Dear Bowden (On The Occasion of Your Faux Eighth Birthday)

Dear Bowden,
You're eight years old today.  Ish. 

Ok, we totally made your birthday up.  Well, not totally.  We did have some limited information that helped us (and the vet) determine how old you are.  And you're not the only dog in America with a faux birthday, I promise.  You're in good company.  So... happy birthday!

You've had a gray muzzle since just a few months after you came to us.  But just this week, the gray is spreading.  It's up your cheeks now, and close to your eyes.  I think you're nearing middle age, sweet pup girl.  You're about 50 in dog years.  But don't worry, the gray looks good on you.  And again, you're in good company (ahem).

Summer 2010 -- eight(ish) years old!

It's crazy for me to think about you as a puppy, eight years ago.  I didn't know you then.  You had a whole life before you ever came to live with us.

You were part of a surprise litter for some people who apparently weren't into spaying and neutering.  So, predictably, when you were about a year old, you got pregnant.  It seems your owners finally got overwhelmed enough at the idea of pups making more pups making more pups, to bring you (very pregnant) and several other dogs to a rescue organization. 

I don't know your first owners or much about them, only what they told the rescue.  At best it's a second- or thirdhand version of reality; at worst it's not even true.  But it sounds like they enjoyed having you and the other pups around, and fed you well, and played with you.  Apparently you lived outside under a porch, and had other pups to play with. It's not the life I would have chosen for you, but there's no sign you were ever abused.  So I'm grateful to those owners and the rescue who took you (and your litter-to-be) in.

At the rescue, you gave birth to five puppies (five! in your tiny belly!) and weaned them.  You're a mommy, like me.  You nursed your babies, like me.  Even though you've been spayed now and will never have another litter, you'll always be a mama.  I love seeing your nurturing and maternal instincts come out.

Jan 2004 - the week we adopted you

When I met you it was early January, 2004.  We had just moved to Raleigh, and we picked an apartment that was dog-friendly, because I wanted a pup so badly.  We had been saying for months that when we moved, we'd get a dog.  We knew we wanted you.

I think I lasted about one week in our new city before we went to a pet adoptathon to check out some puppies we were interested in.  Well, those pups weren't there.  But you were.  You looked so tiny and alone and timid in that big crate.  A strange personality match for someone like me, but... I wanted you.  Love at first sight... it might not have happened with Daddy, but it sure happened with you, sweet girl.  I sat on the floor and you crawled into my lap.  You were were trembling and nervous, but you let me hug you and pet you and kiss you.  I didn't want to put you down. 

We talked in circles for a few hours (Daddy and I don't make decisions quickly... you might have noticed), since we hadn't been planning to adopt an adult dog.  Or a small dog.  Or a shy dog.  To be honest, you weren't at all what we thought we were looking for.  But... it had to be you.  We named you Bowden, and we took you home that very day.

You were my first friend -- my best friend -- in Raleigh.  We spent all our time together, especially before I started working.  You snuggled with me in the bed, even when Daddy said we should have a no dogs on the bed rule.  You were terrified of going up and down steps, so we practiced a lot.  You went everywhere in the car with me.  You learned to love drive-through french fries.  I'm pretty sure we should have made a video montage and set it to a cheesy theme song.  (Something like that might or might not be running through my head right now.  Just sayin'.)  It was you and me against the world.

The hour I spent looking for you after you got away from me on a walk one afternoon could be the hardest I've ever cried in my life. It's a good thing you found your way back and were waiting for me at our building, because I could barely see you through the tears!

Daddy and I spoiled you.  We camped together.  We took long walks in Umstead Park.  We went on lots of road trips, to the beach and to Marmie's and you even went to a weekend-long fraternity party (back when I was in denial that after college graduation we might be too old for such things). 

Then things got complicated.  We bought a house, and moved across town.  With the move came a little pup brother named Simon.  You tolerated him, and learned to love him, but his adoration of you was mostly unrequited.

Then you got another brother -- of the human variety.  You didn't seem to care either way about the baby, but you loved having my office right here at home... so much mommy time!  While Simon and Nathan wreaked havoc on my workdays, you slept contentedly on the bed in the office and listened to my keyboard.

