The Cruise Chronicles - Final Day at Sea...Finally!

Welcome to the final installment of The Cruise Chronicles! Would you believe our party of Smith-Dame cruisers have been shipwrecked on a deserted island these last six months? No wonder there's been no updates on this little blog!

It's rumored this group of hippies caught the eye of a casting director and they've been filming the 4th installment of the Pirates of Caribbean franchise. You'll have to see if Johnny Depp has a new crew when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20!

In the meantime, let's catch up with our favorite cruisin' family. It all began with one helluva a dance party!

Why dance poolside when you can dance IN the pool!

Even hippies like to shake their booty to a good beat!

The next day was a sea day for our adventurous sailors. With no tropical ports to visit, the fun must be created on board. From basketball to rock climbing to fun poolside contests, let's just say the youngest Dame created quite a name for himself in the Men's Sexiest Leg competition:

Here's our group of contenders. From young to old, they all flexed and strutted their sexy legs.

And the last one to walk the catwalk...my cousin, Taylor. I think he had a strategy for going last.

Because before you knew it, off came the board shorts!

And out came his red, white & blue speedo and a film camera!

But in the end, victory went to this man, who was crowned Sexiest Geriatric Legs! Better luck next time, Taylor!

After his very public defeat (videos are still being circulated!), Taylor and the boys joined forces in a rousing game of dodgeball. Let's just say balls we're literally flying everywhere!

First comes the self-assured thumbs up...

But after a few close calls, it's time to pow-wow...

Feeling victorious, it's time to play ball!

Watch out, Sexiest Geriatric Legs! Here comes the infantry!

Sadly, they lost. Good thing there's the Beach Olympics!

After our day of sport, we cleaned up and gathered in a lounge to pay tribute to Gigi, who graciously paid for 19 of us to go on this cruise. After telling our favorite Gigi stories, we presented her with our final gifts: a watch engraved with, "We love you more & more, as time goes by" and an 10-minute video (Thanks, Brent!) set to the soundtrack of Sleepless in Seattle. (If you remember, Jimmy Durante's As Time Goes By is among the classics on this soundtrack.) Then we donned our Smith-Dame cruise t-shirts (Thanks, Uncle E!) and sat for our official cruise portrait:

One thing I know for sure: we are family...as time goes by!

~PK

The Cruise Chronicles - Day Three at Sea

Feeling groovy, mon?

It's only fitting that our third day aboard The Majesty of the Seas would find us in the most righteous island in the Caribbean...the Bahamas, baby! We also chose this day for our own special theme night. With 19 travelers, you either go big or go home. We went big and pulled out the bell bottoms, the tunics, the peace signs and for the men...the most ridiculous wigs. Who knew hippies had so many accessories?!

If you're still looking for a fun and affordable costume for Halloween, this is a theme that can be enjoyed by the whole family. From my cousin's four-year old daughter to my 76-year-old grandma, we all channeled our inner hippie chick (or dude) and had a blast doing it! Plus, who doesn't love a family that proudly embraces the mantra of peace and love?

But before we donned the bell bottoms, we spent the day touring the beautiful Atlantis resort in Nassau. 

The impressive view from our ship.

The view from the actual property.

For those guests of the resort, this is their playground.

Thirsty? Why not paddle over to this seashell bar for some refreshment?

Below the property, there's a floor to ceiling aquarium. Here I'm communicating with a few of my friends.

Too bad my friends didn't think so highly of my sister.

If you were willing pay $135 or sneak pass security (like my cousin here), you could walk underneath sharks...

...or float in a tube down their lazy river. (Boys, what would Gigi say?)

While the boys were being boys, us law-abiding girls found a throne inside the Atlantis to rest our poor feet. Sometimes being royalty is such a bore.

Always thinking about fashion first, McCall's Papa paid for her to get her hair braided in Nassau. This look proved very effective for our theme night later that evening!

We Are [A Hippie] Family!

If these two crazy kids ever get married, wouldn't this make a fun engagement photo?

The Love Children

The Dudes. If you look closely, you'll see McCall's toy poodle peeking out of Ryan's jumper pocket. Doesn't he look like a creepy pedophile? Kids, stay away from this hippie!

Gigi, I think it's time you take away the creepy mustache!

Papa, Mimi and their love child, Taylor

Nice wig, Brooks! Or should I call you Ron?

