Our Anniversary Cruise ~ 11/11/11

Jared and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary this year and to commemorate the occasion we decided to go back to the place where we first met...in the middle of the ocean...on a cruise! :)  In November we took a 12 day Mediterranean Cruise to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia! We had an absolutely wonderful time and although I couldn't wait to share the trip with you it has taken me several weeks to go through all of the photos I took. As you can imagine, I took a LOT! I'm actually not finished going through them but I did want to get a few photos and stories up for those who have been asking.

A few weeks before our cruise the cruise line called us and said that they were going to upgrade us to a balcony room for no extra cost as a complimentary anniversary gift! Talk about a GREAT surprise! We were so thankful for the upgrade because it allowed us to see every sunrise, every sunset and every port as we sailed in from our balcony. The views were breathtaking. It was wonderful to share such beautiful moments with my best friend in celebration of our love. God has blessed me beyond measure.

Not only did we enjoy each of the ports of call, we also had a great time on the ship itself. We took a train from Switzerland to Civitavecchia, Italy where our ship departed. It was a small little town but the weather was beautiful and we had a view of the beach from our hotel.

The hotel had a complimentary shuttle bus that took us straight to the ship which we were thankful for. We were able to board with no problems, checked into our room and both were giddy about the balcony we had scored! :) First thing we did was check out what the ship had to offer and then put on our swim suits and headed toward to pool. We jumped in the hot tub and started off our vacation right...by relaxing. 

our cruise ship, the Star Princess

Our first day on the cruise

Hot tubbin'!

our bedroom with a balcony

first of many sunrises from our bedroom balcony

first of many sunsets from our bedroom balcony

Along with our excitement about the bedroom with a balcony and the ship itself, we were mutually excited about all of the yummy food. Dining out in Switzerland is a very rare thing because it's not only expensive but the food is quite bland. So we were happy to have some "real" food that I didn't have to cook for a change! I'm pretty sure I gained most if not all of the weight I lost specifically for the cruise. But I'm at peace with that! LOL! It's ok to splurge now and then, right? :)

There was so much to do on the ship each day and night as far as entertainment goes. They had movies under the stars, shopping, comedians, theatre performances, karaoke, games, art auctions, a dance club, a spa, a casino, multiple pools and jacuzzis and more! We were certainly never bored. During one of the theatre shows the magician actually called me up on stage as a "volunteer" for one of his tricks. I don't like being in the spotlight but the guy reminded me of Gob from the T.V. show Arrested Development (overdramatic and takes himself way to seriously) so it was a fun time. I kept hearing The Final Countdown play in my head the whole time and tried not to laugh. :)

center of the ship

theatre on the ship for various shows and performances

main pool and outdoor movie theater

art auction on the ship

martini bar on the ship

at the martini bar

Dinner each night was a treat. It was a formal style dinner with three course meals + dessert and it was fun to try some new dishes and have dessert each night. I consumed my weight in seafood and loved every minute of it. On our actual anniversary the waiter brought us a mini cake and sang to us. The cruise staff also decorated our door with balloons and an anniversary banner. I somehow managed to still fit into the same dress I wore on the cruise where I met Jared eight years ago. I'm sentimental like that and was glad my waist cooperated. :) I also liked going to the perfume boutique on the ship and trying out a new scent each night before dinner...it's the little things. I also enjoyed the two formal nights on the cruise where you get to dress up in evening gown attire and have formal photos taken. You feel fancy and special when you're all dressed up like that. The girly side of me loves that kind of thing.

formal dining room

complimentary anniversary cake

the cruise staff decorated our bedroom door for our anniversary

perfume boutique

on our anniversary 11/11/11

sunset on our anniversary 11/11/11

formal night on the cruise

Well that's a brief summary of our time on board the ship. I plan to share more about each port we stopped in during our trip in separate future posts. We feel incredibly blessed to have each other but equally as thankful to have wonderful family and friends who want to share our lives with us. Hope you enjoy going through life with us. Cheers!

studio portrait on the cruise

Have You Ever Wondered?

Yale scientist, Alexander Tsiaras, uses his training and experience in art, science, technology and journalism to share a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond. Alexander Tsiaras has made a career of using advances in visualization technology to offer vivid tours of the human body. His books have taken readers inside the human heart, the kidneys and vascular system, and also human reproduction. Back in 2002, Tsiaras published From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds, a book that offers a “visual diary of fetal development.” Now, nearly a decade later, he brings that visual diary to video at a conference affiliated with TED.




What’s equally impressive is how he describes what he’s learned from doing these complex visualizations.  He mentions more than once the “divinity” of the process of human development, and about how, even as a mathematician, the extraordinary complexity of human development is many orders of magnitude more than we can comprehend. In other words...human development is miraculous. Each human being is uniquely designed, each of us has our own one-of-a-kind characteristics (our own unrepeatable DNA, fingerprints, etc.), we defy the odds of existence yet despite the odds against us, we exist.....


