Our Cruise Pics and Details!

***Megan’s MC FIT TEAM TRAINING RUNNERS STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM is now available.

GO HERE to get it and you can get $10 off using the code HUNGRY (aka only $19.99 for a ton of awesome quick and effective strength workouts made just for runners to get your core/hamstrings/quads/hip flexors/glutes/calves STRONG to get faster and avoid injuries).

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In case you missed out last week, the top 3 most viewed posts were:

*Sissy’s New Workout Room (She Remodeled It… the Before and After Is Amazing)!

*Updates and Random Thoughts of St. George Project Sub 3 (By: Andrew)

*What Was Different This Time vs the Other Times 

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This picture above perfectly describes our experience of a 4 night cruise with three littles:

As much as I loved having all five of us sleep in one room… it is nice to be in our own rooms again;)

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I’ve been on a handful of cruises in my life with my family and Andrew and I decided it was time to go on one with our kids.  We did this trip for their Christmas present this year (we don’t have Brooke and Knox on Christmas) and it was so much fun.  We heard a lot of phrases like, ‘this is the best day of my life’ and ‘I don’t ever want to leave’ from them.

Their days consisted of eating their favorite foods, swimming and exploring.  Cruises are the way to go with kids (in our expert opinion now;).

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Let’s talk food.  I’m not a huge buffet food fan but other than that the ship had some great food…

This soft serve, I lost count how many of these that I had throughout the trip.

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Their breakfast burritos were way too good.

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And my #1 favorite meal on the cruise—>  their hamburger bar.  I have a huge love for hamburgers these days.  I’m sure I’ll do what I always do with my food of the month and eat way too many of them and get sick of them until I cycle back to them again in a year or so.

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Andrew and I lived it up with plenty of Diet Cokes while we were there too (I NEED WATER).

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Knox was just thrilled to be able to have pizza at every meal.  I’m not joking.  He had pizza at every single meal while we were there.  Pepperoni pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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The first stop we made was to Catalina!  We rented a golf cart and took the scenic route around to see the area.  It was gorgeous there and I loved looking at all of the homes there!  The golf cart had a car seat for us too which was really nice.

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The kids played at the beach for a while…

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And I had the most amazing cinnamon roll ever.  It was from Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co (Andrea Barber sent me the recommendation AHHH).

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The next stop on our cruise was to Ensenada.  We took a little shuttle to another beach to play and the kids decided that Utah needs a beach.

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Then we walked around downtown and let the kids pick out a souvenir.

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When we asked the kids what their favorite part of the cruise was they answered, ‘the kid’s club’ followed by ‘spending time as a family’ (I think their second answer was said to to make us happy;).

We took Carnival (the prices were by far the cheapest for when we wanted to go) and the kid’s club was awesome and free.  The kid’s made a lot of friends, it was very safe and they had so many activities for them.  The kids would go there during Skye’s nap (Andrew and I would go nap with her) and after dinner a few of the nights.   Skye would fall asleep for the night after dinner in the stroller and we would get some time just the two of us.  We played a lot of games (I won our long ping pong tournament), star gaze from the top, walk around the track…

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Or go and get more dessert.  Skye snoozing peacefully in the background.

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They had a kid’s Halloween scavenger hunt that went around the ship that the kids really loved.

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They also offered kid’s club for Skye but it cost extra money so we just took her along with us everywhere because she can still sleep in the stroller in the evenings.  She is in that stage where she wants to be moving at all times so the splash pad area was her favorite.  The kid’s would go down the water slides while she crawled around right by them.

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Skye is just like Brooke when she was a baby… she has zero interest in touching the sand and used that powerful core of hers to keep her legs up in the air.  I absolutely could not keep my legs up like this for as long as she did!

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By the last day Skye definitely was not happy with going off of her normal schedule of sleep (the two days off the boat her naps were crazy short) but she was a trooper and we are pretty proud of her.  Cruises are nice because most areas are pretty loud in the first place so a 10 month old’s screeching isn’t really noticed:)

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Andrew got in an upper body workout carrying her in the stroller up and down many flights of stairs because we weren’t patient enough for the elevators.