We had an armchair in the living room that you managed to destroy by perching on the top cushion until it was flattened down (um, you know you're not a cat, right?), and then clawing it as you barked and freaked out whenever anyone pulled up (or walked by or drove by or shut a car door or breathed wrong in the general direction of our house).  The armchair made its exit right as a second human sibling made her entrance.  You're not much a fan of this one either.  :)

You are all bark and no bite.  But even your barking has reduced considerably without Simon.  We suspect you were braver in your mouthiness when you could hide behind him.  I have never seen a dog bark and run backwards so terrifiedly (yes, it's a word... you're a dog, don't judge my English).  Nonethless, you are more territorial than you need to be, and you act more territorial than you really are.

You are an excellent snuggler, and my favorite way to watch tv is with you lying on my belly (sorry about those months when the pregnancy bump got in the way).  You are terrified of thunderstorms, and unfortunately I think you've convinced the kids they should be as well.  You are my shadow around the house -- not because you need constant attention, you just want to be near me.  You are an expert at finagling table scraps from the seat and tray of the high chair (even when the kids are still sitting there).  You make Daddy a sucker for you, he hates walking out of the house when you turn on your sad-pup face and wag your little stump of a tail.

You listen when I'm stressed.  You lick tears when I cry.  You jump around when I'm happy.  You forgive me oh-so-quickly when I lose my temper and snap at you.  (I'm sorry for doing that.  You don't really deserve it.)  You were especially a Godsend after Simon died, and were able to offer a variety of comfort that no one else quite could.

Oh my baby Bowden.  You're the first creature that was ever totally dependent on me.  You taught me how to love like a mama.  In so many ways, you'll always be my firstborn.  I love you so much.

Happy faux birthday, sweet pup girl.

Love,

Mommy

Spontaneous Beach Day

We decided to take a beach day trip yesterday.  On a whim. 

Well, as much as we do anything on a whim (that's to say, not much... quasi-whimsical at best): Mark got the idea Friday night. I vetoed since we didn't have enough time to get ready. But when he was disappointed (and when Nathan got up well before 7am the next morning anyway) I decided to stop being a fun killer and just go with it.

So we did.

(Look!  Look at my whimsy!  I'm totally spontaneous and light-hearted and fun-loving!  I AM!!)

It's just under two hours from our house to Wrightsville Beach.  So it made for a perfect day trip.

Anneliese turned on a beachy grin:

Nathan dug holes in the sand and built castles:

Anneliese helped... kind of:

Everyone (else) sported some tiger paw caps:

Anneliese ate some lots of sand and shells:

The kids and I danced our way through a picnic lunch:

Anneliese found a shady spot for a snooze:

Nathan and I splashed in the surf:

And we all had awesome beach hair by the end of the day, even Anneliese:

Such a fun family day!  I should totally be more whimsical and spontaneous all the time, don't you think?

For more pics of our day at the beach, click below on Nathan at the ocean.

by mgoetts

Sibling Bonding

Nathan and Anneliese have been all about the brother/sister thing over the last week or so.

In the bath:

Nathan has lots of ideas on how Anneliese should be taking her baths.  Which toys she should be playing with, how to use her washcloth, the best way to rinse her hair. 

In the grocery cart:

Anneliese is juuuust steady enough sitting up to ride in the car part of the fancy kid carts at Food Lion.  Nathan was so exicted for her to ride with him and showe her how to "drive" the cart.  She loved it. They both loved it.  The two of them shreiking and laughing their way through the grocery store (combined with the fact that Nathan likes to say beep, beep, beep whenever I pull the cart backwards) garnered lots of attention last weekend. 

Sharing toys:

Nathan's been pretty good about sharing his our toys with Anneliese.  Sometimes he tries to take over, though.  But he does love to hug her, even when it's to boss her around. :)

Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing my two babies loving each other.  Really. 

Shoes for South Africa

So you remember my bloggity friend Caroline, who I mentioned last week?  Friend of my college friend Hope?  (Ringing any bells?) I said she's awesome and fun and a good writer and you'd be hearing more about her.  Aaaand here you go:

About a year ago, Caroline and her husband (also named Mark!) relocated from Scotland (where they met) to South Africa (where he's from), with their Scottish-African-American baby in tow (he's a multi-cultural cutie). 

