Hawaii... where have you been all my life?

ALOHA!

Ok, so Hawaii has been here, but only in my dreams!!  This week my dreams became a reality, and for free and I get paid for it too!!  Man, I am so blessed.  And so far it has been paradise!

We left on Thursday Morning on US airways!  The girls were AMAZING on the flight, seriously, AMAZING!

Natalie and Ainsley sat like this playing for lots of times during the flight.  The fussiness was few and far between! 

Wanna see the PARADISE that we are staying at (I have my own sweet with an AMAZINGLY deep bathtub!)  YES!  I am in LOVE!

So this week, if you are wondering where Meg is.. I am in Hawaii looking for a husband, cause I don't wanna be here alone again!! hahahha Wish me luck! :)

P.S.  Maybe the next time I am looking for a husband, I shouldn't have 2 twin newborns with me, 

it's kind of hard to get them to believe I am just borrowing them!

FUN FRIDAY: DISNEYLAND TIMES TWO

This year has been a magical year or in Disneyland's terms a year of a Million dreams! growing up with a single Mom the only vacations we ever went on were "death Vacations" to Iowa. Meaning someone in our family died and so ROAD TRIP! Sadly that is how I saw it...you have to see the bright side to someone dying... right?!

At 15yrs old my Aunt and Uncle took me to California with them and their 4 kids for the first time ever. We spent a day at Disney and I had a blast, but I hadn't been back since.

This year my Sister in Law's family invited Mom and I to join them in Disneyland for their family vacation and stay at their time share. It was my Mom's very first time going to Disneyland in her 54 yrs of life and I thought she wouldn't enjoy it really cause she isn't much of a amusement park fan.... Proof that this place is magical is in these pictures!! Mom was in HEAVEN!! She was gleaming from ear to ear and completely mesmerized by the experience.. she told me we weren't there long enough to see everything that there was to see and we spent 2 full days there! It was a blast!

Chloe and I with Goofy in California Adventures!
Why is Andrea smiling so BIG? Cause I talked Pat into going on the Roller coaster, told him it is one of the smoothest rides. Andrea LOVES the thrill of it all anyways but never had Pat on a roller coaster next to her before! Way to be brave Pat!Here is my Kobe Boy with me on our JetBlue flight home!

Then this August after finishing our glorious cruise to Cabo San Lucas we met Brooks and Dee at Disneyland for a spontaneous day of FUN!!

In line for the Coaster!

On a water ride

After our second time on our favorite ride... TOWER OF TERROR

Two separate times in a year... it is the YEAR OF A MILLION DREAMS!

Fun Friday: Soakin up the Sun

Cruisin Together: Farewell to Single-ness Cabo Style

No, I am not making an annoucement that I am going to leave the single world, but a couple on our cruise hopefully will be in the next few months. So we decided to take our long planned cruise (4 yrs in the makng) before another one of us enters holy matrimony. Holli beat us all too it before she could come with us!

Meet the Crew.. Amy (Meemsy) and Quentin (the ones we are waiting for.) Me And Scotty.
If you can't tell by my face, Cruisin makes me happy :)

Now that I am back to life, back to reality, I want to share with you the highlights of the cuise and let you know that I had a fabulous time while I was away!

We started driving 9 at night on Wed and got to Primm, NV early in the morning. Took a few hours nap and were up and driving again, we couldn't even stand the thought of missing our cruise! We made it to the cruise and checked out every nook and cranny of the boat. We got more and more excited as we found out the activities that we could participate in! It's funny how each vacation I take there is a different need to fulfill. This one I wanted to just stay relaxed. Feel as though there was no needs or cares in the world. I layed out (with my sundress on to prevent burning) and just really pondered on my blessings! I loved my time to think about myself for once!

