"How'd You Like To Spend Christmas...On Christmas Island?!"

"How'd you like to spend the holiday away across the sea? 

How'd you like to spend Christmas on Christmas Island? 

How'd you like to hang a stocking on a great big coconut tree?"

I have been humming this Christmas tune a lot lately, first of all because it is on the new Kristen Chenoweth CD I treated myself to a few weeks ago and my kids love it to sing along to it.  Second of all because my husband and I got to do something amazing and out of the ordinary this December.  We got to celebrate our 10 year anniversary by sailing away for 6 nights, just the two of us, on a Caribbean cruise!  Our honeymoon wasn't even that long, and it is the longest we've vacationed ever in 10 years of marriage!  You may remember our 10 year anniversary was in June, but when Jimmy found a deal on a cruise that would equal two, maybe three nights in a local hotel on the beach (with no food or activities included) we knew it would be worth the wait to celebrate.  And celebrate we did!

We snorkeled with stingrays in the Caymen Islands and then went to Tiki Beach where I took the best nap of my life...

Did a little sightseeing in Jamaica...

Relaxed together in the Bahamas...

We had fun walking the track on the top deck several mornings, playing mini golf, in line skating, and ice skating on the ship!

We also relaxed on the ship - reading, napping, watching shows, and taking it all in.  It was surreal!

We laughed a lot.  If you had seen this ballroom dance competition with volunteers from the audience, you would have been laughing too!  Oh my goodness. Jimmy's impression of one of the real ballroom dancers was pretty hysterical too.  :)

Of course being on a cruise, we ate!  We enjoyed every meal, pinching ourselves each time that there was no bill coming at the end!  I relished not having to prepare meals or do dishes, and enjoyed the fresh fruit, readily available hot coffee, shrimp and seafood, and unlimited desserts.  As for Jimmy, well, he got his share of potatoes in every form possible and loved every minute!  We didn't eat until 8:30 each night and were up and going pretty early each morning, so one of my favorite times was around 5:00 when we would go to a cafe on the Promenade and get a coffee, small sandwich, and some baked goodies.  I love snack time!  :) And again, ordering from a cafe and not having a bill to pay is just so strange and wonderful!

We had fun taking our time getting ready for dinner each evening after lots of sun and fun during the day.  My mom was looking at some of my pictures and made the comment that my hair looked good.  I was like, yeah, I actually had time to do it!  (I'm telling you, this trip was surreal!)  It was a treat to dine together in the lovely dining room each evening...six date nights in a row!

Two evenings were formal nights and we got a little extra snazzy which was fun...

We took in sunsets, jazz music, and other happenings on the ship.

The whole thing was as Scripture says, exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or think.  It is still unbelievable to me the deal Jimmy found - what a gift that was.   From start to finish it was a lovely time away.  In ten years we have never had that much time to simply relax.  We had no agenda but to simply enjoy new destinations, good food, fun activities, and each other.  I am still pinching myself that we actually got to do this.  God is so good.

We were anxious to see the kids after six nights away, and it was a sweet reunion!  They had been having a ball with Grammie and Paw Paw though and busy with school, so the week had gone quickly.  We hit the ground running when we got back and entered into 10 extremely busy days in a row with family, church, ministry, friends, and school which is why I haven't been able to share much lately on here.  But the past day or two things are slowing down again as the kids are on Christmas break and the big day approaches rapidly.  What a wonderful season!  I hope and pray that you are enjoying the celebrating, the worshiping, the time with family.  Take time to enjoy!

Love, Blessings, and Dreams of Christmas Island,

Jennifer