Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Cruising for Spring Break

April 25, 2023 by Kristin Leave a Comment

We spent Spring Break aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. We traveled with some friends this time – and that was really fun! We’ve been on two Disney cruises, so we were excited to see how Royal Caribbean compared.

Things we learned …

  1. Formal dining is one of our favorite parts even though we aren’t formal people. Showing up and being served delicious food I would never cook for myself is such a treat. 
  2. We needed a vacation from the heaviness of the world around us and a cruise really is a getaway from most all responsibilities. Momma needed an actual vacation. That’s what’s so great about cruises: They’re a true vacation once they’re planned, excursions are booked, and travel arrangements are made.
  3. Two excursions on a week-long cruise aren’t enough. We were sad the windy weather kept us from stopping at Costa Maya. We loved our time in Roatan and Cozumel. In Roatan, we went on an island tour and had some beach time and a private resort. In Cozumel, we spent the day with our friends, interacting with dolphins, petting manatees, watching sea lions, and snorkeling at Chankanaab Beach Adventure Park.
  4. We’ve outgrown the stateroom that barely accommodates five people. 
  5. Traveling with friends is fun; we’d never done that before. We did some things together with the Gachokas, including our day in Cozumel, and some things separately. Coming together for dinner each night was such a sweet spot of that whole week. 
  6. Our kids’ age gap — they’re currently 15, 13, and 7 — was magnified on this cruise, where many activities were for specific ages. Disney does whole-family entertainment better than probably anyone, although we certainly enjoyed entertainment and activities on the Royal Caribbean ship. The adults and teenagers did enjoy lots of trivia and Name That Tune games. Rachel was a fish and wanted in the pools at any moment possible. Ben improved his boogie-boarding skills. Cate played pickleball and went to dance fitness classes. 
  7. My kids have rarely been sunburned. Usually, they start getting tan when we are outside in the spring and then by summer just tan, but all this (very welcomed) sunshine at the beginning of April has even been a lot for their skin. At least they believe me about sunscreen now. 
  8. We also found the medical facility on our second night on the ship because Rachel was running a fever and had a sore throat. I thought she had strep. She didn’t. She also didn’t have covid, thankfully. The nice doctor from Tanzania supplied us with an antibiotic for tonsillitis. Thankfully, she was back to herself the following day.

Shout out to my friend Misty Grogan for helping me plan our cruise. She recently announced she’s starting her own travel agency with her daughter. I recommend Kingdom Seekers Travel to help you plan your next trip – especially if you want to go to Disney or Universal, on a cruise, or to an all-inclusive resort.

*****

I have a bunch of photos uploaded on Facebook and posts saved as an Instagram highlight, so be sure to check out those to see more of the fun.

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Filed Under: family, vacation Tagged With: family, life, spring, vacation

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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Y'all have been so awesome celebrating my new book Y'all have been so awesome celebrating my new book! If you've had a chance to read it, I'd really appreciate you leaving a review. For authors, Amazon is the best place, but you can copy and paste the same review on Goodreads and Barnes & Noble too: 

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Of course, if you haven't gotten your copy yet, you can buy "Created for Communion" at Amazon or Barnes & Noble (from those links above!) and from the trunk of my minivan! 

🌸 Plus there are FREE resources, including a sample chapter, on my website: kristinhilltaylor.com/created-for-communion

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To live in communion with one another, means to sh To live in communion with one another, means to share meals, space, advice, and prayers. It also means sharing hope, disappointment, dreams, and forgiveness. 

We explore what this looks like in “Created for Communion,” along with other biblical foundations for friendships and community.

🌸 FREE RESOURCES & SAMPLE CHAPTER: 
kristinhilltaylor.com/created-for-communion

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bit.ly/createdforcommunion

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So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictu So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictures of their daughters yesterday for the completely made-up National Daughters Day. Regardless, today I'm all in my feelings about my daughters. 

They're 16 and 8 right now. Both of their classes have been studying ancient Egypt and had a joint feast today. Sweet, huh? 

BUT THEN TIMEHOP GOT ME! Apparently, NINE years ago today, when Cate was a second-grader, her class had an Egyptian feast. I think about a particular picture of Cate and her friend Kilee from that day AND THEN IT CAME UP IN MY TIMEHOP TODAY. Facebook also told me that same day nine years ago, Monica and I became Facebook friends. We probably were at the Egyptian feast and decided we'd be friends because our girls were friends. Y'all, God has been so good to me through my friendship with Monica. Our families click in a special way with our three sets of same-aged kids, most of whom have been adopted. 

Anyway, my daughters. They're lovely, funny, and smart. I love that Cate helped Rachel with her Egyptian eye makeup this morning and made her a Nutella and banana sandwich. I love that they got to have a party today at school together. I love that even though they're eight years apart, they're sisters. 

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do. 💛

#momlife #timehop #documentlife #bettertogether #sisters #siblinglove #nationaldaughtersday #daughters #reallife #schoollife #adoption #adoptionislove #PeaceInTheProcess #CreatedForCommunion #choosingJOY @ncca.lions
I’m pretty much always thinking about my next tr I’m pretty much always thinking about my next trip! Be it a weekend getaway or a family vacation, I’ve always got ideas of where I want to go next. The rest of my family always has suggestions too. Yes, take the (next) trip!

In the blog post HOW TO TAKE THE TRIP, I share lots of links and suggestions on where to go, who can help you, and what to take with you. 

✨ https://kristinhilltaylor.com/2023/09/how-to-take-the-trip.html

Where do you want to go? What do you always take with you?

#linkinbio #ontheblog #roadtrip #vacation #documentlife #takethetrip #bloggerlife #adventurers #choosingJOY #traveltips
I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on Saturday afternoon — and a chance to finish this suspense book. 

“Between Two Strangers” by @katewhite_author had such an intriguing plot that pulled me right in. I was close to figuring out how it was all intertwined, but I didn’t quite get there through all the twists. Good, quick read!

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #weekending #latergram #suspensebooks #goodreads
Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life, but it’s a good life. 💛

#momlife #siblinglove #bettertogether #reallife #latergram #documentlife #soccermom #boymom #girlmom
When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you ge When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you get some free goodies! Plus, it's a fun way to chat about life, books, and faith. 

I just updated the free gifts to include a lovely PDF that has links to 27 (!!!) how-to posts about life, home, and parenthood. I'm going to give away more goodies when I meet some subscriber goals, so, if you haven't already, please join me on my virtual porch. 

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Well, don't they look lovely together! ✨ Find Well, don't they look lovely together! 

✨ Find them all here: https://amzn.to/3sRUHd7

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You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to go! You’re always making friends, asking about our next adventure, wanting to know what’s next, and talking if you’re not singing. You’re the joy our family needed in 2015 and you continue to be the one who makes us laugh and love better than we did before we knew you. 

... You ask a million questions, know the words to thousands of songs, have so many ideas, and still try to sneak into my bed at night. You say I’m the best snuggler in this family. I’ll take it – and your hugs and love, although the middle of the night will never be my favorite time. 

Happy birthday to the girl who loves loudly! 

✨ kristinhilltaylor.com/2023/09/rachel-is-8.html

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