And together this little family has started a South African chapter of Samaritan's Feet, which is an organization that provides shoes to people who don't have them.

So simple, yet so profound.

Do you own a few pairs of shoes?  Maybe more than a few?  Can you imagine what your day would be like without them? 

(You can read more about Samaritan's Feet South Africa on their website: SFSA.)

So, here's the thing.  I like Caroline.  Mark and I are proud supporters of the work she and her family are doing in South Africa.  And we want them to be able to do more of it. 

So even though plugs aren't normally my thing, I want to mention a little shoe drive taking place in Texas (through this family).  They're collecting shoes through the end of September, and then will send them in bulk to SFSA for distribution. 

This is such a cool (and easy!) way to help Caroline and her ministry, because you just have to send shoes to Texas, not all the way to Africa or anything.  They mostly need children's shoes right now (kids size 3 to 4 up to women's 6), but will gratefully accept all sizes of new shoes.  Pick up a pair on clearance and send them town to Spring, TX. 

Or better yet, buy them online and ship them for free!
- At JCPenney all shoes ship free, shop clearance and use code TEN2YOU to get $10 off.
- At Walmart shipping is .97, and there shoes are already stinkin' cheap.

Ship to: We Are That Family, 8000 Research Forest Dr, Suite 115-110, Spring TX 77382

Even if you can't participate in this shoe drive, you should totally leave a comment congratulating Caroline on being a mommy for two years... her son Asher just turned 2!  Happy Birthday, Bear!  (And then add her to your reader.  Stat.  No really, she's awesome.  Did I say that yet?)

Ten Foods For the Rest of My Life

In case I didn't already have enough reasons to love my internet soul-mate Erin, she's given me one more by going into a list-making frenzy over the last few weeks.  Food, weddings, vacations.  It's been awesome.

One of her lists latched onto my brain and hasn't let go.  I'm pretty sure I've thought about it at every meal I've eaten since I read it.  And after much thought* and deliberation and the level of over-thinking you've come to expect of me (what?  this is important stuff, y'all) I have my answers. 

If I could only eat ten eleven** foods for the rest of my life, here's what they'd be:
1.) Stone-groung grits, cooked the slow way. 
2.) Fuji apples.
3.) Ribs slathered in bbq sauce.
4.) Red wine.
5.) Peel & eat shrimp, cooked in old bay, dipped in cocktail sauce.
6.) Chicken ranch sandwich from Chili's.
7.) Diet coke.
8.) French fries.
9.) Coleslaw.
10.) Dark-chocolate-covered thin pretzels from Trader Joe's.
11.) Egg rolls with duck sauce.

And to all of you reading this who will now spend the next two weeks asking yourself at every meal, "would this make my list?" I say... you're welcome.

*Erin H. says that health and calories aren't factors.  So... they're not.
** If she gets eleven, I get eleven.  Don't judge.

The Many and Unvaried Faces of Nathans

We took these pictures almost two months ago, on the afternoon when Anneliese started sitting up for the first time.  Nathan and Another Nathan have this thing they like to do (which I'm very sure is at least partly just to drive me nuts) where they pile/stack/arrange a whole bunch of cars, then crash/drop/push them to the floor while shrieking and taking glee in the racket it causes.

'Round these parts, there's a fine line between dropping and throwing, and please believe me when I tell you that these two love to toe. that. line. 

So anyway, I've been sitting on these pictures for a while, but every time I'm flipping through our photo folders (no of course I do  not use my precious naptime away from my children to look at... pictures of my children.  Ahem), they make me laugh. 

Because they are making the same faces* as each other in almost every one. 

The Look of Contemplation: hmmm, there are the cars.  Should we do it?

The Gleeful Anticipation: if we get away with this, it's gonna be soooo awesome!

The Sidelong Glance at Me: this isn't going to get us in too much trouble, is it?

The About-to-Get-Away-With-It Grin: yay, here comes the big crash!

I'm not sure if one of them is mirroring the other's expressions, or if they're just working through the same thoughts and those thoughts are manifesting in similar ways on their faces. Either way, it cracks me up.

