Our day in Old San Juan, P.R...

Wow... there is so much to tell regarding our trip to Puerto Rico. The main thing I can think of is that a 4 hour tour of Old San Juan isn't nearly enough!! We barely scratched the surface and, honestly, we could spend another few days there. Maybe someday we will!

We arrived at the San Juan airport at 11AM. We were met by our tour guide, Victor. Since it was a Sunday and we weren't with a large group, the only kind of tour we could arrange was a private tour. It was well worth the extra money to have a tour guide devoted solely to Jason and I. We went at our own pace, saw what we wanted to see and had wonderful conversations with Victor.

We walked around some of "The Old City" of San Juan. These are the parts that are inside the old walls. There were only a few doors that let you past the walls of the city. The wood used for these doors is still there and the date is etched on the doors.

I was struck by the beauty of the architecture. The use of stone and natural elements as well as the paint colors. You can see influences from all the different cultures that have moved here.

We saw the former home of Ponce de Leon. He had beautiful gardens and fountains all around his house. It was a representation of who he was as a man. He enjoyed having places to reflect and "be refreshed". Victor told us all about the different fauna and where it originated from. He also talked about the political struggles and developments during de Leon's time in that house.

We then went to "El Morro" which is a huge fort that is one of two still standing in the city. They were pivotal during the attacks of all the different countries that have wanted control of P.R. throughout the years. It was an amazing sight. This was another reason it was great to have Victor to ourselves... he told us everything!!

After the fort, Victor took us to a wonderful little place for lunch. I can't say that I have ever had Puerto Rican food... but I am now a fan! It was called Cafe Puerto Rico and there were only 10 tables inside and a line down the sidewalk to get in! It was very yummy.

Then we did some souvenir shopping before heading back to the airport. The day went SO fast and it was sad to leave because we only saw a very small part of the island. During our drive back, I asked Victor how the political system works. They are US citizens, but their government is very different from ours. It was a fascinating talk.

When Victor dropped us off, we felt like we had a new friend. He had shared so much with us regarding his heritage, his family (8 daughters!) and his love of his home Puerto Rico. If anyone EVER wants to go there, I can highly a great tour service!!

We got back to the hotel exhausted. We enjoyed a very nice and quiet dinner at the Caribe restaurant in the hotel. Then we went back to our room and passed out!

The Wedding...

After enjoying a day at the beach, snorkeling and enjoying the sun, we all cleaned up and met in the lobby. There we saw Heath, Shaunna and Shaunna's daughters, Nicole and Paige for the first time all prettied up for the festivities.

Then we piled into an open air taxi and went to Magen's Bay on the northern part of the island for the ceremony.

There really are no words to explain the wedding... it was beautiful. It was the most intimate ceremony I have ever been a part of and it was truly focused on Shaunna and Heath.

Even the wedding coordinators said it was a "made to order" wedding day at the beach... there were hardly any beach goers there and the sunset was unreal. The photographer was having SO much fun taking pictures and playing off the colors in the sky.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at The Agave Terrace. It is perched HIGH in the mountains of St. Thomas and a wonderful place. There was a great breeze going through the open air restaurant that went perfectly with the wine and great food. We enjoyed lots of laughs, hilarious toasts and the cutting of the cake. It was a wonderful evening.

I know the party continued at the hotel, however, Jason and I turned in early. We were exhausted, sunburned and knew that we had to get up early for our Sunday flight to San Juan, P.R. Woo hoo!!

Wedding Day in St. Thomas...

So, Jason did test the "no hangovers" theory last night. Apparently it doesn't work if the rum is mixed with beer or other drinks. :o) Needless to say, he was wearing sunglasses at breakfast this morning!!

Today is a lazy day. We will enjoy some time by the pool, resting and a casual lunch. At 5:15 this evening, we will meet in the Lobby to see the Bride make her first appearance. Then we will pile into a bus and head to the beach for, what I am sure, will be a beautiful wedding.

They have arranged for us to have dinner at place with an incredible view of the ocean.

I will post more after the festivities. I need to get into my bathing suit and meet my husband by the pool!

The Land of Tim Duncan...

So Day Two of our USVI trip is drawing to a close. I am exhausted from our long day but my tired feet are only a sign that our day went as planned and we saw A LOT! There are too many pictures to show here, so I have just included a few here. I will send out an online album later...

