Ever since I met Mike, I have heard about their annual (or bi-annual) family trip to St. Thomas. After three years, I finally got to go!!! It doesn't take much convincing for me to hop on a plane to a tropical island. Mike and I joined part of his family for 5 days in paradise.
The trip started off a little rocky as our flight got cancelled and we were put on an earlier flight (6 AM) and a later arrival. Somehow we managed and arrived in a rainy St. Thomas. I think it had been raining the few days before hand, but we only dealt with a day and a half of rain. Day 1 consisted of travel, eating, and a yummy dinner! We shared a fresh curry lobster straight out of the shell. The restaurant sat on the beach and we watched the waves crash against the rocks as we ate. That is my kind of eating!!!
Day 2 we celebrated Mother's Day! Church was really fun and I think the visitors doubled or tripled the local branch that day. As the mother's day tribute, all the women received a bag of chocolates and a plate full of chocolate covered strawberries! After church, we drove around the island to see the lay of the land and afterward I took a lovely nap. For dinner the men cooked us a beautiful and delicious surf &turf dinner: grilled steaks, grilled sea bass, baked potatoes, and broccoli. Oh my goodness, it was delicious!!!
Day 3: Beach, beach, and more beach! We went to Meagan's Bay first, which is known for it's beauty and super calm waters. Mike and I decided to try out Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) and fell in LOVE!!! It didn't take long to get the hang of it. The board is a very large surfboard which is actually pretty stable. It was so calm and relaxing to just be out on the water and paddling. We could chat and enjoy the view while we paddled. I kept my balance pretty well, and Mike did too, except for at the last moment when he was trying to get his mom's attention for a picture, he not so gracefully fell off! I was laughing so hard, I almost fell off!
We headed over to another beach to have some lunch and enjoy snorkeling. Mike and his family are way into snorkeling, so I put on my fins and snorkel and jumped in with them. In addition to snorkeling, we played on the beach and had fun with our water toy, "waboba". It's a ball that floats and skips on the water. Mike picked up a few more and 2 waboba gloves so we could play catch in the shallow waves. I love my beach time!!!
This man has been selling coconuts at this beach for years!
Day 4: St. John! We took the ferry over to St. John and explored that island for the day. We hit up a few beaches and did lots more snorkeling. The ferry ride over was fantastic with excellent views and we paid for a jeep taxi that drove around island on some crazy hilly, hair pinned turns. The roads in St. John are not for the faint of heart!
Day 5: Market Day: we drove into town to do some shopping and explore the outdoor market. Shopping isn't really my thing, but Mike insisted I get some earrings and bracelets. I guess I couldn't complain about that! The afternoon was spent at the pool and just hanging out around the resort.
Day 6: Mike and his Uncle headed out super early to play some golf, while I slept in, worked out, and enjoyed the beach at the hotel. Mike joined me after golf to spend our last hour at the beach and pool before packing up and heading home.
Note- the sky and ocean underneath the "welcome to paradise" sign is the real skyline
Last night in St. Thomas, dinner with Mike's mom, aunt, and uncle.
Yay for blogging! I loved this post and these pictures. What a fun trip!
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