Cruise Ship (2/3 posts)

A few details about our ship; Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean).

The fresh fruit was plentiful and well loved by all. Those grapes, pineapples, pears and strawberries were such a fine snack for a prego woman. The effort and time it took to prepare all 20,000 meals per week was astonishing.



Inside the boat were elevators, chandeliers, water features, and the list goes on and on. Hard to believe that we were afloat water with so much HEAVY equipment...still in awe of how we got from one point to another in one piece. I was swaying back and forth for days, as if I was still walking on the cruise...the hum of the engine rocked me to sleep nightly.



Oh the towels! One of my favorite parts:
Buddah
Snake and armadillo

Puppy (or was it an elephant?)
The crazy chimpanzee just chillin'
So, not only does the room attendant in charge of cleaning up our nasty germs, but he also has to hand make all of these towels into figurines. Wonder if he ever got tired of it, or saved the left over ones from the night before if still in tact? I sure would! Reuse, reduce, recycle. "Save the waves" was all over the bathroom to not use too much water.
The main "street" was the Royal Promenade...this led you to the 24 hour a day cafe/dessert area, live music, ice skating rink, theatre, main plaza and gift shops. Not sure who the statue was.
More crazy carvings! How long does that take to make? How long do the watermelon's stay fresh? Do they use them eventually for a fruit salad? All my questions unanswered!
Ahhh...the welcome table at the WindJammer Cafe, anchor ice sculpture and all. The salad bar was delightful everyday. That is where my salami fetish began, and continued for a few weeks later back at home.
One more look from above looking down.
As we left our heavenly trip, it was time to restock and load back up. More toiletries please... all those crates are just of TP! We left the cruise by 10:30am, and the next passengers were boarding up by 11am. Not much of any "down time" for cruise staff....sigh...we wanted to protest, sneak back on, and go again!

Even a quick paint touch up!

The camera + food (3/3 posts)

All of this food really is for my benefit only...because I am a food-aholic. I love tasting new things, new recipes, new flavors, etc. I am not very seasoned in this department, but I can sure enjoy it.

A fruit salad; fresh pineapple was amazing


Vidallia onion quiche
Cod fillet with lentils and asparagus, cream sauce
Prime rib with vegetables
Strawberry meringue (hard crust)
Triple layered chocolate raspberry cake
Sliced melon salad, mint yogurt (not my favorite)
Shrimp cocktail



Filet Mignon with peppered corn sauce and mashed potatoes
Potato cakes and sauteed mushrooms (still not sure if they were really potatoes)
Salmon with fresh yummy carrots (my favorite!)
Roasted duck!
Triple layered coconut cake (Paul's favorite)
Italian dessert, like jello texture, pancotta
Strawberry cheesecake (Chris' favorite)
Chocolate cake with a cappucino filler...I did get a head shake "no" from Jared...but, I did try it!
In Cozumel: Smoothies and Daquaris on the beach. Mango!
Homemade chips and salsa
Authentic fish tacos, straight out of the ocean.
Fajitas (check out those runny beans)
A burro made with three tortillas
Back on the cruise ship: a mushroom pot pie (not the right name, but you get the idea)
Lobster!
Tempura battered fish
Gnocchi, not my favorite sauce..but great texture.
Pizzaria in Florida

22 weeks and counting

I am feeling really good these days. It's probably b/c I know how TERRIBLE I felt for so long that I can really appreciate these healthy days. I can cook. I can clean. I can grocery shop. I can stay up 'til 10pm. I can smell food. I can enjoy a meal.

I recognize that in another month I will be feeling pretty hot, uncomfortable, sweaty and ready to put my feet up...but, until then...I will enjoy these next few weeks.

B I G Fieldtrip

After writing and submitting an essay, I won a grant through Target to take my students on a fieldtrip. What an exciting thing to plan!

The plans: Olive Garden for dinner, then take a bus to the ASU Gammage Theatre for the, "Arizona Broadway performance of Fiddler on the Roof."

For the last few months, we have been preparing our students. Etiquette on how to behave in a restaurant, what is appropriate in the theater, how to dress, and what to expect. We watched the music from youtube of Fiddler on the Roof, talked about the plot/character/setting, and I drilled into their heads that I wanted them to have their best dress and best attitudes.

The night went smoothly. A few mishaps; Jared felt like he had the flu. At dinner, it was tricky figuring out the bill (kids paid with cash, while I picked up the tax and tip charge). Half of the students ordered sundaes for dessert, which I hadn't calculated into the end total...so, then I had to add on MORE money to the end bill. Imagine: 50 people on one bill with 50 different checks!

I enjoyed a fantastic fettucine alfredo, and only had heartburn later on from the salad.

More mishaps; arrived to the theatre just in time to find our seats. I was handing out the tickets when I quickly realized that I was SHORT tickets! I felt embarressed, especially with all of the parents looking at me and not expecting to be left out of the theatre while I looked for their tickets! I rushed into the will call, only to hear that it was a "sold out show." NO WAY!!!

I pleaded my case with the manager; 50 people traveling over an hour to arrive. All 5th graders dressed up and ready to watch the show. I would stand in the aisle if I had to! The manager was empathetic and somehow found us 12 extra tickets that we needed.

We were on the VERY LAST ROW of the 3rd balcony in a 3000 person auditorium. The characters on stage looked like ants. Just crossing through the aisle I felt like I was on a balance beam (with a big ol' belly, nervous to fall). I literally was looking down, way down, to see anyone on the stage.

By intermission, my students were exhausted. It was already 9:30pm, and I had told the other parents to pick up their students at 10pm. That meant that we had to leave...NOW.

Another mishap; the bus driver was MISSING IN ACTION. He somehow got a ticket to the show, and had turned off his cell phone. Seriously??? I tracked down the security folk and begged to make an announcement in the auditorium, but they told me that it was against policy. I would need permission from the Fiddler people! What??? And all 50 people were again waiting outside for Mrs. Wilson to get it figured out...sigh...

We found him...he found us...he turned his phone on! We loaded back up, drove back to Surprise with VERY ROWDY children (all hitting their second wind) and met up with parents. I was still waiting for some to be picked up 'til 11pm...I took off my heels by that point and my belly was rumbling from being uncomfortable.

Overall, very successful and memorable. The kids behaved really well, looked so sharp (one girl even had a corsage! How adorable is that?). We had an early school day the next day, 7am sharp. I kept it low key with an April Fool's math quiz and a Fun Friday recess in the afternoon.

Hardest part was being "Mrs. Wilson" from 7am-11pm on that fieldtrip. Not one moment to relax and enjoy the event. I was on my toes to discipline, direct and monitor all my kiddos. Mrs. Wilson needed a good night's rest (not filled with allergies, which is what happened).

Very fun indeed!

Victoria, Rachael, Judiths' mom, Judith, Isis
Sofia, Mrs. Schwan, Emily, Mrs. Karen Holdaway
Mrs. DeMoss, Dylan, Courtney, Hillary (notice the corsage)
Harlie, Candy, Harlie's aunt, Alex
Ariana, Valeria, Brandi, Sarah
Eric, Eric Sr., Malcom, Jarrod, Taya, Mrs. Schmitt, JD
Ian, Ryan, Mrs. Beausoleil, Tyler, DeMon
Nate's step mom, Nate, Tony, Gregorio
Shane's grandma, Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Strickland, Yamil, LJ Dudley, Jared, Mrs. Simmons, Tye, Shayne