Last week my parents said that we were having a 'family night' this Friday. They would not tell my brothers and I what we were going to do, because they wanted it to be a surprise. When Friday the 19th came, my mom told my three brothers and I to go down to the dock and get into a car because we were going out. This happened just after dinner. We were all excited because my parents rarely take us places off ship unless it is a weekend. In the car, my mom gave us a hint. She told us to "think about the date it is today." None of us knew what significance April 19 had.
Before long we arrived at the Riviera hotel. Then my mom explained everything. She said we were going to have desert at the Riviera because it was my 15 and a half birthday! Since I am going to be in France for my sixteenth birthday, she thought our family should celebrate together on my half-birthday before I left!
While we were waiting for our deserts to come, we played with the kittens that live at the Riviera. Since we are not allowed pets on the ship, it is exciting when we get to see animals.
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| Xavier holding a cat |
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| Malachi holding a cat |
When the deserts arrived, there were four different dishes that we passed around so that each person got some of each desert. One desert was a cake filled with chocolate sauce. The second desert was a small apple pie. The third was a chocolate mousse with orange flavor. The last desert was a bar that had fudge, cake, and nuts in layers.
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| The chocolate filled cake |
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| The apple pie |
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| The chocolate mousse |
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| The fudge/cake bar |
At the end of the evening, my mom surprised me with a gift. She gave me two necklaces, one with a heart and one with a key.
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| The two necklaces |
The necklaces were kind of cheesy, but I really appreciated that my family was thinking of me. I had fun at my 'party.' I am going to miss them when I'm in France.
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| My brother Eli and I at the Riviera |
