There's Nothing like a Vacation and There's No Place Like Home

Bobby won this AMAZING trip through work. Well, actually he came in 2ND at first and was totally bummed when we didn't win. To be honest, I was relieved. I didn't want to leave the kids for 9 days and I was so afraid to fly. I took him to a dinner to try and cheer him up. A couple weeks before the trip we get a call saying an opening became available and we were going to be the replacement. He was stoked and I was scared. I wasn't sure how this would go, if I could do it...but everyone made it clear, they were going to make me go, and thank God they did!!

We had the most amazing time! We visited 7 different ports throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Some ports were well known and others were little secluded marinas. We got to see places some people will never get to see. I am usually a homebody and seeing pictures of these places is usually enough for me. Now I know pictures can never capture the beauty of where we visited and I would have missed out!

Barcelona, Spain

Our first stop was Barcelona, Spain. We flew in and went on a tour of the town. We saw this overdone Goudie church that was breathtaking. He created and designed the building knowing he would never see the finished product. They are still building it today.


Even when we were surrounded with this beautiful church Bobby and I got a good kick outta this

After 14 hours of the plane, this is our best shot of the town of Barcelona. We were exhausted and just wanted to get to the ship but we made a slogan, "When in Spain, you can't complain!"

Port Vendres, France
Our next stop was Port Vendres, France. This was a tiny port. We were the biggest boat able to get back in there. Bobby and I actually slept most of the day away here. We were jet-lagged. When we finally made it to town, the town was out to lunch...literally. They shut down the town for a 4 hour lunch. Talk about the life to live. It was a little overcast, but beautiful nonetheless.

Marseille, France
I couldn't sleep the first few nights we were there. I would wake up at 4 or 5 am. Instead of tossing and turning, I decided to go for a walk by myself around the boat. I was the only person up and enjoyed the alone time (which I never really do). I listened to my ipod and looked out and thought about how amazing it was; I was there as the sun was rising. I was also proud of myself for going outside my comfort zone. This was a big deal for me. Before I went back down to wake up Bobby the captain invited me in and asked if I wanted to drive the boat. What a fun way to start the day!

We just stayed close to the boat at this port. After walking around we went back to the boat and hung out on the pool deck with our friends from the boat.

St. Tropez, France
I was most excited to see this port. I had heard the beaches were the best, so I was looking forward to that. The day we get there it was pretty cold and the beaches were really not as impressive as Cabo. This port had different things to offer. Lots and Lots of shopping!! Expensive type stores that I could never afford. haha! Bobby and I took a walk on the beach and collected a few shells for the kids. We also mailed home a postcard that they still haven't received!

Monte Carlo, Monaco
By far one of the most prestigious places we will ever be. The boat stayed in port overnight here so we could all enjoy the casino and town. Everywhere you go there are the most beautiful cars and expensive stores. Docked next to us was one of the 10Th biggest privately owned yachts in the world. It is so crazy to see how much money there is in the world. By far one of the most unique and one of my favorite nights. We dressed up formally to get into the casino. It was so over the top inside. Gold crusted ceilings, artwork everywhere...too much to describe. We put in some money, because you can't go to Monte Carlo and not say you gambled!! I actually won 40 bucks/euros!!

We missed the last transportation back to the ship because we were having so much fun drinking in the casino and walking around the town. We met up with some cruise directors and hung out with Bobby's Friend Billy from the trip. We had to walk probably a couple miles back to the ship. Thank God we met up with the cruise people or we would have been lost. But hey! Being lost in Monaco, isn't such a bad thing. Half way through our walk my feet were killing me and I had to take my shoes off. There was all this sparkly stuff in the streets and I asked, "Oh no, is this glass?" The girl we were with laughed and said, "No, the streets have glitter on them!" I mean...the streets are lined with glitter!! So it was safe to walk on without shoes.

Now picture this....we are walking around one of the richest most beautiful places in the world, barefoot, with the streets lined in glitter. The most expensive cars are driving by us and we are all laughing and having a jolly time! Does it get better than this?!!!

