{Grand Turk}

Grand Turk was a pretty limited place as far as excursions or adventures to do.  Grant and Marie had gone here last year and recommended just staying on the beach for this stop.  It was nice because you could get off the ship and just walk to an amazing beach (and if you were willing to walk down the shore a ways the crowds got thinner and thinner - fun fact - vast majority of people on cruises aren't willing to walk far!)

Here is a view of Grand Turk as we were docking.  The stretch or beach we went to is just beyond that long dock you can see in the picture.  It was a beautiful day - we soaked in all the sun our South Dakota winter bodies could handle!

This was the only stop all four of us got off the boat together for.  We decided that both the boys would love to play on the beach and it wouldn't be too crazy to get there!

Julie and I walked along the shore and found giant conch shells (like the amazing kind you have to pay 20 bucks for).  It was the BEST seashell hunting beach I have ever been on!  Grace was in heaven. She took all the shells home with her :)

Isaac with Aunt Julie on the hunt for shells (we had to use the bag to keep them in there were too many to carry!)

Calvin the master sand architect.  He loved digging and building sand castles!

This was an amazing shot of a shipwreck near where we were sea shell hunting.  

Heading back to the ship after a day of beach fun!

Adios, Grand Turk!  Thanks for the fun beach day!

{Puerto Rico}

Puerto Rico... what to say about Puerto Rico... 

This port was one of my all time favorites.  Mike and I did a bus tour and didn't venture far from San Juan.  

We both decided that one day we want to travel back here just to explore - the sights, culture, food... everything was fantastic.  It was also interesting to hear about some of the local politics as well as recovery from Hurricane Maria.  Several months have elapsed since they were hit by the hurricane and there are STILL parts of the island without power. 

Here are some of the places we glimpsed on our tour.  

The cobblestone streets and brightly colored houses seemed like something out of a magazine.  It was really fun to walk through them.  We had to get back to the ship to pick up the kids from the childcare .. since Mike let me galavant around St. Thomas with my sister and stayed in as designated parent I did the same for him in Puerto Rico.  He got some more awesome shots of the cute little streets and did some exploring of an old war fort that was there. 

Isn't it dreamy?

Mike thinks I'm obsessed because Puerto Rico is the homeland of my favorite broadway writer/actor Lin Manuel Miranda (it's true I am obsessed with Lin's work) BUT this is not the case! 

Puerto Rico is pretty amazing all on it's own. 

The last few shots are as we are leaving the island.

Until next time, Puerto Rico!  We'll be back!

{St. Thomas}

Why is it that it seems to be taking ages to document this trip?  The pace of life has gotten a little crazy lately & I seem to have fallen behind!  When I thought about updating my blog/journal I realized the last time I made an entry was our vacation... It made me a little bit excited to get on and add some more because looking back at our trip pictures is almost as sweet as experiencing the wonderful adventure the first time!

I guess I'll just dive right in...

Our second port was St. Thomas.  This was probably the least exciting stop for us (but turned out to be one of my favorite days) just because we had been there the year before and we weren't crazy about it.  In the end we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the massive pool / waterslides while the masses were off exploring.  

Here is a cool shot of the water park on our ship!  The boys loved it.

Jana and the boys met us for our water shenanigans.

Calvin looks up to his older cousins so much.  I will be one lucky mama if he turns out to be as good a young man as these dudes are!

I call this one "the hair" 

Collin's face is noteworthy in this one!

The boys both enjoyed this little waterslide that seemed to be just their speed (maybe a little too quick for Wesley judging by the look on his face)

There was a photographer there who ended up capturing one of my favorite family pictures from the entire trip!

(this one is my favorite)

A few other ones we got of the boys playing and enjoying every second - 

Here is Wesley trying to charm one of the workers

He loved running along the benches - that little boy has an affinity for running!

Calvin and Daddy

No trip to the pool would be complete without getting ice cream afterwards.  We got our moneys worth just by the soft serve ice cream the boat served!

Mike volunteered to stay on board with Calvin and Wesley while they napped and Jana, the boys and I decided to get off and walk around the shopping area in St. Thomas.  We enjoyed the little shops.  They caught us on the way out and made us pose with the sailors -

When we were getting back on the ship we ran into the rest of the family who were on the return trip from a beach!  It was a little rainy and we were all having fun and laughing.  I loved this little dance party moment that Carter and I got to have - what a cool kid!

Here is a shot we managed to get as we pulled into St. Thomas -

And as the sun was setting & our ship left the island here was our family picture - 

I also find it noteworthy - whilst the family was off galavanting on St Thomas I entered the boggle tournament and took first place. 

This was Paul, the only other person who entered who had never played boggle in his life.  Real competitive :) anyway I was pleased to participate in a boggle tournament regardless and may or may not have exaggerated the number of participants to my family later that night!

St. Thomas was a great day!