Tiaras for Everyone!!!

Carrie and Me - Royal Caribbean 2013

Last summer Jonathan and I went on a cruise with my cousin Carrie and her family.  Carrie and I have always been pretty close as we are a year apart in age but over the past year we have become much closer for a variety of reasons.  Taking the cruise together brought us even closer and I would say she is one of my dearest friends in addition to being my relative.  

Carrie and I are very similar in some really fundamental ways: our values and our devotion to family. But we have one HUGE difference: Carrie is fearless while I have many fears (mostly for my personal safety).  For example, when we went to Disney World she wanted to ride every single roller coaster and scary ride in the park.  By the time we were done she was laughing and exhilarated while I was stumbling (those roller coasters mess up my inner ear) for the bar.

On the cruise I went and hid in the library to avoid zip lining (terrifying to me, a walk in the park to Carrie).  Can I just say that, to me, zip lining is just getting a giant wedgie while 200 feet in the air. I don't see the appeal. Carrie told me that I should burn all my books (I brought 5 on the cruise) and do more activities.  You get the picture.

But for all her fearlessness when it comes to physical activity it took Carrie awhile to get on board the Tiara bandwagon.  I gave Carrie a tiara and we both brought our tiaras on the cruise.  I wore mine to dinner every night and at first Carrie was kind of embarrassed for me.  One night I overheard her say, "Oh she is my cousin she just wears tiaras sometimes"....so I turned around to the woman she was addressing and corrected her, "No, I wear my tiara because I am an Empress".  I'd like to tell you that the woman bowed to me but she didn't.  But I didn't care...I love wearing my tiara and if others find that odd, well, too bad.

By the time the cruise was over Carrie wore her tiara with pride every day.  When people saw us they would say, "Oh there are the tiara twins!" and the waitstaff called us "The Empresses" and some would even bow to us.  I love that everyone on the cruise got in on the fun.

Now Carrie and her whole family each have their own tiaras and they agreed to let me post photos of the whole family wearing their tiaras.  I love it!!!  

Oh as a side note let me add that we are taking another cruise next year and Carrie talked me into going snorkeling with her.  In Alaska. In 60 degree water.  I am trying to figure a way to weasel out of that because I am afraid I will die of hypothermia.  The problem is that if I talk my way out of the snorkeling she will come up with some other terrifying excursion to take its place....something like hunting polar bears across a glacier or riding a dog sled.  Stay tuned for more on that late this year...

Carrie, Brady, Cade and Ryan with their two Yorkies, also wearing tiaras.