As hippies go, my parents are pretty G-R-O-O-V-Y!

So there you have it! This day was the highlight of the trip for me. It's not often you can play dress up with 19 of your favorite people and actually get away with it. These pictures are definitely going in the family archives! Especially the group shot...this one I actually put in a shadow box, added a few groovy embellishments and said, "Happy birthday, Dad!"

Stay tuned for the final edition of The Cruise Chronicles...our last day aboard the ship was all about fun games (boys will be boys) and a special (top secret!) tribute to our matriarch Gigi.

"Sea" ya soon!

PK

The Cruise Chronicles - Day Two at Sea

Day two aboard The Majesty of the Seas found the Smith-Dame clan docked at Royal Caribbean's private island Coco Cay. This is the view from our little piece of paradise. A girl could definitely get used to this. (I'm seriously thinking about making this my screen saver!)

What's great about traveling by ship with a large group of people is everyone can separate after breakfast and do their own thang until dinnertime. Most of us elected to get off the ship and soak up some rays on Coco Cay. With a gorgeous palm tree-lined beach, there was plenty to do for those who just couldn't relax on a reclining chair. And since the ages of our party ranged from 4 to 76, there was always someone to either chill or play with. And that's my kind of vacation!

The view of our floating buffet from the beach. Looks small, huh?

I called this picture Three and a Half Men.

Don't the Dame Brothers look good in pink? (I'm so pretty!)

If you look past the white flesh, there's a sun worshipper in there somewhere.

Thanks to my sister for snapping this photo. While I went in search of some lunch, the boys went in search of some friendly sport. They found it in Coco Cay's 2010 Beach Olympics. 

They came. They saw. They conquered. The Larger than Life team walked away with gold medals. These medals will become accessories for the boys later that night at our one and only formal night.

Little McCall enjoys some down time with her Mimi (check out Mimi's pretty nails and pedicure...she actually had little white flowers painted on all of her toes! Hmm...McCall likes this look!)

So we try to recreate it on her later that afternoon. (Unfortunately, we had to stick to a solid base coat because silly PK forgot to bring her self-adhesive nail flowers! And no, they don't sell them on the ship!)

But enduring 15 minutes of pampering really tuckers a girl out! (I love that she minded me and actually kept the toe separators on. This is one girl who takes her beauty routine very seriously!)

And it paid off! Isn't McCall adorable with her black velvet dress, embellished flats and soft curls? The poodle purse is actually a gift from Cousin Holly. Long story short...Holly and her girlfriends refer to themselves as The Poodles. This all-blonde, all-manicured group of Texas socialites even go on trips together...Poodle Palooza was in Scottsdale this year!)

The infamous GQ ad. Sporting their shiny new medals, the Olympians strike a pose. 

Brent and Holly make a grand entrance into the dining room.

And Gigi finally makes an appearance! Flanked by 9 of her 11 grandchildren and her only great-grandchild, her smile says it all!

Don't Laurie and my older "sister" clean up good?

Even a Poodle-in-Training demands superior service from her wait staff.

I won't even tell you how long we had to wait in line for this picture! But it turned out alright. Back row (from l. to r.): Taylor Dame (cousin), Jeff Smith (dad), Cooper Smith (cousin), Kelly Dame (uncle), Collin Smith (cousin). Middle row: Brent Hendrix (Holly's boyfriend), Eric Smith (uncle), me, Laurie Smith (sister), Holly Smith (sister), Cristi Dame (Brooks' wife), Brooks Dame (cousin), Ryan Dame (cousin). Front row: Carter Smith (cousin), Bonnie Smith (aunt), Gwen Smith (Gigi - grandma), McCall Dame (Ryan's daughter), Evelyn Dame (Mimi-aunt), Kathy Smith (mom). If you look closely, suave Brooks dangles his gold medal by his side! We gave him so much heat for that!

If you think we look like a nice, respectable family here, wait for day three when we break out our hippie garb for our own theme night! (We actually had other passengers come up to us and say, "Were we supposed to pack hippie costumes?) We also enjoy a fun day at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas (where Poodle Holly finally finds an acceptable throne to sit upon). And a couple of my medal-winning cousins decide to test their strength and luck once again...too bad it didn't have the same outcome!

"Sea" ya soon!

PK

Happy Birthday to One Groovy Chick!

So what if he's your nephew...you still got it, girl!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

PK