We loved the activities on the ship... lip sincs, Battle of the Sexes, Name that Tune, Bingo, Scavenger hunt "Where's Weezie" and hypnotist show etc.. SO fun!I loved playing BINGO with all the youngins on the ship.. who says it is only for old folk! Scotty got hypnotised! I knew it had worked when he was scratching strangers feet and smelling literaly for 2 minutes the inside of strangers shoes. Not to mention the licking his arms and legs and crying at a SAD movie! It was hysterical! We tried to buy a video but they didn't tape it, who does that?!There was a scavenger hunt on board a few times a day called "Where is Weezie?" This is weezie. She is from Scotland. She is the Assistant Cruise ship director. They would have clues several times a day to find her. Scotty and I chanced into her one day and kept on playing. We won 1st place and were called on stage and presented these prizes: Champagne (we gave it to the first drunk people we saw on te ship hahaha they are everywhere!), An insulated Carnival drink glass, A scrapbook and a shp on a stick (trophy).

Now the food... Oh boy! Have you ever wanted to be treated like royalty!? Cruise is what will do that for you! You get served around every turn. Want a panini with specific things on it? You've got it! Got a sweet tooth? No problem ice cream 24 hours a day! Too tired to leave your room? No issues. Room service is ABSOLUTELY free, 24 hours a day! If you don't like food, or are afraid to eat.. a cruise is not for you!!
This is an example of the food you are served by 2 of your "own" waiters at our same table every night. This was Lobster and blacktiger Shrimp. It was fun to be able to get dressed up at night and be treated so well and eat WAY TOO GOOD!

This is all of us with our table waiters. Cruz and Armando. They are amazing and funny!

But it was just as fun to go from the pool or a chair on deck and eat the lunch buffets and then go back out to enjoying the gorgeous weather.

The sites you get to see on a cruise... It is amazing to have open water all around you then to pull up to the most beautiful land you have ever seen and wondered if you are dreaming! Then have an all day pass off the ship to do anything your heart desires. Just visit on the beach, shop, swim with dolphins, there is a WHOLE array of things to do at all different budgets.o.

This is lovers beach. It was really absolutely GORGEOUS!

The Sea Lions

Scotty and I at lover's beach. Wondering why I wearing my sun dress off my shoulders. 1) it was a little to big. 2) My upper arms is where my third degree burn is still really sensitive.

Believe me I am NOT trying to be sexy!

Meemsy and Q at Lovers Beach. Are they not the cutest lovers you have seen! :)This guy was a lifesaver. Scotty and I hired him to pull us back to the ship dock after a long, hot day walking the streets in Cabo.... worth every dollar and then some! I was EXHAUSTED!
The little things that were done for us on our cruise ship just make the experience even more memorable. Every night when you come back in your room from dinner, your 'Room Steward" leaves you an animal made out of towels and some mints! We looked forward to what was going to be there. This is my favorite one. Also our room stewards filled up the mini cooler I brought with drinks in it too without being asked! Great service!

As you can tell Cruise life was fun. I loved it and hope everyone that likes the same things as me gets to have an experience like this in their lives! The best time of year to get very inexpensive prices is Sept-the end of Jan. You should be able to find a room for $299 pp or less. I recommend it to anyone! We also made a stop at Disney on our way home... that will have to be talked about next Friday!

Meemsy, Scotty and Q thanks for such a fun time together. A memory I wil never forget! Loved Cruisin Togetha!

HIATUS

If there are any of you out there, and I mean ANY of you out there that will be checking my blog in the next week and wondering, "Why hasn't she posted?", it is because I will be spending the next 5 Days aboard the Carnival Cruise ship Elation going to Cabo San Lucas. Then I will be heading to Disneyland! What a dream! Can't wait to share the memories!

Don't worry.. I have 50 SPF sunblock!

Love you all! Thanks so much for all the support and love you all show me through my blog. I am blessed! See you back on Wednesday!

MEMORY MONDAY: Europe, May 2008

This year I got the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Europe with one of my bestest friends and the significant other on my airline benefits, Jen! I work for JetBlue Airways and we started a partnership with Aer Lingus. They offered us deals to fly to Ireland for $50 RT. Jen and I jumped at that chance! We would be DUMB not to! So off we went to Ireland! We found a deal to fly to London for $100 as well and figured we would be dumb not to do that too... so we did both!

