it rained

Hoo boy, talk about a tough re-entry. I’ve been running around doing stuff since I got back from vacation – seeing the boyfriend, working, partying, family stuff. Hard to get back into the swing of blogging, especially when there’s so many things like photos and such to work through! This is going to be a highlights-only post. You can view my (rather enormous, it’s two people’s worth) vacation photoset at Flickr if you’re so inclined!

Austin:
– was great, weather was not excessively hot, but it did rain
– ate at the Clay Pit, Casino El Camino, Amy’s ice cream, Teo gelato, Upper Crust Bakery
– went down to South Congress and bought some great clothes
– Hill Country Weavers: awesome! Yes, I bought some souvenir yarn

– met Caro and Abbe and had a bit of a knit, which was lovely

– Whole Foods and Central Market – super awesome

Katy, post Austin and pre cruise:
– rained
– went to my cousin’s high school graduation…in the pouring rain. It was cool though.
– Lots of people in the house – 17! I slept on the floor that night, despite the cousins having borrowed three queen-sized air mattresses

Cruise, first impressions:
– boat was Rhapsody of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
– huge! Really like a hotel on a boat.
– rooms were quite comfortable
– the weather was pretty bad – no sunning by the outdoor pool or anything, but I did swim in the indoor pool often
– it felt like I was eating all the time – lunch buffet, dinner in the dining room, snacks…food was pretty good but I wouldn’t say spectacular.
– formal nights were fun – we bought a few portraits of the family

(me, mom, sister)

Jamaica:
– got a minibus taxi for twelve of us and went to the Montego Bay city centre (shopping area)
– I just bought some souvenirs and coffee before heading back to the boat with my dad…the rest of the group planned to go to the beach but…it rained!

Grand Cayman:
– the boat was tendered, meaning you had to take another boat to get to the shore. It was, you guessed it, raining, and the waters were pretty rough so I opted to stay on the boat and just hang out.

Cozumel, Mexico
– finally, some sunshine!
– snorkeling, my first time! Snorkeled in 25-foot water and was surrounded by a school of fish (which didn’t bite me, thank goodness). too bad I forgot to buy an underwater camera

– shopping at the pier – very crowded, but I bought some vanilla, tequila, and random souvenirs. my mom bought me a nice bracelet from Diamonds International

Cruise boat, parting thoughts:
– I had a good time, but I don’t know if/when I would go again – I could definitely feel the rocking, and although I didn’t actually get sick, I didn’t feel all that great.
– Service, especially at dinner, was very nice. Oh, and getting the room done twice a day wasn’t bad either ; )
– I took a salsa class, which was super fun even though I was dancing with my rather short 10 year old cousin!
– drinks on the boat – expensive.
– getting off the boat was a bit of a trial since so many others were trying too as well! We did express departure and had to carry off our own luggage at 7:30 am.
– seeing family and family friends was nice. lots of people to hang out with, especially in the card room – everyone was mad for cards!

Getting home:
– Had to wake up at 4:30 am to be driven to the Houston Airport
– was sick that morning and slept most of the flight Houston-Detroit
– Detroit-Buffalo flight was supposed to leave at 1:30 (we’d gotten to the airport at 11) but didn’t get in the air until 4:30!
– all that, for a 40 minute flight to Buffalo. Boourns.

Knitting:
– almost finished Roundabout Tank from Knitting Nature
– almost finished pair of STR socks, plain
– almost finished Blue Heron tank top…but I ran out of yarn!

in conclusion…
I’m happy with the vacation but glad to be back home! Now I can really get started on lots of exciting projects this summer. Lots of dyeing, designing, gardening, everything!

Whew. That was long. Back to non-vacation life!