Hello All...

We have received a few "complaints" from family members saying that we don't update our blog, so in order to fulfill your blog-following needs here are the top 15 things that have happened since our last blog posting 7 months ago....

1) We got new a new washer and dryer to replace the ones that we rented from the apartment.
2) We celebrated our first Christmas together as a married couple
3) Celebrated our first Valentines Day as a married couple in Galveston, Tx
4) Jonathan went to Australian......twice!!
5) Jonathan's car had transmission problems, but all is well now
6) Jackie had her Master's Conducting recital, copies will be available during our roadtrip in June to Iowa
7) We became Godparents to Jenny and Dwight's new baby girl, Allie Swanson
8) The blu-ray player broke....Jonathan tore it apart....we bought a new one
9) We visited Jonathan's parents for New Years, banging pots and pans galore!!
10) We traveled to Denver to see Jonathan's grandmother and other relatives for Thanksgiving
11) We got a new piano for our apartment, now it is a full 88-key keyboard, not a half-size
12) I still rule Jonathan in thumb war!!  HAHA!!
13) My car is over 180,000 miles and running strong....knock on wood!!
14) I was costume designer for our university opera program for one of their productions
15) I became a life member of Sam Houston State University

We will try to keep our blog updated more often.  Hopefully this will keep you full until next time!!

Love to all.....The Kiefers

Honeymoon - Day 5

 

This morning we ordered room service breakfast and tea to start our day.  We got dressed then got off the ship to walk the streets of Nassau and shop ‘til we drop!  After posing for a couple of pics we walked through the streets looking for some Bahamas gear at a good price and also a new pair of sunglasses for Jonathan (his cracked and the lens kept falling out).  We found 4 shirts and a pair of sunglasses.  

Once the shopping was over we headed towards Senor Frogs restaurant and shop for some refreshments.  Jonathan ordered the Steak Sandwich and I got a Beef Burger.  The food was excellent and so was the entertainment!  The bar was hopping right away when it opened so after we finished lunch we headed towards the bar to join the fun.  We ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri while we laughed the afternoon away.  

Once we finished our drink we headed back to the ship for showers and relaxing.  I packed up our bags so we were not in a big rush tomorrow to pack.  After the packing was finished we headed up for the Mr. Sexy Legs Contest on the pool deck then headed down for our last dinner at Crossings.  Since the restaurant is in the back of the boat we could see the propellers really moving.  The main propellers had not been used until now so the boat was really rocking.  I was beginning to not feel well so we asked for our food to go and took it back to the room, in the middle of the boat (no rocking here).  We were going to attend the farewell variety show but did not make it because of my motion-ness.  We camped out in the room for the rest of the evening.

Honeymoon - Day 4

Today we arrived at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas.  Jonathan and I had snorkel tickets for the island but decided not to use them and have a lounge day on the boat.  We slept in a little while then woke up to go get breakfast at Crossings.  I had buttermilk pancakes and hash browns; Jonathan had biscuits and gravy with cinnamon French toast and sausage.  After some tea and croissants we headed back to the room and changed into our swimsuits to get some sun up on the pool deck.

 

We found a shady spot that overlooked Great Stirrup Cay, so we pulled some lounge chairs back and hopped into the pool.  We got out a while later to air dry, ordered another “Cool Running” fruity drink then back into the pool we went.  We got out again, dried off, then headed to the Garden Café for buffet lunch.  The buffet was not very appetizing so we went back to our room and changed so we could go to a sit down lunch.  Once we got back to our room we looked at our newsletter and noticed that the buffet was the only thing open for lunch, so room service it was!  We ordered a cheese pizza with a slice of NY Cheesecake for me and Chocolate cake for Jonathan.

After our eatings, we watched a movie on the cruise TV in our room then took a short nap.  Once we woke up we went back up to the pool deck for the 4th of July festivities and ice carving demo.  We all tried to guess what it would be beforehand and Jonathan and I guess right, a bald eagle!  The carver did a great job, but the bald eagle had a slight runny nose because of the excessive heat and sun!  After that we sat at the bar and listened to the music from the band, ordered the “Red, White, and Blue” drink of the day, then headed to dinner.  Tonight’s dinner was not very good, the food was too salty and the meat was “grizzy” as Jonathan called it.  

We took dessert back to our room and headed up for the evening entertainment, Newlywed and Not-So Newlywed Game Show hosted by the cruise director, Candi.  Jonathan and I were up against 5 other honeymoon couples to get on the show, but got beat out in a kissing competition…c’mon Jonathan!!  While we did not get picked the show was completely funny and hilarious!  After the show we purchased some pictures from the photo gallery and headed back to the room for the night.  Next stop: Nassau (aka….SHOPPING!!)

Honeymoon - Day 3

This morning we docked in Freeport, Bahamas also known as Great Bahama Island.  Jonathan and I woke up at 7 and ordered room service breakfast.  We ate a light breakfast then headed towards the gangway for our excursion.  We had to wait a while to get off the ship because the boat had lost its clearance from the Bahamas immigration.  We camped out on the stairs holding our spot in line; once the clearance was reissued we quickly got off the boat and waited for our excursion.

