Falmouth, Jamaica

Our second stop was in Jamaica!

  Jealous? 

You should be, and this is why..

It was GORGEOUS!! 

We went to Royal Caribbean's private beach, Red Stripe Beach. White sandy beaches, crystal clear water, employees raking the beach so it was always smooth, and our own little restaurant! It was paradise! The water was so warm and calm, we want to move to that beach forever haha

While we were sitting in the water just flirting with each other Dave actually got stung by a tiny jelly fish!! It hurt him but it wasn't bad enough to get any kind of medical attention. 

 After my man got stung on his tummy.

We were able to try Jamaica's famous Jerk Chicken and oh my delicious! This stuff is to die for! They also make this really dense bread twist that goes with the chicken so well! We could eat it every day! 

 

Once we soaked up a lot of beach time we went into town to shop. And shopping, we did! It was so much fun bartering with the locals for souvenirs. Everything was so cheap, yet so much time and work went into everything they made!

This was how the market looked, everywhere!

We ended up buying a few wood carvings, a bracelet, and a Jamaican ukelele!

After our shopping, sadly it was time to get back on the ship. But the fun wasn't over!

Somehow we ended up at the pool with literally no one else there. We loved it :)

 We swam, enjoyed the drinks and the ice cream!

 He's so cute :)

 Pretty :)

 

For dinner you have the same waiter and assistant waiter every night. You're also assigned a table with the same people at the same time. Which was so cool. We were able to meet the nicest people and got to know them all week long! This particular night was a dance in the dining room while you eat night. 

It was fun, and funny!!

After we partied for a little while we finally chilled out and ate. The assistant waiter was the cutest, quietest little Indian guy ever. He brought around a tray of bread every night but he was so quiet half the time we didn't know he was there! Kind of sad. But this night I chose the banana muffins. The word got around the staff that I was completely infatuated with the bread that every time I turned around the waiter was bringing me more and more.

When they came around with the dessert menu, I was so overly stuffed that I didn't want any. The waiter wouldn't take no for an answer.. So he brought me yet another plate full of banana muffins to take to my room and sent me on my way! I ate a total of 18 banana muffins that night haha

 

This was one of the funnest nights on the cruise! Jamaica was amazing and I definitely recommend it for anyone's vacation destination!

A bunny! :)

Labadee, Haiti

Our first stop was in Labadee, Haiti. It's a very poor but very beautiful place! All the locals were so friendly and always trying to sell you things. They had the nicest beach, but it was busy! We had a few hours to kill before our excursions so we did a nature hike that seriously went straight up! It only took a few minutes to get to the top and once you were there, the view was phenomenal! 

After our hike we went para-sailing!

Coolest. Ride. Ever!

They strapped us to a 400 foot rope, told us not to hold onto the bar cause it will cut off our fingers, hit the gas and up in the air we went! We saw for miles!!

Way up in the air. Our camera was completely zoomed in and this is as close as it got!

Next we went on a jet ski tour around the island. It was neat to learn about the culture while still having fun on the waves. We learned that so much of Haiti doesn't have electricity or any type of running water.. I would die! We're so spoiled here in America! We stopped at a beach called Paradise Cove, it's voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world! It was gorgeous. While we were there about 12 guys in canoe's came out and tried selling us wood carvings. They were so cool but who takes their wallet on a jet ski? We stopped at a beach that's featured in Pirates of the Caribbean but I forgot the name of it, dang it! But basically that part of the island is exactly like in the movie, lots of alcohol and lots of prostitutes!

We hung out on the beach the rest of the day pestering all the little crabs :)

We had a blast in Haiti!! It's a gorgeous island with friendly people. Once we were back on the ship and headed for our next stop we well, partied!

 Dancing under the stars family dance party.

Holy crap this was so fun! Basically it was a big dance off/mosh pit/karaoke party! And you better believe Dave and I ended up on the cruise DVD for our awesome dancing... Twice!! We're kind of famous now :)

I looked forward to the towel animals :)

Sorry for the 50 pictures but it's a lot to document! The next like 7 posts are going to be like this haha

Where's our second stop? Anyone wanna take a guess?

It's coming up tomorrow!!

cruise day 1 + 2

Once we were on the ship and all settled into our room we went and explored the 14 decks. Our ship was seriously so awesome! We found a spot on the ship that became our favorite place to relax and take naps, located the soft serve ice cream, and got our tan on all before we even left the dock!! But once we left we joined in the traditional celebration of leaving the port (basically its a big party on the top deck). Dave was so excited that we saw a Navy SEALS submarine, he made me take pictures!

Those tubes on top are deployment capsules that shoot out mini subs. Pretty cool right?

Once we were out at sea we sat back and watched the horizon disappear.

We ate ice cream every day!

My Titanic moment. Ha!! 

 1st formal night. My poor fried hubby!

