Vegas

We loaded up and hit the road early Thursday morning to head back down to Vegas for Mike's memorial services. We got there with plenty of time to help clean and set up, and Tristan flew in from Belgium that night. Friday we spent doing more cleaning and set up, and visiting with all of the family. We also had the annual cousin Christmas gift exchange that night, and everyone was pretty happy with their gifts. 

Saturday morning we got to the funeral home early to spend some time with just the family, before the service started. It was a really nice tribute to Mike- full of family and friends, jokes and laughs- just the way he would have wanted it. Once the services were done, we all headed back over to the house to host a luncheon for all the friends and family. It was really nice to see so many people we hadn't seen in a long time, and to catch up. That evening we snuck away for a few hours to have dinner with Cahl's mom and his uncle Maxx. 

We spent Sunday helping clean up and get everything put away, before we headed home on Monday. 

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful, quiet Christmas this year. We spent most of the day at home, and once we got done with presents and breakfast, we spent most of the day loading up and getting everything ready to head down to Vegas. We finished the day with dinner at the Chinese buffet, and it was perfect!

Sledding

This year we went on our annual Christmas Eve sledding adventure, and it was a great time. We met some friends at Eagle Island and had a pretty good size group. The runs were super fun, as always, and the kids had a great time. We spent the rest of the day finishing up the last minute Christmas things, followed by our movie and bed. 

Uncle Mike

We are absolutely gutted to say goodbye to our beloved Uncle Mike, who lost his battle with cancer today. He has been sick for a while now, and the last few months have been getting progressively worse. We're so thankful that Cahl has been able to spend at least a week with him each month since October, and was there to hold his hand today, and the kids and I have also been able to go spend some time with him recently as well. 

Mike has been such a huge presence in our life and family for all of Cahl's life, and all of our 20+ years of family life. His loss leaves such a big space for us, and he will be so incredibly missed. Mike has not only been our uncle and gruncle, he has been our dad, granddad, and best friend. We are all heartbroken, but there is also a peace that he is no longer in pain and suffering. I will forever be thankful of the love, lessons, and memories he provided for my family, and for taking us in and loving us.

Happy Birthday!

It hard to believe that Hunter is celebrating his 18th birthday today- the time has truly flown by! Hunter has always been such a wonderful part of our family, a surprise addition that I can't imagine living without. 

His girlfriend came over at the crack of dawn to bring him breakfast and cupcakes, then we spent most of today on the road down to Vegas, to meet up with Cahl and have a big cousin Christmas. There was a ton of family over for dinner and gifts, followed by a birthday cake for Hunter. It was a super quick and last minute trip, but it was really great to see everyone and spend some time with Mike. 

Cruise- Days 8-12

We had 2 more sea days that we filled with trivia, games, shows, a massage, and so much good food and company. Our last port day was spent at CoCo Cay, which is always beautiful and relaxing. Cahl had bought us tickets to the CoCo Cay Beach Club and it was the perfect way to spend the day. We had a beach nearly to ourselves, with plenty of chairs and shade. Cahl snorkeled and saw a sting ray and nurse shark, along with plenty of fish. Our tickets also included unlimited drinks and a delicious lunch, as well as a pool. We did a little shopping at the end of the day, but mostly just loved sitting on the beach all day.

We got back to Ft. Lauderdale and got off the ship Sunday morning, and picked up a rental car to drive down to Key West. We took our time on the drive, and stopped at Long Key State park, and a cool farmer's market on the way. Once we got to Key West, we checked into our hotel, then headed out for some sightseeing and shopping. We visited the Southernmost Point, Hemmingway's house, and the St Paul's Episcopal Church before making our way to El Siboney for dinner. 

Monday we packed in as much of Key West as we could- Truman's Little White House, the Maritime Museum, Mallory Square, the Sails to Rails Museum, and of course Kermit's Key Lime Pie! We had one last hour to spend at the beach before it was time to pack up and head north again. A few days in Key West was the perfect end to our trip, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go!

Cruise- Day 7

Our second port day was in Curacao, and we were also super excited to visit. We had the best time walking through the town of Willemstad- it is one of my favorite port towns so far! Cahl and I bought a lock to put on the Punda Love Heart sculpture, we watched the Queen Emma bridge open to let a boat through, and we especially loved Rif Fort and the floating market. The shops are all so beautiful and unique, and I definitely plan to visit the island again someday!

We spent the afternoon at Mambo Beach. The beach club was very crowded, but we managed to find some lounge chairs in the shade. Despite all of the people, the snorkeling at Mambo was some of the best we've ever done. 

On our way back to the ship, we made one last stop to walk through the Curacao Rif Mangrove Park. We were hoping to see some wildlife, but the tress were really pretty and the boardwalk was nice and shady.