If only real life were like life on a cruise ship {New Braunfels Photographer}

Well the pile of laundry that threatened to overtake my house has finally been tamed. A week away from home and it's amazing to me how many clothes we go through -- without the luxury of clean laundry whenever we need it. We were slowed down briefly by a dryer that refused to dry because a bird had flown into the air intake and decided to die and clog it up. The darling thing has been laid to rest and our dryer is on the mend. Oh joy, laundry at my beck and call.

If only I could move into the Carnival Conquest permanently. No dishes to do, no cooking, no toilet scrubbing, no bed making, I need only think "gee it would be nice to have a glass of wine" and a friendly man with a tray would appear and magically bring me a glass -- for a small fee, of course.

My son enjoyed our little cruise so much he told me he wants to live on the boat as well. This was our second cruise with Carnival and it's not hard to see why they call themselves the "Fun Ships." Every waking minute was filled with some sort of activity. There was mini golf, a spa, a movie theater, games for the kids, pools, contests and stage shows. And if none of that piques your interest there's always the opportunity to hang out in the bar and watch drunk people make fools of themselves. I found my fellow guests more amusing than the stage shows.

My first day on board I dropped each child off with their respective age-centered activity and hit the hot tub. I had a hard time sitting still at first. Jayme asked me why I was fidgeting. "I don't know what to do," I said.

"It's a hot tub," he told me. "You don't do anything but sit here." This was foreign territory to me. I have three children and a home business and I know you remember my blog about my nasty volunteering addiction. I didn't know how to sit there and not do anything.

But I'm a fast learner. I did indeed fill many of those moments on board with activities. I made friends with the ship photographers and wowed them with my fancy gear, I shot every nook and cranny of that big boat, I went to a few of the shows, saw some guys compete in a hairy chest contest, ate myself to insanity thanks to their sinfully good warm chocolate melting cake, and nearly peed my pants at the adults only comedy shows. But in the end I became an expert at doing absolutely nothing. It's really pretty simple. I can't believe I've been missing out on it all these years.




Lisa On Location Photography

Paradise Found: Shh, Smith Cove is the best kept secret in Grand Cayman {New Braunfels Destination Wedding Photographer}

Our day of adventure was followed by a day of absolute perfection in the sleepy little beach known as Smith Cove, just a few short miles from the cruise ship tender point in Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

While most tourists were headed north to Seven Mile Beach, we turned the opposite direction and found the closest point to paradise I've ever been.

I have Lisha to thank for our perfect day in paradise. I met Lisha online and we decided to make use of my trip to Grand Cayman to do a trash the dress session. I want to promote myself as a destination wedding photographer and this was the perfect chance to get some killer images of a bride in paradise. Lisha is Canadian but she's lived in Grand Cayman for a few months. She told me about this spot and met me there. When we told the cab driver where we wanted to go she frowned and said, "there are no facilities there." What she meant was, "there's nowhere near there to shop and spend your money." There actually was a small bathroom near the road. The driver had a hard time finding the place because it's tucked in out of the way and easy to miss. Once we found it, however, we were hooked. Just look at these images!

We had several rain showers during the course of the day. I covered my camera gear with plastic and then ran for the bathrooms. But after the second shower, we decided to roll with it, taking cover instead under a ledge in the rocks, sharing our space with some very large and very angry crabs. The rain kept away other people and we had plenty of sunshine and clear skies in between showers. We dug holes in the sand, snorkled, explored the rocky cliffs and watched sea creatures going about their lives in the crevices.

At one point a tour bus stopped by for a few minutes and a couple dozen tourists with shopping bags and point-and-shoot cameras hit the beach, snapping away and oohing and ahhing. I watched one man emerge from the bus with his cell phone to his ear talking business. He walked to the edge of the beach, oblivious to the majesty before him, then turned his back on the ocean and continued his very important business transaction. The tour bus was gone within 10 minutes and the man never removed the phone from his ear.

When it was time to go back to the ship our cab driver failed to show up. No surprise there. What were we to do? Stuck in paradise with no ride? How tragic. We made our way to a beautiful inn down the road - The Grand Old House. The staff was very helpful and called us a cab and told us to take a look around. There was a wall of names near the ocean boasting all the couples who had been married there, many of them exchanging vows in the little cove we'd just spent our day. What a gorgeous place to tie the knot!

I sometimes wonder about the cell phone man. He probably needed that place more than anyone, and when it fell in his lap he pushed it away. Paradise was lost to him.

As for myself, I'm ready to return to this little slice of heaven any time. To shoot a wedding or to hang out with the family again. I'm sure I'll visit it in my mind during moments I need an escape from the activity of my normal life.




Lisa On Location Photography