We love you, Another Nathan, and your awesome friendship and incredible helpfulness with our kids has definitely earned you the right to sometimes push the rule limits.  :)
 
*There was also a shot where they both looked sort of drunk and confused, which I promised would not show up on the internet.  You're welcome, Nathan(s). 

Where Do Airplanes Come From?

Some kids ask where babies come from.  My child has a different version of that question.

Nathan: Where do airplanes come from, mommy?
Me: !!!!!!! ... Well, from the factory, I guess.
N: What kind of factory?*
Me: From the airplane factory.
N: What kind of airplane factory?
Me: I don't know, sweetie, just a regular airplane factory.
N: Ooooh, from the airplane mommy at the factory??
Me: Well, not really.  Probably workers made it with machines.
N: What kind of machines?
Me: Machines that make airplanes.

N: Where did this airplane come from? (holding toy from my mom)
Me: Nathan, I don't... I just... {deep breath} ... from a factory, too.
N: What kind of factory?
Me: Nathan. Just. a. factory.
N: (laughing) No, it didn't!... Did this airplane come from Marmie?
Me: {sigh} Well, yes. Yes, it did.

This round of awkward toddler questioning brought to you by my mother, who apparently can add "birthing toy airplanes at an unspecified factories" to her list of bizzare talents. 

*This is Nathan's follow-up question to every. single. question. he asks.  Anyone want him for an afternoon?

It Seems I'm Missing Out on a Trend

I'm noticing a trend in my life.  Notice anything that a whole bunch of my friends have in common?

Merritt

Mary

Steven

Kelley

Nathan

Katie

Jenny

Cassi

Clearly, I need trendier glasses. 

I'm going to the eye doctor tomorrow, and I think I might get brave and buy new ones a little less boring than what I have now.  Can I pull something like that off?  Thoughts?

Mommying at its Finest

I have a blog-friend named Caroline, originally from North Carolina, who now lives outside Cape Town, South Africa.  I "met" her through my college friend Hope (you might remember Hope from this hilarious list when Anneliese's pregnancy went overdue), who met Caroline when they both lived in Scotland.  (Confused yet?  Does this story span enough continents for you?) 

Anyway, Caroline is awesome.  You like her.  You want to be friends with her.  This week she described her son as "chilling out max and relaxing all cool."  What more could you want in a blog friend?  I mean really.  And... you will be hearing more about her soon.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, Caroline has challenged me (and by challenged, I mean called me out) to write a post about "motherhood at its finest." She had a bit of an adventure last week involving a pregnant woman, some poopy shoes, burnt chili, maybe sixty-five baby wipes, a metaphorical cow-brander, and an ant hill built into the golden curls of a toddler.

She decided that even the most frustrating moments can be magical and bonding. 

Ummm.  I don't know if I agree.  But then, her story involved poop, and mine involves a stabbing.  (Yes, I said stabbing.)  So that might be why I'm dubious about the calling it a magical moment just yet.

**********

The scene:

Last Thursday morning. 

I am tired because a thunderstorm roared through last night at midnight, and my children hate thunderstorms.  I am tired because this is the second night in a row I have been up in the middle of the night (two nights in a row is a lot in these parts... new moms, and moms of bad sleepers, yes you may throw rocks at me now).  I am tired because Anneliese got up before six am.  That's very not ok.  I'm tired because even though Anneliese went back down around 7, that's exactly when Nathan got up. 

I am frustrated because not only is Nathan awake, he's whining.  I'm also frustrated because I left my car windows down during last night's aforementioned thunderstorm.  Which means the inside of my car is soaked.  So is the stack of too-small kids' clothes sitting on my front seat waiting to be exchanged for things in Nathan's size. (You know, so he doesn't have to go to school naked. That's kind of frowned upon at our church.)  My stroller is also soaked, because I forgot to put it away yesterday after my mom took the kids for a walk.  Ironically, it would have gotten wet even if I had put it away, because of course I got rear-ended by a cement truck two days ago and the taillight is broken in such a way that water leaks inside the trunk when it rains.  (This knowledge does not make me feel better.  It just makes me remember that I got rear-ended by a cement truck.)

I am worried because the driver of said cement truck is starting to be kind of sketchy about when and how our car will be repaired.  (The first estimate indicated it would take almost two weeks and lots of money.)  I am worried because I have to spend lots of the morning driving around to body shops on wet car seats with an infant who didn't sleep well and a toddler who will. not. stop. whining.

