Fun in the Sun 2013- Sea Day #2

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A "Taste of the Town" Conquest Style 

 

After a long and busy day on the ship yesterday, today we decided to take easy and just enjoy each other. We also decided that we would focus on the FOOD today! We planned out a long day of relaxation and eating... It may sound gross but in all reality we didn't each much quantity but rather focused on the quality of the food. Lots of small portions and no LARGE portions!

 

We began our morning with delicious breakfast tacos and burritos from Blue Iguana Cantina. This was a recent addition to The Conquest during the Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade in October of 2012. These were by far the best burritos and tacos I have ever had for breakfast!

 

This was a GREAT addition to the boat... I LOVED it!

 

The Breakfast Tacos were killer!

Custom made Breakfast Burrito

After we finished this early 7am morning breakfast we decided to go to the pool and hot tub area again. Being this early in the morning there were not many kids up and awake so we were able to get in the Mid-Ship hot tub over looking the Carnival Seaside Theater! We sipped some Mimosas and stayed in the hot tub for about 2 hours but luckily we never got sun burnt.

 Our view of Seaside Theater from the Hot Tub...
 

A view of the Pool and Hot Tub area from the highest point on the ship!

We noticed as we were cleaning up and drying off from the hot tub in our room that we were passing by land! Chris looked at the "Notes from the Bridge" section of the Carnival News TV and saw we were passing by Cancun, Mexico. This was really cool because I went there for my Senior Trip in HS. It was beautiful!

 

It was hard to capture with my camera but you can tell it was not only land
but a TOURIST hot spot!

After a few snap shots, I could tell it was Cancun!

 Absolutely gorgeous!
 

"Hey Look Honey, its Mexico!"

We then went to the Punchliner Comedy Brunch for an early lunch. It was here that we tried out the lunch portion of their menu, whereas yesterday we ate off the breakfast side of the menu. We were able to hear another comedian and we enjoy these lame 5 minute jokes. 

Bacon Mac n' Cheese from the Punchliner Brunch!
 

This was followed by a brief stay in the casino before we went down to the main lobby for some 60s Music Trivia. Unlike the general "Name that Tune" from the 1st night, we were not so good at this trivia but it was still fun!

 

It was now time for a classic game of The Newly Wed Show called "The Game of Love" hosted by the cruise director. We had hoped to be able to get to play and be chosen to go on stage but the couples were chosen by time spent married. They chose the longest married couple which turned out to be 56 years (A major accomplishment these days) and then a couple who had been married the shortest amount of time which oddly enough was 2 days as this particular couple got married ON THE SHIP on Sunday! We also found out that there were 38 couples celebrating their honeymoon on our cruise (Seems like a lot to me... they weren't all there during the show, naturally)! Then the Cruise Director wanted a middle couple who had been married 20-35 years. Unfortunately, Chris and I having only been married 7 years were not chosen but we decided the middle couple should fall in the 10-25 year span! We did play and follow along and I think we did very well! I loved being able to recall and relive precious moments from the past 7 years with my honey! I love you, Chris Davis!

 

Enough of that... It was time to eat again. We made our way to the Lido Deck for a burger from the new Guy's Burger Joint by Guy Fieri. These were some of the best hamburgers I have ever eaten and the fries were cooked and seasoned perfectly. We also made a trip to the lunch buffet to try out items together. Once again, the buffet was a miss for me but Guy's was AWESOME!

 

If you are looking for a GREAT burger... Look no further!

I love that every crew member on board LOVED their job! It made for an AWESOME week!

 

"The PIG" burger made with a 2nd patty completely made of BACON!

We then went back to our room to get ready for the evening and Casual Pictures. These are some of my favorite pictures to take since they are able capture our true personalities! Chris hated having to take these pictures but I really appreciate him taking them with me!

 

Casual Cruise Pictures...

Casual Cruise Pictures...
 

Dinner was another incredible meal and we were able to then go to another PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS performance of "The BRITS" which focused on the music of The British Invasion. This was awesome music and even better digital and technical effects. This was a show that I would actually pay $100-$150 to see in Las Vegas and I was impressed it was able to be pulled off by a Cruise Ship cast! It was GREAT!

 

We concluded the evening in the Casino where I was up $120 and Chris was down by about as much so we decided to quit and go play along with the Cruise Director for 80s Music Trivia. This was a blast because Chris and I both LOVE the 80s and its music. In fact, I was 26/29 in this trivia and I was happy with that score. I will say that the songs included in this trivia were more 80s POP and less REAL 80s but there is a discussion to be had on this topic... WATCH FOR THIS BLOG SOON!

