Bahamian Cruise

The pictures will probably speak for themselves, so I'll make this short. Our cruise started at 4 p.m. Sunday and ended at 8 a.m. the following Sunday. We stopped at Nassau, then a private island owned by the cruise company, and lastly in Grand Turk. The cruise itself was relaxing for me -- pregnant mother of two toddlers: I slept a lot. Next time we take a cruise, however, I'd like to stay awake more and participate in some of the activities. The few I was able to attend were quite fun. I think my favorite was the towel animal demonstration. Well -- here are the pics.

Nassau beach. I braved the water, Jon went snorkeling, but the girls refused to get within 30 feet of the gnarly waves (some were at least 6 feet high).

Hotel Atlantis

Naomi actually wearing sunglasses and choosing not to remove them. To Naomi's delight, however, the hat was lost when we left the beach.

Half Moon Cay.

Even the tiny waves here made Naomi nervous. She wasn't happy until I took her into deeper water.

This was Adara's favorite stop -- plenty of water toys, shallow water that she walked into up to her neck!, and nearly non-existent waves.

Bored on board.

Towel Animal.

Adara, on her bunkbed. Every night after dinner she asked if the staff had put her bed down. Simple joys.

Grand Turk.

I didn't take any pictures of the ocean, since Jon and I went alone and were both snorkeling the whole time. But this is an example of what most of the buildings looked like on this hurricane-ravaged island. Apparently, the government / constitution of the area is also currently not in force, which I'm sure makes matters even worse.

Those were the highlights. That's two items to check off the bucket list: snorkeling in the Bahamas and taking a cruise.

Return to Normal Life

I am pleased to report wonderful amounts of relaxation at the end of the Bahamian cruise. As it is late, I will dispense with uploading pictures for now. Except for one, perhaps, which we took on our drive down to Charleston (where the ship was embarking). The picture below is just one example of the types of things we have taken enjoyment in while we have lived here in the south.

And speaking of living in the south; we have finally received confirmation that we will be leaving the hospitality and slow pace of North Carolina. By the middle of next month we will be on our way to the cold and hurried north: Pittsburg, to be specific. How long we will stay there is anybody's guess. As soon as Jon finds a more permanent position, we will go there. And, since he has completed four interviews within the company with no success, he has begun to look at other options.

It's a bit exciting to think of the possibilities -- but stressful for Jon to face so much uncertainty and rejection. So if anyone has any clout with the Man Upstairs, we'd appreciate any good words you might send in for us.