Wedding

So I got the opportunity to do a clients hair for her wedding. I did her hair and her sisters hair. Kim the bride and Missy the sister. These two girls are pretty amazing. They are just plain fun to be around. Anyway the way these two became my clients was because of an amazing friend Amanda!!
Amanda and I went to HS together and graduated at the same time! She was actually beside be me when I found out that Geoff liked me! It was during our fourth block class when Geoff's friend David asked me for my number so he could give it to Geoff. He told me i had to write it or Geoff would not believe him. So I did and it has been great! We, Geoff and I had chemistry together..but enough about me and Geoff.
This blog is for Amanda and how I am thankful for her being in my life! She is just simply amazing! We kind of lost touch for awhile but then one day I saw her at church with her soon to be husband. I was so excited to see her. For awhile we talked and i then i started doing her hair. I got to go to her wedding and she looked amazing! Just like a Princess! Like she is really! Anyway she is amazing b/c her husband serves our country in the army and she is raising her daughter! Amanda also has an awesome mom who supports her and her daughter! I just wanted her to know how thankful I am for her and for her sweet spirit! Thanks Amanda for being so amazing!
So I took some pics at Kimmy's wedding of her, her sister and Amanda! Hope you don't mind guys but I just loved the pics!
Thanks for your love and support! I love you guys!!

PS the Cake was AWESOME!! The shells are made out of white chocolate!!!

Pelicans Game

So a couple of Friday nights ago we went to a Pelicans game! It was a lot of fun. Us girls danced and cheered but we still lost! Boo! any way it was fun to go as a family! Thanks for the tickets mom and dad! We love you!

Saturday April 26

So on Saturday April 26th I had only one hair cut at the salon. I asked/begged Geoff to go with me so we could spend some time together after i got done cutting hair! So he went! Thanks Geoff. That Saturday was kind of stressful for me. We had taken the car in to get it worked on at a friends place. He worked on and said we need some work done on it and we told him we would think about it!
Back up We dropped the car off Friday morning. After we dropped it off we looked at cars and we found one...I found one I loved! We test drove it and got the guys card who helped us! So all day Friday that is all i thought about. I played with numbers all day trying to figure out if we could afford it! So back to Saturday morning, I got done with my clients hair so Geoff and I rode around a little bit and talked. We decided to go to the old Air Force base and see Geoff's dad's plane he flew in Desert Storm. His A-10 is on the base for display. He named it the Dawg Hawg because he is a Georgia Fan and the nickname for the A-10 is the warthog! Good Name. So we got some pics of Geoff beside it for our blog and enjoyed the beautiful day. It was gorgeous and it took our minds off the car for a little while. So the guy still had not called so we went home and played with more numbers and called our mothers for advice. One mom, Geoff's said it seemed like we had done our research and should do it. My mom said just get it fixed and not have a car payment BUT the decision had to ultimately be made between Geoff and I! I agreed but was scared to death at the same time. One thing that stands out to me the most is that my mom said she wished she had asked her Dad advice before she did stuff when she was growing up! Thanks for that mom! I wish I could have asked him too! (WE miss you Grandpa Mapes but we know we will see you soon! Love you!) Anyway sorry for that I had a moment! So I got off the phone with my mom and Geoff got off the phone with his and the guy called and told us about the car. So we talked more and decided to just go get the car and talk numbers with the sales guy!
But the most amazing thing happened that day...to me anyway. My husband of almost three years told me we should pray about the decision we would make together that day! I was so excited he said that and I don't know if I have been that excited to talk to my Heavenly Father before. To get down on our knees and pray to our Heavenly Father for guidance was awesome! I am so thankful for the power of prayer! Geoff you are amazing and I am so glad to have you in my life!
So we went and got our car and stopped inside to talk to the sales guy! I was so nervous he asked us all these questions about our money and everything and then came back with some numbers. It was not matching our numbers so we talked more and the features the car had and then we went and looked at again. We told him what we wanted and so he went back to his boss and wouldn't you know they did it! They matched our numbers!!! I was so nervous after that because I then had to decide if We, I, really wanted a car payment! GAAAROSSS! I hate that car payments suck but a car with a warranty is GREAT!!
In the long run I think that we made the right choice as a couple. Looking back we wished we would have tried to get them lower but hind site is 20/20!!
I love our new car.. I get to drive it except for when Geoff has to go out of town for business. I have a feeling he is going to try to do that as much as possible so he can drive the car. The reason I get to drive it most of the time is because I drive further then he does. He could really just ride a bike to work if he had to but he can just drive the explorer! Well enough of me ranting on and on! Enjoy the pics!!

