Two Very Important Birthdays!

I am very late in highlighting the birthday of my very favorite boy! Our Jake was born 10 years ago on November 12, 1998. He was born at the DUKE Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. What would we do without him? I remember the day that we had the ultrasound that confirmed that we would soon have a baby boy. As we were leaving, I asked Danny how he felt about having a boy. He responded that he wouldn't spend his life surrounded by girls. (How little he knew then.) We are so thankful for Jake. He is a great kid and we adore him!


Today is the birthday of another person on my list of most favorite people. I have looked up to this person my entire life and am thankful to call her one of my best friends. My sister Nancy is a true gem. Nancy is the person I call when I have no nerves left. She helps me laugh when I want to scream. She appreciates the good things in life- including my sometimes odd humor. Nancy works harder than 3 average people combined. Nancy has the talent of making me feel really good about myself. I'm sure she shares it with more people than just me. I love you, Nance! Happy Birthday!



(Susan, Diane, Nancy and Karen- the Nef Sisters -- This photo is actually from 2007- we forgot to get a sisters picture this summer.)

Halloween and even more Excitement!

The day that we left the ship, Claire had really pink cheeks that turned into a lovely rash. The next day her eyes were super puffy too. Poor kid! Was she allergic to something? We will probably never know. Thankfully, it went away after a few days.

Halloween was fun, fun, fun. Kailey was in Waterford with a friend. (She was a rockstar by the way.) Jake was Elvis. Shelby and Claire were old grannies (their idea). Emery and Mimi were both Snow White. Madison was a pumpkin. We went trick or treating at a lovely gated community with some good friends.

The day after Halloween,we went to pick up our Kailey in Waterford (which is almost 3 hours away from our house) and were just a few miles away from her when we stopped to refuel the car. Unfortunately- the wrong type of fuel (unleaded instead of diesel) was used. Thankfully, I wasn't the one who did it. The cashier told Danny that it was okay to keep driving, it just wouldn't run as well. About a mile or two later, we found out that this young man was very wrong. The car started to chug up a very slight incline. Thankfully we were right by a shopping area and were able to park the car there. I know the Lord hears our prayers. The kids all prayed and we were able to find a good mechanic who drained the tank and got our car running again. A miracle in itself in Ireland on a Saturday afternoon. The parents of Kailey's friend were so kind and let us stay at their home until the car was fixed. We made it home that night without incident and will never forget Waterford.

Arrivederci Roma!

Day 12: It's been great, it's been really really great but some of us are
cooked! So, we got up and had a lovely breakfast and then we left the ship. That's when the fun began. Today was very overcast and rainy at times- I think the weather is trying to prepare us for our return to Ireland! Anyway, we had to wait for a shuttle bus to take us into the town of Civitavecchia where we had a rental car waiting for us. We picked up a lovely van (it makes the Homy- the beast we drive in Ireland- look small) and headed in to Rome. It took us about an hour and a half to get there (with the shuttling etc). After about 10 minutes in the car, Emery was ready to go back to the ship. "I want to go back to the hotel!" The other kids were almost as excited as Emery to see Rome.

So we started at the Colosseum. We didn't know where to get tickets and someone asked if we wanted to go on a tour ("no waiting!"). There were a couple of other people who had joined this tour and we thought that it sounded like a great idea. Then we met the tour guide and the 25 other people who were already in the tour group. Did I mention that it was raining at this point? So, Danny bought 5 umbrellas (one for each short person who would complain without one) and we followed the tour guide. It wasn't our best tour- but we did learn some things. Did you know that:
* 5000 people were killed a year in the colosseum?
* There was seating for 70,000?
* Even children could be gladiators? (They would use 10 year old boys to help get the animals angry.)
* Years later when the colosseum was no longer in use, they pulled lots of the marble off of the colosseum to use in building other structures? (Churches, etc...)

Our tour then continued on to Palatine Hill (where the Caesars built their palaces) and the forum. We had a new tour guide here, a lovely English redhead (we are talking scarlet red hair) who was actually wonderful. (She was so good that Dawn and Cheri are going on a tour at the Vatican that she is leading tomorrow. Luckily they get an extra day in Rome, so they will be able to see more of the sights.) After this- our kids really had had enough, so we went and had a late lunch/snack (Dawn needed some lasagna). Our restaurant was excellent and we enjoyed our italian food. Then we headed back to the ship. The kids really wanted to eat dinner (not that we were super hungry...) in the Golden Pearl restaurant and see Nina and Peter one last time.

