My Journey from Mrs. to Mom: Five on Friday: Anniversary edition

Today, Hubby and I celebrate 6 years of marriage. 6 years!! I honestly cannot believe it's been that long. This past summer we celebrated our 10th dating anniversary- whoa! I mean when someone says 10 years ago, you think "that was a long time ago!"

Anyway, for the past 3 of those 6 years I haven't done much of a anniversary post here on this little space of mine. Until now!!!!

For our first anniversary we celebrated by taking a cruise. I remember this trip so well! I was excited to get away and have some fun in the sun! We flew from Jersey to Miami and cruised out of Miami. This was my first cruise and I didn't know what to expect. Initially, I was inappropriately dressed for the occasion because it was cool back in Jersey. No one told me that
you don't get to go to your room right away when you first board. I have no idea why this rule is in place but boy was I sweating in my sweat suit. The crew kept encouraging passengers to grab a drink and enjoy the pool deck, but how can you do that when your swim suit is being held hostage by the boat? Had I known, I would've worn my swim suit underneath my travel clothes. It didn't take my hubby long to acclimate though. He grabbed a drink and we went to explore the boat until it was time to depart!

We spent 4 days at sea and exploring the islands. What I like about cruises is you get to go to many destinations on one trip. Sure they aren't full out 'immerse yourself in your surroundings' stops but just enough to get a little taste. And I'm ok with that. I might have this out of order (5 years is a long time ago for memory's sake) but our first stop was Nassau Bahamas. I was so excited to be there you couldn't tell me anything! We took a boat tour, ate conch fritters, and shopped. It's also where I bought my sarongs (pictured in #3) that I absolutely love and wear anytime I'm in my beach gear. Next time we visit the Bahamas whether it's on a cruise or a week long vacation- I'm going to Atlantis. It was highly recommended but decided against it so that we could explore the touristy part of Nassau. I really thought we had a picture in front of the "Welcome to Nassau sign" but I can't seem to find it, so this will do.

Our next stop was Coco Cay. This is Royal Caribbean's private island. It's cute and small and I enjoyed that fact that it was only "us" and the crew. Speaking of the crew- they are amazing. The food was great, the service was excellent, and it also showed on this Island. I forget how long we stayed- maybe 8-10 hours? But they do a big "cookout", live music, and give you time to explore the Island or hang out on the Beach. I was smitten! It was a really nice change from being on the boat. And I absolutely fell in love with CoCo Cay and still maintain that I'm going to name my daughter Caylana (the keeper of Coco Cay). My husband's not having it but a girl can dream!

Our last port was Key West. Back in the US! I had been to Florida before but never Key West. The things that stuck out the most about this leg of the trip was at the time there were very strong winds in the area, so the captain let everyone know that things would be "different" as we tried to leave port. He essentially had to struggle to get the the boat out of the dock as he was competing with high winds. He eventually did it but he fore warned us so we wouldn't be alarmed. While in Key West we went to the "end" of the US- it's where the southern most point is! I thought it was pretty cool.

Upon our return we spent an extra 2 days in Miami enjoying south beach. Oh how I wish I was there now! My husband had 2 shows in the area so it was a good reason to stay! It was so nice to not have to go back to reality so soon after leaving! We had tons of recs from friends near and far on things to do, places to go, and where to eat while in South Beach. It seems to be a crowd favorite! And South Beach didn't disappoint. I keep saying the next time I find a cheap flight to Florida- this is where I'm headed! I wasn't a Spring Breaker while in college so this was new for me. And although it was no where near Spring Break when we went- I can understand the draw to this place.

This post was suppose to have 5 pictures from our first anniversary trip but alas, I couldn't stop there. Here's a few more that I just had to share! And I found the picture I was talking about! It doesn't say "Welcome to Nassau" like I thought but it's a welcome photo nonetheless!