This post is PIC HEAVY... you've been warned.
I've never been the type to go all out or "turn up" as my generation says, for my birthday. Even as a child, birthdays were just that, the day of my birth. I don't remember having too many birthday parties (that I didn't have to share with my brother). Even when I became a teenager, my birthday didn't hold much weight as far as partying. I was lucky enough to get some ice cream and cake and a few birthday wishes. And once I had kids, their birthdays of course overshadowed mine and my husbands, so I never got out of the "no birthday celebration" rut until this year.
Seeing as how God is allowing me to see these birthdays, and people are dying left and right, I decided that I wanted to have a fun birthday, something memorable, while I still could. And what better age to start than at 27 right? Forget 16 , 18 and 21. 27, for me HAD to be memorable. I'd gone so many years without giving a second thought to my birthday, but I figured, God gave me this life, so why not enjoy it while I'm here. I can celebrate my birthday and have good, clean Christian fun, right?
Well, my husband made sure that I was going to have a memorable birthday. He decided to dig deep into his pockets and take me on a seven day cruise! My first cruise ever at that! We went to Roatan, Belize and Cozumel and we had a great time, just he and I. Living on a cruise ship for seven days wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. I was a bit worried that I'd be prone to seasickness, because I'd never been on a boat to know it or not and I'm glad to say that I didn't. I got a little queasy every now and then with all the rocking, after I'd stuff myself into uncomfortability (not a word, but it should be) with all the free food, and lets not forget the free ice cream. But for the most part, I'd feel the ship rocking and rock right along with it. My hubby didn't hold back either, whatever I wanted to do or get, he didn't bat an eyelash. I'm not very materialistic, so I didn't ask for much, but just the thought of knowing he'd be willing to go broke for me and my birthday meant a lot more than coming home with an extra suitcase full of souvenirs.
Our first stop was in Roatan, which is an island right off the coast of Honduras that is actually a part of that country. We'd set up a shore excursion for once we got off the ship to "Discover Roatan" (that's what it was called). We got to ride an island style boat as they showed us some of their shipwrecks (not the best thing to show people who have to get back on a ship and sail into the middle of nowhere, but it was nice to see nonetheless) and other things in their beautiful waters. Then we hopped onto a small bus and were driven around the island, sightseeing and stopping to shop along the way, before we wound up in a village to meet some people from the Garifuna tribe and to watch them sing and dance in their native tongue. It was an enjoyable experience, I felt like I was in Africa. After the song and dance they'd offered us some of their traditional food which was pretty good!
Our second Port of Call was in Belize. This stop was tendered, so we had to get off of the ship five miles away from the shore, onto another boat that would then take us on a fifteen minute ride to land. That was an unpleasant excursion in itself. But once we did reach land, we'd boarded a chartered bus to take us on a two hour ride to the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins, which were a sight to see. Afterwards we were taken to a restaurant where they served us their traditional "Sunday Dinner" meal, which consisted of Stewed chicken, beans and rice (with coconut milk) and potato salad. Yum!
The last and final stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. We didn't have an excursion set up for this stop, so we decided to make our own way around the city. We rented, yes rented a car and my husband became our chauffeur. That lasted maybe 30 minutes and we quickly took the car back. Why you ask? Because driving in Cozumel is dangerous! Seriously. If you're not driving fast enough they will attempt to run you off the road and the pedestrians take no caution when crossing the street and will not hesitate to walk out in front of you, no matter how fast you're driving. So, we decided to take the car back and bear with the heat and walk around the shops that were near the ship. It was still a beautiful experience. Oh yeah, and I also learned that ripe coconuts are green, and become brown over time. Who knew? I sure didn't. Don't judge me.
All in all, from the entertainment on the ship, the free food (don't forget, the FREE ICE CREAM too.), the one on one time as well as visiting these three countries and learning about some of their cultures, it was a very memorable experience, and my best birthday to date. Bravo to my husband, and of course bravo to God for making it possible. Now I'm ready for my next cruise!
