To start the celebrating, Whit let me open my present the night before we left...all while knowing the trip was a present in itself. But this is a small portion of where the "overly generous and wonderful" part always comes in to play with him.
I have so many pictures that I want to share from this trip, so I think I'll start with some pictures and update you as we go along. Warning: I tend to put a lot of pictures in my blog posts and this is one of those times. (how else do you explain things you did and saw?!)
 |
| Lunch by the pool waiting for our room to be ready for check in |
 |
| Nap spot after lunch...not a bad place to wait on a hotel room to be ready |
 |
| Walking on the beach from our hotel to welcome Grant and Samantha to Puerto Rico at their hotel **we loved having friends there to share all of this with** |
 |
| First night at sun down from our balcony |
 |
| First night out at the restaurant next door (blurry, but you get the idea) |
 |
| Surprised with gorgeous roses from the Whit's parents...so thoughtful! (not pictured: more surprises delivered to the room came from Angie- choc covered strawberries & Houston- guacamole, salsa and chips. Sweet friends making my birthday special even from afar.) |
 |
| We arrived at the El Yunque Rainforest |
 |
| With Grant and Sam at our first stop at one of the many waterfalls throughout the forest |
 |
| Scenery along our hike through the rainforest |
 |
| Gotta stop for photo ops along the way |
 |
| Whit trying to catch up--he had a hard time not stopping at every look out point |
 |
| Perfect day to turn 30 |
 |
| Climbing around the rocks near the waterfall--the swimming hole was off to the right |
 |
| The bottom of the waterfall |
 |
| Tired from our hike but still smiling---waiting on our guide to pick us for the rest of the rainforest |
 |
| An old tower at the top of the rainforest |
 |
| View towards the ocean from the top of the tower |
 |
| The other side of the tower overlooking a small portion of the giant rainforest |
 |
| One of the daily rain showers over the forest from off in the distance |
 |
| Whit's favorite meal of the trip--several generations of the same family have run this restaurant hut along the side of the rainforest. They served all authentic Puerto Rican food (best dish was called a "green banana"). This family was offered $1.5 million dollars by the U.S. Forestry Department and they turned it down saying they'd rather serve the locals and tourists as they come through the rainforest. It's the last piece of property in the forest not owned by the federal government. |
 |
| They chopped off the top of coconuts growing in the forest and stick a straw in it for a refreshing drink |
 |
| Whit enjoying the PR version of a Tamale, wrapped in plantain leaves |
 |
| Oh, Grant... |
 |
| After drinking all the coconut water they chop them in half to eat the pieces inside |
 |
| Celebrating the big 3-0 & counting my blessings for knowing this handsome man for 25 of those years |
 |
| It felt like we had the island to ourselves while at the pool |
 |
| Enjoying a little R&R |
 |
| Walking down the streets of "Old San Juan" |
 |
| One of several monuments and statues in Old San Juan |
 |
| There was so much charm throughout the city |
 |
| On our way to El Morro fort in Old San Juan |
 |
| Grant and Sam in one of the many lookout points |
 |
| El Morro Fort--built in 1539 for Spain to defend Puerto Rico; also where the first shots from the US in World War I were fired |
 |
| Large open field outside El Morro used my locals to fly kites |
 |
| At the bottom of the hill looking up at the fort--the grass looked like carpet |
 |
| While everyone else was taking a bathroom break I wandered off and found this amazing view--probably my favorite view of the trip |
 |
 |
| I was so intrigued by this old cemetery on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean |
 |
| We decided to tour the El Morro Fort--looking back at the history its hard to think how old this place really is |
 |
| Looking over the edge of the fort |
 |
| An original cannon on the fort grounds |
 |
| WD checking out the spots used to watch for enemy attacks |
 |
| At the top of the El Morro Fort |
 |
| Heading inside the fort |
 |
| We found a higher spot inside the fort to see my favorite view again--pictures hardly do it justice |
 |
| Had to make sure and get a picture of the lighthouse for my mom |
 |
| Conquering the world... |
 |
| We had the pleasure of dining at Marmalade Restaurant--one of the top 10 restaurants in the world; 5 courses of the most unique and delicious food we've had...Whit hardly made it through the third course |
 |
| The last night at our favorite beach bar next door to the hotel--we had become regulars |
 |
| Happy, happy, happy--Puerto Rico, we'll be back! |
 |
| Soaking up our pool view one last time--the hotel was perfect |
As the slogan on the Puerto Rico license plate says, it is definitely an "Island of Enchantment". Not only was this trip the perfect way to ring in my 30's but it gave me a chance to reflect on the past 30 years. And what a 30 years it has been. It's easy to get caught up in the daily routine and the normal up's and down's of life...but while in Puerto Rico I couldn't help but think how lucky and fortunate I am. More to come on this in a later post, but wanted to leave this one with a thought of gratitude and thankfulness for the past 30 years of my life.
And of course, a HUGE thank you to Whit for spoiling me beyond my wildest dreams.
