Crusin' With Carnival

Our fist even vacation to the sunny south happened just a year ago.  As I mentioned then, it was only at that point that I could actually travel as my health was horrible before my transplant.  As soon as we arrived home last year, we knew we were hooked on cruising, and immediately booked again for this year.  Crazy ... not really ... just very smart planning (so I keep telling myself) :)

We decided that we wanted to do something different than the Florida cruises and also wanted to see a few more places of our beautiful world ... so what better way than a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico!

After waiting 371 days (from the time of booking), we were very much looking forward to this new adventure.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

March 21-24, 2012

Beautiful Casita del Coqui

We decided to fly into San Juan a few days earlier to begin our vacation.  We found a beautiful home in the Santurce area and were quite surprise when we arrived.  This quaint home was situated in the heart of the Arts & Culture District.  Most all stores, restaurants, transportation, etc. did not speak English, and it was quite interesting and refreshing to be submerged in the Puerto Rician culture!

Our host, Richard was extremely helpful to the 4 Newfie's he had visiting and provided us with a wonderful place to stay ...

 

Our beautiful 3rd floor balcony, with lots of vegetation and critters

Another view of our balcony

View of San Juan from our balcony.  Beautiful old world feel.

As we arrived later in the evening, we really didn't get a good look around the house or area until the next morning.  We were beyond impressed and absolutely loved the area!

Enjoying the relaxing water fountain and warm Caribbean air

Our next adventure in San Juan was to explore a little, find some great places to eat and get ourselves to the local beach!  Our host graciously took us on a short walking tour of the local area, showed us where the local transportation was and some of the fantastic sights of the Arts & Culture District. 

Us enjoying a tour of the nearby streets with our very own guide, thanks Richard!  Some very beautiful stained glass!

Just on our street corner we were told about a little cafe which served only brunch.  We couldn't really understand how a cafe could survive by just serving brunch.  We later found out that they also had jazz nights on Friday's and a family brunch on Sunday's.  Both were huge attractions to the cafe to the point that many people waited in line just to experience a little piece of this fabulous place.

Of course, us being curious, decided to try out the cafe our very first morning in San Juan ... and what a treat!!  We totally understand why people would wait in line ... I could easily live on their food FOREVER!  We started with the fantastic coffee (actually it was espresso), and let me tell you, I will never enjoy another cup of coffee as much as this!!  Then on to the main meal!!

I was so preoccupied in eating that I didn't even take a picture ... so sad :(.  But to help understand, I ordered their famous french toast.  WELL, WELL, WELL ... after 3 huge home made slices of the best bread I have ever eaten, smothered in fresh fruit and whipped cream, I had to literally roll out of the cafe!  We enjoyed it so much that we ended our stay with this fabulous meal again :)

Abracadabra Cafe!  Yum-o!

Local coffee ... I'll never enjoy another cup since leaving San Juan.  It was unbelievable!

Most of our time in San Juan was sprinkled with rain.  Although very, very warm, walking in the rain day in and day out wasn't the most fun.  But not to worry, we did do some shopping, sight-seeing, and relaxing.  Finally, the day before we were leaving for our cruise, we decided to wander off to the beach.  I found that most of our stay in San Juan involved us "wandering" around ... soooo much fun :)!

About a 15 minute walk and we found what we were looking for ... the beach!  Beautiful white sand, warm water, and a warm breeze made the day perfect!  Although a little cloudy on times, by the time were were cluing up to head home, we had a few sprinkles of rain ... and then it POURED!  Luckily there were lots of trees on the beach where we all could take shelter ... and to top it all off, we had a local selling beer!  Yes, of course we partook in the refreshments ... aaaahhhh!

Beach!  Yay, we made it!

Hubby enjoying the warm, but rough ocean ... and of course we all had a splash around.

After finding the local supermarket (in the rain) and enjoying a home cooked meal during our last night, we relaxed and geared up for the next journey of our vacation ... our cruise!

