Hi!!! I am BACK!!!! A few points:

1. I am a HUGE fan of The Bahamas! HUGE! Everyone is SO kind, so loving, and just wonderful people. If you mention that to a Bahamian, they smile and tell you that is who they are and how they strive to be. Four days in The Bahamas told me that we should all be taking lessons from these amazing people. Or, just traveling there on a regular basis!
2. Reid and I need to go on more date trips. This October, we will be married 15 years! In those crazy years, we have been on maybe a handful of trips with just the two of us. We booked this trip several months ago, and just being able to get away and re-engage with your spouse is AWESOME! No responsibilities. No one needing anything. No one crying. Well, except for Reid after he got sunburned DAY ONE! True story.
3. And, lastly . . . Mom Guilt IS REAL, y’all! I discovered the “Mom Guilt” concept shortly after Harlan was born, and it is REAL! So, just a little story on my current February. Ten days before we left for The Bahamas, Harlan got the flu. He missed an entire week of school, and was not truly himself until the day before we left town. Three days before we left, Jackson went down for the count. Flu test was negative (Harlan’s was too, originally), but Jackson was super happy and Motrin was doing its magic. Because the boys were going to get loved on by my in-laws, and because Reid was threatening to go to The Bahamas without me, I left Jackson with boxes of Motrin, boxes of Tylenol, and notes on a medicine schedule. Both of my mother-in-laws did an AMAZING job snuggling on him and giving him meds, but he just got worse and worse while we were gone. MOM GUILT! After some decent delays, we finally arrived home late last night and I took him to the doctor this morning. After some time at the pediatrician AND the hospital, little dude has pneumonia! He is MISERABLE. Currently napping, currently medicated. Praying that he gets better ASAP, and thankful that my Mom Guilt is slipping away and I am just happy to be back in my equally sweet reality – getting to love on my boys!

Before I go back to laundry, doing temperature checks, and finishing up Thursday’s FEBRUARY BOOK REVIEW post (WOOHOO!!), I wanted to tell you guys just a few things from our trip. After posting a pic on Instagram from the Bahamas airport, I had several people DM me questions about the resort.

Let me just say again . . . AMAZING! We had a 5:30am flight on Thursday (crazy, I know!), but hello extra leg room! When your husband is 6’6″, you tend to always sit in the exit row, but this was THE BEST EVER! Perfect way to relax on an early morning flight to Miami!

And, might I just say that I have never been stayed in Miami, but the airport is beautiful, there were bars everywhere, and people were drinking! And, it was 9am. I did not judge. It was vacation. So, I joined in! Mimosas in Miami may be better. Best layover ever!

When we arrived at the resort, we headed straight to lunch. The Rosewood has an outdoor restaurant, Costa, just off of the pool. Our section of tables sat on top of a koi pond with palm trees all around us. Paradise, people. When we finally got situated, we texted Jackson (on our home phone) to let him know we arrived. Even medicated and with a fever, this kid is so funny . . .

We stayed at the Rosewood Baha Mar, which opened in June of 2018. So, brand new! Just off the west side of the resort, there are two giant double doors that open into Vegas. A giant casino that looks like Vegas got on a plane and flew off the coast of Florida! If you walk through the casino, you can also get to either the Grand Hyatt (opened two years ago) or the SLS Hotel (opened one year ago). So, all very nice and new.

Let me say this . . . after four days we figured had it figured out. STAY AT THE ROSEWOOD!!!!! The SLS was the Vegas crowd. A boutique-style hotel with a very funky vibe. We definitely headed over for a drink and people watching, and we did love the atmosphere to “visit”. If you go, definitely check out the SkyBar. It is an open-air lounge on the top of the hotel with the most beautiful 360 degree views. We loved our time there. This hotel is better suited for a bachelor party, girls trip, etc.

The Grand Hyatt was HUGE . . . like 2300 guest rooms huge. And, the hotel lobby was basically the casino. We quickly lost a touch of money at Black Jack, and decided to steer clear. Because it was so crowded over there, it was hard to get a sense as to what they were catering to. We saw SEVERAL groups of guys, two separate Bachelorette parties, and a TON of families!!!! People looked to be having a great time, and the location is just BEAUTIFUL. We heard some horror stories of lots of alcohol-infested activities near families and parents throwing chicken nuggets at their children in the pool and letting the food just float about. Basically a cross between a fraternity party and a Discovery Zone gone wrong. And, if you haven’t heard of a Discovery Zone, look it up. My first job ever! Mass chaos, but good money for a fourteen year old girl!

Our side of Baha Mar was, by far, our favorite. It was covered in the most beautiful “jungle” of flowers. Here is one that I thought was so interesting . . . a furry flower! But, there were gorgeous flowers and vegetation that lined your path to and from the hotel, pool and beach.

And, speaking of the beach! WOWZA! The Rosewood had a private beach that was breathtaking. Peaceful, wonderful people, and pure beauty. And . . . probably the best part, they gave you a clicker where you could call a waiter over to order anything our little hearts desired. Our favorite order: Water (the sun is serious business down there!), “Crushed Avocado” (the best guac I have ever experienced!), and Miami Vice cocktails (half strawberry daquari, half pina colado, pure awesomeness). I saw this quote – LOVE IT – and thought that would describe our trip. But, the food was so fresh in The Bahamas, it was hard to get wrapped up in the bad stuff! The Miami Vice drinks were pure sugar, but hey, we were on vacation! Woohoo!

On Sunday morning, I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about a little munchkin having a 103.8 fever thousands of miles from me. Instead of tossing and turning, I took a stroll on the beach and was so blessed to witness the sunrise over The Bahamas! God has an amazing paintbrush!

We LOVED our time in The Bahamas, and we will DEFINITELY be back! Such a special trip with this cute guy! I am not sure we will ever take another non-beach date trip again. Way too relaxing!

So, that is my last several days in a nutshell! An amazing time, but I am also glad to be home and doing my real job . . . nursing a sick little guy back from pneumonia and then helping another little guy with his fifth grade Latin homework. Just FYI that my fifth grader is coming very close to being smarter than me!

Missed you friends! Glad to be back. Make sure to come back Thursday for this month’s BOOK REVIEW!!!! There is definitely a book I read this month that has a very good chance of being in my top five for the YEAR!!! See you then. Off to take a cute kid’s temp and Lysol the kitchen. Again!