The return trip was much easier that our morning jaunt had been. We had a lovely dinner and packed everything up. The kids had a party with their friends in Camp Carnival (and Circle C) and the day ended. Tomorrow we return to the real world!

Viva Italia!

Day 11- (FYI- This is my third time attempting to post this. The story about the other two attempts is too long and painful to recount.) We knew that there would be some serious driving involved today, so we gave the kids the option of staying on the ship or going with us. Madison was the only Carrell child to go on our grand adventure (she didn't get to choose). I felt a little guilty about leaving 5 children on a ship in a foreign country. However, I knew that they were safe and having a lot of fun. Shelby, Claire and Emery spent their day in Camp Carnival and had a great time. Jake and Kailey spent some time at the camp (since they are the "older" kids they can check themselves in and out without a parent present) and the rest of the time together. We told them that if they left the room, they had to be together (the buddy system is alive and well!). They were great about it and had a good time with each other.

Danny, Dawn, Cheri, Madi and I had a wonderful day! We went to Pisa first. I kind of thought that the tower was just by itself- but it isn't. It is right next to a pretty church- the Duomo- and another building called the Baptistry. They are really lovely. We had a great time in Pisa- so don't believe people who say that there is nothing there!

Then we drove through the Tuscan countryside to the city of Florence. If you love art- you definitely should visit Florence. We stopped at the Duomo first. It is just incredible! The outside is so beautiful. The inside is much more simple but has a very cool fresco on the ceiling under the dome. We also saw the outside of the Baptistry that is next door.

We felt like we needed to see Michelangelo's statue of David while in Florence. So we went to the Piazza della Signoria to see it. Unfortunately, it is being restored (well, the copy is and we didn't have time to go to the museum where the original is...) so we saw the shadow of it under the drape- and the almost lifelike picture on the covering. We did see several other statues around this area and my favorite was Perseus holding up the head of Medusa (kind of gory but way cool). I realize that I am not an art afficionado, but couldn't these amazing sculptors add a bit of clothing to their art?

My favorite piece of art was the bronze doors on the baptistry depicting scenes from the Old Testament. They were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The are absolutely incredible!

Tomorrow we will attempt to see Rome.

The Last Fun Day at Sea

Day 10: It was a good day on the sea. We found out that they were holding LDS Church services at noon. When I woke the kids up, I tried to help prepare them for the fact that we would be going to church. Let's just say that they were less than thrilled. The lady who told me about the church meeting also mentioned that she was excited to go to church without dressing up. So, crazy me- I didn't make my family dress up. NOT a good idea. We all went to the little room where the meeting was looking very casual. Every other person there had on a suit or very nice church dress. I felt horrible about it! Oh well, better to look bad and go- than to not go at all. There were 34 people there. There was one other family with three children. The rest were of the grandparent persuasion (and the majority of them were traveling together) and all were very nice. The meeting lasted almost exactly an hour. We started the meeting with singing "Come, come ye saints." The speakers talked about some of the places we had seen (Ephesus and Mars Hill) and the Apostle Paul. It was a good meeting. I am very glad we went. It always feels good to be with others who share our own beliefs.

As far as this whole cruise goes, I must say that I was very hesitant to bring my sweet children on this grand adventure. "Six kids on a cruise" sound like the opening lines of a horror flick. BUT- my good husband was right. The ship has been an excellent hotel, restaurant and playground all rolled into one. It has been fun to see exciting things during the day and come back to the same rooms each evening. (Plus when we return, the rooms are clean and they leave fun towel animals on the beds- the kids love it! Tonight we have a monkey and a turkey.) Plus, we get to see lot>s of amazing places without having to drive anywhere.

Camp Carnival has been very fun for all of the short people in the family. They have activities planned for each age group all day long. Emery, Claire and Shelby have enjoyed the dancing and creative activities. Jake has been a bit irritated that they don't let the kids have video game time all day long- but he has really enjoyed the video arcade. (I HATE the arcade. I see nothing of worth here, but hopefully Jake will get his fill and be able to return to the real world ready for some serious reading and homework time.... Okay probably not- but I can dream too!) Kailey has LOVED Circle C- the group for 12-14 year olds. She has just had fun being a big kid and "hanging out" with the two boys who are her age. One boy- James, from the U.K.- also has his room on our floor. When Circle C closes for the night, Kailey and James walk back to their rooms together, so it's nice that he kind of walks Kailey home. (We saw them walk back once and Kailey was touching one wall of the walkway and James was on the other side touching the other wall. I don't think there are any adolescent worries here.)