We were having the best time just cruising the ocean having a great time with each other! We let loose and just laughed, danced, and drank lots of yummy beverages (virgin of course). Wanna know where our first stop was? Then you'll have to come back tomorrow :) 

Isn't the suspense killing you?!

our caribbean cruise

One month ago we drove from Texas to North Dakota.. 23. Freaking. Hour. Drive. It was the longest most boring day of my life. Once we got there we slept, for an entire week. haha we were so tired! Dave's little brother left for Johannesburg, South Africa to serve a two year LDS mission from the smallest air port I've ever seen.

Once he was in the air our big family went for breakfast at the most amazing little diner ever. I'm kicking myself in the butt for not taking a picture of their pancakes but they were enormous!! I'm talking bigger than a normal size dinner plate!! Massive! But SO good! Anyways, once we were home Dave and I went and got pedicures and I got my nails done by Dave's very talented sister. It was the funniest thing to watch Dave suffer through a pedicure (the man's got crazy ticklish feet).

 haha

The next morning at 3:30 AM we drove to the air port and flew to Orlando, FL. It was my first time being to Florida so I was pretty excited! And it was mine and Dave's first time flying together.

Once we made it to Orlando we went to our hotel and freshened up. We then wandered around Orlando and came across the yummiest Italian Restaurant! Buca Di Beppo.

Luckily for me it was in the mall so we just had to go shopping!! All we bought were some sunglasses for each of us ha! The next morning we woke up and boarded the bus to take us to our cruise liner! 

We finally made it and everything went so smoothly getting on the ship. The first thing we did was head to the buffet. We were starving! Our ship was MASSIVE! We chose Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas and we're so glad we did! It towered over all the other ships in the port!

The Disney Magic ship was right next to ours and it was so cool looking! If we ever take Kyson on a cruise we're so doing a Disney one!

This was the best week of our lives, there was so much to do and so much involved and I'm so excited to share it! I took a TON of pictures, so watch out! :)

Dave's birthday

Dave celebrated his birthday! I had been asking him what he wanted for a while leading up to his day and all he wanted was to be with Kyson and me. I got him a bunch of gifts, took him out for Hibachi, went to the lake, played in the sprinklers, and watched a couple Red Box's.

Even though it was his birthday, it was a day we all needed! 

Happy Birthday baby (3 weeks late)!

I love you!

 

that girl is back!

So after a few weeks of me time and pondering the true meaning of blogging, I'm back!! I really had to think back and remember why I even started my blog. It wasn't to get comments and followers or to win the latest giveaways. I started my blog to make an online scrapbook, to document my little family's life together. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the comments and followers but that's just a perk :)

It was important for me to focus on what's really important in life and I'm sorry but blogging just isn't one of those things. It is a hobby though!

So what have we been up to the last couple months? Well, we've kept up on our weekly date nights, we've both been crazy busy at work and Kyson is growing so big and getting so smart! Yes my three year old can count to 100. Isn't that insane?! I like to think he's the next Einstein :)

Summer is just around the corner but if you live in the south, it's already here! Today's high in Texas was 104... I got myself quite the tan going on which is awesome since I sail away into the waters of the Caribbean in 18 days!! Speaking of summer, has anywhere else been invaded by butterflies?? They are EVERYWHERE! And they aren't just any butterflies, they're the kind that dive bomb you and go straight for your face! It's freaky!

We leave for our vacation in a week and a half! If you live in North Dakota or Florida we will be there shortly. Let's play! I can't believe my brother in law is leaving for Africa for two whole years in less than two weeks! I'm going to miss that kid.

Dave celebrated his 25th birthday. Hello insurance discount! 

So that's what been going on with us. We've just been soaking up each other! I'm excited to blog about my break in detail but I need to ease back into this haha :)

Thank you everyone for been so supportive and patient.

 Also I am dying for a new look to my blog but I am not computer savvy.. at all! So please send me in the direction of someone fabulous who will give me a blog makeover!! I'm pretty desperate :)

 (crappy camera phone picture)

Are we Instagram friends?? My username is blondemadsen.

 I've become slightly obsessed with it :)

a quick update

Oh how I miss all my bloggy friends!!

Well it's officially spring and we're taking advantage.. A LOT! I just wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone. Dave and I are doing great and I'm definitely enjoying my "break". I've been slammed at work and so has Dave, we've been very busy! We still go on our weekly date nights, twice this week and it's only Wednesday! Only a MONTH until we cruise away. A 3 week vacation is exactly what we need! 

Let's see what else is going on? I've been doing a lot of shopping lately and it's been fabulous! We found a field full of Blue Bonnets and we just had to stop and take some pictures. Check it out:

Amazing right?

I finally, FINALLY got into Instagram and I need some Instagram friends! Let's follow each other: blondemadsen, I also connect through facebook.

 Dallas was hit with multiple tornadoes yesterday!! I live only two hours away and saw nothing but sunshine all day! But that's Texas weather for ya..

I miss all of you and will be back from my bloggy break soon! I just need some more time to soak up my family. After all, I'll never get this precious time back with them . Life is too short and Kyson is growing up SO fast!

:)