Conert

So I was so lucky to go to a concert with Ellen and her mom Sherry! It was amazing...we saw Carrie and Keith! Yes we have a first name based relationship.. they just don't know it yet!! HA HA
Anyway I had so much fun. It was an amazing girls night out..good clean fun!!! Carrie's performance was great and Keith blew it out of the water.. The concert lasted forever so we got our money's worth for sure! But to make it even better I was with my Best Friend and her Awesome Mom! Thanks for the awesome night girls.
Here are some pics and one special one from Ellen to Me and Sherry! ENJOY!!

Random

So I was looking at my camera today before I loaded the pics on the comp. and I found these random pics of my awesome sisters!! I just have to laugh at some of their surprises they leave me!! I love my sisters!! Most of the time anyway! But thanks for the laugh Girls!!!

Our Day in Nassau

Today we had our breakfast up on the deck. I brought along with me my milk so I could have some cereal. YUMMY! I love it! Fruit Loops is my fav then Apple Jacks. I cant remember what Geoff had! After we ate we met up with Kyle and Ellen to watch our ship port in the Bahama's! The water was absolutely amazing! You could see the dark spots which later I found out that, that it was coral reefs....not sure though! While the four of us were watching I think we all decided to lather on the sunscreen! I hate getting burnt!
After we got docked it took FOREVER to get off of the ship. Not easy like it was in Key West. We all decided to head to the Straw Market to get some deals. We were on our way there and there was people everywhere asking us if we needed a taxi or did we want our hair braided or want to rent a scooter. OMGosh! I hated that part. If I want it I will ASK! So Please don't ask me again and NO I don't want anyone but me or my hairdresser to touch my hair!! GAAAAROSSSS!
Sorry! I got a little carried away! So we get to the market and there is very small aisles and lots of people. People buying and selling! It was way to crowded for me so Geoff and I went to end of the market and started there! Not so many people. I saw lots of really cute knock off purses. So I got one for each of my sisters and one for each of our moms. Geoff got a skull with pirate features and I got a big straw hat and I love it!!! After we made our purchases we waited for Kyle and Ellen to finish and Geoff and I headed back to the ship with our stuff and Kyle and Ellens b/c they were going snorkeling before we were to go swim with the dolphins! Geoff and I grabbed lunch on the ship and then we took a break before we were to meet with our group to swim with the dolphins.
So we meet with our group and I am getting totally nervous! I was so scared I had to make a new friend. She was awesome! Her name is Melissa and she was so CUTE!! She was a grown up little girl and very smart. I think she said she was seven or eight. I cant remember...sorry Melissa! So we started talking to her and her mom and just making conversation. They were so nice. So we meet the lady who took us to the boat that was taking us to the Blue Lagoon where we were to swim. We had to stop and pick and more people before getting to our destination! It was a neat ride b/c Melissa and I talked the whole time while Geoff took pics of the views! Good Job Honey!
So we get to the Lagoon and I had to say good bye to my friend for a little while b/c she was doing the encounter and not the swim... So i got nervous again but I had my Knight in Shinning Armor to be with and he took great care of me! He was a little nervous but more exciting than anything. We had a little lesson on the Dolphins and learned that they have something in common with us...they have fins with our bone structure. AND they shed their skin every two hours!! Gross again! So needless to say we were not only swimming with the dolphins but also their sheded skin!
We got our life jackets and headed to our station where we meet our dolphin friends we were to swim with...Jake, Stormy and Andy! To me they all looked the same! But got to sit on the platform for a few minutes then the trainers told us to get in the water! OMG again I was so scared. I was not wanting to get in but I did it before Geoff and the water was FREEZING!! They had the Dolphins swim in front of us so we could rub them and feel them. It was AMAZING!!! We then got to hug kiss feed and dance with them! I had a blast. I chose not to feed mine why I don't know but I got two kisses instead of one! Sorry Geoff I Kissed a dolphin. So after our whole group, eight of us, got to do all that then we got to do the fun part! The dolphins pushed us with their noses across the water! It was really cool.. the only thing is, I wore a bathing suit that the bottoms were not attached so when i got pushed my bottoms started to come down so i bent my knees so the dolphins would stop so i could save myself for embarrassment! We loved it so much we bought the DVD and the album! Thanks Geoff for encouraging me to be brave and to swim with our dolphin friends!
IT WAS AWESOME!!! So if you ever have the chance to swim with our dolphin friends in the ocean......DO IT!!!
After we got back we got showered and went to dinner with our bestest friends!! Dinner was good then we went to a show that was all COUNTRY! My fav! So I knew lots of the songs and really enjoyed it. I was so tired but Ellen and Kyle are like energizer batteries....they never stop. So Geoff and I were going to go back to the room but Geoff wanted to go to the deck to see if we could see anything and I saw Kyle and Ellen dancing the Electric Slide! My fav too! So I joined them and they we did dance the Cha Cha. While Kyle and Ellen did more line dances Geoff and I walked to the back of the boat... Not a whole lot going on so on our way back through I found my Friend Melissa and I had her dance with me for a few mins. I was past tired by this time so we went back to our cabin for some much need sleep.. I was beginning to get cranky! Sorry Geoff!
So I totally enjoyed this day of the Cruise!! (MinDee)

