Port Mazatlan (Nov. 2010 cruise, post 3 of 6)

Our first port was Mazatlan, Mexico ("Pearl of the Pacific"). After looking out the windows and seeing ocean for so long, it was a shocker to sit down to breakfast and see a panorama of the city right out the window. Here are my mom & me at breakfast on the Lido deck.

A look back at our ship after disembarking.

Photo-op for my grandparents as they exit the boat.

The dock in Mazatlan is industrial, so you must take a mandatory shuttle from the pier. The sign informing us of who our driver was gave us a chuckle...

Most of us piled into a van and paid a tour guide to show us around the city. The first place he took us was this lookout. From one side of the view you looked out over part of the city and could see our ship docked. It was kind of a strange sight to see our ship right there so close to all those homes...it made you realize how huge the boat really is.

A couple shots of my grandma & me.

A close-up shot Kent snapped of some of the items for sale.

The view looking another direction from the lookout.

And Mark & I with the full ocean view behind us:

Also at this lookout there were a few street vendors and a small little store run by this man with a pet iguana. We paid him a couple dollars to take pictures of his cool little creature.
I love this picture that my mom snapped:

Mark holding the huge reptile.


Me taking a turn...

Check out how long his tail is...

And then we had a short period of time to explore a portion of the Mazatlan Malecón - a curved path that hugs the beach and is dotted by bronze statues such as this mermaid ("The Siren") with her mer-child...
That's Kent photographing Michelle looking at the backside of this statue (pun intended).

Group shot:

Grandma & Grandpa taking a rest.

A street vendor's wind chimes in the foreground of cliff divers hurling themselves 50-feet into the waves.


Kent took this great shot of the divers:

Video clip of one of the dives:


We had time to drive to one more area for sightseeing before heading to lunch. The first thing we saw there was The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It boasted lots of recent renovations & although I'm hardly an expert I did enjoy the architecture. The gothic elements (which I'm fond of) were easy to identify, but I wasn't sure what other period it was integrated with. I looked it up later though & this cathedral is a combination of Moorish & Gothic. Quite lovely.

(Kent took these next two shots of the Cathedral)



This cool shot my mom took of the ceiling actually makes me a bit dizzy to look at...

I love this picture that Matt caught...

Next was the market in Old Town Mazatlan. My mom snapped these first two produce pictures...



And here are some shots of the interior portion of the market (where I actually barfed...which sucked, because I love markets):


Three little piggies...
Mark pointed out that they actually look like they're smiling. Weird.


Now just a few people pictures. I love this one that Mark took:

And this man in the thinker pose from my mom:

A couple pictures Jeanette took. Girl selling gum...

And men on a curb & a bucket, looking like they had something interesting to talk about...

Our last stop was this place to eat on the beach (hurray for our driver knowing where to take us):

Our group:

The view from where we were eating:

Mark & me.

Mark enjoyed a nice, cold bottle of Mexican Coca Cola (I've actually heard it tastes better)...

My parents.

A little music to add to the ambiance. Loved it!



Leaving the restaurant my mom paid this little boy (Carlos) to take his picture rather than buy his toys. How cute is he?

A few pictures on the beach.




We had a few minutes before we had to pile in the van, and I was dying to get my bare feet in the sand and ocean...so I did! It felt wonderful. I don't know if there's anywhere I love being more than the beach. My mom snapped these next couple pics:


When it was time to head back to the ship, Mark was sweet enough to insist on cleaning of my sandy feet & putting my shoes on for me. My mom snapped a couple pictures of that too...


Our trusty tour guide Walter.

Before getting back on the ship there were places to do some last minute shopping. My mom snapped a shot of a local "K-mart"...

...as well as this photo of a gentleman directing people to their shop.

Matt took this picture from the ship as it left Mazatlan at sunset. Cool pic, huh?

Peacock to end the day.
Goodbye, Mazatlan.

Still At Sea (Nov. 2010 cruise, post 2 of 6)

Here are some random shots from our 3rd day at sea - although our first day didn't start aboard the ship until late afternoon. First, a picture Mark took of the sunrise (being the early riser that he is) while I was still sleeping...

One of the pools...

Basketball anyone? My dad obliged.

And straight from basketball my dad fit in time for some putting with my grandpa...

My beautiful grandma.

Ryan. Deep in thought?

Each day there was high tea with a different theme. I was bummed that I missed the Royal Dutch high tea the day prior (I heard it was wonderful), but this one was a lot of fun. The theme was Indonesian, and the servers had on native clothing which I thought was cool. I wish that I'd gotten a good picture of one of the platters when it was all the way full of all the different colored pastries, but I at least got a shot of a few of them as tea had progressed...

One of the waiters serving us at high tea.

My mom & Shelly at tea.

Mark and I decided to splurge and play a little bingo. Here we are with our cards - it was actually a lot of fun!