 

It was a wonderful day of Rest, Relaxation and EATING! We practically tried out everything on this ship at this point of the trip and I must say, IT HAS BEEN DELICIOUS! Tomorrow will be our 1st port of call; Mahogany Bay, Roatan Island, Honduras! It is going to be awesome! Thank You, Lord once again!

 

God is Good... ALL the time!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Sea Day #1

Monday, July 29, 2013 

A Little Bit of Everything 

 

After a wonderful evening of sailing down the Mississippi River we had reached the Gulf of Mexico around 4-5 am. When Chris and I woke up around 6:30am we were looking at the deep blue waters of the northern part of The Gulf! It was absolutely beautiful and drinking coffee on our balcony was perfect.

 

Coffee on the Balcony in THE GULF... Pretty Blue waters! Calm as glass!

 

Before we headed to Brunch I went browsing in "The Fun Shops" to check out today's deal. I also purchased a "Unlimited Bubbles" card for unlimited Cokes while on board. I thought I might be able to make it a week without a coke fix but the first 24 hours proved me wrong since the only complimentary drink the ship served was SUPER SOUR lemonade. In the long run this worked out a lot better for me. We also just walked around casually exploring the ship! It hard to imagine that 3600+ passengers and 1200+ crew are on the ship too! Crazy!

 

This digital map was supposed to show where on our itinerary we were but it was a little off...

 

 

After this we went to the Punchliner Comedy Brunch with the ships comedians. This was really neat but I was expecting a comedy HOUR not just 5 minutes. They had paid comedians on the boat for nightly entertainment and they basically used this brunch time to promote their show that evening. At every hour, on the hour, they had the 2 nightly comedians do a SHORT 5-10 act and try to get you to come to their show that evening. We basically got there right after one comedian spoke so we had to wait for the next hour to hear the 2nd comedian. The food was great but the whole idea seemed to be lacking just a bit!

 

After brunch we decided to check out the pool and hot tub scene. The Carnival Conquest has 3 separate pool areas but since it was summer they were really full with KIDS. We decided to go to the far Aft of the ship and go to the Adults Only Pool and Jacuzzi area. This worked out great because there were literally ONLY ADULTS. We were in the hot tub for about 30 minutes before it started to rain. We got out quickly forget about the retractable roof on that part of the ship that allows the pool and hot tub to be covered in the event of rain!

 

It's Pool Time!

 

 

After this we went to a Cooking Demo put on by the superior chefs on board that work in "The Pointe Steakhouse" which is a private secluded restaurant on board that cost a small nominal fee to eat there. We wanted to go to the Steakhouse so we thought this would be a great test-run. There were 6 chefs who were labeled as being known worldwide for their cooking. This demo came with samples and even recipes to try to make these dishes at home. They served some amazing dishes but my favorites were "Mushroom Cappuccino" and "Tiramisu". They were delicious and I wish I would have been able to have a full serving instead of a small amount! They were both some of the best food I have EVER had!

 

We were told that these two chefs have cooked for President's in the White House!
It was pretty cool!

Mushroom Cappuccino... It was AMAZING!

Tiramisu... I could have taken 4 more of these, they were DELICIOUS!  

 

This chef was labeled as "The Rachael Ray of The Conquest" and he lived up to this title!

 

After this we decided to go to the on board Art Auction. We had never done anything "high class" like this so we thought it would be a fun experience... in our shorts and flip-flops of course :)! It was a lot of fun and we even won some free art that will be shipped to us in a few weeks.

 

Showing our "High Class" getting ready for the Art Auction

 

We then decided to check out the Grand Buffet on the Lido deck. I remember not really liking the buffet on our last cruise but I wanted to try it out this time anyway. It was about average for buffets but I would still prefer non-buffet food.

 

During the mid-afternoon we went to HASBRO THE GAME SHOW which was sponsored by Hasbro Games and Carnival Cruise Lines. This was a larger than life version of common board games made by Hasbro such as Sorry, Operation and Connect Four. We were not chosen to play on stage since we were sitting in the balcony but we now know to sit on the lounge floor to get chosen so we will be prepared for Episode 2 on Wednesday.

 

It was now time to start getting ready for Formal Night in the Main Dining Room and the Captain's Party on the Promenade deck. Once we were all dressed up and decked out we went to take some professional pictures offered by photographers on the boat then it was on to the Captain's party. 

My handsome Hubby all dressed up... I LOVE IT!

 

This was really neat because we were the 1st couple to be able to meet the ACTUAL captain of the ship! He was very nice and has been with Carnival for nearly 15 years! I was highly impressed.

