Family day at the beach

When Mom (Bev) was visiting us, we went for a walk and discovered the amazing ice piles created by Lake Michigan.  I couldn't wait to take Keith back there to show him how awesome it is!

While the beach was closed (no lifeguard on duty), there was NOT a sign that said no dogs... so we were able to bring Indy with us!  

Indy was having a blast climbing on these snowy mountains that are actually on top of the lake.  At some point, he must have been sick of the wind or was getting cold, because he suddenly started resisting the romp.  (It also could have been my nervousness while climbing down that caused him to dig in his heels.)  

On the way to and from the beach, we found some really fun snow forts left behind by some of the local kids.  Indy LOVED jumping around these big snow boulders.  

Chile for New Years

This past December, Keith and I went to Chile for New Years to visit our friends Sam and Caroline who have been living there since September 2012.  Alan and Jenn also went to Chile so we had a full PALS reunion in South America!

We spent most of the time in Santiago where Sam and Caroline have been living and working, but we also went down to Valapariso and Viña del Mar for New Years Eve.  We did so much exploring of the city, and had adventures including hiking, running a 5k with some stray dogs and eating LOTS of epanadas.

A view of Santiago

Everyone decided that it was worth bringing running clothes to Santiago, and there was even mention of finding a 5k for us to run together.  Since I was the only Pal to not run with the others, I decided that we should create our own 5k.  Keith and I ordered medals to surprise the pals.  We ran the first part of the 5k together, and then while Jenn and I continued the circuit the others ran a little further before meeting up with us at the end.  This run was a blast already, but it was made better by the fact that some stray dogs decided to adopt us and run the whole 5k!

Viña and Valpo were much colder than Santiago, so we didn't really spend a lot of time on the beach.  There was so much to see and do in these coastal towns that we didn't mind.  The murals in Valapariso were absolutely amazing, and we had a blast walking around the hills.

 

New Years was perfect.  We cooked dinner and chilled around our apartment before going to the beach for an epic fireworks display.   I am so glad that we got to visit Sam and Caroline while they were living around the world!

Do you want to see more pictures from our trip?  Check out Rebecca's Facebook Album: New Years in Chile.

(Of course, while we were in Chile we HAD to look for yarn shops in Santiago.  We found a whole district and everyone was very accommodating while I shopped.  You can read more about this over at ChemKnits.)

Flat Jackson

So I've been really bad about posting.... but here are the adventures from our Honeymoon (Dec 2011) as told by our little stowaway, Flat Jackson.

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Hello! My name is Flat Jackson and I went to Illinois to spend some time with my family, the newlyweds Rebecca (my cousin) and Keith (my buddy.) Flat me wasn't able to go to the wedding (I had not yet been laminated), but the 3D version had a lot of fund dancing at their wedding at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

Evanston, IL is a quiet college town just North of Chicago. I thought that I was in for a quiet relaxing vacation... but then there was a wild beast! (Just kidding, the American Eskimo Puppy never tried to eat Flat Jackson.)

Shortly after arriving in Evanston, Rebecca and Keith were going to leave for their Caribbean honeymoon. Guess what? They invited me to join them! I spent the trip traveling in the outside pocket of their suitcase, sleeping inside a Kindle Case so I could stay nice and flat.

We started our adventures on the Island of Saint Maarten, an island that is half owned by the French and Dutch (this is the World's smallest island owned by two sovereign nations!) Many different nations have sovereignty in the Caribbean, which leads to multiple different currencies being used, including US dollar, Easter Caribbean Dollar, European Euro, British Sterling and more. (Thankfully, most places were happy to take US dollars at a great exchange rate, 1 USD = 1 Euro!)

St. Maarten was only the first stop on our Caribbean adventure. We went on the Windstar cruise ship the WindSurf. This one of the largest sailing vessels on the ocean, and we spent a lot of time traveling under sail power. From St. Maarten, we traveled to 5 other islands: Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and St. Bartelemy.

The layout of the boat looks confusing, but thankfully Rebecca and Keith were on this ship before for Mediterranean cruise so they were able to easily show me around.

Breakfast and lunch are almost always eaten outside on the deck. The ship was only about half full (~200 passengers) so there was never any trouble finding a place to sit.

Our room (called a "State Room") has two little porthole windows so we can see the waves.

The boat is small for a crusie ship, but it is still very big compared to many other boats. We weren't able to dock on many of the islands, instead we were anchor in the harbor and then take a tender (a small boat) to shore.

Every island was filled with breathtaking views....

It was also really relaxing to be on the boat.

Unfortunately, since I am not yet 18 years old, I was not able to go Snorkeling with Rebecca and Keith. But they did bring me along so I could watch!

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On Antigua, we had a lazy beach day.

Technically I was not a guest on the ship, I was more of a stow-away. This is why I didn't get listed on the honeymoon certificate!

I was sad to see our trip end... funny to see palm trees decorated for Christmas.

I thought my adventures would be over when we returned to Chicago... but in fact they were just beginning.

Rebecca told me that she is happy we had these cyber adventures. Now as they mail me back to Massachusetts, I haven't really left them at all!

Marc and Rachel's Wedding in Maine

Keith and I had a wonderful time at Camp in Maine where we attended Marc and Rachel's wedding. The day was filled with camp activities, sports, crafts and fun in the lake.

While we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, Keith decided to have some fun...

All of the weddings this summer have been lucky with weather. Many predictions of rain turned false, and we had a perfect day for an outdoor wedding. The lake was so clear, that you could see the clouds in the sky reflected on the surface. If I cropped the pictures a bit, it could be hard to tell which part was the reflection.

It has been a wonderful wedding season, and we are very happy for all of our friends who got married this summer. I cannot wait for the next wedding season to begin!

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Did you take any pictures at our wedding? Please send them to us!