Me during a stroll on one of the ship's decks.

We didn't take any pictures at dinner that night. That must have been the evening that I had a particularly rough time. Even though this is gross (you've been warned), I have to document it since it ranks right up there with my fleet of most embarrassing moments: I was feeling really sick, but we eventually managed to make it down to the dining hall all dressed up. While sitting at the table I realized I was going to throw up and there was no time to make it anywhere. I grabbed my napkin, stuck my head under the table and proceeded to vomit. A lot. I filled up my whole cloth napkin. Then with my head still under the table I reached my hand up and Mark promptly handed me his napkin which I also proceeded to fill. Once the retching took a pause I stood up and bolted for the door (of course we were seated at the back of the restaurant) with Mark at my side. Luckily there were restrooms just outside the entrance to the restaurant. A woman was exiting the bathroom and Mark grabbed the door and escorted me into the ladies room, locking the door behind us. Luckily there wasn't anyone else in the ladies room at the time (it wasn't a single stall bathroom). Mark held my hair up while I finished retching, and then let me cry a little. Once I was ready to clean myself up and pull myself together I saw that I even had chunks of throw up stuck in the links of my fancy necklace. Yuck! So gross and so embarrassing, but I was unbelievably grateful to have such a sweet husband. Not only was he at my side while I was running out of the restaurant in such a nasty state...but he didn't hesitate to barge into a ladies room to assist me, help clean me up, and help me feel ok about going back into the restaurant to give things another try. Sigh. While I was gone the maitre d' asked my family if I was alright - they had to assure him that it was pregnancy and I was not contagious (didn't need to be quarantined). Oh, how I hope to be able to go on another cruise someday when I can actually enjoy the food.

So! Here's a cute picture from that night (of Jeanette and Dave) that my mom took.

That nights towel creation. What do you think - pig? Oh, another thing I should mention... if you look at the top left corner of this picture you can get a little pick at all my medications and my sharps container. At that point we were still doing my nightly intramuscular progesterone injections. Painful, beastly shots. Another thing I would be happy to omit from any future cruise that we take someday.

At Sea (Nov. 2010 cruise, post 1 of 6)

My mom's parents so generously offered to take all of their children and grandchildren on a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise last November (on Holland America)! Mark was able to get the time off work, and his parents were kind enough to come watch Noah & Lincoln so we could go. When we decided to go we weren't pregnant yet, and unfortunately I was really sick by the time that the cruise rolled around. I considered not going (and definitely would have canceled if it were just Mark & I taking the trip), but I felt really strongly that I would regret not spending that time with my family if I didn't go - particularly my grandparents. So, I got a scopolamine patch, lots of zofran, brought my throw up container, and got an IV of fluids the day before we left - just to help me start the trip out more hydrated (we also brought 2 bags of fluids and an IV starter kit with us just in case). Even though I felt really rotten, I was determined to find moments that I felt ok enough to enjoy myself...and to fake it as well as I could the rest of the time. Besides, even though it was less than ideal to go in my 9th week of pregnancy & really sick...at least I wouldn't have the kiddos to take care of and I could just focus on trying to rest and take care of myself amidst the ocean breeze and beautiful views. Of course, I didn't know that seasickness would compound my nausea - but I am still so very glad that I went!!! So, the next few posts will summarize our adventures that week. And no, we didn't take any pictures of me barfing - so I should say that these posts will show the highlights from our trip.
We departed on November 20th. Our first 3 days of the cruise were spent at sea. If you know my family, you know that we love to play cards. So, with nowhere to go or be, we fit in some time to play some cards. And, I have to say that I'm quite positive that we've never played anywhere with a more beautiful view! We were able to find places to play with views of the ocean right out the window.

Grandpa Paul checking out his hand:

Mark, Shelly & Linda (with the ocean view behind them):

My dad & grandma Shirlene.

Jeanette (and Matt in the background). I have to post this pic to show you how pretty Jeanette is before posting the next picture!

Yup. That is also Jeanette. Haha!

Me.

This was our 2nd evening on the ship and a formal dining night. Here are Mark and I at the entrance to the restaurant.

In the formal dining area everyone has the same assigned seating if they choose to dine there. At our table were my grandparents:

Mike & Desirae:

And my parents:

The next table was Nate, Ben, Ryan, Matt...

Marrae, Tyler, Danny, and Brent.

The next table was Michelle, Jared, Shelly, Kent & Jason.

And the last table with our group had Linda, Randy, Jeanette, Dave, David, and Andrea.

Looking up in the atrium.

A photo of our whole group after dinner.

Mark & I.


My grandparents.

A sibling shot of Jared, Michelle, Jason - my cousins.

We always enjoyed seeing what towel creature would await us on our beds each night, and we took pictures of them to show the boys when we got home. Here's a ray.