Summer is here and we couldn't wait to get out of town and back to La Brisa as soon as possible! Josh and Rhen had to stay back for a few days for some commitments they had, but the rest of us headed out as soon as school was out. We had some fairly cheap flights which unfortunately meant we had 2 short layovers. Well those two short layovers turned into two different delays and overnight in two places (LAX and Miami) before we actually ended up in PR. It was a LONG trip to say the least and we were so glad once we finally got there. We were comped two hotel rooms and meal vouchers for both nights, but I still told myself I would try to never book a trip with 2 layovers again - no matter how cheap!
Once we rolled up to La Brisa we were so happy to be back! The long trip took a toll on us though and we zonked out pretty quickly after getting there and had a long sleep before we had our energy back and could really enjoy it.
There was lots of rain in the forecast for the first couple of days but that didn't stop us from enjoying every bit of it. We all swam in the rain anyway and that makes it even more fun! All the water keeps everything so fresh and green that we don't mind it at all. I think because of the rain, we had quite a few power outages while we were there which is just a little inconvenient. We're pretty used to it happening so it doesn't slow us down much.
We were happy to welcome Josh and Rhen once they arrived on island and got to work getting a few projects done around the property. Josh has been wanting to cut down a tree that he doesn't like and is afraid it will get too big for the area. So we set the boys loose chopping it down and they got it done in no time. Trimming and weeding always needs to be done and a night swim is Josh's favorite thing of all!
One day we went to the arcade at the outlets and played for a few hours. It was fun and a little break from the power outage we were having at La Brisa.
We kind of settle in to a routine when we're here. Projects, swimming, fruit bowls, homemade pizza, sunsets from the deck. It's all part of our day and we all join in on it together. It's such a nice break from the real world for us and we soak up every minute of it.
One of the things we wanted to get done is powerwashing the walls around the pool and painting them gray. Everyone had their job and worked hard getting it done. It looks so nice now that it's all painted!
The boys have been asking for haircuts and Josh took them to a Puerto Rican barber to have the full treatment done. A women in our branch has a son that cuts hair so we went to see him. They were there for hours getting their cuts just right and finishing off with the right product to make them look fully Puerto Rican!
We got to be at church Sunday and we stopped in to visit one of our favorites - Hermano Vasquez who has been sick for the past few months. We happened to drop in on his 88th birthday so that was fun to celebrate that big day with him!
One evening we spent in Old San Juan flying kites and hanging out at the Morro. It was a lovely evening with perfect weather and amazing views.
Of course we can't got to Old San Juan without a trip to Bari and Anita - it just wouldn't be right.
The best thing about having a couple weeks on the island is we can get a lot of things in and not feel like we're rushed to fit it all in. Josh changed the fan in our main room, we had a visit from Laura and her sisters, we stopped at the school and said hi to some old friends and Rhen got together with her friends for an acai bowl.
And we got to spend a day at our favorite beach Playa Azul! It felt amazing to be at the beach. The sun was hot and the water was warm. We have missed it!
Josh left early for a conference so the last couple days of our trip were spent just me and the kids. We went to the temple one night with Laura and Jonathon from the branch. We got one last acai bowl and spent lots of time by the pool. And we sold our van! We figured that it wasn't worth keeping since we're not on the island long enough to use it and keep up the maintenance. So we dropped it off at the dealer on our way out of town and we're sad to see it go! It's been through the whole rebuild with us so it feels weird that we won't have it anymore.
Our return trip ended up being just as eventful as the way out. We got stuck in Phoenix one night and only half of us made it on with standby tickets to get to Salt Lake. I sent all the older kids home and Beck Desh and I stayed overnight again before catching an early flight back the next morning. What an ordeal getting back and forth, but everything in between was amazing! And just what we needed!
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