Crusing 2013

I need a vacation from our vacation we just took! Our Christmas cruise was fun and memorable. The day before the cruise, we flew into New Orleans, Louisiana. It was my first time there. We met my parents and my sister at the airport, got our hotel and then went to Bourbon Street. I was not impressed. There were three things to see: souvenir shops, bars/restaurants and strip clubs. I felt like I was at a big college party because there was mostly college age people walking around drunk and acting like idiots. That's not really my thing and there was too much stimulation that I was overwhelmed. Also, New Orleans looks ghetto, so I wasn't impressed with the city either, although I am sure there are nicer areas that I didn't see.

On Sunday, it was finally the time to get on the ship. It was cold and rainy. We just explored the ship, ate food and hung out until it was time to sail away. We had to sail through the Mississippi River for about 9 hours (I believe) until we actually got to the ocean. The next day was a full day at sea. It was cloudy, rainy and cool. We went to a couple of events on the ship and continued to explore what the ship had to offer. Towards the afternoon, sun was starting to peak out and it was getting warmer, which was a good sign. That night we went to a musical show and hung around.

The next day we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. It was nice and warm. We decided it would be a day for shopping, although our first stop was Starbucks. :) Shopping in Cozumel was interesting to say the least. For anyone who hasn't been out of the country or to Cozumel, the employees stand by the entrance of their story and practically and (sometimes literally) grab you in the store, especially the jewelry stores. I guess my mom was an easy target as the employees would always grab her into the stores. At least we got a bunch of free earnings and charms because we went in! Later that day we ate lunch at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. My hamburger was $116 (Pesos) it was expensive (about $16 US dollars). By that time we were ready to head back to the ship. Erin and I went to  go lay by the pool, but it started raining. So we went back to her room and took a nap while the others hung out. Our ship sailed away to head to our next port. That night we learned a dance (I can't remember what its called), went to a magic show and played shuffle board.


The next day was Christmas and we were in Belize. Our ship couldn't dock at the pier, so we had to tender (be taken to shore on a smaller boat) about 5 miles. That day we decided to go cave tubing and zip-lining. We had to go on a big tour bus and drive 1.5 hours to the jungle. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information about Belize and what to expect on our adventure.We did cave tubing first. The caves we were in were historical Mayan caves where they did a lot of their bloodshed and other traditions. It was obviously dark in the caves, but we had lights on top of our helmets. Because there were so many other people tubing at the same time, it was really lit up and you can see pretty well. After the tubing, we dried off and went zip-lining. By then we were starving and was time to eat Belizean food, which consisted of chicken, rice and beans. It was so good. After this, it was time to head back to the pier. Our tour was running a little bit late, so we had to rush to the boat so we could be transported back to the ship. As we approached the ship, they were already pulling up the anchor, so we made it just in time. That night we celebrated Christmas and hung out since we were exhausted from the day.

Wednesday, we were in Roatan, Honduras. This place was beautiful. This was the day we wanted to go to the beach. Getting to the beach was a little interesting, but we made it. The water was so warm. This is where I spent most of my time since I love swimming. Others laid on the beach soaking up the sun and drinking coconut water out of a coconut. We were there a couple of hours and then decided to go back to the pier to do some shopping. It was a cute little place to shop and because we were the only ship there, it wasn't too crowed either. That night on the ship we saw a comedy show and sat on the top deck and looked at the stars.

Costa Maya was our last port. We decided to just explore the area. We rented a golf cart and cruised down the streets to the beach. They had some nice beaches and they had shells!  We also got some chips and salsa and some Mexican Coke (which is the best kind). When we had to return the golf cart, they were trying to hustle my dad saying we didn't pay (which we did and we had the receipt to prove it). That was a little nerve wracking, but my dad didn't give in and we quickly walked away. After that we did a little shopping before heading back to the ship. That night on the ship, we decided to dress up and get our pictures taken and go to a steakhouse for dinner. After that, we saw a circus soleil show. It was neat.

The last full day was at sea. It was my hardest day because I felt sea sick and was really tired. Plus it was cloudy and rainy again. Most people just hung out, but I took a nap and didn't do much. I can't remember what we did that night, I guess its because we were all pretty tired at this point. :)

The last day we had to wake up early so we could get transferred to the airport. The New Orleans airport sucks. My family had to check in at a different part of the airport. We just decided to met up after we went through security because at most airports, that is what you can do. Not at this airport!!! We were stuck in this small terminal with hardly anything to eat or do. So needless to say, we didn't even get to say goodbye to my parents and sister. I need closure, which I didn't get, so that really threw me off. I got over it, but still, I wasn't happy that the airport wouldn't allow people to walk around the airport.

