And we mean "full circle" literally, as our cruise began in Barcelona and ended there one week later (much to our sadness). I was on the verge of tears as we departed the ship -- yes, because it was a total blast, and who would want to leave a cruise ship? But on a deeper level, I knew that getting off that ship meant we were taking one more step towards Zeke's deployment. Not something anyone looks forward to, but it's part of the life, and no one in a post-9/11 world can act surprised that deployments happen.
Enough of that. Let's reflect on the absolute fabulousness of our time on the cruise.
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| Never enough kisses in the world |
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| "I, Liam Michael Kelly, pledge to be the coolest shipmate ever." |
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| "So... where is the boat?" |
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| Rocking Daddy's cosmopolitan hat |
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| When Liam saw the changing table picture, he said, "Look! Mommy drops the baby!" TOO FUNNY. |
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| Our first morning in Barcelona. And more kisses. Tons of them. |
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| We learned that Barcelona is definitely worth another trip |
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We also learned on our trip that Pompeiians were incredibly advanced. They even had handicapped-accessible toilets.
(Okay, maybe the bathroom was added later) |
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| The ship had the best water slides for kids... |
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| and grown-ups alike |
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| Beautiful chandeliers |
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| Fancy steakhouses |
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| Even a place to get a trashy Euro-mullet for a souvenir |
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| Girlfriends for Liam around every corner |
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| And a vodka ice bar for us around the corner, too |
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| Irish pub + bowling alley. I KNOW. |
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| Liam loved it when the staff would make him the famous Napkin Mouse |
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| More girlfriends |
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| A Chinese joint -- for times when you like to eat and then be hungry again 10 minutes later |
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| Gambling and jazz clubs |
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| Not just one theater... |
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| But TWO! (Not sure about that shifty-eyed fellow in the bottom of the pic) |
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| And, of course, the comedy club where Liam became a star during Dueling Pianos night |
The memories we'll take from this trip go above and beyond the pictures, but we hope we've helped give you guys a little taste of our worldly adventures... and maybe convinced you to consider making a trip yourselves!
And in case you are interested, we were treated with courtesy, speed, and great service from our fabulous travel agent, Anne Yates, from Raleigh. If you would like to book any kind of arrangements, near or far, through her, just let me know and I'll connect you to her! Ciao!
What a wonderful cruise! The Epic is certainly a ship I would like to check out! I'll add a shout-out to Anne, too - she is the best! Thank you again Kellys for letting us get a taste of life elsewhere :-)
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