Each night we have dined in the Golden Pearl Dining Room. The food has been excellent and Nina (from Hungary) and Peter (also Eastern European) are our waiters. They are wonderful. I have been impressed by what my children have tried. They have definitely expanded their food repertoire! (Claire even tried escargot tonight! So did Danny, Cheri and I. I think I could enjoy them if I didn't know what I was eating.) We have one little man who comes over and talks to Madison every night. He calls her his little buddy and has held her for a minute the last two nights. After the first time he held her (this is an older man), I watched his face and he was visibly choked up. He told Danny and I that we were the luckiest people in the world and said that he wished he could be us. We are very blessed. We do have several people a night who come over and chat with us and talk about our children. One day I was walking all by myself on the ship and a woman stopped me and said, "Are you the mother?" I smiled and said, "Yes I am." I can't think of anything else I would like to be labeled.

Tomorrow we stop in Livorno. We will be seeing Pisa and Florence.

Day 9- Katakolon

Danny, Madison and I were the only ones who wanted to actually leave the ship today. We were getting dangerously low on diapers, so we needed to venture into the little town of Katakolon. We enjoyed our little stroll through the village and got the necessary toiletry items for our smallest child. We also got a couple of souvenirs (a pen and two magnets) and headed back to the ship.

Tomorrow is another fun day at sea! Maybe I’ll write something more exciting then!

Day 8: ATHENS!

Our visit to Athens was yet another adventure. We docked in Piraeus and got a couple of taxis to head to the Acropolis. Cheri, Dawn, Kailey, Shelby and Claire were in one taxi. Danny, Jake, Emery, Madison and I were in the other one. We were planning on meeting at the base of the Acropolis. Well this sounds easier than it actually is. There are a ton of places where we could have met up, but our two groups did NOT find each other! We walked around by where all of the taxis were and couldn’t find the girl contingent. I told Jake to pray that we would be able to find Grandma, Dawnie and the girls. We went to get our tickets hoping that they would be waiting for us. No luck. Then we went up the hill a ways and overlooked the Odeon Theatre (where Yanni’s Concert was filmed) and still- no girls.

So we continued up the hill. We got to the base of the marble stairs that actually lead into the Acropolis and we could not find them. These stairs were literally packed with people. There were a few different cruise ships with lots of people in tours- plus everyone else who wanted to see the sights of Athens. It was crazy! By this point, I was praying in earnest that we would be able to find my girls and Cheri and Dawn. We got onto the actual Acropolis and no girls. I was so sad, because I wanted to be able to see all of this with all of my family. I wanted pictures of all of us together! Plus- I worried about the girls being too much for Dawn and Cheri especially if someone got overly emotional (it’s been known to happen). Anyway, Danny, Jake, Emery, Madison and I walked all around the Parthenon (the huge temple at the top of the Acropolis) and started to head back down the steps. I hadn’t stopped praying and was madly looking for the rest of our group. As we started the descent down the stairs- I spotted Cheri. Hooray! I can’t tell you what a relief that was! I was so excited to see them. I was also so extremely grateful for yet another reminder that the Lord really does hear and answer our prayers. So, we turned around and headed back to the top of the Acropolis.

The Acropolis is the top of this really large hill in the very center of Athens. At the base of the hill is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (that I’ve already mentioned of Yanni fame) and farther around the other side is the Theater of Dionysus (that we didn’t really even see). On top of the Acropolis there are a few different buildings. There is a small temple that you pass through (after you go up all of the stairs) and they are working on restoring that. Then there is the Erechtheion (the building that has a porch with 6 women who seem to be holding up the building) and the Parthenon (the huge Temple that was built for the Goddess Athena). When I was in Athens in 1990- they were working on restoring the Parthenon. They are still working on it! The view of Athens from the Acropolis is amazing (it would be even more incredible if there was no smog in Athens) and you can see the whole city. I am glad I could experience it with my whole family. It is truly something that I have wanted to do for years.

