the long awaited, much anticipated

***FYI: I am frustrated....I have fixed the spacing/alignment on the post a jillion times and each time I publish it, it screws up AGAIN!! I. AM. DONE. TRYING!***

MckCruise post!!

This cruise has been in the making since March of 2009 and seemed as if it would never get here. Last week, my mother and I left Galveston to sail the blue seas aboard the Voyager of the Seas. It is difficult to put into typed words just how great the Caribbean getaway really was. Amongst many smaller details, this trip afforded me three things:

1.) much needed time away from the daily grind, hustle&bustle, grocery shopping, bickering, clock in&out, quarreling, tattling, wrestling, needles, schedules, shots, crying, dust bunnies, meal planning, traffic jams, laundry, house cleaning…..you get my drift!

2.) a once-in-a-lifetime {as an adult}, week-long vacation alongside my Mom……bittersweet!

3.) as my neighbor recently said it best…..a renewed belief in people, the idea that there really are {good} people that exist in this world that we live in today. People from all walks of life, complete strangers coming together to spend a week together sharing experiences, beliefs, values, laughs, and good times all the while building a bond that will surely last a lifetime.

Oh yea, there were several decent opportunities for photo ops as well *facetious*! Let me tell you one thing…..amongst this group of gals {and 5 guys}, there was plenty of picture-taking.

Obviously there were way to many photographs to showcase, so I opted for the ‘ol standby of collages. So here goes:

::from within the 14 decadent decks of the ship::

::from the outdoor sun-laiden areas of the ship::

::from the 3 colorful ports-of-call::

Special thanks to my new {IRL} friend, MckMama, for developing the idea of the MckCruise and seeing that it came to fruition. I have aquired 25+ new friends that stretch from California to Texas to Florida and right here in my home state.

Finally, I owe a great big thank you to my husband for encouraging me to take a leap outside of my comfort zone and for not just maintaining our home while I was away, but also playing his role and mine SUPERBLY!!!