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!