I just got back from a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas with 17 ladies from the Wilt family! My mom treated Jody, Allison and me to celebrate her 75th birthday, and then a bunch of our cousins signed up to join too! We had so much fun!!
The first day we hung out, had some dinner and all joined together for karaoke. As a group we sang "Sweet Caroline" in honor of my mom's birthday and the crowd was feeling it (which is amazing for a group of Wilts)! It was also "disco night" on the boat, and so we hit up the dance party afterward!
Hanging out poolside until our rooms were ready
Kelly showing us all the functionality of Aunt Marilyn's scooter
These two always looks like sisters to me
Welcoming Amanda to the family... hoping we didn't scare her away
Boogie nights!
Our epic performance:
Mama Mia!
Mary Pat's always in for a fun time!
Aunt Marilyn rented a scooter to get around easier:
The second day we all did our own thing in Nassau. It was a little chilly, so we Rabines explored a fun resort with flamingos and shopping before coming back to the boat.
Apparently hiding/seeking rubber duckies is a cruise thing - so Jody brought a bunch of ducks for us to hide. We found a few other random ones too!
Ducks need water
...or they can be eaten for dinner
Saturday was the night all of us got together for a group dinner, had an amazing group photo and sported our "Cruisin' Cousin" sashes made by Barb. Jody created a fun photo scavenger hunt that kept us busy and giggling before sitting down for dinner. It was a late night with lots of fun and laughter... plus we scared the staff with the Wilt birthday song! You'll note the pictures get increasingly sloppy...
Ready for a night of fun!
Looking lovely
Patty and Kelly before dinner
On a mission! I think this scavenger photo was "a group of fun ladies"
After a few drinks, we improvised with the sashes.
My new favorite photo of Mom - Cathy got her the captain's hat for planning the trip!
Group shot! Maggie, Kelsey, Natalie, Cathy, Jody and me!
Aunt Marilyn lived it up!
Love my mom
Kelly knows how to party! She was the cruise expert!
The young kids (because they're younger than me!)
Original cousins
As our "senior" advisors, Aunt Marilyn and my mom coined the phrase "that's bullshit" anytime they didn't like something!
Mom learned that espresso martinis are divine
Aww, mother/daughter time
We spent our last day on Coco Beach, relaxing and reading by the water. It was still a little chilly, but we stole the sunlight at every chance!
Relaxation day
Aunt Marilyn getting cozy on the beach!
Mmmm pina coladas
Phyllis is now an honorary cousin - she could hang!
Monday we started our travels home bright and early. We had a layover in DC, and unfortunately our plane was too late to make our connecting flight. Thankfully we were able to book another flight through Delta... we all made it home around 9pm that night - whew, long day (worth it!).
"I'm never flying again." - Carolyn Rabine We'll see...
The Rabine side of the family celebrated together a few days after Christmas - it was awesome to have so much of the family together!
Family!
Maggie and Luke accepting makeovers
A good sport - took everything off immediately!
Ben always steals the spotlight
My people
The big kids (I will always refer to them this way, even in their 50s)
Mom's epic dessert - the Piecaken (Pecan Pie + cheesecake + red velvet cake)
Teaching Ben foosball (lots of patience here!)
Shooting some hoops
We celebrated New Years Eve at the Donoghues. We were so excited to watch the Michigan vs. TCU game that night, but the results were pretty devastating... oh well, maybe next year!
Happy New Year!
Cheers!
Over Christmas break, Grandma and Grandpa came over for coffee and Lego with Ben. They amazingly found him a car wash set for Christmas. Walking to the car wash and watching the cars is one of Ben and Grandpa's special traditions, so this was perfect.
Building together
We did it!
Evie's soccer team had a fun outing at the Adventure Zone during the week:
With her two best buds
Related?
Ben's favorite spot
Fun Day!
Snow mobile simulator
The team
I could stay here all day!
Jamie's Christmas gift to his mom was a visit to the DIA Van Gogh exhibit and dinner at Andiamos. They also hit up the casino afterward - a fun night! I stayed at home and had a fun sleepover with some of the girls' friends.
