The details on Virgin Gorda

Brendan and I traveled to the British Virgin Islands in July and stayed on the island of Virgin Gorda. We decided on this location back in March due to its quiet and serene surroundings, and the resorts proximity to the beach.  When we arrived we were not disappointed.  

We first flew to San Juan on normal size commercial airliners.  Brendan then informed we would be boarding a 10 seat plane to Tortola.  I about tossed my cookies.  I didn't even think about the possibility that the plane might be a tiny puddle jumper, but really it was a first world problem and I needed to suck it up, take a shot of tequila and get on the tiny plane. 

The flight from San Juan to Tortola was quick and smooth.  Brendan kept saying "look at all the islands." I wasn't looking up from my book for a hot second or my breakfast was going to make a second appearance.  From Tortola we took a ferry to Virgin Gorda to our Resort, Little Dix Bay.  Once we arrived we sat back and relaxed for the next week.  

Arriving at Little Dix Bay.

Our rooms were situated among the trees and were 50 steps from the beach.  The hotel isn't equipped with TV's which was a welcome change for both Brendan and me.  We usually turn on the tv for noise and it was so nice to just have quiet for a week.  

Our vacation was spent laying on the beach, reading some good books, and enjoying some adult conversation that is a rarity at our house.  The views on Virgin Gorda were amazing, there really is no other way to describe them.  The resort was so quiet with very few people staying there and the ambiance just one of relaxation and serenity.  

One of the neat amenities was the beach drops.  The hotel would pack you a picnic lunch and drop you at an uninhabited beach for 2-4 hours.  You could swim, snorkel, each lunch and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings.  We did this 3 different times and enjoyed each drop equally.

Our first beach drop was to Mountain Trunk and the snorkeling was amazing.  I would say it was the best we saw on the island.  We had lunch, went snorkeling and read.  There was no breeze this day so we were ready to head back to the hotel.  I told Brendan I would vote myself off of survivor because being on an island with nothing I can't imagine going poop in a hole, being in the sun and heat for 24 hours and without shelter.  Good thing our boat came back for us.  

Brendan's selfie with a turtle.  

We did another beach drop to Great Dog and our last beach drop was to Spring Bay.  Spring bay is a popular spot for boats to drop anchor.  You can snorkel to The Baths from Spring Bay.  We did just that.  Snorkeled over to the baths, had lunch and explored the little nooks spring bay had to offer. The Baths are a natural granite rock formation that is indescribable.  You climb and crawl through these paths of rock formations all while wading through this pristine water.  It was amazing. 

The food we ate while in Virgin Gorda was spectacular.  We ate an obscene amount of lobster, Brendan all the fish was delicious and I devoured a few pasta dishes that were some of the best I have ever had.  We ate at Chez Bamboo and had a rib appetizer that was so good I wanted to lick the plate.  We then went to The Rock Cafe and I had a pasta dish that had enough bacon in it to make me feel like I was back home in Iowa.  Bacon and pasta together, a dish made in heaven.  We then went to the Bitter End Yacht Club and I had a pork dish and again it was great.  The Bitter End was pretty entertaining.  First we had to take a taxi to a water ferry.  We stopped to take pictures at an overlook.  We were overlooking Necker Island that's owned by Sir Richard Branson.  Our taxi driver then tells us he also bought the neighboring island.  Why not buy yourself another island?

We take the water ferry to the Bitter End Yacht Club, the food was great, it was an open air restaurant on this tiny little island.  It was amazing to see these enormous boats that I will never afford or even be able to afford the linens that are on the boat.  Apparently The Bitter End is well known in the yachting community, who knew?

Our last few days in Virgin Gorda we spent on the beach in our lounge chairs.  We tried paddle boarding and Brendan got the hang of it.  I however, failed miserably.  I had no idea how to reverse and ran in to a parked boat and fell off.  To make matters worse there was a boat full of people behind me watching the whole thing happen.  Brendan and I both got a good laugh and I stayed firmly planted on the beach after my crash and read my book.

