Day 1 - Off We Go

Alarms went off at 3:20 am.  It was rough crawling out of bed but we are just so excited.  We met up at the American check in desk at the airport at 4:20.  Made it through security with only Annie having a quick tap down.  We sat down at our gate and settled in to wait for boarding.  Scott put together a Starbucks order and the boys went to pick up.  

While we waited, we heard from Luke that he was boarding his plane in Sioux Falls, SD.

The week before the trip, we received a phone call that there was issues with our seats.  Although 8 of us were ticketed first class, they only had 3 available seats on the plane.  Rather than switching to a different flight altogether, we agreed for Todd, Cole, Tyler, Sammy and I to flying coach instead.  

The five of us were split up.  Sammy and I in the bulkhead, Tyler and Cole a few rows behind and Todd in the exit from.  It was a three hours flight to Miami but only Cole and I got a nap.  Todd struck up a conversation with his seatmate who happened to be a childhood friend of Chuck Snoap.

Once in Miami, it started to settle in that we were actually on vacation.  We grabbed bathrooms and then sat at our gate.  We had a little under two hrs in Miami so it wasn’t long before we boarded. 

It was a 3-hour flight to St Thomas… this time all of us in first class.  This is a fun airport to land at.  Because the runway was extended out into the ocean, as you are coming down, it looks like you are landing on water.  As we approached, the sunglasses came out!

We had a decent want on the tarmac waiting for a gate.  Luke’s plane arrived only about 20 minutes after us but then he had a long wait on the tarmac as well.

As we de-boarded the plane, we walked down the steps into the beautiful 80* air.  Suns out, cool breeze blowing.  It honestly is the perfect temp for vacation!

Big Love was waiting for us with the van. So we loaded up and waited in the air conditioning until Luke’s bag was available.  Then we were whisked off to our hotel.  It was fun driving through town and recognizing the places we visited two years ago. We are staying at a new hotel this time and the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove Resort did not disappoint.

After check in, the bellhop took us and our bags to the room.   

There was a slight delay as the lock on our door wasn’t working but someone came quickly to fix it.  Then we took 15 minutes to change, and headed down to find the restaurant.  

It’s not far to the pool but because the resort sits on the side of a steep hill, we took three elevators down to finally make it pool side.  There were some great views along the way.

After we placed our order, the kids headed over to the pool.  The girls swam and the boys just talked.  Back at the table, the adults did too and I cant tell you how great it was just to relax, share stories and laugh together.  

The group ordered a variety of meals - Ribs, Burgers, Nachos, Jerk Chicken Pasta - Everyone seemed satisfied!  After we finished, the kids headed back to the pool.  While we waited for the check, we noticed them slink by like a line of shivering little ducklings as they made their way past the restaurant to the hot tub.  We joined shortly after.

It didn’t take long before the effects of a full tummy, warm water, and a big travel day took effect and we headed up to our rooms.  I don’t know about the Schmidts, but the Breens were full on pjs and snuggles by 8:30 pm.

Then Tyler had the idea to go for ice cream.  So he and Scott got dressed, texted the Schmidts and five of them headed back down by the pool for dessert.

I’m not certain when lights went out but I know we were all asleep before 10 pm.  

It was a fabulous day.  I’m just so thankful to be here!