After being trapped in paradise we returned to the northern winter! The end of January brought a huge snowstorm that canceled church and school for a couple days. We got almost 15 inches! Our kind neighbors helped snow blow our driveway...I think he came over 4 or 5 times during the storm to keep it manageable. The next weeks were super cold so the snow stayed on the ground almost a month before it started to melt a little!
Reese had fun in the snow but really enjoyed napping by the fireplace to stay cozy!
Lily went to her first church dance, it was valentine's themed and she looked so pretty!
For Valentine's day, Brandon and I went to lunch at a new Asian place. It was very yummy! We got huge bowls of Ramen to go with these appetizers, and then they brought us a chocolate dipped strawberry to share!
Our ward boundaries got re drawn so the YW had to get some last hugs in before being separated into the two different wards! It's been a hard transition, but we're figuring it out.
More puppy and kiddo naps
After a few different ideas and preliminary experiments, Carter got his experiment figured out for the 4th grade science fair. He did a great job making salt solutions so an egg could float!
We escaped the frigid north and went to Puerto Rico! We left Monday evening and arrived very early in the morning on Tuesday. We slept in, enjoyed the hotel breakfast just before it ended at 10, then relaxed at the nearby beach.
The next day we took a trip to the Yunque rain forest. On the way we stopped at a little roadside stand with souvenirs, fresh juices, smoothies and snacks, and some beautiful murals
In the rainforest itself we didn't take many photos because we were in the water! We hiked down to the river and slid down the natural water slides! Then we went to another swimming hole and jumped off the big rocks into the water! It was beautiful and so cool to do. There were several tour groups so it was a little crowded but overall super fun.
Afterwards they took us to the nearby Luquillo beach that has a boardwalk of sorts called "Los Kioskos" which is just a lot of restaurants and shops right along the beach. We played at the beach for awhile and then went to get some food.
We went to Turruño as recommended by our guide. It was a busy place and we ended up having to take our food to go to get back on the tour bus. We ordered Mofongo which is mashed plantain topped with your choice of meat and sauce. It's a traditional Puerto Rican dish that I'm glad we tried, but it wasn't as tasty as I'd hoped haha!
The live musician was fun he played flute and saxophone and walked around serenading us
Mofongo with shrimp
On New Years Day we went to Old San Juan. We got there in the morning and almost everything was closed. We explored the empty streets until a few things opened up and we got gelato
We walked to see the old walls and gates of the city, the cathedral, some monuments and sculptures, and saw lots of cats everywhere!
We also saw some Christmas decorations and the Umbrella alley
(currently indoors one of the shops because the streets were decorated for the holidays instead of with the umbrellas)
The next day we went back to the beach and got some boogie boards. The kids had a lot of fun with it!
That afternoon we took a long ride to the other side of the island to La Parguera. We had some time to explore the town and get food before our night time boat ride into the bay
These Conch shells were made in to nightlights!
We got to swim in the bay and as we disturbed the water, blue bioluminescent sparkles would move in the water! It was so cool! The moon was almost full so the conditions weren't ideal, but we still saw them and it was the coolest thing. Taking photos wasn't allowed, but if you google it, you'll see some great images. Highly recommend anyone to go!
The next morning we went to Escambron beach to snorkel.
Our guide showed us lots of cool sea creatures and we even saw a sea turtle! The video will show all we saw. The kids were troopers swimming in the ocean--while there was a reef, it wasn't quite as calm or protected as other places, so the waves were moving along and made it a challenge!
We headed back to Old San Juan to look at the fort
Castillo San Felipe del Morro
it had some great views!
We made one last stop in the plaza with the I Heart San Juan sculpture :)
A lot of that day was spent on the phone trying to make alternate plans because our flight that evening had been canceled! All the airspace had been closed because of military activity nearby in Venezuela so everyone was grounded and scrambling. We hoped to stay at our hotel, but they were all booked and didn't have space for us. So we ended up moving back toward the rainforest area to a fancy Bed and Breakfast. The property had a section of rooms and then another area that was a private "suite" with its own fenced in area with a little house and two more rooms. Most of the rooms were made from shipping containers! The casita was made from concrete and glass. It had a kitchen and bathroom along one wall, then a big bed and sitting area in the center, and a deck and outdoor picnic area. It also had a hammock that could be strung across one corner of the room which Lily really loved. Our fenced in area also had a private hot tub and the setting was just beautiful! Brandon enjoyed taking some more artistic photos
Girls room on top, Carter's below
We ended up staying four extra days in Puerto Rico! Not a bad place to be stuck! Everyone did school assignments and work meetings virtually and it all worked out. It was good to be home when we finally arrived Wednesday night. Reese had a good time the whole time we were gone at the pet retreat!