We started off our day by enjoying the incredible breakfast buffet at the hotel (thank you All-Inclusive!!).


Then we caught a cab down to the main town on St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie. When I say "cab" I don't mean your traditional Yellow Cab. Oh no. These are 10 person vans that operate much like Super Shuttle... many different people going many different places. That wouldn't be an issue except the drive on the "wrong" side of the road here and the streets are barely wide enough for you to pass each other without exchanging the chrome on your side mirrors. Oh, and let me add that the drivers all must have been trained in NYC. They drive like maniacs and really could care less that I am praying that we don't slide down the side of the mountain we are driving over!


We arrived at the Seaplane check-in with barely any time to spare. And I mean- 5 minutes later and we would have missed our flight and our tour. The reason we were late was because another characteristic of our friendly cab drivers... no concept of time. They are either in a deadly hurry to get everywhere, or they are follow "island time" so you will get there when they feel like it!

So, back to the plane, and yes, I did say SEAplane. It was SO stinkin' cool!!!! There were only 6 rows on the plane. It was so small, the co-pilot just turned around in his seat to give the "safety briefing". The experience of riding in a seaplane is one I will never forget. Taking off and landing on the water cannot be explained until experienced!!



We arrive 20 minutes later in Christianhead, St. Croix- the birthplace of Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs). We met our tour bus and guide, Charles. He was an interesting man and very knowledgeable about the island. He is French and therefore kind of hard to understand sometimes, but very enjoyable. We were joined by a family of 5 and a honeymooning couple. We loaded into an open area bus and headed out. We drove ALL over the island and it was truly amazing. You honestly forget that you are in the United States... in my opinion, its one of the best land purchases the US ever made!!


Our first stop was the Cruzan Rum Factory and it was not at all what I expected! They have the process down to a very simple system, which means it is a very simple set-up and rather small. We saw the whole place and it didn't take very long! We saw the cooling process, the fermenting process and any other processed involved. We also saw the 2nd tallest building on St. Croix- it is 5 stories high. :o) We also learned some interesting facts that has made me a fan of Cruzan products. First of all, they have no waste. Everything they use is either in their products or sold to other companies for their used. Excellent! Second, of all the rums, they remove the most of the hang-over causing chemicals than any other!! You are less likely to get a hang-over from drinking Cruzan. (A theory I believe Jason may be down by the pool testing out as I type this!) It was fascinating.

Then we were off to see the Botanical Gardens. This really took me back to my days as a child living in Hawaii. It was lush and beautiful. Our tour guide Charles knew so much about all the vegetation. He was always tearing off leaves of things for us to smell and even had us taste a few! Jason tried a cashew fruit... I didn't eat it but judging by the look on Jason's face and the smell of the fruit, my advice is to stick with the nuts that the fruit produce!!

Then we headed to a the Whim Plantation. This was once a fully operational sugar can mill. The main house still stands as a museum and then pieces of the production equipment are still on the property. We saw a windmill and an animal mill. Very beautiful plantation.

Then we headed to a small local deli for lunch. It was TINY and provided decent sandwiches. It sat right on the beach. So we enjoyed a break and a great view before piling back in to the bus. Then we started one of my favorite parts of the tour... the Rain Forest.

As we drove through the rain forest, I would often just close my eyes, listen to the sounds and enjoy the cool breeze. The air was so fresh and crisp- you just lose yourself in it. I say we were driving in the Rain Forest for an hour... Jason says it wasn't that long. I guess I just really surrounded by it. One stop we did make was to see a termite nest. It was HUGE and it fascinated Jason.

After the Rain Forest we spent the rest of our tour driving along the coast line of the island. We stopped to see the Salt River area. This is where Christopher Columbus made his landing! He called it "The Bay of the Arrows" because he was greeted by an onslaught of arrows shot at him by the natives! It was a beautiful area. We saw Buck Island off the coast and enjoyed a gorgeous view of the ocean.


We headed back into to town to be dropped off and conclude our tour. We did some souvenir shopping and then walked back to the Seaplane port. The flight back was even cooler than the flight over!! Like before, the pilot's area is open with no separation door. The approach into the harbor in St. Thomas was intense and I LOVED IT! We flew over land and we kept getting closer and closer to the land... we are reminded that we aren't equipped for a landing on land. Looking through the front of the plane from the cockpit I watched us suddenly take a nose dive and all I see is water- coming fast! Again- I was loving it!! Jason wasn't so sure... :o) Just before we hit the water, they pulled the nose up and we splashed down in a VERY smooth landing... awesome.

