Counting Blessings

Castaway Cay, Bahamas

Sunset in Port Canaveral

As you may have guessed from the pictures and some of my other posts, we recently returned from a Disney cruise to the Bahamas.  We had no internet for 4 whole days and survived!

Yes, it got a little rough in parts and I got sea sick (as did one of the kids)... but only a little bit, and had a great time overall.  We got to spend some time with my husband's family, the trip went smoothly, and there were plenty of activities for the entire family... which is sometimes a challenge for us since there's a huge age gap between kids.  I am not a huge Disney fan (I find all the music and colors, etc very in my face and overwhelming) but the cruise had a very good range of activities- from the standard Disney "over the top" entertainment to low key & unplugged.  The crew was very hard working and customer service oriented, and I was really impressed with the overall experience.  Before we went on cruise, I didn't really get it.  (I should probably add that I get motion sickness on everything- can't read in the car, can't ride swings for more than a few minutes, can't ride carnival rides that rotate on more than one axis.)

Family Beach on Disney's Castaway Cay

My father in law's first question was, "Would you do this again anytime soon?"  Was it a great vacation?  Absolutely.  One of the things about vacationing when you live in Hawaii is that you have these crazy airfares and a long plane ride anywhere you go, so this was a pretty "easy" trip (short plane rides, gone long enough to relax, not gone long enough to be homesick).  I'm glad we went.  I'm sure we could find other things to do on a repeat cruise to make it a different experience.  But would I do this again anytime soon?  My response was, "I haven't seen the total bill."  :)  I think our cruise was less expensive and more enjoyable than our trip to DisneyWorld (we were living in Hawaii at the time and airfare is so expensive these days), so I'm inclined to say yes, but I kind of feel guilty spending money on extra things like vacations.  (Don't get me wrong- we watch our pennies, our bills are paid, we don't carry debt other than our mortgages, and have a small next egg, but in this economy I feel very lucky about that.)

One of the nice surprises when we got back to civilization was a whole bunch of orders!!  So I am back to work... and starting on a week's worth of laundry.  :)  Just so you guys are aware, I am deploying as a Reservist and leaving in December, so I won't be able to take custom work after December 1st, and will stop taking new orders after December 10th to ensure everything is shipped prior to my departure.  The plan is to reopen once I get where I'm going.  I am not sure whether or not I'll be allowed to set up a full-fledged workshop in my "new" digs, but if I'm allowed to keep working with my torches, I will!

Please visit our Etsy store for double infinity jewelry and all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!