I can't believe how much we've gotten to see and do in Miami in a short time. This afternoon, we met up with Andrew's cousin, Megan, for lunch at an Indian restaurant in downtown Miami. The food wasn't the best I've had (bharta is my favorite food, but theirs wasn't anything spectacular), but the company was the best. We enjoyed our meal together and then took a stroll north in search of a coffee shop. We found a cafe around 23rd and each ordered a coffee. We sat outside, sipping our drinks, sharing stories, when two black labs darted across the busy downtown streets toward us! The shop keeper came out and called them over. He started petting them, and they seem friendly, but then they tried to run back out into the street again. Drivers ... read more

Stasa mentioned a fun but touristy activity for us to do while in Miami--an airboat tour. I really had no idea what it was about. She'd mentioned it was through "the everglades," but I honestly didn't even know what the Everglades were. We made the short drive in and chose an airboat tour location at random. The one we picked was called Gator Park, and it had an Indian Outpost souvenir shop. We forked over $24 each (wowza! Grab some brochures that have coupons from your hotel if you go), and then hopped in a boat with a dozen other tourists. Our tour guide steared the boat from a seat on a perch above us. He was filled with information and easily pointed out turtles, birds and alligators to us. We learned a bit about the ... read more

I can't believe it's our last day in the Virgin Islands. Our trip has passed so quickly! To think, we'll be navigating through the ice and snow before the end of the day. Andy, Erin and Julie are already at the airport (it was a little challenging for them to get there, as a private plane crashed into the fence by our hotel as it was taxing around the airport); they're flying to Puerto Rico and then Chicago for their layovers. Andrew and I decided to enjoy a kayak trip out in the bay together before taking off for the airport. As soon as Oliver went down for his nap, we left him with Grandma Judy & Grandpa Larry and headed out for our last day in the sun. Kayaking was relaxing and fun. I did ... read more

We spent a lazy morning playing in the sand at the beach. When Oliver napped, Andrew swam and I read. We followed up our lazy morning with a busy afternoon downtown. Cabs (again, vans) stay parked in the hotel parking lot. They easily hold our group, so we made the short (5-10 minute) ride to Blackbeard's Castle with ease. I'd read online that the castle is frequently closed; it's really only open when cruise ships are docked. We were lucky today, though, because they were open when we arrived, and we started out the only visitors (more came later). Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was a pirate made legendary by his crazy antics. Apparently, he was a large man (6'3", 230 pounds), especially for his time (early 18th century), and he had a full, black beard that he ... read more

My parents, Andrew, Oliver and I woke at 3am MST in Denver to start our journey for Saint Thomas. The first leg of our trip took us to Chicago, where we met with my brother and sister, Andy and Julie, and my sister-in-law, Erin. The eight of us flew to Miami and then down south for another couple hours to Saint Thomas. After fourteen hours of travel with a fourteen month old, I landed feeling more stressed than anything else (not that Oliver did poorly; in fact, he was incredible. It was exhausting, though). Still, it was difficult not to feel the relaxing nature of vacation when we disembarked the plane (outside) and stepped into 73 degree, humid air. We strolled over to baggage claim where a man was handing out shots of pinapple rum. Andrew ... read more