 

Us with the Captain of The Carnival Conquest

 

Chris and our Cruise Director, Cory Rodgers... He was pretty funny!

 

Dinner in the Renoir Dining Room was Lobster and Prime Rib, amongst others, and they were all delicious! In fact, I think we actually got our moneys worth for the whole cruise just by eating on this night. During the last dessert portion of our meal, we were able to get up and dance on the dining room floor with other couples. It was very romantic!

 

Chris and I dancing in the Renoir Dining Room.

 

 

 

We then went to the main entertainment of the night which was performed by PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS called "The DIVAS". This was a musical production of music from female vocal artists such as Celine Dion, Christian Aguilera and Beyoncé. It was a really good show and both Chris and I really enjoyed it! We liked it so much that we were even able to meet the cast afterwards and take a few pictures! In addition, we spent several small moments in the casino all day but overall for Monday we were up by $45!

 

We wrapped up the evening in the comedy club and then came back to our room for Room Service. The Comedy Club was much cleaner than the previous evening and was pretty funny! The Room Service was lacking a little bit and seemed a little worse than last time... but it was after midnight so I cut them some slack!

 

It was a fantastic day of just relaxing and enjoying each as well as having lots of fun in and around the ship! We are so blessed to have this opportunity! Thank You, Lord for this trip and the time with each other!

 

God is Good... ALL the TIME!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Embarkation Day

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Legend of "The Woodsmen" 

 

Today is the BIG DAY! We have been waiting for this for quite some time and it is LONG over due! In fact, we were so anxious and ready to get on the boat and "Get this party started" that we ended up waking up nearly 2 hours earlier than expected. We headed down to the Hotel Lobby for breakfast, which left much to be desired... in fact the entire New Orleans Hotel was a little "if-y" for me but I think in the long run it will be a good choice.

 

We were scheduled to be on the 9am shuttle and arrived at about 8:35 to find 2 other couples waiting for us to arrive so the shuttle could leave. We got to the Cruise Terminal around 8:50 and immediately went through security check-in without any lines or hassle at all. We waited in a small holding area for about 5 minutes and then went to the "Priority" check-in line since we had the "FASTER TO THE FUN" benefits.

"FASTER TO THE FUN"... WORTH EVERY PENNY!

We were literally the 2nd group/ couple to check-in for our cruise. It was about 9:10 at this point and were ready to set foot on The Conquest. 

Waiting in the Carnival Cruise Terminal

As time passed we were moved from one "Priority" area to another but after witnessing 3 different large wedding parties board the ship, we were able to get on the ship around 11:15 am. We immediately went to our room not sure if  the "FASTER TO THE FUN" benefit of luggage at your room and your stateroom being ready when you board would hold to be true. We arrived at our room around 11:25 and sure enough all of our luggage except 1 piece was there and our room was ready to go! It was awesome! If you ever cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines... Get the "FASTER TO THE FUN" excursion from your home port! It is only $50 a cabin and WORTH EVERY PENNY!

 

After dropping off our remaining carry-on luggage at our room we made our way to the Lido Deck to try out the lunch buffet and some new restaurants to the Ship. I am not a buffet person... AT ALL, but this time the lunch buffet was pretty good and had "It's moments" throughout the cruise duration.

 

After we finished lunch, I returned to the room to organize (y'all who know me well can go ahead and laugh now) while Chris went exploring around the ship. Then we went on an actual tour of the ship given by the cruise entertainment staff. This was little bit of a let-down for me personally because it was barely a tour and more of an over-view but it did help re-familiarize us with the ship we would call home for the next week.

 

We called the kids one last time before we had to go to our Muster Station meeting and then set sail down the "Mighty Mississippi"! This was incredible because the Mississippi River is such a "WONDER" from our Lord and it was awesome to just bask in it's beauty!

 

Chris Davis... "The Tourist"

 

New Orleans is such a beautiful (and kinda dirty...) city!

 

Chillin' out in our beautiful BALCONY stateroom!

 

Goodbye New Orleans... Next stop, the CARIBBEAN!

 

 

Now it was time for our much discussed and desired "Main Dinner" time in the Renoir Dining Room. Chris had been looking forward to the food on this cruise so much that he even downloaded the Carnival menus to his phone so he would know what the Dining Room was serving each night. Let me tell you, the food DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I am going to have a completely separate post ALL ABOUT the food called "You Only Live ONCE" that will highlight most of the food we ate on board and I will even post 2 separate editions created by both Chris and myself! Y'all watch out for that... it will be pretty cool!

Pre-Dinner Photo on our Balcony!
 

