Day 10 - Heading Home

 We decided to sleep in and do a 9:30 breakfast.  We met at a different breakfast for a brunch buffet.  It was delicious, but definitely nothing like we’d become accustomed to.

We found a balcony and looked out at the bay in front of the hotel.  B&K had shared that they often anchor out front when they are off charter.  And look who we saw!  We sent a text and they came out to take some pics of us as well!  A fun final goodbye!

We headed back to our rooms to wrap up our packing.  I worked a little bit on my laptop while Sammy rested.  She’s come down with a runny nose and itchy eyes.  I’m not certain what it is but I think it’s a response to the water from snorkeling.  But I suppose we will see.

We checked out of our rooms around 11:30 and then waited in the lobby for Big Love to pick us back up.  Once through security and customs, we got super lucky and found two rows of seating (5 chairs each) facing one another and claimed our spot for the wait.  We grabbed some food for those that didn’t have a big brunch and even did a little shopping at the gift shop.

Luke is returning to college on a Delta flight that was originally scheduled to leave at 2:45 while the rest of us are on American leaving at 3:00.  Fortunately with an airport this small, our gates are pretty much right next to one another.  Ironically both flights were delayed and we boarded a little later but very close to the same time.

We said our goodbyes to Luke and headed to our plane.  In St Thomas, you board and unboard by staircase and walk to the building.

Our first flight was appx 4 hrs to Charlotte, NC.  Our party filled the entire first class so we had a lot of fun with the flight attendant.  That is once she gave us grief for switching our seats after she took our dinner orders.

It was a pretty smooth flight overall with just a few bumps coming in for landing.  

We grabbed some food in Charlotte and we ready for our final leg home at 9:45 pm

We pulled into GRR sometime around 11:30, grabbed our bags and said goodbyes.  We ended up missing 3 of the 10 bags we flew home but hopefully they’ll be delivered soon.  Luckily we don’t need the swimsuits and shorts any time soon in Michigan!

And that’s the end of our trip.

I wish I had the words to share what a great time was had.  The amazing experiences and once-in-a-lifetime moments.  But more than that is experiencing it with people you love.  I cannot tell you how proud I am of our kids and how they handled it all.  They were so kind to one another, they tried new foods, and faced new challenges and all the time wore a smile.  

Stories we won’t soon forget…

• Annie being scarred by a lemur
• Luke finally learning some SkipBo strategy - he hates that game
• Scott mastering the entry (via backflip) into the dinghy
• Using the same toilet as so many incredible world leaders on Necker Island
• Bread Girl and the accomplishment of eating 33 rolls in one meal
• Todd’s leg flared up after a run in with fire coral
• Cole admitting that “details are my specialty”
• Big Love and his questionable window decals
• Jen’s calm voice asking Scott and Sammy to come out of the water when we spotted ANOTHER shark
• The sheer amount of food we ate and the fact that Scott gained 6 lbs 
• Uncontrollable giggling as Mama Vanessa ate her chips & cheese during Tyler’s graduation
• Warm nuts and Baileys in first class
• Celebrating when Cole finally saw a spotted eagle ray
• When we all swam in shark-infested waters
• Hearing B’s doubt completely switch to amazement when we said there was a shark
• The smooth cruisers that we let ahead of us in line at the Baths (along with their 30 closest friends)
• The size of the dinghy
• Dancing and reading the script of Annie Jr on the bow of the boat and often by flashlight
• Tyler reaching down to pet the Barracuda

I hope these memories are the stories you’ll never forget.  Stories to tell your kids and grandkids someday!

Day 9 - Disembarkment

Its bittersweet to wake up on our final morning aboard the Blue Pepper.  We finished most of the packing last night, so this morning felt relaxed as we woke up, gathered for our final meal from K and then prepped for the 1.5 hr trip back to St Thomas.

We pulled in and docked just before 11:45 am so we had just enough time for some final pics.  Then we said our goodbyes and headed to find Big Love, our driver.

We arrived at the Marriott Westin Resort on Frenchman’s Cove just after noon.  Luckily one of our rooms were ready so we left our bags and headed down to the pool.  We ordered two cabanas so we could rest in the shade for the afternoon. 

