Cruisin' the Bahamas

This past weekend, Justin and I went on a cruise to Nassau and Coco Cay in the Bahamas. Justin's parent's got this cruise for him as a graduation present, and it could not have come at a better time. Both of us were ready for a much needed break.

We boarded the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas on Friday and immediately started taking advantage of the food :) If you don't drink and don't gamble, the food is the best part of any cruise and there is plenty of it. I was afraid I would over do it and gain back some of the weight I lost, but I am glad to report I weigh the same that I did when we left :)

After our lunch ,we walked the ship while we were waiting to shove off.



A quick view of our boat:

... And the long drop if you fell off the side.

We had fun on our first day, met some fun folks at dinner and had a good rest all leading up to Saturday in Nassau. Since we have both been to Nassau before and did the beachy thing, we decided to do something different first. We grabbed a map and headed toward Fort Fincastle on foot. On our way we had fun looking at all the paintings on the sides of the buildings.

This guy was my favorite :)

And this was Justin's.

This mural was just too cool, we had to take a picture of it.

Also on our way, we passed the First Methodist Church, which is such a neat building.

Incidentally, we passed a large baptist church as well that was a bit further off the beaten path and it was full of people having what sounded like a very spirited funeral service.

Finally we made it to the Fort Fincastle, which was like a very very small version of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. The thing that sets this fort apart is its shape, it has a large triangular shaped deck that jets outward. It was designed to look like the front of an oncoming ship.


So we played on the canons.


Went in the powder magazine.

And admired the view, which was very nice, I must say.

Here's the "ship's bow" piece of the fort along with the water tower from the 1920s.
And this is me demonstrating how all American tourists look in the eyes of the Bahamians. I think I did a bit too good of a job in this picture.

This is a statue of Queen Victoria in the town square. This statue sits in the courtyard that connects the senate and court buildings.

And we could not press on without trying some of the local fare, namely Goombay Punch. It was ridiculously sweet and tasted like artificially flavored pineapple and mango. How appropriate.

So, after wandering the town for a few hours, we noticed another interesting destination on the map called The Cloister. I can't resist cloisters, so we grabbed a cab and made our way to Paradise Island.

As you walk up to it, you can't help but say, "What the heck is this doing here?" The Cloister is a medieval structure that was built in Montrejau, France in the 12th & 13th centuries by the Augustinian Order. It was purchased, taken apart, and then reassembled piece by piece on Paradise Island in 1962. If you don't believe me, read this stone:






After you walk through the cloister itself, you can see a stone pathway leading down the hill in step sections, ending at a lovely gazebo.
This is the view from the gazebo.
The gazebo had the coolest iron scroll work ceiling.



This is the view of the ocean from the gazebo. The more time we spent in this quiet, secluded little spot, the more we were convinced that it would make a fantastic wedding location. So, all of you who want a unique place for your destination wedding, this is it. The pictures would be amazing!


We went back up the hill and over to the other side of the cloister and walked through the Versailles gardens. There were still ponds full of lily pads and water lilies.

And in between each section of stairs was some type of statue.
This one caught my eye because of the knights carved into the side, but when you look closer...
You can see it's an old sun dial. Unfortunately most of the writing has worn away (it was in latin anyway) and someone has taken the actual angled piece you tell time with, but it was still cool.
More statues.

This was one of the ponds.
And a statue of Psyche and Amore.

This one was technically on the property of this very exclusive resort that butts up to the Versailles gardens. Ironically, their pool is just to the left.
I love the root structures of these trees.

So,o after we had our fill of medieval art and architecture, we made our way to Cabbage beach, which turned out to be very secluded and empty. Most of the people there were locals, some who brought their dogs. Once we set foot on the cornmeal-esk sand, Justin noticed a large rock jetting out from the shoreline and we began our trek toward it. We walked and walked and walked, but it was worth it to see all the creatures who chose to make this rock their home.
This was prime time to test out Justin's new b-day present: The Panasonic Lumix TS2 Tough Cam :) It can go underwater 33 feet, be dropped from 6 feet, withstand 200 lbs of pressure and 14 degrees Fahrenheit.


Yes, it's a miracle. I was in the water! :)
We were quite fascinated by these urchins.

