Something New!

Hey, believe it or not, this post will not be about snow, although we still have plenty of it!  O.K, so it's pretty much not a secret to anyone that the Elwoods do not enjoy February Break--a week off from school in February.  February!--a month of cold and snow--translate this to a great time to be in school!  June is a lovely month of long days, warmth and rhododendrons in bloom---translate this to a great time to be out of school! This year, however, we took the "If you can't lick 'em, join 'em" approach and decided it was time for a February family vacation.  We flew down to Miami last week and embarked on a five day cruise on Carnival, and what fun we had!  It really was a dream vacation, and it was everything I hoped it would be.  Hmmm?  Maybe all this time the school districts of the Northeast have been on to something?! ;)

Mini golfing on the ship in Miami.

The first of our nightly towel animals.

Formal night

Our first stop was Grand Turk.  We took a shore excursion out on a snorkel boat to the reefs surrounding the island. It was amazing.  We saw all kinds of tropical fish, a sea turtle, a barracuda, and a sleeping nurse shark!

This is where we ate lunch.  You can't beat the view at Jack's Shack!

Having lots of fun is tiring!

Our second stop was at Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island.  It was another slice of paradise.

Em spent the day playing in the water and sand.

Early in the day, Cardon and I went to snorkel with sting rays and feed them squid. (Sadly, no photos!).  Later in the afternoon, Chiara and Dennis went parasailing.

The family shadow photo. 

Much of our cruise revolved around food!

We were lucky in the fact that Carnival has some cabins that hold five people.  We were cozy, which was fine because we didn't spend much time in the room.  Dennis and I had a queen bed right next to these 3 peas in a pod!

Our last stop was Nassau, Bahamas.  On good advice from our friends the Tautkuses and Sanvilles, we decided to spend the day at Atlantis.  We had so darn much fun.  It's a beautiful resort--inside and out--murals, fountains, indoor and outdoor aquariums--it was spectacular. Then there were the waters slides.  They were crazy!

This is the Leap of Faith, which is correctly named.  It's a gut wrenching 5 seconds down the slide, followed by a quick blast through a tube surrounded by swimming sharks.  I was so happy to come out alive at the bottom!

Cardon

Chiara

Mom!

This is our farewell shot.  It was time to get on the ship and head for home.

This sandcastle was built by some kids next to us on Half Moon Cay.  Their words on the castle are a perfect summary for our vacation---FUN!