AHOY MATES!

Well, we are back....from a fabulous birthday weekend aboard the Monarch of the Seas, courtesy of Royal Caribbean...yep, I spent the big 2-9 on a fabulous cruise ship, complete with a rock climbing wall, a full-fledged gym, BINGO, dueling pianos, and many, many, many drunken college students. We sailed to Ensenada for the weekend and indulged in buffets galore, including plenty of desserts (and birthday cake) and were even treated to a very impressive version of Happy Birthday from my dinner waiters. My family had the room decorated before I got there, and even gave me some spending cash on board...which I happily used to indulge in a swedish & reflexology massage.

In Ensenada, we went on an amazing mountain bike excursion and were truly blessed with mid-70s temps, and only slight winds, which made the experience that much better. The tour guide told us we had just missed a storm. Oh, the the tour ended at a winery, complete with free tasting. What a way to end the day! (Thanks to my big sis for that b-day gift). I have to confess that Landon and I spent quite a bit of time sleeping on trip...catching up on lost sleep from past weeks...but still were able to do a ton of stuff on board. If you've never been on a cruise before, this is a great one to start with. It's a weekend cruise, Friday - Monday...short enough if you're not having fun...long enough to get a true taste of what a cruise is like. They've got live shows, a casino, shopping, food, art auctions, sports activities, more food, dance lessons, internet access, oh, and did I mention food? Imagine this. Buffet meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner....or you can choose sit-down style eating for each meal...or you can even choose room service, 24 hours a day, at no extra cost! I think I may have gained 5 pounds in the last few days. I managed to squeeze in a spin class and a 7 mile run, but that was about it. Didn't have much time to do anything else active. Too busy having fun!

Anyways, I'm about ready to pass out...from fatigue. And I can't seem to walk a straight line, but it's in no way related to any sort of drinking. I actually feel like I'm still on that boat, rocking side-to-side. Hopefully I'll get my land-legs back soon. Gotta get back to real life...and real training. HA!...I left you with some photos of the weekend...I'm off to rest...

GO TEAM!

-Miko