Home Family Stories The Weekend Report: Making Memories

The Weekend Report: Making Memories

by Jamie

Several weeks ago my family of 7  boarded an airplane and traveled across the country to Miami, Florida.

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My kids had stars in their eyes, it was the first time they had ever flown.

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Once in Miami, we boarded the Carnival Breeze and took a 6 day cruise through the Caribbean. (We did not get a visual on Captain Jack Sparrow, which is understandable considering he must have lived in the 1700’s…or 1800’s…or never).

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Not only did we board the cruise ship with our family of 7. Oh, no. Not just that. We hopped aboard with close to 50 members of our extended family wearing bright red t-shirts that said “Have You Seen My Family?” on the front and “There Are 53 Of Us!” on the back.  6 of my husbands siblings, their spouses and children as well as my mom in law and her new husband all came with us. To say we were a spectacle, would be a slight understatement.

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The ship had a ton of fun to experience…

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…and was super kid friendly. Which was a good thing, considering all of the children be brought along with us. We had kids ranging in age from my boy Mark (almost 18) down to sweet baby Jill who is 6 months.

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Super fun!

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There was a 5D theater,

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and a cool ropes course. Yes, that is the ocean!

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My kids loved it.

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There was also a sports court, mini-golf and many other fun activities.

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We got all dressed up for dinner, my kids got a real kick out of the fancy food. One night during dinner my 8-year-old boy, Nate asked his Dad…”Hey. There is a BONE in my chicken. Am I eating some kind of ANIMAL!?!” I guess we need to talk a little more about the origin of our food around here. Heavy on the boneless/skinless here. 🙂

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We stopped in Jamaica, which was super beautiful.

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Thinking about wearing one of these to church this week…you know, to support St. Patrick’s Day. 🙂

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I haven’t ever seen these at Wal-Mart, you?

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My kids and a few cousins working a bargain for some souvenirs.

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It really was so beautiful…

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and fun to enjoy it with so many of our family members.

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We also stopped at The Grand Turk. Look at that beautiful blue water!

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We played the day away at the beach.

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We stopped in the Bahamas as well. Did a little shopping with my teens.

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Atlantis, though we didn’t venture that far. Just snapped a picture or two from the ship.

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All in all, we had such a fantastic time. As many of you know, my oldest boy will be leaving to serve a 2 year mission for our church in a few months. We wanted to get in one last “Hurrah!” before he left.

It was a good choice. If you are considering cruising with your family, I would say DO IT! It’s such a unique and fun way to travel. So happy we had the chance to go.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Hope it’s a good one.

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8 comments

Margaret Matlock March 21, 2015 - 12:00 pm

Sounds like you had a wonderful time and something the kids will remember forever.

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sherri covington March 21, 2015 - 12:47 pm

Looks like you all had so much fun and I don’t care what others say doing with with family and I mean all 53 of you sounds wonderful, wish I had a family like that. 🙂

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Erin R. March 21, 2015 - 12:48 pm

Good choice indeed! I went with my best friend seventeen years ago when we were still in school and it is one of the best memories of my life. We did not stop laughing for a straight week. We kissed a few of the handsome waiters, ate fancy food we’d never had before and each got a tiny braid in our hair on Aruba. So glad you got to go and send your boy off with a bang. Thanks for showing us your pictures.

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Sandy Peek March 21, 2015 - 1:18 pm

Hearing of your wonderful adventure makes me smile. Such wonderful memories you made and your kiddos will always remember this trip. Good for you! Hope you have many more trips of this kind!

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Shelby March 22, 2015 - 6:30 pm

Great photos, Jamie. Thanks for sharing! Dream vacation for sure, 53 times!

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Emma March 23, 2015 - 4:17 pm

Sounds amazing! I hope to go on a cruise someday. Without my kids, and later with my kids.

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Need A Nap2 March 27, 2015 - 1:22 pm

Did you have to get 2 rooms? We have 4 children and usually you can’t fit that many people in a room.

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Jamie March 30, 2015 - 6:20 am

Need A Nap2,
Yes, we had to get two rooms. We fit my little twin boys in with my husband and I (there were beds that folded down from the ceiling for them), and my 3 teenagers had the other room. It worked out great.
All the best,
~Jamie
PS…great name. I need a nap, too. 🙂

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