CRUISE LIFE: SEMINAR AT SEA

Let me start by saying that we were not aboard the Carnival Triumph, thank God.  We heard about it as soon as we were in port and able to check the news on our phones again.  It was a bizarre day to come back from a cruise just as another one was making such terrible news.  We were sailing on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas - the world's largest cruise ship.  CFA chartered the entire thing, and we had our annual seminar aboard the boat - Seminar at Sea.

Let's just say that this Seminar may have ruined me for all others.  Seminar is always good fun (click here for 2012 and here for 2011), but this one was far more vacational than normal, and that suited us real well.

I'm going to divide this up into categories of stuff that start with the letter "F" to keep it moving.

FRIENDS
We got to hang out with people that we normally don't get to see.  Plus - no kids are allowed, so we get to finish conversations.  Amazing.  It was so good to see our peeps - it only makes me wish it could be more often.

(Kristen and I were in the white pants club this day.  Another day, it was the blue pants club.)

(The guys were too antsy to lay in chairs in the sun between sessions.)


FANCY DINNERS
Formal night is standard cruise fare, and this one delivered the goods.




(Don't worry - that's a mocktail.)

Another night, we dressed up for dinner at the speciality restaurant 150 Central Park.



FOOD
It seemed like I was always hungry.  We ate more hobbit style than normal, sometimes eating two dinners.  The CFA message was spread through the cruise, and it would show up in funny places - like on my lemon meringue tart.



Here's our flight of salts that we got at the fancy dinner.  One tasted like boiled eggs.  So strange and strangely tasty.



Eating free room service on our balcony never got old.



FUN
We stopped in the Bahamas and chilled at the beach.


(John lost and recovered his sunglasses not once, but twice, in these waves.)

There was a CFA Talent Show on the last night.  One of our friends brought down the house with his amazing juggling act that culminated with him juggling knives while balancing on a rocking board.  The whole event was quite entertaining.

FUNNY

- Dancing Operators.  Always funny.

- Towel animals.  Love these guys.

- There were three channels devoted to CFA on the boat, also known as propaganda.  I watched the entire loop of two of them.  I especially loved the CFA comedy channel that included old training videos.  This is "Talking Trash" from the early 90s.

- No alcohol anywhere on the boat.  All bars were stocked with bottled water, Powerade and Red Bull. The crew talked a lot about what a break our cruise was for them.

- John and I got stuck between decks on a bar that went between the 5th and 8th decks.  Our friends could look down and see us as they were heading into the dinner we were supposed to be meeting them at.  After 10-15 minutes, we got moving again.  More than one person mentioned that this is the sort of thing that is always happening to us.  I'm not sure if things like this are always happening or if I just talk about everything that happens to us more than other people because I write a blog.  Either way, it was pretty funny.

- Operators dressed alike.  Happens a lot.

FANTABULOUS ROOM

We got to stay in a great room, which was such a treat.  

Since CFA chartered the whole boat, we actually knew the people who were staying in the nicest room on the boat (not us) and got to go see it.  It was 2000 square feet, with a bedroom loft, a grand piano, it's own staff and a private hot tub, just to name a few features.  So fun to see!

FEELING HAPPY

Every year that we have Truett at Seminar, it makes me happy.  I always tear up when he is on stage.  This year, we all sang Happy Birthday to his wife, Jeanette.  They had motorized scooters to get around the boat.  So thankful for Truett's vision and what CFA is because of him.

The cruise was amazing.  It was far more relaxing that I thought it would be.  In fact, trying to get our heads back into the game here at home is proving a challenge after such a treat of a week.  We are so thankful to work with a company that takes the time and money to spoil us like this - what a blessing!

BACK AT HOME

John and I got back late last night.  Since our arrival, we have been faced with a wide array of first world questions like,

"Who will turn down my bed every night?"
"How will I ever go back to eating less than 3 desserts a day?"
"Can I survive without cute towel animals wearing my sunglasses arriving in my room each evening?"
"Where will I get hot, free pizza at 2 a.m.?"
"When will I stop feeling like I have been on a boat or swimming in the waves?"
"Why are my tan lines so strange?"

I know that you are probably feeling really bad for us now.  As you should.

It was really wonderful to come home to the girls and get lots of hugs and love this morning.  We showed off pictures of our trip and enjoyed breakfast with John's parents who took excellent care of the girls this week.



I came home to a couple of really fun treats.  The girls had left mail in our Valentine's Day mailboxes, and I loved seeing what they colored for us.



