Guest Blog from Aunt Mary - Conrad, Iowa
We finally made the trip to Puerto Rico to visit Jenny, Otis, and the boys. I had been looking forward to it all school year. I am a second grade teacher and with the winter we had, the trip couldn't come soon enough. We left on March 20, and stayed until March 26th. It was a wonderful trip, every aspect of it. I even enjoyed the "Puddle Jumper" that we took from San Juan to the island of Vieques. Being from Iowa, everything was a thrill to me. I loved waking up each morning to the ocean. The weather was amazing, 80's during the day and 70's in the evening. I am a sunshine person, and love warm weather, so that in itself was a thrill to me. Reading on the deck, swimming off the boat, snorkeling, going to beautiful beaches, and having them all to ourselves was amazing!! We went into the village of Vieques a few times, got a little shopping in, and went to a seaside restaurant. Food always tastes better by the sea. Speaking of which, Jenny and Otis are
great cooks and fabulous hosts. Mealtime was always something to look forward to. They both have a knack for whipping up creations that look like something Rachael Ray would make. I loved our candlelight dinners. They were delicious, and so relaxing with the lull of the sea in the background. Oh - and another thing I loved about being on the boat were the nights. At night we would go out on the deck and look up at the stars, so beautiful! We were lucky enough to be there for Jenny's birthday. All of their fellow cruisers joined us on Jenny & O's deck for a party for Jenny. The kids came as well and had a good old time on the other side of the boat. Ben and Sam are so very lucky to have this awesome adventure in their childhood. Someday they will come to realize how truly lucky they were to have experienced so many amazing experiences as children. I know they will always have a bond with their parents that will never be broken, and that in itself is worth more
than all the money in the world. Rick and I will cherish this trip forever, and hope to catch up with them sometime in the future:) Aunt Mary