Our excursion was called “Beaches and Caves”.  It included going to a Bahama State Park to view some under rock caves and relax at the beach.  The caves were not anything special; I could have left the caves out, but the beach was exquisite!  After that location we went to another beach with a restaurant attached.   This beach was even better than the one before!  The restaurant was really good too!  I ordered a side of French fries along with a frozen strawberry daiquiri.  Jonathan ordered some Conch Fritters with a large iced tea.  Our bus driver/tour guy (aka Biggie) raved about the Conch from Bahama so Jonathan gave it a try.  He said that it tasted pretty bland, no real flavor, but was not bad either.  We did not swim at this beach because we were already full of sand but just enjoyed the breeze and the wind chimes.

We arrived back at the pier and boarded the ship.  We went back to our room and both took showers to get all the sand off of us; you would be amazed at where sand can get into!  While Jonathan was in the shower I went up to the bar and got the drink of the day, the Rebellious Fish.  The title was intriguing but the drink was not very good; it tasted like a bad orange.  Once Jonathan got out of the shower I sent him up to get a drink I saw while I was up at the bar, it was called a “Cool Running” served in a pineapple.  It was DELICIOUS!!  

After our drinks settled we went to dinner at the other main dining room, Palace.  Jonathan ordered the Brocolli Bisque, Latin-Style New York Steak, Chocolate Truffle Cake, and Fresh Apple Pie.  I had a Caesar Salad, Grilled Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, and Signature Cheesecake.  After dinner we went and played Bingo.  We were soooo close to winning every game but just lacked one number!  Once Bingo ended we went back to the room and changed into our swimsuits and found a hot tub on the front of the ship.  The view was amazing and the water was great!  Once we got enough water we headed back to the room and found our towel animal, a doggy!
Next stop: Great Stirrup Cay!

Honeymoon - Day 2

Today we woke up in our hotel and ate breakfast.  We took a bus to the Port of Miami from the hotel around noon.  We arrived at our cruise boat, the Norwegian Sky which is run by Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL).  We dropped off our luggage to be checked, got our key cards, took a quick photograph, then headed on board.  Once we boarded we were greeted with the “Sailaway Special” drink, the Bon Voyage.  The daily special was a Piña Colada, but Jonathan and I did not have one because we do not like coconut.  We were able to go to our room right away and dropped off a couple of carry-ons.  We got our shore excursion tickets and our Freestyle Daily, the cruise daily newsletter.   We walked around the ship to get use to our surroundings and grabbed lunch in Crossings, one of the sit down restaurants included.  Jonathan had the Fried Calamari, Bacon Beef Burger, Chocolate Ice Cream, and Vanilla Bean Penna Cotta.  I had a Caesar Salad, Penne Pasta with Marinara, and Blueberry Cheesecake.

After a quick snooze we had to do a mandatory safety drill.  I liked this safety drill because we were not required to wear life jackets.  Once the 15 minutes of required safety instructions we were let free.  Jonathan and I changed for dinner and headed to Crossings again.  We took many pictures before going to dinner because nobody was in line.  Our photographer was great and recognized us from walking on the boat.  At dinner Jonathan had the Potatoes and Shrimp, Lobster Tails and Red Snapper, and Chocolate Penna Cotta.  I had a House Salad, Grilled New York Strip Steak (it had to be 12 oz!), Strawberry Cheesecale, and Seasonal Fruit.

When we returned to our room after dinner we found our first towel animal, a crab!!  Our bags were delivered and we unpacked.  After that we headed to the first show on the cruise, a comedian named Rod Lang.  Before the comedy show our cruise director Candi introduced some officers of the boat and got to know the crowd.  She asked if there were honeymooners on the boat and we both screamed and raised our hands (it did help that we were sitting in the front row).  She talked to us for a bit and handed us a rose that she had in her hand!!  The show was great and the one thing that will greatly be remembered is “washy-washy”!  After the show we headed back to our room and headed to bed because tomorrow will be a busy day!

Honeymoon - Day 1

On Sunday we spent some time over at the Kuklenz house visiting with family before we left.  My parents took us to the airport along with Makayla.  We got on our flight heading to Miami.  We are taking a cruise on Monday morning on Norwegian Cruise Line heading to 3 stops in the Bahamas.  We checked into our hotel - Embassy Suites - Room 810.  Our room has a living room, bar area, and bedroom, with a bathroom (of course!!).  We also discovered that our room has a small balcony that overlooks the front of the property (pictured above).

More stories to come when we get off the boat!  We get back Friday and back to Dallas on Saturday!  Pictures to come!

MARRIED!!

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Kiefer

June 30, 2012

I am now proud to call myself a Kiefer!!  The wedding was everything that the both of us dreamed of and more!
A great time was had by us and our guests!