Norwegian Sky Cruise to the Bahamas

I recently went on my very first cruise. It was on the Norwegian Sky, embarking from Miami and visiting three islands in the Bahamas.

On top of the ship looking at the port of Miami.

The first island was Grand Bahamas Island. We didn't book any excursions there, so we just visited the straw market in Freeport and went snorkeling at the beach near the market. Unfortunately, the reef there appeared half dead, so we didn't see much variety out there in the water. There was a guy on the beach selling fresh coconuts, so we bought a couple of them and sat drinking coconut juice and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Our ship docked at the island of Great Stirrup Cay.

The second island was Great Stirrup Cay, the cruise line's own private island. The snorkeling there was much better. The beach was very crowded though, so we had to venture off a little ways in order to find a quieter, less crowded spot to lounge around on the beach.

The third island we visited was Nassau. We had an excursion booked, which was to swim with dolphins at Blue Lagoon Island. I have to say that this was probably my most favorite part of the trip. I'll admit that it was a little creepy at first to be swimming with marine mammals that are as big as me, but after awhile, it was great fun. The dolphins we swam with were movie stars with film credits such as Flipper. They were so well-trained and were quite the jokesters! Touching them feels awesome--they were like soft leather. I especially enjoyed the foot push, where you lay on your belly in the water as the dolphins push your feet and propel you so fast that your body rises up out of the water as if you're flying. It was a lot of fun. Sadly, a couple months after doing this, I watched a documentary on dolphins and I felt kind of bad about these dolphins that are kept in captivity. I wonder how content they really are with their life....

As far as the ship itself, there were many things to do. We attended a comedy/magic show one of the nights; it was very funny. We also attended a variety show and another show featuring numerous Broadway tunes. We made use of the fitness center, the basketball court, the ping pong tables, the swimming pools, and the hot tubs. The biggest party on board the ship was the White Hot Party, which was pretty fun. However, it seemed to die down quickly. We also made sure to go to each of the restaurants aboard the ship (except the specialty restaurants which were not part of the cruise fare). I thought the food was very good. They had the best melons ever, especially cantaloup. I don't think I've ever eaten as much melon in my life as I ate on board the ship! The only thing about the food was that there was not as much variety (the restaurants all tended to have the same sort of food with a few exceptions here and there). Drinks, oh my god, they were so expensive. Thank goodness we're not big alcohol or soda drinkers!

Without a doubt, the best thing about the ship was the service. The workers were so friendly and polite. Any time one of them passed me, they always smiled and gave a greeting. This never failed, and it just made the atmosphere cheerful and warm. They were very efficient at their job and always approachable. It seemed like they worked all the time too! I started wondering when they got their breaks and whether they got paid fairly well for what they did. I noticed most of them were from other countries (not the U.S.). It made me wonder how they got recruited to work on the ship. I hope they are well-compensated! The workers on board the Norwegian Sky really made the cruise experience great!

Sunset on the Atlantic Ocean

Overall, my first cruise turned out to be better than I thought. I had anticipated getting really sea sick and feeling rushed, but it was a nice, relaxing vacation. I will definitely look into cruising again in the future. Hm...maybe a cruise to Europe? I've always wanted to go to Europe.......

3 Great Dads

With Father's Day coming up this weekend, I wanted to write about the three great dads in my life. 

The first is my father. He's one tough guy--very stubborn and expects nothing but the absolute best. In a way, this made life difficult growing up, but mostly, I am who I am today because of my dad being so tough on me (and on my siblings as well). I wouldn't change it for anything. He's motivated me to always strive to create a better me, so the drive I have to succeed comes in large part because of him. My dad is also very hard-working. He was orphaned from the time he was just a little boy living in Laos. He's always had to work and fend for himself. As a young teenager, he became a soldier. He started out as a kitchen cook and worked diligently, eventually moving through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel who commanded hundreds of soldiers. What my dad has achieved in his life so far is remarkable, and I look to him to know that whatever situation life throws at you, you can always make it better. Hard work and determination do pay off. I learned that from him. 

The second dad I know is my father-in-law, who was the complete opposite of my real dad. My father-in-law was one of the most loving, fun, and personable men--rare traits for someone of the older Hmong men generation, most of whom are very serious and stoic. My father-in-law loved talking, laughing, and meeting people. He rarely ever got mad and rarely ever yelled at anyone. Because I married young, my father-in-law in many ways served as much of a father-figure to me as my real dad did. It's been seven years since my father-in-law passed away from cancer, but there are still many days in which I'm reminded of him and his gentle ways.

The third dad is my husband. He's just like his dad, very loving and calm. My husband is, in all honesty, one of the best fathers I know. He spends time with our girls and really takes care of them (everything from bathing them, shopping for clothes, cooking for them, and more). Anybody who looks at him and sees how he interacts with our kids knows that he loves them a great deal. It's that obvious. I'm so thankful that I married him, even though we were young at the time and had no idea what the hell we were doing back then. It must be luck!

Cheers to the three great dads in my life, and to all dads out there!

My First 10K Bellin Run: Great Experience

Green Bay, Wisconsin is known for the Green Bay Packers, but it's also known in the running world for the Bellin Run and the CellCom Marathon. This past Saturday (June 11, 2011), I had the opportunity to participate in the 10K Bellin Run. In case you don't know, the Bellin Run is one of the largest 10K races in the entire country. And every year, it grows bigger and bigger. This year had 18,701 participants! Some of the top elite runners and people from all over the country and even runners from outside the U.S. come to Green Bay to take part in the Bellin Run, so it is a huge annual event.

This year, I finally decided to join in to see what all the big deal was. And WOW, big deal it is! I'm so glad I was a part of it. I've run in races before but none of them compares to the Bellin Run. The sheer amount of participants and spectators really make it special. Can you imagine 18,701 runners and walkers, plus thousands of spectators lining the streets? It's amazing to see participants of all kinds, big and small, young and old. Plus, it was remarkable how well organized the whole event was. Also the weather, at a cool mid-60s with clouds, was perfect for running.

I didn't really train for the race, although in the future, I think I will, just to see how much I can challenge myself. This year, all I wanted to do was to experience it. My favorite part was when I was running the 6th mile. The cheering section there was awesome as I rounded the last couple corners to reach the finish line. There were so many people there and the cheering was so loud. Very encouraging and motivating!

This year was also the 35th year of the Bellin Run, so it was extra special. In fact, everyone who participated and crossed the finish line received a medal, which I thought was cool. Also very cool was that almost my entire family participated. My husband and I were in the main Bellin Run event, and my two oldest girls were in the Kid's Run, which was a 1/2 mile run. My 2-year-old was too little to join, but in the near future, I'm sure she'll be running right alongside us!

I will be looking forward to next year's Bellin Run! Maybe my family will make this the kick start to our summer every year.