Of course it does! My feet were killing me as I had walked half the night in heels and the other half without shoes through glitter paved streets. I was walking a little funny when my husband took off his dress shoes and put them on my feet. I am in my formal dress, wearing my husband's shoes in the middle of the most romantic town I've ever been in and he finds a way to make it somehow....BETTER!!! Probably one of the smallest but also most romantic gestures EVER.

We didn't go to bed until the sun almost came out. Really highlight if the trip!! But it gets better. We are laying out on the pool deck admiring the scenery as we are about to pull out of port. Bobby's CEO, Carl Leibert comes and stands by us also admiring everything. We start talking about how beautiful and lucky we are to even be here. In my head I am thinking about how rich he is and how he probably sees things like this all the time. He then starts saying how even with the amount of success he has, this place makes him feel like a small fish in a big sea. He said it doesn't matter how much money you have, it is how happy you are with it. It was just a really cool moment. Before we went I was worried about feeling a little out of place with all the money floating around out there. It was just nice to hear that no matter how much success you have, someone will be more successful but you can be just as happy as the person driving around the 10Th biggest yacht!

Portofino, Italy

This day was one of my favorite experiences. We decided to go in with our friends, twin brothers, Brian and Spencer. We hiked up to a church and a castle at the top of a hill there. I was so glad to have gotten close with the Brian and Spencer. They reminded me of my brothers, only more crazy, if you can believe that one. The sights at this port were the most breathtaking. The flowers and pebble paths is like nothing I've ever seen.

We hiked up a pebble path and came across this ancient church. It was sooooo beautiful. We went inside and lit a candle and kneeled and said a prayer. It really was a spiritual moment I can't totally describe. To think of how many 100's of years that church had been there and how many prayers had been made there gave me goosebumps. The church overlooked the sea with it's stained windows.

We then hiked to the highest point to go through a castle. I of course, wore the wrong shoes for hiking up pebble trails....flip-flops!! But in true "Jenny" fashion, I trooped it all the way to the top, my flip-flops clacking the whole time!

Livorno, Italy
Living it up finally caught up with me today. The plan was to go into town with Bobby's Regional Vice President, his wife and Bobby's old District Manager. Well, I was feeling the effects of days of drinking and days of motion. Needless to say...I was sick the whole 30 minute ride into town. I really wish I would have stayed on the boat. Bobby said it was social anxiety, but I REALLY was feeling...not good! Anyway, so this day was kinda embarrassing and I felt like crap. We did see the Leaning Tower of Pisa though. Why is it leaning? Why didn't they notice it before they built it all the way up? I have no idea, but it was interesting to see anyway. You can tell from my face how great I felt. I probably thought the tower looked straight from how much I was swaying!!

Our Last Night On Board

Our last night on board we went out with a bang!! Dean's wife, Cindy and I took over the black jack tables and both walked away winners. I won a total of 270 bucks. The CEO gave us all a bottle of champagne which we opened on the back of the boat and raised a toast to the great trip. The company hooked us up the whole trip, we only spent 100 bucks for our things and I won 270, so actually we made money on the best vacation EVER!!! They also gave us gifts every night.

The flight home was over 14 hours. I couldn't wait to see the kids. We missed them so much. I talked to them every day. Bryce told me he tried to hit a homerun for me while I was on my trip. Leah said she missed me everyday whenI talked to her. There were moments I got teary-eyed because I wish they were with us. At one port, there was a family that wanted us to take a picture of them and their baby. It's funny because we didn't speak the same langauge but we knew they wanted a picture of their family and were able to take it. The baby had a binky in her mouth and the mom quickly pulled it out so we could get the picture. I teared up just taking their pic. The little girl was so cute and waved at us. I also love that it doesn't matter where you are from, there are these moments that make us all the same. The best thing about flying for 14 hours it takes you to the most beautiful place in the world....home!

I am so thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy this once in a lifetime trip. I am so thankful that we have the AMAZING grandparents we do, that make it even possible to take a trip like this.They take the best care of our kids. I am even thankful for Bobby's job. With all the long hours he works, it can get rough, but in hard economic times, to be able to go on a company trip like this makes me feel so fortunate!!