Girl Weekend

My mom, aunt and I had so much fun during our Girl Weekend.

We went to the spa for massages and pedicures. (*thanks Austin!*)

We went dress shopping and I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS!!!  Plus my mom picked out her mother of the bride dress, too!

We ate at some fantastic restaurants.  We had brunch at the Rainbow Lodge.

We made a special toast to celebrate my birthday, my mom's birthday, and my engagement!  Mmm, mimosas!

I ordered the Cast Iron Seared Gulf Red Snapper, Early Summer Succotash and White Corn Griddle Cakes.  Simply delicious.

I would definitely recommend eating at the Rainbow Lodge.  The food is great and the decor is cool.  There is free valet parking for brunch and dinner - plus the outdoor patio is gorgeous.

We also ate at Pappasito's.  I had the Carne Asada with Black Beans, Mexican Rice, Guacamole, and Tortillas.

We ate at Le Petite Paris bakery for lunch.  My mom and aunt both ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon, inspired by the movie Julia & Julie that we watched together on Saturday night.

I had a Caesar Salad with French Onion Soup.

The pictures do not do this meal justice.  It was fantastic, and so girly.  To top it off, we ordered chocolatey desserts.

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  The restaurant had such a unique atmosphere, and the entire place smelled wonderful.  Eating at a French Bakery = the best decision you will ever make.

My aunt and I went shopping for shoes to go with my wedding dress, and we actually found a pair for $20 at Sears that could do the trick!  However, I am not 100% confident that they'll be comfortable enough to wear all day.  So, I've been doing some browsing on CSN Stores.com to find a different pair to try out.  I'll do a review of them when they arrive!  While I was on-line, I got distracted with their dinnerware selection and started dreaming.  Must focus on shoes...

I'm so sad our girl weekend is over!  My aunt needs to move back to Texas ;)

Have you ever eaten at a French restaurant or bakery?

If not, I suggest you do so very soon - you're missing out!

Welcome to the Bahamas

In case you missed the beginning of my vacation recap, check out these links: Wakulla Springs and Key West.

We arrived in Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday at noon.  We ate a quick lunch on the ship before disembarking the ship.

Clear Kayak Adventure

Once again, we had already purchased our shore excursions on the cruise ship to avoid any mishaps.  We met our tour guide at 1:00 pm and waited in the blistering heat until the rest of our group gathered.  We walked over to the Double Deck Catamaran and took a seat in the shade.

It was a bit toasty outside, but once the catamaran started sailing, the breeze cooled us off.

We said goodbye to our cruise ship and headed out into the harbor.

During our harbor tour, we got a chance to see the beautiful scenery of Paradise Island.

After about 45 minutes of sailing, the guide anchored the boat and we set out on our adventure.

First, we explored the waters in the clear kayaks.

The clouds threatened to storm on us, but we blissfully ignored them.  We kayaked for about 30 minutes.

I loved how you could see straight through the kayak!

Since it was hot and we were seeing so many pretty fish in the water, we decided to jump right in!

With snorkeling gear, of course!

We had approximately 30 minutes to swim around the reef.

Since we had spent the previous day snorkeling in Key West, we were practically experts in the water!

We saw tons of colorful fish.  The secret to getting a close-up is fish food!

After an hour of fun, we got back on the boat and sailed away.

The crew supplied us with refreshing drinks.  I loved the Bahamas Goombay Punch.  It was so sweet and delicious!

We relaxed on the boat and enjoyed more sights on Paradise Island.

Our tour guide pointed out all of the celebrities' property.

We enjoyed listening to some Bahamian music in the background while we sailed.

We arrived back at the dock and walked right past the ever-popular Senor Frogs.  We didn't bother going inside.  After all, we could always buy an overpriced drink on the cruise ship!

The two and a half hours of our excursion went by way too quickly!  I really wished that we could spend have spent more time in the clear blue water.  Unfortunately, local beaches are not very accessible, so we decided to check out some local shops instead.

Shopping in Nassau

We shopped around the straw market for a few minutes.  It was certainly a unique experience. 

The shopping in Nassau didn't meet our expectations.  The locals were incredibly pushy and tried to bargain with you on the cheap junk that was likely made in China anyways.

"Hey pretty lady!  What can I get for you, mama?  Let's make a deal!  This is $30.  But for you, $25!"

I did purchase a couple of cute photo albums from the straw market.  I spent all of my cash on this one purchase.  We didn't feel the need to stop by an ATM for more money since there wasn't really anything else that we were interested in buying.

As we were walking back to the ship, a young local woman came up to Austin and I with a handful of "handmade" jewelry.  She insisted on putting a bracelet around Austin's wrist, and an anklet around my ankle.

Woman: "Welcome to the Bahamas!  Jewelry for you!"

Us: "No thanks."

Woman: "Everyone gets one.  One for you, one for your lady."

Us: "That's okay, we're not interested."

Woman: "It's okay, it's free, welcome to the Bahamas!"

Woman: "You have a tip?  I work for tips.  That's how I make my living."

