Disney in a Nutshell

I have gotten behind on the blog due to not having all the pictures in my phone, death of our cell phone charger and need for sleep when we get back to resort. Here is a recap of some highlights from the last three days.

Brynn ready for Spce Mountain

Two tired girls

Selah's reaction to any show

Loved her safari

Boneyard for some digging

Disney World Day 2

Our second day of fun was spent at Epcot. The girls enjoyed a variety of shows and rides. Brynn loved Soarin while Aubrey enjoyed her time viewing sea creatures at the aquarium. 

After a brief visit to our hotel pool, we returned to Epcot for time in the World Villges. Dinner was spent at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall where we saw 5 different princesses. 

Disney World Day 2

Our second day of fun was spent at Epcot. The girls enjoyed a variety of shows and rides. Brynn loved Soarin while Aubrey enjoyed her time viewing sea creatures at the aquarium. 

After a brief visit to our hotel pool, we returned to Epcot for time in the World Villges. Dinner was spent at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall where we saw 5 different princesses. 

Disney World Day 1

Flights out of Birmingham were quick and on-time. All three girls were excellent in the air. Selah liked playing with the windows and tray. The Magical Express bus system is great and makes getting to the resort painless. I even got to sit in the front seat of the bus all by myself. 

We are staying at the All Star Music for one night before moving to the Animal Kingdom Resort for the next 5 nights. We spent our first night at Downtown Disney. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe and played at the Lego Store. We enjoyed some treats from Goofy's Candy Company.

The kids were tired, so we headed back early for baths and sleep. We plan to start our journey at Epcot tomorrow.

All packed and ready go!

Playing with the Legos

Selah did not like the thunder at dinner.

Paw Paw and Aubrey

Brynn working on her monkey look

Departing Paradise

Our trip ended early Thursday morning as we departed Culebra for a short flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is always fun to be sitting in a small, regional airport and the power go out. Lack of power at the airport is a good way to calm your nerves before boarding the tiny plane. Another trick to calming nerves it to ask the passengers to step on the luggage scales and check weights. Then scribble the numbers on a sheet of paper and add them by hand before giving a thumbs up that we are okay to fly!

The plane ride off the island was actually smooth and a good ending to our trip.

Once in San Juan, we shared a taxi with an older woman from Spain who travels the world for fun. She shared some solid traveling tips and left us envious of all her adventures. After a brief stop in Orlando, Sarah and I landed in Birmingham and could not drive home fast enough to see our girls.

I love traveling and seeing the world, but nothing is better than returning home and having three little ladies waiting to jump into your arms. Actually, it was only two in my case, as Selah only wanted her mother!

Love taking pictures of all the random airports I get to visit.

Our plane at sunrise

When we flew into Culebra, our plane splits the V in the mountains.

Destination Culebra: Day 3

Sarah and I began our final day in Culebra with a massage at our condo. The masseuse came to our condo and provided each of us an hour of relaxation. I have experienced massages in Thailand (amazing) and China (a unique experience), but this was a different experience. He was an actual massage therapist and seemed to have a plan and a routine.

After our massages, Sarah and I enjoyed lunch at Mamma Cita's Guest house. It was another fantastic meal with a great view of the water, boats and wildlife. Following lunch, we experienced our first rain on the island but it was short lived, as Sarah and I spent some time on Flamenco Beach getting sun and people watching. After we both got good and burnt, we headed out for some island exploring. I took advantage of the Jeep and found many dirt roads to explore.

For dinner, Sarah and I decided to try a restaurant that delivers food. It was a great call as Sarah and I enjoyed a relaxing dinner at our amazing condo. We also spent time in the hammock chatting and planning our next trip. All of Sarah's ideas typically involve a road trip with kids and mine involve some foreign country that may or may not allow Americans (CUBA!).

Here are some pics of the day. Again, I do not have any pics of the massage time, but if you want to talk to the young man flying the mini drone outside our window, he may have some pics of Sarah and I in a relaxed state. He also may or may not be a fan of mine as we had a conversation about his flying.

Sarah's lunch of Grilled Mahi-Mahi with rice and beans

Flamenco Beach

View from the hill beside our condo

Another view I found on a dirt road

Dinner: Sarah with vegetarian lasagna and Matt with Italian Sausage and Yellow Rice (Death by Chocolate Cupcakes for dessert)

Sunset from the hammock

Destination Culebra: Day 2

Sarah and I awoke at the crack of dawn to attempt snorkeling with sea turtles at Tamarindo Beach. We decided to go the self-guide route. We found our way to the beach, well off the typical path but still reachable by Jeep. A swarm of mosquitoes aided our acclimation to the cold water as Sarah and I were off to find some sea creatures. After a short swim, I spotted a sting ray below me and mistakenly pointed it out to Sarah. She treated such sting ray as a great white shark and nearly pulled me under while screaming at the top of her lungs. We swam for an hour and enjoyed another sting ray, a variety of fish and finally on our way back to shore, sea turtles!

We followed up the morning dip with an organic breakfast at an outdoor market. The food tasted all the same to me, but each item said organic before it on the menu, so I take it as a check mark in the daily healthy column!

Thanks to a recommendation from a friend we met on the plane, Sarah and I set off for Brava Beach. The Jeep got us partially down the path but a dead end forced us in to a 30-minute hike through some pretty rough terrain. The hike was well worth the time and energy, as Sarah and I found the most amazing beach. It was huge with plenty of sand and waves. The best part... we were the only people on the beach for the entire length of our stay. It is the highlight of the trip for me!

After a quick shower, Sarah and I went to Dinghy Docks for lunch. It had a great atmosphere and even better food. We went with crab cakes for an appetizer, Mahi-Mahi sandwich for Sarah, Grouper Sandwich for myself and Peanut Butter Pie for dessert. The positive reviews for this restaurant were spot on!

Sarah and I spent the afternoon at Flamenca Beach. It is the reason that I decided upon on Culebra as our spring break adventure. It was ranked by Trip Adviser as the No. 2 beach in the world. In terms of just a beach, I do not know what could be better. The water is crystal clear. The sand is plentiful and soft. Their are no high rises or buildings in sight. It is just water and nature. We soaked the water for a long time and just admired the amazing views.

After such a long day, Sarah and I picked up dinner to-go and settled in for a night at our beautiful condo and watched the sunset. Sarah read a book while I laid in the hammock.

*** Due to the mosquitoes and lack of underwater camera, I only have mental images of our snorkeling adventure.

Walking Trail was an understatement especially on the return hike up the mountain.

Must have been taken on the way to Brava Beach because our faces were not so happy on the way out due to the hike!

Trail got rough in spots

Finally, we see the water!

I went high and Sarah went low on the rocks.

This beach was amazing and we were the only ones on it!

Sarah working her selfie pose!

Might have eaten one of these for lunch

Amazing view from our lunch table

Pretty hot, if I must say so myself!

The famous tank on Flamenca Beach

Our view from the condo as we chilled on the hammock