Spring break cruise and then further North

After suffering through a cold month in Raleigh (have already decided to wait an extra month before heading up here NEXT year), we took a break and enjoyed a Caribbean cruise over the school "spring break" with Jeffrey's brother David, his wife (and my college friend) Mary, and their 3 terrific kids -- Karl (age 17), Anna (15), and Isaac (13).  They had never cruised before, so we got to enjoy watching them explore cruise ship life for the first time.

We sailed on the Norwegian Epic from Miami to St Maarten, St Thomas, and the Bahamas.  The boat held over 4000 passengers (biggest one we've ever been on), so there was no lack of things to do.  I must say that bowling and playing pool when the boat is rocking is an interesting challenge. We also really enjoyed the shipboard entertainment which included Blue Man Group and a Cirque show.  Mary even got tapped to go on stage with the Blue Men to be part of the show and was a celebrity for the rest of the cruise as fellow passengers came up to her commenting about it.  I have included a few pictures from our snorkeling adventure below.

Got back to Raleigh and was pleasantly surprised by beautiful warm weather.  Our RV neighbor said it was cold and rainy the entire time we were gone (glad we missed it).  We have proof of the rain part as our tupperware container that catches water from our small slide leak was just about full.  We had this leak addressed at our last service appointment and it no longer leaks when the slide is OUT, but now leaks when the slide is IN... go figure.  It is back on the list to re-look at when we have another service appointment in the summer. Luckily it doesn't stop us from traveling... just a nuisance.

As promised, below is the next few months of our travel itinerary!

4/12 - 4/13:  Appomattax, VA -- Parkview RV Park to see friends Karen & Bob Rasmussen
4/14: Louisa, VA -- Small Country Campground to see 2nd cousin Annie Gavan and husband David
4/15 - 4/23:  College Park, MD -- Cherry Hill RV Park to pig out on Wash D.C. museums & monuments
4/24 - 4/30:  Dover, PA -- Gettysburg Farm RV to enjoy more USA history
5/1:  Lake Ariel, PA -- Just a one night stay to get us closer to our next stop
5/2:  Wallkill, NY -- Newberg KOA to visit friends Thorne Ventura and gal pal Lynne
5/3 - 5/9:  North Branford, CT -- Totoket RV Park to connect with Jeffrey's cousins Tim and Pete Martin + see the CT coastline
5/10 - 5/16:  Old Mystic, CT -- Seaport Campground to see college roommate Lisa Pickett and her husband Zack + maybe a car day trip or two into Rhode Island
5/17 - 5/18:  Back to North Branford to catch a quick visit with friends Guy & Joan Clark
5/19 - 5/23:  Hightail it back down to Raleigh NC
5/24 - 6/23:  Another month with our Raleigh friends and family
6/24 - 6/28:  On the road back to Florida
6/29 - 7/5:  A week near Gainesville, FL in the Williston Crossings RV Park
7/6 - 7/7:  A few days in Seffner FL prepping for our RV service appointment
7/8:  Max goes into the shop to have his floor worked on AGAIN.  Hopefully they'll get the grout right this time... plus fix that slide leak.  We are proud that we haven't managed to break anything else yet!