Kite Boarding

Today we took a taxi over to a different beach where Blake and Kenny said the wind is better for kite boarding.  There were these cute little cabana beds that offered shade that mom and dad loved and plenty of comfy chairs for me and Amber in the sun.  We were served food and drinks all day while watching the boys kite board.




Kite boarding looks very cool, but when you see how much goes into doing it, it's also a ton of work.  It was basically surfboarding while strapped to a huge kite. There were tricks that the guys did that they made look easy, but with the strength of the wind and being able to control the kite and your board and your position in the air and your landing position...it just amazed us to watch them!









Out for dinner again.  Besides dinner, Amber and I lived in our swim suits, so we had to make sure we got at least one picture every night just to show we did bring actual clothes.

Historic San Juan

Today, Blake and his friend Kenny, took us around Old San Juan. We got to see where the cruise ships dock and the nice tourist part of San Juan, but we also got to see the slums of San Juan. We toured an old fort built on the tip of Puerto Rico that was really interesting. The different structures around the city were really neat to see so that is what we took the most pictures of today!!

The fountain just below the Governor's Mansion.


The largest church in Puerto Rico



Blake and his friend Kenny! 


Kenny caught a baby iguana



Different pictures from the fort

A triangular staircase







Afterwards we went to lunch at Vaca Brava and literally got a rack of meat to feed all six of us!!  We were super hungry and tired after all the walking so we were all ready to dig in!!

Here is our empty rack.  We had one little piece of sirloin left that no one could seem to fit in their full bellies!


After lunch, we caught the ferry across to tour the Bacardi factory where San Juan is known as the island of fun, sun and rum.  It was very interesting to hear all the history behind Bacardi and how they manufacture their rum.  At the end of the tour you get two free drinks to try all their different rums.  What a great way to end a long, fun day of sight seeing!!

Photo shoot day

We started the day on the beach and then went to Oceano for brunch. Afterwards, we went back to the beach. For dinner we went to a chinese restaurant and then to the casino. I lost $2 but had about an hour of fun!! Most of the day was spent snapping pictures and doing little photo shoots with the beautiful scenery! 

Puerto Rican Paradise

After 8 hours of airports, baggage claims, and taxis we made it to Puerto Rico!! My brother has lived here for 6 months and we were all anxious to come visit him. Once we got our stuff to the hotel room, we walked down to his restaurant to see him in action. It was super busy at his bar, but he made time to make each of us a specialty drink that was delicious and unique!

Day 2 was spent on the beach!  I enjoyed a cup of coffee watching the waves crash on the shore and stayed in that same chair until lunch.  We walked down to Blake's restaurant for lunch where I got to enjoy pato pizzetta (duck pizza)...my favorite!!  After a bit of shopping it was back to the beach for more book reading and sun!!

Once we got cleaned up, we headed out for dinner.  We went to a fun little jazz restaurant.  The food was good and the music was great!  Then is was back down to Blake's restaurant for one last drink.  This time we got there early enough that it wasn't too crowded and we could meet some of his co-workers.  So far, I am loving Puerto Rico!

Graduation

Baylee graduated from 6th grade this year! She goes to a small school so there were only 14 in her class and from Kindergarten until now they have all gone to the same school together.  Next year, they will all get dispersed out to 3 different schools for 7th-12th grade so there were a lot of good bye's and a few tears.  With such a small class they were able to give each student a ton of recognition, so that was neat to see.  I know she is sad to say good bye to her school and teachers and some of her friends, but she is also beyond ready to start 7th grade next year!


Baylee gave the Invocation

Baylee and her friend!

I love this picture of them!!

Baylee with Richard's parents, Lynette and Roy

Baylee and Brendan