Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

The Suite Life of Chris and Kellie- Mariner of the Seas June 2026

The Suite Life of Chris and Kellie
Mariner of the Seas 
June 13-18, 2026
Galveston, TX (Western Caribbean) 

This was a cruise for the memory books and it was... SUITE!

After 29 cruises... we are addicted and love this form of travel as we believe it holds the best overall value. This particular cruise was a chase for becoming DIAMOND on Royal Caribbean as it is our favorite cruise line. To become DIAMOND a cruiser must have 80 "cruise points" total. A cruise night is 1 point but sailing in a SUITE or HIGHER allows DOUBLE points which meant we needed to sail in a suite to become DIAMOND before Natalie's Graduation cruise in 2027. We chose this 5 night sailing out of Galveston which in turn gave us exactly 80 cruise points; a year ahead of our Graduation Cruise goal. Even sailing a Junior Suite in the middle of the summer was only $1125/ per person (which is on the lower end of "mid pricing" to be honest). This was a splurge to say the very least but we LOVED this experience and would sail in a Junior Suite again in a heartbeat. The perks, double cruise points, and the stateroom itself was HIGHLY worth this price point! I would recommend EVERY ONE sail in a suite at least once in their life! 

We have cruised 13 previous times with Carnival, 12 times with Royal Caribbean, 2 times with Norwegian, 1 time with Princess and most recently 1 time with MSC Cruise Line. 

This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Mariner of the Seas as well as all of the unique and awesome perks of sailing in a Suite! You do not want to miss these posts! 

Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Galveston, information about cruising to the Western Caribbean as well as great information about Mariner of the Seas.  

Check out our 5 Day Cruise to Mexico:

Day #1- This Cruise will be... SUITE!

Day #2- The Easy Life

Day #3- Port Day Special

Day #4- Pins and Needles

Day #5- Breakfast on the Balcony

We LOVED The Mariner of the Seas but especially loved getting to enjoy her while sailing in a SUITE. The suite life was GLORIOUS! 

Up Next... The Symphony of the Seas in just a few days! 

Coming Soon:

Symphony of the Seas- July 2026
Liberty of the Seas- December 2026
Freedom of the Seas (Graduation Cruise)- June 2027

 God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
MSC Seascape- April 2026








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Friday, December 6, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- June 2024

  Sailing from South Beach- Independence of the Seas
June 1-6. 2024
Miami, FL


We loved sailing from Miami!

It's hard to believe this was my TWENTY-FOURTH cruise but here I am... Killing it on the HIGH SEAS! While 24 cruises may seem a little extreme, this is our favorite way to travel and the easiest for our family. This was also our 1st cruise that sailed from the cruise capital of the world- Miami, FL and we LOVED IT! 

 We have cruised 13 previous times with Carnival, 7 times with Royal Caribbean, 2 times with Norwegian and 1 time with Princess. 

This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Independence of the Seas as well as a highlights from our travel days getting to Miami and our time at South Beach as well as specific details for our return to Coco Cay and our home away from home- Cozumel, Mexico! 

Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Miami, FL, information about Perfect Day at CoCo Cay as well as great information about Independence of the Seas. 

Check Out our Cruise: 

Travel Day & Miami- Why We Always Fly in Early

Day 1- A Sail-away for Cruise LOVERS

Day 2- Perfect Day at CoCo Cay

Day 3- Trivia Losers

Day 4- Chops Grille Never Disappoints

Day 5- The Royal Caribbean Keychain

Day 6- God Bless Texas

Once again, thank you for following along and support our business! I hope this will help someone planning a cruise on the Independence of the Seas (or sailing from Miami, FL) or planning to get back to cruising after the pandemic... Or even a first time cruiser! Feel free to reach out with any questions! 

Up Next... ALASKA with the kids for 13th and 16th Birthdays! 

Anthem of the Seas- May 2025

WE CANNOT WAIT!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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Monday, June 12, 2017

Birthday Bash by the Beach

The Historic Pleasure Pier- Galveston, TX 
Memorial Day Weekend 2017

Our KICKOFF to Summer 2017!

It was Memorial Day weekend 2017 and Chris and I were nearing the end of the school year. My district was done with students and only had 2 more professional days and Chris's district had 3 more days with kids and 1 professional day. My parents had given Chris an amazing EXPERIENCE for his 39th birthday... A trip to the Historic Pleasure Pier in Galveston. The Pleasure Pier had ticket options but this pack came with 2 unlimited ride passes (normally $26.99/ per person) and a $50 Landry's gift card for $85. It was WELL WORTH THE PRICE and I would highly recommend this package to anyone! 