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We got in lots of snuggling by the pool with the kids.

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And they felt pretty cool to go out of the country for their first time to Mexico (picture below is Catalina though:).

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Here’s to going back to routines, school, working, normal food and less sunshine!

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We would definitely recommend going on a cruise if you have little kids and someday we would love to try a Disney cruise but Carnival fit our budget for this trip perfectly so we were very happy with the experience.

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PS this was Andrew’s first cruise.  He is not a fan of being in places where there are big crowds… he was a little nervous about how much he would like the cruise because of this.  He was happy to report that there were only a few circumstances where he felt like the crowds were too much but overall he said it was way better than he expected.

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A few more things to talk about before I let you go today:

*SKYE SAID MAMA for the first time while we were on Catalina.  Let’s not focus on the fact that she was saying it when she was very upset about something:)  She has been saying it a lot ever since then so Andrew and I are hearing both Mama and Dada all day long and it makes me so happy.

*A vacation with kids is kind of like a marathon… it deserves a proper taper/rest before leaving and recovery once you get home because both the marathon and trip with kids expends a lot of energy.

*Today is my second day back to running (my coach said I could go out on Saturday)!  Two weeks off after the marathon was exactly what my body needed.  Our body goes through a lot during those 26.2 miles and to thank it for what it did that day, I gave it plenty of rest, relaxation and delicious food to say thank you for what it did on 10/6.  Post-race= do not feel like you need to jump back into things if it doesn’t feel right for you.  I’m wanting to be running through my 90s so taking time off every now and then is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

*Being on the cruise ship made it extra easy to not be tempted to run too early ha.  I didn’t ever feel sea SICK but I did feel a bit off on the cruise (one of the days it was swaying a lot)… which did not make running sound fun.  Plus, I just wanted to soak in the family time (hence why I only jumped online a time or two and the rest of the time my phone was on airplane mode) and continue to let my body recover.

*I’ll probably spend my miles today listening to a good podcast while reliving my favorite miles from the marathon all over again:)

*I had some amazing churros while on this trip and now I’m living with an internal dilemma over if I now like churros more than donuts.

*Fall running is the best.  It is absolutely my favorite.  Temperatures that call for shorts and a long sleeve jacket and a light pair of gloves = heaven.

*Setting your alarm clock for 5:55 vs 6:05 feels like it is 3 hours earlier even though it is 10 minutes.  The 5 vs 6 on the clock makes it so much harder mentally for me… and for those long run days when I would set it for 4:xx… that was extra hard.

*My niece that came down to the marathon with us told me she wants to run a marathon someday now after watching all of the amazing runners out there.  Races are quite inspirational.

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Ever been on a cruise?  Where did you go?  Which cruise line did you take?

What’s your food of the month (the thing you have been eating on repeat lately)?

-Hamburgers.

Do you mind being in large crowds or do you try to avoid that as much as possible?

PLEASE SHARE ANY PUMPKIN RECIPES THAT YOU LOVE.  I’m in the mood to make something pumpkiny today.  

-I normally make these pumpkin cookies with cinnamon chips (they are heavenly) but I really want to try something new!

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60 comments

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I loved our cruise. We left kids with family and went to the Bahamas. It was the most relaxing vacation I have ever been on. At first Trevon was not into the idea either, but now we want to go on another one. We made a deal that we have to do a Disney vacation first though so the kids can have some fun too. We are just trying to decide if we should go when our youngest is free, or when he can remember it. I only went once as a kid and don’t remember it. I feel like we would be a family that goes every few years.

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Oh that is awesome that you were able to go with just Trevon! Andrew and I need to do that. We have the same dilemma with taking our kids too hahah. Have a great day Jenny!