Bye, bye Casita del Coqui :(

Carnival Victory

March 25 - April 1, 2012

With us being familiar with cruising, we knew that we wanted to head to the ship as early as possible to embrace the luxury of Carnival!  We arrived at the ship around 11:30 am and had the entire day to look around, grab some food, and enjoy the boat ... all before leaving the port!  Our cruise was not scheduled to leave until 10:00 pm from San Juan.

Port of San Juan, PR

Hubby enjoying a walk around the Victory

Checking out our new home for the next 7 days!  So beautiful!

Port of San Juan, PR as we leave for the next leg of our vacation

Comedy Club and Karaoke Lounge

Red & Black Club ... can't see where they came up with that name :)

Irish Piano Bar

Cigar Bar

Dance Lounge/Club

Main Theater

Although a little smaller than the Carnival Dream (which we went on last year), everything was still just as amazing and beautiful!  If you've never been on a cruise, picture an extremely fancy hotel, with lots of glitz and glamor, sparkle and lights ... and you've got a cruise!  I'm usually walking around in awe for the first day ... just taking it all in!

The itinerary for the Carnival Victory was an extremely busy one ... visiting 5 ports in 7 days!  This was part of the reason we chose to book the Victory ... to see lots of new and exciting places.  Onward to Barbados, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Marteen!

St. Thomas

March 26, 2012

St. Thomas still has to be my most favorite place on earth :)!  Beautiful scenery!  We decided to do an excursion from Carnival ... and to be exact, the same excursion we did last time ... Castaway Barefoot Sail and Snorkel!  

Port of St. Thomas

There she is!  Carnival Victory!

Hubby snorkeling ... you would never say that he's not comfortable swimming :)

Some fishies

Enjoying some snorkeling at St. Thomas

... and of course, the Bushwhackers ... yum!

This is my favorite shot of St. Thomas and the Victory

The gang at Paradise Point

Towel animal tonight :)

Sea Day

March 27, 2012

As our cruise was quite busy, we took advantage of relaxing on our one and only sea day ... Serenity Deck!!

Enjoying a relaxing day in the hammock on Serenity Deck ... with the yummy drink of the day

Towel animal for tonight :)

Barbados
March 28, 2012

Barbados began our busy next 4 days.  Although I thought no other place could top St. Thomas ... boy, was I wrong!  Beautiful weather and a fabulous taxi tour around the island ... what could be better!

Quick stop to one of the beautiful beaches

Local Barbados beer, so good!

Just one of the beautiful shots of the country side

We decided to take the Harrison's Cave Tour and were blown away by the beauty and outstanding views within the caves.  The pictures below do not even do justice to what we saw and experienced.

One of the many pools of water ... this one had 4 feet of water and 15 feet of silt!

Hubby enjoying the scenes of the caves

We so enjoyed the beauty of this pool ... the pictures below show the pool with the flash of my camera on ... the other, with the flash off!  So spectacular!!

Flash on ... not much to pick out here

Flash off ... beautiful glow underneath the water

Mr. Monkey towel animal!

... and of course, to top the night off ... Freddy Funship!

St. Lucia

March 29, 2012

On to St. Lucia!  I had always wanted to visit St. Lucia as the pictures all looked so beautiful and peaceful.  Although the day started our a little cloudy (now mind you, it was about 6:00 am), it quickly cleared and turned out to be a beautiful day.

The Piton Mountains!

Port of St. Lucia

Beautiful landscape

Rather than booking an excursion on the ship, we decided to try our luck with a local taxi/tour company to take us around the island.  We booked with James Tours, who turned out to be an OK tour, but found that many of the places he took us were in the northern part of St. Lucia, and not so pretty.  We also quickly learned that many of the locals who he took us to visit along the way were actually looking for us to buy their products ... we didn't take the tour for this purpose and it put somewhat of a sour taste in our mouths.  Nevertheless we had a great time sight-seeing and enjoying St. Lucia ... until ...

