5 Year Trip - Part 2

My husband isn't really one who loves to just "lay out" on the beach all day like I can.  

He gets a bit antsy.  So, one day he planned something for us.  I was just along for the ride.

It turned out to be great and quite an adventure.    

We rented a jeep for the day.  Got a map, found 3 places on the island we wanted to go visit (we only ended up making it to 2), and we were off!  I wish I had a picture of the map because it wasn't super helpful.  Lets be honest, I haven't used a map lots (considering our phones and the internet tell us how to get anywhere), but I can use them.  However, this wasn't your typical map.  It looked more like roads on a board game with pictures of traffic lights, stop signs, and landmarks to get you places.  At times, the board game map made it easier and at times made no sense at all. 

Oh yea, and we (John) drove on the wrong side of the road.  Steering wheel on the right too.  

We were doing great, cruising along the coast for about 30 mins.  All of a sudden, we realized our last turn didn't seem right as the road was quickly becoming dirt and rocks.  But, when we made that turn we were also now behind another jeep that we were not previously following.  The jeep in front stops and the guy gets out of the car and comes to ask us where we are headed.  I think he immediately knew we didn't know where we were headed.    

We tell him English Harbor and he quickly says, "No, no follow me."  He points up to an antenna on the highest peak of a mountain I can see and says, "That is where I am headed."  John was in heaven at this point.  One of his favorite things about traveling is meeting locals and going where locals like to go.  So, I didn't even have to ask if we were going to follow this guy or not. 

Turns out he was right.  Following him was worth it and the view was incredible.  Behind us and down below in this pic was English Harbor (where we were trying to go originally).  

Our new local friend then gave us some good directions and sent us to this spot to eat lunch on our way to the beach for the afternoon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon here, at Half Moon Bay.  There used to be a resort here, but it was washed away in a hurricane many years ago.  Now, it is deserted, but is considered a great public beach spot. The whole day was perfect for cruising the island, hanging out at the beach and discovering other new places and people.        

I really cannot put into words or pictures how much fun we had on this trip.  It always comes and goes too quickly.  We are so grateful for the time and opportunity to be able to do something so special. 

Now, we cannot wait for our 10 year trip!  

5 Year Trip - Part 1

If you know us or have read this blog for a while, then you know we love to travel.  Pretty much anywhere too.  We also love surprises and we like to celebrate special occasions.

We traveled a lot our first couple years of marriage.  One of those trips being a ski trip for our 1st anniversary.  On that trip, we came up with this idea.  We decided we wanted to take a big trip every 5 years of marriage.  We could do something smaller scale on the other years, but if possible, try to take several days to getaway and go to a place we have never been on the bigger years.  We also alternate who plans our anniversary celebration each year.  That way we can each take turns planning and surprising the other.  So, John plans the even years and I plan the odd years.      

Well,  last February was our 5 year anniversary.  My year to plan our first big trip!

We decided to do our trip in the summer because Annie was only two months old in February. 

So, a few weeks ago we spent 6 days in paradise at CoCo Bay.  CoCo Bay is in Antigua and it was exactly what we wanted for this trip.  We like small places that are not huge touristy resorts with tons of people.  There were probably only 45 or so people at CoCo Bay and mostly European.  

We love to travel with people from all over.  

It was a little harder to take this trip than I expected.  I know you are thinking, "how hard can it be to go vacation on an island for 6 days?"  Logistically, it was crazy preparing to leave the country and have everything taken care of for the girls for a week.  We leave our girls fairly often for weddings and others events, but this was different.  It was the longest trip and farthest and we didn't talk to them once except a few picture texts every couple days.   

Even though we missed the girls like crazy, it was so good.  

Good for me, for John, our kids, and most importantly, our marriage.  

No tv, no internet, no phones.  We each read 2 books, spent long days at the beach and poolside watching the sunset with absolutely no agenda and no idea what was happening anywhere in the world.   

The weather was great which is always a bonus when you risk traveling at the end of hurricane season.  I didn't prepare or clean up one meal for a week.  We were spoiled on homemade omelets and fresh fish everyday.     

