I decided to rewind back to the travel post I wanted to do before I got caught up in my feelings on Friday. In the past couple of years that we’ve been married, Phil and I have been to some really beautiful places. For our honeymoon, we went on a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas out of Miami before we stayed in Cocoa Beach for five more days. It was stunning, and got us hooked on cruising.

The funny thing is, on my wedding day and during my honeymoon, I was in my first physical MS flare. When you see me in pictures, smiling and glowing on my wedding day, that was due to a fabulous makeup artist. I was sick af. I don’t think it really bothered me at the time, because we’d had some pretty traumatic ass shit happen just a couple weeks prior, and I’m pretty sure I was in shock and just overjoyed that we’d finally made it to the big day. (think along the lines of the guy who was the best man up until a month before the wedding shooting his girlfriend, who is my best friend and bridesmaid, in front of my Mom less than three weeks before my wedding, so yeah, I think it’s safe to assume I was in shock)

Side note, I did spend A LOT of time prepping for this trip, and after the second one in January, really got a handle on cruise prep (or so I believe) and will make a separate post about that. For now, I’m just sharing all the awesome things about our trip!

By the time we’d gotten to the honeymoon part, we were in desperate need of a vacation. It’s hard to remember every little feeling over two years later, but I know we were so grateful when we finally made it to Miami and got to sleep. Miami was beautiful in itself, and we did get to see the ocean and get some sand, which is all I cared about of course! I knew the really pretty stuff was yet to come.

We left on the Sensation the following day, and from the moment we stepped foot on that ship, we were hooked. If you’ve never been on a cruise ship, imagine you’re on a floating fancy ass hotel with unlimited food, drinks, and entertainment, that floats you around from beautiful place to beautiful place while you sleep. That’s a cruise.

The Sensation is nowhere near the biggest in Carnivals fleet, but we were overwhelmed at how huge it seemed the first day. Phil’s always been the best with maps and directions, so I just let him guide me around. We had so. much. fun. There were bars, resteraunts, adult only lounges, pools, jacuzzis, comedy shows, water slides, a library with books and board games, an arcade, a casino, and so much more that I’m forgetting. We could have done something every minute of every day and still missed half of it.

Our first stop was Nassau. I thought it was the most beautiful beach I’d ever seen. We walked to Junkanoo Beach and had drinks at the Tiki Bikini Hut.  I don’t know if it’s still there, but it was the perfect place to hang out! The water was clear, light blue, and the sand wasn’t grainy like the Gulf. The beach was clean and pretty when we there there.

 

After we hung out at the beach for awhile. we walked around and to the straw market before heading back to the ship. We found out later some people don’y even get off the ship in Nassau or Freeport. That is such a waste. We had such a good time, the locals were friendly, and the views were gorgeous!

Our second day we visited Half Moon Cay, which is a private island Carnivals parent company owns. It was absolutely gorgeous. Everyone brags about how nice the beaches are, and they’re so right. You really could stay here forever.

   <— they even had baby chickens EVERYWHERE!

Being that it’s a privately owned island, and most of it a nature preserve, no one actually lives on the island. There’s not a ton to do here subsequently, and while every cruise line is going to have awesome excursions to make up for it, I just recommend enjoying the beach there. We snorkled a bit and just relaxed the rest of the time before heading back tot he ship for more awesome food, entertainment before resting up for Day 3.

Grand Turk was our next spot, and my favorite of any cruise we’ve been on so far. (the Dzibulchaltun ruins in Progreso are a close second) We walked off the ship, heading to the right of the pier, and started trekking. I’d read about the “conch graveyard” from another fellow cruiser, and it was only supposed to be a couple blocks up. We weren’t disappointed!! It was easily the coolest shit I’ve ever seen. Just thousands of huge conch shells, in various states of broken, all along this beach. You HAVE to wear water shoes, or you’re begging for an injury.

After we explored and found our shells ( one of which is on my coffee table staring at me now, making me question my decision to take him from his beautiful home)  we walked back to the city center. Margaritaville has music loud enough for the whole beach, and there’s free beaches and chair galore out in front. We found a really cool whale, took a pic with an astronaut memorial, and snorkled again, but there was SO much more to see here.

 

The different shelves and drop offs we were snorkeling at made the water look so beautiful from the top of the ship when we got back on.

After Grand Turk, we had a Fun Day at Sea before getting back to Miami. I think we did some laundry, but mainly I remember Sea Day Brunch being delicious and watching two awesome comedy shows before heading to bed.

