For Christmas, the four big kids got a cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. The night before we left, I had Cafe Rio and I think my pork salad gave me food poisoning. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to the twelve hour car ride to L.A. Right before we left though, Max and my dad gave me a blessing and as soon as their hands came off my head, the nausea in my stomach disappeared. Just another reminder of how blessed I am to have worthy Priesthood holders in my family.
Well, I spent the car ride listening to conference talks and playing a smartie game. In order to play, you close your eyes and another person feeds you a smartie, taking note of the color. Then you have to guess what color it is and be the most accurate out of ten. Max and my dad claim that each color has its own flavor, but I have a hard time believing that. After a couple rounds, we resorted to two of the same color smarties so there was enough powder in your mouth to tell.
We stayed with the Bachelder's in L.A. Their family was so kind to let us crash at their place and the next morning we played tennis for a few hours and went to the beach. The best part of the entire trip was just being warm. It is a frozen wasteland here at home.
Lara drove us to the port and off we went! The dinners on the ship each night were amazing. I played it pretty safe and didn't try anything new, but Grace surprised us all and ate shrimp, alligator, escargot, and sushi. It made me sick just to watch her. My weak stomach might be a problem if I end up serving a mission. Everything I ate was delicious though. Besides the fancy dinners every night, there were huge buffets for breakfast and lunch and 24 hour ice cream and pizza. The ice cream tasted just like a Wendy's frosty. There was a lot to keep us entertained on the ship. Some of our favorites were mini golf on the top deck, karaoke nights, the comedy club, and eating, eating, eating. Our cabins definitely weren't roomy, but I liked them a lot. My parents had one next to us and all four of us kids shared another. Here is a brief itinerary:
On Monday, we pretty much got on the ship, explored, and ate dinner. That evening, there was karaoke and my dad rocked it with "I Can't Get No Satisfaction". The room was dead but as soon as he got up, a bunch of elderly couples started dancing. They were good too! We went to bed exhausted.
We arrived at Catalina Island on Tuesday and ferried into Avalon. We decided to go on a hike to the "summit" of the island. When we came back, we realized that our destination was actually a thousand feet below the real summit. Oh well. The views were amazing and it was a perfect day. We also got one dollar tacos at a little shop for lunch that were memorable and delicious. My mom and I walked a little farther and found a pretty nice beach, but by the time we got there, the sun was going down and the cruise ship was leaving soon.
Tuesday was the formal night for dinner. We got all dressed up to dance and it was really fun! Our waiters knew us all by name and each night they performed magic tricks and skits for us.
We woke up in Ensenada, Mexico on Wednesday morning. A man named Pablo drove us pretty far away to the middle of nowhere, where we did a Canopy Tour. It consisted of five ziplines and five suspension bridges over deep ravines. Of course, we were harnessed in and I loved it. The longest zipline was a half-mile long.
Once again, the weather was perfect. My dad thought Pablo was kidnapping us and the streets in Mexico were crazy. It was all very chaotic. Police with their sirens blaring drove by several times, but they just had to weave through traffic. Nobody stopped or pulled over the way they do here. We got back to the middle of things and shopped in the flea market for souvenirs. It was just like the swap meet in Hawaii. I loved shopping and bargaining, but the rest of my family couldn't wait to get out of there.
Thursday was the "Fun Day at Sea". I got to spend a lot of time with my mom on the deck and just relax, read, and write in my journal. The open ocean is beautiful. When we weren't moving, the weather was really nice, but otherwise it got too cold. My mom and I were wrapped up in towels as blankets while Jens, my dad, and Grace were crazy enough to go on the freezing water slide. I didn't envy them. All in all, it was just amazing to relax with the fam and get out of the inversion.
The cruise was over much too soon. I wish we were able to spend more time on land, especially in Mexico, because I love new environments! We pulled back into port and began our trek home. The car ride was uneventful until we were in Fillmore, UT (incidentally).
It was late at night and dense fog had settled over the freeway, so that it was impossible to see more than twenty feet in any direction. I felt worried for our safety, and so did the rest of my family. My mom suggested that we switch drivers and say a prayer together. My dad called on me; I felt prompted to pray that the fog would be lifted. I hesitated for a moment, because it felt like a big request, almost asking for a miracle. But, I did anyway and Max pulled back onto the road...We traveled for maybe ten seconds when suddenly the fog slid away. As we looked around us, it was covering every area but directly over the freeway. Our prayer was answered. This was the most direct answer to prayer that I have ever received, and I think the key was that we prayed TOGETHER.
“There is no more beautiful sight in all this world than to see a family praying together. There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted ‘The family that prays together stays together.’”
—President Thomas S. Monson
I am thankful for the Lord's hand in my life and this amazing experience with my family. I am so happy for the knowledge that we can stay together for all eternity, as we begin to go our separate ways in this life. I can't wait for college and a mission, but most of all, to have my own family to teach them the joys of the gospel. That is my mission.
