Honeymooners
It's absolutely crazy to think that we are already a quarter of the way through 2017! We hit the ground running in the new year and haven't really slowed down. One of the biggest and most exciting changes in 2017 has been welcoming Erica to Florida! Erica came out for Christmas and never went back. We have been trying to poach her for quite some time, knowing that she would be a great addition to TST Industries, to our family, and to Florida. Since I no longer work in the office, it's been such a relief knowing Erica is in there replacing some of my duties and taking on more than I was ever capable of. She has already proven to be a wonderful asset and we're so excited to see her grow with the company. Plus, it's just been really nice to have some more family around. She's been so great with Gracie and she's been going out and doing things, meeting people, and finding her way in this new place. It's been fun to watch her grow into it and I'm so proud of the progress she is making with such a huge life change! I think she's happy here thus far, but you'll have to ask her for details. :)
In late January, Bart and I were finally able to take our honeymoon! Thanks to Mom, Dad, and Erica being gracious enough to watch Gracie for a week, we were lucky enough to have 7 glorious days and nights to just be us again. We chose Curacao as our spot primarily because of its scuba reputation, but ended up only doing 3 dives and spending most of our time lounging on the gorgeous beaches and enjoying the marine life with our snorkels. The beaches were unlike any I had ever seen. Unique in landscape, the most perfectly clear turquoise water, and for the most part, very quiet! The first half of the trip we stayed on the northern side of the island which I had read was the more remote side, but we had no idea just how remote it would be! There were no grocery stores, very few restaurants, and no town within 20 miles or so. We spent the first day trying to figure out how people got food or coffee....or just sustained life! After speaking with some locals we learned that for staples, you go to "Toco's house" which was more or less a prison commissary. For a grocery store, you go to the other side of the island. For fresh fish, you go to the dock during the 3 times a day that the fishermen come in. Other than that, you can eat at one of the 2 "restaurants." Needless to say, we pretty much survived on bad coffee, eggs, beer, and leftover snacks from the plane during our stay on the north side. But we had the coolest little apartment right on the water with an absolutely gorgeous view. We enjoyed 2 dives that were slightly underwhelming based on what we were expecting, but still, you can't beat crystal clear, 83 degree water! There was plenty of life to see, but mostly fish. We were hoping for something a little grander, but I think we may be spoiled. :) Nonetheless, it was just nice to get to strap on some gear, walk out into the water, drop down, and swim with the fishes! Followed up with restful evenings in our cozy little apartment and plenty of beer and vodka, it was probably our favorite few days of the trip.
The second part of the trip we moved down to the southern side of the island. The upside to this location was FOOD! Our apartment was 5 minutes away from the only real, sizeable grocery store on the island so we had all the food we could need! The downside was that our apartment was a hole, there was significantly more tourism, and everything was just a little less relaxing. The irony was that our first apartment had a great little kitchen and a grill, but no food to cook. Our second apartment was next to all the food, but we only had a lukewarm mini fridge, a stove, and a pan. Ha! But we didn't let it ruin our trip. We just spent our days at the beaches slightly more north and soaked in some more sun, more diving, and definitely more beer. I think I can speak for us both in saying that the best part of the whole experience was just being with each other. It felt like 5 years ago when we would just travel, hang out, have long conversations about life and the future, drink cocktails, and turn every experience into an adventure. Whether it was scuba diving, finding food, wringing out sopping wet clothes from a half working washer, navigating mapless parts of the island, opening beer with no opener, finding flamingos, showering with flip flops, rationing towels, or just sitting and watching a sunset, everything was an adventure we were living together. Sometimes it's hard to find that in day to day life. I think what we took from our honeymoon is that we need more of that. We need to CREATE adventure every day, in the little things. It was a great reminder that there is still a Bart and Kimmy under all of this LIFE! I'm grateful we took our honeymoon a couple years into our marriage when we could really appreciate it. It's a bit like going to college when you're an adult. :) Thanks Mom, Dad, and Erica for making it possible for us! It's something we will never forget.
It was tough to leave Curacao but the silver lining was knowing we were going to get to see Gracie. We missed her SO much that week. It was the longest, by far, that I had been away from her and it began to feel like I was missing a limb! She, of course, didn't seem to care one bit that we were gone. She had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. Mom and Dad also stayed another week or so after we returned, so we had some nice time catching up with them, and they got to see how Erica was settling in. I think it's safe to say that a fun time was had by all! :)
Here are some photos from early January as well as our honeymoon!
