Beach trip with Nanna and Gran

Nanna and Gran finally took a vacation.

We found a wonderful 2 bedroom condo with a complete kitchen on the ground floor with beautiful views in Orange Beach.

This is the first time in a really long time that Nanna and Gran have taken a vacation.

They really seemed to enjoy it.

They walked down to the beach and watched the girls play in the sand.

Both Grace and Faith had a blast with Queenie.

Grace built a sand castle.

And Faith took a nap on the beach.  Vacations don't get much better than that!

Alligator Alley

Today we took a trip to Alligator Alley.

And we watched big alligators eat pig.

We learned some  interesting facts, too.

Did you know that alligators can go over a year without food and still survive?  And their bodies cannot digest food in temperatures below 55 degrees.  And there's no outward difference between male and female alligators.  Who knew?

Then the girls held another baby alligator and we walked around the park feeding some gators of our own.  What an awesome day.

Our anniversary dinner

The last night of our cruise we celebrating our anniversary at dinner.

With quite the selection to choose from.

This was David's dinner.

And mine.

And fabulous dessert.

The crew sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to us and brought out an anniversary cake just for us.  It was sweet and a wonderful end to our cruise.  I had an amazing time celebrating our 5 year anniversary and travelling all over the Caribbean.  But the best part was just spending time with the love of my life.  I love him more each day and he makes my heart so happy.  I love him more than my heart can hold and I look forward to the next fifty years with him by my side.

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico was our last stop before heading back towards Louisiana.

We've been to Cozumel more times than I care to count.  We adore it here.

First stop off the ship?  Starbucks!

I got an iced coffee.

And David got a hot one.  See how happy real coffee makes my dear hubby?

This was how much our two coffees cost us.  In pesos.  It was roughly five and half bucks.  It may have been the best purchase of our trip.

Then we walked around town.  For miles, actually.

And I found a pair of alligator tail boots that I loved.   And my dear husband bought them for me.  They gave me "Mexican socks" to try them on with.  Aka a plastic bag.  Sweet.  And velcro jean leggings so I could see how they'd look with bluejeans on.  Aren't they snazzy?

Then we stopped in Carlos 'n Charlie's for a bit.

Before we headed back to the ship.  What a fantastic day!

Belize City, Belize

This morning we arrived in Belize City, Belize.

This was our second visit to Belize.

As soon as we got off the ship, we explored the shops at the port.

And David bought a hat.

Then we stumbled upon this artist, Colin.

He makes wood carvings by hand just like his father used to.

And he is quite talented.  Every little detail fits together without any screws or nails.  It's amazing!

I was enamored with this alligator he made.  Those teeth are real alligator teeth.  How cool is that?

David fell for this sailfish.  And so we purchased it after a bit of negotiation.

As we watched, Colin finished the sailfish and gave it to David.

I think he really likes his souvenir.  I do, too.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at a local restaurant before heading back to the ship.

Roatan Honduras

Today we landed in beautiful Roatan, Honduras.

This was our first visit to Honduras.

First things first, I found some caffeine.  Real caffeine.  Not cruise ship coffee caffeine. 

Then David and I walked around the port shops.  How darling are these handmade crayons?

Soon, it was time to meet our excursion guides.

We loaded onto a bus and traveled to Half Moon Bay for kayaking, lunch, and snorkeling.

Here's David all ready to find us a boat!

And here I am - ready to go!

Then we picked a kayak and headed out to sea!

Along the way, our guide spotted a living urchin and passed it from kayak to kayak for closer looks.

It was pretty prickly and it felt so weird as it moved around.  Really cool.

After about an hour of kayaking we stopped a secluded beach and went for a nature hike.

There our guide told us all about the local flora and fauna.  This is a banana tree with bananas.  He also showed us their "marshmallow tree" where the fruit actually tastes like a marshmallow.  The same texture and flavor.  David and I know because we ate some.  Quite unusual but very interesting.

Then we headed back to the dive shop / restaurant for lunch.

There we had the best homemade salsa I've ever eaten in my entire life.

And delicious sweet fruit.

And I stuffed myself with as many of these quesadillas as I could hold.  They were beyond amazing!

After lunch we headed back to the beach to snorkel.

We swam all the way to the drop off.  The drop off was over 2,000 feet deep and way out past the land poking out on the right side of this picture.  We saw some of the most beautiful corals in red, green, yellow, and even blue.  It was simply stunning.  By the time we finished snorkeling I was completely tuckered out.

But we walked around and saw this cute parrot while waiting for our ride back to port.

While Honduras is an unbelievably poor country, the people were so sweet and welcoming.

And the stark beauty is unsurpassed.  It's a place I'd love to come back again for another visit.