ahh...the bahamas...

(Don't forget to check out the rest of our Bahamas pictures - follow the picasa web link to the right, just below my profile picture!)

Well, we're back from our most wonderful vacation ever. It was just incredible. We are forever indebted to Kat and Todd for taking us on this cruise. It was great for our marriage, great for our sanity, great to remember what it's like to hang out with friends without kids around...and the kids just loved being at Grandma and Grandpas!

We drove down to Miami on Sunday and then had a lazy Monday morning before we all boarded the cruise ship. Dan said he knew we were on a cruise when, while we stood in the main deck, we heard a smooth voice singing "Strangers in the Night..." It was funny. And as we pulled away from Miami beach, we could see huge storm clouds in the distance. It was cool to see the sky divided in half, so clearly, between a menacing gray and clear blue...a perspective you could really only get from being far out at sea.

We woke up in the port at Nassau. Dan and I ran on the treadmills at the top of the cruise ship and looked out over the Bahamas. (We needed every chance we could get to burn calories, seeing as how we ate SO MUCH.) It was a gorgeous day. We took a ferry to Paradise Island and the Atlantis hotel, where we walked for a while to the beach. I will never ever forget the moment when we walked up a sandy hill and as we looked through the trees we caught our first glimpse of the most beautiful water I've ever seen. There are no words to describe the multiple blues we saw in the water. It was incredible. There was nothing to keep me from that water. I just sat in the waves and enjoyed the day. The sand was so soft and beautiful - not white, but filled with the tiniest bits of pink and pale blue. I was so sad to leave the beach and head back to the boat when it was time. We haggled with vendors in the markets for a bit before we got back on board - it was funny how everything was "on special sale today just for me."

Each night we had elegant dinners with Kat and Todd and talked and laughed for hours. Todd and I had several "stirring" conversations about politics and education and other random things, and then when Kat and Dan were tired of listening to us argue for fun we would go up to the top of the ship and watch the stars. It was so nice to feel the warm sea breezes and hold hands with Dan and count the shooting stars.

Tuesday was the "private island" of Cococay. We walked all the way around the island until we were almost the only ones around. Then we pulled our beach chairs into the water and we read. (I had to finish Breaking Dawn, which I read those first two days of the cruise - excellent! I don't really know which book is my favorite.) Dan and I brought blow up air mattresses to float on and we spent a couple hours floating far far away from the shore. It stayed shallow for a long time, and though there was quite a bit of moss and seaweed in parts, the open ocean was still a beautiful blue. And several times we were passed by a stealthy sting ray - yikes. This was the day that we got a little sunburned, but also the day that we got to relax the most. :)

Wednesday was Key West, which Dan and I both thought was a bit of a disappointment. It started out pretty cool, but quickly became just another "beach town" kind of place. We walked to the Southernmost point in the United States, just 90 miles from Cuba. We did a lot of walking in the very hot sun, walked past the presidential vacation "whitehouse" and the Ernest Hemingway home, and then Dan and I headed back to the cruise ship to relax and read some more. :) That night we saw an incredible sunset and spent a lot of time on the upper deck. The sea breezes were cool so late in the evening - it was actually nice to go back to our cozy little cabin for one more night on the ocean.

Friday it was hard to leave. We had a long breakfast with Kat and Todd, which was difficult, since I spent most of my free time during the week eating...and eating...and eating. We were nearly the last ones off the ship, sitting near the duty-free shops and talking about the coming school year and our little ones, and how we want to make sure we do this again very soon. We're so grateful to have such wonderful friends in this life - I don't know if Dan and I would have ever done something like this without our friends' encouragement (and financial help!) We needed this week to ourselves. It was fantastic. :)