thesellers.net

Things took a turn for the worse during our second night on board. Tropical Storm Fay (soon to become Hurricane Fay) was headed right for Bermuda a little ahead of us. While we didn’t sail through the storm, it did mean we had 10-15 foot waves tossing our ship around.

We woke up Sunday morning to this and headed to breakfast. The dining room was crazy, as the carts of food kept rolling around and toppling over. There were barf bags strategically placed all over the ship. Jen’s Zumba class was cancelled. I was feeling queasy, so I headed to our room to lie down. Jen said she felt OK, so she went to the fitness center. She tried the elliptical machine, but it was too crazy with the boat rocking. She tried the treadmill, but she could see the ocean which made her queasy too. So she headed down to the room to lie down as well.

She lasted about 10 minutes before she lost her breakfast. We then spent much of the day lying down in our room (though we did leave to get a light lunch around noon). We probably napped for 4 hours that day, but it wasn’t peaceful sleeping.

Later in the afternoon things started to calm down. We were originally supposed to get into Bermuda at 3:00 that afternoon, but they closed the port due to the storm. We did end up getting into port around 6:00. We were scheduled to eat dinner on the ship at 7:00, so we didn’t really have any time to do anything that day. We did hop off the ship both to set foot on solid ground and to technically be in Bermuda. We took advantage of the opportunity to get a picture with our ship.

We were only off the ship for about 15 minutes, but it felt good none-the-less. We were happy we didn’t have anything else scheduled that day, as all excursions had been cancelled due to storm damage. Bermuda got hit very hard by the storm, which we’d learn about more as our stay continued.

Previous day | Next day

Our second day on the cruise went very well. We got up early so Jen could take a Zumba class on the pool deck. We played some cards. I played in the Adult Table Tennis Tournament and took home the bronze medal (they did actually give out medals). And all along our sea sickness patches kept working.

That night was a formal night, and also the night assigned to be our anniversary celebration. The wait staff sang to us and brought us an extra dessert with a candle. It was lots of fun.

Here we are after dinner. Excuse our odd color from all the neon lights around us.

We then went to the big show of the night - a Motown group that sang lots of fun old songs.

Our room steward would sometimes leave us these fun towel animals after he made the room up for the evening. I believe this is a floppy-eared dog.

Our second day at sea was a good one, and we were looking forward to getting to Bermuda the next afternoon.

Previous day | Next day

Jen and I did not take our usual anniversary trip last year due to the move. So, this year we decided to make our trip a big one. We decided to go on a cruise for the first time. Here we are atop the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas ready to leave the port of Baltimore and head to Bermuda.

It’s a six night cruise, with a couple days at sea, a couple days in Bermuda, and a couple days at sea to get home. Note that there are no kids in this picture - the girls stayed with Grams while we got away (thanks again Grams!).

This was my first cruise, and Jen’s first since she was a preteen. So, we don’t have a lot of experience with cruise ships. That said, the ship had a lot to offer. Here’s Jen on deck 10, overlooking the main pool on deck 9.

The ship had a second pool with a retractable glass roof called the Solarium. This pool was adults-only, making it a nice calm place to relax. Jen’s checking her email with the last bit of connectivity before we left port.

Our stateroom was tiny. I had to use my fisheye ultra-wide angle lens to get a picture of it. But its size didn’t bother us. The tiny bathroom was a bit more challenging (think airplane bathroom with a shower the size of a garbage can tacked on).

A couple hours after we left port, we both started feeling the effects of the motion. Fortunately, Jen had gotten four sea sickness scopolamine patches from her doctor, each lasting three days. That meant she had enough for the both of us. So, we both stuck them on, and they helped a lot with the motion sickness. Unfortunately, we also got many of the side effects (dry mouth, blurry vision and dilated pupils, and bloodshot eyes), but that was better than feeling sick.

The first day was a good day, but there was much more to come...

Molly’s class took their first field trip of second grade to the Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club’s Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum. It’s a non-functioning farm that they use to teach about what it was like on a farm before electricity. I went along.

It was an action-packed day with 10 groups and 10 stations. Each station got 8 minutes to present what they wanted to show, so there was no time for goofing off. Fortunately, large groups of second graders never goof off...

Our first stop was the blacksmith, who made a mini horseshoe for us.

We then processed corn stalks, learned about grains, checked out where they milked cows, learned about making brooms, made some rope, and learned about bees (sorry, no pictures).

Next, Molly used the corn sheller to remove all the kernels from this ear of corn, leaving her with only a cob.

She took those kernels and put them in the grain mill to make cornmeal.

After that, we headed into the farmhouse to see how they did laundry, cooked, and lived without electricity.

The kids had a good time and learned a good bit, but it was an exhausting pace. I think all the parents breathed a sigh of relief when the kids got back on the bus to head back to school.

Our final day in Alabama was not quite as busy as Saturday. We went to church in the morning. In fact, I even got to play guitar and sing there. Uncle J was supposed to lead a children's worship time, but he was sick and lacking much of a voice. So, he brought me along for a little help. He played banjo and harmonica while I played guitar, and we both sang. The kids seemed to enjoy it.

After church, we went out to eat with Great Uncle Ted and Great Aunt Jeannie. Then we headed back to the house to pack up and head to the airport.

As they always do, the girls made sure to study the safety information for our airplane.

Safety comes first, but silly comes second.

On Saturday, we headed to Auburn for the first time in 8 years. Our first stop was the Auburn Wesley Foundation, where Jen and I spent much of our time during college. Here we are with David, the director there that also happened to marry us.

The church next to the Wesley Foundation, Auburn United Methodist Church, is where Jen and I got married. We wanted to show the girls inside, but it was locked up. So, we got a picture on the front steps.

