Tuesday: Lounging

Since Tuesday was our first full day at the resort, we decided to relax and get acquainted with everything all day. We spent much of the day on the beach.

This is the day we got our lesson on the hoby cat and then we did it again a few days later. The view of the resort from the hoby cat...
Here are some pics from dinner...
Josh's Mahi Mahi
And we walked the grounds and enjoyed the weather. Here is one pic of the hammock that we laid in for a little bit. We also came upon some horses on the road outside of the resort that were just freely roaming.
Josh near one of the outdoor restaurants and you can see the mountains and ocean in the background faintly.

Wednesday: Soufriere Tour

Wednesday we took a catamaran to the local town of Soufriere. This was an incredible day and we got to go to a local restaurant to get a feel for their cooking and we got to see the town.
This is a picture from our seats on the catamaran. We got some of the best seats right by the trampoline at the front of the boat so we got to watch the waves and enjoy the weather from there. Here is a picture of the beautiful Piton Mountains from the catamaran.Our first stop was to the sulphur springs. The smell wasn't too bad :) I'm told that it looks very similar to Yellowstone's sulphur springs. This is also the only drive in volcano. We were actually in the pits of a volcano that erupted long ago to make what is now the island's landscape.Next we walked through the botanical gardens. They were beautiful and we got to see nutmeg trees and cocoa trees. St. Lucia exports cocoa to Hershey's and we got to see real cocoa straight from the trees which is white and gooey and sticky.
At the very back of the botanical garden there is the Diamond Falls. This waterfall changes colors each day based on what elements are more prevalent that day. This is also the sight of the waterfall scene in Romance & The Stone. And the botanical gardens were used in Superman 2 when he jumps off of one of the Pitons to drop down and pick a Birds of Paradise flower for Lois Lane. We were pretty excited about the movies that were filmed there and we still have plans to watch them. Also, the original Dr. Doolittle was filmed in Marigot Bay which we also visited this day. It was amazing, but the pictures didn't turn out too well from the bay.
Finally, on Wednesday night, they had the Signature Guest dinner. This was probably our best and funnest dinner of the entire week. This is where the Sandals staff prepares a special meal for Signature Guests and we got to have dinner with several of the other Sig. Guests and some of the Sandals staff. We got to sit with the funnest girl named Keitha as well as several other couples and it was so fun, not to mention that the food was incredible. Josh had THE best fish, even I could have eaten an entire meal of it. And I had surf & turf and I ate it all, which is telling when it comes to shrimp! Here is a really good picture of Josh enjoying the hors' dourves.
This is one of our favorite pictures of the whole trip. I need to crop out the umbrella, but the sunset looks amazing.
Simply beautiful.

Thursday: Couple's Massage & Snorkeling

Thursday we started the morning out really early and went snorkeling. Unfortunately they had a surge the night before, so it wasn't very clear, but we still had fun...especially Josh. I'll admit that I still get pretty freaked out. Especially when Josh makes an entire school of fish swim right at my face!!!
Can't get by without the cheesy goggle pics!

Say cheese!!

Then went for a couple's massage that was wonderful. It was Josh's first massage ever and I think he really loved it. We got this as a shower gift from Josh's parents and it was such an amazing relaxing gift. We also discovered the steam room which was so incredible.
We then had a great dinner down at the Barefoot by the Sea. I was proud to try some different foods!And here is Josh relaxing after dinner. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to just sit outside and listen to the ocean.

Friday: Hiking on Pigeon Island

Friday was so great! We had been told by a few of the St. Lucians that Pigeon Island was a neat and cheap adventure, so we decided to take the challenge! Pigeon Island is actually not really an island, but it was at the end of our beach and it is a historic sight where soldiers used to come and keep watch.
This is a picture from our hoby catting, but it is a good pic of Pigeon Island in the background. There are two peaks, the lower of the two has a fort at the very top of it. We set out to just climb to the first peak, but once we got up there, we couldn't leave the island without doing both.Here is a pic of Josh at Fort Rodney at the top of the lower peak. They had a gunpowder room and a lookout room as well as the original cannons. Here is a picture of the rocks that we had to climb to get to the top of the second peak. It was definitely a challenge! We're glad we brought our tennies!Then here is a pic from the top of the second peak. You can see Fort Rodney on the other peak in the background.And here is a picture of us at the tip top of the high peak. It was so much fun. The people who were at the top on Tuesday saw a mama whale with her two babies, because you could see out into the ocean forever. We didn't have that luck, but it was still amazing.Here is a picture of Josh and I in one of the old soldier's barricks that are on the island. There was an abandoned Queen's house as well as many of these types of buildings, a cemetary and a museum.And here is a pic of Josh with the waves behind him on the other side of Pigeon Island.

Saturday: Horseback Riding

Since the zip cording through the rainforest was down the week we were there, we had room for an extra excursion. We heard from a few other people that the horseback riding was great, so we gave it a try...

This is absolutely the funniest picture in the universe. I laugh every time I see it. I love it...Not to say my pic is any better...

My horse's name was Bobbi and Josh's was Trod. It was Josh's first time riding and he did a really good job. Trod bucked a few times and I seriously thought I was going to fall off of my horse because I was laughing so hard. But he was a good horse, and Bobbi was perfect, she was so gentle and I would have taken her home if I could have.We got to take some pictures on this little cliff and Josh thought he was going over. And here is us after we got out of the ocean. Notice the bear backs! It hurt but it was so incredible!! The one tour guide did the entire 2 hours bear backed, I don't quite think we could ever work up to that!Here's a good one of Josh walking along the beach.And here's one of us while out in the ocean...it was truly a memorable experience. It was amazing.
Before we went to ride horses, we got up really early and looked for some conch shells. We didn't find any unbroken ones but we did the obligatory heart in the sand number...Also, Patty got me Just Married sandals which leave an imprint of Just Married in the sand when you walk, but we didn't get a very good pic because the waves kept coming pretty quickly. Then Josh thought it would be funny to get my dirty backside from sitting in the sand.

Sunday: Lounging

We spent all day on Sunday just relaxing and enjoying the weather in St. Lucia. We both did a lot of reading and laying in the sun. It was a great way to end the vacation...rested and relaxed!

Here is Josh reading...he finished his book (I didn't!).Josh with Pigeon Island in the background. How beautiful.
Having a drink in the early afternoon...
Me on the beach... Everyone was very willing to take pictures for others since pretty much everyone was honeymooning, so one couple took this cute picture...And here is Josh on Monday boarding the plane to leave. A sad day. :( It was such an amazing time and we couldn't have asked for a better location and for better weather.

What Kowe did while we were away....

She got spoiled, that's what she did!! She stayed with Josh's parents and we definitely don't think she wanted to come home!! She got walks and all kinds of play time, and very little cage time, not to mention all the treats a little girl could want! Here are some cute pics that they took. We missed her so much while we were gone, but somehow, we don't think she quite felt the same!

Playing And Lounging,
And relaxing,
And, yes, mowing! These pictures are hilarious!! She HATES the lawnmower when Josh mowes, but nope, put her Papa on a mower, and all of a sudden it's the best thing ever! Hmm, this is a bit of an insight as to what things will probably be like when we have kids...



Thanks you guys for watching her. We really appreciate it.