Us: "Sorry, we don't have any cash."

Suddenly it dawns on the lady that we were serious when we said we didn't want her jewelry!  And we really didn't have any cash.  So, what happened next?  She immediately proceeded to remove the jewelry she had just given us and walked away with no additional comment.  She continued her charade with the other tourists as well.

Overall, shopping in Nassau received a poor rating in my book.  I would recommend spending your time on the island or in the water!

Hair Braiding

We were inundated with locals offering to braid our hair.  Of course, we politely refused their offers.

However, as we were walking by the hair braiding tent, we spotted a familiar face!  My cousin Annie decided she wanted her hair done.

I wasn't there for the jaw-drop reaction that surely occurred when my aunt found out how much this hair-do cost: $105.  For a kid's braid.  In case you're wondering, adult braids are even more expensive. 

Sunset in the Bahamas

We ate a remarkable dinner on the cruise ship while we were still in port.  After dinner, we sat on the balcony and watched the sun go down.

The vibrant colors in the sunset were amazing.

I love taking silohoutte photos with the sunset in the background!

After the sun went down, we went hot-tubbing in the dark and enjoyed the view of city lights reflecting on the water.

The cruise ship departed Nassau at 10 pm. 

Have you ever gotten hair braided?  How much did it cost?

I've never had braids.  The most I've ever spent on a hair-do was $50 for my high school prom.

Cayo Hueso

After our awesome weekend at Wakulla Springs, we woke up on Monday ready to continue the fun.  We made a pit-stop in Tallahassee for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

I scarfed down several homemade buttermilk biscuits with fried apples.

Austin had the Old Timer's Breakfast with scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, hash brown casserole, grits and biscuits.

After breakfast, we made the 3-hour drive to Jacksonville.

I can't even count the number of times I heard, "Are we there yet?" from my cousin.  I can't blame her, though, because we were all very excited about getting to the cruise ship!

For now, I am going to skip past Monday and Tuesday's activities, simply because we spent both days on the ship and didn't do much besides eat, hang out at the pool, and eat some more.  Full recap of food coming soon, I promise.

On Wednesday morning, we arrived in Key West at 7:00 am.  During our Conch Train tour into town, I learned that the island's original Spanish name was Cayo Hueso, which translates to "bone-key".

Exploring Key West

We had a chance to explore Old Town before our excursion started.  There were quite a few unique, old trees in town.

We got a kick out of the wild chickens and roosters roaming around.

Do you see the baby chick?

Poor guy, he lost his mama! 

Luckily, since wild chickens are so rampant in the area, no one bothers them.  There was a kitty cat lying across the street from this baby chick, and he never thought twice about getting up to chase him!

We glanced around the local shops, but we didn't have much time for shopping.

I would have liked to buy a sponge from the Key West Sponge Market, but I didn't have any cash with me!

Of course, if I'd brought my money with me, I would've insisted on browsing the mall!

Better yet, though - we went snorkeling!

Snorkeling in Key West

We bought our shore excursions though the cruise line, but in the future I would definitely purchase them locally once I arrived on the island.

Our Fury Catamaran Sail & Snorkel Adventure began at 9:00 am.  We enjoyed a breezy ride on the Catamaran out to the 3rd largest coral reef in the world.

We sailed right by our cruise ship, the Carnival Fascination.

As soon as we jumped in, I noticed a jellyfish-like species in the water.  I immediately started panicking because they were literally swarming around us, and I was already far away from the boat.  To calm my nerves, Austin shouted to one of the crew members and asked what they were and whether they would sting us.  They were in fact jellyfish, but they were babies and did not sting.

Every time I moved, I brushed up against one.  It was seriously strange to be swimming with jellyfish!  I was even brave enough to hold one in my hand.  It just looked like a clear blob when I pulled it out of the water.

While I was snorkeling, I experienced some intense cramping in my feet.  I am not sure if it was because my fins were too small, or what, but it was painful.  My sweet boyfriend actually pulled me along in the water most of the time so that I didn't have to kick my feet.

The water was absolutely clear and gorgeous. At one point, we found ourselves in some really shallow water above the coral reef.  We had to awkwardly swim above it, because you're not allowed to touch it.  This was even more difficult for me, as I was really wishing I could stand up and take my fins off!

If you've ever used an underwater camera before, you're familiar with how difficult it is to take good pictures!  Hence why there are not a thousand awesome pictures of our adventures.

You'll just have to trust me when I say it was absolutely an amazing snorkeling experience!

When we got back on the Catamaran, the crew kept us happy with free beer and soda.  The crew really made this experience so much fun.  They even posed for this picture with me!

When we got back to the island, it was already lunch time, so we headed back to the cruise ship.

We ate lunch on the balcony while enjoying the view.

The cruise ship departed the port at 3:00 pm.  Next stop: Nassau, Bahamas.

Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish?

I haven't, thank goodness!  I am certainly glad that those baby jellyfish didn't sting us while we were snorkeling!