Cruise: The Final Days

Our second-to-last stop on the cruise was supposed to be Monte Carlo.  Blake and I were really excited because we'd planned to get up early and take a taxi into France to Eze. 

We woke up at 7:00 a.m. to a beautiful view....

And then to an announcement from the cruise director saying that due to the choppy conditions, the port authority in Monte Carlo had closed the port.  We would not be able to dock that day. 

Darn it! I was wondering why the view (although beautiful) was so far in the distance.

To make matters worse, there were no ports in the surrounding area that were allowing cruise ships to dock.  So, we had another "fun day at sea."  And a fun day at sea is great...except when you're sea sick and getting off the boat is a priority beyond simply seeing the sights.

So we enjoyed the ship.  We played mini golf.  We swam.  We watched the kids go down the water slides.  We gorged ourselves on chocolate cakes and cookies.  And we enjoyed the magical and balloon-twisting stylings of Mark --one of the ship's entertainers.

I was reminded of the reason that I try to wear at least some sort of make-up on a daily basis: when I don't, I look about 15.  Case in point:

(Ahem. I can't believe I'm posting these pictures, but they're sort of entertaining, so there you have it.)

Yes, that's me with a balloon hat.  And not just any balloon hat.  A penguin balloon hat.  I was the envy of all the other kids. 

Mark thought I was also one of Blake's nieces.  And because he'd just learned that we were Mormon, I didn't want to give him any "Mormon child bride" fodder, so I just kept my mouth shut and let him twist me a penguin.  

Later that day, for some reason that shall remain unsaid (cough, Blake's Dad told them where our room was, cough cough), all 6 kiddos showed up in our room to jump on our bed.  It turned into a bit of a mess, but I think that it helps us maintain our title of "the super cool aunt and uncle."