Best for last...

We finally found a place that served breakfast (a lot of stuff was closed during our stay).

 As a side note my sister is amazing trip planner and I benefited so much from all her research. One thing she did that helped me a lot was she researched menu's and we had a eating out budget. We went to the grocery store first and then only at out once a day.  We actually came out of our trip under budget on food too.  It helped me to plan and just take the cash out for my meals before hand. I didn't feel as guilty.
 After breakfast we walked the beach. 

We took tons of photo's because it was seriously beautiful. Empty too (which is why we were alone in all of them).


Because it was our last day in paradise we paid for a snorkeling tour by boat. Apparently the usually glass like water was stirred up from Hurricane Igor the week before. They only got 45 minutes of rain from the actual Hurricane but it affected the water a bit. So headed out  by boat was a better option.

We took a boat tour out with a company called Big Blue (just in case your taking notes for your vacation).  This included two snorkeling excursions (which were absolutely awesome yet  not pictured opps), a trip to private and stunning island

I really can't tell you how beautiful it was. The white sand, the color of the water. The sea shells everywhere.  I got one for each kid, and a intact sand dollar (don't worry there are so many we were encouraged to take them). I even came across from a huge live star fish. Don't worry he wasn't out of the water long.

You have no idea how hard it is to post my bathing suit shots but its just so pretty I have to prove it was real!

It also stopped at an island which is an Iguana sanctuary.  Not the best for me and my reptile fear but I got pics for Jacob.

After our day trip we hurried back to the beach and floated till Sunset. Just to get as much time in the water as possible...
The sunset was so pretty on the clouds..

And just like that the sunset on our vacation and it was over.  I arrived home last night.  I feel a little out of sorts and bit jet lagged but the hugs and kisses more than make up for that!  Dream Vacation for sure!

Where we are staying on Turks and Caico's...

Here is the Villa we are staying at... Atlantic Ocean Beach Villa's.

 We have our own wrap around balcony...

The pool though we just swim in the ocean.

You can see the ocean from the balcony. The walk to the ocean is less than 5 minutes.
Our room is the studio. It has a small kitchenette, walk in closet, and huge bathroom. No one is anywhere near us at all! The caretakers live on site. I have never seen people work so hard. They wake up early and work from morning till night keeping the yard and cleaning.  Makes me think us Americans are very lazy.

We spent today reading and floating in the ocean. The snorkeling conditions were not good today but it was great anyway.

Thanks to Holly who found the Villa's we are staying at. We took a risk not staying at a resort which really paid off. The room, the kitchen, the privacy and the price make it the best place I have seen. I feel lucky!

Turks and Caico's Day 3

Today we woke up and were determined to go snorkeling.

 This is the beach right by our hotel.  The wind was really bad and the water was choppy so we swam all the way out and failed. 
We then decided nothing was a nice as Taylor Bay (we visited this the first day).  So we drove over there and floated and relaxed all day.

There are lizards everywhere here...

Grace Bay Day 2

Today we woke up to thunder in the distance and overcast skies. So we took a walk around the area. Interstingly enough this is the off season and they truly mean off many restaurants are closed for this month and almost no one else is around. In walking around we aquired a conch shell. They are everywhere here. Most people remove the animal and eat it. I declined that idea

We hardly went anywhere yet I was exhausted.  96% humidity is really a big deal!

Eventually we mustered the energy to float in the ocean. We brought along some tubes (my sisters wise planning).  It is the best idea ever, so relaxing.  Even with the wind and some rain it was wonderful. The water is so warm!  The snorkeling right off the shore is amazing. Hoping to see that tomorrow it was a little scary to swim out there in this weather, although I think we were just being wimpy.

The sand here is white like nothing I have seen. It is so much softer too. Love it.


After reading and resting some more (see a trend)... we were ready to walk the beach and look for a restaurant. Walking the beach proved true exercise!  We did find a great place to eat and worked a little getting there it was about an hour walk each way.  Win win.

Sunset

Turks and Caico's Taylor Bay ...

In September my sister Holly and I had planned a dream vacation...
We left Sunday and after a day flying we arrived in Turks and Caico's which is in the carribean.  It's a truly amazing place!
You drive on the left side of the road here. So the drivers side is on the opposite side too. It is pretty scary which is why Holly did the driving!

First day here. We went to Taylor Bay. The water was as warm as a bath and the sand was so soft. The entire bay is shallow its truly unbelieveable. One of the most amazing places I have ever been!

Look how far out I went and it was still shallow...

Birthday Celebration at Secret Lake…

It’s been a tradition to celebrate my parents birthday at Secret Lake. In August the wildflowers are in full bloom and the evenings are perfect for hiking. We missed a year or even two so it was really fun to make it up this year. This is the place were the infamous hike took place a while back click here to remind yourself  The hike. The kids were much older and hopefully no one has diarrhea this time.

 

The mountains this time of year are stunningly beautiful. We live so close to amazing beauty!

After the hike we roasted marshmellow”s and made smore’s (which I don’t know why people rave about). We had an amazing night.

 

Thanks to these two parents who started it all. I don’t tell them enough how much I love and appreciate them. I am lucky to live close so my kids get to spend time with them often. I get tons of advice from my Dad on home repair issues. My Mom is truly one of my best friends and will always listen to me when I need a ear. We love to spend time shopping, lunching and talking on the phone too.  Happy Birthday. We love you!