Then, Jake, Shelby and I (henceforth to be called the brave explorers) went over to Mars Hill. This is a hill very close to the Acropolis where the ancient philosophers (think Aristotle, Socrates, etc.) would sit and chat. This is also the place where the Apostle Paul gave the sermon of the Unknown God. (Look it up in your New Testament!) The brave explorers took the old, very slippery marble stairs up to the top of the hill. I told Shelby and Jake of my previous experience on the hill, we wandered around it, took pictures and then had a race to the bottom. (I took the new stairs, Shelby took the old stairs and Jake took the wilderness route- all rocks.)

We felt we had the seen the best of Athens and didn’t want to mess around with the rest- so we headed back to the ship. (Plus- most of us had seen enough history for a bit.) Athens was the first really big city I had ever visited and I still have the same impressions of it. It’s big, polluted and stinky- but very interesting.

Day 7: Kailey's Birthday!

A Fun Day at Sea and Kailey’s Birthday! Our sweet Kailey is already 12 years old! Kailey is a great kid. She is a wonderful big sister and a rather responsible person in a little body. One of Kailey’s teachers has told her several times that she is a credit to her parents. We agree. We are thankful that Kailey is such an amazing kid and that she is in our family.

Kailey had a really fun day. Highlights include:
• Having her nails done at the spa.
• Mini golf on the topmost deck of the ship
• A fun game of Bingo
• Fun presents…
• Dinner at the Golden Pearl: Kailey had a great dinner, was sung to, had a lovely strawberry cake and finished the meal with Kailey dancing on the table during the after dinner entertainment.

• Watched the “Fiesta Latina” show at the Spectacular, Spectacular Theatre
• Finished off the day with her buddies (two boys) at the Circle C club (the club for the kids who are between 12 and 14 years of age)

We love you Kailey and hope this is your best year yet!

Istanbul or Constantinople? Day 6

We docked at Istanbul as we were eating our breakfast. Being on the water and seeing the city is really quite cool. Istanbul is the only city (to my knowledge) that is located on two different continents. One side is in Asia and the other is in Europe. The Bosphorus Strait is right in between the two (which also links the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea). If you are looking at a map there is also the Golden Horn (which is an appendage off of the Bosphorus Strait) which divides the European side of Istanbul. These parts of the city are known as the Old Town and New Districts of Istanbul. Are you completely confused yet?

So, we docked near the new Galata Bridge (the first bridge you can see going up the Golden Horn). Istanbul has a very unique skyline for Europe. It is liberally dotted not with church steeples- but the minarets that flank the mosques.

This is getting rather lengthy and I haven’t even started to tell you about our day! I’ll try to summarize.
What we saw today:

• Topkapi Palace (where the Sultans used to live a long time ago)- we saw the Sultans clothing (cool caftans that were even 500 years old!), crown jewels (an 86 carat diamond) and a couple of wicked swords and daggers (Jake liked the sword that had 3 giant rubies on the hilt- I liked the dagger that had 2 big emeralds). I would have liked to see the Harem where the Sultans wives spent their time, but it cost more so we didn’t…

• Hagia Sophia- A Christian Church built in the 6th century (it took 5 years to build) and was converted into a mosque when the Ottomans took over (in the 1400s). The Turks put plaster over all of the amazing mosaics and covered them up. So now, the Hagia Sophia has parts that are beautifully Christian and others that are also beautiful and very Muslim. It is now a museum. There is a hole in one column that is called the wishing hole (it’s actually called the Miracle Column of St. Gregory).

To get the wish you have to stick one finger into the hole and then move your hand in a complete circle- 360`. It’s trickier than it sounds! Several of us tried our luck.) The mosaics are very impressive. I just can not imagine how hard it would be to create such beautiful art with those itty bitty tiles!

• The Blue Mosque- It is right across the street from the Hagia Sophia. The only mosque in Istanbul to have 6 minarets (towers). It was built in the 17th century and the tiles inside are all blue- hence the name. The girls were very excited to be able to cover their hair- so we all had to buy pashminas for the occasion. We were able to hear the Call to Prayer as we were headed to the Hagia Sophia and just the sound of it brought back wonderful memories. (FYI- The Call to Prayer is sung/chanted over a loud speaker at the mosques 5 times daily. I heard it everyday when I was on Study Abroad in Israel.) We decided that the Blue Mosque is pretty, but not nearly as impressive as the Hagia Sophia.

