A few more beauties...

Still in St. Lucia...just accidently deleted these from the previous post. Marigot Bay had to be one of the most beautiful spots on the island. Because the bay sits further inland, it is protected from the massive waves created by hurricanes. Several resorts lay nearby. But I didn't take a picture of them, instead I grabbed one of this handsome man with a boat behind him named, "Harder they come, harder they fall". Reminded me of Chris and some of the strange sayings he comes up with like, "Wherever you are, there you go". Gotta love his sense of humor!

For those of you that live near Victorville, yes, there really are places that grow green stuff!!! I could only imagine what it must be like to wake up each morning, look out the window and stare at this landscape.

Slice of paradise!

Lovely St. Lucia (land of the Denkers future retirement home!)

Ahhh...St. Lucia...the land of beauty! Chris and I have been to several islands over the years, but St. Lucia by far is the cream of the crop! If you like the feel of a tropical jungle, you too would fall in love.
Our morning started off a little wet! As we disembarked our ship, the rain started to fall. Who cares...beautiful! Why is this island so green and beautiful one might ask? The answer...St. Lucia receives approximately 150 inches of rain per year! No problem for me...I love the rain!

We wheeled and dealed with a local excursion company in hopes of an adventure. Lucky us...it worked! What better way to start our tour of the island then via a water taxi (aka - speed boat)! Our chariot awaits!

Having a blast touring the southeastern part of the island!

I will warn you now...if you drool at the site of beauty, please grab a tissue now! I wouldn't want you drooling all over your keyboard!
Accidently deleted a picture...darn it! I'll have to post it next! Still beautiful!

As we came around a bend, we set our sights on the beautiful Gros Pitonswhich were formed by the local volcano. The Grand Piton stands over 2500 feet tall and is a perfect spot for rock climbers.

Breathtaking!

Once we arrived at the dock, we were shuttled off the boat and into a van headed for the volcano in Soufriere. I'm sure you've heard of Mister Toads Wild Ride at Disneyland. Take that ride, times it by ten and you have local driving! You just close your eyes and breathe! We are still amazed at how drivers manage in tight spots. Let's just say, if you place your pinky outside the window, it's liable to be ripped off! As we wound the streets of Sourfriere, we passed a local secondary school as they were letting out of school. Love those uniforms!
We safely made it to Soufriere Volcano. Thank goodness! Upon exiting the vehicle, we all looked around and said, "This is it"? Literally, what you see behind us is the remnanats of the volcano. Last eruption was in the late 1960's. If smells could kill, we'd all be dead! The line from The Wizard of Oz kept replaying in my mind, "Whoo, what a smell of sulphur"!

Jeff, Jennifer, Chris, Loma, Amanda and Christopher near the volcano.

The beautiful Toraille Waterfall. The waterfall was nice but more impressive were the grounds surrounding it. I have never seen such a wide variety of foliage.

What a heartthrob!
Ah...beautiful!

Love this picture of Chris and Amanda!

Back to the boat and headed to Anse Chastanet Beach for some snorkeling. Just look at that beach! The sand was so soft, water incredibly warm and clear.

I don't know how Chris can dive down so deep with snorkel gear on. One taste of the sea water and I'm gagging! I am about 15 feet above Chris taking his picture.

We saw a variety of fish swimming along especially near the reef. Cute little blue guy!

Jeff and Jennifer enjoying the water.

Beautiful coral!

Once the day came to an end, we were back in the boat and headed to the ship. Look at that...home sweet floating home!

Like I mentioned before, St. Lucia was beautiful, breathtaking, inspiring...I could go on and on! While we were there, we inquired about home prices. Let's just say, one day we will own a house on this tropical island! This is one place I hope to visit again soon!

B-e-a-utiful Barbados

Our first stop during our Southern Caribbean cruise...beautiful Barbados! Chris and I along with my brother Chris and sis-in-law Amanda spent the day snorkeling and sunbathing.First stop...snorkeling with turtles.

Finally a turtle! Actually we saw a few along with tons of fish! The only sad part, water wasn't as clear as we were hoping for. But still fun!After snorkeling with turtles and shipwrecks, we were off to relax on the beach.

The sand was so incredibly soft. We were literally sinking it in! Love this pix of me and my man walking hand and hand! O.K. stop gagging!!!

What a perfect start to a dream vacation!