We enjoyed a kid free Saturday as our kiddos left with my parents on their annual baseball trip the day before. We enjoyed dinner out and the movies as well as some much needed rest and relaxation before the FUN weekend in Galveston. 

Sunday
When we woke up on Sunday morning to load the car Chris noticed my front passenger's window was broken. We took nearly an hour to clean up all of the glass from the car and even the drive way. I was a little shaken up from the whole ordeal and we thought about cancelling the trip but it was non-refundable and it was too late to cancel the hotel so we put my damaged car in the garage and headed south.


There was glass EVERYWHERE... Of course, we didn't think to take a picture until after we vacuumed most of it up! 


Once we got home we tried to tape it up but it was just a disaster! 

We enjoyed breakfast on the go and made our way to the Pleasure Pier. It was a holiday weekend but surprisingly was not as crowded as we expected. We parked our car at the hotel, which was directly across the street from the Pleasure Pier. We got our tickets and wristbands and headed straight to the roller coaster thinking there would be a line but we got right in. In fact, the lines were very minimal, especially for a holiday weekend, and we rarely had to wait anymore than 15 minutes to ride any of the rides.


After an eventful morning... WE HAVE ARRIVED! 

Let the FUN begin! 


Beach Selfie! 


The seagulls were out in FULL force... Well not OUT but more like LAZY! 


A view of the Southwest side of Galveston Island/ Seawall! 


The Northeast side of the island looking out towards Galveston Bay and Harbor!
(The tall building is EAST BEACH and the entrance to the harbor... We always know our cruise is over when we see it!) 


The Texas Star swing ride... this became our favorite ride!
The Iron Shark roller coaster was in the background- If you like coasters, this one was AWESOME! Seriously on the top of my all-time list! 


The RCCL Liberty OS and Carnival Breeze loading up for another week at sea! 


Two gorgeous beauties... Oh how I cannot wait to be on them
Breeze- July 2017
Liberty Of the Seas- "tentative" June 2018

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying all of the rides with little to no lines. We even got to see both the RCCL Liberty of the Seas as well as the Carnival Breeze set sail from the Galveston Harbor. This was a discussion point for the rest of the afternoon as we are true cruise ADDICTS! We would set sail on the Carnival Breeze in 7 weeks so we started planning and thinking about it! We were even tempted to go and see if any cabins were available... I mean we were kid free for the rest of the week! It was hot and muggy with little overcast so we went back to check in to the hotel around 5PM.


The Carnival Breeze is setting sail... 7 weeks (now 5 at time of writing) and that will be US!
Cruise #11 WITH THE KIDS is 1 month away! 


If you squint and look closely you can see the Liberty of the Seas leaving the bay too! 
We were staying at the Four Points by Sheraton on Galveston Seawall and it was just across the seawall from the Pleasure Pier. The location was ABSOLUTELY perfect and worth the price. It was very well maintained and perfect for a weekend at the beach or Pleasure Pier. We paid $207/ night which is a lot but it is ON the beach and perfect location. Also, it WAS a holiday weekend. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is planning a trip to the Pleasure Pier and look for lower rates during the week. 

A view of our hotel (the red building) from the Ferris Wheel... Such a great find! 

A view of the Pleasure Pier from our room! 

We checked in and got settled then walked back to the pier to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. This was a fantastic meal as we were able to sit on the porch in the shade and enjoy the cool ocean breeze while eating some amazing Cajun seafood!


The Bubba Gump patio... PERFECT dining even on a hot Texas evening! 

We walked around the pier a little bit before going back to the room to let the food settle in the AC. After nearly and hour of settling we got back out and rode some the rides at night which was perfect as the cool breeze was nice and crisp and the sights were gorgeous. We ended the evening with a WAY TOO BIG funnel cake and then went back to the hotel to crash at nearly 11PM.


The Pleasure Pier at night as seen from our hotel! 


Nighttime Selfie! 

Holy cow... This was just TOO MUCH! 

Monday
We woke up with plans to enjoy the beach before the brutal hot sun came out. We got in our beach clothes and made it down to the hotel lobby and saw the waves and wind which were out of control so we decided to go get brunch first and then try the beach later in the day in hopes the waves and wind would die down.


