Thursday, September 18, 2008

St. Thomas- Looking back

Please forgive me as I continue to post about this never-ending vacation.
People have asked me whether two weeks is too long in paradise. Uh, no wayyy! The only way it has been too long is that we miss Jupiter.
I am beginning to be anxious about things that will be awaiting me when I get home. I will have exactly 7 days to put together a "7 year old Science party" for 13 boys.
Due to stipulations with using frequent flyer miles, Hubby and the kids are flying out early tomorrow morning. I will be staying here until Saturday by myself. On one hand I am thrilled to have a day and a night to myself. But the bigger part of me is freaked out to say goodbye (what if?) and how much I will miss them for more than 24 hours.
Please pray that our seperate return travel will be safe.
~here are some "behind the scenes" memories that I do not want to forget soon~
  • Wii Super Mario Kart - every afternoon we have cup challenges. I finally made it to the platform (twice).
  • Watching chick flicks everynight while laying in bed ( wow, what partiers we are!)- we don't have a tv in our bedroom at home so it has been fun. Here are all the movies I've watched- Music & Lyrics, Because I Said So, The Wedding Date, Pretty Woman, Failure To Launch
  • I have read four books in two weeks. 1. Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot- good, lots of cussing, my first mystery. 2. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot- same as above. But the romance had me hooked. 3. Big Boned by Meg Cabot- same as above. Perfect for beach reading. 4. The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber- Basically a modern-day version of Danielle Steel, but it was utterly "clean" and entertaining.
  • The water slide here at the hotel.
  • The icky grocery stores here.
  • Going to church here. Wow, what a great experience. It took us a while to even find our church here on the island. I am so glad we did. It was a humbling experience to see how service oriented the members are here. It is a small branch, but very humble people who want to serve eachother. I learned a lot from their example.
  • Driving . Even though I did not drive, hubby did, it was very entertaining. He was fine with driving on the left side. What he was not fine with was the lack of road signs. It was tricky to figure out how to get around on the first couple of days. Now we have it down, the island is only 13 miles long and 5 miles wide.
  • Our friends from Wisconsin- We met a great family our first week here. They had four kids so our kids were never bored. We did a lot with them and had a really great time. We hope to keep in tough through email and Christmas cards.
  • Jet skiing- no pictures sadly. But we were out in the middle of the ocean, between St. Thomas and St. John, going 45 mph with D and E hanging on for dear life. Soooo fun!
  • Watching the cruise ships- We will never get tired of watching the ships go in and out right before our eyes.
  • To date, we have only eaten out 5 times! Why is cooking in the hotel so much more fun than at home? Doing laundry is more fun here too! Wierd!

You can tell, this has been a great trip. So much, in fact, that we are planning on coming back. Anyone want to join us????

7 comments:

tammy said...

Count me in!!! I would love an extra day in paradise without the fam. Lovely!!! Take a deep breath and think positive!!! Everything will be fine!!!

Jan said...

I would have loved to have gone to church in that place. It is always such a great experience to go somewhere more humble. I love it.

So glad you had some read time.

Unknown said...

Jen, this sounds so amazing... and yes, I will pray for you guys to all be safe as you travel separately. Enjoy the alone time in paradise (but I totally get your mixed feelings).

Can't wait to see you! Every time I drive by your house I've been looking for signs of return :)

xo

Silcox Stories said...

Actually after showing Jeremy pictures from your first vacation post, he asks every night to see the updates and we are planning on going next December!

You will have safe travels home!

Jennie

blueladybug said...

Wow, sounds like you had an awesome time! I love 2 week vacations because it takes a week to really relax. I will pray you all will have a safe return. Enjoy the last couple days of your vacation!

Cheryl said...

I'm In!!! I totally want to go! I'm glad you got to read all 3 of those books. I'll have to get some suggestions from you for my 2 week trip in Nov. Oh C is sooo excited for D's party, it's all he's been talking about.

blueladybug said...

Thanks again for the wonderful suggestions on books. T & I went to the library last week while S was at her tutor and I happened to see Size 12 is not Fat. I'm hooked on this book. You can sure pick good books. Thanks so much!!