Our Getaway!

Dave & I were able to have a fantastic getaway 2 weeks ago!  We were hoping to squeeze in a vacation before we could possibly have an adoption match.  It was hard to leave Isaac for so many nights, since we've only left him for a weekend a few different times.    But, our pastor frequently talks about how vital it is for your marriage to go on vacation as a couple, and we couldn't agree more!  Getting away with just each other was SO much fun and so refreshing for our marriage.

We flew into Miami on Sunday night and stayed in South Beach.  After a crazy cab ride from the airport to our hotel, we ate dinner at the Clevelander right on Ocean Drive.  South Beach really is just as beautiful as everyone says! 





Key West

Our first stop was at Key West. We'd been there one other time, though we both thought it seemed much nicer than our last visit. We were only off of the ship for about an hour--just long enough to eat some frozen, chocolate-covered key lime pie! YUM!

 
 
 
 
 
 

Our favorite day was in Nassau.  I had been there 9 years ago when the Taylor Sounds toured there over spring break.  During that visit, we performed at both Atlantis and many churches around the island & also spent a day volunteering at an orphanage.  One of the churches we performed at during that trip was Trinity Methodist Church.  Dave & I found it downtown on this trip, too.

My driver for the afternoon :)

As soon as we got off the ship in Nassau, we were swarmed by guys working for a company that rented mopeds. Dave asked one of the guys what the rate was for an afternoon, and the guys said, "Curiosity killed the cat...I'll have you two on a bike within 10 minutes." :)  He was right, and it was a blast!  The only nerve-wracking time was when a dump truck full of Bahamians drove by us yelling "Left, left!--Dave realized he was driving on the wrong side of the road!  We spent the afternoon riding all over the western half of the island.  The views were gorgeous along the coast!

We also rode across the bridge to Paradise Island to check out Atlantis.  We were running short on time and had to return the moped soon, so we weren't able to spend too much time there.  Our moped wasn't necessarily the speediest one around....going across this bridge took all the gas it had!

When we got back to the port, the guy who'd rented us the moped offered to take our picture on the one they keep out front to allure tourists.  This one was a little flashier than the one we rode around the island.  (And no, I never drove.)  :)  We headed back to the ship after finding some cans of Goombay Punch in a little grocery in downtown Nassau.  (If you ever need a month's supply of sugar all in one can of pop, this is what you should drink!)  I remembered how good this Bahamian pop was from my trip there last time. 

Our last port was Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay.  Our ship was tendered quite aways from the island, so everybody rode smaller boats to the island.  It wasn't quite warm enough to lay on the beach, so after lunch we walked the entire length of the island, which at first didn't seem to far but ended up taking us about 2 hours.  The water was so shallow and was definitely the bluest I've ever seen...it was beautiful.  The far end of the island was completely empty--it felt like we were at the end of the world!

Dave discovered that the far end of the island wasn't completely empty, though.  He found the maintenance area of the island (hidden behind a lot of trees and several signs that said "No Guests Allowed"). Of course, there was a backhoe. I guess some things never change, even when you're on vacation. :)




 

Last time we were on a cruise, we were with a big group of friends, and one of our favorite things was eating dinner together every night.  But, this time we didn't necessarily want to eat dinner with different people, which is what traditionally happens at the main seating times. The point of this cruise was for us to have time together, so we signed up for "freestyle dining."  It worked out great, because we got to eat dinner whenever we wanted to and always at a table just for two.  :)  To say that we loved dinnertime on the cruise is an understatement.  Whenever we couldn't make up our mind on what to order, our waiters would bring one of each.  The good thing is that the portions were small...and the other good thing is that we took the stairs everytime we went to another floor of the ship.

We loved having a chance to get away for some great time together....and it was also fun coming home to this sweet boy!  My mom took this picture when he first saw us at the airport. Love that smile!