Vacation: Saint Martin

Two weeks ago I confessed that I had been away on vacation in the Caribbean for a week. I can't believe I've only been back for two weeks... it seems like ages ago now. I thought I'd share some photos from the trip. Someone asked if I brought my new camera with me... no, I didn't. Something about sand and traveling just didn't sit right with me when I thought about bringing it, so she stayed at home, and I brought my trusty little Panasonic point and shoot. Less to worry about and much more compact.

Back to the trip... We traveled to Saint Martin. For those of you who don't know, the island is divided by France and the Netherlands (the Dutch side is called Sint Maarten), but you can travel freely between the two sides. The only way you know that you are passing from one side of the island to the other is a little monument with some flags. We had visited Sint Maarten a few times on cruises, but we had never stayed on the island for an entire week nor had we ever visited the French side, where we stayed this time.

Gorgeous, huh? And the pictures don't even do it justice. I always feel so much better when we go to the Caribbean. My winter dry skin goes away, the winter blahs disappear, and I feel recharged and ready to battle those last few weeks of winter.

Here are some things found while combing the beaches...

fan coral

sea urchin

hermit crab

And while driving around the island...

sheep!

I love the look of the little beach restaurants and bars...

And why don't we paint our homes in these lovely colors? Maybe they don't look as lovely in the cold, wet snow.

We visited a butterfly farm. Not only were the butterflies gorgeous, but the flowers were amazing as well.

The girls had a blast, although my youngest has decided that she is not a huge fan of sand just yet.

My oldest learned to fly a kite...

I really didn't want to leave. That week was the most relaxed I've been in ages (which was entirely due to the fact that my husband and in-laws (who were there with us) were all very concerned about me getting to relax and not having to tend to the girls every waking minute). I miss the fresh croissants and baguettes from the bakery every morning. I miss wearing flip flops and bathing suits all day. I miss not having a schedule to follow. I miss unplugging for an entire week... no computer, no cell phones. I miss my family just enjoying each other's company for an entire week without interruption. There's nothing quite like island time.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. Just looking through them again makes me anxious for warm weather to get here. Tomorrow is March 1st... fingers crossed it will be here soon!