How to spend 10 days in St. Thomas.

Day 1: First you need to get there. St. Thomas is apart of the U.S. Virgin islands in the Caribbean. St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John were purchased from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million-in an effort to improve military positioning during WWI. We took a red-eye on Delta from SLC to Atlanta and then on to Charlotte Amalia- 8 hours in the air not including the layover.

Day 2: Explore where you are staying. Frenchman's cove is a Marriott vacation club with big rooms, great amenities and fabulous beaches. BUT beware the iguana's are protected/endangered and they love the beach too AND if you don't put on enough sunscreen you will get very bad tan lines.

Day 3: Explore the island. St. Thomas is only 36 square miles. We did a driving tour with a CD our concierge Michael loaned us. Bart did a great job driving on the LEFT side of the road-no crashes or yelling and we only used 1 tank of gas for the entire time we were there.

This picture was from the botanical garden that we went to.

Day 4: Go to Megan's beach, Drakes seat and Udder delight. Megan's beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the Caribbean. It is a very long beach that is shaped like a heart. The water is bath tub warm and calm. Drake seat is an overlook above Megan's bay where Sir Francis Drake watched the Spanish armada sail by while his ships hid in Megan's bay. Udder delight is a super yummy dairy farm and milk shake shop. We tried JaCoco, JaMocha, plain coco and butter pecan-all so delicious that we drove back a second time.

This is an overlook of Megan's bay from Drakes seat.

Day 5: Take a ferry over to St. John. After a 20 minute ferry ride with our car we got to the tropical paradise of St. John-over 75% of the island is national park. We hit up all of the beaches that we could. Starting with Hawks Nest, then Trunk bay and Cinnamon bay, and on to Maho beach and Francis Bay. We swam and snorkeled and looked for sea shells at all of the beaches. St John is smaller and less inhabited than St. Thomas and there is nothing to do but sit on the beach or hike.

Day 6:Lounge around and eat. We swam and read by the ocean everyday and this night we decided to splurge and go to the ALL YOU CAN EAT SURF AND TURF BUFFET. We had crab, and lobster and prime rib and shrimp and tilapia and salads and pasta and dessert. Bart and I definitely got our money's worth.

Day 7: Go snorkel at Secret Harbor and eat lunch at the cafe. We loved Secret Harbor. It is a hidden bay that has the best snorkeling! We swam with the fishes and looked for lobster, we played with a sea turtle and hid from jelly fish. This was some of the best snorkeling I have ever had especially in one area. This was also the place we were when Carter called telling us about his mission call. We went to secret harbor 3 times and each time was great. If you ever go to St. Thomas make sure you go to Secret Harbor.

Day 8: More snorkeling at Coki point. Coki point and Megan's bay are the 2 most popular places to go on St. Thomas. Coki beach has lots of vendors and people that "hassle" you. There is also an aquarium that you can go snuba-ing and swim with the seals. We went to Coki at 8 AM before everyone else got there. The fish aren't afraid of people and they actually come up to your face and bite your fingers if they think you have food. You will see fish UP CLOSE here.

Can you see us snorkeling out past the rocks?

Enjoying dinner with homemade smoothies.

Day 9: Go to Mermaids Chair and the Atlantic overlook. Mermaids Chair was awesome. We drove over to the west of the island and then through a security gate (there is a huge development sitting unfinished because the guy from Dubai is in a legal dispute). There are only 3 houses finished in the property...each 3 million. Mermaids Chair is a little strip of land that has the Caribbean on one side and the Atlantic on the other, and there is a noticeable difference in water temperature. Guess which is warmer???? The ATLANTIC-I totally thought the Caribbean would be warmer. There are tons and tons and tons of washed up shells and coral. Bart nicknamed this place the "coral junk yard", he even brought a huge piece of coral home-if you don't believe us come over and see it. The water is much more rough where the 2 oceans meet-lots of waves and spray and crashing waves.

Bart is playing with the waves.

Day 10: Swim, Pack up and go home. Our flight didn't leave until 4 PM so we had all morning to relax by the pool, go snorkeling again and walk on the beach. This vacation was wonderful and very needed, a perfect way to spend my break between semesters.

Mothers

Happy Mothers Day!

I am very grateful to have a mother and have her as my best friend.

I love my mom because she loves me,

because she is pretty and smells nice.

I love my mom because she taught me how to cook and clean and do laundry and iron and do all of the basic everyday things.

I love my mom because she takes me to lunch every week and goes to Wal-Mart with me.

I love my mom because she went to the cannery and canned onions with me and because she had as much fun with the Days of 47' as I did.

I love my mom because she has great red curly hair and because she taught me the importance of suncreen.

I love my mom because I can talk to her about anything and also cry to her over anything.

I love my mom and I hope to be like her.

I am also grateful for Bart's mom. She raised a wonderful son who is hardworking and loyal. I appreciate her efforts in raising him in the gospel and teaching him how to treat women.

Thank you Kathy!

And the WINNER is...

HONDURAS San Pedro SulaLeaving August 18th

I think that Leslie was the closest guess with El Salvador. I bet you will never guess where Leslie served her mission :) I think I may still get a little something for her.

I am glad that Carter is going to have this "right of passage". It will be a great experience for all of us and hopefully the 2 years will go by quickly. Bart is excited that he and Carter will be able to speak Spanish together at Sunday dinners. I wanted Carter to go to an island but Honduras is pretty close-it's in the Caribbean and surrounded by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I hope we can do a Book of Mormon tour and go pick him up-selfish I know. Below is a little info on Honduras. Please don't tell my mom any scary stories about central America.