It was FIERCE out there! 

We ate brunch at Sunflower Bakery, a new find my sister told us about, and it was, as always delicious. We made our way back to the hotel and then went to the beach. The waves were still high and the wind was vicious but we braved the weather and enjoyed some time on the beach, nearly all to ourselves.


My Gulf Shrimp Omelet... It was perfection! 


Time for the beach... Not our ideal situation but we made it work! 



Even in the rain, wind and fog, I LOVED our beach day and enjoyed the ocean and beach all to ourselves! I love you Chris Davis and cannot wait for this summer to start! 

We made our way back to our room to shower and pack up before our late check-out time came. We loaded up and then enjoyed driving along the seawall on our way out of town. We made it back to our house by 4PM and got ready for our last week before the OFFICIAL start of summer. These last few days are so easy yet SO HARD because they are full of teacher meetings and professional development that is somewhat redundant and unfulfilling. 

It was a GREAT weekend of feeling like a kid again and enjoying the Pleasure Pier and Galveston Island. We loved the Pleasure Pier and the beach, despite the crazy weather! 

Thank you Mom and Dad for an incredible birthday weekend EXPERIENCE for Chris's birthday! We cannot wait to take the kids in the near future! 

God is Good... All the Time! 
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Row, Row, Row Your Boat


Happy Birthday Chris- Part 1 
May 2015 


Another year down and another year gone. My hubby, Chris, turned 37 this year and as part of his gift from my parents he was given an Adventure Package which included Kayaking on Lake Woodlands in The Woodlands and a skydiving session at iFly Indoor Skydiving in Spring. We chose to do "A Sunday Kayaking Excursion" with Riva Row Boat House in The Woodlands on Sunday, May 17th. This was a 2 hour private kayaking tour of Lake Woodlands and surrounding areas via kayak.

Thankfully my in-laws (who are absolutely AMAZING and are constantly doing SO MUCH for us) took the kids to church with them on this day so Chris and I could enjoy ourselves and the day. It was a muggy and somewhat wet day but we called and they were still having the excursion despite the rain in the forecast. We arrived at 9:40 for our 10:00AM time and it began to rain, quite heavily I might add, but unless there was lightning in the area the excursion would continue as planned and it did. We had to wait for the other 2 couples to arrive and around 10:25AM we got into our kayaks to begin this adventure. We originally thought we would be in a tandem kayak but when given the offer for a solo kayak we both agreed that would be fun and we decided on solo kayaks. This made for a very adventurous and competitive day ahead.



We are ready to start this ADVENTURE! 


We started out by paddling down the canal from the Riva Row Boat House towards Lake Woodlands which was approximately 1/2 mile down the canal. During this time the guide told us all about the new developments and past developments on the canal as well as a wrap up of the previous day's Ironman Texas events. We were kayaking right where they swam part of the 2.1 mile swim. Once we reached the Lake we saw a small island called Mitchell Island which is currently undeveloped but plans have been made to build housing on this island. The guide told us these lots are currently being sold for 2+ million dollars... FOR THE LOT. There are no houses even built yet! Oh to be that rich!


Just getting started and leaving the Riva Row House. 


Headed down the Canal and passing Mitchell Island. 

We then kayaked underneath a very busy road in The Woodlands called Lake Woodlands Drive and past The Woodlands most familiar park North Shore. This park has been our favorite in The Woodlands since we moved here in 2011. This was neat to be able to see the road and the park from the point of view of a kayak!


I just HAD to take a selfie under the bridge! 

We then ventured over into a more business area of the lake and one that is being developed right now. This included business like Whole Foods, a new office building (8-10 stories high) and multiple restaurants as well. This also included several water fountains to which Chris ventured over to cool down. Chris said the water was "refreshing"... I know what this means thanks to our many Jamaican excursions and I said "No thanks!". I am not a huge fan of being wet without being in the pool or ocean/lake. Later in the excursion I wished I would have gotten cooled off as it began to get REALLY HOT AND MUGGY!


Chris headed towards the fountains to cool off! 

