Cruisin' the Caribbean

Forgetting that we had our own ocean just 15 miles from our house, Cheyenne and I traveled cross-country to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to jump on a cruise ship to view the Eastern Caribbean islands. 

We joined Cheyenne's brother, Dylan, and his fiancee, Brooke in Florida to board the ship and begin our adventure. Our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico where we walked along the castle wall and came across a plethora of random cats. That evening we had a city tour that included a concert of Juan Carlos and his flamenco dancers. The city seemed very historical, but we were limited by time, so our tour was short. 

The next stop was St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We toured the island in a Jeep Wrangler as we stopped at possible future wedding locations for Brooke and Dylan. Along the way we made a pit-stop at a beach to take 180 engagement photos of the lovely couple. St. Thomas is a very small island and has a lot to offer, snorkeling, parasailing, and miscellaneous water sports. 

The Dominican Republic was next on our agenda. Dylan and I took a tour of the country-side and experienced real life in the Dominican. We even sampled a bit of sugar cane fresh from the fields. The sugar cane is used to produce Vitamin-R, which is rum. Brooke, Cheyenne, and a few others spent the morning at a five-star resort on a lovely beach in a safe part of town. Dylan and I were in parts of town where civilians were carrying sawed-off shotguns. Let's just say, I was scared my Nikon D300 was going to get stolen, so I kept it hidden in my backpack! Needless to say, the Dominican is a very diverse place and probably not suitable for children, the elderly, middle-aged folks, small animals, adolescents, or clowns. 

The last stop was Nassau, Bahamas. We strolled around the crowded local markets for a while before our snorkeling excursion. Unfortunately, it was quite chilly and very windy. But once in the water and swimming with the fishes, it was enjoyable. We spent about an hour in the water while interacting with the local aquatic life before heading back to our cruise ship for our final 14,000 calorie meal. 

Upon returning to Fort Lauderdale, we decided to hit the beach and the guys rented a jet ski. Later that night, after scouring the city for a certain restaurant which apparently no longer exists and ordering delivery pizza to our hotel room, I had to walk like 3 miles to obtain Sudafed for Cheyenne. That pregnant woman owes me big time! She is so lucky to have me...right?

Oversized mammals

Anybody know what this is? :)  It's an elephant seal--they can weigh 4000 lbs.--they pretty much look like a seal with an elephant trunk.  About 3 years ago, I heard there was a cool place to go called Ano Nuevo where a guide leads you on a hike to see the elephant seals that come to the same place every year to give birth to their pups in Jan and Feb.  Well, they didn't bother to tell me 3 years ago that you need reservations months in advance, so we couldn't go that year.  Last year we were prepared and made a reservation, but my grandma made a last minute trip out here to visit and it happened to be the weekend we had reservations, which couldn't be re-scheduled by then.  And this year, we almost missed out again--pregnancy brain made me make a reservation when I had a doctor's appointment (luckily they had an opening a little later in the day so I could change the reservation--mind you we've now paid to go 3 times because there are no refunds).  And just when we thought we were good to go, we got in the car, and it started raining!  BUT...it pretty much stopped raining by the time we got there...a little misty here and there, but turns out, that's the seals' favorite weather, so we had a great show.  The guides lead you out to the coast and onto the sand dunes where you are standing within 20 feet of these huge animals.  At one point we were in the middle of 2 males whose testosterone suddenly kicked in and wanted to fight each other...let's just say, our guide stopped what he was saying and said "turn around and run".  Yikes!  Don't worry, we're all safe!  :)  I guess they don't attack humans, just each other.  
And I realized I haven't posted a belly shot in awhile...here's one from 19 weeks.  I'm 21 weeks now, but don't look much different.  My doctor told me today I haven't gained a pound in the last month (I don't really get that because my belly is obviously getting bigger), but I told her, don't worry, I'm going on a cruise next week--I gain 10 lbs cruising even when I'm not pregnant!

Pregnancy photo courtesy of Maxine Bauer

Uncle Johnny

Parker Steven Heltemes was born on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 6:30pm, weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long. 

I will be flying home the first weekend in February to see my nephew. 

Congratulations Nick and Katie....

California Winter Wonderland

On New Years day, Cheyenne and I drove about an hour north to Vallejo to spend the day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The park was celebrating "Holiday in the Park" so it consisted of a lot of holiday spirit and decorations. I left the apartment, excited it wasn't going to rain, in just a thin sweater and jeans. Cheyenne, on the other hand, was dressed in a fleece, winter jacket, gloves, hat and scarf. I was apparently oblivious to the fact it was only 40-degrees in Vallejo today! Apparently, Cheyenne was not that concerned with me leaving the house with 3 less layers of clothing then needed. Now this upsets me on two levels:

1. Cheyenne didn't care to notice or remind me of the temperature and that I would need extra layers. If she doesn't take care of me, who the hell will?

2. That I even need layers! When I first moved here from Wisconsin, I would galavant around San Francisco during winter in just t-shirt and jeans. I have acclimated -- NOT COOL!

Throughout the park were many animal exhibits, but the park also had shows to attend. We saw a Bird Show that exhibited a Red-tailed hawk, Cocobarra bird, Turkey vulture, and an owl. Afterwards, we scurried over to listen in on a talk about the white Bengal tiger. Then we frigidly walked to a Wildlife Show -- porcupine, Fennec fox, anteater, etc. Take a closer look at the Fennec Fox, Cheyenne thinks it looks a lot like her -- small head, large ears!

Lunch consisted of a $24.68 meal at Johnny Rockets in the park. For those of you who don't know what Johnny Rockets is, it is a 50's-themed fast food restaurant. The meal took 24 minutes to get to our hands after we ordered...not too fast I guess!

I broke down; I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. I found a cheap winter hat to purchase at the gift store to get me through the remainder of the day (see photos of me with the hat below). In the afternoon, we saw the Sea Lions, Dolphins, and Orca whale shows! These are the main attractions at the park.

Wondering what's on my plate above? Deep-fried oreos...yep, they were delicious!

We stayed into the early evening to watch the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and Holiday Parade! 

Cheyenne and I did not ride any of the rides because she is pregnant and it was FREEEEZING (well, to us Californians)!

Happy New Year!