st. martin.

Our final stop on the Caribbean tour was the beautiful island of St. Martin. We all agreed that this was our favorite of the three, and we spent our afternoon galavanting through its streets. We went into shop and after shop after shop, walked through the sand, enjoyed a dirty banana (also known as the greatest beverage on the planet), and took in the sights of our last outing aboard the Allure. The weather was perfect, too; we couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day to be blessed with. Maybe one day we'll be fortunate enough to visit this enchanting place again; if not, at least I'll have the images in my mind (and hard-drive) forever.

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen."

-Benjamin Disraeli

magen's bay.

This, my friends, was our day taking in the sights of St. Thomas. We spent this rainy-yet-sometimes-sunny afternoon at a cozy little cove called Magen's Bay, and it was absolutely precious. Honestly, I think I liked it so much because it reminded me of our first week as husband and wife in St. Lucia. We were surrounded by trees and the water was clear enough to see our feet even when we were up to our shoulders. This quaint island was stunning, and my fingers are crossed, even now, in hopes that we haven't seen the last of it.

Also, swimming in the rain has never been so fun.

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but it played over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey."

-Pat Conroy

nassau.

Our first stop on our Caribbean adventure was the Bahamas. This was my third visit to this particular island, and I remembered many of the sights along the way within seconds of seeing them. There were several ships docked, making it a mad-house of touristy people, much like ourselves, so we opted to wander the streets and enjoy a drink at the infamous Senor Frogs. We were even conned into buying souvenir necklaces on our journey; lucky us!

Honestly, I enjoyed hanging out with the Bargeron siblings more than anything that day. Everyone always told me that I should want to stay young forever and never grow up, but I must admit that growing up hasn't been terrible at all thus far. Making new memories and laughing at old ones is one of my most favorite things in the entire world, and I get overjoyed when I think about how I get to do it all over again tomorrow. Today was one of those days, much like all the days that follow during this vacation, that I was constantly thanking the Lord for blessing me with so many incredible people to call family and walk through life with. I'll happily continue to grow old if it means that I'll have more days like these, because they're the ones that make life worth the living, I think.

Nassua, you were a joy to hang out with for a few hours. I hope I get the pleasure of your company again real soon. :)

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."

-Tim Cahill

welcome to miami.

Before setting sail, we headed down to Florida early enough to spend a day in Miami. We took our time waking up on Saturday morning, piled into the lovely Suburban that we borrowed from my 'rents, traveled twenty miles down the interstate, and arrived in the Magic City right before lunch time. The weather the perfect, the company was better than the best, the sidewalk shops were the epitome of charming, and it was just an all-around wonderfully blissful afternoon. I love being an official member of the Bargeron clan every day, but days like this, when everything seems just right, make my heart swell with more thankfulness than I can even begin to put into words.

I loved this day a whole lot.

"The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."

-Samuel Jackson

our friend, the allure.

This is what I, along with the entire Bargeron clan, called home for seven whole days. I'm no professional cruiser, but I would dare make the following statement: I don't think it is possible to make a more incredible ship. Seriously. From the wonderfully talented cast at all the fantastic shows we saw to the dozens of yummy (and complimentary) food spots to the endless smiles you saw on the faces of everyone you passed (especially the crew members) it was as close to perfect as it could have been. Aside from our honeymoon (which will never ever be replaced as my favorite week), it was the best time I've ever had.

Allow me to introduce to you the elegant, fun-loving mansion on water that we sailed through the Caribbean on.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Allure of the Seas.

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it."

-Robert Orben

bon voyage!

I've been quite the busy bee (even more than usual) for the past few days. Currently, I am sitting in a lovely holding area in Ft. Lauderdale as we wait to board our cruise ship. You read that right, I said cruise ship! EEEEK! For the next seven days, we will be sailing through the Caribbean as we enjoy the sun and the sea. I promise I will have plenty of stories to share and pictures to show at the end of our little adventure, so just hold tight. :) I hope your week is as magical as I'm certain mine will be.

And, happy Mother's day to my three beautiful mommies, as well as all the other mommies who bless their children every single day.

Bon voyage!

trent.

Meet the future of baseball.

I mean, seriously, how stinkin' cute is this little slugger?