Honduras is a republic inCentral America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras (now Belize). The country is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea.
Its size is just over 112,000 km² with an estimated population of almost eight million.
Its capital is Tegucigalpa.

Vacation

This is where we are going to vacation!

I am very excited.

Guess Where?

My youngest brother Carter (whom I have blogged about before) has turned in his LDS mission papers. We are all hoping that he will receive his call in about 10 days!

I am asking, and begging each of you to leave a comment on where you think Carter will go on his mission.

Please, please, please, leave a comment. I love comments! Most of you don't know Carter but that doesn't matter-you can leave a comment anyway. Please, please, pretty please. My mom is going to scrapbook all of the results.

The person that guesses where Carter is going will get a treat/prize...even if you live faraway I will figure out something to send you.

As far as Bart and I go. We are busy but happy and relatively healthy. Only 2 more week until my semester is over-3 down, 4 to go!

COLD FEET

The day Canessa and I got married, she told me she had cold feet. That worried me a little, and I made sure to keep my manly logger hands handy just in case her cold feet got too cold.

Well, in the years since, I have found that she always has cold feet ---- in the car, her feet are cubes of ice and mine are a sort of charcoal (yes - very hot). As I am about to comfortably fall asleep, I am often torn from my pre-dream pleasantries by those same cubes of ice (I mean her feet).

Today, she took matters into her own hands - or should I say sink!

Yes - Canessa decided the shower - the time-tested warmer of feet and hands - was too much work, and figured the sink would work just as well.

She doesn't get to claim "lack of creativity" anymore!

Guess Who Part 2

Guess who is pregnant? If you guess me you are WRONG.




My cute little sister Cambria Craigo Myrick will be a mom August 14, 2010. Bria is 16 and 2/7 weeks along. This will be the first Craigo niece/nephew and we are all very excited. I'm sure the baby will be the cutest thing ever because it will have good genes. :) Cambria has always liked children and babysitting and I'm sure she will be a great mom-it's too bad that they are far away in Rexburg. We love you Bria and Kaile!

Guess Who...

Many of you may already know BUT you can pretend and just keep reading.

Thursday February 18, 2010.

This was dinner.

This was THE place.

This is the RING. Custom made just for her.

These are the flowers with cute love notes attached.

And this is the happy, newly ENGAGED couple.

Colin Lloyd Craigo and Katie Ann Leeflang

To be MARRIED

June 18, 2010

For those of you that don't know, Colin is obviously my little brother but Katie is Bart's little sister. So we will have double cousins and grandparents and FUN. Colin and Katie have been dating since June 2009 and they met and fell in love all by themselves...no pushing or prodding from me.

Someday...

This is going to be my inspiration.

My inspiration to keep going to the gym and to continue to try to not eat everything in sight. I have learned that I am an emotional eater. Thus when I am happy I eat, sad I eat, tired I eat, stressed I eat and guess what I do when I'm bored...yep-EAT.

Do any of you have any recommendations?

DECADE IN REVIEW

The highly tedious task of reviewing the past decade has fallen to me (Bartus). As part of this task, it is my opportunity to determine what events are most prominent. I promise none of my bias will trickle through – as I am born of the new era of reporters and journalists – no agenda; strictly fact.

The following lists contain, but are not limited to, the highs of highs, and the lows of lows, experienced from 2000 to 2010.

Bart(18-28 years old)
1. Served a mission in Bolivia
2.Dated Canessa
3. Broke-up with Canessa

4. Graduated from U of U with Bachelors in Civil Engineering
5. Dated Canessa
6. Broke-up with Canessa
7. Bought the house
8. Dated Canessa
9. Got Married (to Canessa)
10. Regretted buying the house
11. Worked on the house
12. Graduated from U of U with Masters in Geotechnical Engineering
13. Passed Professional Engineering Licensure exam
14. Worked
15. Worked

This has been a most eventful decade me! Several of the landmark experiences of life have taken place. Experiences I will draw from, and be affected by, every day of my life. Although this list may appear to be lots of work, and no fun, it should be noted that amidst the work there was play. I had the opportunity to go to Europe twice with my Mom, and there was a spattering of water ski trips and such.

Canessa (16-26 years old)

1. Graduated from Skyline High School
2. Dated Doug
3. Graduated from Dixie High College
4. Dated Louis
5. Study abroad in Nauvoo

6. Days of 47 Royalty
7. Dated Bart8. Dated Jake
9. Dated Gavin
10. Dated Josh
11. Dated………
12. Graduated from U of U with Bachelors in Nursing

13. Volunteered in orphanages in Ecuador
14. Got Married (Surprise Surprise – to BART)

15. Started the Family Nurse Practitioner program at BYU

Canessa’s list implies a little more fun than mine; however, I must admit (aside from a little too much dating – she should have stopped with me the first time) she made a conscious decision to make the most of short, tender, young adult years. This was one thing that really attracted me to her – adventurous and driven. She also went to Europe numerous times, Hawaii a couple of times, cruises, New York ….. the list can go on (and on). The many things she has accomplished over this decade are impressive; not to mention the quality and precision with which she does everything. I am very proud of her, and lucky to have her as my partner throughout life and beyond.

It’s amazing how a single decade can alter the course of your life so dramatically.

This blog is dedicated to a life-changing past decade, and high hopes for the decade facing us.