PR - Day 10 - Returning

We (meaning I) spent most of the morning packing. Louise and I have been doing laundry every day, so almost all the clothes were clean, folded, and put away in the dresser. That made packing much easier, but I still had to figure out how to get everything back in our suitcases and be sure that I didn't make any of the suitcases too heavy (like the almost 65 pounder that we brought out). After all, it's frustrating enough to have to pay to check-in any suitcases ($15 if you do it online and $20 at the airport), and I certainly didn't want to have to pay an extra $50 again for heaviness! I was able to get the biggest suitcase at 49 pounds, the medium one at 47, and the smallest at 36. Whew!

While I was finishing up, Jonathon walked around the house and the yard and took a bunch of pictures.

This is the creek that runs in front of their property. When it rains really hard, it rises pretty quickly!

This is their house. It looks small from the outside, but it is pretty roomy and very nice inside!

This is one of their dogs, King, with Michael taking movies.

This was Michael's and my room. Very comfy!

Michael saw this sign near his parents' house and wanted a picture with it. It reads:

Guavate

Territorio Devuelto

al

Planeta Tierra

We got out of the house only 15 minutes later than we planned and were able to find the rental car place with no problem. We gave Mom and Dad hugs and kisses, then took the shuttle to the airport. En route, I asked everyone if they had their backpacks. Nathaniel didn't. I don't think he saw it under his feet in the car when he got out. Ooops! I guess I should have asked BEFORE we left.

We got to the gate in plenty of time, boarded, and rearranged our seats, since they again placed some of the kids in the exit rows. We arrived in Charlotte, walked to our gate, and had enough time to sit down and have a bite to eat. Thanks, Mom, for the lunch! The manzanos were soooo good!

We were some of the first on the plane and after a few minutes, we realized that no one else was boarding. The captain then announced that the plane was delayed an hour since there was bad weather in Newark and was backing up the airplanes. He said that we could deplane and get back on when they finish boarding or just stay on.

I remember when I was young and got to go and talk to the pilot and see the cockpit. So I went and asked one of the flight attendants if it was okay if the kids could see it. He asked the pilot and he gave permission, so I grabbed the three oldest boys. The pilot left so that they could sit in his seat. Christian got to sit there first while the copilot described what they do, the lights, and let them take turns turning the wheel. The kids asked some really good questions. The copilot was so nice and really friendly. We were up there about 20 minutes, when I saw that they had started boarding people again, so I took the kids back to our seats. Jonathon said a few times how cool that was. That experience made the whole flight better!

We got back to Newark at about 10:30 p.m. and got home at a quarter to midnight. It's so good to be back!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for an AWESOME vacation! We love you and miss you!

PR - Day 9 - Gilligan's Island and Ponce

Today was our last full day in Puerto Rico. We consulted the book that Michael got and it said that there is an island near Guánica called Gilligan's Island that has a ferry to and from it every hour and that it has some fun places to swim and explore.

It took us about an hour and a half to get there. We stopped for a few minutes at a Burger King to use their facilities and Michael bought some cinnamon rolls to keep the kids happy a little longer.

We found the launching area after only two U-turns and had about forty minutes before the boat left. We sprayed sunblock on everyone and went to buy our tickets for the ferry. It cost us over $50, so we had high hopes that it would be a lot of fun. We grabbed a few snacks, but not knowing what to expect, we weren't sure what to bring.

The boat ride was fun because we had an up-close view of the gorgeous aquamarine water. The water was so clear and the ocean wasn't very deep close to the island, so we could see the bottom a minute or two before we got to the dock.

I had fun doing this video, so I thought I'd add it... I know, some of the pictures are duplicates.

It was hard to find a place that didn't have a lot of people around, so we walked a little way and found a small "beach" area under a big tree. The negatives were that because it was under a tree, it also had a bunch of roots coming out of the ground and I kept hitting my head on a low branch! The kids were having fun in the water anyway and didn't seem to mind the seaweed too much, but Michael did, so he went scouting for a better place.

We also saw a couple of small crabs and a hermit crab.

Katie had a real snack, but wanted to try the leaves and see if they were any good.

The kids used the bags from their chips to gather seaweed and other stuff. They tried catching fish, but weren't quite fast enough...

Here they're doing what they love: digging!

Michael found a spot for us that was away from crabs, seaweed, and low-hanging branches. The kids loved this area! It was only about waist-deep for the older kids pretty far out. The only trouble we had was Eliza got into a little deeper area and got scared since the water came up to the top of her chin. Nathaniel was really fast in grabbing her and bringing her to shallower water.

There were virtually no waves, so Katie could sit with me right in the water.

After we had been there for about an hour and a half, some dark clouds started rolling in and we started hearing thunder. I was a little concerned, since I didn't see the end of the clouds, that it might be a bigger storm than we had yesterday. I really didn't want to get stuck on the island. Then Katie started fussing and Timmy started acting tired. So, despite the fact that everyone else was having fun, we decided to catch the next boat back to Guánica. We were all sad to go so soon, especially since it was clearing up right when the boat came. Still, we had a great time while we were there!

When we got back and were debarking, Timmy's flip flop came off, fell in the water, and floated under the dock. The first mate grabbed a broom and was able to retrieve it for us. Then we all showered off and decided to go to Ponce so that Michael could go to the Museum of Music.

He led the way through Ponce and found a parking spot (miraculously) on the street just outside. I was parked illegally behind him, but the spot in front of him opened up and I was able to move there. I had all the kids get into the back of Louise's car and they watched a movie on my iPod while we waited. I knew Michael would be back soon since they closed in 20 minutes.