Life on the ship

O.K., I have so many pictures from our trip, it's hard not to post them all! We had an amazing time. We were able to share this trip with my brother Chris and his wife Amanda, along with our friends Jeff and Jennifer. Just wanted to share some of the highlights of life upon a cruise ship. If you have not had the opportunity to cruise before or think it couldn't/wouldn't be much fun, I hope this will change your mind!
Setting sail out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Dressing up and dancing until the wee hours of the morning.
My Chris and brother Chris swimming in the Solarium (adult only pool).Enjoying burgers, onion rings and shakes at Johnny Rockets.
Dancing again but this time with the Village People on 70's night!
Never ending sunsets!
Dining at Portofino (Italian speciality restaurant). We had the best Filet Mignon ever!
We also indulged in sinful desserts like Tiramisu. My favorite part was the edible chocolate bowl...oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious it was!

Acting crazy and not caring what other people thought! I had such a blast with my sister-in-law Amanda. I'm sure most people thought we were drinking...if they only knew we were sober and don't drink! Well, maybe we did have too much caffeine!

Oh, and how about the never ending amount of food. This particular evening, we enjoyed Lobster, Shrimp and Prime Rib. YUM-MEE!

Don't forget, when you cruise someone is constantly cleaning up after you, serving you and making sure you are having a most enjoyable time. What's not to love about cruising?

I am so spoiled!

I admit it! I am a very spoiled girl! I had the chance to sink my toes in the most beautiful sand on 5 different islands......while traveling the Caribbean with the most amazing man whom I love and adore......of course enjoying our mode of transportation, The Adventure of the Seas...... and having a blast with friends and family. What more could a girl ask for?

Birthday Boy!

Our "baby" Riley, turned 10 years old on Monday, Oct. 19th. Where has the time gone? Tonight, I had the "privilege" of rocking Riley for two hours while watching Transformers 2. I can remember when he fit perfectly in my arms as a baby. Times sure have changed. Riley is such a lovable little boy. He is always in need of a hug which still melts my heart! We are grateful to Heavenly Father for sending him to our family 10 years ago. Happy Birthday Ri-Guy! WE LOVE YOU!

Did I earn the Bad Mom of the Year Award?

I think I am a nominee for this award! O.K. let me explain. It all started the day after school let out. We were finally on our way to Idaho. We've been looking forward to our vacation for some time. No sooner did we hit the Idaho border, when Kelsey started complaining she was freezing and didn't feel good. Of course...can't go on a vacation without someone getting sick! That was the start of our summer. For the entire 6 weeks, someone in our home was sick. Even I got it!

I was not blessed with alot of sympathy, ok to be honest on a scale from 1 to 10...my sympathy level runs about a 3. I know... bad mom! My famous line in our home is SUCK IT UP!

Fast forward through summer. About two weeks ago, Kelsey complained about her sinuses. Can't have sympathy when she doesn't take her allergy medicine, right. My patience was already shot when Ethan came to me and said he didn't feel good. What the heck! Is this ever going to end? A cough, followed by a fever...no worries, it's just a cold. Take some medicine and close your door, the coughing is driving me crazy!

After a week of on and off fevers and that annoying cough, I decided it was time to take him to see the docotor. After all, Chris and I are leaving on a cruise next week and I'm sure my mom wouldn't appreciate a sick kid. Actually, she wouldn't cared but I would've been worried. Even though the entire day was planned, I called the doctor. While on hold, I told Ethan..."Watch, the only available appointment will be at 1 o'clock". Again, entire day planned. Sure enough, "Ma'am the only appointment we have available is at 1 o'clock". I start laughing. Of course, I made the appointment...now to rearrange the day. As we were driving, I proceeded to tell Ethan, "Just watch...the doctor will say you have pneumonia...wouldn't that be the icing on the cake!"

So 1 o'clock rolls around and we're sitting in the waiting room. 30 minutes later, it's our turn. FINALLY! So the doctor does the usual...looks at his ears, followed by listening to his chest. Wow...he sure is lingering here a bit. He leans back in his chair and says to me, "It's a good thing you didn't wait a few more days. I would have hospitalized him because he has PNEUMONIA!" Holy crap, my baby has pneumonia. Now the sympathy is ranging around an 11. Guilt has taken over! So on to the radiology dept. for x-rays then to the pharmacy for double antibiotics.

Ethan is loving life because now he has an excuse to be watching tv and playing video games. The doctor said to do absolutely NOTHING! My sympathy has developed just a bit more...but the coughing is still driving me crazy! Hopefully, with some rest, fluids and his meds, he will get better. We sure do hope so!

So as you can see, if I haven't earned the 2009 Bad Mom of the Year Award...I am definitely a nominee!