Christmas Vacation Part 3

Oh where to begin! After a few days in Orlando, we drove to Port Canavaral to head out on our Johnson family cruise! We had a great trip spending time with the whole crew. We had a couple days on the boat, and several days adventuring! Our first stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. We went to a place called Paradise Beach where they had tons of inflatable toys/obstacles, paddle boards, snorkeling gear, and more. It was so fun to spend the day playing the ocean. This past summer was the first summer I can remember that I did not go to the beach. So actually going felt AMAZING! The next day, we went to Roatan, Honduras. Erik and I rented a scooter and explored the island. It was so cool to actually see the locals and how they live. I felt very blessed and fortunate to have all that we have. We drove to a gorgeous beach and decided to go snorkeling. I saw my first turtle in the open ocean, which made my cruise! The next day we went to Belize, where we embarked on a journey to see some ruins. We took a bus to a river, which was in the middle of a jungle. Then we took a speedboat through this crocodile infested river through the jungle.. I felt like I was in that Indiana Jones movie when he goes to the Amazon. Anyway, we arrived to our destination and saw some stunning ruins. I was in awe at how huge and beautiful they were. 

Our last port was in Costa Maya, Mexico. Unfortunately, it was a cold and rainy day. We walked around a boardwalk and got some massages, which was really nice. All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas break! Please excuse my crappy pictures... Our friends let us borrow their GoPro, but I am not the best photographer. I am definitely working on it. One of the things I am most disappointed about is that I couldn't capture the beauty of the places we were able to go to. I want to take a photography class, but I won't have time to do that for awhile. So bear with me.

First day on the boat

So excited to finally be on the cruise

Finally, relaxing in the beautiful sun

So happy to be going to the beach!

Hi Mexico

Waiting for a taxi...

Group pic on the dock

I tried out the paddle boards, they were so fun

Having fun with my sister in law, Heather

Hello Honduras

Boppin around with a scooter and a selfie stick

So I accidentally left the camera on constant picture taking mode, which resulted in 350 pictures of my legs, shirt, and the sand. This was one that actually was a person!

On our way to go snorkeling

Hi friends!

On top of the world! At least the giant ruins in the jungle.

unBELIZEable

The crew

Biggest head that I've ever sat on

Enjoying Costa Maya

That croc was huge, we were lucky to make it out alive!

We did a family murder mystery night, it was awesome. The theme was old Western. Erik was a cowboy and I was the town mistress. I should add that our roles were assigned, not chosen haha

My sisters! Don't worry, Heather is not a weirdo, she was just already dressed in her role as an old widow for our murder mystery night.

Our last night on the boat :(

Christmas Vacation Part 2

After our Wyoming trip, we drove back down to Salt Lake City, Utah. We went to a Johnson Christmas party, then flew to Florida. It was an overnight flight which was rough because when we landed, it was New Year's Eve. We rushed to rent a car, check into our hotel, and freshen up. We had big plans of going to Magic Kingdom since it is known for all of its festivities this time of year. Even though we were at the park by 9 AM, it had already reached full capacity! We saw cars lined up for miles and miles so we knew that we had no chance. The next place we decided to try is the Epcot Center. Luckily, we had no problem getting in there. Epcot is a blast because it has cool rides, plus different mini-countries with restaurants, monuments, and shops relevant to each country. They surround a little lake, which is beautiful. Once it came closer to midnight, there was an amazing light and firework show. There were also several dance parties, which was a blast. It was rainy and cold, but we got some trusty ponchos to keep us dry. The next day we went to Universal Studios, which was SO much fun! It was amazing to go to Harry Potter World and to go on some more intense rides.

 The crew at the classic Epcot ball!

Mini France! Erik was making a mini Eiffel Tower haha. Someday, we will see the real thing!

 Waiting for the show

So pretty over the water.

The magical show. The picture does NOT do it justice.

Dancing away to celebrate the new year. Pardon my blurry pic.

They projected the countdown as soon as it got dark!

Excited for our Universal experience

Waiting in line for the Despicable Me ride.

 I have to include this picture because it is probably my favorite of the whole trip. This was the SCARIEST ride of my life. I thought I was going to die. 

A close up for your enjoyment. Gets me every time.

The entrance for the Transformers ride, it was pretty cool.

It was a close one.

In magical Diagon Alley, photobombed by the strangest wizard I have ever met.

 HOGWARTS CASTLE!!!!!!

Christmas Vacation Part 1

We were very spoiled in December! We have been used to the BYU Idaho winter breaks, which are at the max, 2 weeks long. This time around we got an entire month off, which we lived to the fullest. The only reason we were able to have the vacation we did was because of our wonderful friends who volunteered to be our puppy sitters. Thanks to Kali and Trevor, we knew our pup was was in good hands. 

We started off flying to Provo, Utah and we visited some family for a couple of days. Then we drove up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where Erik is from. We spent the next two weeks helping Erik's mother in her flower store, The Briar Rose. She is very talented and taught me a thing or two! Check out her work at http://www.briarroseflowers.com. She has recently started selling Christmas trees, and also offers a Christmas delivery/decoration service. We had fun setting up several Christmas trees.  Erik also worked for a hotel known as the Amangani, and even met a few celebrities. It was very busy time for both places, so Erik and I worked at least 10 hour days. We had the chance to go out to dinner a couple times, watch some Hallmark movies, and enjoy spending time with Erik's family. I even got to explore the tourist parts of Jackson for the first time as well.

 Enjoying dinner with Erik's family!

We went to an incredible photography gallery with wildlife pictures by Tom Mangelson. This one was a favorite of mine.

 We also went to a beautiful art gallery and saw some unique art.

My mother in law taught me a technique known as greening in. This was one of my main jobs while I was there. Basically I did the arrangement except for the flowers, which were added in later. Since I am not creative or artistic in any way, this was a big achievement for me!

This little arrangement is known as a boxwood tree. Boxwood is a long green which is inserted into a foam known as an oasis. This was another one of the new skills I learned.

Here is one of the Christmas trees we brought in, set up, and decorated. It was fun.