After a week away from home we were ready to get home to the kids and Ruby.  Our trip home on the small plane was not nearly as smooth as on the way to Virgin Gorda, I had my head in a bag ready to toss my cookies, thankfully the pilot landed the plane just in time.  It really was a first world problem. I should have taken some motion sickness medicine, I hate to fly, especially on small planes.  We made it home in one piece and the kids were so excited to see us!  We would definitely go back to Virgin Gorda in the future.  Hope everyone has had a great week!  

Virgin Gorda

Brendan and I just returned from a week long trip to the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.  It was absolutely amazing and I'll talk about trip in more detail but I wanted to share a few of our pictures first.  I've traveled a bit but I've never seen anything like this island, it was absolutely breathtaking.  

Hope you're week has gotten off to a great start!  

 I'll be back to tell you more about this gem of an island, because I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing and quiet vacation. 

Our summer

This summer is already half over and I simply can't believe it!  It's flown by so fast!  It feels like it should still be Easter and we should still be looking forward to spring concerts and the last day of school.

With that being said we've accomplished a lot this summer and had a lot of fun. We started out the summer with VBS at our church. I volunteered to be one of the preschool leaders. Both Drew and Kate were supposed to be in my class but since we had an abundance of kids and the kindergarten had so few, he joined the kindergarten and did a great job and had a wonderful time.  

After VBS we traveled to the Wisconsin Dells for Brendan's business meeting.  The kids were so excited for the big, huge, enormous waterpark we were going to. We stayed at Kalahari and it was a great place for families.  It has both an indoor and outdoor waterpark, an indoor theme park and tons of activities around the area for families.  

We went to the Tommy Bartlett water ski show and the kids loved the skiers.  The one place I would highly recommend eating if you have any train enthusiasts in your house is Buffalo Phil's.  The train brings you your food and drinks and keeps the kids entertain for your entire stay.   It was a hit with our kids. 

We took the Duck Boat Tour while in the Dells and it was a fun tour.  The tour guide was pretty funny and Drew rode shotgun.  The whole tour lasts about an hour and was well worth the admission fee.

After we got back from the Dells, Drew and I turned around and left for Disney the very next evening.  Once we got back   from our little trip it was time to relax and enjoy our backyard and nice weather. We've been enjoying our big blow up pool this year.  The kids have insisted on taking their floats in the 2 feet of water.

The kids started swim lessons with Drew's teacher from last summer.  I say kids as in Drew has a lesson, Kate wears her suit and eats a snack on the edge of the pool and claims to want a lesson.  When it's her turn she cries like I'm the worst mother in the world.  So she has the fashion part down, swimming, not so much.  

Drew went fishing at a local fishing Derby in June and caught his first fish!  He was so proud!  Geez, he looks way too grown up!

We headed to Brendan's hometown for the 4th of July and spent some time with his family. Drew and Kate love playing with their cousins and this year was no different.  They loved the parade, Drew danced the whole time and got a ton a goodies handed to him for his slick dance moves. 

Brendan met up with some friends to watch the World Cup and I took the kids to the carnival in downtown Clear Lake. The kids decided they wanted to ride the train.  I tried my best to bribe them with cookies not to but I couldn't talk them out of it.  I'm not a fan of rides that are taken down and set up week after week but this one was a tiny little thing so I wasn't sick to my stomach. No roller coasters at fairs for my kids.  Their mom is crazy and thinks the ride will fall apart.

Lastly, Brendan took me on a day date to celebrate me turning 32 years old on July 8th.  

We had a great day shopping, having lunch and and just enjoying each other's company.  That evening we got together with my mom, stepdad, my older sister and her brood. We had ice cream sundaes and played our favorite family pastime, SPUD. I had a wonderful birthday and felt very loved and celebrated.

This summer is half way over and we've accomplished quite a lot.  We've had a great time enjoying our travels and time here at home.  We are looking forward to the rest of the summer and the memories that it has to offer.