I also participated in a blog swap for Valentine's Day.  We were supposed to send off a few of our favorite things to our partner.  I was paired with the very sweet Kaity of {Bee}autiful Blessings.  I think she and I could sit and talk about travel for hours, among other things.  Her blog is such a fun space, and I had a fun package from her when I got home.

It included a book that looks incredibly heart-warming and chocolate.  You can never go wrong with chocolate!

Thanks, Kaity!

This afternoon has brought doses of reality both good and bad.  We listened to the girls sing Jingle Bells and Happy Birthday to one another during "nap" time.  Then, as I was going in to encourage Bella in her picking up, I began straightening some art on her wall.  I was also drinking a smoothie at the same time.  These things can not be done simultaneously, and this is the result.

Did I mention it was a blueberry smoothie?  Good thing this is in the room where the carpet is already badly stained.  The worse part about this is that there was no one coming behind me cleaning up everything, as I have been accustomed to in the past week.  I guess I will survive somehow.

I will post a bit about the trip soon!

BON VOYAGE

We are getting ready to set sail. I am writing to record a few things. Yesterday felt like I had to try to turn my mind off. It is used to spinning a million different ways and also being accosted by requests. When we travel with CFA, it requires very little mental energy. Herding would be an appropriate term.

You show up. There are people holding CFA signs directing you where to go. There are treats and drinks waiting just for you. It is only adults, so there is no toddler wrangling that so epitomizes my daily life.

Last night, I felt like I was trying to detox. And it is harder than it used to be to relax. But, we are managing. We had a delightful dinner out with friends last night.





This morning we woke up early and had this exchange.

Carol: "We are ruined. We can never sleep in again."
John: "Yes, we are actually rotting corpses of our former selves. Except today, there are no little flesh eaters to nibble our toes and try to get us out of bed."

After that bit of drama, we got down to breakfast with more friends. That's the fun thing about Seminar- it is a giant family reunion. We also walked on the beach for a while.



Then, it was time to board the boat. Since we were fortunate enough to have all of our documents this year, we got to get right on.


The girls are having a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa.


Looking forward to time away- it always makes me appreciate my normal life more.

THIS WEEK: WHAT'S UP

This week swirled around us, engulfing us in activity, joy and some stress.  Here's what it entailed, bullet point style.  (which is like Gangnam style, but less dancey)

- Chickens.  I visited the house of someone who lives in the country and met their pet chickens.  I love living in Arkansas.

- No naps at our house, which means this girl was tired.  Tired enough to fall asleep in the car with her sunglasses on.

- Big welcomes home.  Having two sweet girls run to the garage when you they hear the door open is such a treat.  I will be so sorry when this phase is over.

- Babysitter.  The girls spent a fair amount of time with one of our sweet babysitters this week.  These are some of the pictures she got of them one night.

Who are those children smiling at the camera?  Turns out, they really like the flash.  And they like Grace - she's pretty great.

- Stress test.  John has had a cold, which morphed into a sinus infection, which prompted him to go to the doctor, which reminded him to ask the doctor about random chest pain while running, which led the doctor to order a stress test for him.  6:20 on Wednesday morning found John like this.

Nothing showed up, thankfully, and after consulting with a heart specialist, they told him to just pay attention to see if it becomes worse or more frequent.  Nothing like a good stress test in the middle of the week to make you all feel good about life.

- I got my hairs did.  And then I sat under this crazy contraption.  The stylist explained what a great deal they had gotten on it, and I did not wonder why.

- Grandparents arrived!  The girls were so excited they agreed to pose for a picture.  Seems they like to do this for people who aren't me.



- Polo on a pony balloon.  This balloon is still living on our ceiling, 3 weeks after the fact.  John brought it down to give it a good work out, but in the end, let it back up to the ceiling, where it will remain for all of time.  At least, it seems that way right now.



- Last lunch with the ladies for a while.  Glad to get some good cuddle time in.



- Walks on one of the river bridges with Grandma and Grandpa.  So much fun - though chillier than we imagined.  February can be such a tease.

- Packing and trying to figure out what needs to be done before we leave.  The list was so long, and so much is not complete.  But, we and everyone around us, will just have to make do, because we are ready to get on out of here.  I have that feeling that I am missing something big, and I am praying that God will make that clear before we walk out the door.  I'm sure we will all survive somehow.

Looking forward to what will hopefully be a refreshing week away.  I'm so thankful for a great company that takes care of us, good friends that I am looking forward to spending time with and time with the hubster.