 

The Legend of "The Woodsmen"

We planned on going to the Welcome Aboard Show but little did we know that Chris would be the STAR of the Show. During this show the entertainment staff and cast gave a "Preview" of the week's entertainment and shows and that in and of itself was awesome but then came the real fun. The Cruise Director Cory, who we called Drew Cory because he looked like Drew Carry, came out into the audience to look for volunteers to have some fun on stage. Chris and I knew that you had to sit in front to get chosen so we sat near the front on an aisle. Sure enough, Cruise Director Cory chose Chris to come up on stage. He then gave Chris and the other 5 volunteers a "Character" in his story he would read. Chris was "The Woodsmen".

Getting Ready for the Skit...

In this game, the characters had to form a single line facing the audience and when Cory ready their character name, they must run completely around the remaining characters and then back to their spot. This was hilarious and it seemed as if Cory hand-picked his contestants. Chris ended up running around the stage 16 times before the story was all done and for the REST OF THE CRUISE, people would see Chris and say "Hey, its the woodsmen"! He literally became a STAR of the cruise! In fact, I became known as "The Woodsmen's Wife"! Just for completing the task and story on stage, Chris received a "24 Karat Gold Plastic Piece of SHIP on a Stick" (A Carnival Trophy) and of course became a STAR! It was awesome!

Check out the FULL video of this skit on our Youtube page... ChrisandKellieDavis

Chris, "The Woodsmen" and his Trophy!

After that show was over, we stayed in the main lounge to play a "Gender Battle" game of Boys VS Girls and I kid you not, Chris was chosen as another player and got on stage again! And yes, he got A SECOND "SHIP on a STICK"! Now that Chris's head was larger than ever, we took that momentum to the Piano Bar to play "Name That Tune". Although, we did not win the Trivia Game, Chris and I both were able to sing 2 solos each in the microphone!

This guy needs an agent!

Our final stop of the night was the Light Night Comedy Show. This was something we don't do very often and made it special for us but it was a little risqué for us! By the end of the night, I was exhausted and although I boarded the ship thinking I was going to "re-live my 1st cruise experience" from 7 years ago, I went to bed that evening know I AM NOT IN MY TWENTIES ANYMORE! Seriously, I am a MOMMY and nearly 31... I was EXHAUSTED!

 

It is now time to conquer SEA DAY #1!

 

Once again, I was reminded throughout the day of God's amazing works and blessings in my life!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Fun in the Sun 2013- New Orleans

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Taking it "EASY" in THE BIG EASY 

 

After a questionable hotel stay in Baton Rouge, Chris and I made our way 90 or so miles east to New Orleans. I had not been to New Orleans since New Years 2003 for the 2003 Sugar Bowl where OU played LSU for the National Championship. Chris had been to New Orleans numerous time since he lived in Baton Rouge for nearly 9 years. During this drive east, we crossed over yet another long swampy bridge that made me claustrophobic and un-easy. I am not a fan of these bridges!

 

 Much like yesterday, Chris knew about some unique "finds" in "The Big Easy". We started off with a small Cajun eatery called "Check In Check Out" in Kenner, LA just west of New Orleans. This was a "Hole in the Wall" type of place that looked like something that Guy Fieri would have on his widely popular "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" TV show on The Food Network. However, it was not even 10am yet and I was not hungry but Chris and even his dad, Dan swear they serve the ABSOLUTE BEST shrimp Po-Boys ever. I had a bite of Chris' and it was pretty tasty, even when I was still working on about 80% taste buds!

This used to be a gas station but the Shrimp Po-Boy was really good!

 

After this we were able to head on over to our Hotel on the east side of the Mississippi River. This was really neat since it was still only 10:30am. We learned all about the hotel stay and parking during the cruise as well as Shuttle and Ferry information about getting around New Orleans. We then took the hotel shuttle and the Canal Street Ferry to the French Quarter, but we first stopped at Harrah's Casino for a Starbuck's "Pick Me Up".

Me riding the Canal Street Ferry

 This really helped keep us going for a long and hot day on Bourbon Street and Jackson Square. Of course, no trip to New Orleans would be complete without a stop at Café du Monde. This was just as I remembered it and was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Their Café au lait is TO DIE FOR!

YUMMY... Café au Lait and Beignets!

A New Orleans MUST DO!

 

Even Chris liked the Beignets!

 

After our tasty beignets, we took a romantic Carriage Ride around the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans to learn lots of information about New Orleans and it's history. This was really cool and I learned A LOT!

We LOVE romantic Carriage Rides... we used to do this All the Time in Oklahoma!