"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." -St. Augustine

(left to right: Day 1 of conception, 8 week baby, 8 month baby, newborn baby, adult)

I'll never stop being amazed by the fact that each of one us started out as this small, vulnerable trace of a human being and yet from Day 1 - at the moment of conception - managed to have all of the information necessary to grow into the steadfast, established adults we know ourselves as today.

Have you stopped and thought about just how carefully and wonderfully made you are? Don't let the world downplay your value....there has never been and can never be another you. You are not "just another human being" or insignificant...you are set apart(Jeremiah 1:5). You are the only you there has ever or will ever be. You are the first and last of you. You can never be repeated. You are a prodigy. Knowing how remarkably invaluable and immeasurable you are should help you to see others with the same value and respect. Though we are all unique we all share one thing in common....our humanity, and in turn, our intrinsic value. May this spark a greater understanding and appreciation for Life...not just of your own life, but the lives of all human beings from the moment a new human is created at conception until natural death. We fight to save endangered species everyday...aren't we all exactly that as individuals? The rarest of the rare? Saving one human life means saving an entire species from total extinction. I think each one of us are worth fighting for and on the pages of history I want it to read that I did all I could in this fight for human Life because I believe each individual is irreplaceable. 



(sources) LiveAction.org Google Images TEDTalks

Ultimate Greatness

I want to encourage you to watch the following video all the way through and then stand amazed by its revelation.



Talk about powerful. I love it when God's Word is punctuated like this. Showing us once again that everything God says in The Bible is true. The Creator of all we see, hear, smell and touch IS worthy to be praised....don't let the stars outpraise you. Let us all join in the Divine Symphony and let our lives sing of His glory and power and grace! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!

Sharing The Love

This time next week I will be on a cruise ship celebrating 4 years married to my best friend and it has me thinking about just how blessed I am...how blessed I've been. Looking back on our love story I can see the hand of God all over the pages.

8 years ago, in the summer of 2003, I looked into the eyes of my future for the first time. Of course, I had no idea then that this blue-eyed boy from Kentucky would be my husband. But right there on that cruise ship...in the middle of the ocean...
our love story began. All love stories are beautiful, but ours is definitely my favourite. :) It's a story I never grow tired of telling. And it's a neverending story that I love more and more as it unfolds.

July 2003, the very first night we met on the cruise :)

God is definitely in the details. Afterall, He is the Creator of love. The Perfector of miracles. The Divine matchmaker. And the King of happy endings. Without Him at the center, our story would read a lot differently. Our relationship is definitely not perfect because there are times when we try to take the pen from God and write the pages ourselves. But there are more moments that I am proud of than not and that is purely by the grace of God! Any good found in us is simply a reflection of God's grace.

11/11/07 our wedding day

Praising the Lord for a lifetime of His grace and 4 wonderful years of marriage with my masterpiece of a husband. We are both blessed to have such amazing friends and family in our lives to share these moments with. We love you all!

most recent photo of us :)

Parable Of The Lost Sheep

Jared and I went for a walk this afternoon and came upon a field of sheep. I, of course, stopped to photograph the sheep and tried my best to get one of them to look right at the camera. I whistled, made kissing sounds, clicking sounds and even shouted "Hey sheep!" and not a single one of them looked at me. They just kept eating the grass and not once looked up despite all the noise I was making.

Then a few moments later a man in a simple shirt and blue jeans appeared. He had his hands in his pockets, he didn't make any noises, he just stood there at the gate and all of the sheep instantly looked up at him and began to bleat and baa in his direction as if they were talking to him. They all just stood there staring at him as if they were waiting for him to make a move and talk back. It was then I realized this man was their shepherd. They definitely recognized him and as he walked down the slight hill, they followed him. They knew him. They ignored me because I was a stranger, but they sought after their shepherd...because he was their leader...their protector...their caretaker.

photo I took of the sheep and their shepherd

I thought about this situation and how it relates to my relationship with my Saviour. There have been a lot of negative comparisons to Christians being like "sheep who follow blindly" but those sheep today didn't blindly follow their shepherd. He had gained their trust by proving himself to be a reliable caretaker, a devoted leader, and a true protector. Just as my Saviour has time and time again proven Himself worthy of my praise and pursuit. I do not follow blindly, I follow because I have experienced His goodness and faithfulness enough times to know that He will always lead me in the right direction.

I didn't always follow Jesus though...there was a time in my life where I ignored Him like He was a stranger. Just like those sheep had ignored me. But He never gave up on me, He continued to chase after me. Just like the lost lamb in Luke Chapter 15....

Then Jesus told them this parable:“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.


I want you to know today that Jesus is pursuing you right now, today. He wants to bring you home with Him and rejoice over you in Heaven. YOU matter GREATLY to Him. This story from Jesus' own lips reveals that your salvation brings Him divine joy. Having you as part of the heavenly family is something to rejoice about indeed! It's impossible to find our way home without Him. In John 14:6 Jesus tells  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." We are all in need of a Saviour (Isaiah 53:6) and Jesus Christ provided the way to Him. All we have to do is follow.