Can you picture the scene?  Ok good.
 
So, tired + frustrated + worried = I'm exhausted enough to doze off in the armchair in Nathan's room while Anneliese is doing her "catchup" sleep.  This totally proves that my mommy gene allows me to sleep through whining after all.  Know what my mommy gene doesn't let me sleep through?  Nathan pulling a thumbtack out of the poster on his wall and sticking it in my foot.  (He also did some very sweet things, like tuck a blanket around me and bring me an animal to snuggle and drive cars up and down my leg saying "does that feel nice mommy?" but that's neither here nor there because right now I'm bitching about the fact that he stabbed me in the foot with a thumbtack.)

I have never been so mad at him.* Honestly.

But.  Our day went on.  The car dried out.  I cleaned it.  The to-be-exchanged clothing survived.  I rewarded my emotionally frazzled state (and sore foot) with Starbucks.  Nathan and Anneliese played together well and kept each other happy during the body shop visit.  The second estimate on the car was much more optimistic, both in time and money.  Both kids napped.  At the same time.  A friend who had survived some e-bitching about my morning texted to make sure I was feeling better.  I was.  Things were looking up.
So I decided to take a bath.  And have a glass of wine.  (Btw, thank you to the handful of facebook friends who agreed this was a reasonable way to spend a Thursday afternoon. I love you all. *Fistbump.*)  I set the kids up with legos and trucks on the bedroom floor, topped off the bubbles in the tub, grabbed my book, and jumped in, all set to relax.

Enter Nathan.  Remember?  The kid who stabbed me with a thumbtack?  Yeah, him.

He decides that playing legos with his sister is too boring (or something) and instead he needs to wash his cars and trucks.  So after the thirty seconds it takes him to dump a bunch of toys into my relaxing bubble bath, then soak himself (and bathroom floor and mats) with soap and water, he determines that the bubbles smell good ("like noodles") and takes a huge bite out of the suds.

You can imagine how that ended.  Crying, spitting, gagging, throwing wet soapy trucks and legos at his sister out of frustration.  Everything you'd want in a relaxing bath.  You know, the one you're taking to recover from your thumbtack stabbing.

The perp.  With his (now exceptionally clean) new Doc Hudson toy.

Magical?  No.  Bonding?  No.  But there you have it: mommying at its finest.

*Yes, I forgave Nathan.  Of course.  We're cool now.

Global Fluffy Bum

So, there's this diaper. 

It travels around the world and makes baby bums happy and fluffy.  It's like... The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but maybe a teensy less cool.  (What?  Those Pants girls are cool!  And no, I am not too old to think that.  America Fererra?  Alexis Bledel?  If either of them knew me in real life, we'd totally be friends.  Just sayin'.)

Anyway.  There's also this website which follows said diaper around the globe in blog form.  I might or might not have been following it in my google reader for the last six months while I happily read about all the fluffy bums in new and exciting lands.  (Texas! California!  Brazil!  And, um.. New Hampshire.  Whatever, it's exciting.  It is.)

(Don't judge.  We all have our things.  Apparently a traveling cloth diaper is one of mine.)

So anyway, a few weeks ago, this diaper came to Raleigh.  And because I am a dork, I got embarrassingly excited that Anneliese got to wear it.  Which she did. 

And oh yeah, she rocked it.  If you want to read our entry to the Worldwide Fluffy Bum site, click here.  (Anneliese wrote it herself. She's a genius baby. But then, you already knew that.)

Yep, I can rock a blue diaper, some toy trucks and planes, and still be a pretty pretty girl!!

Top Ten at Ten Months

Anneliese is ten months old!  She's having a fun and playful summer, and she's growing up so fast.  In a few short weeks, we'll have to start saying she's "almost one" -- whoa, how did that happen already?

Here are the top ten things Anneliese has been up to over the last month:

1.) Saying mama!  (Yes, this is clearly #1.)  Sometimes it's mom, sometimes it's mama, sometimes it's MAAAMAAAAMAAAAMAAAA.  And I love every version.

