Preface: Living close to most of our family and friends, almost all of the weddings Sarah and I have attended were within a short driving distance of our house. As a result, any out of town wedding that we've gotten invited to has been met with a great deal excitement and anticipation. Thus, when we learned that one of my cousins would be getting married in Carlsbad, CA we immediately began making plans to attend. Never ones to shy away from an opportunity to explore a new part of the world, Sarah and I decided to make an adventure of the trip and knock a few things off the Life List while...

Going on a cruise had long been a dream of mine and I finally got the chance to make that dream a reality courtesy of a gift from my father in May of 2008. As a reward for graduating from high school in 2007, my family and I sailed aboard the Carnival Ecstasy for five days in the Caribbean. We departed Corpus Christi, TX aboard a tour bus that shuttled our group to Galveston, TX, our ship's "Port of Call." Once in Galveston, we boarded the boat and wandered around, fascinated at just how massive it really was. There were auditoriums, stores, restaurants, a casino, and even a mini-golf course...