Friday, November 27, 2015
Boys at the deer lease....the girls at home
Ben and Cash loaded up in the RV with my dad and Uncle Eddie and headed to the deer lease the weekend after Thanksgiving. Emma and I stayed home and enjoyed some quality time together. She got to sleep with me that weekend...which she loves!!!!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thanksgiving 2015
I say this every year but the holidays are my favorite time of year. Fall, Winter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas...I love them all. As you can see the tree was already up before Thanksgiving. I was actually going to wait until the day after this year but as usual I just couldn't wait. I have always been this way....even before kids...but the excitement is even more with our sweet kiddos.
This year it wasn't just my parents joining us but my Uncle Eddie and Elida joined us as well which was great!! We had all the usual Thanksgiving yumminess and it was just overall a great day spent with family!
At the end of the evening Josie and Joseph showed up as they always do for their month long visit with the kids...making sure they stay off the naughty list. Cash was a little more curious this year...well I say more curious...he asked me one question about our magical elf friends...but quickly chose to continue his belief....which we are beyond grateful for!
Arianna and I continued our annual Black Friday shopping date and headed out bright and early the day after Thanksgiving for all the big sales. This was our 3rd year to do the Black Friday shopping and while I think we really find no "big" sales to speak of I so enjoy our time....Starbucks, belly laughs, no makeup and just great girl time!!!!!
This year it wasn't just my parents joining us but my Uncle Eddie and Elida joined us as well which was great!! We had all the usual Thanksgiving yumminess and it was just overall a great day spent with family!
At the end of the evening Josie and Joseph showed up as they always do for their month long visit with the kids...making sure they stay off the naughty list. Cash was a little more curious this year...well I say more curious...he asked me one question about our magical elf friends...but quickly chose to continue his belief....which we are beyond grateful for!
Arianna and I continued our annual Black Friday shopping date and headed out bright and early the day after Thanksgiving for all the big sales. This was our 3rd year to do the Black Friday shopping and while I think we really find no "big" sales to speak of I so enjoy our time....Starbucks, belly laughs, no makeup and just great girl time!!!!!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
10 year anniversary - Cayman Islands
Ben and I decided that we wanted to take a nice trip together for our 10 year anniversary so the Cayman Islands here we come!!!
So many emotions come with 10 years.....and to think we started so quickly. We didn't know each other but knew we wanted to learn more....we wanted to experience what life had to offer....together. So....2 kids and 10 years later...here we are....healthy, loved, in love, best friends, successful, happy and good at driving each other crazy! I would say its pretty perfectly imperfect!
The Cayman Islands were GORGEOUS!!!! We had never seen water so blue! We spent quality time together that is hard to come by in our busy everyday lives.
We flew in mid afternoon, on our actual anniversary and the weather was gorgeous! The airport is small but when you are welcomed by island music and the absolutely amazing sea breeze...who cares! We took a taxi to the hotel and the taxi driver shared some fun facts about the island. We had some time to enjoy the hotel/beach a bit before our dinner ON THE BEACH! We had drinks in the bar, a little snack and then headed to our room. That evening we had a very romantic dinner on the beach. Literally on the beach...it was amazing. The water, the weather but most of all the company!
The next day we rode bikes....yes I tried that again. It wasn't a great experience in Mexico but I thought....what's the worst thing that can happen...I could fall off again....but I wasn't going to let that stop me. We rode to this little diner for breakfast. It was good! Then we headed to Camana Bay. It was a shopping center....with outdoor shops and a movie theatre! They had just started decorating for Christmas and were actually lighting the Camana Bay Christmas tree that evening! On our way back we passed by a Burger King and of all things running around outside...chickens. Yep chickens.....the true meaning of "free range".
Later in the afternoon we went on an adventure....to Stingray City...to swim with the stingrays. I typically would NEVER have done this but I knew I would regret it if I didn't. This outing also came highly recommended. We went out on this Catamaran and again the water was just so amazing. It was mesmerizing! Stingray City, as they call it, has been around for decades as the story goes....fisherman would clean their fish in that area and the stingrays would feed there. The stingrays, per the locals, associate the sound of boat engines with feeding time. So it became a tourist destination.
Once we got there I was almost speechless as the water is so blue!!!! We started at one spot which is where we would get in the water and swim with the stingrays and then we would end at another spot where they allowed us to snorkle. During the first stop they gave us the 101 on being in the water with the stingrays.....a what to do and what not to do. The small stingrays are the males and the large stingrays are the females. The males stay at the bottom of the ocean while the females stay at the top. The female are responsible for getting the food...hmmmm...why does this sound familiar. Although the male were tiny and the female big....so I will only assume that is because they are stronger. HA!
