Dinosaur Park

While we were in Utah we made trip to the Dinosaur Park.  We had a great time!  

Grant liked the animated dino display.  He was bummed part of it wasn't working.

We enjoyed riding the dinosaurs at the park.  Trying to get all the kids looking at the camera can be a real joke.  Celeste thought we were playing peek-a-boo.

So she kept hiding...

This is the best we got!  Not too bad if you ask me!

Evy really liked the long necked dinosaur.  

The older kids had a little guide book they filled out and then they got a dinosaur video.  It is a really lame video.  Pretty much a big advertisement for the Dino Park.  Lame!

When I was in high school I used to work at the Dinosaur Park.  I worked in the cafe.  I have some fun memories working with my friends at the park.  The cafe was closed, but I had to take a picture of the little bottles in the window.  We sold those pink and purple dino bottles back more than 15 years ago!  The same ones!  I hated them.  It was so hard to get the soda in the tiny hole at the top.  I couldn't help but laugh that they are still selling them!

Last Day of the Cruise!

I have fallen behind on my blog posts!  I am so sorry.  Be prepared to have lots of posts in the next few days.  I have tons of pictures.  We have been super busy and have had so many things to do.  

First let's finish the last of the pictures from our cruise.  

We ported back in Miami on Sunday June 8th.  Our flights didn't leave until Monday and so we took our time getting ready and getting off the boat.  We sort of didn't want our vacation to end. 

Almost every night we went to the Toulouse Lounge for shows and games.  You can't take pictures when the shows and games are going, but I wanted a picture of the Lounge.  I thought it was really cool.  It takes up three levels on the the forward of the ship.  

Traditionally the cabin stewards fold cool towel animals every night of the cruise.  Our cabin steward, Molly, was no exception and left us cool animals every night.   They are out of order, but you get the idea!  

We had a relaxing day Sunday, but Monday morning came way too quickly.  Our flights left Miami at about 6 AM and we had to leave our hotel at about 4:45.  We flew to Houston where we had a 4 hour layover.  We got on our plane and sat in our seats for an hour when the captain announced our flight was cancelled.  We grudgingly got off the plane and stood in a line for about 2 hours to get our flights changed.  We were thinking there was no way we would get home Monday night.  We thought for sure we would have to spend the night in Houston.  Luckily a very nice man at the ticket counter helped us get on the last flight home.  We were so grateful and so tired.  When we finally arrived in San Francisco we were so tired and so hungry.  I swore I would never travel again. 

We were so glad we made it home!  My sweet friend came and got us from the airport.  We had a great time and so glad we went, but we were so glad to be home.  

Costa Maya

Our stop to the Island of Roatan, Honduras was cancelled because the ocean swells were to big and we couldn't dock.  We were bummed because we were planning on going zip lining and shopping.  I was totally bummed about missing both!  Kyle wasn't as disappointed.  We spent the day relaxing on the boat.  I spent a good 4-5 hours reading a book on a lounge chair.  It was pure heaven!

We were excited to get to Costa Maya.  I have always wanted to see Mayan ruins.  It has been on my bucket list.  So this stop was one of the main reasons we went on the cruise we did.  I was so glad it didn't get cancelled.  

When we got off the cruise ship there were these guys all dressed up in Mayan costumes.  We had our pictures taken with them, but they didn't turn out very good.  They are a little blurry because of the humidity that had accumulated on my lens.  I love humidity, but I am not used to living in it.  

We took a bus ride to the Mayan ruins of Chocchoban.  On the way we saw a pineapple farm.  I have never seen a pineapple farm and I thought it was so cool.

We saw multiple Mayan Ruins.  It was really cool to think they were built in about 600 A.D.

Our tour guide Lizbeth was trying to explain the importance of the tree to the Mayan people.  It was very fascinating. 

This is a big mound of sticks and trees is another ruin that needs to be excavated.

Another big cool tropical plant.

The steps up the top of the ruin.

The different types of rocks (the flat and round) show how the temples were built over top of each other.  The round rocks are the inside walls of smaller temple.  The flat rocks are the outside walls of the bigger temple.

This is the view of the jungle from top of the Mayan temple.  

Another awesome tropical plant!  I love how the bottom of the leaves are a bright purple.

These are the trees the people use to weave together to make roofs.  These plants are huge!

Kyle thought this plant was really cool.

This Mayan temple is in the process of being excavated.  There are smalls rooms inside of the big temple.

After our tour we got a fresh coconut sliced up by a local man.  He put two straws in it and we drank fresh coconut milk.  We also bought some fresh pineapple.  It was AMAZING!

I thought this shark mural on the ceiling.  The shark eyeing all the bottom sinking through tubes.  I thought it was cute.

On the pier...sorry about the drunk bums in the back ground.

Belize

Our next stop landed us in Belize!  We took a short bus ride to the Bacab Eco Park and got to see some of the city.

The scenery is amazing!  I am in love with tropical flowers and plants.  I took quite a few pictures of plants and I just have to share them.  For me they are so unique and beautiful.  

At the Bacab Eco Park we went horseback riding through the jungle!  What an adventure!  We had so much fun. 

Kyle rode the horse named Sea Biscuit.  My horse's name was Boss Fred.

Boss Fred's head bobbing through the jungle.

We saw amazing plants and wildlife!

 As we rode through the jungle we saw a couple large iguanas hanging in the trees.  We also saw and heard Holler Monkeys.  Kyle saw some big beetles (I refused to look).  I tried to take pictures, but Boss Fred was not having it.  If I stopped for a second he would think we were there to eat, pick a mouth full of leaves, and not budge.

Our tour guide showed us lots of plants used for herbal remedies.  I wish I could have brought some home, but I couldn't.  I did eat a lime tree leaf.  It was really limey and not sweet at all.  I liked it though.  The people on our tour thought I was crazy for eating it.

After our tour a guy found this spider.  He let it climb all over him.  I thought he was nuts!  I can't believe I even took pictures of the thing.  Kyle insisted I take the pictures for Grant.  Grant did think this spider was cool.

After our horse ride we hung out and ate lunch.  Check out this crocodile! (No I wasn't getting any closer for a better picture)

This lady was at the park selling jewelry to tourists.  I paid her to make Celeste a bracelet with her name in it.  She made it in about 15 minutes.  She was so nice and called everyone "Honey."

There was this really beautiful pool that we didn't get a chance to swim in, but we really liked it and so I made Kyle pose by it.

Look at this stud!  For all those Napoleon Dynamite fans out there "do you think this picture will turn out real nice?"

I saw this sign for "showers" but didn't see any shower heads or water apparently you just let the humidity wash you off. 

On the way back to the ship we convinced our tour guide to stop at a fruit stand.   I bought 12 mangos for $1.  If they let me bring mangos back to the states I would have bought out the entire fruit stand.  Kyle and I shared some of the mangos with other people on our bus and then we each ate two mangos.  They were the best mangos I have ever eaten!  I was in heaven and also covered in mango juice.  It was so fun!

The port for Belize is too small for cruise ships to dock near land.  So our boat just anchored and we took about a 15 minute boat ride to Belize.  I think it is absolutely fascinating how a cruise ship works.  Therefore, I found it cool that a door could just open up off the side of the boat.   We were just a few feet from the ocean.  I literally could have jumped into the sea!  I am a total nerd!