In late January, Bart and I were finally able to take our honeymoon! Thanks to Mom, Dad, and Erica being gracious enough to watch Gracie for a week, we were lucky enough to have 7 glorious days and nights to just be us again. We chose Curacao as our spot primarily because of its scuba reputation, but ended up only doing 3 dives and spending most of our time lounging on the gorgeous beaches and enjoying the marine life with our snorkels. The beaches were unlike any I had ever seen. Unique in landscape, the most perfectly clear turquoise water, and for the most part, very quiet! The first half of the trip we stayed on the northern side of the island which I had read was the more remote side, but we had no idea just how remote it would be! There were no grocery stores, very few restaurants, and no town within 20 miles or so. We spent the first day trying to figure out how people got food or coffee....or just sustained life! After speaking with some locals we learned that for staples, you go to "Toco's house" which was more or less a prison commissary. For a grocery store, you go to the other side of the island. For fresh fish, you go to the dock during the 3 times a day that the fishermen come in. Other than that, you can eat at one of the 2 "restaurants." Needless to say, we pretty much survived on bad coffee, eggs, beer, and leftover snacks from the plane during our stay on the north side. But we had the coolest little apartment right on the water with an absolutely gorgeous view. We enjoyed 2 dives that were slightly underwhelming based on what we were expecting, but still, you can't beat crystal clear, 83 degree water! There was plenty of life to see, but mostly fish. We were hoping for something a little grander, but I think we may be spoiled. :) Nonetheless, it was just nice to get to strap on some gear, walk out into the water, drop down, and swim with the fishes! Followed up with restful evenings in our cozy little apartment and plenty of beer and vodka, it was probably our favorite few days of the trip.
The second part of the trip we moved down to the southern side of the island. The upside to this location was FOOD! Our apartment was 5 minutes away from the only real, sizeable grocery store on the island so we had all the food we could need! The downside was that our apartment was a hole, there was significantly more tourism, and everything was just a little less relaxing. The irony was that our first apartment had a great little kitchen and a grill, but no food to cook. Our second apartment was next to all the food, but we only had a lukewarm mini fridge, a stove, and a pan. Ha! But we didn't let it ruin our trip. We just spent our days at the beaches slightly more north and soaked in some more sun, more diving, and definitely more beer. I think I can speak for us both in saying that the best part of the whole experience was just being with each other. It felt like 5 years ago when we would just travel, hang out, have long conversations about life and the future, drink cocktails, and turn every experience into an adventure. Whether it was scuba diving, finding food, wringing out sopping wet clothes from a half working washer, navigating mapless parts of the island, opening beer with no opener, finding flamingos, showering with flip flops, rationing towels, or just sitting and watching a sunset, everything was an adventure we were living together. Sometimes it's hard to find that in day to day life. I think what we took from our honeymoon is that we need more of that. We need to CREATE adventure every day, in the little things. It was a great reminder that there is still a Bart and Kimmy under all of this LIFE! I'm grateful we took our honeymoon a couple years into our marriage when we could really appreciate it. It's a bit like going to college when you're an adult. :) Thanks Mom, Dad, and Erica for making it possible for us! It's something we will never forget.
It was tough to leave Curacao but the silver lining was knowing we were going to get to see Gracie. We missed her SO much that week. It was the longest, by far, that I had been away from her and it began to feel like I was missing a limb! She, of course, didn't seem to care one bit that we were gone. She had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. Mom and Dad also stayed another week or so after we returned, so we had some nice time catching up with them, and they got to see how Erica was settling in. I think it's safe to say that a fun time was had by all! :)
Here are some photos from early January as well as our honeymoon!
Gracie's First Dentist Appointment
Introducing Erica to some of my girlfriends!
"Wicked" at the Dr. Phillips Center. It was a horrible version of the show and we left at intermission. But still a fun night out!
Sisters doing a 5K!
Sunset view from our first apartment.
Daytime view from our first apartment.
Attempting to grill with real charcoal...
Failed at the charcoal which meant Bart got to have goat stew!
Our stray dog friend.
A sunset dip in front of our apartment.
We snorkeled out to this remote little rock off of one of the beaches. It wasn't all that far, but it felt like we were on our own private island. This was, by far, my favorite moment of our entire week.
Enjoying our last sunset on the northern side of the island.
Attempting to dry our clothes after the washer refused to spin cycle!
We drove quite a ways to the one "nice" restaurant on the northern side of the island. It was DELICIOUS!
Saying goodbye to our home!
A familiar sight in Curacao.
Our second apartment. Yeah.....
When there is nothing left to do but drink.
Our "ocean view" apartment was really more of a "soccer field full of goats view."
One of the few redeeming things about our second apartment was this hammock!
Flamingos!!!! I was SO excited about this! I'm embarrassed to admit that I kinda thought these things were science fiction. Ha!
Our final dinner in Curacao.
Enjoying our last morning at the beach before catching our flight.
Some pictures of Gracie's vacation from Mom and Dad...
Skyping with Mom and Dad. She didn't care.
Working off all that beer!
A welcome home cheers!
A beautiful joyfilled blog. I laughed, I cried - thanks for sharing your happiness. The pictures are wonderful - especially the pictures of you and Bart at your last dinner. Barts happy smiling face says it all :)
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