The tour ended at Jackson Square so we decided to go into St. Louis Cathedral. It was here that I did something I have NEVER done before... Confession! That's right, I went into Catholic Confession with a real priest and everything! 

Well I guess if it was on my "BUCKET LIST", I could now cross it off!

 

It was a little weird and awkward but in the end the priest told me go back into the cathedral worship center and thank God for all my blessings. This was so incredible to me since I had been mourning having to leave my babies all morning! I spent about 15 minutes praying and thanking God for my 2 little blessings, amongst many others, that He has blessed me with!

What a beautiful testament of Our Lord and His Church.
 

 

We then decided to go and listen to LIVE music on Bourbon Street. This was really neat for me and Chris both and we really enjoyed it. After the LIVE band we decided to head back toward Canal Street and went to a restaurant called "The Gumbo Pot". Chris and I both ordered Po-Boys and they were a perfect ending to our Cajun day!

Oyster Po-Boy... YUMMY!

 

We tried to hail a taxi for nearly 30 minutes before darkness fell and finally after walking for about 6 blocks we found one and was able to get back to our hotel. After taking a shower and SCOURING the disgusting-ness that is New Orleans from our bodies, we were able to call the kids before heading to bed. Oddly enough, we were in bed and asleep by 10pm in NEW ORLEANS! But that is OK, because we were anxious and ready to get on our ship!

 

TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!

 

Thank You, Lord for giving us this opportunity to spend time with each other and take this amazing trip!

 

God is Good... ALL the time!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Baton Rouge

Friday, July 26, 2013

A trip down MEMORY LANE 

Today started with an early 6:45am alarm  and ended with a very tired and weary Kellie. Chris had to drop off our 2 beagles at the doggie daycare by 7am but unfortunately our Abbey had a seizure before he loaded them in the car. After this Chris and I both had to go to a walk-in clinic to treat what turned out to be Pink Eye for me. We ended up getting a prescription for anti-biotic drops for Pink Eye ($231 prescription if you missed yesterday's post)! And as of right now I would say I am at about 95% and Chris has yet to show any signs or symptoms of Pink Eye!!! Thank You, Lord and thanks to all who prayed for our health too!!! 

We met my dad, Poppy, in Corigan Camden, TX where he had just come from Pineywoods Baptist Encampment for AEBC youth camp. We met him around 12:30 and loaded up his car of Natalie and Luke's bags and toys... After a long and tear heavy good-bye, Chris and I were on the road to Baton Rouge via Beaumont.

Luke helping us move bags around ;)

 On our drive along I-10 we made some questionable stops but the best (well really the worst) of these was Tiger Truck Stop outside of Grosse Tete just about 15 miles west of Baton Rouge. This truckstop  was loaded with LSU tiger memorabilia to say the least but they had a real live tiger caged outside. This was neat and disturbing at the same time. 

Chris and I outside of Tiger Truck Stop 

We took a few pictures and donated $1 and continued east... WELL THAT IS WHAT WE THOUGHT WE WOULD DO UPON LEAVING but then as we enter I-10 again we encounter heavy traffic congestion from a wreck on the "new bridge" over the Mississippi river. About 2 hours later we arrived in Baton Rouge. Serious, TWO HOURS!! 

The "New Bridge"

We were able to go by LSU, 2 of Chris's family's old houses, his family church and even his High School on Saturday morning. I really enjoyed getting to see and hear all the stories and memories Chris had from Baton Rouge. Many of these memories truly form who he is today and many of them are part of the many reasons I love Chris Davis!!! 

The first house Chris and his family lived in while in Baton Rouge

Chris's High School- Scottlandville Magnet HS

We wanted to eat at a great Southern Cajun restaurant so we asked my brother and sister-in-law who lived in Baton Rouge for 4-5 years to suggest some. We opted for Ralph & Kacoo's. This turned out to kinda be a bust... The food was "OK" and service was terrible! AND, they were out of soft shell crab! REALLY, REALLY!! But nonetheless, Chris and I were together and loving every minute of it!! 

Ralph & Kacoo's

Our hotel stay was questionable at best but we survived and it truly was in a good part of Baton Rouge, just not my style of hotel! We left Saturday morning around 9:30 and headed towards New Orleans. 

One last Baton Rouge "tradition"... It ain't no Starbucks but it was pretty good! 

I love my husband very much but I am not a huge fan of Baton Rouge! Lots of traffic (and my even that big of town) and people seem kinda weird! But overall I really enjoyed our stay in Baton Rouge. 

Day #1= SUCCESS!! 

God is good...ALL the time!! 

