Bahamas Cruise

It was Brittney and Ryan's 10 year anniversary this summer and they decided to take a cruise to celebrate, and invited us to come along! So in June we went on a Caribbean Cruise.

On the plane...
The view of Miami before we left.
Our first stop was the island of Nassau in the Bahamas. We rented scooters and drove to a more secluded beach.The rest of the cruisers:
Jeff

Ryan and Brittney

On our way snorkeling.
While we rode on the boat to get to the snorkeling destination we passed Mary Kay, Tiger Woods, Nicholas Cage, and other celebrities' houses. Their yachts were usually visible as well.

Formal night

We had a lot of fun with the activities on the cruise. One show we saw was the juggler Chuck Gunter. He was very talented and was funny as well! He also got a few audience members involved. His juggling is worth watching, so if you are interested watch the video on: www.chuckisfunny.com/

They show the act in this picture on the video

There was a rock climbing wall on the cruise. Since the cruise was short, we didn't get to spend much time using the wall, but at least we got to try it out.

Our second stop was the island of Cococay.
Around the time we were planning to go back to the ship we saw dark clouds rolling in and tried to clean up our stuff as fast as we could, but to no avail. We got soaked as we waited for the ferry to take us back to the ship. In a matter of minutes it was pointless to hold towels over our heads because they were so wet. I also decided to take off my cover up because it was like we were swimming anyway.

Jeff, Brittney, and Ryan also went parasailing on Cococay

Our last and favorite spot was Key West, Florida.
Jeff, Barrett, and I went on a kayaking tour through the mangroves. It was very cool to learn about how mangroves grow and to see the beautiful scenery. We held a sea cucumber and got to see rare colors of anemones.

A huge statue at their museum
We ate at a place called "Sloppy Joes" (as you can see in the background) and listened to music while eating great food.We were grateful for the awesome adventure to places we had never been and for spending time with family! Thank you Brittney and Ryan!

Ragnar 2011

I had a blast at Ragnar this year! I wasn't nearly as anxious as last year and the people in my van were fun. I was the second runner which was a total of 13.3 miles (Leg #1: 6.7, Leg #2: 3.0, Leg #3: 3.6), which is one of the shorter legs and probably another reason why I wasn't as nervous or sore.

This picture was taken at our office before we left for Logan.

Our start time was 5:00 a.m.! And it was freezing! These 2 pictures kind of show the 45 degree weather, but the wind was what made it so cold.
This is my first run and yes my eyes are closed. I do not have any good pictures of me running this year. Because of this I came up with 5 Fun Reasons that shows the Ragnar culture and what makes people run this crazy relay.

Fun Reason #1: It's a relay!
Relays are fun because you have people cheering you on during your whole run and you get a burst of excitement at the end of each run because you have finished another leg. The next two pictures are examples of what exchanges look like. There is a slap bracelet that is passed at each exchange before the next runner is sent off.

Fun Reason #2: The beautiful scenery

These pictures don't do it justice, but the views are amazing which always gives motivation while running.

Fun Reason #3: You get to know your vanmates (maybe too well)
As you sit in the van for two days it's hard to decide which bodily need supersedes the others: sleep, hunger, or going to the bathroom. Whichever it is, jokes are constant as you get to know each other.

This picture was taken the last day and you can start to see how worn out we are, ha ha.
Fun Reason #4: The costumes
These 2 pictures are just some of the many. Barrett saw a team where each runner represented different sporting events: one carrying a full surf board, another in a kayak jacket carrying a paddle, and another did all his runs on cross country skis!

Fun Reason #5: The sayings on the cars
(No explanation needed)

Sadly, Barrett did not take any pictures, but I did get a copy of one picture from someone else. Barrett ran the same leg that we did last year so he ran 18.1 miles.

And finally. For those who have run Ragnar, or for those who have time to watch a funny video, you will get a kick out of this: Do you want to run a relay race