Positioned on the point, the hotel offers some incredible views and from our cabanas, we were super relaxed.

The kids spent time in the pool, then played cards and just relaxed.  We had an excellent server who kept us hydrated and brought our lunch.  It was a great way to find off the sea legs we were all feeling.

Once our other two rooms were ready, we headed up to get cleaned up for dinner and then met at the pool side restaurant for a great meal. 

After our steaks and pastas were finished, we headed back to our rooms for an early bedtime.  Scott actually timed it and it took us 12 mins to leave the restaurant, walk to our room, put on PJs and climb into bed.  It was a perfect way to finish the night.

Day 8 - Rendevous Bay

We had a nice relaxing morning again with breakfast at 9:00 am.  K served another spread with fruit, avocado toast, bacon, pancakes and zucchini bread.  

We decided to take the morning and finish up some activities at Waterlemon.  So right after breakfast we headed back to shore in the dinghy and talked up to the ruins of the plantation owners home. 

A big joke of the week has been that we have all seen a spotted eagle ray (which is pretty rare) except Cole who is such an animal lover.  Every time we all shout and he turns just a moment too late to see it.  But on the dinghy ride, one leaped out of the air and Cole was able to see it just in time.  We all celebrated for him and confirmed we finally all had seen one.  And only then Tyler admitted he had not.  What a disappointment!

Once back on board, Scott, Tyler, Sammy, Todd, and Cole decided to snorkel around a little island that’s close by.  They said there were a ton of fish to see and really enjoyed it.  The rest of us relaxed on the boat and enjoyed the morning sun.

It was around 11:30 am when we finally left Waterlemon Bay… which is likely our favorite spot in the USVI with so many options and such great snorkeling.

We headed east past the Indians and then headed to the southern end of the island.  It was about a 1.5 hr trip but so relaxing.

We stopped in Coral Bay to visit Lime Out, a swim up taco bar.  The options were unique but everything we ordered tasted so good!

Once we finished our meal, we continued east to Rendevous Bay.  This is a quiet bay facing the ocean, surrounded by amazing vacation homes. 

The kids immediately jumped in the water to enjoy a swim.

Our snack today was ham buns and cupcakes.  We enjoyed a little snack and then just relaxed, taking in the views.  Sammy practiced for her play on the front of the boat with Annie and I.

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Then it was time for supper.  Tonight we had (huge) filet mignon with mashed potatoes and an Oreo dessert.  Just before we finished, we saw a really large barracuda behind the boat.  He sat very close to the surface as we waited for his prey.  At times, his tail would come out of the water.  And that’s when the peer pressure began.  “Come on, Tyler, you should touch it” and “you can do it!”  I still can’t believe it but that boy actually reached down and touched the fish.  Instantly we all cheered.  B came out to see what the commotion was about and then chastised us all for our bad decision.  Yet, Tyler had no regrets.  He may not have seen a spotted eagle ray, but the kid touched a barracuda and kept all 10 fingers!

Through lots of joking and so many giggles, we wrapped up our meal time with Map Time and then shared some time of reflection with B&K about our time together.  We each shared a highlight from our week aboard the Blue Pepper. 

It’s crazy to think our time together is drawing to a close.  But it’s been truly incredible with many memories, jokes and experiences, we will never forget.  We all headed down to our state rooms to start packing for our disembarkment.  Then we found ways to enjoy the evening.  The kids played Skip-Bo one more time… even though Luke hates that game.  Apparently he finally took our advice to just play cards and he came in third this time (out of four).  

A lot of time was spent on the back platform of the boat, checking out the fish that had gathered. And would you believe that in these final hours aboard Blue Pepper, Tyler spotted two spotted eagle rays swimming by the boat!  Finally!  (Thank you God!)

We wrapped up our evening with the parents sitting up front and enjoying the stars in the night air.  It was already 10:30 pm, which is a pretty late night for us apparently, but we lingered.  Soaking in these final moments.  This is a beautiful place, with beautiful friendships.