COLDEN'S HOUSE: the saints

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And around here, a mid-winter getaway is the way to do it. Seriously.

With the snow falling, and temps dropping to single digits in western NY, Matt and I escaped to the Virgin Islands this past week- all while Colden stayed at home in the care and comfort of Grammy and Papa. We stayed on the island of Saint Thomas, in a gorgeous beachfront suite. We couldn't have asked for a better view.

Most days were spent lounging, reading, and all together trying to relax. Matt has no problem with this. I on the other hand, have hellacious difficulty shutting my mind down. I lugged a library of parenting magazines with me and found myself taking notes amidst my numerous sunscreen re-applications (there were more than many; my make-up shade isn't called porcelain for nothing). Alas, at least someone is sittin' easy.

By the afternoon of the second day, and at least 3 piña colodas deep, I finally started to feel like I was on vacation. Mommy brain had been replaced with island wipe out. YES.

The pool at our resort was just full of new friends. Meet Matt's latest acquaintance: Scary the Lizard. Eek.

On St. Thomas, we primarily stayed on the resort. The few trips to town we did make revealed a strange dichotomy- the rest of the island is like a third-world country. I spotted naked toddlers and run down shantys. Such a contrast for the definition of paradise. The view from the hotel was pretty spectacular though...

One of my favorite adventures while we were there was our trip to St. John. Although we didn't explore all that much of St. Thomas- I liked the beaches, village, and overall feel of St. John so much better. We had one of the best breakfasts we've ever had at a local watering hole called Cafe Livin', before heading out to Cinnamon Beach. There's a reason it's called that...the sand is as smooth and velvety as cinnamon, only blonde in color. The water here was bright turquoise. Just beautiful.