Happy Spontaneous 12th Anniversary

"So...what should we do for our anniversary?"  "When is it?" "In a couple weeks."  "Hmm...I wonder if we can get any last minute deals on a weekend cruise..."  "That would be fun, but what about the kids?  They'd have to go to grandparents overnight."

That's how it began -- so Chris found a 3-day cruise for that weekend, I got the grandparents to agree to a couple overnights, we booked it, and we looked forward to a short getaway that turned out to be very refreshing.

We left on Friday, 5/1 and returned on Monday 5/4.  The ship left Long Beach late (we must have been on Mexican time already), and ported in Ensenada for a day, then we spent a day at sea on our actual anniversary, and thankfully made it back despite the incoming storm.  We could feel the ship moving, even had to watch our step at one point, but we are thankful for our strong stomachs and were not phased by the movement (unlike some of our dinner mates who didn't make it to dinner).  We were also thankful not to be on the other cruise that one day prior had to dock in San Diego and bus everyone up to Long Beach rather than finishing their trip on ship due to the waves.

On Friday afternoon Chris wanted to hit the water slide right away--a child at heart.  There were few children on board and the weather was chilly so the line was short.

We ventured into town in Ensenada and found out that was the day of the annual Rosarito-Ensenada bicycle race and we were at the finish line, hosted by Papas & Beer across the street in this picture.  We ate street tacos and drank the complimentary tequila shots while enjoying the view from a restaurant with a balcony.

It was strange to not use our cell phones for so long, but we turned them off since we were "roaming" internationally.  I think that's part of what made the trip refreshing--being untied to the device.

I almost wish I had taken my wedding dress to pose for a picture on the ship, but that would have been a bulky item to pack.  I posed with a sombrero and maracas to commemorate the trip. :-) Photo credits to the kids who love playing photographer and had me posing every which way.