After this portion we then headed back to North Shore Park area where Chris and I raced back to the bridge of Lake Woodlands Drive. I won this race because I truly am a natural at kayaking. Chris says it is because he did not have good grips on this paddle style but we all know it is because I am just better! (We are not competitive... NOT AT ALL! Love you honey!) After this we stayed in the center of the lake with the guide as she told us about the many houses and famous house owners on this side of the lake. The last 15-30 minutes of the tour were un-guided and we were given the choice of where we want to go. Chris and I chose to kayaking all around the center portion of the lake just looking at the many gorgeous and massive houses on the lake, one of which was owned by the man who invented the CHI straightening iron. This was a very neat looking house as it was more modern looking than the others and definitely had it's own STYLE so to speak. We kayaked very close to it and even saw a poster of a woman using the chi from a window as well as a boat with CHI on the side.


Chilling out in the center of the lake admiring (and dreaming about) all of the GORGEOUS houses! Oh to be that RICH! 


The CHI house! I thought it was awesome.. Chris preferred some of the more traditional houses! 


We then ventured to the other side of the lake to take another look at Mitchell Island and house on the west side of the lake before being called back in by our guide. Then we went back down the canal to the Riva Row Boat House. This was a very casual return and fortunately we did not exert much effort on the return. Chris did a 6+ mile bike ride that morning and I finished another 5K (3.1 miles) on my treadmill so that combined with 1.5 hours of kayaking... we were sore. With only about 1/4 mile or less to go to the boat house it began to rain and then downpour. We were already wet from the kayaking, not to mention sweaty, so I just kept rowing back to the boat house.

This was AWESOME and we both agree we will be back later this summer. We have even thought about bringing the kids as well. I think Natalie, especially, would like it. I developed a blister so next time I will remember to bring gloves and sunscreen (Poor Chris's legs and face took a pretty bad beating).

Thank you so much for my parents for giving Chris this Adventure and for my in-laws for taking care of the kids while we were out playing!

 God is good... ALL the time! 
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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Let it Go

August 1, 2014 
Can't Hold it Back Anymore... 

My motto for the next 10 days!

For the past 9 months, almost to the day, Chris and I have been living an alternative lifestyle... well, at least for us. We have been making lifestyle changes from our previous days by taking control of our health and OUR LIVES. In November 2013 Chris and I began our journey to new health by beginning to take Plexus Slim, which is a product originally made for diabetics that helps regulate blood sugars. This regulation helps control cravings, hunger and so much more. Since starting in November we have lost over 215 pounds combined and both of us are at our lowest weight of our adult lives. I personally have lost over 55 inches and have dropped nearly 5 pant/ dress sizes. I officially weigh 30 pounds LESS than I did when I got married! I have NEVER felt better! 

During these 9 months Chris and I have made better eating decisions, have added or increased our exercise regimen and have overall changed our way of thinking as far as health goes. We have been changed from the inside out. For example, before Plexus I was drinking 2-4 cans of Coke Zero everyday and far too often these Coke Zeros would become REAL Coke because it was "a celebration" day. Looking back it seemed almost like every weekend I was "celebrating" something and was drinking hard core 150 calorie Cokes 2-4 times each day. In addition to the drink calories I was also adding wasted calories like candy bars, sweets and other junk food on a routine weekly basis. It is no wonder I weighed so much and was severely over-weight, even obese at my heaviest. Since staring Plexus I have completely kicked my diet soda and wine habit, I no longer crave cupcakes and sweets and have lowered my blood sugars because of this. I honestly didn't think it was possible but much to my dismay, here I am today having not had real sweets or Cokes (of any kind) in nearly 9 months! Thank you Plexus!  

I know what you are thinking... "Certainly they had some cheat days in those 9 months!" To this thought, you would be correct. We occasionally, like once a month on date night, would have a "reward dinner" as we liked to call them for all of our hard work and efforts in the weight loss battle. However, EVERY TIME we had one of these meals the following 3-5 days was full of increased and elongated exercise programs and a major reduction calories to make up for the "cheat meal". It almost always felt like a waste to me because I had to over-correct for my mistake for the next 5 days. These Chili's, Babin's, Salt Grass and etc meals rarely  felt "worth it" to me!