I don't know how many of you have flown JetBlue but one of our selling factors is how roomie our seats are, we didn't have quite that experience on this flight. By the time that we landed in Shannon, IRELAND our feet were SWOLLEN huge, it hurt to even walk. But for the miserableness of that flt, it was worth it for the price for sure!

We stayed a couple days in Shannon and traveled to Galway and to The Cliffs of Mohr (The cliffs of insanity on Princess Bride) the scenery is BREATH TAKING! We rented a car for this segment and I will tell you what the roads there are so SCARY! They are narrow.. barely enough room for one car and semi's pass you going seriously 80 MPH. Jen was definately scared of me.... so funny! But, might I add, how many of you have driven a car where the wheel is on the right side and shifter on the left? It is hard to re-train your mind, instantly and also with the narrow roads to add to it! I think I did amazing, considering the circumstances!
Jen, would beg to differ :)
These are shots of what the country side in Shannon/Gallway area look like. There are stone hedges lining the road and green, green, green! Oh I am in love with this part of Ireland!



Now, on to London oh what an adventure!! We started out of first day with a train switching nightmare! We were getting off the train to connect to the next train and I was getting my luggage and it started spilling over. Jen had gotten off the train and all of the sudden, the doors shut and I was shipping off and Jen was staying. Literally one of the saddest, scariest moments of my life.


Luckily I had been to NYC and London is just like it, so I knew that I just needed to get on the next train on the opposite side of the tracks to get back to Jen. I was onry when I get back to her... but I did laugh about it later. By the time we arrived to our hostel we had both had it!Nothing could keep us from laughing our head off however, when we got to our door and saw that our room is called the "madhouse".If this doesn't say it all, it sure should hahha it was a pretty hysterical experience. Atleast we got to enjoy the pretty scenery on our 2 mile walk back and forth each day!

The first night Jen treated me to Hairspray the musical on London Broadway. What a fun production!It is so fun to be in a foreign place and see the world out of a totally different prospective. I will have to say that I LOVED everything about Europe minus the food. The food is bland and non-yummy! And on top of that, EXPENSIVE! hahaha You know me and my like for good food!

I think there is a tear in my eye of gladness!

So I definately welcomed the day that we spotted the Hard Rock... REAL FOOD!! You can only eat so much McDonalds. I will have to admit however, that when you don't have much choices for good tasting food, a quarter pounder at McDonalds sounds like Chicken Cordon Bleu!

We toured London on a double decker bus for two days! I loved it! Even though there was little bits of rain we trooped it out and enjoyed ourselves! This is our friend Kevin, everyday Kevin let us in at our train stop since we didn't buy the right train pass. (he saved us a FORTUNE!) He loved Jen, I could tell he had a thing for her.This is definatley one of the AWESOME experiences of my lifetime thus far! We got to attend evensong at Westminster Abby! I have NEVER heard something more beautiful and angelic in my ENTIRE life. The accustics in that building and the gorgeous sites around you, BREATH TAKING! Definately the highlight for me. Look at us sporting the EUROPE look.. Jen got me totally in style.. Thanks H&M These are pictures of St. Patrick Cathedral in Dublin. This is my friend Mindy from JetBlue. She met us when we arrived back in Ireland. We stayed in Dublin at the awesomest Marriott hotel!Classic Views of Ireland. We also took the double decker bus tour here. No more rental cars in Europe for us!

Dublin was a fun, touristy city. I still like Shannon/Gallway area better! All in all, it was a lovely, lifetime dream fulfilled, pleasant, adventurous and best time with my sweet Jen! These are days never to be forgotten!

And.. on the flight home it was awesome! We got the middle section of the plane all to ourselves, lots of leg room and the food rocked! Couldn't have ended better!


Jen, thank you for all the sacrifices you made for this trip! It was absolutely phenomonal!