Birthday cruise for the Girls

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In exchange for any gifts or a birthday party (which is a BIG deal to Jennifer), the girls opted for a birthday cruise with their best friends. These girls have been friends since the day they were born, if not before. Jennifer and Jordan are turning 12 and Courtney 13 this year. Dana, Tina, and I took the girls on the Monarch of the Seas for a 3 day cruise. We left on Thursday right after school and drove to Florida where we stopped for the night. We were in a brand new hotel and we all slept in one room that first night. The things we do to save money! :) We were at the pier ready to board the next morning before the ship was even ready for passengers. That was the first time we have actually had to wait for them! And since we are now platinum cruisers, we got priority boarding. We were probably the first 30 people or so on the cruise. It was pretty cool! We got on board, ate lunch(of course!) and started the fun. We all had rooms next door to each other. The girls wanted to swim while we left port, but the water was cold. It was very windy when we debarked. We went to the dining room the first night where the waiters sang to Jennifer and Jordan with cakes and candles.
The next day we went to Atlantis in the Bahamas. Our friend Kendall works there, so he got us all passes for the resort. What a gift!! The place is absolutely beautiful and we spent a relaxing day just exploring the resort. I didn't get pictures of this but we did a bunch of the new water slides there as the old ones were closed. In one, Tina and I rode a water slide that goes almost straight down for a LONG drop into and through a shark tank. We all rode a tube ride that also went into the shark tank. They have a bunch of new and very cool slides. No one really wanted to leave but we stayed the whole day.
The next day we were at Coco Cay in the Bahamas. This is Royal Caribbeans private island, which I love. The girls did the big slide and snorkeled while the ladies relaxed some with our books and friends. We did a little shopping, where Courtney bought the 3 girls matching necklaces for the birthday gift. That night at dinner, the waiters sang to Courtney and brought her cake out. All 3 girls got dressed up, with hair and makeup. Mrs. Dana did Jennifer's makeup and Courtney did her hair. The 3 girls looked beautiful, but they certainly looked very grown-upish. It took us all by surprise when we saw them.
We had a great time, but it just went by too fast. We love spending time with our friends, especially on vacations. :)