And anemones. Justin kept trying to get me to touch one and when I finally did, it sucked all the fronds up into itself so quickly I thought it was going to suck my finger in with it.

These two urchins were the best shot. Good job to Justin for taking such a crisp shot under water and in a pretty powerful tide current.

During out little snorkeling exhibition, we not only found shells and sea glass but 3 pairs of sunglasses (one of which is a pair of real Chanels, but they unfortunately were in the water for a very long time), a large piece of astro-turf-like carpet, and the plastic diving step off of a boat. The carpet was a bit of a let down. Justin thought it was a burlap bag and managed through his determination to go hold his breath and use all of his might to pull the piece out of the sand. I wish I had a picture of it, it was great :)

So, after about 3 hours of snorkeling, we made our way back to the ship and got ready for our formal dinner night.
Don't we look crazed?
After dinner, we went to the show which was El Gaucho, the amazing Uruguayan guitarist, pianist, and bolo swinger. He was actually very good, probably the best show I've ever seen on a cruise. After El Gaucho, we went onto the deck for the Set Sail Party and midnight buffet :)

I couldn't help but take a picture of this guy. He was a bread decoration on the bread table. I am now determined to make all my breads look like him in the future.

After having a few very unhealthy snacks and watching the drunk people shake their groove things on the edge of the pool deck (and waiting with baited breath for one of them to fall in), we got some rest so we could enjoy our next day at Coco Cay.

Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean's private island, which seems to be synonymous with "Nothing to do unless you pay us more money." We aren't much of the excursion type, since on every island you can find the same tours and activities from a local in the port for half the price the ship wants to charge you. Unfortunately, there is no competition on a private island. So, we brought our snorkels and tried to find a fairly deserted stretch of beach.

Once in the water, we soon discovered why there were so few people in that area:

Mushroom Jelly Fish. We must have seen about 15 of them randomly as we hunted the ocean floor for shells that we technically weren't supposed to take. I saw a gigantic sting ray a little ways off from me, and Justin found a conch shell with a live conch inside (which we willingly put back in the ocean - the whole shell, not just the naked conch). We swam for about an hour and then decided to head back.

On the tender boat back in, we took a few more photos:



We ended up sleeping more when we got back (surprise, surprise) and then prepped for our final dinner. After our tasty meal, we came back to find this little guy in our cabin.
A cruise just isn't a cruise without towel animals :)
And the goofy pictures you take with them :)

We had a wonderful time on our mini-vaca. Since Justin is having back surgery this Friday, it came just in the nick of time as he will be pretty much down for the count for at least a month. Now we are home resting from our rest so we can be ready for work tomorrow. I wish we could just be on vacation forever. Wouldn't that be nice?

Revolutionary Products - Hold Onto Your Heels!

What female doesn't have a pair of shoes that they both love and hate because they are super cute but they rub the daylights out of their heels? I know I do. - he he, I can totally see a TV personality walking to the side while saying this.

I love a cute pair of shoes, just ask my husband. My feet have been a solid size 9 since I was 14 years old, so I have amassed quite the collection des chausseurs. Like anyone else, I have one set of shoes that I wear everyday and then I have another set that I only pull out occasionally (such as my sweet pair of neon yellow slip-ons from Aldo Justin got me while we were dating). The set I wear the least is probably the most fashionable, but also the least comfortable. Having a long and narrow foot means that shoes have to fit tight to the side of my foot or else they like to slip off while walking; therefor I sometimes have to buy them to where they just barely fit lengthwise to help with the width.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I was shopping at the local Winn Dixie that was going out of business. They had their whole store 40% off, so I decided to take a gander around and see what was left after the uncontrollable mobs had ransacked the place for a week before. I had no expectations of what I would find, but I made out like a bandit. I focused on products that I normally wouldn't buy because they are a little pricey. I bought different laundry detergents, fancy vinegars, and more, but then I rounded the corner of the hygiene isle. Normally I don't stop long in the foot section as I thankfully son't get things like corns. But since everything was on sale, I decided to look.

