Well, we did it! Damon and I actually took a vacation alone. I couldn't believe it when we were packing. Still didn't believe it when we were on the plane and was just starting to come around by the time we boarded our cruise ship. But boy was it awesome! We went on a cruise to the Mexican Riveria which included stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Villarta. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We sure took a lot of them. Everything was beautiful; we just wanted to remember all of it.
One of the first things you have to do when you get on a cruise ship is prove that you can get off of it in a hurry. An alarm is sounded, you go to your cabin, put on your lifejacket and report to a designated area on the main deck. I got to be the "line leader" for my group. It all took me back to the first grade...
The first day of the cruise we were on the ship the whole day. It gave Damon the opportunity to climb the rock wall on the ship. He was like a spider he was so fast and quickly rang the bell at the top.
A triumphant Damon.
Damon on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. This is the side of the island the guide told us NOT to swim in. This tide coming in is as close as I would let Damon go.
Here's Joanna as beautiful as a supermodel at a cave entrance on Lover's Beach. The guide told us that in this cave, two come in and three come out. Hmmm....
Our guide was brave enough to let me drive the boat. Hang on everyone!!
This is Damon laughing in the face of death as he watches me drive the boat to Lover's Beach.
A view of Lover's Beach from the ship. We took those little boats on the bottom right, called tenders, to the shore.
Me trying to strike a pose on Lover's Beach in Cabo San Lucas. Steve is that guy in the back yelling "Shark!!"
The four of us on the deck of the ship at sunset. After we saw this picture, we noticed the sunset was so perfect, we didn't think anyone would believe it was real! This is the same deck were we saw dolphins and whales swimming alongside the boat. It was absolutely a gift from Heavenly Father to see those beautiful creatures in the wild.
Who are these sexy people? 
When we woke up in Mazatlan, the weather was rainy and overcast. However, that has never stopped us in the past. We got off that ship as fast as we could, found someone with a boat and paid him $30 to take us to this island, Deer Island, and loan us a kayak and oars (of course), lifejackets and snorkeling gear. We were alone on this beach for about 2 hours before our fellow tourist found us. The ocean was as warm as a bathtub. Gorgeous!!
Here's Damon being his handsome self in Puerto Villarta. We learned that you never go anywhere without your swimsuit.
I just loved this statue right on the pier in Puerto Villarta. I wish I knew what it was for. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice.
Damon and I went for a walk through some of the residential area in Puerto Villarta. This little gazebo and worn out table were nestled under a beautiful lush canopy of trees. You can see by my bedragled hairstyle that it had been raining quite a bit. That didn't stop us from doing anything!
This hacienda was part of a large ranch where we went horseback riding. They also made tequila here as well. We did not sample, but were very eager to see the different flavors and how they are made.
Here Steve, Joanna and Damon (and myself behind the camera) stand outside our ship as we wait for our bus to get the ranch for our horseback riding lesson. Can you see the fear in Joanna's face? She was very brave on our ride, even when her horse bit Steve's horse in the rear end and Steve's horse kicked Joanna's horse right back.
Damon and I with our Head Waiter Thawnee, from Thailand. He was always sure to stop by after we had dinner and chat with us about our day, what we were doing the next day and of course always willing to bring one or two extra desserts!! The crew of the ship work for 5 months straight before getting two months off to go home and visit their families.
Every night we were greeted by a new towel animal in our cabin. I loved it so much I wanted to take some of the fun home to the kids. I went to a demonstration to learn how to make them myself. Bathtime became a lot more fun at our house.
In Puerto Villarta we went to a fabulous restaraunt called "The Blue Shimp." The four of us ordered the shrimp boat which came with 4 different kinds of shrimp in a flaming pirate ship. Definitely worth the 1,050 pesos!!
Of course we had to have margaritas, virgin style of course. Here is Joanna sipping her coconut margarita. We had a great time ordering them until we discovered that they still charged us $6.50 a piece even though they did not have alcohol in them. Oops...
You can tell I got a little bit of sun, eh? Here is Damon and I in Puerto Villarta goofing around a bit.This is a fraction of our wonderful 10th Anniversary celebration. We had so much fun and were so glad that my cousin Joanna and her husband Steve tolerated us for 7 whole days. But you know what? None of it was as fun as coming home to our sweet babies that we missed so much.