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I’ve been making pumpkin spice overnight oats! About 1/3 cup pureed pumpkin, 1/3 cup rolled oats, a splash of maple syrup, generous shake of cinnamon or pumpkin spice, then top with milk and nuts/pumpkin seeds/chia seeds/etc.. Let sit in the fridge overnight, then eat for breakfast! Overnight oats are my favorite post-morning run breakfast, and this one is fantastic in the fall!

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That sounds SO SO GOOD!! I will be trying that.. thanks Isla. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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Hello!!!!! Your cruise looked pretty amazing, but I hear ya on the 5 of you sharing a room and just being happy to get back into your home routine again, too!!!!!

I’m signing up for Megan D’s strength program after my marathon, for sure! I’ll still go to my Muscle Class once a week, but I’d love to have this resource to use on the side.

I am now just three weeks out to my marathon, and I am feeling EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!! I ran a local half marathon yesterday as part of my TWENTY miler, and it went so well. It was an easy run from my coach, but I was hitting marathon pace easily and happily even on a hilly course with gusty winds. I just DO run so much better and stronger when I’m RELAXED, SMILING, and feeling HAPPY. I need to remember that, and I’m just feeling happy, strong, and excited about running right now.

I tried mixing in Maurten gels yesterday to my fueling plan, and I liked them!!!! The texture is kinda thick, but it didn’t bother me. I’d put some in my mouth and suck it through my teeth. ha ha So, my plan is to alternate Humas with the Maurten now. I kept imagining the Maurten forming this ball in my stomach that kept slowly dissolving and giving me power and energy. ha ha SO MUCH OF RUNNING IS MENTAL!!!!!!

Hope you’re enjoying getting back into running again :) Two weeks off after your race was super duper smart though!!!!!!!!

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I am so glad you are going to try out the strength program! Keep me updated with how it is working for you. THREE WEEKS!! I am so excited for you Jen, you are so ready! MP easy with hills and wind–> I am thrilled for you! I am so glad you have the perfect fuel plan now, it makes a huge difference and I love your visualization of the gel… your mental game is STRONG! Thanks Jen! I’m cheering for you!

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Ahhh that cruise looks like it was a blast! So happy that y’all got to go on that little getaway. I definitely need to take the ferry over to Catalina soon. It looks gorgeous!

My food of the month has been chicken quesadillas. I feel like I’ve eaten those more than anything lately, and I never get sick of them!

And welcome back, Janae!! :)

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You seriously need to take the ferry over! Go this weekend:) Keep enjoying those chicken quesadillas and thanks so much Natalie. I hope this week is a great one for you!

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I went on my first cruise in June of this year and it was amazing. We are huge Disnerds in our house so we went on a 4 night Disney cruise and I can honestly say it was the greatest vacation I’ve ever been on in my entire life.

Disney is more expensive for sure than other cruisers, but the level of service, food, amenities, and just general Disney magic you get in return is probably worth it.

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Okay, that is SO good to hear. We love Disney too so we need to start saving for a Disney one starting now. Thanks for sharing this with me Bradley. Now you have me wanting to go on one even more. Have a wonderful day!

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I’ve taken that 4 day cruise before and it was a lot of fun! I love that y’all make memories with your kiddos. This is a present they will never forget!
I don’t like large crowds either but can deal with it if I know it is short term. Right now I am really into breakfast for dinner!

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Oh I love that you have done the same one Tabaitha… too bad it wasn’t the same week:) I hope your week is a great one!

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So glad you had a good time! YAY for family quality time!
A few questions for you as we have been considering a cruise! We went on one 10 years ago! WHAT? Time flies! But I too had a few hours on the prior cruise I wasn’t feeling fabulous. Did you notice more issues with age? I’m terrified of being sea sick…I mean who wants to pay for a vacation and then not enjoy it b/c your not feeling well? Also, how did the kids do in regards to being sea sick? Did you bring anything for yourself or the kids to combat sea sickness?

Welcome back to reality!