Dr. Scholls must have stock in Winn Dixie because they owned that whole section of the store. I purchased Ball of Foot Cushions, High Heel Insoles, Heel Liners, and (my personal favorite) Miracle Shield Anti-Friction Stick.This wonderful little product looks like a giant's tube of chap stick. The instructions say, "Apply generously to feet as often as needed." It also tells you not to eat it. Duh. So, I followed the instructions and I have to say I was completely shocked. I have no idea why it works, but it really does. My new leather strappy sandals that had rubbed my heel the day before didn't bother me once all day and I only applied the balm once.
So, if you have the same heel problem that I have, I would recommend this hands down. And it's really not expensive at a retail price around $5. Even if it doesn't work for you, at least you're only out $5. So try it out, you will be glad you did :)

Are Strippers Powerful?

My first day in Intro to Anthropology at the University of South Florida, our teacher grabbed my attention immediately with a very interesting question: Do strippers have power?

Our class was fairly small, less than 20 students overall, but what a diverse group it was! As this was our first meeting, the instructor asked us to go around the room introducing ourselves before we gave our opinion on the topic. Almost every person in the class responded, most in length, and the answers were not always predictable. I remember one particular comment by a girl who shared my name. When called on, she began with, "Hi, I'm Megan. I'm a feminist," in what I can only describe as a vocal tone out of the movie Clueless. You could feel the collective eye rolling as she continued on to explain she was also a female studies major. Quel surprise. She managed to really befuddle me with her answer to the professor's question though. She launched into a grandiose speech about how the stripper is the one with the power. By her estimation, these women were comfortable with their bodies and in using them to get the most gain. They didn't have to do what they were doing, nor did they force any of their patrons to be in their establishment. These women know what the men want, and they give it to them in exchange for money, and money equals power.

Up until her comment, I was a little up in the air about who had the power in this scenario. Each person who imparted their stance on the rest of us managed to sway me ever so slightly to their side; but her opening line made me immediately contradict her (I know, I'm terrible, but that is the truth). I began to think harder... is money really power in and of itself? Or is it all just a paper that we have generally accepted as having a value?

After the rest of the class made their introduction and blurb, the teacher gave us a little more information. He wanted to know if they have true power. Power just for being who they are before any service is given. He brought our attention to strip clubs that don't use actual money. Like gambling in Las Vegas, the men purchase chips with their money as they enter and give these to the strippers instead of actual money. The strippers then cash in their chips at the end of each night to receive their pay.

I'm proud to say, this tipped me off. I was the first person in the class to give a plausible argument that true power does not lie in the hands of the strippers. The strippers want something. Sure, some of them do it for the sexual thrill or what have you, but I would say the vast majority do it for the money. That is the whole reason they are there, even if they try to say its for something else. If they didn't want the money, they wouldn't be there; so if they really do it for a mental tweak instead of a physical payment, they are exploiting themselves for no reason.

At first, everyone in the class was arguing against me, especially Miss Feminist. They still equated money with power and said the strippers held both. The more I argued, the more people came to my side. Eventually, the professor called an end to the argument, telling the class that I was right. I was elated and also disturbed. How can a feminist dilute herself into thinking that sexual power is true and free power? The stripper is not just receiving the money for being herself. If it was just a woman standing fully clothed in front of a man holding out her hand for money, she wouldn't receive anything. She is receiving this as payment for a service. The man however, is respected even with his clothes on (in this scenario). Let's say he's a middle-aged businessman stopping by a club on his way home from work. Do the strippers scoff at his receding hairline and paunch? No, for the simple reason that he then would not spend his money on them. The man has complete power in the given situation.

Now, why am I blogging about this? This post must seem very random, but it was inspired by a book that popped out at my in the sociology section of Barnes and Noble. It was called Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and The Rise of Raunch Culture." I glanced at the back and then wrote the title down so I could look into it later on, and I just pulled it up on Amazon tonight and took advantage of their "Look Inside" feature. I was able to read the introduction, part of the first chapter, and the whole conclusion tonight and now I want to buy this book. The author, Ariel Levy, is by no means someone who I would agree with on many other points. In fact, if we were in the same room, I would probably try to stay on the other side of it to avoid a huge argument. Her moral and political views are extremely polar to mine - I know this due to her constant reiteration in the book - but her writings personified a mental debate I've had going on for a long time. Why has being sexual become equivalent to being "free" or "empowered" or "equal"? She even makes reference to the same figures and organizations in the popular culture of our generation and the next that caused these questions in me. Reading what I did of her book immediately reminded me of this anecdote from my college days and I had to write it down before the mood left me.

