Friday, May 31, 2013

Island Time!

This was the view we woke up to every morning from our room...not too shabby!
So, we finally took a vacation! It had been many, many, many years since we took a trip of any kind, so we were blessed beyond our comprehension when Kasey's company rewarded his hard work with an amazing trip to Caneel Bay on St. John in the US Virgin Islands! We filled our days with swimming, snorkeling, reading (I read three books on the trip!), exploring the grounds, eating amazing food, and relaxing. Caneel Bay was more than we could have imagined. Beautiful scenery, tip-top service, anything we wanted or needed was made available to us immediately, and endless opportunities to unwind...ahhh. There were no televisions or phones in the rooms (we did have a cell phone to check in at home) and we didn't take a computer, so we got five days of completely unplugged relaxation. 

We left Luke at home (our first time leaving him overnight and my first time to be away from him for more than a 5-6 hour stretch). I left more laminated signs around the house than you would find in most kindergarten classrooms - it was a little (maybe a lot) much, but at least there would be no question regarding routine/procedure ;-) We all survived just fine and had a great time. The grandparents did a great job keeping him busy and happy so that mommy and daddy could relax and enjoy...which we did for five great days! 

We ate at some amazing restaurants - this one was in Mongoose Junction and had the absolute best desserts we have ever had in our lives. The other food was amazing, but the desserts were not to be missed! 

Sailboats would dock near Caneel Bay, stay a night or two, then head off for other ports. It was so neat to see all of the different boats. It is certainly a different way of life in the islands! This picture was also taken from the private balcony/patio right off of our room. We could hear the waves at night and the birds/frogs. It sounded like the rainforest setting on Luke's sound machine ;-) 

This was one of the places that we snorkeled...it was a bit nerve-wracking to jump off of a large boat into choppy water and swim to the big rock, but once we did it, it was amazing! We saw so many different types of fish and other sea creatures - I had never seen a coral reef before, so it was very cool to see what that was all about. We also snorkeled into some caves, which was just awesome. Again, nerve-wracking, but awesome. 


On our last night, we ate dinner on the beach - it was so relaxing and beautiful. We were definitely spoiled. 


This was one of the beaches just after a little morning rain - the sand is much whiter than it looks in this picture. They had rows of these great hammocks and waiters that came to your hammock to take your food/drink order - does it get much better?
We are already planning our return - we think Caneel Bay for our 15th anniversary sounds like a plan. We can't come down off of the "cloud" - it was such a treat to relax and rejuvenate. We can't wait to go back!

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