Wow! I can’t believe how fast time flies. It has been a week since I got back from the amazing cruise to New England/Canada. Months and months of prep…. and then poof…. it’s over. It’s almost like a wedding. LOL! (…..warning, this is a long blog post!)
Karen and I took the first flight out of Orange County. Flights at 6:45 am sure are tough. But, we flew into Phoenix, where we met up with Tim, MJ, and Michele. The 5 of us boarded a plane to New Jersey. After a 5+ hour flight, we were picked up and headed to our hotel in NYC. I haven’t been to NYC since 2 months before 9/11. The emotions just ran through me as I saw all of those big beautiful buildings. I had tears in my eyes…. good thing I was wearing sunglasses! 🙂
Once we got to the hotel, we ran into Jim West from ScrapMap and we joined him for dinner at a yummy Italian joint. After dinner, we walked around Time Square. Because I was in such awe, I totally forgot to take pictures. I only got 2 taken….. (and both weren’t even that good. LOL!)
But, after a fun night of walking around, we decided to head back to the hotel for our early morning start. MJ and I got up earlier than everyone else and headed to Starbucks, where we enjoyed our coffee and chit chatted. What can be better than coffee in NYC with your BFF? 🙂
On our way to the boat, we saw some cool buildings. This one is one of my favorites! (sorry for the raindrops)
After a nice lunch with the gang on the boat, we headed down to the conference center where we were greeted by 9 PALLETS of boxes. First things first…. we had to move tables and chairs between the 3 rooms. (Classroom, Studio at Sea, and Mario’s Marketplace) Then, it was a matter of getting the boxes where they needed to be and then sorting them…..
Once we sorted them, we had to open most of them, organize them and then find a place to store the others that we were not going to be using until later in the cruise. Good thing tim, mario, michele and karen had the routine down from last year! 🙂
But, all the work that went into this event was so worth it. When class began, the smiles on the students’ faces was all worth it. They didn’t have to know about how sick I was feeling that first night of the boat rocking. Here are the pix of one of the classes:
It was so awesome getting to know the crafters in the class. I even had a few “faithfuls” that sat in my section for all 5 sessions (4 classes + a session of tim time). Aren’t they just the cutest?
And although there was a lot of WORK going on, we did have a lot of fun when we went to visit the various ports. It was so awesome being able to spend some downtime with my bestest friends! 🙂 I really wish I would have taken more pictures. But, I think I was too busy just breathing it all in and just enjoying the moment. Here are just a few moments throughout this adventure….
MJ’s “Lobsta” Roll at Gilbert’s Chowder House in Portland, Maine
Karen and Tim collecting items for their curio boxes. This is the sand bar in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Fun Day in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Beautiful sights from Saint John, New Brunswick. This was my first time ever going to Canada. Loved the crisp weather, kind people, and gorgeous buildings.
After Saint John, it was Halifax Nova Scotia. Heather and her friend were kind enough to drive us around and show us the gorgeous places. Here is Peggy’s Cove and the Atlantic Ocean.
During the shopping trip, we saw these huge Adirondack chairs. Karen and MJ hopped on for this cute pic.
I know this isn’t the best shot, but I truly enjoyed this moment. While we shop, MJ usually likes to find a bench to sit on and enjoy the sunshine. When we left the pewter shop, we saw this. Michele and I joined MJ on the bench and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It was so peaceful and I enjoyed just taking a moment to relax with 2 amazing friends.
Our last Port was Boston, MA. That place holds a special place in my heart. Brings back good memories with my sister and makes me think of my aunt that past away shortly after our trip to Boston. So, I was excited to see this city again. It was a blast walking around seeing the sites…. and sharing this experience with my friends.
And with this group, we stopped at so many starbucks. So many cool signs!
Before we knew it, it was time to head back to New Jersey to get off the ship. But, before the airport, we had to hit FedEx first…. that was an adventure in itself. Needless to say, it all worked out ok…..
And thanks to Heather Smith for helping us out. She was so sweet and an amazing tour guide.
Now…. we are planning for next year already! 🙂 Can’t wait…..
