Report on my CRUISE!!

So the Bahamas were pretty incredible!!! There was a group of 32 of us. I think about 20 of us from Nashville and 12 from Utah came out. I, along with the girls in most of my pictures - Lori, Stephanie and Sarah - flew to Ft. Lauderdale and took a taxi to the Port of Miami. We were supposed to leave at 5 and didn't leave until a little after 6 because there was a ginormous rain and lightning storm. The storm sort of put a damper on our bon voyage party but we didn't let it get us down. Friday was spent eating, karaoking, dancing, and basically living it up! We went to bed around 3:30 and woke up at 7 to find ourselves at the Bahamas. We ate breakfast on the ship and then headed off into the sun. Well, it wasn't overly sunny, in fact pretty overcast but still warm. We played in the water and laid out on the beach most of the day. We also went shopping at the marketplace there. We had to be back in the ship by 5:30. That night we ate dinner, went to a comedy show, went to another dance party, got some professional photos taken, played games with our group and stayed up late again. We went to bed around 3 again and woke up at the Norwegian Island. This island is owned by our cruiseline. When we woke up we went down for breakfast and then went to Sacrament Meeting in the library of the cruise. We got permission from our Bishop! It was great to be able to feel the Spirit so strongly while on the same ship as drunk partiers. We spent another awesome day spent on the beach. I played volleyball, swam in the beautiful and warm ocean, laid out, ate great bbq, etc. We had to be back on the ship by 4:30. Once we got back on we went straight to the pool and laid out some more and watched the bands play. That night we got dressed up nice and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. The food was sure tasty. Then we went to another show. Did more karaoke-ing. Went to another dance party, etc etc. The next morning we got up and ate breakfast and then took a taxi back to the airport where we sat around all day. We all think we gained 12 pounds over the weekend. It was so fun to have so much food anytime of the day. The cruise was AWESOME and I'm definitely gonna go again sometime. Below are just a few pictures captured. I'll try to get some pictures from Lori's camera to post, she has some really good ones.
Here we are in the taxi on our way to Port of Miami.

Finding our way around the ship - perfect time for a picture. Lori, Stephanie, Sarah & I.

One of the new friends we met. Kappi.

Eating at our Italian restaurant. Stephanie, Lori & Sarah.

A group of us ready for the dance party.

BaHaMaS!!!

There are 32 singles (about 16 from Nashville and the rest Utah, Arizona and Texas) going on a cruise to the BAHAMAS!!! A kid in Nashville found really cheap tickets and organized it all. We will be gone from June 5 - 8, short but sweet! I've never been on a cruise or even needed a passport so I'm pretty excited for it! Just wanted to give y'all a heads up and maybe make you a little jealous. I will be posting post-paradise pictures though, don't you worry!

Reunion reminiscing

I'm getting excited to see y'all for the reunion this summer so I was looking through the old pictures of 2007's reunion. I thought these two pictures were funny. When Nate is getting fixed all the boys were staring but when Shelly was getting fixed Shannon and I were in the zone! I'm sure I was just worried about moving and the photographer having to fix me again! I can't wait to see y'all so soon.

Trip to Nauvoo!

Last weekend I had such a great time with Paul, Lindsay, Sabrina and Lucy. It was just fun to be with FAMILY. It has been a while and I was just happy to be with them. Below are a few pictures and even a video for the viewer's pleasure. The neatest part for me was seeing Edmond Durfee's grave and learning about his story and also getting to do baptisms with Paul. We also saw the red brick store, Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's graves and took of tour of Carthage Jail. There is so much more to do there but we didn't have time with such a short weekend. It was an 8 hour drive for me on Friday and 8 hours again on Sunday but it was well worth it. Thanks Paul and Lindsay! Love you guys.

Last few days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRITTAN!

Last Saturday was the Southeast Region of the United States' Service Day and also the Nashville Marathon! It was a busy but awesome day. Sarah, Lori and I volunteered at Corral #9 (the corral our friends were starting their race in) at the marathon. We had to be there at 4:30a.m. The race didn't start until 7:00a.m. We were done volunteering around 8:30 so Lori and I rushed to the church to give blood (part of our service). It took longer than we were planning. As soon as we were done we went back to the marathon to see our friends cross the finish line. The best part of the day of course was that it was 87 degrees outside!!! Then, Sarah, Lori and I volunteered at the 2nd Harvest Food Bank where we prepared lunches for underprivileged kids. Then that night the YSA had an ice cream social.

Tonight some friends and I went to the Bluebird Cafe to see our friend perform. He is a singer/songwriter out here and pretty amazing! The Bluebird is also where Faith Hill was discovered! I took my camera just in case anyone famous walked in but I didn't see anyone. One of these days I will be standing next to someone famous.

Hey y'all,

It's been too long since my last post. I don't have much to report. Nothing really noteworthy has happened so I thought I would post a few pictures at least. Below are some candids. I have made a ton of fantastic friends out here! We have about 60 - 70 active young single adults with the potential of 100s more. We all have lots of fun together and everybody always seems to get along with each other. Two sisters out here are hosting Easter dinner for all of the singles on Sunday. I am really looking forward to it!!!

Tammy and I

Stephanie and I having a contest - she definitely won!

Stephen and I preparing for some volleyball.

Josh going up for the set.

FHE - we cleaned the White's home because Sis. White has arthritis.

Playing ball with the boys.

Sarah and I posing for the camera.

Lori and I at the Sounds baseball game - season opener!

Houston 2009

Lori and I spent the last few days in Houston, TX with our favorite Texan family. The week was so wonderful. The weather was in the low 80's. We went to the Houston rodeo and watched Clay Walker in concert. He is a great performer. We also got to meet Christie's boyfriend for the first time and got to know him better. He's a keeper. I got my first sunburn of the season just by sitting outside for a few hours when it was overcast. I love being sunburned! It was a fantastic weekend and it was hard to come back.