Cute little mugs.

My brother and his darling family decided to 

come into town and surprise my parents.

It's been fun spending time with these cute 

little nieces and nephew of mine.

They repeatedly crack me up.

They always have something 

up their sleeves.

My niece Caia is obsessed 

with gum and knows 

Aunt Bevie always has 'chicle'

as she likes to ask, she's

also been posing with her

hands next her face

and says it's her

'angel' face.

Just a few of the hilarious moments this week, 

I wouldn't trade them in for anything!

Spring is in the air...

Love this outfit{although I would be wearing a slip}...

it screams spring to me,

and I do love spring!

I'll be honest since I 

came back from the cruise 

I've been doing everything

in my power to not 

have to put those

winter clothes back on.

I've been doing a good job 

of that because the 

weather in Utah 

has been magnificent.

Let's just hope it stays that way.

I've been conjuring up

all the spring/summer

clothes I want...

my wish list if you will.

Next week I'll have

to post a few of my favorites.

Image found here.

Island Hopping Part 2

It seems like the second half of vacations

are always the best...

at least for me.

You're finally truly

relaxed and can really

absorb it all.

The third port was St. Thomas, 

part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

We had each heard that there was a smaller island, 

St. John's, taken by ferry that was

not to be missed.

We heard the beaches 

were more secluded

and that the quaintness of 

the island was authentic.

So to St. John's we went.  

Truly it was a gem.

We went to Trunk Bay 

and it lived up to the paradise I'd dreamed of.

The beaches were practically

barren, the water was so clear I 

could see my feet, & the sand, 

oh bless that sand it was so soft 

& cushiony I could sleep on it. 

We had arrived to paradise.

We snorkeled and I kept snapping pictures

both with my camera and mentally.

But the pictures don't do it justice.

We were so happy we went to the beaches on 

St. John's instead of the touristy filled

beaches of St. Thomas.

Our fourth and last port was

Grand Turk.

The weather was exquisite.  We decided to 

just soak up the beach and sun instead of 

touring the island.

Coincidentally as we were

playing in the ocean we saw

our cute cabin steward Florian walking by.

We invited him to join us for the day.

We had so much fun on the cruise.

I don't remember the last time I just

kicked back and really relaxed 

like I did that week.

Most travel excursions are filled

with walking, sight seeing and 

getting back to the hotel 

with blisters.

And though I will always like to travel 

that way, I think there will

always be room for 

a relaxing vacation

where the staff pampers you, 

where there is any type of food 

you want to eat, 

and where your hotel

follows you along your 

journey.

I can now say I'm a cruisin' fan!

Island Hopping Part 1

I can't say enough about how much
I absolutely loved
the Caribbean,
let alone being pampered
on the cruise.

It was great to go to different places
while having our hotel move
along with us.

We ate to our hearts content,
got a spa package and
did steam room treatments daily,
layed by the pool,
watched movies under the stars,
and truly let go and relax.

Our first stop was in the Bahamas,
on the island of Eleuthera.
We spent most of the day
laying out, reading, swimming,
and of course eating.

After a day at sea,
we ported on the island of
St. Maarten, an island
that has two countries on it.
One side is Dutch, the other French.

We explored the Dutch side first.
Did some shopping, ate some local food,
took lots of pics, and overall
were just trying to soak up the
beautiful colors and culture.

We then took a taxi to the French
side of the island.
It was by far the most entertaining taxi
ride I've ever encountered.
Our taxi driver Rolando
was hilarious and loved how I
jokingly said his name by rolling my r's
like a true latina.
By the end of that ride he was
trying to figure out a way to visit Utah.
Truly hilarious!

On the French side we mostly did eating,
we'd heard that the cuisine was not to be missed.
I ordered red snapper and loved all the
spices and flavors that were new to my palette.

After a long day we went back to the ship
and were excited to eat all the yummy
food offered in the dining area.

I must say I am a new fan of cruises,
a great way to enjoy new places
while relieving you of the stress
of where to eat and hotels.