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Hey Bridgette! For me, I don’t think it was any worse with age because I remember feeling the same way on the ones I went on in my early 20s. I think a large part has to do with the weather too… the day it was windy and the ocean was crazy = I felt off. I did not bring anything for us for sea sickness… I should have grabbed some dramamine just in case. I never felt like I was going to puke but I think the idea of bouncing up and down on the treadmill while going a bit side to side was too much for me:) I hope you are able to go sometime soon and that you go somewhere beautiful and very warm. Thanks so much and I hope your day is a great one!

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We are not huge fans of crowds. My food of the month is just fruit. Like I just can’t get enough! All fruit not just one. We’ve been on 3 cruises before. 2 Carnival and 1 Disney. Disney was so long ago it was cheaper then. We are going in January and Disney was really high, so we are going with Carnival again simply because of the ports, the water slides and the price. Going to Amber Cove (Dom Rep), St Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. Very excited to take my daughter 10, this is her first one and it’s her birthday week, so that’s kind of cool too. Glad you guys had a good time on yours.

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The water slides were awesome! Okay, those ports sound INCREDIBLE. Can we join you in January?! That sounds amazing and best bday week ever for your daughter. Have a wonderful day and enjoy all of the good fruit right now!

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Cruises are so fun! We did that same cruise when our oldest was Skye’s age ?. Haven’t gone on one since, but we have been talking about maybe taking one next summer.
Favorite repeat food for us (and seriously all 4 of us) has been tacos. We love tacos!!
Thanks for the link to Megan’s workout! I may just be starting that today ?
And yes I agree that fall running is the best!
Have a great Monday!

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Oh you did!?!? That is awesome! I think you guys should next summer:) Enjoy those tacos and let me know how the workouts work for you, I’m so excited to try them too! THANKS WENDY!

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Question about Megan’s strength program if you know.. Do you know how many days a week it is assigned for? I’m trying to decide if I can work it in with my training schedule!

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Just sent her a text… I’ll get back to you in a few minutes;) Thanks Alyssa!

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Okay, she said 3 days for the muscle group focused workouts (about 30 minutes each)! Material for extra post run core work is included but optional!

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That is perfect! I’ll give this a shot then! Thanks for checking with her.

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Oh great! Let me know how it goes for you!

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We went on a cruise like 10 years ago. We had rough waters and I got pretty sea sick. My husband has mentioned taking our daughter on one but it makes me nervous. But after seeing your pictures and hearing how much fun you had I might reconsider. I would like to check out the Disney cruises. But I am with Andrew I hate crowds! Maybe because I am short and I feel like everyone steps on me or clips me with their elbows.

My favorite pumpkin thing to make is colonial pumpkin bars. I am not huge pumpkin spice fan but these are pretty mild and I love cream cheese frosting. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13671/colonial-pumpkin-bars/

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Oh Corrinne, that sounds terrible about being sea sick! How old is your daughter again? My brother and his family are on a disney cruise right now and having the time of their lives. THANK YOU for the recipe… they are making me drool. Have a great day!

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She will be 4 in December.

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Oh she will love a cruise!!

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My husband and I did a Disney cruise for our honeymoon……..WE LOVED IT! I wanted another few nights, we loved it so much! And exploring their private island in the Bahamas is awesome! I think they also have cruises that leave from the West coast and go to Alaska, too, since that would be closer for you.

I am kinda on candy corn right now, and I bet I will be sick of it after this month, ha! I also can never get enough avocado! I even have a shirt that says “candy corn is my favorite vegetable” and the one you have from Target that says “avocado-holic”, ha! Good thing I run so I can eat my candy corn and run off the sugar! (Day 22 of my running streak! Considering trying to make it a 100 day running streak, rather than just the month of October. I have a race in early March, but I think a 100 day streak would be easily do-able. The 1 mile days are so easy, that it hasn’t made my legs sore at all!)

I don’t mind crowds, and with a cruise ship it can’t be more crowded than capacity, so it’s better than theme park lines and stuff.

I bought some pumpkin bread mix from Trader Joe’s and I can’t wait to try it! My husband isn’t a pumpkin fan, so I guess I will be sharing it with co workers!