• The Grand Bazaar- This place is huge and very fun to visit. However, the shopkeepers are not great barterers like they were in Marmaris. We didn’t even get much stuff here- but you HAVE to go there if you visit Istanbul. One salesman looked at us and asked how many children I have (just like several others had already done) and I told him. Then he said, “Are you a Mormon?” I was very surprised, but said yes, I am. He told me that some of his best friends were mormons and live in Utah. So we had a lovely chat and he wanted me to buy a carpet (“All of the mormons buy their carpets from me.”). I told him that it was too bad that I didn’t want a carpet. (He was very nice about it.) The people we meet!



We were very tired when we got back to the ship- but it was a very good day.

Wait a Second! We're on the Aegean Sea! (Day 5)

So, technically we are now cruising the Aegean Sea. I would like to know where the dividing line is between the Mediterranean and the Aegean. Anyway...

We headed to Ephesus bright and early this morning (it felt like it anyway). The trip from Izmir to Ephesus took about an hour. Of course, we had a bathroom break midway. All of the Carrells got off except for Madison and I. Before anyone disembarked from the bus, the tour guide told us that we had only 5 minutes- so hurry. All of the other passengers were back on the bus except the Carrell contingent. I watched to see where they were, and finally here they came- all running for the bus. First the little girls and Dawn, then Cheri, Jake and Kailey followed by Danny in the rear. He was carrying a bag. As Grandpa Carrell would say- it was a pogey run stop. All of the Carrells had treats. (No one else on the bus did.) Our first stop was to the home of the Virgin Mary. There is a very tiny basilica (church) built where Mary is supposed to have lived at the end of her life. There are several water fountains close to the church that have drinkable water that is reported to be healing water. Dawn was looking forward to this shore excursion. (She rubbed some water on her tummy.) Danny hurt his arm last week and even went to the ship’s doctor (got an injection in his hiney and some relatively heavy painkillers). So, Danny put a bit of water on the affected area and the swelling is going down and is less painful. The church is at the very top of this mountain that overlooks Ephesus and the area really is beautiful. The trees are gorgeous and the landscaping is really pretty.

Then we headed down to Ephesus. I have great memories of Ephesus from my other trip to Turkey and I was not disappointed! The streets still are covered with marble and it is really beautiful. The city of Ephesus was built 3 times. The last one- the one we saw- was founded about 300 B.C. It was a very important area- the capital city of Asia Minor and a thriving seaport on the Aegean Sea. However, the river that emptied into the bay brought with it lots of silt and filled up the bay. They attempted cleaning it out- but gave up at some point and moved the city to a different location. Ephesus was the home of the Temple of Diana and also had a population of 200,000 people. Because it was the capital city, the senate met here and many influential people lived here. Ephesus was Homer’s (think the Odyssey and the Iliad) hometown.

The archeologists are trying to reconstruct the city so you can see what it was like. The most impressive building is the Library. The façade is incredible and you can walk in it to see what it would have been like. Amazing! The main street of Ephesus starts at the top of a hill and then you walk down it and see all the amazing things and finish at the Theatre. Our tour guide (Usay) was less than exciting, but we found out some interesting things from him and also eavesdropping on other groups. I found it fascinating that the early Christians didn’t openly tell people that they were Christians- but they put the sign of the Christians in the marble in front of their stores and homes. Once I knew this- I watched the marble a bit closer. The theatre could hold 24,000 people and my imagination still can just see it!

The kids got a bit bored- but they got no sympathy from their mother. I told them that this was one place that I was most looking forward to seeing and if they wanted to complain then they needed to go away because I was NOT going to listen to them. Someday they will thank me for taking them to Ephesus… (I hope).

Of course, we had to do just a bit of shopping. The girls got lovely Turkish hats (with veils) and jingly sashes. Jake added to his knife collection. I got a fun bracelet. Danny got the satisfaction of knowing that his family loves him.

Back on the ship, Danny, Jake, Kailey and Shelby had a quick game of putt putt. Claire and Emery played on the bunk beds (and Em fell down the ladder), and Madi and I just hung out. Grandma and Dawn took a little rest (we are not easy traveling companions).

Tomorrow we visit Istanbul! (We already know that 18 million people live there.) Things might be bizarre at the grand bazaar!