We took advantage of having Rosh Hashanah off of school to head to Alabama. The girls have wanted to go to an Auburn game for a while, and we decided this would be the year. So, we planned to go down to Alabama to see Jen's family, and all of us would go to the game on Saturday.

We flew into Birmingham Thursday night. Friday morning Emmie had school, but the rest of us adventured to AirWalk for some trampoline fun. Leah got the hang of the big jump into the foam pit very quickly.

Everyone got in on the jumping action, even G’Mom.

Molly and Jen did some synchronized jumping.

We headed back to the house for lunch, and the kids got in a little porch play before lunch.

JJ doesn’t need to look at me to throw toys at this photographer. Duck!

Emmie was in for a surprise when she got off the bus to such fanfare.

And we were in for a surprise when Emmie told us she’d lost a tooth at school that day.

We then headed over to visit with Grandma Dot.

Molly had plenty of stories to tell Grandma Dot.

Leah must have told Grandma Dot something shocking to elicit this face. Either that or she’s become a vampire in her old age and is about to take a bite out of Leah.

The girls then put on an impromptu dance show for Grandma Dot.

That evening, we had an Auburn parade. Both Jen and G’Mom had made new Auburn outfits for all four kids. So, they showed them off, accessorizing them with megaphones. JJ might need a lesson in how to use a megaphone.

Here are the Auburn clothes Jen made. She made JJ’s shirt, Emmie’s dress, Molly’s skirt, and Leah’s dress.

G’Mom also made the kids Auburn clothes. She made all 3 girls’ dresses, as well as JJ’s shorts.

Then it was early to bed, as we had to get up early the next day to head to Auburn for the game.

For her birthday, Leah got two giant Lego projects - Rapunzel's Tower with 299 pieces and Olivia's House with 695 pieces. Leah's gotten very good at patience, focus, manual dexterity, and other skills required for Lego construction. With Jen's help, she managed to assemble Rapunzel's Tower in a couple of hours spread over two days. Then she constructed Olivia's House with my assistance over the course of a couple hours a day for three days.

Good work, Leah.

Leah’s preschool had a picnic (as they do every year) and lots of fun was to be had. Molly found if she stood on this stone wall, she could pop the bubbles that floated up high.

Molly loves to hula hoop. She was doing 4 hoops at one time later as well.

Molly found an old preschool friend (the older sister of one of Leah's classmates), who showed Molly how to make a hula hut.

These girls thought they could hide from my camera. They were wrong.

Molly does love to spin.

We also had some yummy waffles from the La Pearl waffle truck. We'll pretend like that was a healthy dinner and not a dessert.

We’ve debated taking the girls to a full-size amusement park (as opposed to one for little kids) for some time. We’re also debating a trip to Orlando, and thought this might be a good low-cost experiment to see how they handle a full-size park with full-size rides. So, we spontaneously (yes, shocking for us, I know) decided to go to Hershey Park, then headed up a couple days later. The girls are very excited to be in the Sweetest Place on Earth.

Leah was very excited about a boat ride, so our first stop was the Coal Cracker - a flume boat ride with a big plunge at the end. Molly sat with Jen in the front of the boat.

And Leah sat with me in the back of the boat.

Jen took two Dramamine in order to be able to ride rides, but she still wasn’t going to get on the tea cups. So, it was me and the girls. And Molly got sunscreen in her eye, which meant she had trouble with the sun. So, she stole my hat and covered her left eye.

Molly and I went to the bathroom to wash out her eye while Jen and Leah stood in line for the Skyview. We got back in time to watch them soar above everyone.

Eventually, I convinced the girls to try out a roller coaster. We went for the little Cocoa Cruiser. It’s so small that they let you go around three times before you get out. Leah handled it well and did not freak out or get scared, but afterward calmly said she did not like it and did not want to do another roller coaster. Molly, on the other hand, was excited to do a bigger roller coaster.

As a reward for trying the roller coaster, we got ice cream. Molly went for a Pepsi float, and Leah got a cup. Both were comically large.

This is the Sweet Swing, and it is just a giant swing. It is a very simple, but the girls loved it. They did it twice, and would have kept going all day if we’d let them.

Second time, still fun.

Next, Molly and I went to try out her first big roller coaster - the Comet. It’s a wooden roller coaster (which I love) that seemed like a good first coaster. Molly was very excited.

What we didn’t realize was that the Comet began with a 96 foot drop. As you can see, Molly got scared. But she recovered quickly and had a great time on the rest of the ride, smiling and yelling along the way.

Here’s proof that Molly was smiling at the end of the ride. She said it was great, and wanted to ride on another roller coaster.

While Molly and I waited for the Comet, Jen and Leah went back to the Skyview. Here’s the two of them high up above the ground. They actually saw us on the roller coaster from their high-up vantage point.

Jen and Leah then headed to the Carousel while Molly and I sought out another roller coaster.

Molly and I next rode the Trailblazer, a steel roller coaster with no big drops (though some pretty tight turns and good speed). She loved it.

After being separate for a bit, the girls were excited to ride something together again.

We then ate some dinner and left the park, but not to head home. We headed over to Chocolate World. We took the Great American Chocolate Tour, which the girls claimed was their favorite part of the whole trip. Then we bought a big pack of Twizzlers, a giant Hershey's Kiss, and stuffed toy versions of those same candies.

Finally at 8:40, we were on the tram ready to head back to our car. It was a very long day.

The girls had a lot of fun and were immediately asking when they could go back. I'm not sure when that'll be, but I give Hershey Park a thumbs up as well.