View of the Victory from St. Lucia

Beautiful outlook onto St. Luci

Local housing ... it always amazes me how the houses are built on top of each other

 ... we were taken to one of the local beaches ... Rodney Beach.  The beach was absolutely beautiful, apart from the panhandling!  Now, I've been asked and tormented about buying things from locals before, but this took the cake!  Everyone from 12 to 70 years were trying to sell something!  It was not just the selling piece, but the constant nagging and rudeness that really bothered us.  We did manage to find some local beer and have a taste :)

Local St. Lucia beer

... and of course towel animal swan for the evening

St. Kitts

March 30, 2012

St. Kitts was another place on my list to visit, and this one did not disappoint!  The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we decided to hire a local tour company to show us the real sights and sounds of St. Kitts!

Port of St. Kitts

Great shot of the Victory and Miracle!

As soon as we were on the island, we knew this was going to be one of our favorites of this trip!  Starting just a few feet from the ship, we were greeted with MONKEYS!  They were so darn cute, I contemplated on how to get one back home :)!  A word for the wise ... we being approached by the "monkey men", be prepared for them to take you camera and throw the monkeys on your ... all before you realize it's happening!  Then they proceed to take the pictures and charge you $20 for your own camera LOL!  Crazy I know, but for us ... well worth the money!

From there we toured the island, visited the botanical gardens, and then spent a few hours on the beach ... fantastic day!

 

Most favorite experience ... MONKEYS!

Local house with a poor puppy on the step ...

Centre of the city

Momma and baby birds resting for the day ... protected from the snakes and rats

Most beautiful shot of the Caribbean ocean

Little did we know we would run into MORE monkeys!  This little guy had the softest hands/feet :)

Entering the botanical garden ... so serene

... another shot of the gardens

Us under a huge palm

The Marriage Tree.  Legend states if you get married under this tree, your marriage will last forever

This was so impressive ... the Atlantic Ocean meeting the Caribbean Sea!  Can you tell the difference?

Beautiful beach where we strolled and even rented a jet ski!  The sand was almost black due to the volcanic sediments!

After a day in St. Kitts we were convinced we would have to visit again!  Our new favorite place :)

St. Marteen

March 31, 2012

We had visited St. Marteen during out last cruise, but it's always fun seeing such a beautiful island again!  We decided not to do much of anything today ... just relax and take in the hot weather.  It started off again a little cloudy ... but quickly turned into a HOT day!

Port of St. Marteen

Beautiful beach of St. Marteen

... again

We decided to come back to the ship a little early today, and enjoy the serenity deck one last time.  Luckily I found a huge bed and flaked out for a few hours ... sun bathing and just relaxing.  Beautiful end to a fabulous cruise!

 

View of St. Marteen from the Serenity Deck

Our final towel animal

San Juan, PR

April 1/2, 2012

Without seeing a picture of this hotel, we were a little concerned that we may be staying a not-so-nice place ... however when we arrived, we were totally shocked!  The Courtyard by Marriott, Isla Verde, PR was well beyond our expectations!

Beautiful Puerto Rician sky

The beach, right at our feet

Swim up bar ... mmmmm!

After relaxing for a little bit, all the fun started :)!  3:00 pm was the start of happy hour ... and boy were we happy!

Hubby riding Shamu .... lol

Attempting to surf ... with help!

Having a leisurely float in the pool

The boys

The girls

So long San Juan ... till we meet again xoxo

All in all we had one heck of a time!  New and wonderful cultures, beautiful weather, fabulous islands and scenery, and a suburb cruise to boot!

... so much fun ... that we're planning the next as we speak :)! 

4 YEARS!

Receiving my second chance brought a lot of great feelings ... particularly when I realized that I could actually breathe!  However, I didn't really understand the massive impact that a lung transplant would have on my life.  Yes, I did think that things would be a lot better and I wouldn't have to be suffering to breathe, but I didn't understand the extent of that!