"Are You Kidding Me"?

Friday, June 26, 2013

Conroe, TX 

After a night of practically 2 hours (or less) of sleep, Chris and I woke up and headed to a Walk-in Family Clinic to check out my eyes and hopefully try to prevent him from getting whatever it was that I had. 

We arrived at the clinic at 7:50 only to find 1 doctor and a pair of nurses waiting outside the clinic for an additional nurse to arrive with the key to get in. There was a woman and her husband who were also waiting and they had an actual appointment time of 8am. After anxiously (and probably rudely) speaking to the front desk clerk about wait times, we were brought back into the room after a 45 minute wait. 

The nurse practitioner examined my eyes and explained that this was more than likely an allergic Pink Eye condition brought on by allergies (which I didn't really know I had) and that while it is contagious, it is NOT AS contagious as Chris and I originally figured. She gave us 2 small sample bottles of the antibiotic eye drops for Chris to use but it would not be enough to treat my actual Pink Eye condition. She explained "cautiously speaking, you have a MILD case of Pink Eye and it should clear up in a few days". She told us that there are only 3 brands of antibiotic eye drops so the cost of filling this prescription would be higher than usual but she gave us a coupon. 

We arrived at the Walmart pharmacy when they opened and turned our prescription to find out there would be an hour wait time. We opted to go back home and load the car and then return to Walmart on our way out of town. At 11am, 2 hours AFTER we dropped off the prescription, we arrived to pick up these eye drops. It was here that we found out it was not ready... I almost immediately went into frustrated mode. I explained that the pharmacist didn't even need to fill this prescription but rather go and get the drops from the shelves. Fortunately the pharmacist filled the prescription right then but I apologized for speaking in frustration to him afterwards though. 

As I go to pay for this the clerk says "that will be $231.80"... I have to admit, I think I had a little heart attack at that moment. Sure enough, it was $231.80 WITH the coupon. And this was for a 5 ML bottle! Unfortunately, we were caught between a rock and a hard place since we were boarding a ship to the middle of no where in 2 days. I went ahead and paid for the drops and swallowed the money. 

By the Grace of God, I can already see an improvement. My left eye seems to be white as snow and my right eye is just slightly pink at this point. I am, however, having minor symptoms of a called (as expected from new medicine) and cannot seem to smell or taste anything at this point though. Of course that is NOT A GOOD THING when about to embark on a cruise so i would appreciate ANY and ALL prayers for that to clear up ASAP!!! 

I am going to use these drops until the eyes clear up, as prescribed by the doctor but then I am going to keep them in case ANYONE ever gets pink eye again! Wow... I just can't believe how expensive they were. I better have the most beautiful looking and feeling eyes EVER after its all said and done!!! 

It is amazing how God chooses to work through and in us! I stayed up practically the whole night last night in worry and anxiousness only to found out that God had his hand over me THE ENTIRE TIME!! 

Thank You, God for watching over me and keeping me healthy! You are the GREAT PHYSICIAN and I have felt Your mighty healing today! Please continue to keep both Chris and I healthy as we embark and set sail on this vacation! Thank You! 

God is good (and watches over us)... ALL the time!!! 

Pink is no longer my favorite color

3:30AM July 26, 2013

We are supposed to leave for our long awaited cruise in just 6 hours and my heart can not stop racing. In fact, my mind can't either. We are headed to Baton Rouge this evening and then on to New Orleans on Saturday night before we board the ship on Sunday. 

This week as been hectic with errands, cleaning and the typical last minute preparations for a vacation. But on Wednesday evening at dinner Chris noticed I had something in the inner corner of my eye! Naturally it was gross and I got it out and moved on. Approximately 3-4 more times on Wednesday evening during choir rehearsal I noticed the same discharge coming from my left eye. I didn't really think about since I had gotten new contacts just over a week ago and I figured it had something to do with them.  When I woke up on Thursday morning I noticed more "sleep" (or "eye crusties" as I used to call them) than normal but again, I had OTHER STUFF ON MY MIND!

 Thursday went on as planned and scheduled and the day of CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN commenced. Chris, my two little helpers and I were able to clean our entire 3200 SQFT home including shampooing the carpets by shortly after noon and then we were off to eat, get Chris some new shoes and then I was going to get a pedicure. 

All of this went off without a hitch and I felt fine and normal. I did notice while sitting in the pedicure chair some more discharge but no pain or itching of my eye. 

Last minute packing and double checking ended and the kids were in bed and Chris and I were preparing to go to sleep and we began to talk.  I told him I was having a headache. He questions me and after a few moments he says "yeah, I think you have pink eye"! 