When we got to Miami the next day, we headed straight to Cocoa Beach. We had a three hour drive, but that goes by so quickly when you have a fresh cruise to talk about. The drive to Cocoa Beach was beautiful too. I’m pretty sure when we got there, we just napped until getting drenched in lovely afternoon thunderstorm when we finally ventured down to the ocean.

The view from our balcony was beautiful but the whole Isle was just gorgeous. We spent almost every morning at the beach, and the rainy afternoons exploring.

We really had the best time of our lives, up to that point. I think the past two and a half years have been better than the first 5 were combined. But, even though it was a great time, I was still in the worst physical shape of my life. Now that I’ve been able to relive our trip a little and cover all the fin and awesome stuff, I guess I’ll get into the bad.

Like I said above, I started experiencing my first flare in Spring of 2016. Up until then, I’d only experienced what I call “mental” flares every three springs or so. I thought the numbness was carpal tunnel, the muscle tremors and spasticity anxiety, the vertigo an ear infection, and so on. I figured out quick fixes for all of my issues, trying to get through planning the wedding, hair school, and then the shooting. Speaking of which, after the shooting, I started going numb. First in my toes, and slowly it crept up my feet and both legs. Sometimes worse on either side, some days it was way better, but eventually my body gave in and I was numb from about the hip down on both sides.

No wrist brace, sea sickness med, or meditation is going to fix that. So I just dealt with it. I honestly assumed if no one else was making a big deal of what was going on, why should I? Big mistake. HUGE MISTAKE. One thing I’ve learned and tell everyone I meet, regardless of age, is, “Don’t let them tell you you’re wrong, or crazy, or that it’s all in your head. I don’t care if your 16 or 66. You know better than anyone.” And, you do. I did. I knew something was wrong. Having limited resources to fix it at the time, I did come up with some really good strategies to help alleviate some symptoms.

My first was resting. If this meant hiding from my cosmetology teachers, or organizing wedding stuff sitting down, or just ignoring everyone else and retreating into my own little world, I tried as much as I could. I’d lie and say I had a stomach or head ache, because people understand that, not numb feet and the world slipping sideways. I’d be able to relax a little, and it did help.

I also knew my limitations, even back then. When I got my wrist brace, I told my teachers it was from a Dr. I couldn’t do roller sets, or hair cuts, or perms, unless people wanted an asymmetrical bob or curl everytime. I didn’t have health insurance, and didn’t have the option at the time. I asked for help as much as I could, especially when I knew I was gonna mess someone up.

As far as the cruise + honeymoon, we rested a lot just because of how much we were doing already, so that was a big plus. I’d ask Phil for help as much as I needed, and even if I knew I was annoying him, I kept asking. I knew in the long run he’d get over it, and I’d be in better shape for it. We did do a ton of walking as you tend to on a cruise, but I remember we’d find corners near the stairs to rest in.

Staying hydrated isn’t a problem, as long as you stagger alcohol with water, if drinking is your thing. The fact that water is complimentary and easy to find makes that easy. Keep it a priority, though. Dehydration sets in before you realize.

I will say the one thing I was terrified of was sea sickness, because of my existing nausea and vertigo. So I started taking something (I think dramamine) for it the day we got in Miami, and kept an alarm set to remind me to take more. Might sound a bit crazy, but I haven’t been sick or wobbly on a cruise ship yet.

According to cruise ship message boards, the fabulous crew swear by green apples and ginger! If my meds ever failed, I’d probably go for the apples, as you can always find it on the afternoon buffet.

Another good tip is to keep your head up when bending over, and don’t bend side to side. I’ve never tried this, but apparently a big glass of wine before it sets in can also help ward it off!

Before we left, Phil and I packed together. It was a tip I found planning, and it saved our asses a couple times. If I couldn’t remember where the toothpaste was, he did, and I could tell him where the socks were, etc. So much easier, and kept us from going at it more than once. The next cruise we go on, he’s standing over my shoulder watching as I pack my meds lolololol I’m so serious.

I’m sure I’ll think of a ton of more tips soon, guys. If I edit it later, I’ll let everyone know.

As some of you know, I’ve been walking around with what I thought were the sniffles for a week and it’s pneumonia, so my memory is on auto-pilot finishing this up. Hopefully Phil is home soon to entertain me because I’ve watched all the Land Before Time’s on Netflix, cried twice, and Wuppy is tired of my BS.