thankful for the opportunity to talk to people from other countries. No matter what language we speak, what cultural background we come from, what religion we practice (or not), what political views we hold, what gender we are, or what color our skin, there is more that unites us than divides us. The cruise afforded us the opportunity to associate with crew, guides, and guests from all over the world, and we had a great time together. Some guests sent photos to us when our camera wasn't handy; others exchanged emails with us so that we can keep in touch.
10. As always, I'm thankful for John. He celebrated a birthday this week, and everyday he makes me smile. Just today, he said, "When you are blogging, you can substitute 'the man who loves me' for my name whenever you want to." Rather reminds me of a certain disciple. :-) In any case, I am thankful for the man who loves me, and I love him, too.
What are you thankful for today? Rough seas or smooth, there is always something to be thankful for!
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| Photo: The Carnival Imagination |
1. I'm thankful for the time we were able to spend with some of our kids. As most of them have moved away, time together is not as abundant as it used to be. It was nice to be able to eat, talk, and play together.
2. I'm thankful for the beauty of the sunrises over the ocean horizon.
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| Photo: A seagull soars above the Pacific, as the sun rises on the horizon |
2. I'm thankful I learned something new. In the past, whenever we would go to Catalina Island, we would rent a kayak and go snorkeling. This time, we decided to try something new, so we took a tour of a tile studio and learned how to make tiles. I wrote about our experience in yesterday's blog post.
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| Photo: John turns out a tile from its mold, while I look on |
3. I'm thankful for my daughter-in-law's sense of fun and adventure. While John and I were making tiles, our son and daughter-in-law were out kayaking and snorkeling. In talking to them before hand, we had mentioned how much fun the kayaking and snorkeling were, but had said they could do whatever excursion they preferred. We didn't realize until afterwards that our daughter-in-law is actually not fond of being out on open water in a little kayak. However, she made the decision to face her fear, and she said she had a good time. That impresses me about her; she is gracious, kind, and willing to try new experiences.
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| Photo: Green, and yellow and orange-red kayaks wait on the beach, with the cruise ship in the background |
5. I'm thankful for the flexibility a cruise offers for families. We could all be together on the ship, but individual schedules could be kept without impacting the others. If someone wanted to sleep in or go to bed early, no problem. If someone wanted to get a bite to eat, no problem. If someone wanted to go to the gym, but another wanted to go see a show, no problem. Of course, we did spend plenty of time together, as well.
6. I'm thankful I learned something new. On a shore excursion to see La Bufadora, our tour guide pointed out some bluefin tuna fish farms. I don't think I had a picture in my mind of what a fish farm looked like, but now I do. In the photo below, those circles in the water are fish farms.
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| Photo: Circles of bluefin tuna fish farms dot the water in Baja California |
8. I'm thankful for wildlife. Our tour guide vouched for the legitimacy of a particular rescue organization, and we chose to believe her. And that is how, after a small donation to their cause, I found myself holding a lion cub. I've always been a dog person, but I think I like cats, too.
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| Photo: A squirmy, almost-4-month-old lion cub wiggles as I hold him on my lap |
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| Photo: The Mexican flag flies at the port of Ensenada |
10. As always, I'm thankful for John. He celebrated a birthday this week, and everyday he makes me smile. Just today, he said, "When you are blogging, you can substitute 'the man who loves me' for my name whenever you want to." Rather reminds me of a certain disciple. :-) In any case, I am thankful for the man who loves me, and I love him, too.
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| Photo: John and I on the cruise ship |
What are you thankful for today? Rough seas or smooth, there is always something to be thankful for!
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Your trip sounds heavenly - glad everyone had a good time.
ReplyDeleteToday, I am thankful for a beautiful and extended Fall.
I always imagine the fur on a cub would be a lot like touching a Gund stuffed animal...super soft
ReplyDeleteI love that candle light meal photo of the two of you. The squirmy lion cub is so cute!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful trip, Kristi. Hub and I were supposed to be in Mexico this week with our kids, but he couldn't get away from work. Ho, hum!
ReplyDeletevery cool!
ReplyDelete(the tiger, you know he enjoyed himself because of your affinity for dogs, the confident liking of large wild animals, even when they are young.)
sounds like a most excellent vacationing!
#2 & #8 Kristi. Excellent. Beauty and the beast (sort of) lol
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a cruise but the thought of being out in the open ocean "captive" unsettles me. Even though you obviously came into port. Having said that, you are an excellent saleswoman!
Your trip sounds amazing and what a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday and be able to spend time with family :)
What an incredible get away! The sun rise at sea is gorgeous. I would love to take that tile making tour, however, it probably says a lot about me that when I saw the photo my first thought was Ahhhh....chocolate!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely week you had! The tiles are very cool. I never knew what a tuna farm looked like, either. WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE THAT LITTLE KITTY CAT HOME WITH YOU?
ReplyDeleteOoh, cruise sounds so nice. Sunrises, ocean horizons, and family togetherness. Three of the best things I can think of. It is the best thing to be able to travel, to open one's mind to the world at large, to make acquaintances with other travelers, and it sounds like you did that on this trip. I can't imagine fish farms either. Thanks, as always, for sharing your lovely photos with us. I wonder about reputable animal based tourist spots a lot. So hard to know what effect we might be having, but that baby lion sounds adorable. It's crazy how they grow, lions and children.
ReplyDelete:-)
Glad your husband got to celebrate his birthday on vacation. Lifelong memories made by the sounds of it.
Hope this comment doesn't show up twice. Silly computers! It does sound like you had a wonderful week. I've always wanted to go on a cruise. And you got to hold a lion cub! That had to be so exciting. Thanks for sharing the fish farms. I had no idea they looked like that!
ReplyDelete