Toward the end of September we had the pleasure of leaving Lexington for a Caribbean weekend getaway to celebrate the nuptials of Sarah's brother Zac and his bride Brandi. The flights went well and within an hour of reaching our hotel the girls were already checking out one of the three pools on site. As you can see, the view was pretty amazing.
Here is the happy couple poolside on our first day. It just so happened that they flew with us on the same plane from Atlanta to St. Thomas, so right from the beginning we got to hang out together. We have to say that they seemed remarkably relaxed for two people who were about to have a wedding planned sight unseen. But Brandi had a vision and thought of every detail. Our goal was just to enjoy the whole experience and pitch in where we could.
Grammy Gayle arrived about five hours after us and was just as quick to hit the pools as we were. Not only did this pool have a fantastic view, but it also had a swim up bar which made it that much more enjoyable for all of the adults. Another fun pool activity that everyone seemed to enjoy was watching the rather large iguanas that hung out poolside. They were everywhere we went and you just had to get used to their presence.
A short walk from our part of the resort was a beautiful beach where the resort had rafts, snorkels, and other water toys to enhance your time in the wonderfully warm water. Of course, who needs those toys when you can just hold hands and jump around.
Saturday night we all got into a couple of taxis and headed into the town of Red Hook for the rehearsal dinner. The food was tasty, but the company was even better. As usual, Reese and Callie could not get enough of their cousin Keith. And as usual, Keith was incredibly sweet with the girls. All in all it was a great night.
And then came the day that brought us all to the wonderful island of St. Thomas. As we got out of our taxis and walked onto a small beach we saw the catamaran that would be our home for the day. The photographer took some shots of the happy couple and then we boarded a small zodiac in groups of five to make our way to the Daydreamer.
The wedding was going to be the first order of business, so everyone was dressed properly for the occasion. Keith had his island finest on, and Mary Margaret knew how to stand out among all of the tropical flowers. It was a pretty amazing experience just to spend the day cruising around the islands and taking in all of the sights. At two different points we even saw sea turtles swimming along side the boat.
For better or worse, Callie and Reese appeared to slide quite comfortably into the catamaran lifestyle. Especially one that served cocktails and appetizers from the moment we stepped on board. And of course when Keith's wife Catelyn and Grammy Gayle are a part of the package the day can't get much better.
Rather than getting married on the boat, Zac and Brandi spotted a private island that we were able to access because the currents were in our favor. An interesting fact about St. Thomas - all beaches are public property. So into the zodiac we went, and before we knew it, we had Mr. and Mrs. Lucas! Keith and Brandi's son EJ stood up for their parents in a very touching ceremony.
Callie and Reese, as well as Brandi's niece, Caroline, were flower girls for the wedding and got their own special photograph. The girls enjoyed having Caroline as a playmate for the weekend, and Caroline was very excited to have two other girls to play with. All three of them got along extremely well. We anticipate this being a threesome that will get together for many holidays in the future.
One of the great aspects of Zac and Brandi's relationship is how quickly their sons have become friends. It is also clear to us how much EJ appreciates having Zac in his life. This picture captures it all and certainly could not have been left out.
As soon as the official business was completed, it was time to ditch the formal wear for the bathing suits so we could hit the water. This was the first snorkeling experience for the girls and although they were a little reluctant at first they quickly got the hang of it. John is not pictured here, not because he didn't snorkel, but because the experience was lost on the guy who couldn't wear his glasses under the mask and therefore could not see a damn thing other than little flashes of color every now and then. So sad.
After a little snorkeling it was time to have lunch and then cut the wedding cake. The whole experience went smoothly and the three-person crew of the Daydreamer took care of our every need. They even were quick to show Brandi and Zac the hose on deck when the cutting of the cake ended with smeared icing and cake all over the bride and groom.
This picture here demonstrates the day in a nutshell. The sky was blue, the water was gorgeous, the drinks were tasty, and we were soaking it all in wondering if we should ever leave. So we have to thank Zac and Brandi for coordinating such a fun adventure. And if we are lucky they'll invite us back when they rent the Daydreamer for their 10th anniversary.
Just in case you were wondering what the view was like from the other side of the hotel, we offer this picture. We captured this right before we headed back to Red Hook for some pizza and beer to cap off the day at sea. Hopefully pictures like these will remind the girls in the future how lucky they have been to see places like this.
On our last full day in St. Thomas we went in opposite directions. John joined Zac, Brian, Keith, EJ, and Mike on a chartered deep sea fishing adventure. The trip was successful in that everyone caught at least one fish. We had particular success catching barracudas like the one Zac is holding up after reeling it in. Pretty impressive to say the least.
Sarah and the girls visited the town of Charlotte Amalie, which was a short ferry ride from the resort. The ferry ride was made more exciting when both Reese and Callie got an opportunity to drive the boat. They spent several hours walking around the downtown area, eating island treats and checking out some of the town's history. Eventually they were able to meet up with the rest of the girls for lunch as well.
But of course, every day always ended up back at the pool. Keith and Reese worked for a while to perfect their form as the sun set in the distance. We absolutely love this picture for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it shows Reese's fearlessness and joy while also demonstrating how good Keith is with his much younger cousins. The view behind them isn't that bad either.
And just in case we got left out we managed to take a selfie or two in the pool as well. On a side note, one of the biggest successes of the whole trip was that all four of us avoided getting sunburned during out entire time there, and as you can see we spent a lot of time in the sun. It's one small sign that we are getting a handle on this parenting thing.
Our last night on the island we took advantage of one more adventure, which was night kayaking in the small bay near the resort. The kayaks had LED lights on their see through bottoms that allowed us to see the fish and other sea life that we passed over. This included Shelly, the sea turtle who has made her home in the bay. We also saw several sting rays and barracudas. It was a very fun family outing.
Fortunately we were smart enough to book a departing flight that did not leave until the early afternoon, which meant we could spend the morning at the beach. So we packed in another ocean experience with Zac, Keith, and Catelyn before we had to head back to reality.
Reality hit us pretty quickly in Atlanta when we realized we had not been very diligent about making the girls (especially Callie) finish the homework she had been assigned to make up for work missed while we were gone. So this is how our trip to paradise came to and end, with math equations and sight words in the airport. Maybe we still have some work to do on this parenting thing.
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