Aruba vacation – Five days of bliss

So we got back from the vacation we won to Aruba, last Tuesday, and we have been sharing our vacation with you. In case you have missed our prior postings read more here:
Part one – See how our flights went, with our first view of the island
Part two – Learn about the locals, driving, and our first tourist adventure
Part three – how did we win this? Check it out, and see how our first sailboat ride went…
Part Four – Grocery shopping with out coupons in Aruba
Part Five – Sarah’s first snorkeling adventure
Part Six– The windy north side
Part seven – The windy north shore and the waves
Part eight – Thorns and Sushi

Well it’s Monday morning now and we have been in this tropical paradise for 5 days now.We took one last shot of our view from the hotel room. We grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport.
We forgot to show you the view from our room opposite of the beach. It is a bird and wildlife sanctuary and really make the island a nice place to look at.

Good Bye island. We had a blast. We really needed this trip! We never really had a honeymoon, and so after 10 and half years of bliss and four kids we finally had our first break from the kids! We never really even thought about our home. We had both of our parents take care of the kids. My (Matts) poor mom even suffered from a kidney stone the whole time she was here. But was so tough and didn’t even let in to the pain she was feeling. She didn’t want us to worry – Thanks Mom! It was so nice having technology of the internet so that every night we had a video chat with the kids. We could see and talk to them and they could see and talk to us. It really took away the amplifying stress of wonderment. On a normal trip where you can’t have the video chat, stress on both parents and kids can build and make the relaxation of a vacation dissipate.

On every license plate the national slogan read – “One Happy Island”…. and it really was! Thanks Aruba!

So after 2 security checks at the airport, both US and Aruba customs and then Home Land security (which only asked – “Do you smoke or use tobacco?”, and then asked “Do you drink or purchase alcohol?” – which surprised me being Homeland security and all) We finally were at the gate at the airport in Aruba. We got some rest, some one on one time, some sun, and got a little tan!

So since we had some time waiting for our six hour flight back to New York, and then our over night stay in Vegas, Sarah finally broke down and got on the computer for the first time since we left. It was so nice having Ingard back home running the site for us. Many probably never even knew we left. Ingard did a wonderful job, and after over two years of being online, and posting daily – we finally got a break to rejuvenate!

One more day of post – See our short stay in Las Vegas!