Roadtrip!

Hi bloggers!! Nice to see you!!

I took a mini-vacation of wonderfulness for the last 4 days, and as a result, not only had time to blog (well, get stuff ready for blogs!), but I got to spend some awesome time with my dad (and husband, who's post is coming later).

Certain members of the Smith family really like to drive. A lot. Dad and I drive ridiculous distances to do things easily done at home or around town, just because we like it. Some other family members like to sleep while we drive, but we still like having them come along :)

So on Monday, day 3 of my "4 days of no working!," Dad and I decided to take a drive to Sisters (about 2 1/2 hours away) to have lunch at one of our favorite pizza places. But what fun is a 2 1/2 hour drive when you can take fun backroads and make it a 3 1/2 hour drive?? :)

Our handy transportation:

Isn't she pretty? I assume she's a she... Dad, want to weight in on this? I'm not sure she even has a name....

We started off out of Eugene and took the backroads south, down to Fall Creek reservoir and Highway 58, then headed east until we got to the turnoff for Westfir. From there is was another hour back north through some gorgeous mountains and canyons.

The North Fork of the Willamette River:

Unfortunately, this lovely road spelled disaster for our adventures, since shortly after we left 58 and headed up the mountains the car started making sounds that can be compared only to a really angry squirrel being ran over. In fact, before we realized where the sound was coming from I thought "Wow, you can REALLY hear the wildlife out here!" Oops.

As a result, we cut our drive a little short (no one wants to get stranded in the mountains). We ended up having lunch at a restaurant about an hour out of town called Takoda's and then hit Tokatee golf course for 9 holes (no, I don't golf. Yes, I am an awesome cart driver.)

My shadow, driving the cart, in a shadowy, mysterious way:

Golf!!! Specifically, golf that I'm pretty sure Dad didn't know was documented until this moment:

All in all, it was a great day, and even if we had to come home early, that just means we get to schedule another trip once the little car is healthy again!! :)

#24 and #16

Our Anniversary Cruise
(fulfilling #24 and #16 on The List)

For our 1st anniversary, Sean and I took a week long cruise on board the Norwegian Majesty. We sailed from Charleston, SC to the Bahamas, Florida, and then back.

Welcome aboard "The Awkward Ship"

You know how Carnival is "The Fun Ship?" Well, they mean it! We took a cruise on a Carnival boat for our honeymoon, and had a blast. Norwegian?? They're The Awkward Ship.
Anything to do with this boat was awkward. To start with, the Embarkation was crazy. Typically you pull up to a terminal, like an airport, drop off your luggage, go through security, get your room keys, and head to the boat. But Charleston has apparently never heard of such a thing. You get in your car (if you're lucky it's a taxi, don't drive your own car) and drive to the port, where you will sit in a line that is AT LEAST 6 blocks long, through the run down industrial part of town. At least in taxi's you have an express line, if you have your car you wait in an even longer line to get into the parking lot. But really, the whole thing is a parking lot. A run down, dusty, abandoned "bodies are probably stashed here" type lot. They don't let you out of the car until they see your passport and luggage tags, then you toss your bags into some unmarked cart, walk across the dusty open lot to a bus, and they drive you the 100 yards to the warehouse where you will go through security. It was SO weird.
The awkwardness didn't stop there:
We had a room with a window, which was neat, but the furniture was set up in such a way that you had to climb across the bed to get in and out of the room... awkward. This is the view out of our window though, I think we're still in Charleston?? Maybe not...
Norwegian believes in "Freestyle Cruising" which means you can eat in any of the dining rooms whenever you want, and can have your own table, no eating with strangers
necessary! We decided to try it out our first night, and the dining room was really
formal, even though it was the "casual dining room." The waiter got upset when we
only wanted one appetizer and no dessert and kept bringing it up over and over. Awkward.
Most of our experiences on the boat fell under the "awkward" category. The staff was unfriendly, the food wasn't all that great, and (through no fault of the cruise line) we hit storms, which made me sea sick (yay!) and it was just all around weird. Needless to say, we won't be cruising on Norwegian again.

Off The Boat

Although the mode of transportation wasn't all that enjoyable, the travel part of the cruise was amazing. Anytime we weren't on the boat was a great time!! Now, what you've all been waiting for: PICTURES!!!

Great Stirrup Cay
This island is owned by Norwegian. We spent the day snorkeling, hanging out with a couple we met, getting sunburned, and mocking some over confident college kids.

Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau was amazing!! It is the capital city of the Bahamian Islands. We took a tour of the city, visited two old British forts, went to a Pirate Museum, and then wandered around the city.

Ft Charlotte

Nassau Harbor

Grand Bahama Island
On Grand Bahama, we spent the day at Lucayan National Park. We toured some underground caves and then went to the beach before heading to a local place for lunch, where Sean tried conch for lunch (yep, like a conch shell. It's the muscle inside).

Ben's Cave

Mangrove swamps between the caves and the beach

The most beautiful beach in the whole world!!

Cape Canaveral, Florida
Our last day in ports was spent in Florida, where we got the chance to visit Sean's grandparents. I had never met them, so it was great to be able to spend the day with them! They are wonderful people and we had a great time. We went down to the beach, went shopping, hung out on the Cocoa Beach pier, and pretty much just spent the day getting to know each other better. We had lunch on the beach, and dinner at this restaurant down by our cruise ship terminal (because this was a normal port, not Charleston! lol)

All in all, it was a good vacation, but we were happy to get home (even though we spent 18 hours in airports and planes on the way home, and we all know how I feel about THAT!).

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Woot!!!

What does it take to get me on a plane?

7 nights of cruising goodness. All you can eat food, 24 hours a day. Whole days that are dedicated to laying in the sun or being in the pool. Beaches. The ocean. Plenty of time to read good books. Fabulous times with my fabulous husband. And lastly, perhaps most importantly, the thought of spending 7 grey, cloudy, rainy, Oregon March days, in the Bahamas.

THAT'S what it takes to get me on a plane! :)

Yay for celebrating anniversaries! :)

Look at the fun we had!

Here are some highlights of our fantastic weekend in Portland:

This guy:

We saw him on our way up I-5. Don't worry dude, if I was on a road trip, and could only pack one thing, I'd bring Scrabble too :)


The Hotel DeLuxe:
Located downtown, it was beautiful, with old Hollywood glamor, beautiful decor, and THE most comfortable beds ever! Like a cloud!!!


Getting ready for dinner and Movin Out:


Dinner at Rock Bottom:
A Portland tradition, it's our favorite!


The spoils from a trip to Powell's:
Yep, that's 14 books between us. INSANE, we know. We're ridiculous in that store. But don't worry Mom, I'm reading my Christmas books first. As soon as this post is over, Bob Welch and I have a date on the couch :)

The only thing I couldn't get a picture of was the sales guy at the record store across from Powell's. If his life goal isn't "be a highly paid Napoleon Dynamite impersonator," he should seriously consider it. It was AWESOME, but I didn't feel right blatantly taking his picture.... ah, the missed opportunities...