Fun in the Sun 2013- It's the End of an Era... Until Next Time

Sunday, August 4, 2013

New Orleans, LA- Back to the REAL WORLD

The view from our Balcony... No crystal clear blue waters :(
But that's ok, I get to see my babies today!

I woke up to the beautiful sunset over New Orleans around 6am and as much as I wanted to stay on the ship last night, this morning I could not wait to get off and get home to my babies! We had not planned to get up until 7 or so but my mind and body had me up and ready to go long before that hour. Chris finally woke up when his alarm went off and we went to breakfast really quick on the Lido Deck Buffet one last time. Despite being the last day and the chefs tired of us, the food and service were yet again SUPERB! You would not have known it was the last day!

Despite being the LAST day and a BUFFET it was pretty good!

We then went back to the stateroom to double check for any luggage and then we headed towards the Renoir Main Dining Room which was our holding area to disembark. We had the "FASTER TO THE FUN" priority sticker which allowed us to disembark right after the Self-Assist people who were carrying their own luggage. This was great because by 8:15 we were walking off the boat and by 8:55 we were back at our hotel (Across the River), with a fully-loaded car and on the road towards Houston. This is UNBELIEVABLE in terms of Cruise Ship Disembarkation's! Once again, if you are going on a cruise in the near future, check with your cruise line for this type of service. It is WELL WORTH the $50 per cabin! Best investment of the whole trip!

One last picture aboard The Carnival Conquest! It's been fun!

By 9 am we were on I-10 beginning the 6.5+ hour trip back to see our babies! We called both sets of grandparents to check in on the kids and see how things went. It was then that we found out that poor baby Luke cut his finger playing with a candle and had small insect bites on his arms and legs. This happened while at my parents house in Arp and it could have been anything from Chiggers to an allergic reaction to some of the plants and flowers kept at my Mom and Dad's house. He was completely fine and healthy when we arrived later in the day so I was not that worried. Besides, between the 4 grandparents, they had raised 5 children so we trusted them completely! If it weren't for them and their kindness to love and spoil their grand kids while we were gone, we would not have been able to go at all! Thank you Ron and Shirley and Dan and Jackie... We REALLY appreciate! Same time next year? (Just kidding... well maybe a little) No really, Thank you ALL SO MUCH! We love you so much!

We stopped in Baton Rouge for another cup of Community Coffee which I have now learned to love just as much if not MORE than Starbucks! That coffee is really good. If you are ever in Baton Rouge, stop and get some... It is AWESOME!

Oddly enough, our first meal off of the boat was WAIT FOR IT... Taco Bell! EWWWWW... I know, I know! Gross! But convenience played a MAJOR role at this point of the game. We had not seen our babies for 10 days and we just wanted to get home!

Somewhere around Beaumont we heard a small noise and was not sure what it was. Sure enough, when we got home to Conroe we noticed my tire was nearly completely flat. We took it to the gas station to air it up and then immediately to Firestone Tires to fix it. Luckily, this was close to our subdivision so Dan came and picked us up so we could see the kiddos! (I was about on Pins and Needles at this point... Thanks Dan for coming or I would have lost it)

We got to Dan and Jackie's house and there they were ALL GROWN UP! I swear they each grew 2-3 inches in those short 10 days. Natalie ran and gave us hugs and started to tell us all about her week while poor Luke looked at us funny and then ran towards Gigi Jackie. This broke my heart a bit but I figured this would happen! We were able to pick up the car later that evening and come to find out we ran over a nail and had to get it replaced, bummer, but at least it is fixed and it happened close to home and AFTER the cruise instead of BEFORE! Count your blessings!

I don't think Luke liked his Island hat...

Natalie liked her Hello Kitty Marshmallow Pop

Natalie and Luke with all their Souvenirs from The Caribbean

Natalie liked the Island Hat... Imagine That!

These were on my counter waiting for me when we got home from the kids (And Gigi Jackie)
This was the SWEETEST thing and I will NEVER forget it! Thank you!

It was a WONDERFUL trip and we could not be more grateful to our parents for keeping our kids and for God The Almighty for allowing us to be able to take such a wonderful trip! Thank You, Lord! It was truly amazing!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!