4.14.2008

Bermuda ... Jamaica ... ooo I wanna take ya!

I'm back! Woo hoo! Finally! Two weeks ago Scott and I drove down to Utah, left the kiddies with his parents (thanks again Hal, Sharon, Becca, and Kate!), and jumped on a plane headed for NYC, stayed the night, and then boarded the ms Noordam with Holland America for a fabulous cruise to Bermuda. The peeps in our crew were: my parents, Adrienne (sister) and Jim, Blair (brother) and Kim, Mandy (Kim's sister) and Cam, and Nick (brother) and his friend Kyle. Here are some of the highlights:

When we landed in New York, we met up with the folks who were already there and headed over to Times Square. I felt so liberated, yet lost, being out at 1 a.m. without any kids, just cruising through NYC. It was so much fun! Cold, but fun:

The next morning instead of sampling NYC's cuisine (sigh) or shopping on Canal Street (double sigh), Scott and I walked over to Central Park and did a little sightseeing of our own, Scott-style (leave it to MY husband to find a place to boulder in the middle of Manhattan!):

Setting sail (NYC skyline):

Adios NYC!


Adrienne, making even a life preserver look good:

Our lovely room model, Scott, showing off the luxurious space in our stateroom (actually I think he was wallowing in misery about having to dress up for dinner):
Formal night #1 - Papa Mike and Grammy Kay lookin' sharp (Papa and Grammy? What?!? There were no kids along -- they were just plain old "Dad" and "Mom" to us for one precious week. What a novel concept!)
Dad on his hog:

Father/daughter bonding on a pier in Hamilton:

Blair, in some sweet shades, showin' off his great white ninja moves:
Kyle and Nick modeling awesome spandex with their svelte physiques (check out the color of that water!) on one of the famous pink sand beaches:
Formal night #2 -- Mandy, Kim, and I (at this point, Adrienne was in her room puking her guts out from a wicked combination of the rolling seas and early pregnancy -- am I allowed to divulge that little tidbit Adrienne?):
Probably one of the best/worst things about the cruise was the karaoke "Superstar" competition that Adrienne, Nick, and I entered. Best because it was highly entertaining (especially Nick's "risque" performances) and was super popular on the ship but also the worst because Adrienne and I would get so nervous every night before the show that we couldn't eat dinner and had to "use the facilities" (if you catch my drift) numerous times before each performance. We were, however, singing in front of 700+ people so we weren't just embarrassing ourselves to a piddly little crowd. Oh no! We Smiths like to go all out when it comes to public humiliation (although, I must say, we all did fairly well. Thank you. Signed photos can be ordered.). We concluded that our lame nerves and stress for a cruise ship karaoke contest just weren't worth it -- I mean missing out on fillet mignon because you're worried about how your Bonnie Raitt is going to sound? Come on!

Here's Adrienne working her magic on stage...

A few of Nick's colorful outfits...What's that? The air guitar whilst he whistles? Stop! Just too much talent for one guy (although I have to say, that Nick can whistle like nobody's business. I'm not kidding, I double dog dare anyone out there to challenge him to a whistle-off, the kid has some mad whistling skills).

Here's my tutorial on how to make it in the karaoke world:

First, flirt with the gay emcee...
Second... stomp your left foot (if you're left handed, however, stomp your right foot) while singing your heart out to the Dixie Chick's "Sin Wagon"...
And last but definitely not least, lean back and close your eyes ... pure karaoke genius... And although none of us won, we had a great time. On performance merit and crowd favorite criteria alone, we all think Nick should have won, hands down. Probably the highlight of each of Nick's performances was his wardrobe transformations. At the start of each song, he looked great, then either the wheels slowly started falling off the bus or the performance just got better and better and BETTER! depending on how you look at it. (I subscribe to the "better and better" mentality -- HOLLA Nick!)

This was his best night -- he started out in a tux, all distinguished and respectable...
Then just a hint of his personality emerges ... A little more personality ...
And then BAM! Full-on crazy! The best part is, the judges always seemed to like it...

Phew! Quite a long post. But it's been quite a while so I was overdue.

Thanks again family for such a great trip!

12 comments:

Claire said...

Ahhh! That looks like so much FUN!! I still can't quite get on board with leaving Cecelia and going on a trip, but reading posts like yours sure makes me want to get on board fast.

Natalie said...

What a blast! I am SOOOOO glad you are back. I happened onto Ally's website and saw some videos!! Good job! Aren't cruises the best?

Robyn Lamoreaux said...

I am just so sad that you didn't sing a little Wind Beneath My Wings.....I heard that's a real crowd pleaser!!! The Williams and the Smith's need to do a cruise together (okay, the Bryce and Liz thing might be a bit akward)Between us we could totally take over the Karaoke Cruise world. Looks like a GREAT time....a little jealous!

The McCulloughs said...

Hey, I need one of your signed photos! We had such a great time tagging along with your family. YOu guys are all so dang funny; I don't think we stopped laughing the whole week! Thanks for enduring all of those 'nervous times' to provide us with a little entertainment! I am going through withdrawals of relaxing and being able to do whatever I want. O well- I guess the show must go on! BTW- I am adding you to my fam and friends so I can check up on you and the fisherman in good old Montana! I hope life is treating ya great! mandy

harmony said...

I especially loved the video on Ally's blog. Forget the family, it's time for a friend cruise. Is Nick single? Not for long. Wowsers!

Cody and Nikell said...

Looks like a party! Nick's wardrobe changes are killing me! and your tutorial on how to make it in the karaoke world! How did you not win after that?

I'm wondering how hard was it leaving the kids? I'm a little nervous about it.

Heidi said...

Awesome Nick. I'm going to challenge him for Josh's sake, who honestly believes that one day he will be asked to whistle the national anthem at some sporting event. He even vibratos all nasty when he whistles. Maybe those two can get a duet going . . .

Dixons said...

Where's the link to Ally's blog so all your friends could do the real judging!? You're a brave soul, Cel! I love it!!!

ali said...

1. Where in the crap is nick finding those get-ups?

2. karaoke induced nervous diarrhea is definitely not worth missing out on filet mignon! what were you thinking?

3. and WHAT? Adrienne's preggers? (JK...she told me yesterday)

Spitzer Family said...

Why wasn't Scott in the spandex get-up on the beach-I mean come on!! And, I have GOT to hear you sing the "sin wagon" I can't even understand half the words to that song-how ever did you sing it!!

Two Ladies and No Baby said...

Yo Cel,
I heart Sin Wagon. Seriously, I was hysterical when you sang SW to me and Becca in the car. It was a magical experience. I would appreciate it if you would perform for us. I'm excited for our cruise. Boo Yeah
-Kate

. said...

Your family is awesome. All that fun and no beer! Who said mormons can't have fun? It's good to see the Smiths are still making memories to last.