Wednesday and Thursday cont'd

Okay, I had some time this morning to sort through our cruise pictures and I have them posted both here on the blog (see slideshow) and on my Facebook page. I put captions with them all so they make a bit more sense. Now for the rest of the cruise...
After our fun day in Progreso, we boarded the ship for the start of the trip home. I think that was the evening where we saw our cruise director do some amazing juggling (he juggles, he fiddles AND he cruise directs... quite a jack-of-all-trades) and then we saw a comedian. He was quite funny - he did this whole bit on being a cruise ship during Hurricane Bertha - HILARIOUS! Although, can't say as I want to cruise during hurricane season now!
Wednesday morning dawned gray and dreary. I was hoping the sun would peek out later in the day, but no such luck. It just got rainy and cold. So much for one last play in the pools. Actually, before lunch, Emma did brave the kids' pool at the back of the ship. She had it all to herself since it was drizzling. Natalie and I read under the awning and watched Emma get sloshed around in her own wave pool. Yeah, the seas were a bit stormy so the boat was rocking a bit more than usual, but it wasn't bad.
After Emma's swim we went inside for lunch. The place was PACKED!!! Nobody wanted to eat outside with the rain so it was long lines for food and a table. But as usual the food was GREAT! For dessert I had an ice cream puff shaped like a swan. FANCY! And that was just lunch!!
After lunch we wandered the stores and did a little more gift shopping. Then we played some card games while we watched the boat pitch to and fro from the windows. By the end of the card games we were getting a little stir crazy so Natalie, Becky and I did laps around the inside of the ship. We found a little cart and Natalie tried cruise ship surfing, until the housekeeping staff caught us - then we took off for another floor.
We also wandered outside at the front of the ship and WOW IT HAD GOTTEN COLD!!!! The wind was blowing so hard that Grandma Susan's prediction that Becky or Natalie would fall off the ship almost came true!! We have it on video - I'll post it later!
At 6pm we headed off to the dining room for one last feast. It was delicious, of course. Did anyone else have Baked Alaska for dessert on a Wednesday night? I did!!!
We finished off the day with our last show. This one was called "The Dream Cruise" (we think). Anyway, it was lots of singing, dancing and costume and set changes. A little all-over-the-place for my tastes, but not a bad way to finish off a wonderful vacation.
Thursday morning as we pulled into Galveston we immediately had a taste of what most of Texas had been feeling all week - COLD!!! We found out that Tuesday night brought ice storms to Austin. Dang, and we missed it for Sunny Cozumel! Anyway, we ate a quick (but filling) breakfast before braving the cold as we disemarked.
Overall this was a wonderful vacation!! I have to say though, one of the best moments was waking up Friday morning to a "Thank You" card left outside our bedroom door:
"Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you so much for taking us on the cruise! It was the best time of my life! It was the best Christmas present that I could ever ask for! I know that it was a stretch for money, so I will try extra hard to help out and be a better sister. Love, Nat XOXO PS I could never ask for better parents!
So there you have it folks - you can buy your children's love and have a great cruise vacation too!!! Seriously though, we're cruise addicts, now. Anyone thinking about cruising, call us and we'll go with you!!