Ice, Ice, Babies!

The Maine Event

A special thanks to everyone for 1,000 reads! Each and every one of you rock my socks!

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The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast, and got ready for our day in Portland, Maine. Today was a highlight of the whole trip, because we were all going whale watching for the first time.

We took an Uber down to the dock and bored the boat, which I loved because it had places for me to sit down. It was a bright, sunny, fall day today, but there was a good amount of wind. We were all bundled up in sweaters and sweatshirts.

The energy was a lot different with Trevor and I in sync. When I saw how he was with my sisters, it just made me realize that I did, in fact, love him. He was going to be the most unbelievable dad, no matter how much he was home.

The water was choppy and I felt a little sick here and there, but the sights were amazing. We saw some birds, some sea lions, and a few turtles. The highlight of the tour was when we pulled up near a mom and baby humpback whale. It was crazy to think about how big these things actually were.

After the tour was over, we went to a nearby seafood restaurant for lunch. I was still kind of queasy from the tour, so I stuck with a small salad. I had to save room for the next spot on our list: the donut shop.

We had an Uber pick us up and bring us there. This place came highly recommended by the cruise line, and was apparently the talk of the town. They had so many donuts. I didn't even know where to start or what to pick. I eventually settled on their vanilla sprinkle, dark chocolate with sea salt, and maple bacon flavors. Trevor and I split their stuffed bacon and cheddar donut, which was melty and warm. Perfect for a chilly day.

From there, we split up. I would be taking my sisters shopping, while everyone else was going on a lighthouse tour. My sisters, being preteens, loved looking at all the stuff in the boutiques that we couldn't afford. My feet and my back absolutely did not. I was having a great time on this trip, but I was definitely exhausted.

Dinner couldn't come fast enough, because I was so excited to sit down again. We all met up at a local sushi restaurant that we read good reviews about. They had an all-you-can-eat dinner menu. They left a paper menu and pencil at your table, and you just marked how much of it you wanted.

Since I was pregnant and unfortunately couldn't have sushi, I ordered almost everything from the cooked part of the menu. I got tempura, dumplings, rice, and noodles. And chicken. And steak. Eating for three, here.

Once we were nice and stuffed, we headed out and said our goodbyes to Portland. When we got back to the ship, the rest of the group went to a musical show. I was going to rest on the balcony, then take a bath and head to bed. It was a great ending to a great day.

The next morning, I woke up to some more cuddles from Trevor before ordering room service, which we all ate at the big dining table on the balcony. I got pancakes, eggs, and extra bacon.

Once breakfast was done, we all got ready for the day. It was another fun morning and afternoon on the pool deck. More water slides, more swimming, more rock climbing, and more mini golf. After another lunch at Johnny Rockets, we took a break for a few hours, then checked out the arcade before dinner.

And all hell broke loose when we went into that arcade. My sisters were trying to kill each other at the air hockey table, and Bethy was wasting swipe after swipe of her preloaded card on a claw machine.

"Bethy, you're gonna use up your entire credit!" I said as the claw dropped a pink and green frog. Again.

"I don't care! I'll refill it. Must. Have. Froggy!" she said.

By dinnertime, my sisters got a couple small things from the self-redeeming prize hub with their tickets, Bethy had her frog that probably cost her fifty bucks, and I had a headache.

We sat down for some more pizza for dinner, and then I was going for a relaxing night at the spa, doing mani-pedis with my sisters. While we were sitting there getting pampered, it occurred to me that after this trip, I wouldn't see them again until Thanksgiving. That was two months away.

"Are you guys having a good time?" I asked them.

"Yeah!" they both said in unison.

"Me too," I said.

I chose a nice, soft red color for my finger and toenails. I felt like it went well with fall. My sisters were all over the place. Annie got purple and pink with sparkles, and Elsie got orange and black. I told her it would be long gone by Halloween, but she didn't care. Elsie loved everything spooky, everything Halloween. I imagined my mom's reaction if she saw those crazy nails of hers. She definitely wouldn't love them.

Once we were done at the spa, we got some ice cream, and I brought the girls upstairs. They were actually pretty tired. I took some time for myself and went shopping. The stores on the ship were opened pretty late.

"Hello miss. Can I help you?" asked the man behind the counter of the jewelry store.

"Uh...sure," I said. I'd actually never been in a jewelry store before, and this was a little intimidating. Especially with the security guard right by the entrance. "I'm looking for two matching lockets. Ones that have room for photos."

"Absolutely. What do you think of this one over here," he said, walking to the other side of the square counter.

He took out a silver locket from behind the glass. It was beautiful, but it was also five-hundred dollars.

"It's really pretty but...a little more than I can afford," I said.

"Ah, I see. Come with me." He took me over to another counter on the other side of the room. "This is our 'we need to get rid of them' section. All half off." He pulled out two lockets from behind the counter. One gold-colored and one silver. "Not matching, but cheap. I'll give them to you for fifty each."

"That sounds good. I'll take them both," I said.

He got them wrapped up and placed in a bag for me. Now that I had the lockets, I could get started on the rest of this surprise project.