I said I'd never do a cruise. Too far from land, surrounding water too deep, too much chance of getting sick in such a "closed" environment and lots of other reasons, not the least of which was the expense.
So here we are, returned late last night from our first cruise. Succumbed to the lure by the glowing reviews of our friends.
I didn't take many pictures, but I do have a couple I'll share.
In the meantime I have a few thoughts in review.
• I thought I'd be really scared out on the ocean when I couldn't see what was down deep below me. I loved it!
• Never in my life have I been so catered to, so pampered, so indulged. I wasn't really comfortable not carrying my own load, being responsible for myself.
• Never have I seen / used so much hand sanitizer. They are serious about avoiding things like the norovirus. For which I was grateful.
• In spite of warnings, I still came away with extra weight. Our food was really fabulous and constantly available. No one said they were still hungry. A couple meals found us groaning that there was still more food coming. A complete luxury.
• All of which was in odd juxtaposition to the dismal living conditions in the three countries we visited. We live in extremely lovely conditions - due to the country of our birth. I respect and admire those scraping out a life in those poverty governed areas. It was really sobering.
• We saw parts of the world we'd likely never see otherwise and only had to unpack once. Frankly, I was relieved and comforted to return to the U.S.
• Both The Husband and I seem to have a bit of an affliction. The house won't quit rocking like the boat. Our seas were a bit rough the last two days and it still feels like we're on the ship. Wonder how long this will last? I keep leaning when I walk.
• I'm happy for the piles of laundry that will greet me when I finally unpack. We were so tired last night the only thing that came out of any suitcase was our electric toothbrush / tips. I don't even have a comb handy for my hair. That laundry is evidence of abundance. How grateful my heart is.
• We returned to a clean house, nothing amiss. Hugs from the family we've seen so far. Umpteen million e-mails (so nice to have internet) and piles of catalogs from the snail mail. New glasses for seeing better to pick up, and optimism for the future.
• What fun to travel with some friends! They were great fun, we felt like they didn't mind having us along.
• I've never felt like I "lived" on my phone the way I sometimes see others doing. But being without it for a week was a teensy challenging. I kept wanting to text the kids, or look something up. It was good for me to have some down time.
• And best of all: we returned to a new grandson! We haven't yet seen him, just barely got home. As soon as is humanly possible, we'll be down in Utah County cuddling the little guy. (Although at 9 lb 7 oz, 22" long he isn't necessarily a little guy!)
I'm so grateful for the luxury of a vacation. For the ability to spend some time away with my favoritest person. To come home to a comfortable home and family nearby. I'm grateful for the ease that will enable me to complete the laundry and all those clothes to choose from. I'm grateful we were able to find Sacrament meeting on our way out of the country, I'm glad we didn't miss it.
And today I think I'll be grateful for limited food to eat, for something to calm my nearly-always untroubled stomach. It's strange for me to feel discomfort like this: seasick on land (especially when I wasn't seasick on the ship even in the rougher seas). I'm so grateful to be home!
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