Way Back Wednesday - June 30, 2010

This Week's Topic: What Are Your Favorite Memories From Your Honeymoon?

Unfortunately this post will have to be sans personal pictures because our desktop is fried and I cannot access the external drive all my pictures are on via the laptop. Our honeymoon was wonderful. John's Dad gave us the trip as our wedding gift...awesome! We went on a 7 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Zuiderdam, a ship part of the Holland America fleet.

We had a room on the Verandah level, which basically means we had a balcony. We had breakfast nearly every morning outside looking out over the caribbean water. Heavenly!

The first stop was at Holland America's private island, Half Moon Cay. Half Moon was one of my favorite places because it was all beach all day. Additionally, I prior to our honeymoon, I read on Cruise Critic that if you ask for the all-you-can-drink special that isn't advertised, they must give it to you. So for $20 each, we drank rum runners ALL DAY.

In St. Thomas we did some shopping and took a tour of the island which ended at the top of the island where we embibed world famous banana daiquiris and enjoyed spectacular views of the island.

In Tortola we took a jeep tour of the island and spent the afternoon at a private beach. The sand and waves are like none other in the Caribbean. I think we liked Tortola the most because it was less commercialised than other destinations.

All in all it was a spectacular honeymoon with beautiful scenery and once in a lifetime excursions. Though not without mishaps. Like our camera breaking halfway through the trip, meaning we lost most of our pictures; a day of HUGE waves and getting seasick before we were supposed to go to a Halloween party as pirates--take your seacalm people. Most of all though, we enjoyed being newly married and spending every minute together.

Sea Glass, Sand Dollars and other Summer Stories

The Pedersens have had a wonderful and fun filled summer visiting with family and friends. We began our adventures with a trip to Ohio for a family reunion with Dad, Janice et alia. Fun times were had by all at Great Wolf Lodge where Nicolaus went in the pool for the first time and at the Harris household where he got to know his extended family and clapped for the first time. A photographer came to the house for family portraits and we will share those once they arrive. We all participated in the backyard game of cornhole and the Pedersens will be ready for a tournament at the next gathering.

The end of July brought our first beach vacation as a family. We started out in Kitty Hawk, NC with Uncle Tim and Becky where they introduced us to the Sea Glass hunting. They are pros and their collection extensive. We will never meet their excellence unless we travel to the West Coast and find the elusive red piece! Tim and Becky left with us as we traveled via ferry first to Okracoke then to Atlantic Beach, NC to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Pedersen at the famous Place at the Beach condo. Scott, Kelly, and Becca were able to meet up with us before we left as well. Nicolaus was a real trooper at the beach. He loved the sand--squishing it in his hands and disn't even try to eat it. He favored the pool above the ocean though and even fell asleep once in his float! During Beach Week he started crawling, waved and cut his first tooth. We were so glad to share those important milestones with Hans and Jeanette. The best day of all came on our last walk/sea glass hunt on the beach when I looked down and found a whole sand dollar! I've wanted to find one forever and when I saw it I nearly cried.

Now the Pedersens are back home in Virginia wondering what the end of the Summer has to offer and are in disbelief that in a few short months Nicolaus will be turning 1 year old!