Have a great week!

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I think that would definitely be Andrew’s dream… a Disney cruse to Alaska! Okay, I need the candy corn shirt.. that is awesome! You are rocking that running streak Loribeth! Oh their pumpkin bread is so so good. Thanks, you too!

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what great memories! I love the idea of creating more memories than gift giving – kiddos remember the good times more! we took our 4 year old to Great Wolf lodge for his birthday (it’s water park in a hotel that is geared 100% to kiddos) and now he asks to go back every month!
I spent a semester at sea when i was in college and I loved it! we traveled to 10 different countries while studying the different cultures, religions etc. it was amazing …. especially after i realized i could get a grilled cheese sandwich up until 11:00 at night! It’s the little things sometimes! Ha!
food of the month … all of it!!!!!!!!! I feel like im still carb loading from my marathon in June and my 30k over a week ago! It just doesn’t stop! lol!

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Okay, we MUST go to that lodge. That sounds like so much fun. What an incredible experience you had in college… wow. And now you have me craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Hahaha it’s not stopping for me either:) Have a beautiful day Jenny!

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We haven’t been on a cruise since we had kids 13 years ago. That one looks perfect! So my son actually goes to Catalina Island for his school field trip (stays 3 nights!) they do a type of science camp. I’ve never been so I love your pics!

So wonderful to rest and have family time!

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That is so so cool that your son goes to a science camp there. I LOVE IT. How fun. Thanks so much Christina and I hope you have a wonderful week with your family!

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Our first cruise was to Mexico (on Carnival.) We’ve also cruised twice in the Mediterranean (Carnival and Royal Caribbean.) Like Andrew, I was concerned about the crowds, but I’ve learned that once you set sail the first day it’s not too bad. I love unpacking once and having all the food taken care of. (http://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/2016/06/tips-for-traveler-choosing-cruise-for.html)

I love pumpkin, but I found Peppermint Ice Cream at the store last week! That completely made my day/week/month!!

I have several pumpkin recipes:
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal: https://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/2018/10/friday-foodie_19.html
Pumpkin Muffins: https://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/2013/09/so-long-summer.html
Double Layer Pumpkin Pie: http://mcmomentsandmemories.blogspot.com/2010/11/30-days-of-thanks-day-26-friday-foodie.html

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I KNEW you would save me with amazing recipes. THANK YOU KATHY! I agree, the first day is nuts and then it chills out. Thanks for the recipes, your stuff makes me drool! Have a great day Kathy!

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Do you know what format the strength workout is in? Is it a video you can workout to?

I hope this makes sense. I’m not really sure how to ask my question.

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HEY HEIDI!! Great question! So it is a PDF with everything described really well. Megan is the nicest too so if you have any questions on different workouts she will email you back so fast!

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We’ve done 1 cruise with our family of 5 and another with the rest of our family and a few friends. Both of them we went to the Caribbean and we used Carnival and our kids had a blast. One thing that I’ve realized over the 6 cruises I have done, is to research beforehand because lots of times we’ve been able to do better/cheaper excursions than what we could have done on the ship. But yes, I 1000% agree that cruising is an awesome option!

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That is interesting… good to know. We will totally research that out next time. Thanks Marissa! I hope you are having a great Monday!

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Sounds like the perfect vacation! I can eat pizza everyday but not for breakfast lol. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and your family ?
I’m going to Disney World in 10 days!! My 2 year old is excited and I’m also running all the Run Disney races first weekend of November. My second half marathon.

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ENJOY!!! I am so so so excited for you. Can we come?! You are going to rock that second half!

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I went on a couple cruises with my family growing up. I loved them at the time but now I think I’m with Andrew; the crowds would be too much for me. My ideal vacation is going somewhere secluded and full of nature!

I ran 20 miles today and I was craving a cinnamon roll so bad and that picture is torturing me now.

