Miami and a Caribbean Cruise...

...who could ask for anything more?!? Collin and I just returned from vacation, and we had such a wonderful time. Luckily, the timing worked out perfectly and my little sister Delta was able to take the boys for the week. With my older sister Lara, and my parents helping out to cover a few more days, Collin and I not only had a vacation, but a vacation without kids!

We left on Monday the 1st and stayed the night in Seattle before flying out the following morning. We went for dinner at a favorite restaurant (Matt's in the Market) of ours from back when we lived in Seattle as newlyweds.

Tuesday was a travelling day, but Wednesday morning we were up bright and early to take in the sights and sounds of South Beach!

Collin checking out the Atlantic.

The cute pedicure that I got specifically because we were going on vacation.

Gotta love the palm trees!

Yay, I'm in sunny Florida!

We saw Rihanna rehearsing for her Superbowl concert.

Some crazy football art erected on South Beach since Miami hosted the Superbowl this year.

A fantastic percussion group that had people coming from blocks around to watch.

Love the art deco facades...

...and the streamline moderne ones too.

We also saw the mansion formerly owned by Gianni Versace on Ocean Drive. It was on the front steps that he was shot and killed back in 1997.

Collin sporting the "Miami Vice" look, Don Johnson-esque stubble. Actually his electric shaver broke the morning we left so we got him a new one while we were there.

The giant flamingo outside the place we stayed - Clay Hotel.

While Collin finished up some business one morning, I got started on my book out on the cute patio of our hotel.

After two nights in Miami, it was off to...

...the cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas! This is our stateroom - they call it a stateroom because of the state of shock that ensues when a person realizes the small size of the room!

We had a ball discovering the ship - this is the promenade. The window in our room looked out over this area. We were exploring the ship before we even left the pier, although we were still finding more restaurants, lounges and bars as the days wore on.

Collin and I were awestruck at the sheer size of the boat - it was HUGE!

The formal dining room - my first thought when I saw this room was "Titanic"!

A gargoyle in The Dungeon, the ship's nightclub.

One of the pool areas.

Leaving the harbor with the skyline of Miami in the background.

The view of South Beach as we left for open water.

The bridge

The Windjammer Cafe - one of the many places to get food onboard.

The stereotypical towel folding that one comes to expect on a cruise ship.

After a day and a half at sea we arrived at our first and only port, Cozumel, Mexico.

We skipped the planned excursions and headed off on our own.

We walked along the main shopping street which ran parallel with the ocean.

Of course we stopped along the way and took in the beautiful sight of the turquoise blue water.

Collin and I found a restaurant way off away from the tourist spots. We had a great lunch of nachos and ceviche - and a margarita or two!

Nope, one of those isn't mine - he seriously had one for each hand!

I did have my own though.

What an impressive ship!

What's a vacation without relaxing on a poolside lounge chair? Unfortunately Collin and I are so paranoid about burning that we use SPF 30 sunscreen, so we didn't even get tanned!

There was a rock wall on the boat, so we went on four climbs.

Collin made it all the way to the top each time and rang the bell.

I didn't get to the top, but I was happy that I improved with each climb.

I love Royal Caribbean!

Collin and I on the last night of the cruise - we'll definately go on another one!

We had another night in Miami before we left for home. Although we didn't see a CSI:Miami taping, we did see a real crime scene investigator in action (seriously) - there was an officer-involved shooting just a half block from our hotel!

As icing on the cake, I flew first class on the way home! Collin wasn't as lucky - he was in coach. I had a great time though; he is such a great husband!