Naturally, at this point I am freaking out and crying. We call my mom then his mom to help us figure out what to do. We even FaceTime with Jackie to help us get a better prognosis. 

The verdict is I more than likely have pink eye and since that is HIGHLY contagious I am sure not only does Chris have it too but my poor babies of whom I am about to drop off with grandparents have it as well. 

Chris helped me change the sheets and clean up some stuff before I went to sleep in the couch to help lessen  chances of him getting pink eye a little, but I'm sure the damage is done. 

I am going to go to a family clinic that my father in law uses that allows walk-ins tomorrow morning at 8 and not only hope for good news in the fact that this is just allergies and not contagious but in worst case scenario I get heavy duty prescription for this and even a double dose in case Chris gets sick. 

I have never had Pink Eye so I didn't know what to expect... But let me tell you I NO LONGER LIKE PINK! 

Lord, I pray to your Holy, Powerful, Healing name that You will allow me to heal and be 100% by Sunday boarding as well as watch over Chris and the kids to prevent them from catching it. You are the MIRACLE WORKER and I am praying for something along those lines. 

As I sit here and continue to not be able to sleep with excitement and disappointment, I just can't help but think of one of my favorites: God is in Control! 

God is in control 

He believes that His children will not be forsaken 

God is in control 

We will choose to remember and NEVER BE SHAKEN 

There is NO power ABOVE or BESIDE Him, we know

God is in control

Strong and mighty words... I covet your prayers!! 

God is good... (I must remember this next part especially right now) ALL THE TIME!! 

Getting "Prepared"

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

"We're Davis's... We are going to gain 2 pounds per day"

 

These were the words of my Father-in-law in 2006 as Chris, his family and I boarded the Carnival Conquest in Galveston for our very first cruise together. The driver of the parking lot shuttle was speaking to us about the weight one gains while on a WEEK LONG cruise. Honestly, this sounded pretty gross to me but I had NEVER been on a cruise before and was unaware of not only the AMOUNT of food one eats but better yet, the QUALITY of food one eats.

 

In 2006 while Chris and I were on our Caribbean Cruise we had some of the absolute BEST food of our lives. I was able to eat Quail, Filet Mignon (I had never had it before then), Cucumber and Strawberry Chilled Soup, Beef Wellington and tons of other side dishes and desserts that were "to die for"! I will never forget the crème brulee I had one night in the main dining room... Wow, it was as we like to say in the SOUTH, "Good enough slap YO' MAMA"! By the end of the 7 night cruise Chris was ordering 2 main entrées each night and sometimes even 2 desserts. At first this seemed kind of appalling to me but eventually I came around and I was ordering 2 desserts too!

 

Now in all reality, I didn't plan accordingly during this cruise. I mean, I just ate when I was hungry and sometimes I didn't even eat very much since I was "trying to watch my weight" (HAHAHA... Yeah right, on a cruise?) and this was the 1st major trip I took with my in-laws and I was still a little worried what they might think of me (Laughing even harder at this one... if y'all only knew my in-laws!). My brother-in-law, John, really had the right plan when it came to getting the most out of the cruise. Why he even told us that he wanted to "Try it all". And by George, I think he did! He was constantly ordering room service, not because he was hungry but because he wanted to try just about everything the ship had to offer. He would also enjoy himself "A COLD ONE", AN ICE-CREAM CONE, just about every afternoon. John really knew how to get the most out of this cruise... A lesson learned by Chris and Kellie.

 

In just 5 SHORT days Chris and I will be setting sail for our 2nd Caribbean Cruise to Mahogany Bay-Roatan/ Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. We are going to be sailing on the Carnival Conquest out of New Orleans and we are UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED about it. This will be the first "REAL VACATION" we have taken since Natalie was born so this is a PRETTY BIG DEAL! Now, we have taken small 1-2 night excursions to the casino and other short trips but nothing of this magnitude since November 2008 to Las Vegas when I was actually pregnant with Natalie Grace!

 

Even though we have already sailed on the Carnival Conquest, we opted to go on this boat again since this itinerary is to different ports that our 2006 Caribbean cruise. The Carnival Conquest had a $1.2 BILLION make-over in October 2012 so we are also excited to see these new changes as well. I think it is going to be a FANTASTIC vacation and despite having to leave my little guy (and Natalie too) I think some much need rest and relaxation are just what I need.