I celebrated my 28th birthday while we were there as well.  And besides not seeing my girls, there was really nothing more I could have asked for that day.  

Since we were there  5 nights, each night at dinner we reminisced a year of our marriage starting with 2007.  A bit cheesy, yes, but it was something we really enjoyed.  It always brings us to a great place of perspective.  Showing us more gratefulness and blessings than we could imagine.  A look back at hard times where we didn't understand the Lord's purpose or plan in the moment, but now we can looking back.  

We stayed at CoCo Bay everyday, but one.  A few pics from that day to come in the next post.  

February

February has been a busy month around here.

John and C had a daddy-daughter date night at Chick-Fil-A.

As if we didn't already love this place enough?!   

John and I had a "mini celebration" for our 5 year anniversary on the 17th.  This is still crazy to me.  We hope to take a small getaway in a few months once I stop nursing. 

Little Annie is growing and changing everyday!  She is now 10 weeks old.  

2 month posts and stats to come soon.

Caroline's beloved Ducky celebrated a birthday on Feb. 10.  I had no idea it was his b'day until I woke her up that morning and she said, "Mommy, today is Ducky's birthday!"  I asked her how she wanted to celebrate and she said, "with cake and a birthday hat!" 

Incase you were curious, Ducky is now "Two years old , just like me, Mommy!" Well, of course.

Conveniently, someone brought us some cupcakes that day, so when John got home from work, we had a little birthday party.  It was a priceless memory to see Caroline's excitement from it all. 

She has a great imagination and knows how to get some cake!  

Valentine party at school

Looking through our Valentine cards from friends.

First trip to the circus! More pics to come on this one.  

We have also just spent a weekend in the mountains with the triplets!  

Much more to come!

Nashville and Auburn

A few weeks ago Caroline and I headed to Nashville for a girls weekend with Mary Brantley and Erin. It is safe to say C partied hard with the girls and was completely exhausted by Sunday. Totally worth it though! It is such a blessing to me having wonderful friends not only love me, but love my child just as much.

Afternoon in the park wearing Aunt E's glasses

Dinner and live band...

turned into dance party.

Up way too late!

And last week, JP and I finally got our weekend away. We wanted quality time together, to sleep in Saturday morning and eat good food. JP planned a weekend for us in Auburn. I know you are all shocked I would love a weekend in Auburn! Besides going to football games, we have not been back to Auburn since I was in school and we were dating. We have so many great memories in this little town. We hit up Big Blue, Amsterdam's, J&M, a jog through campus, afternoon naps, and a little shopping. Simple. Low-key. Perfect.

Finished!

2 years of MBA classes, tests, and projects are over for this guy. You think he is pretty happy?! Now onto 5 weeks of freedom before work starts. We are making a list of things we want to do to take advantage of this "vacation." We figured John will most likely never have this much time off again. Will post the list soon!

Valentine's

John and I both think Valentine's day can be pretty cheesy- a fun excuse to celebrate though! This morning we somehow started recapping some Valentine's days in the past. It was crazy to see how much our lives have changed over the last 5 six years and the different stages of life we were in each year. So, here it goes:

2005:
-I am studying abroad in Italy
-We have only been dating 8 months
-John sends me these roses
-I love that he sent yellow and not red...made it seem a little less Valentiney (I'm sure that is not a word)
-I am on cloud nine that this boy got in touch with a florist in the tiny town of Ariccia, Italy

2006:
-I am a junior at Auburn and come up to Atlanta early and surprise John at breakfast
-That night he cooks me dinner
-He gave me a pair of running shoes and decorated/wrapped this shoebox. It's "bless your heart" sweet, isn't it? :)

2007:
-3 days before our wedding
-We are in Birmingham
-We go to brunch together before going to get our marriage license and starting the wedding weekend

2008:
-First married Valentine's
-We went on a trip for our 1 year anniversary
-So we go to Maggiano's for a free dinner (gift card from Xmas)

2009:
-John is in grad school and studies all day
-We grab pizza for dinner
-Go to a Robert Earl Keen concert with Mark and Kristen
-I tell John, "I think I'm pregnant!"

