Cruise...and a pretty lucky guy ;>

Over the last 12 years, Kate and I have shared some pretty terrific adventures together. We consider ourselves a well-travelled couple - familiar with the hustle-bustle of airports, language barriers, and the occasional "alteration" in our planning. I can say with complete honesty that nothing gets me more excited than packing for a long adventure with my best friend. Looking back, some of my favorite memories as a couple are a result of travelling together…and just being us. In fact, after just a few short months of dating in 1999, Kate and I drove across the US from Cali to PA (see pic). It was one of the best summers of my life and I knew immediately that I had found my co-pilot.



Los Gatos, CA (Summer 1999)



On Christmas Day, Kate completely shocked me with a 7-day cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's new flagship vessel, The Epic (more on the boat later). For the most part, Kate and I have always stayed away from the typical tourist vacations, often preferring to venture out on our own - discovering new cities, and cultures without the cattle-like feel of tourist programs. As a result, this was a first for both of us - zero cruise experience....just great recommendations from family and friends.

We began our adventure on January 29th - perfect timing!

I'm not sure how but Kate managed to schedule this vacation on the tail-end of an extremely hectic few months. Including:

• January marked the one year anniversary of Kate's Foundation Director position at INOVA where she has so far exceeded her goals that I can't help but feel that one day the letters 'CEO' will be firmly planted near her name. She has found her calling. In this role, she has done so many wonderful things for the foundation and our community that I could literally start a new blog site with just her stories.
• Our little man Aaron is nearing the end of potty training - although hysterical at times, the patience and time commitment is immense. Although (for the most part) he has been an absolute joy during the whole process. 10 pound boxes of diapers have now been replaced with 10 pound boxes of Thomas the Train and Diego tight-whitey underwear.
• I just completed 5 enjoyable and challenging (but often stressful) years with PricewaterhouseCoopers and sat for and passed the SPHR exam on Jan 28. This certification nearly killed me...and ruined every evening and weekend for the last 8 weeks as I studied. Thanks for your support babe - could not have done it without you!
• During the last week of January, our family (yep, Aaron was definitely a factor) entered the final week of the P-90X workout program. If you feel like punishing yourself 6 days a week for three straight months - this program is for you! Its time consuming and EXTREMELY difficult, but 100% addicting - I promise to share more about this adventure in the next blog post.

Again, sun and surf were calling....big time. 

 After an early start, we arrived on the boat in Miami and were immediately shocked by the size and scale of the "floating city." At 16 stories tall and two blocks long, the Epic has a payload of 4100 cruisers and 1700 staff. Our 10th floor "aft - starboard" cabin came with a deck and more cool gadgets than you can imagine- including a completely interactive web-TV that allowed us to book restaurants, shore excursions, check schedules and show times, room service options, etc. The ship set sail at approximately 4pm on a journey that would take us to St Marten, St Thomas, Nassau, and then back to Miami.

The next few days were spent on the massive sun deck, eating, going to shows, eating, drinking, shopping, drinking, catching up on sleep…oh ya, and eating. The crew was terrific and we instantly made friends with numerous other cruisers…including a terrific young couple from Toronto Adam and Samara (see pics). At St. Martin, the 4 of us ditched the crusie-sponsored tours and headed out together via cab or bus. Better to get kidnapped as a foursome, right?

All in all, we accomplished more than we could have imagined in a one-week period. The food was terrific and by the time we left, we had still had not visited all the bars - although we did go the Epic's famous ice bar (10 degrees and made entirely of ice). We rented wave runners in St Martin, spend time in Paradise, also known as Magens Beach in St Thomas and saw at least a dozen shows on the boat including the Blue Man Group, Cirque de Soleil, Second City Comedy Troupe, dueling Piano Bars, and numerous kick-as* musicians. Although we are sad to be back in chilly VA, this trip was a terrific way to relax and gear up for a very busy 2011.

A HUGE thanks to Nanna and Grandpa Sims and Grandma Shuemaker for watching Aaron - he still wakes up every morning going "Where's Grandma?," or "Are we going to Nana's House today?" We are indebted more than you know!


Also, a big thanks to Sue and Steve for the comp! You two are made for the "cruis'n" lifestyle and we already look forward to the MANY cruise adventures we will take together as we get older. For all our parent friends - the new Disney ship Dream was by far the most impressive boat we saw at port. We could not help but feel that Aaron would pass out at the thought of sailing on it.

Finally, I cannot thank my beautiful wife enough. Thanks for ALWAYS pushing the right buttons. I am the luckiest guy I know. I love you beyond words.

 Look how hot she is in the first picture below :)