But enough is enough.... Today marks the beginning of our "vacation" which includes 2 days at home without the kiddos (in and of itself is a TRUE VACATION) as they are going on vacation with Gigi Shirley and Poppy to St. Louis, MO for an adventure as well as time with Gigi Jackie and Grandpa and then our Summer 2014 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. During these 10 days I plan on enjoying myself and my hubby which will include some sweets and treats. If you know me and my "foodie" side at all (or have read our YOLO Cruise blog from last year...here), you know that Chris and I truly go ALL OUT when it comes to food on a cruise. This is the highlight of a cruise and a cruise line for us. Despite having completely changed our lifestyles and eating habits, I fully plan on going back to my old ways of being a "food snob", as a friend once called me, during these 10 days. However, the days of over-indulging and binge eating are FOREVER gone. But we will share entrees and try as much as we can without stuffing ourselves silly like before. I know that once we get back I will have gained 7-10 pounds (Davis's usually are over-achievers and gain 2 pounds per day instead of the typical 1 pound) I'm sure and will have 2-3 weeks of hard core recovery to make up for it but I KNOW it will be worth it. Besides... YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!

Be watching for this years' YOLO Cruise Blogs when we get back! I am sure they will be full of pictorial calories! We are so grateful to be able to have this opportunity to go on a cruise (Thanks to our babysitters... Gigi Shirley/ Poppy and Gigi Jackie/ Grandpa) and owe it all to God and His continued blessings! Thank You, Lord for this calorie-heavy opportunity! Once again... I am BLESSED! 

God is good... All the time! 
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Solid Rock

Summer 2014 
Rock Climbing is not for the weak... Of ANYTHING 

As we are counting down the days for our cruise in August we are also getting prepared for some of the adventures we will be taking during the length of our cruise. We are cruising on Royal Caribbean and on our particular ship there is a rock-climbing wall. 

June 2014 
While we were in Norman, OK on our family vacation in early June we went to an adventure park for the kids which included an outdoor Rock Climbing Wall. Chris decided he wanted to try it to get in some practice before we got on the boat! This was a very good idea since neither of us had really done this type of thing before. 

I consider myself pretty adventurous and I am not at all scared of heights or anything of the such. However, I got up to that outdoor rock wall in Norman and it was like my whole body got stiff. Unfortunately, I did not pack tennis shoes for that trip so I had to rent "Croc" style shoes to climb up the wall. This did not work out well at all and I thought that was where some of my nervousness came from since I was not in tennis shoes. I tried to climb up the wall 2 times and only made it as high as 2/3-3/4 of the way up... on the EASY SIDE! As I am attempting to climb up the wall there are 10-12 years on each side of me just climbing as fast as they can like it was nothing! In the meantime my palms and whole body is sweating and I am just sitting there holding on for dear life and saying "End of life" like prayers asking Jesus to just get me down! Looking back it is kinda funny because that is just not my personality! 

Chris was able to make it up to the very top and push the siren button on his very first try! But the 10-12 years beat him up to the top in their speed too! He went back and climbed the Easy side again before attempted the Medium side but his upper body strength at that point had given up! 

Chris getting all geared up for his climb! 

Chris's 1st attempt at the Rock Wall. He did GREAT! 

July 2014 
We got so eager to get on our cruise ship and climb their rock wall that we decided we might need some additional practice so we went to an indoor rock climbing place in Spring called Inspire Rock. This was a very interesting and intense place with several options of rock climbing on varying difficulty levels! In fact, this was the exact company that came to my school in April to reward our 3-5th grade testing students. At tha time I thought rock climbing seemed pretty easy and since all of my 9, 10 and 11 year olds were doing it with such ease, I'm sure I could do it "no sweat". Haha... I must have been dreaming! This was NO PIECE OF CAKE! In fact, it was incredibly difficult! 

I had tried it in Norman with no success so this was my chance to prove myself. I started with some very easy levels and still had no luck at getting up to the top. I was, however, getting more used to repelling down afterwards and I actually was starting to enjoy it! The owner of the company came and offered Chris and I some special rock-climbing shoes at no charge. These shoes tremendously helped both Chris and I with the climbing process! In fact, with the help of these shoes I was able to climb to the top of the easiest level in just 1 try. I felt as if I actually achieved something. 

My 1st attempt at the "easy" level... I failed! 

My 4th attempt... I defeated the "easy" and made it to the top!
Thanks to the special shoes...Yeehaw!



In the meantime Chris was climbing to the top of medium and even hard levels. However, we had been climbing for well over 3 hours at this point and our upper bodies were about to give out so we called it a day! 

Chris defeated the "easy" too... In his 1st attempt, of course!


