December 31: Snorkeling

Our plan, whenever going somewhere sandy, is to spend time at the beach and the pool, the beach and the pool, the beach and the pool. Our trip to St. Thomas worked beautifully for that plan. We also had the added bonus of having Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop with us too! We stayed at a place where my parents had taken me when I was in high school and college, including one year with Carl joining us. Impossibly, that was 25 or 26 years ago!

We had gotten snorkel masks and tubes ahead of time so the girls could practice during our weekly swim time when Sarah had her lesson. When we got to the island we rented flippers and one life vest for Sarah to wear. It took Sarah some time of easing in slowly to get comfortable. Amy was at home immediately like the mermaid she is. I used to be an anxious snorkeler but was much more comfortable this time. We even went on a snorkel cruise. The captain suggested having Sarah hold onto a life ring that the captain pulled through the water. That worked to get Sarah really comfortable with the whole thing. By the end she was snorkeling independently, still in her life vest. She would have stayed in the water as long as time would allow. Amy sometimes got cold so if we do such a trip again I think we should get her a wetsuit to keep her insulated. 

Amy was delighted to discover many cats wondering around the property. A black cat named Midnight even let Amy pet it and give it snuggles. 

We celebrated Christmas with stockings and a very small present exchange with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, plus Pillsbury cinnamon rolls as is my family tradition.

We loved the tiny lizards scampering everywhere and were lucky enough to see four iguanas. One day we went to a different beach and Sarah rocked out to the live band. We also watched the Straight No Chaser livestream concert and Sarah pretended to have a microphone to sing with them. 

After our time on the island we flew to Philly so we could spend time with Grammy and Granddad and my brother and uncle. Much fun was had playing the new Atari system I got for Carl. It was his idea so perhaps it’s not a surprise that we each bought each other the same game! Cosmic Ark was my favorite back in the day and we each got it for the other. Sarah has been missing everyone, but especially Granddad, a lot since getting home so hopefully we can have more family visits soon.