Here I am, 4 years post-transplant, and all of the wonderful feelings and thoughts that came along with waking up and being able to breathe, have come flooding back.  In actual fact, they haven't left!

I've been enjoying life over the past 4 years and have been doing things I have NEVER done!  I've traveled, played golf, hiked, walked for miles, and exercised!  Yes, I'm excited to be able to exercise!  Over the past 4 years, I have been struggling with weight gain (something that is almost unimaginable for someone with CF).  With an increase in appetite, medications that cause water retention, and no struggling to breathe, my body wasn't burning off the calories to keep my weight down.

In September 2011, I gave in and hired my friend.  Kristen and her NUTRIFIT program was a perfect fit for me!  Not only did I manage to loose 20 lbs in 12 weeks, but I've been able to come off my insulin and am able to eat properly.  I feel absolutely fabulous!!  I've continued Kristen's program and continue to feel great!

So here I am, 4 years out, 25 lbs lighter and feeling fabulous!  I've been able to get myself exercising ... absolutely loving Zumba and the gym!  Imagine :)!

Happy 4th Lungiversary to me :D!

The Story Continues

"Scars" Tat - #9

Here I go again!  I am so totally addicted!  A fellow TX friend posted this saying and I just HAD to have it permanently inked :D!  It's been added right under my TX incision and above the 2 chest tube scars ... perfect placement!

Thanks again Chuck @ White Scorpion Tattoo!

Oops ... and #8 it is!

Obviously, I have a huge problem with tattoos ... lol!  Addicted just doesn't cover it!  We've begun to complete an entire back piece, so in saying that, we've added another piece to finish it up ...

#8 - Fan w/ Cherry Blossoms

We've added the fan with Cherry Blossoms under the Phoenix ... and it's turned out fantastic!  We did another little bit of work on the coloring of the dragon and flowers.  My previous tat is proving to be a pain to cover, and some of it is still showing through the Lotus ... but we have a few more trick to try to get rid of it.

I'm absolutely loving the coloring of the entire piece ... and no, this will not be the end of tattooing!  I REALLY WANT a quarter sleeve (maybe even half sleeve) ... so that will be in the works at a later time.

I can't thank Chuck @ White Scorpion Tattoos enough for all the time and care he has put into me and my tats!

Stay tuned ... there WILL be more to come!

More Work ... and a Little Explaning

My new tattoo is getting finished!!  YAY!!  It's not like me not to take pictures, but I noticed that I didn't take any of my last sitting in June.  At that time a lot of the black shading was done.  I also had to cancel my July sitting ... work got in the way ... so now we're a little behind in getting it completed.

In this picture, it shows the work that was done yesterday, August 6, 2011.  We are adding more to the bottom of the tattoo (underneath the phoenix and dragon ... stay tuned :), so we didn't do any more of the black shading.  Instead, we started the coloring!!!!  So far I have the lily completed, and the peony started (it stills needs to be completed and lots of shading done).  We also decided to try a new technique with my old tattoo cover up ... whiting it out!  As you can see (maybe not so clearly), white was used to color over the old tat.  Sadly, the black lettering covered better than the actual pink and greens.  I loved the design of my old tat, but after having it completed 2 times, it still turned out hideous!  It was supposed to be a realistic lily ... instead it turned more into a pink, lumpy, splotchy blob with green things sticking out of it!  I think my new lily looks a million times better!

I still have another 4 sitting at least to complete it.  Next sitting we will be completing the peony, adding the rest of the piece under the dragon, and hopefully completing that.  I'll need another sitting for the dragon and another for the rest of the shading ... and a final one to tighten it all up!

Can't wait to see the finished product ... I'm getting really excited now that there's coloring going it!!  HE HE!

I know a lot of people don't like tattoos, and especially the size that I have, but I've been addicted since my very first one ... and this isn't the last.  I get a lot of questions about why I would do something like this, and also lots of questions about tattooing post-transplant.

