10th Annual SFV

Why it has taken me 11 days to put this blog together?  I have no idea.  Maybe it is my habit of cramming 5 blog updates into one day.  Who knows.  I do know that this was a fabulous trip that I am so thankful that Al and I made a priority this year.

Just for background the newly named SFV stands for "Smouse Family Vacation".  When we first moved to Dallas we started going to Fellowship Church.  It was such a huge congregation, we knew we had to get involved in a  small group to make any relationships.  These small groups were called HomeTeams.  Our first visit to a HomeTeam was a great fit.  Starting the next fall, we started going on weekend "retreats".  As long as we did the retreats as an official Fellowship group activity, we couldn't enjoy the occasional adult beverage.  So...thus evolved the Smouse Family Vacation.  Robert and Rachelle took it upon themselves to plan each weekend get away and we have gone to Oklahoma (2x), Glenrose (2x), Gruene (2x), Lake Conroe (once or twice) and Canton (2x).  Around year 3 or 4 we said, if we make it to 10 years, we are going on a cruise.  One day we blinked our eyes and found ourselves taking the first steps onto the Carnival Magic for that huge milestone.

Over the years we have had as many as 10 or more families on a trip.  This one was just 5.  10 years ago, that would mean we had 10 adults and 1 kid (the oldest HT kid, Chase, was just a baby).  This summer we had 20 people (10 adults and 10 kids).  The Smouses, Pannos, Ratliffs, Huffmans and Amersons planned for about a year, packed for 2 weeks (some of us, just a day) and headed 6 hours south to Galveston to get on the boat.  I will make note that Al and I did leave the twins home with my wonderful mother.  We all agreed that a week long cruise didn't make much sense with two 18-month olds!  We missed them but had a great time, none the less.

We had 2 days at sea, visited Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman and Cozumel and then one more day at sea.  This was Al's first cruise and thanks to Tropical Storm Ernesto, he did have 1 day of seasickness.  I am really thankful that it was just 1 day of being green.

Our highlights were:

• 9-hole put put on the boat (Ely's favorite activity)
• Cloud 9 Spa (my favorite)
• Serenity Area (the adult lounge area)
• Climbing Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica
• Hanging out with stingrays in Grand Cayman - kissing them gave me 7 years of good luck!
• Swimming with Helen the dolphin in Cozumel
• Napping in a hammock on the beach of Cozumel
• The family comedy shows each night
• Almost  winning $1000 in Bingo
• The nightly shows on the main stage
• Letting Ely stay up WAY past normal bedtimes and then sleeping in until 10am most mornings
• Spending quality time with friends and their kids that couldn't happen with the business of life in Texas
• Watching Ely deepen his relationships with Gavin Huffman and the rest of the friends on the boat

I left the "big" camera at home and traveled with the lighter, pocket camera.  It was a great decision, but I didn't have as many pictures as others.  Luckily, I can print of everyone else's pictures and plan to do that next week.  Here are some that I took.

Waiting to board the boat

Ely and Huffman boys boarding the boat 

My first drink of the cruise - Mai Tai

Got to love a family with matching clothes!

One of many games of put put.  We had to limit Ely to 2 games a day! 

Playing our first game of bingo, waiting on the evening show

Serenity, aaahhh

Al showing Ely around the casino - got to teach them young!

Late night ice cream treat - this was at 11pm

3 of the 5 boys (Tom, Robert, Al)

Some of us girls (Rachelle, Stacy, me)

Some of the boys at dinner

View of Montego Bay

Sweet Smouses

I can't resist this face - Miss Harleigh

On the tender headed to Grand Cayman

Our boat

Sand Bar with the stingrays

The kids before swimming with dolphins

Before the dolphin swim

Ely riding Helen, the dolphin

Latin Party Night!

Last night at sea

Vegas is in the talk for year 15 and I am voting for Europe in 2023!