If you are at all interested in this topic, I highly suggest going to amazon and looking at this book for yourself. She writes very well, it is easy to read yet educated. She engages the reader because it's more like she is talking to you that having you read something. It is open and honest and calls out the current world on its crap. Therefor, I love it. So go to Amazon and give it a bit of a read and please give me your opinions. It's been a long time since I had an open and educated debate on such a throbbing topic :) I've been PC too long, now I want to hear the truth on this one.

Julie and Julia Review

Being a young woman with a blog, I constantly hear, "Oh, like in that movie!" when I run into people who have maybe glanced at this webpage, but not really looked into it. "That movie" being Julie and Julia. Like many other fairly new movies, I thought about seeing it when it was in theaters but never got to go due to our erratic schedule. Thus, it ended up on the abysmal list I like to call "Movies I Will See Eventually." Thanks to a new Netflix account and having a huge list of films at my beckon call, I finally watched it...

I have to say, it was not exactly an epically moving piece. It was cute, but not really anything to write home about. I completely back the concept of a young woman without any real purpose gaining structure by setting a goal and taking everyone along for the ride. She creates some small problems for herself along the way, but she involves her readers and feels validation in her life, which most anyone could agree is a good feeling. No one wants to wander aimlessly through life. Sure, at first glimpse of freedom we all rush out and do anything and everything or nothing if we want to; but eventually we all come to a mature realization that at some point we will no longer be around. Most individuals have children at this point. I would say that children are a the biggest legacy we leave behind us. But if children aren't an option, due to choice or circumstance, any goal that helps to better the achiever is certainly not a bad idea.

You're probably now thinking, "Wow, for a person who says this movie wasn't that great, she certainly is going into deep thought because of it," and even I have to admit that any commentary that draws its audience into contemplation cannot be a failure. I just don't think this movie accomplished all that it wanted and attempted to. I could go on and on, but I doubt you would want to hear my existential rant. I tend to overdo those a bit

Suffice it to say, I'm not running out to purchase the Bluray, but I may try to make a little boeuf bourguignon on my day off :)

Revolutionary Products - The Quest To Cover Up

I would have never guessed how many people read/enjoyed my vacuum reviews. Friends come up to me at random events and send me messages saying how they are so glad I posted my opinion of the Shark Navigator. So, I have decided to run with this success. I've been compiling a small list of products that have recently changed my life and I would love to let everyone know why :)

To get things rolling properly, I will begin with what is literally my favorite product of the week: Curvana

For almost 2 years now, I have experienced frustration, as many twenty-something LDS women do, with finding appropriately cut clothes. Before I got married, I was a big fan of deep v-neck tops. Once I got married in the temple, I no longer want to wear clothes that are so revealing, and I made a large effort to pass most of my clothing I could/would no longer wear to various charitable institutions. Just because I can't enjoy them does not mean that no one else should. Even with my new found modest zeal, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of my favorite shirts of days gone by.

I have seen advertisements for various products to solve this problem i.e. Cami Secret. I almost broke down and purchased it, but when I went online there were several websites for the same product that all looked different - can you say scam? At that point I decided to make one myself. It can't be that hard - it's just a napkin that clips to your bra. On Labor Day, I drug Justin to Joann fabric to purchase the fabric. I found the stretch knits and even had my choices in my cart when I turned around and hit the jack pot.

Joann has a section amongst the sewing supplies devoted to things like shoulder pads and foam rubber breast inserts. Mixed in with them is a line of products by Curvana.

Curvana makes such products as bra straps, gel breast inserts, pasties, etc; but the cream of the crop as far as I was concerned was the Reversible Mini Cami.

This product is basically a tube top designed to just cover your chest. It has lace on one side and just a hemmed edge on the other. They had three colors: Black, White, and Natural.
Another cool feature is that it can be worn with straps, and there are tabs for the hooks on both sides, so you don't have to worry about it sliding down at awkward moments.
One side note I have to say is, though I don't exactly have gigantic boobs (not even close really), I took the cami out of the box and held it up for a size comparison. I'm glad I did because I doubt the medium would have been very comfy. I purchased the large, and it has worked out great. So, if you wear larger than a 36B I suggest you get at least a Large or Extra Large.