2.) Self-feeding!  She started finger foods this month.  So far, just puffs, but she loves 'em.  She also started holding her own sippy cup.  It took lots of practice on both counts, but she concentrated and stayed focus and made it happen.  So fun to watch her try and try and try... and succeed!  So proud of my baby girl.

3.) High chair graduation!  We have retired the plastic reclining high chair (this one) and moved her into the upright wood one Nathan had been using (this one).  Both kids look so much older now when we sit down to dinner. :)

4.) Perfecting the art of sitting!  She rarely topples over anymore, and rarely lies on her back for playtime these days.  She's such a good sitter, finally.

5.) Scooting!  (Kind of.)  When she's on her tummy, she can use her arms to push herself backwards.  I'm pretty sure it's unintentional, but it's one slow step towards mobility.  Which is one giant leap for Anneliese.

6.) Holding her weight!  No real weight gain this month, but no weight loss this time either.  On our home scale, she's right at 16 lbs.  We'll take it.  We have introduced junk food, since that's a diet plan that works whenever I want to gain weight.  She had her first lemon pudding snack pack this week. Mom of the year what?

7.) Big bathtub!  Now that Anneliese can sit well, she gets to take baths with Nathan in the big tub.  (Which means I should probably move that infant sink tub out of our way so we can stop tripping over it.  Housewife of the year what?) She loves it.  He's very bossy with her, telling her how to use her washcloth and which toys to play with, and how to stick them on the side of the tub.  It's fun.  :)

8.) The wean continues!  I wasn't sure if she would even want to breastfeed when we got back from our cruise, and she definitely fussed and hesitated the first time I tried.  But I dropped the mid-day feeding, and now she's gladly nursing when she wakes up in the morning and when she goes down at night.  Which has freed up lots of my energy (I'm always amazed how much energy I gain back every time I drop a feeding... went through that with Nathan too), and has allowed me some caffeine indulgences in the mornings.  I'm happy she's still nursing, but I'm also happy that she's decreasingly dependent on it.  It means she's growing and developing and gaining independence.  Even when losing their baby-ness is hard to swallow, it is what I want for my children.

9.) Fake laughing!  Anneliese has learned that if she makes a funny face, sticks out her tongue, and forces a laugh, that we will all laugh with her.  (Baby fake laughs are so funny, how can you not laugh?  Remember Nathan's?)  Which then pulls a real laugh out of her.  It's a wonderful pattern that gets repeated at least ten times a day in our house.

10.) I mentioned the whole mama thing, right?  Just making sure.

Happy ten months, sweet Anneliese!  It's super to see your feisty little personality and your determination coming out recently.  We love you so much, baby girl!

He's More Coordinated Than We Thought

It didn't take long.  Nathan has already managed to use his birthday tee-ball set to nail daddy in his man parts. 

He might be more athletic than we suspected.  Or at least he has better aim.

Or... maybe not:

Oh, and Marky, sweetie?  Remember how I insisted we get the toy version of the t-ball instead instead of the real baseball version you wanted to buy?  Yeah, you're welcome.

Vacation Outtakes

As awesome as our trip was, we had a few fail moments.  (But a few funny wins too.)  Heck, let's just call them outtakes.

This is the view that greeted us as we drove into Florida, "The Sunshine State."  One mile on the Georgia side?  Nary a cloud in the sky.  Fail.

This picture is exactly what it looks like.  Mark pouring booze into a water bottle so we could bootleg it onto the cruise ship.  Yes, we're that cheap.  And it totally worked.  Win.

Why do I have to take a picture of myself in the rocket garden at the space center while Mark could have taken it, but instead is lurking around unhelpfully behind me?  Fail.

Apparently Nasa (Nasa!!!) can't spell collectible.  I was horrified until good ol' wikipedia told me that the Oxford English Dictionary {{moment of reverent silence for OED}} actually prefers their spelling.  It's the British way to spell it.  However, Nasa is an American entity (how many people have the Brits sent to the moon?  Um that would be zero), so I think they should spell it the American way.  All OED praise and glory aside, I'm calling this one a fail.

Look!  Mark!  Nathan P!  I'm tall!  (Tall enough for the rocket launch simulator, and isn't that what sets the bar for tallness?  Nasa seems to think so.)  Win.

