96 Hours at Home

 So, I don't often plan vacations back to back, but I feel like it's been happening lately. We just spent 15 nights away from home in a 21 day block, and back at the end of March/begining of April we had three days at home between Asa's free birthday cruise and our trip to Ohio to see the fam and the eclipse! You see, part of the free cruise deal is that you just go the dates they tell you to go, and that's that. So, it's been working out a little wonky. 

But anyway, Sunday March 31 we were headed off the ship. Calib was kind enough to pick us up. When we arrived home, we brought out the Easter baskets, since it was Easter and all, and hid their $20 bill egg. Since Calib had done so much holding down the fort at home, and was heading north with us, we didn't want to damage his mental health by making his egg hunting too hard, but perhaps we made it too easy- he found it in record time. We rounded out Easter with our usual Low Country Boil, and I was so proud of myself for remembering to prep for all of that before we left. 

In our three days at home we also managed to squeeze in some rescue pig yoga at Keel Farms. I can't remember if I signed up for this before or after everything I booked. But, in my head, it was not to be missed. And it did not disappoint. Light yoga out at Keel Farms and cuddling with some rescue piglets that were up for adoption. Calib even came along with us. We were soaking in the nice weather back then, because we knew when we got back, it would be rough. 

Hayden also started work around this time at our local Rec Center (I cannot get the Parks and Rec song out of my head when I think about it), and when I picked them up from work I made them come to Costco with me to pick up some things before we headed north, and they whined about it a ridiculous amount. And then they picked the same aisle as The Big Show, an apparent famous wrestler (quite a few of them use my Costco, so while rare, sightings of a few of them do happen). Anyway, I didn't know who it was, just some massive guy unloading his cart and I thought 'man, that guy is HUGE. He could be a wrestler' and I looked over at Hayden who was already fangirling. The Big Show was kind enough to take a picture. 

While home, Asa and I also both collected some Fliff Money (it's a sports 'gambling' app that Jake introduced us to- but I put that in quotes because we don't ever bet real money, just the $1 they give you a day (up to five) to play with. Once you get above $50 you can cash out for real money. Asa used his cash out to buy the Court of Thorns and Roses series (thanks Marina!) and you can stay tuned for what I bought... 

Next up: Calib, Asa and I head north to meet up with Olivia (!!!) and the rest of the fam! 

The Jade: Cozumel, Kind Of

The last stop on our Norwegian Jade cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. We had an excursion that involved snorkeling, but as we got off the ship and headed toward our meeting spot, we were told that the seas were once again too rough for snorkeling, so that wouldn't be part of the excursion any longer. We debated what to do, and ultimately decided to get a refund and head back to the ship. Snorkeling had been our primary activity for the day, and without it, we didn't feel like the excursion was worth the money. And, I hadn't prepped for an alternate scenerio, so back to the boat we went. Cozumel doesn't have the bluest of blue waters though, so we enjoyed that from the ship. So clear, so Blue. It's the only thing I really remembered from being there years ago. Just amazing. 

But here we were back on the ship, with all of Friday and a sea day Saturday ahead of us. And, NCL doesn't offer as much entertainment as Royal does, we've decided. Hours go by where the only thing listed in the 'Freestyle Daily' are gambling/games that cost money or shopping events. Asa and I, of course, can make do, but on a week long cruise it does start to drag on a bit without some big headliner shows or rock climbing or zipling or ice skating or the flowrider, or any of those things. That's why you get the drink package, and bring a lot of books. 

On Cozumel day, at least the boat was empty leaving us pretty much the run of the ship, for things that could get crowded. The pool, the ping pong table, and even shuffleboard were often taken. But, we did play a game of shuffleboard to 75 on Cozumel day, just because we had the time. We made it to trivia, we played chess. We stargazed. We watched the sunset. We did all the things. 

On Norwegian, even with the free cruises, you can add on their 'Free at Sea' promotion. This is why we get the drink package, we only have to pay the gratuities on it- which is still about $40 a day for the two of us combined- but you also get one free specialty dining me. We chose Teppenyaki on this ship and it did not disappoint. We had a great chef, who slung our shrimp, chicken, and steak and made killer fried rice. 

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't note Asa's quest to eat 100 wings over the course of the 7 day cruise at the complimentary O'Sheehans. He reached his goal on the very last day. 

And that about does it for our time on the Jade. The ship was... different from what we were used to. Instead of go-go-go it was much more laid back. And, the ship wasn't all that big, which left us with having to traverse much less of the ship to get things like water and food. Overall, I'm not itching to do the ship again- but leaving out of Tampa cannot be undersold. It's amazing to leave your house and be at the port in 35 minutes. Even better to get picked up there- no parking required. And, the though I wasn't super excited about the itinerary when we first got the free one, I ended up really liking our port stops and would happily go there again. 

Next up: 96 hours at home. Enjoy the all out of order pictures!