So, I have to show you the results :)
I have to confess, I only bought this blue shirt a week ago, but it was on sale and I like it :)
I had to try it with this shirt because it has the deepest V of them all. I never wore this without a tank top underneath (sheesh, I'm not that much of a hussy), but it gets very uncomfortable to wear multiple layers in Florida. I'm warm natured as it is without piling on more insulation, so I was so glad that this cami worked with it.

This last shirt was given to me by my mother in law because she didn't like how the wrap part would occasionally cause over exposure. I had the same problem the first few times I wore it and I was pinning it together with a safety pin after that. I like the lace detail for some of my more work appropriate shirts.

This product changed my life because:

It's comfortable and lightweight. It's stretchy so it moves well, and you can pull it up or down to adjust the height. Also, because it's a tube top, it will never pop out of the neckline of your shirt because it's too low cut, unlike some of the reviews I've read about the Cami Secret. And now I can wear all of my old low cut favorite shirts!

So anyway, if your boobs are hanging out and you want a way to cover them up, this is a fantastic option.

***Also, wait for their next big sale to buy this at Joann. Normal price was $16.99, but they were half-off on Labor Day.

Necessity is the Mother of This Cobbler

A few nights ago, Justin and I had honey garlic chicken wings for dinner. Unfortunately, in the effort to make these wings, we were a little too generous with our saucing, and ended up with a very dirty oven and a foul odor through our whole house. Several times this week I have turned on the oven and only remember what happened when I start to smell that lovely aroma. I tried to clean it today, but none of the cleaners I have will do the trick.

So, at dinner time this evening, I became incredibly frustrated as I went over the list of various meals I could make with the ingredients I already have only to mentally cross them out as options because they required use of the oven. Luckily, I had ample left overs from other meals which took care of dinner; but I've had a few peaches and nectarines in my fridge for a little too long and needed to do something with them. I found a recipe several months ago from the Magnolia Bakery in NYC that would work perfectly for my fully ripened fruits :)

Thus began Peach and Nectarine Cobbler:

Topping -

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Milk

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Softened

Filling -

4 cups Sliced Nectarines - I didn't have enough, so I mixed nectarines and peaches

1/2 cup Cold Water

1/3 cup Loose Light Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cornstarch

1 tbsp Unsalted Butter

Garnish -

Cinnamon Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare topping: In medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, & baking powder. Add milk & butter. Beat until smooth.

3. To prepare filling: In large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook & stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly, about 5-10 minutes - I cooked it longer, about 15-20 minutes.

4. Pour into ungreased 13x9" glass dish. (sorry the picture is blurry)Spoon topping over the filling & spread evenly with spatula. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.

5. Bake 30-40 minutes until topping is golden & cake tester comes out clean.

6. Don't forget to top it off with some vanilla ice cream :)

Even though I didn't have an oven, I have a convection/toaster oven. I had to use a much smaller pan than the recipe calls for - I used a 9x9" square. I double-lined the pan with aluminum foil. In case you are wanting to make this in your own toaster oven, please note that my oven is made by Cuisinart, and because the heating elements are so close to the food, I always decrease the temperature by about 50 degrees so it has time to cook before the outside turns brown.

Being a girl who has only ever made cobbler with canned peaches in syrup, I was very pleased with this recipe. The nectarines, while similar to a peach, give it a sweeter taste that's less tart than peach cobbler. Also, the topping is much cake-ier than my grandmother's country cup-a-cup-a-cup-a recipe, which is nice and crunchy mixed in with the fluffy. This one is very tall and light, a pleasant surprise.

This has really contributed to my self-sufficiency. I now know that I can cook a cobbler in my toaster oven :) Which is a valuable asset with hurricane season in full swing. I can now keep everyone's spirits up by making this with only a small generator for power :)

Oh, and just to let you know, it tasted delicious :)

Gordo Meets The Gopher Tortoise

Gordo encountered a tortoise for the first time on his walk today.