It felt weird to be back and it made me appreciate what we have. When we were at our ports, we saw the reality of those who actually live there. We saw a lot of poor neighborhoods aka slums and people begging for your money or business. We even saw animals that were skin and bones. It was sad to see and it made you feel guilty as you know that you have plenty to eat on the ship, a warm place to sleep and money in your pocket. Also, there was garbage everywhere, even in the ocean and on the beaches. I can see how dolphins and sea life can die because of being caught up in garbage. I definitely see a need for these places and how these people need help. It makes me want to go on a missions trip one day and help out.

Well that pretty much sums up the trip. I can't wait to plan the next one. :)

New Years Resolution

New Years Resolutions....we all make them and most of the time we fail on majority of them. I have learned over the years to think realistic and small. For 2013, my goal was to get exercising again. I used to work out all the time. I loved to work out. My favorite form of exercise was running, especially around the University of Oregon campus and running on the trails of running legend, Steve Prefontaine. Of course, around that time, I was young and carefree and didn't have a lot of responsibility. Then, I met a man and I got married. Not only was I a full time wife, I was also a full time college student and I worked full time. When you are busy, you don't really have time for yourself. I stopped working out and often times resulted to fast food because when you start your day at 6am and your last class ends at 10pm, the last thing you want to do is go home and cook dinner. Its easier to go get something fast, so you can go home and finish any chores that needs to be done or homework that needs to be submitted in hopes to go to bed at a "reasonable" time, which normally was between 1am-2am. On average, I got 4-5 hours of sleep every night. Up until we moved to Texas in 2012, this was how i lived  life for five years.

I obviously didn't take care of myself during this time of my life and I was also miserable too. I  struggled at life and was unhappy...and exhausted. There were even a few times I landed in the emergency room because of fatigue and stress. I have learned that I hold my stress on the right side of my torso. I often mistake the pain as a kidney or bladder infection, gallstones or a appendicitis. These are expensive mistakes and its no fun having pain due to stress.

Since I have been married, I have gained 50 pounds.I can't even wear my wedding ring anymore. Going clothes shopping isn't fun either, because nothing fits. When I sit back and think about the last 8 years, I can't believe how I let myself go. Especially when I was an advocate for excercising and being  healthy.

For 2013, my goal was to get moving again. I started out going to the gym before work. I was pretty successful getting up super early in the morning and working out, but I got bored and I didn't have anything to hold me accountable. I needed something more intense, like Crossfit or something. In May, John encouraged me to do taekwondo with him. He told me I would get a good workout. So of course, I tried it and have been doing it since May 13th (our wedding anniversary). I do get a great workout every time and I have noticed results. So I feel like I can say I was successful with meeting my goal for 2013!!

Although I have rocked the goal of exercise, I still struggle in other areas of my life. This year I have been struggling with a lot of anxiety attacks. I also feel like I am drowning in the ocean of life. This last year has been super stressful for me. I started a new job, which at first I liked, but learned real quick (within a month of employment), the company and job was not for me. I do not have a healthy work environment and my morals and values are higher than the mission of those I work for. I have been actively job searching, but obviously God is not done with me yet.

Graduate school was another thing that stressed me out. Before moving to Texas, I was pretty much finished with grad school, except for the last requirement, which was the thesis project. For the last year, I struggled to stay motivated and complete a project that was super challenging. Thankfully, I finished grad school last week and now I can finally get rid of something that was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I am proud I accomplished something so big, and I am the first one in my family to get a master's degree.

My goal for 2014 is to get back on track with eating. A few years ago I found out that I had a food allergy to dairy and I am not supposed to have sugar. Since I found out about my food allergies, I have learned a lot about how dairy isn't really good for anyone and also what food can do to your body if you are allergic to food. It is hard to give up dairy. It is practically in everything. But the more I eat it, the worse it makes me feel and look. Sugar also makes me feel sick as well. So if I want to loose weight and feel great, I need to ditch the dairy and sugar. I also want to decrease gluten as well. I do not eat a lot of gluten to begin with, but when I have food with gluten in it, it makes me feel yucky too. So I guess clean eating and eating healthy foods is the way to go. This is not a diet, its a life style. A lifestyle that will take some time to get used to, but it is important for me so I do not continue to feel sick. 

Another goal for 2014 is to be more substainable. This sounds really Oregon of me, but I want to recycle more and use less waste. Texas isn't as big on recycling like the West Coast is, so I have slacked a little on recycling because its more of a challenge here. I also want my home to be less toxic. So using more natural cleaners would be ideal, as well at ditching my old candles and getting candles with soy or beeswax wics since they burn cleaner. I also want to make a compost so I can plant healthy herbs and plants. 

So that is basically it. I am excited to see what 2014 brings and how my life will change next  year. I wish you luck on your New Years resolutions! 

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