Make Smitten Kitchen’s pumpkin bread!! I bake a lot, I’ve tried multiple recipes, and it’s my favorite pumpkin bread. It uses a whole can of pumpkin! It, in fact, is probably my food of the month; I ate a whole loaf last week and I’m already craving it again haha.

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TWENTY MILES on a Monday… GO GRANT! Thank you for the recommendations… a whole can? Yes, please. Thanks so much!

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Cruised with RCL on Navigator of the Seas her inaugural season. It was the biggest cruise ship in the world at the time. Didn’t matter, still got sea sick…a lot. Probably not gonna do that again. Still had fun, but not enough to offset the illness.

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Oh wow! Sounds like an amazing ship but being sea sick = I would never cruise again! Have a great rest of your day Clark!

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Vacations with kids – LOL! My BFF and I have decided there is no such thing-they are family trips now. The hyper vigilance on a trip is far from vacation like :) Thank you for sharing these memories!!

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Your comment just made me so happy… my sister says the same thing. When people ask, how was your family vacation? She answers… it was a trip and now I need a vacation after that trip haha!

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Your cruise sounds amazing!
The code says the limit has already been met for the strength program. Did it only work for a certain number of people? Thank you!

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I am so sorry about that! I just sent her your comments and she’ll get it working right away!

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It is fixed now!

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Anyone else getting a coupon error on the strength program? I get a message that coupon limit has been reached :’(

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Oh no!!! I just sent her a text about it! She’ll get it fixed ASAP!

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It is fixed now!

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I’ve never taken my kids on a cruise – but as a family we love going to all inclusive resorts in Mexico. It’s so nice, and stress free, not to worry about what the kids will eat, or not eat. So many choices are available! Your cruise looks like a lot of fun for all of you. Glad you got to enjoy the family time together!

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It sounds like you had a wonderful and well-deserved vacation! Welcome home!

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That is so awesome to see that you had some quality time with your family! I think you did a wonderful job of capturing the various moments of the trip.

I’m in this Mediterranean food phase right now. Lamb kabobs and hummus. Mmmm! :)

And, thank you for the reminder that “taking time off every now and then is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.” Just like you, I want to be able to run when I’m older… so I need to keep reminding myself that it’s always health above pride!

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Ummm I think I need your pumpkin cookie recipe. Those sound delicious!! Our family has done two cruises, both on Disney, and they were amazing!! Our kids want to do another one, even at ages 11 and 10. The best thing about cruises is that there is something for all ages and kids club makes it nice to get a little break from parenting. ;)

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We took a Celebrity Alaskan Cruise. First cruise and loved every minute. Celebrity might be a little more expensive but you really get what you pay for. Outstanding customer service and cleanliness, exceptional quality of food and amazing entertainment. Ready to cruise again!

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I’ve never been on a cruise, but I want to go on one! I’ve heard that moreso than what cruise line you take, the BOAT you ride on makes a huge difference. I wish I could have been on your cruise ship–burgers, pizza, soft serve, and that dessert EVERY DAY sounds amazing…and amazingly indulgent. Your gun show in that pic of you picking up Skye is totally badass–I love it! I’m envious and want your arms!!!! I think I am adding “getting my own gun show” ot my 2019 fitness goals list.

A couple of my favorite pumpkin baking recipes (I love adding dairy-free dark chocolate chips to both of these):

https://www.hummusapien.com/paleo-pumpkin-bars/#_a5y_p=4381747

http://www.louisianabrideblog.com/2015/07/breakfast-pumpkin-custard.html

I hope you and your squad had a great day out there!!!

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Hello Janae!!
I was so thrilled when I saw on your IG stories that you were in Mexico with your family, I am Mexican from Sonora, that its the border state with Arizona (I go to Tucson very often and I feel very fond of it) so I know the area that you visited very well, I Actually am going to visit it next year with my husband, we are doing the “Ruta del Vino” (Wine route), its super beautiful with all the landscape full of vineyards . I hope you and your family enjoyed your little trip to Mexico!

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