But sometimes, writing is better for the soul than watching TV. But anyways, the Florida trip was awesome. It's not often my extended family get's the opportunity (or excuse?) to get together. More recently we've had to confront more sadness than anything else - it was nice having joy be the focal point of this gathering.
My cousin Mercedes got married on Saturday and it was a beautiful ceremony with an awesome reception after. The cruise ship that it was held on allowed for everyone in the family to board for the wedding, then after the reception concluded those that weren't cruising for the week exited. I am so glad that West Point allowed me to stay for the full family reunion as well as the wedding.
The cruise itself was great. The first and second days were at sea, followed by a day on Grand Cayman, a day in Cozumel, and a final day at sea. This is my third cruise, and by far the best yet. Having almost my entire family on board was so so fun. It's crazy to have all of the cousins be grown up, but made the whole cruise that much more fun.
Some highlights: hanging out with Shannon and Jessica in the Casino as Shannon lost her precious money to the penny slots, talking about the deeper things of God with my cousin Paul, establishing a relationship with my cousin Kevin after not really ever hanging out before, going down the water slide multiple times with my nephew Cole, eating dinner and talking to my Uncle Bill, and watching my Uncle Kenny win the "hairy chest" competition.
Since getting back from the cruise I've had multiple flight delays. My original flight out of Tampa was delayed because of a huge storm on the East Coast and I ended up having to spend another night in Tampa. It ended up being a gift in disguise though! My friend Kayla drove down from Orlando area and we hung out - something we haven't gotten to do in a while. Chipotle was for dinner, and many laughs were had with the remainder of my family that was in town for the night.
Now I'm stuck on a plane in Washington D.C. that got delayed about two hours because of backup traffic in NY.
It's been an awesome trip and a fantastic beginning to my summer. Next up is CLDT, for about three weeks at West Point. I'm ready to get on with my summer!
Colin
