Caribbean Vacation Part 2 - Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras

Welcome back to my Caribbean adventures! Last week was all about the trip to Galveston and the ship, the Carnival Magic. This week you'll get to see the first port, which was Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, in Honduras. We actually went to Maya Key, which is a sort of sanctuary for rescued animals. Jaguars, parrots, monkeys, and even a puma. Maya Key also offers some entertainment for tourists by way of snorkeling, beach-y goodness, food, drink, and pool.

As a heads-up, there may be a second part to this post with some video my wonderful father got with his GoPro while snorkeling.

Also, if you visit, look out for the tiny black fish at the end of the dock where you get in the water to snorkel. He will bite the crap out of you! I actually have a little fish-mouth-shaped mark on the back of my leg from the little jerk.

 My first views of Mahogany Bay from the ship.

 Obligatory tourist shots with the big, pretty sign.

 This got me... This is a jade plant. We have this in Oklahoma, but it is primarily a house plant. Very pretty in windows, but it doesn't do so well outside. It's tropical, you see... Well, so is Honduras. These were everywhere, and it was rare that one was shorter than me. They are TREES!

 One of the street performers in the port.

 

Hanging out with some animals. Me and Dad, both holding a very vain macaw-on-a-stick, an anxious monkey, and a blind, albino crocodile. The crocodile was a lot warmer and squishier than I thought he'd be.

 

 I got really, really excited about a couple things. The first was that I saw a dolphin in Galveston. It's the first wild dolphin I've ever seen. The second is that I saw an actual coconut tree. With coconuts in it. One of them fell down and I got a picture of it, too.

 Some of the rescues I mentioned. The macaw at the top is pretty amazing. He also loved cameras.

Toucan and Jaguar. The jaguar had a worn path where he paced that same spot constantly.

The wild hermit crab. I almost stepped on him as he went scuttling across the path. And the puma, or in Oklahoma, the mount'n line.

 Our last look at Maya Key as we headed back to the port.

 One of Dad's favorite pictures. Our ship's smokestack through the foliage.

 And more obligatory tourist shots with the big boots and bird. Josh is a friendly pirate who loves guns. I am a friendly pirate who hates birds. Dad is an unfriendly pirate who hates people.

And that wraps up Mahogany Bay! Next week, on Clothing-Cooking-Computer Geekery, we see the beautiful land of Belize! Zip-lining, cave tubing, and more awesome plants!

Caribbean Vacation Part 1 - The Carnival Magic

So I just got back from the most amazing vacation ever! This one topped my trip to Europe when I was 15 (mostly because I could enjoy some of the more adult activities this time), and I can't wait to throw my pictures all over the internet!

It was an 8 hour drive to get down to Galveston, Texas, where our ship was docked. We went down the weekend that all the bluebells were going insane, so I got some great shots of those. Today's pictures are going to be from the journey to the port and the 3 sea days.

 

The four above were both at stops we made in Texas to stretch our legs. Why can't resting places in Oklahoma be that nice?!

 

Having some fun in Galveston before crashing in the hotel room.

 

On the left is the first view I got of the Magic. On the right is the shot of the whale-tail smokestack.

 

Fun about the boat. Josh and I on the deck, my Jamaica Sunrise, and Josh singing some Foo Fighters for karaoke.

  

Various shots around the ship.

Top Left: The water. I could not get over the water. Expect a post on just the water.

Top Right: Our partial sunset. We tried so hard to catch one but kept missing it!

Middle Left: Front of the ship. It was blocked off due to wind most of the trip.

Middle Right: Lifesaver! Not sure why it says Panama, since the Magic is out of Italy.

Bottom Left: The stair mechanism for cleaning the windows. I believe we're on Deck 11.

Bottom Right: The Theater. The curtain was amazing!!

 

I cheated on this one... We were actually in Honduras for this shot, but since it is a shot of the boat, I figured it could go here.

Stay tuned, kids! Next week we adventure in Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras! Snorkling, fish bites, and wild hermit crabs!

I've Tried That - Fairy Wings

My most favorite and popular Renaissance Festival has been my fairy costume. While I just kinda made up the wing process as I went, this is almost exactly how I made mine. Thanks, Mommy Blessings!

Photo belongs to Mommy Blessings

To follow her wonderful tutorial to make some fairy wings for yourself, just Click on This Wonderful Link!

Do you want to see my costume? I bet you do. Here you go!

Here's the costume minus the wings. There are various pieces of jewelry and some belts and tails that go with it.

And here I am wearing it! I'm teaching the hubby to dance the Korobushka.

My wings, though I am not wearing them. This is my sister (in the black) and her friend Sabrina (in my wings).

A Year in Review

Despite having taken out nearly all personal ramblings several months ago, I feel the need to share this with the internet. This year has been an incredible journey.

In January of 2013, I had been "laid off" for 3 months and unable to find a job. The owner of the store I managed sold it with no warning and my job was gone. My husband worked part time for a movie theater, but it wasn't quite covering everything. There had been hope of better work in Tulsa, but nothing had panned out, and we were sinking fast. The last of our money was spent on a trip out to see Josh's family in Colorado and on rent. When we got home, we were broke, broken, and I was sick. The rest of the world might have survived the End of the World, but ours was about to implode.

I spent a day driving around the city applying for everything I could (except McD's. NEVER AGAIN!), and on my way home Josh called. One of the doors that had been slammed in our face on the Tulsa thing was open, and JD (we'll call him that, anyway) had made sure that no one else could walk through it this time because he wanted Josh. DONE! We jumped on that, and 2 weeks later moved in with my parents. A month later (February now) we were still with them, and things had been wrapped up with the complex we were living in.

We were, by government standards, homeless. Mail for us went to my parents' and everyone knew we were staying there, but our names were not assigned to any sort of dwelling place.

That was February. I was still unemployed, but Josh was bringing home nearly double what he had been making in OKC. We were able to get our student loans in deferment and could finally start living again. Saving people, hunting things. Saving money, getting back on track.

In May I picked up a part-time job near Tulsa. In June we moved into our own apartment in Tulsa. In July I got bumped up to full time. Things were getting better.

But now? In February 2014? We are able to do for a friend what my parents did for us. We have booked a cruise. We are paying extra on our debts. And I just moved into a position at work that's higher than the one I was in. In just over a year. Things have changed so drastically from where we were a year ago that I almost can't believe it. I've been dancing around at work and at home from the sheer joy that God has brought us and all the blessings He has given us. I know what life is like at the bottom of the ladder. We were there for 2 years. I also know that it is not impossible to climb up.

Ok. I'm done.

I've Tried That: "Woven" Friendship Bracelet

Raise your hand if you made friendship bracelets as a kid. *raises hand* Mine were the spiral macrame bracelets with just 2 threads. I had a pink one and then a purple one. These are much more cool! Up to 7 different colors in one bracelet, look awesome as wrap bracelets, and hold charms relatively well.

And they're easy! The only things you'll need are: 1) A small piece of cardboard, and 2) Several different colors of embroidery thread.

This is small enough to fit in your purse or pocket, easy to pick up, and you won't forget your place if you put it down. I ended up taking it to work to do in my downtime.