Caribbean Princess cruise Days 2

 Day 2 we were at sea. It  was Sunday, and there was a wonderful church service. The 'pastor' explained "I'm not a minister- just a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody." How cool is that?! He was from a tiny town in Alabama, and filled his sermon with fascinating stories about his church there. All the passengers attending the service came from different denominations and different places, and it was really neat to see them together worshipping God. I imagine that's what heaven's like.
After church,we played games and ate lunch in the buffet. Our friends taught us a new game called "Joker". It's pretty fun! That night was formal night- oh my. We dressed up, ate a delicious meal, and met a lot of new people. All of the workers on board are from different countries- Philippines, France, Ukraine, England, you name it. So it was really interesting to meet them and talk to them about their countries. We became good friends with the head waiter, Mr. Hector Catalan. Not only was he super nice, he is an amazing singer!! He sang beautiful songs every night during dinner.
 

Caribbean Princess cruise Day 1

     I was very blessed to be able to go on a lovely cruise with my family to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize;and Roatan, Honduras.


Day 1

     We drove to the Port of Houston the morning we were supposed to go aboard. Our car was packed full of suitcases, and anticipation was running high as we met our friends we were traveling with.
But...
Because of heavy fog, the entire Houston Ship Channel was closed!! Instead of arriving at 11:00 a.m., there was a four hour delay. We were very blessed that our friends had family living nearby, as that kindly allowed us to hang out in their living room for three hours!
Then we decided the head to the Ship Channel and see what was going on.

     Chaos. The other thousand people traveling on the boat had had the same idea, and were lined up at the channel. There were tons of cars. We were so close that we could see the ship, but because of the delay, passengers were still disembarking, and we couldn't board.

so close and yet so far...

     However, eventually, we got through,  went through customs and walked up the gangplank.

The view from the gangplank.

 The ship was called the Caribbean Princess. She was beautiful! Mom and I shared a stateroom with a balcony and the boys and Daddy shared another room like it. Our balconies connected. After seeing our rooms, we ate lunch, then explored the huge ship.
There were eight restaurants,a giant Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, a large theater, a spa called The Sanctuary, a Lotus Spa and Fitness Center, a casino, a Wedding Chapel,a sports deck, Kid's and Teen's Centers, a Library, an Internet Café, an Art Gallery, boutiques, and a Medical Center!!

Our room

Leaving the port of Houston.

The Governess of Highland Hall

I must admit, from the instant I saw the cover of this book, I was intrigued. It looked historical, and so I read the excerpt-

Worlds lie between the marketplaces of India and the halls of a magnificent country estate like Highland Hall. Will Julia be able to find her place when a governess is neither upstairs family nor downstairs help? 
 Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents’ financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn’t sure what to make of the estate’s preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey.  

I was hooked. How would the author combine missionary work in India with Victorian England? So I read the book - and loved it. Julia interacted very well with the children, tried hard to teach them right for wrong, and

I felt like Julia was an easily identifiable character. Right from the start, she was headstrong and feisty, yet gentle and strong in her faith. I must confess, however, I was a little afraid the plot would be instantly guessable- ya know, the cliche governess falls in love with her employer, but can she win the children over? However, there were so many interesting details along the way that the plot wasn't dry or too familiar.

William was also an amazing character. You find yourself feeling sorry for him. His disloyal wife died and left to care for  two young children and he's the guardian for his deceased cousin Randolph’s two rebellious teenage girls. Plus, he's worried about his disabled sister Sarah and wild brother David. William is practically obsessed with saving the estate from the financial ruin. He wants to prove himself. The last thing he needs is any distraction coming from the kindhearted-yet-determined governess. ;)

In my opinion, the best thing about the book was it's message. Many times in movies and books, the main theme in any relationship is to simply 'follow your heart'. This book stressed that you should follow God's heart. Would he be pleased with your future spouse?

I really recommend you read this!

Click here for more information on the book!

Disclaimer-I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

inspiring song

So, our youth pastor played this song for us, and it is so beautiful. It's one of my new favorites. I think the message is amazing.

Watch the video. You will be so inspired. I promise.

 Have a blessed evening!

Nancy Drew jewelry giveaway at Fantasy Art and Tree Chatter

I'm a die hard Nancy Drew fan. I own every single book, write Nancy fanfiction, and know all the character's sayings by heart. So when I found this jewelry giveaway, I was just browsing through the jewelry you could win, and... A Nancy Drew Necklace!! Not one, but 3. Plus necklaces withJane Austen quotes, cute cat jewelry, and so much more.I have to win this giveaway. I am determined!!The link to the giveaway: http://blog.aquariann.com/2013/09/black-cat-jewelry-giveaway-gift-card.html

Secret Letters by Leah Scheier Book Review

Oh my. This book was so amazingly written, so suspenseful and well crafted, it's hard to know where to start first.
Basically, the book is about an inquisitive, clever and feisty girl named Dora in 19th century England. She uncovers a massive secret- Sherlock Holmes just might be her biological father. Dora is thrilled- she's read his biographies written by Dr. Watson so many times! So Dora journeys to London to learn the truth, and to ask for Holmes' help in a case. Her cousin is being blackmailed over love letters she wrote when she was a teenager, and Dora is convinced Sherlock will help. So she joins her cousin in London and arrives on Holmes' doorstep- only to learn he was murdered in Switzerland by an adversary. However, his dashing young assistant Peter Cartwright, also guarding a secret past, offers his help in her case. He is investigating a disappearance of a heiress, and they soon realize their cases are intertwined. So Dora goes undercover as a maid to help Peter, learning surprising things about herself in the process. I highly recommend this book for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Victorian-age-literature readers. It was suspenseful, moving, and kept you guessing until the very end. I really enjoyed this read. (The only objectionable content- an unmarried, pregnant maid that Dora befriends mentions abortion, and while Dora 'knew it was terribly wrong, she could not find it in her heart to condemn this woman'.  The whole scene is very brief - not more than four sentences, but I just thought I'd mention it as some of  my readers are young.)
It is very sad at the end, I must admit I cried a little bit. I hope a sequel comes out very soon.
My rating- a must read for mystery fans.

My 15th birthday!

I had an amazing birthday! My friend JoGail came over and hung out, I got lots of cute and thoughtful gifts, and a general good time was had by all. :) (love that  phrase! It's so old timey- newspaperish.)
On my actual birthday, I worked in the surgery department, so I opened gifts when I got home. Then my family took me to Chuy's. I love that place. Then Saturday, I worked in the volunteer's concession stand to raise ,money for 4-H. I got some delicious cheesy fries. Then JoGail came over and we had a party!

JoGail!!

We did our nails, played outside with my brothers and their friend, and talked for forever!  My mom made me a delicious coconut cake with fluffy white frosting, which was really good.

I was rather spoiled this birthday:
My super amazing friends I volunteer with at the hospital got me a ring. A real ring! It's so cute. I just love it. You can see it in the picture at the bottom.
I got the book Secret Letters, about Sherlock Holmes' daughter. It was epic. You should read it!

I received a lovely pair of chic brown slacks and a scarlet blouse, orange flower earrings and bracelets. Also two adorable journals, a purify water bottle, candy, and an Amazon Gift Card. My lovely relatives sent money which was greatly appreciated. I'm saving it for college. Medical school isn't cheap. :)

So now I'm 15. Everyone asks if I feel older. Not really, but when people ask me my age and I say 15, then it hits me.
15!
Woot Woot!