My reason for doing this is ALL FOR ME!  I absolutely love tattoos and see them as a work of art.  All of my tats have meaning to me, and none have been done just to have them (well, except for one which was done spur of the moment, and I just loved the design).  The rest have been designed and well thought out.

The new one symbolizes everything I've been through since 2006, and when I look at it, I had great meaning to me.  As for my transplant and having the tattoos ... my team was NOT in support of any tattoos; however there are a lot of things that they are against and warned me about.  This being said, I wouldn't put myself in any blatant danger, as this has been the GREATEST gift ever.  But in saying that, I also can't live in a bubble.  I worked very hard to get where I am, and in thinking/getting my tattoo, I also did a lot of research and thinking about it.  First off, I waited a year before even thinking about it (well, not really ... I thought about it all the time).  I know a year is not a long time post-transplant; but at that point I did not have any rejection or signs of any issues *knock wood* and really wanted to do something for me and my donor.

I worked with my tattoo artist and we discussed what I wanted and how to eliminate any infection.  We decided that doing the tattoos a little at a time and allowing extra time in between sittings to make sure everything was healed, would be the best route.  So far, things have worked perfectly for me.  He makes sure to clean the area really well before, during and after ... and I follow a strict cleaning routine.

It's still not something the docs want to see ... but I'm also not supposed to have plants/flowers in the house, pets, eat rare meat, sprouts or sushi ... just to name a few things.  I'm not saying it's silly, as they all have reasons as to why, as a post-transplant patient, you shouldn't do/have these things ... but again, I've never been one to follow rules around my health very strictly ... and this has worked for me throughout my life thus far, and I don't plan on changing it.

We're put on this earth for a purpose, and for me I have a second chance to enjoy even more of my life (or experience 2 lives if you look at it that way) ... and I'm living it to the fullest!  By no means am I ignoring my health or gift ... but I'm not isolating myself in spite of it. :)!

Another Boost of L-I-F-E

Again I find myself stuck in this mundane rut ... enjoying my new life, but not really doing much but working and living a "normal" life ... and by no means is my life normal!

I find myself falling into this space where I'm like everyone else ... complaining about the weather, that I don't get to do things, work ... just complaining.  I really hate to do this since my transplant ... but when you're around the general population, it just seems to swirl around you until you're engulfed in this depressing mood.

Thankfully, I received some really great news ... and again, boosted me back into "my" reality!  One of my transplant family members had an unexpected hospital stay during her transplant follow up, another had been waiting to hear if he could return home from his transplant, and yet another had received her gift, but was having a few bumps to get over.  Well, within a day, I had heard that the hospital stay was over, the other was heading home, and our newest transplant family member had turned 25 and celebrated her 1 month lungivesary!

Thanks for the boost back into reality ... nothing like hearing/seeing the miracles and things that REALLY matter, rather than dwelling on the little, insignificant stuff.

YAY LIFE!

Yet Another New Addition

I'm a self proclaimed animal lover ... well, particularly doggies.  Throughout my life time I've loved 6 pugs (currently have 2) and a Samoyed.  Most recently I've gotten into rescuing doggies ... and well, I can't seem to stop!

Just last year, we adopted a beagle, Willow into our home.  She's been a handful to say the least, but she's a joy to have.  I'm curious as to what kind of life she had before us, as she is quite scared of loud noises, etc.  She's proven to be very hard to train ... but we're still working on it, and I'm sure she'll master it sooner or later.

Just 2 days ago, we learned of a little pup (setter/lab mix) who was in need of a home.  Well, I saw a picture of her and fell head over heels in love with her.  I know it's a lot to take on ... but then again, what's another doggie in the mix??

The pugs just love her (plus the pugs are couch potatoes ... so they're not any trouble at all).  Willow does like her; however she constantly wants to play with Rosey ... and well, she just a tad too small to be push around, jumped on and bitten!!  Willow can't get this through her head as of yet.

