R & R

I have been so bad about updating but I promise that will change. Two Friday's ago I finished my internship in Charlotte and packed all my stuff up to make my 6th move in the past 3 years. The drive to Durham was quite refreshing. Saturday morning Holly and I met the movers at  my storage unit and I finally got all my stuff out of storage and moved into an apt in Durham where I will be at least until graduation! We spent all Saturday going through boxes to decide if we really needed what was in them for just 2 months. After a restful night on my plush queen bed I headed back to DC Sunday night in preparation for my vacation week.

My friend Allie and I decided to take a vacation to celebrate our last hoo-rah before I finish school and start the real world and before she begins med school. We booked a 5 night "exotic cruise" of the Eastern Carribean with stops at Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, and Nassau, Bahamas. Ill just give a little run down of our trip!

Monday: Spent the morning/afternoon soaking up sun on the deck of the Carnival Destiny in port. Picked out some perfect seats to join the Sail away party and get pretty pictures of Miami. The first night was not rocky at all and we ate very well at dinner. Here is the beautiful sunset from the back of the boat!

Tuesday: "Fun" Day at Sea! I woke up and got a quick workout in. The gym was actually really nice with Lifefitness machines. I ran a 5k which was quite interesting when learning how to run with the rocking. I caught myself grabbing the treadmill bars quite often. Got an extra balance workout in I guess. Allie and I got some nice relaxing seats towards the back of the boat so we could relax and read. We enjoyed the breeze and the sun! The rocking and wind was pretty bad all day but we didn't have any issues with it. We got to enjoy a nice "formal dinner" Try walking around on a windy rocky boat in heels! 

Wednesday: Grand Turk! We ported around 9 30. The view of the water was beautiful but the island itself looked pretty sad. There wasn't much life on the island outside of where we sat on the beach. Dinner mates of ours who went into town said it was small and very poor. Always puts things into perspective. The contrast between the beautiful crystal turquoise water and the state of the island. 

Thursday: We were arriving late to the island, which was good for us since we were so sleepy we woke up late! I was able to get a quick workout in before we ate breakfast! We arrived at Half Moon Cay, Bahamas which is a private island owned by Carnival. We had to take a tender boat in so Allie and I got up early to get on one. It was also beautiful and very clean. There were water toys, water sports, hiking trails, and nice chairs to lay out on. We enjoyed laying out and swimming in the water, which was surprisingly cold. It was so clear you could see all the fish swimming around you!

Friday: We arrived to Nassau, Bahamas. What a big port! Our ship was docked next to 3 other big boats. Allie and I got a cab to Atlantis, where we bought a pass to see their Aquarium and walk around the grounds. The resort really is as beautiful as it looks on tv! The aquarium was fun because there were 8 or 9 different locations that required you to walk through the scenery to see it! After that we took a cab back downtown for some shopping! Nassau has all the shops you could think of. I bought my family the famous Tortuga Rum Cake. We got back on ship around 3pm and enjoyed lunch while overlooking the city. We got some good chairs for the sail away party and I got another quick workout in!

Saturday: We arrived back in Miami at 7am. Allie and I took our time getting up/eating breakfast. We got off the boat and took a cab to South Beach. We decided to take a mega bus tour which took us around South Beach and then around Downtown. It was nice and sunny. Unfortunately there was a music festival and a tennis tournament so traffic was bad. Allie and I got some nice tan lines to end the week while sitting at the top of the bus! We got a ride to the airport and flew back to DC later that evening.

Overall had such a wonderful trip, and a little motivation to complete these next few weeks before graduation on May 12! here we go....