(Brent and I at South Beach) Well, I just got back from a 7 day cruise into the Caribbean with 40 plus people. The cruise was unique. First off, Brent and I had a two nights in Miami to kill before the cruise. We stayed in a somewhat dodgy hotel smack in downtown (where there is absolutely nothing to do!). The first full day we had, we tried to make the best of the rainy weather. We tried to scope out breakfast, in which I was hoping for an omelet, but had to suffice with Starbucks yogurt (something that my brother pointed out will happen quite often when I travel through Central America...might not always get that omelet I am looking for). Since it was cloudy, and we were hoping for sun and relaxation at South Beach of Miami, we decided to go there anyways. South beach would've been fun, if it wasn't STORMING! But, we got to see the ocean and stuck our feet in anyways. We strolled around the area for 7 plus miles until we decided on a movie. Apocalypto, Mel Gibson's new flick. It was good and killed some time that we had. The rest of the evening was spent in the Hyatt hotel (right next to our dodgy one, to await Taryn, Kyla and Rob, who we were sharing a hotel with). The Hyatt was much nicer.
(Dancing it up on the first night).
(First Formal Night)
(Cruise Ship)The cruise was fun, but different. Much different than what I remember from my previous cruise when I was 16. I shared a room with Brent and Taryn, and we had a blast with multiple late night conversations and gossiping. Most of the trip was consumed with worrying about the Norwalk Virus that had swept the ship, causing 30 out of the 40 we traveled with to go down. Luckily, the 9 of us at our dinner table somehow dodged it. The first 4 days was rainy and cold (well, colder than you would think for the Caribbean). We rented 4X4 Jeeps in Cozumel Mexico, snorkeled, off-roaded, shopped, and ate taquitos in the rain. On Grand Cayman(our first glimpse of the sun) we had a private Catamaran, where we went to stingray city to swim with the stingrays. Highlight of that trip was watching Brent try to catch the rays...he finally did. In Jamaica, we went on a canopy tour, zip-lining through the jungle. We spent the rest of the day in our taxi cruising around the island.
(Taryn and I by the jeep!) 
(Snorkeling in Cozumel).
(Holding a stingray in Grand Cayman)
(Matt and I in Cayman)
(Taryn and I by the Cat.)SORRY NO PICS OF THE REST OF TRIP!!! ALL ON BRENT'S CAMERA!
I was a bit bummed about the weather, bummed about the virus (I lost my appetite on the second formal night and wasn't able to eat my baked Alaska! agh), and bummed that I didn't spend enough time with the people that I wanted to. But, it was a great experience. I got to really bond with Taryn and Brent, and we shared many a laugh at the dinner table and saw some great sights on the islands. Something that I will never forget or regret!
Now, I am off to Belize and down through Central America. Going from one extreme to another...from luxury to third world. I am excited to be on my own, see new places and meet amazing new people. Hopefully I will help to better define myself and maybe figure out what I will be doing when I get back.
This is only the beginning of one GREAT ADVENTURE!
Until Next time in Belize...
