Home from Cruise and FL!

Got home late Sunday night and I am restored and invigorated! Was feeling so low with all the cloudy days here in Michigan. We left Jan. 6 and the cruise began Jan 8. In Montego Bay, Jamaica I did the canopy adventure which takes you from tree top to tree top by way of lines strung between them with you in a harness and pulley set-up. It was WAY COOL! Never in a million years would I have been able or willing to do this a year ago! I went horseback riding in Cozumel, Mexico and ran like the wind. It's been years since I've ridden and it was terrific. In Grand Cayman we did a private company tour for swimming with the stingrays and snorkeling at two different reefs. It was great! (And not a ton of people like the tours with the cruise ships). While I have snorkeled with the stringrays before, this time I was anxious to have pictures taken while holding and kissing the stingrays. We then had a wonderful, mostly warm week in Florida before coming home. Visited my friend's parents for one day and then we went to Blue Springs and Homosassa Springs and saw the Manatees. They are such sweet creatures and get hurt often by boat propellers. They come into the springs during the winter since the ocean water is too cold for them. There were between 15 and 20 visible at Blue Springs and they say that 150 or more show up at Homosassa Springs. They are not as visible since they stay in the Crystal River, however. Homosassa is also a permanent home to some manatees that have been hurt so badly they can't go free anymore. They also have injured bald eagles, all kinds of pelicans, flamingoes, herons, and one hippo that is a resident of Florida since he couldn't be in a State of Florida park otherwise. We just had a wonderful time! I missed everyone! Take care, Pam

Hi Pam, Glad you back. It sounds like you had an awesome time. I think I need a little bit of sunshine~did you bring any back with you? I just found out tonight that between Dec.19th and Jan.6th we had a whopping 14 minutes of sunshine here in Miciigan~at least in the Detroit Metro area. Kind of an interesting fact. Welcome home. God bless you, Annette

Glad you had a great time. Now that you had your "fill" of sunshine you'll have to come get your fill of snow. Northern Michigan has plenty for skiing & snow mobiling. Hope to see you next week. Kris Bley says she is coming to see me. She works really close to the hospital in Petoskey. Peggy

it sounds like you had a terrific time. i came back saturday from a cruise as well. i took my family on a week long cruise to st thomas and st marten on the caribbean princess. it was wonderful. i thought the food would be a problem but i stayed on track and only ate the sugar free desserts and ended up losing 1.5 pounds the week of my cruise. cruise ships are the best way to vacation. i also went snorkeling but the fish were so big and they scared me half to death. the weather was wonderful and the ship was beautiful. im glad you had as good a time as my family did. welcome home wendy