Jeff and I just returned from a cruise with my family. We travelled with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Amy, and their three kids, Katie, Jake, and Tessa. We had a very nice time and it was so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and spend some quality time with our family relaxing. As nice of a time as we had, it was sure nice to get home and see Peyton and Paycee. They were very excited to see us and, we were just as excited to see them.

Our trip started out by visiting New Orleans which is where our ship took off from. From New Orleans, we sailed down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. We sailed for three days and arrived at our first destination which was Honduras. We had a beach day at Mahogany Beach. It was nice to get to enjoy the blue water and the kids enjoyed swimming and playing in the sand. The next day we sailed to Belize. Jeff and I decided to stay on the ship this day, and it was nice to have some time to relax and enjoy the empty spaces that are often full of people when the ship is at sea. Our final stop was Cozumel, Mexico. We did a little shopping in Mexico. It was very hot that day, so we decided to head back to the ship early. From Mexico, we sailed back to New Orleans.

There were many beautiful sights to see and many inspirational sights that have inspired me to write on a few topics that I will be sharing with all of you at a later time. One thing that Jeff and I were reminded of during our trip is that God is always with us. We may travel thousands of miles from home and be in the middle of the ocean, but God is right there with us. This is a perfect example of how God can meet us wherever we are in life. We often think that we have to be in a certain building on a certain day of the week to feel God’s presence, but we all need to remember that He is always with us and He is always waiting to talk to us and help us see the beauty that surrounds us. He also reminded Jeff and me how important it is to spend time with our families. Sometimes it is difficult to make the time to see our families, but we should all make the effort to do it as often as we can. After all, in life it is our relationships with others that can give us the most peace and Peace Matters.

~Dan~

Our ship, The Carnival Dream, docked in Mexico.

Our niece, Tessa, enjoying the beach in Honduras.

Our nephew, Jake, in Honduras.

Our niece, Katie, on the beach in Honduras.

Jeff and I under the clamshell, in Honduras.

Katie, Jake, and Tessa arriving in Mexico.

Katie in Mexico.

My parents, George and Darlene, at dinner on the ship.

My brother, Andrew, and Katie at dinner on the ship.

My sister-in-law, Amy, and Jake at dinner on the ship.

Jeff and Tessa at dinner on the ship.

Jeff and I ready for dinner.

Katie, Jake, and Tessa. This is a picture of a picture so the quality is a little off.

The whole family. Front row left to right: Katie, my mom, Darlene, Tessa, my dad, George, and Jake. Back row left to right: My brother, Andrew, my sister-in-law, Amy, Jeff, and me. This may be the only picture you see of me without a hat, so enjoy it...LOL!