We took another terrifying cab ride back to the hotel, cleaned up and joined the wedding group for a very nice dinner here at the hotel. Then we moved over to the bar... I stayed down for some visiting and a few drinks and then came back to the room... the day on St. Croix had done me in.

The Bride...

So, that brings me to now. Jason is still with the party and I am looking at a comfy King bed with cozy down comforter... it is calling my name... more tomorrow...

How is your view???

Take a moment and look out your window... whatever window you are closest to whether it is your office window, kitchen window or a glass door looking out over the Hill Country in Spicewood. What do you see? Well, let Jason, aka "Vanna White" show you what WE are looking at...
That's right folks... that is the VIEW from our room in St. Thomas. We have a private balcony and a gorgeous view.

We arrived safely and have already spotted a few iguanas!! Well, no time to blog further... there are a few Mojitos calling my name!!!

More from Hugo...

Gina and Russ arrived home from their Hawaii vacation to a torn up Hugo. They pitched in with the other residents to begin the clean up process.

She sent these pictures via email today. Truly devastating. Continued prayers are needed for all those involved...

Pictures of Hugo Clean Up

Obamania!!

In honor of Obama "officially" being announced as the Democratic candidate today, I thought I would share this fun news article about my co-worker Rachel. It was run in the Dallas Morning News a while back. And yes, that really is her car... its parked outside the office everyday!!

News Article

Rachel is a fellow blogger and has quite the following... you can check her out at Mean Rachel

Prayers needed for those in Hugo...

Not many of you have heard of Hugo, MN and to be honest, neither had I until one of my best friends moved there a few years ago. Now, sadly, a lot of people have heard of it because of the tornadoes that ripped through there on Sunday night.

Pictures of Tornado Damage

My friend Gina and her boyfriend, Russ, are currently vacationing in Hawaii, so they weren't there for the storms on Sunday night. Fortunately, they have been told that their house still stands... they will need some new siding and a new roof due to hail and wind damage. Their dogs were staying with friends that weren't in Hugo for the holiday weekend either, so Gina and her crew are all safe. They can't say the same for many of their friends.

80 homes were destroyed in Hugo which is only a town of about 10 - 12,000 people. Amazingly, there was only one death and very few injuries. This whole situation hits very close to home to Russ and Gina because Russ is a Hugo Volunteer Fire Fighter and so are many of their friends. This means that they were all called in after the storm and have been working non-stop since then. Russ' best friend was the one that worked on the "one death"... a 2 year-old boy that had been sucked out of their home window, along with his 4 year-old sister.

Another friend of theirs was trying to make it home but due to the strength of the storm, she had to stop in a nearby parking lot. As she sat in her van, all of the windows were blown out... if that weren't scary enough, she was close enough to home that she sat there helplessly and watch her house be sucked up by the storm. There is nothing left.

Gina and Russ were fortunate... they live on 150th Street and the heart of the storm hit just nine blocks away on 159th. They are trying to enjoy the rest of their vacation in Hawaii knowing that they will be coming home to a different town than the one they left.

Please pray for those in Hugo that have lost everything. Also pray for the family of the 2 year-old boy that died. The other sibling as well as the rest of their family are all in critical condition. Especially pray for those Emergency Response workers... many of them Volunteers that answer calls every day but could never be prepared for something like this. Russ talked to one of them yesterday and all he could say was, "Its bad... really bad."

Many of you have met Gina, to help you remember who she is, here is a picture of us while on vacation in Chicago.

Air travel... UGH

So, it is bad enough that we now have to pay for a second checked bag... then today American Airlines (which I travel the most) announced they will be charging for your FIRST checked bag too!! So, be prepared to pay $15 for your first bag and $25 for your second bag.

American Baggage Article

And It is not like we really have a choice but to check our first bag because we can't bring liquids on board! I guess I need to invest in TONS of 3 oz. bottles if a plan a trip over 2 days.

So, now we will all be fighting for the overhead storage since no one will want to pay for their baggage. I wonder if they will start charging for that space too? Won't that be fun!! I mean, heaven forbid that I need CLOTHES when I travel.

Good Grief!!!

My problems have been solved!!!

So, THIS is how you do it... it all comes together for me now!













Credit: Safe Baby Handling