 

With all of that being said, I am going to learn something from my BIL John about "getting the most" out of our cruise. In fact, Chris and I have been "PREPARING" for our cruise by dieting and exercising. I mean, we BOTH HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME- DAVIS, so we will be gaining more than the "average Joe" so we needed to make room for those extra pounds by dropping a few ahead of time! In fact on June 20 we started "Operation Cruise" and began a diet and exercise regimen. We each had a MUCH REDUCED calorie diet and we were going to the Rec Center to workout about 5-6 days per week. Chris lost a total of 27.5 pounds and I lost 17! We were both very satisfied with this amount and feel as if this will give us plenty of "CRUISE ROOM"!

 

This Body Preparation lasted until July 20 when we then stopped the dieting process and began the Stomach Preparation part of this challenge. As I mentioned before, there is so much amazing food on these boats that you really do "want to try it all" but if your body is not used to this type of eating, it could send you into shock! This usually makes me sick so we decided to start eating "Davis Size" portions again to try to prepare our stomachs for these amazing meals that we will be eating soon. Neither of us have stepped on the scale to see how much we have gained back but we know when we get home in August, the scale will really re-bound but IT IS ALL WORTH IT!

 

If you have never been on a cruise... it is an amazing experience and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone! It really is the most BANG for your BUCK in the field of vacations. In fact, I am hoping my mom, sister and I can go on a GIRLS CRUISE soon (A&S- hint, hint... Wink, Wink)

 

*Be watching for the next several blog posts about this special vacation! I hope to document what we eat each day in addition to shore excursions and ship life! (I'm getting old and my memory isn't where it used to be so... this is the best way to remember it all)

 

Chris and I are so lucky to be able to have the financial means to take a vacation like this as well as the wonderful, kind and loving family and parents to take care of our kids while we are away! Thank You, Lord for this opportunity!

 

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Sometimes we just need a "Refresher"

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Why I became a teacher

I have known over 1/2 my life that I am supposed to be a teacher. I figured this out when I was 16 years old and I have never looked back since. In fact, in most of my interviews for teaching positions I share my "WHY" with the interviewing panel. As a freshman and sophomore in High School I was involved in pretty much everything. I was captain of the volleyball team, played on the basketball, golf and even track team. I was a JV cheerleader, on the math team, involved in DECA and even student council. And of course, I was 1st chair in Band and was overwhelmingly involved in music and band in my life. Through all of these sporting teams and events, I noticed that the teachers/ coaches were committed to winning and not so much the kid themselves. Now don't get me wrong, I had some AMAZING coaches and teachers while in Junior High and High School but the passion for STUDENTS was not always there.

I had my "AHA" moment when I was a freshman in High School on the volleyball team having practice after school. We had our usual 2 hour practice after school hours and all of us went to the locker room and changed and freshened up while we waited for our rides, our parents since we were only 14-15 years old, to show up. After the short time in the locker room, we all came out to see our coach driving away with her hair down in her convertible waving as she passed by. The light bulb turned on and I was like "Wow, really? My dad isn't even here yet... cant you wait just a few minutes?" Unfortunately, this became a common thing. A

s I realized this I began to look around at my other teachers and mentors. My band directors, Mr. Standridge and Mr. Cook, both stayed late all the time to help us learn our marching show music or our All-Region Band audition material or whatever the case may be. I had never really thought about it but they were constantly trying to help ME and not just the team or their own winning record. I remember one time I was practicing with Mr. Standridge for All-State band and lost track of the time. My dad had come into the band hall after waiting 15 minutes in his car and said "Kellie, your mom is already home from work and we have dinner waiting at home. Its 5:30!" The amazing thing was Mr. Standridge didn't get upset or anything, instead his response was "Cool, we got an awesome practice in today. We can do it again tomorrow." He then told my dad to make dinner a little later the rest of the week. Mr. Standridge had a family of his own at home and so did Mr. Cook, who was doing the same thing with a brass student at the time and also stayed well past 6 pm each night as well. It was then that I decided that if these teachers cared that much about me and my personal growth and development, that I need to give them 100%. It was after this moment that I decided to "Choose a Lane" as the saying goes and from that point on I was all BAND all the time! This scenario LITERALLY changed my life and I would not be where I am today if it weren't for this realization.

You see, teaching is all about the PASSION and sometimes we need a refresher and check of ourselves to be sure we have the PASSION for our students and not just OURSELVES or OUR CLASSROOM as a whole (IE... TEST SCORES). This summer has been a great "REFRESHER" for me and this area of my teaching career. I cannot wait to go to my new school and show my new students this passion.

Thank You, Lord for allowing me to be a teacher and show COMPASSION for my students and THEIR success! I pray you will help me be COMPASSIONATE about my students EACH AND EVERY DAY!

God is good... ALL the time!