one happy island

charming outdoor dining.

reminders that Christmas was near!

bon bini!

happy 50th to my mom!

no mcdonald's, just this.

view from the room

The days leading up to Christmas 2012 were spent in this fairytale land, also known as Aruba. My family and I got some r&r 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela to celebrate my mom turning 50! We had lots of delicious sea food––one night we dined at a restaurant that served their food at tables on the beach. Our toes were in the sand. Another night we had ribs at Smokey Joe's…mmm. We stayed in the Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino where I lost a little cash but had fun with Roulette and Blackjack. My favorite part of the trip was probably windsurfing with my dad and brother for a couple hours (first part lesson, second part free-for-all). The sun burned me bad enough that I peeled for 2+ weeks after the short/sweet four-day vacation, but it was worth it to lay out in the sunshine and forget about the cold that awaited us back in Georgia. I can't wait to return someday soon. One happy island, indeed!
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