I was completely freaked out at first...and I think Ben was too a bit but he hid it better than me. The waves from the boats were so great that it was hard to keep our feet planted on the ocean floor in this so called "shallow water"..which is what they told us to do so we wouldn't accidentally step on one of the stingrays. No pressure. I did..in all my fear...end up giving one of the stingrays a big smooch and we got it on camera!
We headed to the last stop before returning back to land....and the waters were rough there as well. That didn't stop us from getting in though and taking in our surroundings. I only snorkeled for a bit as it was a little rough for me. There was a couple there with a toddler and they started to go in and quickly realized that was not a good idea for their little one. I couldn't imagine even taking Cash into that water. None the less it was still so beautiful and clear...and the fish gorgeous! I was ready to head back which felt like it took quite a while but the breeze was nice and I just laid on a bench all the way in (partially because I was sea sick)....just relaxing!
That evening we went to a sushi restaurant which was one of the recommendations. It was SO good. The taxi driver on the way there....not so good. Talk about mad at the world...she was.....Ben sort of made a joke out of it but I think at the end of the cab ride we got the message.....she was miserable. I notate this as it was hilarious. We walked to the beach when we got back and then headed to our room.....and ordered room service...yep room service. Sushi never fills us up but the pizza and burger we ordered did....until....we saw the mushrooms on Ben's turkey burger.
The 3rd day we had massages at the hotel spa (a very small spa...not a main point of interest at that hotel) and then we went back to Camana Bay and decided to see a movie! I voted to walk this time versus riding bikes! We saw Secrets In There Eyes! Great movie! Later that afternoon we wanted to head downtown to take in some of the local festivities and catch some of the Pirates festival! We jumped on a city bus...which was quite the adventure and were on our way. The Pirate festival is a big deal in the Cayman Islands and we saw locals and I would even guess some tourists dressed in their best pirate garb. They had boat races, music and a parade! We just walked around and even stopped for a drink and some, not so yummy, coconut shrimp. That evening for dinner we went to one of two restaurants recommended to us by friends/family. This was an Italian restaurant....Edoardo's. Very good!!!!!!
Our last day in paradise we spent on the beach. It was peaceful and gorgeous! We ate lunch outside and just soaked up the sun and the beautiful weather! That night we headed for one last evening out...and that was to The Wharf restaurant. It wasn't far from the hotel and driving up to it we were a little skeptical but wow...we walked to the back of the restaurant and saw breathtaking views of the ocean! We had a drink at the bar and then we were seated next to the water for what was a very enjoyable evening. An evening spent just taking in our surroundings...knowing it was our last night. We missed the kids terribly but knew we would miss those beautiful views and our time alone! During dinner we got to feed the HUGE tarpon that came right up to also enjoy their dinner! It was pretty cool!
The next morning came pretty quickly and we knew it was time to go home. We enjoyed breakfast and a quick walk up the street to ensure we had some souvenirs to bring the kiddos!
We got home that evening and our sweet Cash was already asleep but Emma was wide awake and waiting patiently for us to arrive! I was so excited to give her this cute stuffed sea turtle I picked out for her....was she impressed...NO. Ben gave her a couple of dinky bracelets we got her and she loved them...of course. HA!
It was good to be back and begin the holidays but we missed our time in the absolutely gorgeous Cayman Islands!
The skinny on a vacation in the Cayman Islands:
1. Hotel: We stayed at the Marriott on Seven Mile Beach. This area was the place to stay per several recommendations. Hotel choices for us were between the Ritz and the Marriott but there are others. I do think the Ritz was overall a nicer hotel from a decor perspective but not sure that justified the price difference. Customer service at the Marriott was fairly good. Nothing to write home about but just ok. Customer service is a huge deal to us so probably not some place we stay again but for more than just that.
2. Beach: Seven Mile Beach as noted is highly recommended and for a first time I would say stay in a hotel on Seven Mile Beach. This destination is very family friendly so if we went back we would take the kids but stay in a condo probably in a less crowded area of the beach. The beaches are crowded along the hotel row so chairs are literally lined up in rows. Meaning...there is not much privacy and you have to get out to the beach pretty early to get a chair. That said the water is wide open and at the Marriott they have these amazing water floats in the water to just completely relax in...and I did!
3. Food: Overall the food was great! I don't think we had one meal that we would classify as bad. Only once did I not like what we had and that was the coconut shrimp..but I will say while eating them the view of the ocean was great so that made up for it. The kicker in all this is no matter what there is an automatic 16% gratuity added to your bill regardless of where you are! That caught us off guard a bit. We are great tippers but if we get bad service we would like to have the choice as to whether or not we tip and how much. As noted above we would probably rent a condo if we went back and go to the grocery store and cook a lot of our meals. It would still be a great experience and I don't think we would miss out on anything doing this.