Nevertheless, Rosey is now a part of our family ... and one that we'll love as we love all our fur babies!

Our little cutie taking a much deserved nap!  Welcome home Rosey!

Finally, a Start to Summer

I'll first apologize for not keeping my blog up-to-date ... however, I've been quite busy with work and home life that I just haven't had a chance to post ;)

The weather has been pretty nasty up until July 1!  The entire month of June was rain, drizzle and fog (RDF) ... of the 30 days in June, we had 27 days of rain!  Not once did the temps reach 20 degrees :S!  YUCK!  With all that being said ... July has come in full force!!  The past 2 days have been 25+ degrees and sunshine ... YAY!

I haven't been taking many photos lately ... see above ... lol.  But, as of today, I've taken my camera out and have it all dusted off and freshly charged.

Hubby and I are trying to plan a little weekend getaway ... sometime this summer.  Depending on work schedules, it looks like its going to be hard to plan, but we'll attempt it.  We're not looking for anything fancy ... after all, there are lots of places in Newfoundland we haven't even seen yet!  We're actually looking to plan a trip to the Northern Peninsula ... that should be fun :)!

Happy Summer!!

Back Under the Needle ... Tattoo # 7 (and counting)

April 16, 2011 - Tat #7

I didn't lie when I said I was getting yet another tattoo :)!  Yup, #7 has started ... and I can't wait to see the finished work of art!  This will complete my back ... making it an entire piece!

I've decided to add the dragon to complement my phoenix.  In Japanese and Chinese history, both resemble the yin/yang.  My tattoo artist found a beautiful dragon and the colors are amazing!  But everyone will have to wait until the color is added before I post any other pics :)!

As you can see, I've added the dragon and some Japanese flowers ... lily, water lily, etc.  I'm actually covering up my previous lily tattoo ... I wasn't pleased with it right from the start, even after having it re-done.  So the only thing I've asked my tattoo artist to do is incorporate the Stargazer Lily and the symbol for "inner strength".  The outline above isn't complete as of yet ... as we decided (when the first sitting was done) that a tail and Japanese fan are in order ... lol!

Keep posted for the next sitting ... EXCITING!!

Welcoming ... Sally Littlefoot

I've always enjoyed exotic animals ... and have always been an animal lover.  After all, I've had 6 pugs, a samoyed, and a beagle throughout my life ... currently loving 2 pugs and our beagle.  So when I saw the beautiful pictures that my friend had posted ... I just fell in love all over again!

HEDGEHOGS!!

Introducing ... Sally Littlefoot!

After seeing this beautiful little creature, I immediately contacted my friend and arranged to get me one of these little beauties!  I then picked out our little darling ... Sally!

Here's our little girlie enjoying a bowl of food all to herself ... hehe

And enjoying her wheel ...

Finally a pic of our little darling ... as of today, April 10, 2011 at almost 6 weeks ...

Can't wait to meet her in person on the 15th!!  Thanks Paulette for the opportunity to fall in love with and love this little darling!

Design Time Again

It's been a little while since I've been under the needle getting tattooed ... so, time to change that.  As we speak, I'm getting tat #7 designed.  It's going to almost complete my back piece :)!  I've decided on something to complement my phoenix and to symbolize my new life.

I know a lot of people hate tattoos, and to each his own.  But I absolutely love them, especially when they have significant meaning; which all of mine do.  There's really only one of my tattoos that don't actually "mean" anything, but it was something that I fell in love with.  Other than that, the others all have significant meaning.

I'm getting pretty excited ... first sitting is April 16!!

Up to My Old Tricks Again

Well, well, well ... looks like I've fallen right back into my old rut again ... on all levels!

The only thing I dislike about living in Newfoundland is the winter weather.  I'm not the real "out doorsy" person and don't really enjoy the baffling wind and snow.  Hence, I keep myself isolated inside, be it at work or home ... resulting in me feeling like crap.  Well, good news is, the weather seems to be getting better and as with anyone, the sunshine is always welcomed!