Rock climbing is not for the faint of heart and it is a true test of someone's faith! I don't really know if it is "my cup of tea" but I am enjoying this new adventure with Chris! I cannot wait to get on our cruise ship in a few weeks and climb above the ocean! Less than 2 weeks to go! 

God is good... ALL the time! 




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Friday, July 11, 2014

Oklahoma... It's not OK anymore

A lesson in patience... Once again! 
Norman, OK 

It's 10am on Thursday morning and we are in Shawnee, OK getting ready to go see the hospital where Natalie was born. We pull into the hospital parking lot and Chris notices that the temperature gauge is spiking high when we are sitting idle. We snap a few pictures and we head towards a "Kwik Lube" place nearby to see if they can give us an answer. The techs look it over and say all of our fluids are fine and they do not see anything wrong with it but told us to go to Fred's Tire and Battery for them to look at it. 

We went over a street or two to Fred's where their techs looked it over numerous times. In fact, Mr. Fred himself looked over it and said it all looked fine but "who ever your maintenance guy is he isn't doing a very good job be use your coolant was completely empty". They looked it over and didn't see a leak so they replaced the coolant completely free. This would NEVER happen in Houston and really made us miss the kindness and generosity of Oklahoma. We left thinking the car was fixed and went to eat lunch with some teacher friends of mine. 

After lunch Chris went outside to look for a leak and sure enough he saw some spots of oil/coolant under the car in the parking lot. He immediately came in and took the kids back to Fred's while I stayed and visited with my friends. This took about 2 hours and FINALLY the guys at Fred's said it was a "Time Cover Gasket" and it would take 6 hours to fix and they didn't have the part in stock. 

We were staying in Norman (about 40 miles away) with our friends so we decided to take the risk of driving the car and having it over-heat just so we would not be trapped without a car and/or luggage in Shawnee. I called several places in Norman and finally settled on taking it to the dealership. We arrived at the dealership around 4:15 and were given a loaner car. Thank goodness because I do not know what I would have done without it! We were led to believe our car would be ready the following day or Saturday at the latest. 

We did find some humor in the situation: 
1- We are used to a large SUV and didn't think about the constrictions that would take place in the car. We loaded Luke into the loaner car behind Chris (drivers side) as he always is in our car. I put him in and buckled him. Chris then got in the car and pushed the seat back as far as possible due to his height. Luke immediately started screaming. He had a very long day and was so tired so neither of us really thought anything about it until he screamed "foot". Sure enough, Luke's feet were bent up and squished between the car seat and the back of Chris's seat. We stopped and got him out and readjusted. Poor guy practically broke his foot. His feet were bruised for days. 

2- We left the dealership in pretty good spirits and laughing about poor Luke. But the loaner car was one with a manual transmission over-drive and Chris accidentally put it into manual as we pulled out. Here we were trying to "get up and go" and the car wouldn't shift gears. I was panicking thinking we broke this car too, Luke was still recovering and sniffling from the foot situation,  Natalie is saying "daddy this car is making a weird sound" and Chris is freaking out. THEN we noticed the over-drive... We immediately put it into the automatic mode and laughed once more. 


The loaner car, a Chevy Cruze, we used for 5 days! 



Friday came and went and we didn't have our car. In fact, Friday at 4 they had not even looked at it yet! The mean side of me was brewing up and I was ready to yell at someone. Finally, on Saturday at 11am we got the call that it was a "Front Cover Gasket" and would not be ready until at least Monday afternoon because they had to order the part. Then they told us that it would be a $1050 bill. We did NOT find humor in this part. 

We ended up being trapped in Norman for an additional 2 days but luckily we were staying with friends and were able to spend additional time with them. We discussed other options like renting a car and driving home on Saturday and my dad and John offered to come and get us and take us home but we decided the best thing would be to stay and wait it out. On Monday at 4:30 we got our car back and were headed southbound! 


I have NEVER been so excited to see this "beast" of a vehicle! Praise The Lord, we are on the road! 


It was a long trip for our kids AND us but despite the craziness of a broken car and loaner car, we had a great time with our friends!
Thank you Jeff and Wendy for letting us stay with you! 

Gas to Lubbock then Norman- $200+
Loaner Car-$250 
"Front Cover Gasket" with labor- $1050 
HOME SWEET HOME after 9 days and a $1050 bill- PRICELESS 

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!  
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