4. Best time to go: May-July for discounted hotel rates but mid/end of November to spring are the best times to go...the busiest but the best...weather is amazing. Lots of snowbirds head to the Cayman Islands during the winter. I think November was perfect. The weather is great all year (mid 80's except during Jan/Feb) and because of where the islands are located they don't get hit terribly hard by hurricanes.
5. Flights: When flying back we came through Miami and that was pretty crazy as "getting back in to the US" was very chaotic...long lines..lots of people. Of course we were also coming back Thanksgiving week so that probably added to some chaos. We flew into Charlotte on the way there and that would have been a good leg on the way back I think.
6. Transportation: I think it would be well worth it to rent a car. Cabs weren't super expensive and the city bus was a little strange as we didn't see the locals paying. Not sure if they had a bus pass or what the deal was but we paid just what we thought it would be...more of a tip I guess. Very strange...and I say city "bus" but what I really mean is city "van".
So many emotions come with 10 years.....and to think we started so quickly. We didn't know each other but knew we wanted to learn more....we wanted to experience what life had to offer....together. So....2 kids and 10 years later...here we are....healthy, loved, in love, best friends, successful, happy and good at driving each other crazy! I would say its pretty perfectly imperfect!
The Cayman Islands were GORGEOUS!!!! We had never seen water so blue! We spent quality time together that is hard to come by in our busy everyday lives.
We flew in mid afternoon, on our actual anniversary and the weather was gorgeous! The airport is small but when you are welcomed by island music and the absolutely amazing sea breeze...who cares! We took a taxi to the hotel and the taxi driver shared some fun facts about the island. We had some time to enjoy the hotel/beach a bit before our dinner ON THE BEACH! We had drinks in the bar, a little snack and then headed to our room. That evening we had a very romantic dinner on the beach. Literally on the beach...it was amazing. The water, the weather but most of all the company!
The next day we rode bikes....yes I tried that again. It wasn't a great experience in Mexico but I thought....what's the worst thing that can happen...I could fall off again....but I wasn't going to let that stop me. We rode to this little diner for breakfast. It was good! Then we headed to Camana Bay. It was a shopping center....with outdoor shops and a movie theatre! They had just started decorating for Christmas and were actually lighting the Camana Bay Christmas tree that evening! On our way back we passed by a Burger King and of all things running around outside...chickens. Yep chickens.....the true meaning of "free range".
Later in the afternoon we went on an adventure....to Stingray City...to swim with the stingrays. I typically would NEVER have done this but I knew I would regret it if I didn't. This outing also came highly recommended. We went out on this Catamaran and again the water was just so amazing. It was mesmerizing! Stingray City, as they call it, has been around for decades as the story goes....fisherman would clean their fish in that area and the stingrays would feed there. The stingrays, per the locals, associate the sound of boat engines with feeding time. So it became a tourist destination.
Once we got there I was almost speechless as the water is so blue!!!! We started at one spot which is where we would get in the water and swim with the stingrays and then we would end at another spot where they allowed us to snorkle. During the first stop they gave us the 101 on being in the water with the stingrays.....a what to do and what not to do. The small stingrays are the males and the large stingrays are the females. The males stay at the bottom of the ocean while the females stay at the top. The female are responsible for getting the food...hmmmm...why does this sound familiar. Although the male were tiny and the female big....so I will only assume that is because they are stronger. HA!
I was completely freaked out at first...and I think Ben was too a bit but he hid it better than me. The waves from the boats were so great that it was hard to keep our feet planted on the ocean floor in this so called "shallow water"..which is what they told us to do so we wouldn't accidentally step on one of the stingrays. No pressure. I did..in all my fear...end up giving one of the stingrays a big smooch and we got it on camera!
We headed to the last stop before returning back to land....and the waters were rough there as well. That didn't stop us from getting in though and taking in our surroundings. I only snorkeled for a bit as it was a little rough for me. There was a couple there with a toddler and they started to go in and quickly realized that was not a good idea for their little one. I couldn't imagine even taking Cash into that water. None the less it was still so beautiful and clear...and the fish gorgeous! I was ready to head back which felt like it took quite a while but the breeze was nice and I just laid on a bench all the way in (partially because I was sea sick)....just relaxing!