So, guess my next step is to get myself back into shape ... AGAIN!  Now, not that I was really in shape before, but at least I was moving and doing something.  It's this rut that I hate the most.  I feel so guilty for not be as active as I can be ... after all, these new lungs were not only a new life, but a very precious gift.  But as of TODAY, I've made a new commitment to my "buddies" ... healthy living.  Oh boy, do I ever had my work cut out for me!

First on the list is eating right and getting my sugars under control.  Then I need to add in the exercise.  It doesn't sound so threatening when you look at it, but coming from someone who ate WHATEVER I wanted for 30 years, and didn't do a whole lot (if any) exercising ... this is a daunting task.  And to add insult to injury, my mind and lungs are going full force, but my body can't keep up ... frustrating!!!!

Nevertheless ... it's time to get myself out of this rut!  Wish me luck :)!

Hooked on Cruising!

There she is ... Carnival Victory!

As you can tell from my previous post ... we had a BLAST on our cruise!  Not something I thought I would ever do ... now I can't picture another vacation outside of cruising!

Well, we've only been home a few weeks ... aaaaannnnnddddd, I've done it!  We've booked again for 2012!  YAY!

We absolutely loved the Carnival Dream and sailing out of Florida ... but we wanted to do something different this time.  There are a lot of places in the southern Caribbean that I want to visit and have always dreamed of ... St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados ... and guess what???!!!  We found a cruise that visits not just one or two of the ports ... but all three!!  And on top of that, we begin our journey at San Juan, PR!

The more I think of visiting San Juan, the more nervous I become.  I don't know what it is ... maybe it's the fear that everyone will speak Spanish and we'll be stuck not knowing how to communicate.  After all, I could handle Florida :D!  Nevertheless, the cruise is booked, fights are on watch, and the countdown begins!!

Fantastic Vacation!!

What a fabulous vacation!

First of all, myself and hubby have never been on an actual vacation ... not even a honeymoon.  So when we booked our cruise back in August, we didn't want to say a whole lot ... afraid we would jinx it :)!  Thankfully we were able to go and without a hitch!

We first arrived in Orlando, FL for a few days ... the weather was great; however we did have a few cooler days.  Of course, we had left freezing temperatures and about 3 feet of snow ... needless to say, we didn't mind the cooler weather :)!

We rented a fabulous house with some great friends ... and had a ball!  Even had our own heated pool - which made for some late night fun ... haha!

The pool was fabulous, well, then again, everything was fabulous!

Hubby and I enjoying a late night swim ... can't do that in NL!

Following our stay in Orlando, we heading for our cruise ... the Carnival Dream!  We had never cruised before and I was a little hesitant as I wasn't sure if I would suffer the week being sea-sick ... that thought quickly left me when I saw the beautiful ship we would be sailing on.

Carnival Dream, Port Canaveral, Florida

The boarding process was so quick, before we knew it, we were sitting on this beautiful wonder, taking it all in ... and enjoying our first cruise beverage!  Life is definitely great!

Our 7-day cruise began on February 12, 2011 ... yes, we got to enjoy Valentine's Day on board!  We actually had a lot to celebrate during February 2011 ... Valentine's Day, our first vacation, first honeymoon, and my 3 years post-transplant!!

FIRST PORT ... BAHAMAS (February 13, 2011)!

Horse & Buggy Ride, Bahamas

We only had a few hours at Bahamas, so we decided to do a little sight-seeing ... complements of the local people!  We had fantastic horse and buggy ride around town ... with lots of sights and sounds!

Following Bahamas, we decided to do a little investigating around the ship.  There was absolutely EVERYTHING to do ... including eating 24 hours a day.  Of course, we had to enjoy some late night ice-cream and frozen yogurt :)!  YUMMY!