Third Day of the Cruise

So on the Third day of the cruise we were to get to key west early so we decided to have room service again. Worked out well, breakfast in bed, then we got ready for our bike tour with Kyle as the guide. He had researched key west and the things they wanted to see. Geoff and I were excited about them showing us around. It was really cool.

We met the lady, Maria, who we had reserved bikes with by the two big people with suitcases! They were LARGE!! She met us there at 8 so we could have enough time to see the island and do the shop stuff. Some of the places we visited was: a concrete pier thing that was really cool, the Southernmost Point of the USA, we then rode around the out skirts of Key West passing some beach accesses and random hotels. We stopped a few times, kyle and Ellen went out on the beach while Geoff and I waited with the bikes. (I was being a baby b/c by butt was hurting already so I just didn't want to be happy right then...I need to grow up!) We then stopped at a sea wall thing where Geoff was a daredevil and walked a little ways on it. Not far but I am not that balanced to do what he did! JK! After we past the airport of key west we continued on to a small bridge. We rode more and came to a bigger bridge that almost kicked my butt! I did not know if I could make it up but I DID IT!! GO me! After the bridge we parked the bikes at the post office of key west and walked a little ways. We walked to mile marker "0" where we had a photo op. After that we saw some roosters and neat houses. Kyle and Ellen wanted to go up a lighthouse that was there, we didn't go b/c i am an El cheapo and I didn't want to pay to climb stairs. But by the pics they took it was pretty cool! After they did that I wanted to take the bikes back and start heading back to the ship so that is when we went our own ways! Geoff and I got back to the bikes and took them back to the place we rented them from and walked back down Duval Street and visited some shops and took some pics of the restaurants. Jimmy Buffet's Margarita ville and Sloppy Joes. We did not eat any where b/c we payed for the food on the ship.

We made it back to the ship and went and got some chairs on the deck so we could watch for Ellen and Kyle to get back to the port and then watch us leave. It was really neat to see the men take the HUGE ropes off the pilings and see us move away. We layed out a little while and then took some pics.

After the boat was away from the dock we went back to the room to get showers and take a little nap before dinner and the show. Dinner was good as always and the show was really funny! The guy who did the comedy was Dean Gaines...he looked just like Cuba Gooding Jr. He did a great job so we bought his CD he was selling after the show.

That night they had a dessert buffet that they did and it was beautiful. They had things made out of fruit and Ice Carvings...of the ship! It was really neat..but by the time we were done so was I!

All in all day three was really fun! (Memories from MinDee)

The 2nd Day of the Cruise

A Day at sea was what we did. We met Ellen up on the deck by the pool to catch some rays. To our surprise Kyle was not there...he says he is not the sunbathing type. I used to love to lay in the sun and get tan..but now I just get to hot to fast and don't enjoy being that warm. We being Ellen, Geoff and me, stayed out for awhile. It was nice because the boat was sailing right along giving us a nice breeze while we lay out. I had my book so I read some while enjoying the company and the boat! The reason I did not want to stay out long was because I didn't want to get burnt. It was formal night and being sun burnt in a formal dress did not sound fun to me! I am just a brat and I know it!

While we were laying out Kyle was so kind to go change our dinner time. I mentioned that in the other blog b/c our servers were so awesome!

After we were done laying out we went and got some lunch and enjoyed the Hairy chest competition and the ice carving of the ship.