2010:
-brunch with the little munchkin!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Here to Stay

John has officially accepted a job in Atlanta after he graduates from his MBA program in May! We have not mentioned this on the blog, but he was offered a position with JnJ from his summer internship, but that job would have been in New Jersey. He has spent this fall interviewing at many companies. I am so proud of him as he was offered several jobs as a result of all the interviewing. This has been a very good season for us to really pray about the next step in our lives and for John's career. John will be working with a consulting firm here. He is so thrilled and very passionate to begin pursuing this upon graduation. Atlanta is where is the Lord has us right now and we are excited to continue investing in this wonderful city we call home!

Vacation

We had the best vacation at the beach last week.  John and I spent 8 days down in Seagrove and had gorgeous weather.  It rained one day, but it was actually a nice break from the sun.  We were able to eat at some of our favorite restaurants too: Red Bar, Old Florida Fish House, Back Porch, and Cafe Thirty-A.  My mom had also given me a great, Paula Dean recipe for a low-country boil. So, we did that one night and it turned out great! I would highly recommend it for the beach or even just at home. Needless to say, we ate very well. :) We also had a wonderful time reading for hours on the beach, taking naps, walking on the beach or through the towns on 30A, and biking in Seaside and Watercolor.  

On the day it rained, we took a trip to the outlets in Destin.  Someone told me there was a good maternity store there and you could get the clothes for really discounted prices.  Well, sure enough we did find the store and it was one the most strange and hilarious experiences ever.  I had never walked a foot into a maternity anything and knew nothing of how to tell if these clothes will fit when I actually need to wear them.  Well, if you were like me, do not worry anymore.  The stores have it all figured out for you!  I grab some tops and and a couple dresses and take them to the dressing room to try on.  I do not know how I was expecting to see if these fit since I do not have a baby bump yet, but I go back there anyway.  As I walk in the room, I notice this round pillow shape object hanging from the side of the wall.  As I get a closer look I see the strap is velcro.  Surely this is not what I think it is and I am about to have to try on this pretend baby belly! If you need a mental picture, remember Full House (yes, the TV show) when Becky makes Uncle Jesse where a belly to try to understand what Becky is carrying everyday for 9 months - that is precisely what is in the dressing room.  Regardless of how ridiculous I felt, it was very practical and helpful.  I would have been clueless otherwise! So, with the help of the belly, it was a successful trip.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.  Sadly, I did not have a camera in the maternity store.  

..................................................................................

On the way home from the beach Saturday we stopped in Auburn for Matt's graduation.  Matt went to Vanderbilt undergrad, but has also always wanted an Auburn degree.  Over the last two years he has been in Auburn's cross-country executive MBA program.  We had a fun time getting to celebrate his graduation and Mother's day with my mom a day early.

We also got to be with the English's as Lindsey was graduating Saturday as well.  The English's have always been like a second family to me and Lindsey and Anna like little sisters.

After a long day of driving and then stopping in Auburn, we got back to Atlanta pretty late Saturday night.  We quickly unpacked John's things and repacked them as he left Sunday morning for Philadelphia.  Monday was his first day of work at Johnson & Johnson.  He is loving it so far.  More updates to come on that later!       

School's Out!

It was a tradition in my house growing up to have your picture taken on the first day of school. So, of course, I took John's picture back in August on his first day. I think I would like to take pictures of my kids on the first and last day of school. The last is so much more exciting. Today is John's last day of school for his first year in the MBA program. I forgot to take his picture this morning though, so maybe I can get one tonight after his last exam. In the meantime, I couldn't help but post this precious photo of him from preschool. This "3 year old" expression perfectly captures John's excitement this morning as he flew out the door joyfully singing. :) Whether it is St. Anne's day school or graduate school, the last day of school and the onset of summer is fun no matter what age or stage in life.

I love John's joy in life and determination to go and conquer the world learning and in business. He has worked so hard this year and it has paid off. He is thrilled about his internship with J&J for the summer and I am so proud of him.

Happy Summer!

P.S. I know John and I will be thrilled for a healthy baby girl or boy come October. However, I would secretly love to one day have a little boy that looks just like this one and giggles at me when I take his picture for preschool.