Enjoying frozen yogurt midnight, Valentine's Day 2011

SECOND PORT ... ST. THOMAS (February 15, 2011)

After a well rested night and a day at sea, we arrived at St. Thomas!  I absolutely fell in love with this place and do plan on visiting again ... sometime in my life.  We were greeted with beautiful weather and hot temperatures.  The scenery was stunning!!

Coming into port

We decided to do our first excursion on St. Thomas ... snorkeling!  Neither of us have snorkeled before.  I am a have decent swimmer, but not the strongest.  Hubby on the other hand can't really swim at all ... not something we really worried about ... haha!  

Hehe, underwater shot of us enjoying out excursion!  We even got to see a wreck!!  Not the clearest picture, but it was fantastic!

Ship Wreck!

To end our day, we travelled up to Paradise Point ... we didn't really want to leave at this point.  I was quite happy to stay in St. Thomas ... forever :)!  Of course, the drinks helped that along a little ... well, A LOT hahaha!

Myself and good friend becoming a part of the show!
Thanks to the Bushwackers!!

Carnival Dream from Paradise Point, St. Thomas

THIRD PORT ... ST. MAARTEN (February 16, 2011)

Bright and early the next morning we were off to explore St. Maarten.  It was extremely hot that day ... not that we were complaining, so we headed off to another snorkeling adventure.  This one was a little more laid-back and relaxed, compared to our adventure in St. Thomas.  We didn't have a lot of luck with being able to see many creatures as the visibility was poor.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed dabbling in the water and relaxing at the Tiki Hut!

Tiki Hut Adventures

The views at St. Maarten were gorgeous as we the beautiful beaches and towns!  We again called upon a local taxi/sight-seeing company to take us around the island.  In 3 hours we had travelled the entire island ... both the French and Dutch side.  Even a stop at the nudist beach :)!

Just a casual walk down a street in St. Maarten

Leaving port at St. Maarten

Our next two days were at sea ... we enjoyed lunchtime BBQs, elegant evening dining, and just some relaxing.  Caught a few comedy shows, did a little dancing, and lounged in the Piano Bar.  Even did a little gambling and WON!!  WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE!

The ship was just beautiful ... nothing I could even imagine, until we boarded!  

Lido Deck

PORT CANAVERAL ... (February 19, 2011)

To end our vacation, we decided to spend our last few hours exploring and touring the Kennedy Space Centre.  I think hubby took more pictures of the Space Centre than all of our vacation :)!  But he loved it!!

We were a little depressed to have to come back home to all the snow and wintery weather ... but we're definitely hooked and will be cruising again!  We even have our next cruise picked out :)!

Happy 3rd!

Happy 3rd Lungiversary

 Time has come again ... to celebrate!!!  It's LUNGIVERSARY time again ... YAY!  I decided to make some fabulous "lungs" for my cake and I think it turned out pretty darn good :D!

We decided to have yet another party.  Although not a huge turn out, we had all of our favs surrounding us ... couldn't ask for anything more!

The Lungiversary Gal

Here's to many, many more!! xoxo

Ashley

I had posted back in September a wonderful story about Ashley.  I had met Ashely through her mother, Caroline when she contacted me terrified for Ashley's life.  Ashley had CF and was nearing the end of her life at that time.  Thankfully she was listed for transplant and received her gift in 2010.

I was totally blown out of the water when I received information that Ashely had passed.  I was saddened that my only encounter with Ashely was when I was diagnosed as a b. cepacia contact and was battling if I was in rejection, in February 2010.  Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't really wrap my head around socializing, and even if I could, I really couldn't as I was "contact".  I do remember seeing her from a distance and briefly saying "hi".

I had been following Ashley via Facebook, and things seem to be going great.  When I received this information I contacted Caroline, only to find that Ashely was in perfect physical health; however post-transplant proved to be too much for her to manage, emotionally.

Ashely, you will be sadly missed, but I know you're free from all your troubles now.  Breathe easy friend xoxo