Cruise- Week 2

This week was too full of AMAZING stuff for me to detail it all, or share the 400 pictures on my camera with you. So for the general information, my grandparents financed a family cruise down the Mexican coast stopping at Cabo san Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. There were 35 family members that were able to go and it is hard for me to capture all of our fun moments with any number of words. For the sake of the readers though, I'll just limit this post to my favorite highlights...if you make it to the end, you must love me.

Highlights:

1. The food (with the bonus of no clean-up)--I totally gave in to trying anything that sounded good and refused to weigh in at the end of the trip. Any pounds added were totally worth it. And the company was always nice too :)

2. Watching Stephen climb the rock wall (on our boat--too cool)--gotta love that view!



3. To get a henna tattoo or not to get a henna tattoo--lots of peer pressure on this one.

4. Annual Smoot Family Fashion Show--this year's theme "Best Cruise Wear."


5. When Diana mooned my mom. I'll spare everyone the details and any picture I might have taken, but I will leave you with this quote: "Mom loved that I mooned her, it reminded her of what her butt looked like 20 years ago." (Diana)

6. Taking the plunge--at El Cid in Mazatlan.


7. The views, the landscape, the ports, the scenery! Too beautiful.


8. Zip lining across the jungles in Puerto Vallarta! I'm still getting better pictures of this from family members, but imagine zip lining across deep ravines for an hour and a half! Definitely a highlight experience.


9. Saying goodbye to CJ after enjoying our zip line tour, just knowing that he is heading to the best possible place for him in the world!



10. The Mexican dive and the flea market we found in Puerto Vallarta. This felt like we were really on the inside of the city experiencing its true colors. And bargaining sure is fun--wish they did that in the states.




11. The tears that welled up in Grandma's eyes when she admitted how "wonderful it was to have the whole family together."


12. Playing Mafia every night together.



13. The enormous number of family pictures it took just to get one great take "for the Christmas picture." I don't know if this highlight is exactly fun, but it sure is typical.



14. The pranks. Let's just say that my cousin Tanner, who is studying to be a doctor, received several calls for Dr. Tanner Probe wondering about the free colonoscopy offered on the ship. This was not the only seminar offered, just the beginning of a long line of pranks!

15. If you made it this far, you are sure to be rewarded because this is my favorite highlight of the entire trip. Check out this clip!


We love to have family members enter the karaoke contest and this year we added some back-up dancers to the mix. Click here to see the entire finale show on you tube--it's worth the laugh. Let's just say that it was a hit! People lined up for autographs after the show!