That evening we went to a sushi restaurant which was one of the recommendations. It was SO good. The taxi driver on the way there....not so good. Talk about mad at the world...she was.....Ben sort of made a joke out of it but I think at the end of the cab ride we got the message.....she was miserable. I notate this as it was hilarious. We walked to the beach when we got back and then headed to our room.....and ordered room service...yep room service. Sushi never fills us up but the pizza and burger we ordered did....until....we saw the mushrooms on Ben's turkey burger.
The 3rd day we had massages at the hotel spa (a very small spa...not a main point of interest at that hotel) and then we went back to Camana Bay and decided to see a movie! I voted to walk this time versus riding bikes! We saw Secrets In There Eyes! Great movie! Later that afternoon we wanted to head downtown to take in some of the local festivities and catch some of the Pirates festival! We jumped on a city bus...which was quite the adventure and were on our way. The Pirate festival is a big deal in the Cayman Islands and we saw locals and I would even guess some tourists dressed in their best pirate garb. They had boat races, music and a parade! We just walked around and even stopped for a drink and some, not so yummy, coconut shrimp. That evening for dinner we went to one of two restaurants recommended to us by friends/family. This was an Italian restaurant....Edoardo's. Very good!!!!!!
Our last day in paradise we spent on the beach. It was peaceful and gorgeous! We ate lunch outside and just soaked up the sun and the beautiful weather! That night we headed for one last evening out...and that was to The Wharf restaurant. It wasn't far from the hotel and driving up to it we were a little skeptical but wow...we walked to the back of the restaurant and saw breathtaking views of the ocean! We had a drink at the bar and then we were seated next to the water for what was a very enjoyable evening. An evening spent just taking in our surroundings...knowing it was our last night. We missed the kids terribly but knew we would miss those beautiful views and our time alone! During dinner we got to feed the HUGE tarpon that came right up to also enjoy their dinner! It was pretty cool!
The next morning came pretty quickly and we knew it was time to go home. We enjoyed breakfast and a quick walk up the street to ensure we had some souvenirs to bring the kiddos!
We got home that evening and our sweet Cash was already asleep but Emma was wide awake and waiting patiently for us to arrive! I was so excited to give her this cute stuffed sea turtle I picked out for her....was she impressed...NO. Ben gave her a couple of dinky bracelets we got her and she loved them...of course. HA!
It was good to be back and begin the holidays but we missed our time in the absolutely gorgeous Cayman Islands!
The skinny on a vacation in the Cayman Islands:
1. Hotel: We stayed at the Marriott on Seven Mile Beach. This area was the place to stay per several recommendations. Hotel choices for us were between the Ritz and the Marriott but there are others. I do think the Ritz was overall a nicer hotel from a decor perspective but not sure that justified the price difference. Customer service at the Marriott was fairly good. Nothing to write home about but just ok. Customer service is a huge deal to us so probably not some place we stay again but for more than just that.
2. Beach: Seven Mile Beach as noted is highly recommended and for a first time I would say stay in a hotel on Seven Mile Beach. This destination is very family friendly so if we went back we would take the kids but stay in a condo probably in a less crowded area of the beach. The beaches are crowded along the hotel row so chairs are literally lined up in rows. Meaning...there is not much privacy and you have to get out to the beach pretty early to get a chair. That said the water is wide open and at the Marriott they have these amazing water floats in the water to just completely relax in...and I did!
3. Food: Overall the food was great! I don't think we had one meal that we would classify as bad. Only once did I not like what we had and that was the coconut shrimp..but I will say while eating them the view of the ocean was great so that made up for it. The kicker in all this is no matter what there is an automatic 16% gratuity added to your bill regardless of where you are! That caught us off guard a bit. We are great tippers but if we get bad service we would like to have the choice as to whether or not we tip and how much. As noted above we would probably rent a condo if we went back and go to the grocery store and cook a lot of our meals. It would still be a great experience and I don't think we would miss out on anything doing this.
4. Best time to go: May-July for discounted hotel rates but mid/end of November to spring are the best times to go...the busiest but the best...weather is amazing. Lots of snowbirds head to the Cayman Islands during the winter. I think November was perfect. The weather is great all year (mid 80's except during Jan/Feb) and because of where the islands are located they don't get hit terribly hard by hurricanes.
5. Flights: When flying back we came through Miami and that was pretty crazy as "getting back in to the US" was very chaotic...long lines..lots of people. Of course we were also coming back Thanksgiving week so that probably added to some chaos. We flew into Charlotte on the way there and that would have been a good leg on the way back I think.
6. Transportation: I think it would be well worth it to rent a car. Cabs weren't super expensive and the city bus was a little strange as we didn't see the locals paying. Not sure if they had a bus pass or what the deal was but we paid just what we thought it would be...more of a tip I guess. Very strange...and I say city "bus" but what I really mean is city "van".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)