Williams Family Cruise 2010

What's better than lounging on a luxury boat in the middle of the ocean with some of your best friends? I can't think of anything as the first Williams Family vacation was a big success! We set off from Fort Lauderdale on January 2 on the Ms Eurodam courtesy of Holland America. The ship was very nice and equipped with several gourmet dining rooms, two swimming pools, a gym, six bars/lounges...it's too much to enumerate! For seven days we experienced amazing tropical ports of call, fancy 5 course meals and the warm Carribbean sunshine. Ricky and Nathan became Karaoke stars and the numerous senior citizen women on the ship were their groupies.! There were only a few negative points to our trip: On the first night, the ship cruised through VERY rocky waters, so much so that Emily, Nathan and I experienced some serious sea sickness. Ricky was immune, I guess because this was his fifth cruise. On Monday, when we arrived at Grand Turk (part of the Turks and Caicos Islands) it was cool (70 degrees) and cloudy. There was steady drizzle the entire time we were there, but that didn't inhibit our snorkeling trip and sting ray adventure--which was really fun! Our other ports were: San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Half Moon Cay is owned by the cruise line and has the cleanest, clearest beach I've ever seen. Honestly, it was like swimming in a salt water fish tank! Below you'll find a few pictures. It really was a great trip and Ricky and I are already planning our next vacation.

This is a photo of what our room was like. Ours was always too messy for me to take a picture of it but it was great! The balcony was worth the extra bucks.

Ricky and I on the first formal night. There were two on the ship. Some people refused to dress up which was annoying.

Ricky and I posing in San Juan on our way to Fort San Cristobal.

Beautiful San Juan!

My favorite meal on board: Surf n Turf night! I need to make more lobster at home. Yummy!

Ricky's performance in the Karaoke Challenge: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

The Williams Fam posing with the ship DJ/Line Dance Teacher/Bingo Caller/whatever they made him do: DJ Jazzy John!

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas!

2009 Year End Review

Welcome to 2010 everyone! Ricky and I had a good laugh this morning thinking about how the Y2K drama ten years ago. Amazingly, we've made it well into the 2000's and I can hardly believe how fast time has gone by. 2009 was a big year for me...graduation from dental school, getting married, landing my first job and moving to Texas. I have been through many changes and I continue to develop into a combination of Lauren Nicole, Dr. Massey-Williams and Mrs. Williams. In short, things are going well and I can't wait to see what the future has to offer. To officially end 2009, here is my top ten list of my "bests" of 2009....

1. Best event: Our wedding. May 23, 2009 at Fasig Tipton. Planning our wedding really showed me how you can both love and hate something all at the same time! It was an amazing experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed growing closer to my best friend.

2. Best accomplishment: Passing STRA or "dental boards." Without a doubt, the MOST stressful test I have ever taken. Having eight years of work come down to two days out of your life is a terrible feeling. I can honestly say that I will never take clinical boards again.

3. Best vacation: This was a tough call as it came down to our pilgrimage from Kentucky to Texas and our honeymoon but in the end, Jamaica wins! The beautiful sights and sounds of Jamaica are unforgettable. The great food, wonderful people and relaxing environment made for a fantastic honeymoon...even if I did fear for my life at Mayfield Falls...


4. Best Entertainment Event: Disney's the Lion King--the Musical. Amazing. That's all that needs to be said.

5. Best wine: A great value if you like red wine: Manage e Trois. A blended wine that goes with almost every meal. It sells for about $10.00.

6. Best Purchase: New bedroom furniture! After spending months living out of Rubbermaid bins, our new mahogany dresser and chest were a welcomed change. The mirrored night stands were the icing on the cake.

7. Best family moment: Reuniting with my cousin Tim at our wedding. We hadn't seen him in at least 10 years! It was great and we are doing our best never to fall out of touch again.



8. Best Recipe: "Men Love This Steak." If you came to our wedding, this meal was even featured in our wedding talk. A grilled or pan seared New York Strip steak topped with Dijon mushrooms, red peppers, bacon and bleu cheese. Men and women alike love it!


9. Best births: I was happy to meet Samara Nell a mere two weeks after she was born at our wedding. She has grown into an even more adorable baby that I have loved spending time with. Also born a few days before our wedding: Jersey Elle. Miles and Nicole keep me updated with new pictures of Jersey every month and she's definitely one of the happiest babies I've ever seen! Even though her impending birth kept her parents, Brook and Anthony, from making it to our wedding but I still LOVE Esme Grey. She's so pretty and has her parents' outstanding personalities.

(Esme Grey)

(Ricky and Samara Nell)
(Jersey Elle)

10. Best TV Show: Thank goodness for MTV, otherwise I never would have been introduced to...JERSEY SHORE! My Thursdays have been so much brighter since this show started. I just can't get enough of Snooki, Paulie D, Ronnie, Sammie, and of course--The Situation.