Sure enough, it didn't take too long. We started back to Miguel and Louise's house, but had to make one last stop. I told Michael he could go the the Museum of Music if we could stop and get a treat. So, we stopped at WalMart and Michael came out with some cookies for us to snack on. We started going back to the main road when I remembered that Timmy hadn't gone to the bathroom in a while, so we stopped at McDonald's for a few minutes. Michael kept going and I think that was the only time he beat me home! For some reason, I am usually able to pass him on the way home (whether it's in NJ or PR) and he doesn't see me. I don't pass him so that I can beat him, he just drives slow sometimes. Still, it's pretty funny to see the look on his face!

When we got home, we had lechón (pork) and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) from the lechonera down the road, plus tostones, salad, and a bunch of other really good Puerto Rican fare. YUMMY!

I'm kind of sad because I wanted to take a video of the coquís that keep gathering at the windows and "talking" to us. Of course, tonight was the only night that they didn't do that! This is what we would hear when one got up by the window.

PR - Day 8 - Luquillo Beach

Yesterday we had planned on going to El Yunque in the morning and then to Luquillo Beach in the afternoon. However, since we didn't even arrive at El Yunque until about noon, we realized that we would have to do the beach today.

We read about Luquillo Beach in a book that Michael bought and it describes it as a great family beach since it is located in a bay and has changing rooms and showers. What we really liked about it was that we could rent an umbrella and lounge chairs and the guy brought everything to us and set up our umbrella really close to the water.

We had been there for about two hours when some clouds rolled in. I wasn't too concerned because I figured if it got bad, we could just leave. When the clouds were over us it started to rain, then it poured! All of us gathered under the umbrella and hoped it would stop soon. It rained hard for about 2 or 3 minutes and then let up. Pretty soon it was just sprinkling. The kids went back in the water and in another couple of minutes the sun was out again. Crazy weather, but great because we got to stay another hour!

PR - Day 7 - El Yunque

Today, we took the kids to see El Yunque. El Yunque is a national park that is all rainforest. It has four distinct levels of rainforest since it is in the mountains. First, we went to the information area. Then we stopped at a scenic overlook.

This is one of the few pictures of me. Yes, I really was there!

We also stopped at an observation tower and had some great views. Nathaniel didn't want to go up and Katie was asleep, so we stayed in the car. Everyone else went up.

Then we hiked a trail that led to a waterfall.

We found a few "animals" along the trail, like this snail on the tree and a lizard. There are a lot of lizards in Puerto Rico.

This is one of the waterfalls. At the base of it, there is a small pool that people could swim in. Of course, it was only about waist-deep.

Katie had a lot of fun playing in this small pool. She kept yelling every time Michael took her out!

When we finally got home, we ate the dinner that was waiting for us. It was so nice to come home to a ready, home-cooked meal! After dinner, we decorated the cake and then celebrated Louise's birthday.

She really liked the iPod shuffle that we got for her!

PR - Day 6 - A Day at Home (mostly)

Today, there was a tropical depression all over Puerto Rico, so we decided to take advantage of a forced day inside and cooked most of the day. Each one of the kids got to pick what they wanted to make with Grandma. Jonathon helped make some ice cream (we were gone when she froze it, but he made the "batter"). Christian helped make chocolate chip banana bread. Nathaniel helped make scrambled eggs. Eliza helped make chocolate chip cookies.

We watched some TV (Disney Channel) and a few "The Dick Van Dyke Show" episodes. In the late afternoon, we went for a drive over many winding roads (resulting in Christian not feeling so well). We stopped at WalMart for a couple of things and got home at about 7 p.m. We had BLTs for dinner and ice cream chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. YUM!

For family home evening, Louise and Miguel shared their testimonies with us about how they knew the church is true. It was great hearing it!

PR - Day 5 - Church and Exploring the Yard

Today was fairly uneventful, but it was nice to go to church with Miguel and Louise. It was weird coming from a big ward and going to their sparse ward. Not only was the chapel about half the size, but it was only about half full. It's nice to have the familiarity of having church go the same way you are used to, even if it's in different place with different people.

It was fairly warm since they don't have air conditioning and the fans move the humid air around. Jonathon and Christian were lucky, since they were the only young men in the ward, they got to have class in the air conditioned bishop's office, taught by the bishop...

After church, we had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. Then we took a walk around Mom and Dad's property. Dad showed us the different fruit trees he has growing. He sounds pretty proud of his trees...

Their property goes back pretty far. Dad, Michael, Jonathon, and Nathaniel went most of the way back. I followed the younger kids inside since my ankles and feet were providing lunch for quite a few bugs.

PR - Day 4 - Cerro Gordo with Cuqui's Family

Today we went to the Cerro Gordo beach near Dorado and hung out with Michael's sister, Cuqui, and her family. First we met them at their house, then followed them to the beach.

Unfortunately, this was the ONLY picture I got of Cuqui and I didn't get anything of her husband or two kids. We had so much fun with them. They were so sweet and just adored Katie. Cuqui and Ibrahim held her quite a few times.

Timmy kept throwing sand and got himself a few times, in addition to hitting Katie and some of the adults...

The water was gorgeous and the perfect temperature.

Dad got us some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine: a chicken empanada, a cheese empanada, an alcapurria, and some pork kebabs. Then later, he bought everyone ices: pina colada, coconut, or parcha (passion fruit). The kids were in heaven!

One of our favorite things to do at the beach is to bury each other. Jonathon went first and Timmy tried to help, but instead of putting sand on Jonathon's body, he threw it in his face!

The beach is a great place to relax and Dad tried to take advantage, but it's hard to with six excited kids...

Mike, Cuqui, Marieli, and Ibrahim had to leave at 4:00 since Mike had to work in the evening, but they were so kind as to leave two of their chairs for us. It was so nice to see them, but it was way too short!

We went home at about 5 p.m. and took half the beach with us. I'm sure Mom and Dad will be cleaning up sand for weeks after we leave!