Sailin' Away

Much to my surprise, my Mom had been holding out on a secret she had known about for months. Every so often, she would bring up the subject of passports for Rich and me, but I kept bypassing the idea because we had planned our honeymoon for sometime after the wedding.

I remember the day so clearly as though it happened yesterday. My Dad's side of the family so kindly hosted a wedding shower for us at my Aunt Elaine's house. I had finished opening all of the gifts that I could see, and then out of nowhere my Mom had passed an envelope my way. I opened the envelope and found inside a sweet note and an itinerary for a cruise! My uncle who passed away suddenly in January and my youngest brother Brian pitched their monies together and bought us a cruise for our honeymoon. They did not want us to stay at home the week after our wedding so we were to set sail out of Miami. Since I did not listen to my Mom and get passports, we were unable to take the cruise my uncle and brother had originally planned. We were supposed to be sailing on the Mediterranean Sea, but since I did not listen to my Mom, we could not make that happen. Instead, we went to Miami, Key West and Cozumel, Mexico.

All the pieces fell into place because Rich's friend, Justin Kaplan, "Kappy" and his girlfriend Jessica planned to attend our wedding and they so happen to live in Miami. We were able book the same flight Kappy and Jessica were taking to head back to Ft. Lauderdale from Louisville. And to make the start of our honeymoon better, it was Super Bowl Sunday the day we left for Miami, which so happened to be where the Super Bowl was being played. We attended a Super Bowl party at Kappy's friend's house in South Beach and had the best time meeting new faces and a few new furry friends.

The next morning, we gathered our belongings and took a cab to the Carnival Cruise Line port in Miami and were ready to set sail. This was Rich's first time on a cruise ship so he was taking in all the sights and sounds. When I was in high school, my grandparents took me on a cruise that sailed to Cozumel, Mexico, Montego Bay, Jamaica and the Grand Cayman Islands. Thankfully because of my prior experience, I knew what to expect so I walked Rich around the boat so that he was familiar with our home for the next week.

We had a very relaxing week that consisted of lots of food, meeting new friends and seeing new sights. We can't thank Brian and Uncle Dave enough for their generosity and kindness. Surprises are the best and being able to take a honeymoon right after our wedding meant the most.

I learned a valuable lesson: When your Mom tells you to do something, do it because more than likely there is a purpose behind her reasoning!