Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale....

....a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny great big ship.


(are you singing now?)

Well hello, bloggy world! It's been such a long time. My, how I've missed you! My "back in a week-ish" turned into 3 weeks before I knew what had hit me. I came back from my cruise more exhausted than I've ever been in my entire life. No kidding. I've done postpartum, hormonal, up-all-night-with-the-baby-for-days-on-end exhaustion, and that was nothing compared to the way I felt when I got home from vacation (that's always nice, huh?).

I really think something had to be wrong with me. I seriously considered going to the doctor on more than one occasion. I even thought maybe I had picked up some rare, insidious virus while abroad (I do use that term loosely :) ). I'm talking hit by a truck exhaustion, like someone stuck a straw in me and sucked all the life out. Ugh. You know that heavy, oppressing kind of pain that makes you just lie in bed and moan? Yeah, like that, only fatigue instead of pain. And it was too overbearing for even a moan. For days. Weeks, actually. Weirdest thing ever.

But finally, I seem to be slowly starting to get better.

Anyhoo, back to the cruise. It was fabulous! God heard our prayers and sent Hurricane Paula packing before we left (you can see the remnants she left behind in that first photo up there). We had cloudy skies in Key West on Friday, but nothing more. Oh my goodness, I loved.every.single.minute. Every bit. I'll share more pictures in a few days, but first....my very favorite part of the trip? It would have to be a three-way toss up.

#1 - Can you see those tiny little babies we're holding?



Baby sea turtles! THREE DAYS OLD. Oh my goodness. It was like walking into a National Geographic special. Without the sea gulls swooping down to eat us. Totally a surprise from God, as we had not signed up for a shore excursion in Cozumel and just grabbed a taxi tour of the island. The tour guide knew a man who works with a sea turtle conservation group, and the eggs had just hatched. So! Cool!

#2 - Even though I'm really more of a mountain girl, I do love the beach. Especially when it looks like this. Just look at that water - isn't is gorgeous?




But really, believe it or not, even more than the beach, I loved this....



The sound of the ship moving through the water, and nothing but ocean as far as you can see in every direction. Ohhh, it's the best.

And #3 in my three-way tie for favorite part of the trip?

Star gazing. :-)

Nicole C. Mullen, singer and song-writer extraordinaire. You may know her songs When I Call on Jesus, and I Know My Redeemer Lives?


Shanti Feldhahn, author of For Women Only, For Men Only, For Parents Only, and many more. Shanti is an amazing author. So full of wisdom and knowledge. You really should check out her stuff if you haven't already.


Renee Swope from Proverbs 31 Ministries (her link is in my sidebar)


Do you recognize this sweet girl? Only if you're a daytime TV fan!


Melissa Reeves has played Jennifer Horton on Days of Our Lives off and on for 20 years. I haven't watched in years, obviously, but I was a HUGE fan in my college days. Loved her! You may remember her more like this. She is a sweet, sweet wife, mom, and Jesus lover. Her oldest is 17! Can you believe it?

And the highlight of the entire cruise for me...the one moment that outshone all the others? Meeting the amazing (she would balk at that word) Lysa TerKeurst. See that stupid goofy grin on my face? :)



I've been reading Lysa's blog and listening to her Proverbs 31 radio spots on K-LOVE for several years, and it was actually her blog where I won the cruise! She really is amazing. I love her. She is real and wise and down-to-earth and crazy funny and crazy serious about her walk with Jesus. I wish she lived next door. I would be over there every day borrowing a cup of sugar and a pound of wisdom.

Oh, and by the way, after she and her husband already had 3 daughters of their own, they adopted two teenage boys from Liberia. Hmm, she may be just a little bit Radical. You may have seen her on Oprah, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, or Life Today? If you've never heard of Lysa or read any of her books, I highly recommend them. She's written 11 (I think) books and several Bible studies (my group recently did her Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl study). Love. Love.

Ahh yes, and one more of my favorite things about the cruise....



See those, umm, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVEN desserts? Yeah, there were FOUR of us at the table. :)