I'm very sure these two actors are not who you want to have gracing the covers of the magazines awaiting you in your stateroom when you first board a cruise ship.  Really, Royal Caribbean?  Really?  Fail.

Don't let your lame wheelchair keep you from enjoying a tropical Bahamian beach!  Accessibility for all!  Win.

Condom PSA in Caribbean vernacular = unquestionably a win.

Our towel elephant, who lived a short but exciting life with Mark and me for a few post-dinner hours on August 4, 2010, before we had to silence his witness by means of decapitation.  May he rest in peace.  Fail?  No, win.  ;-)

For more cruise vacation pictures (of the legitimate and outtake variety), click on the smooch below.

by mgoetts

Cruise Top Ten Countdown

I promise I didn't go on a cruise last week just so I could come back and write a list about all the awesome things from our trip.  But.  I'm totally going to do it anyway.  Hey, it's different this time.  It's a backwards list.  A countdown, if you will.  (What? That's different.  It is.)

Here we go.

10.) The turquoise waters of the Caribbean.  Every time I'm in the area, I'm amazed that the ocean really looks like this.  I can't count the number of times I see water like that on tv or movies or in magazines (or during wii swordfighting... yeah I said it) and think to myself how awesome it would feel to be in it.  I was almost giddy about swimming every time I got to jump in.

9.) Cape Canaveral.  Before we left for our cruise, we spent two nights in the Cocoa Beach/Canaveral area.  We hit the pool.  We hit the beach.  When that got rained out, we hit the space center.  We had a dinner date and saw a movie.  What makes an awesome date day even better?  A space shuttle.  True story. 

8.) My new flip flops, purchased in Florida before we left, from a surf shop containing a downright orgy of flip flops.  Yep, they're ridiculously cute.  (And yep, I shaved my legs.  For the first time in ten months.  Hey, vacations make us all do crazy things, right?)

7.) Lounging on the ship's deck.  The wind, a book, some tunes, a beachy cocktail, being surrounded by water on all sides.  Perfect, perfect way to enjoy summer.  In the sun or the shade.  :)

6.) Awesome food.  Seriously, this is why people go on cruises, right?  Great food.  In copious unhealthy unlimited amounts.  Steaks, seafood, amazing soups and sauces and desserts.  A server who would only let us choose the entrees he knew were stellar (no, seriously).  Also, this trip we had the best dinner company we've ever had on a cruise.  Four other couples, all close to our age, all easy to talk to.  Our dinnertimes were great.

5.) Inflatable water toys.  There was an awesome little aquapark in the ocean at Coco Cay (our first port of call).  We climbed on rafts and slides and trampolines.  No, we are not too old for that, thankyouverymuch.  (Also some stingrays swam right up to us while we were playing... so cool!!) 

4.) Nassau.  Hands down, the best cruise port of call we've been to (and that's a lot, since our honeymoon cruise stopped in like eight places or something completely insane).  The markets were neat, and there was so much more to see than just the typical kitschy port shops.  A whole legitimate city.  With a fort!  And a round library! And a governer's house atop a hill with a lax enough security guard to let us talk our way onto the grounds! Pretty churches!  Interesting colonial-style houses! And a beautiful gorge and staircase (former escape route from pirates) carved into a hillside.  Nassau FTW.

3.) Goombay Punch.  I was in the Bahamas with my family as a child, and I have spent the last twenty however many years remembering this tropical pinappley drink with a smiley face on the can.  It tasted so good.  I was crazy excited when we went into a grocery store in Nassau (yes, I always go to grocery stores in foreign countries, it's an odd point of interest for me in new places) and they had this can! With this smiley! And it tasted exactly as good as I remembered!

2.) Cocktails housed in fruit.  There is something about being served a beachy cocktail with an umbrella, in a pineapple, that makes it at least three times as awesome as a regular old drink by the pool.  A frozen cocktail served in fruit is a very big part of going on a cruise.  For me anyway.

1.) Mark.  By far the best part of our trip was getting to hang around with Mark for a week.  We swam, we played, we kissed, we danced, we talked, we slept late... we just really had fun together.  Our trip was exactly as tropical and relaxing and romantic (and cheesy) as we thought it would be. What's not to love?

Man, is my husband awesome.  And man, do I love vacation.  :)