After the competition we went back to the room and I started getting ready. I take a little while to get ready and I plus I got the pleasure of doing my hair and Ellens hair for formal night! WOW we are just two hot girls! So the dinner was great. I had a sirloin steak with a baked potato and my fav dessert. Hot choc cake...no ice cream though....SAD!!!

After dinner we went back to the cabin and changed into some comfortable clothes and enjoyed a show put on by the Carnival Cruise dancers. They did a Broadway themed show. It included some good acts...my fav was when they did Hairspray..i did not like it when the guys did the Full Monty....GAROSS!!!

Anyway the 2ND day was great for me. (As remembered by MinDee)

I think Mindee pretty much summed up the whole day pretty well. The best part about our day at sea was dinner. I didn't enjoy having to wear a suit but the food was good. It was also our first meeting with Glenn and I Made (yes that is his name). They both made the whole trip that much more fun. Kyle and I also got to play in a bean bag toss competition. Our team lost but we had some really bad people on it. If it were just Kyle and I we would have dominated. That was pretty much the highlights from day 2 but the best was still yet to come.

More pics from 1st cruise day

So the first pic is one that Kyle took of us walking to ship. It was so exciting!
The 2ND one is of us all on the deck of the ship when we were deporting from Jacksonville!
The 3rd one is of the Storm Geoff was telling you about! It was neat to see but You know me I was nervous about it. But it was all good.
The 4Th one is of Geoff Eating the Bridge we went under leaving Jacksonville!
The 5Th one is of Geoff being cute. I love him!

Cruise (Day 1)

Hey Guys! Well Geoff has put these pictures on here from our 1st day of the cruise. It was amazing being on the ocean in a big ship!

The 1st day was a little overwhelming. We bored the ship pretty easily. We took a cooler on board and they made us pour out the ice before we could go through security. I was upset at first but then I just said to myself. We are on vaca. No need to be in a hurry. So we got through security and got checked on the boat by a really nice older gent who gave us some good info. Told us not to take on passports with us when we got to our different ports cause we would not need them. We just needed our 'Sail and Sign cards'! Easy enough. So we got on the ship and went and checked out our room. It was a lot better then I thought I would be. The room was not to small and shower was an OK size. Nothing like our bathroom at home but good enough.

So we had to go to a life jacket meeting thing. Our group was to meet in a room called the 'Astoria Lounge' we were mustard group A. So we meet there at three and after they ended the meeting thing I was totally confused. I did not learn or take anything away from that gathering.

After the meeting we met up with our BFF's Kyle and Ellen and got some lunch...maybe we got lunch before the meeting I don't really remember. But we ate with them at the buffet. It was good I got the cheeseburger and some fries. So we were all still confused and a little concerned that the whole cruise was going to be like that BUT to our wonderful surprise it was Great. Each day just got better and better!

After dinner the first night we decided to change our dinner time so we could all sit at the same table. To do this we had to change our dinner time from 5:45 to 8pm. Which was one of the best things we did. We got a fantastic server..GLEN!! and I Made of course. They made us feel right at home...at home as you could be while being waited on all week. They did a great job therefore they got a good tip the last night! Hats off to Glen and I Made! Thanks guys!

So the first day was great. More days will be coming soon! (as remembered by MinDee)

Well, let me tell you how it really happened. We were driving down the road and all of a sudden you could see the ship and everyone went crazy. It didn't take long to get on the ship so I was happy about that. Once we were on the ship, we put our stuff in the room and started to explore. We went and got something to eat and it was pretty good. Next, we watched as the ship left the port and set sail towards Key West. The best part about this was the storm that was trailing us. If any of you have seen the movie Independence Day, there is a part where the space ship is creeping up on a city through some clouds. Well, this storm looked just like it and it was awesome. Next , we all had to go to a meeting about life jackets and it was a total waste of time. It did however give us time to get a good seat for trivia. Our friend Kyle became a local celebrity that day. He was killing the competition and won a "24 carat gold plastic ship on a stick." I won't lie, I tried to win one but came up short ever time. After that it was time for Dinner. The first nights dinner was OK, but not as good as the rest of the nights. We were at a table with two people from Georgia which was cool. It was tough to hear but overall, we had fun. We didn't really do a whole lot the first night but try and figure out what was going on and how to get around the ship. When we got back to our room we did find that we had a friend in their waiting for us. It was a towel pet but the first night I had no clue what it was. So if anyone knows what that animal in the picture is, please let me know. Overall, the first day was good, but not the best day by far. (As remembered by Geoff)