On Nov. 1, Ben and I took off for our anniversary trip to Aruba!
On the way to Aruba we flew first class on all of our flights. It's really a delightful way to fly, especially when you're going on vacation. We were surrounded by business people typing away on their computers, but we just sat back and enjoyed the ride. From Wichita to Chicago we enjoyed warm nuts and crisp white wine.
But from Chicago to Miami, we were served dinner. I opted for the fruit and cheese plate, Ben got a warm meal that he said was quite good. Our seats reclined all the way to flat and it was such a nice a flight, definitely the best domestic flight I've ever been on.
The flight attendants thought we were cute and brought us champagne!
Finally, we made it to Aruba, got our car rented, got to our condo and settled in. The next morning we walked to the grocery store and bought supplies for the week (although, let's be real, we went back to the grocery at least two more times!).
Ahhhh, time for breakfast. It was delicious and the view was amazing. The pools were part of our condo amenities. The whole place was fenced in, and just beyond the fence was a street and then the beach. It was an easy 3 minute walk to the beach.
Aruba is always between 85 and 90 degrees and always has a slight east wind. I was perfectly content to sit on the beach and relax. When I got warm, I walked into the ocean, and repeat.
Hi Ben! He came and found me on the beach during the Nebraska football game he was watching.
The first night we went to a Peruvian restaurant and Ben introduced me to Pisco Sours, what a delicious drink.
And then we drove down to the high rise hotel part of the island and found a piano bar that was actually featuring a guy that played guitar - but he was good and it was great people watching so we stayed a while.
The next day we went out and about exploring the island. It was great to just walk around and wander around without a schedule or a care in the world.
There was a huge cow along one of the sidewalks....but why?
We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Lucy's and then went back to enjoy another afternoon at the beach!
I spent a little time that evening enjoying looking around the island from our rooftop deck. It was fascinating to take it all in.
A full view of our accommodations.
More exploring around the island the next day,
and lunch back at Lucy's,
AND the afternoon at the beach.
The next day, though, we mixed things up with an ATV tour - we had to wear these horrid helmets.
But we got to go past fields of aloe, the one thing this dessert island produces.
Check out that cactus!
Along our tour we visited the east side of the island (the opposite side from the sandy beaches by our condo). There we found lots and lots of plastic and trash.
The waves on the east side were magnificent to watch and listen to.
The trash is a serious issue...
The rock bridge thing was cool. Apparently, just recently another bridge like this collapsed.
ATV tours seemed pretty popular, we saw several other groups out and about and even groups on horses.
If you squint, you can see some pink color in the water in the middle of the below photo, just to the right of the tall rocks in the middle of the photo....see it? That's the natural swimming pool we visited on our tour. It was a fabulous welcome from the warm sun.
After our tour, we sought out this little taco shop we'd heard about and it was hands down some of the best tacos we've ever had!
and a colorful place, too!
The next day we drove to the north part of the island to see the light house, we visited some other beaches and did some souvenir shopping.
That afternoon we went on a snorkeling adventure.
Our group got on a small boat, to go out to our larger sail boat.
The guys running the boat were great bartenders and sailors, not so great as snorkel guides. But we made several stops and the snorkeling was decent.
But these warm, homemade snacks they served us at the end were so good! Cheese empanadas
and some sort of corn tortilla filled with spiced meat. Snorkeling is a work out and that food was just right after a few swims.
For our final night, we made a delicious supper for ourselves at the condo but then decided to go back to the Peruvian restaurant for one more Pisco sour.
The next morning we enjoyed coffee on the patio and then packed everything up.
We came home to snow. But it was so good to see our boys again! Thanks to my parents and Ben's mom (and grandparents) for taking care of our boys while we were away!!
Getting back into normal life after being on vacation was really hard.
The junior high gave their fall concert and did a really, really nice job. Noah's back on the tympani in the band photo, and then played the hand drum for one piece during the choir performance.
Basketball season started and we've had a great time cheering on Noah's team.
Sometimes you just never know what you'll find when you step outside....
Even after a couple snows, the carrots I was growing were still okay. They were small, but good!
Anna, Denise and I went out for a night in Wichita and had the yummiest cocktails at Cana Wine Bar in Wicthita.
And then I chowed down on this fabulous burger at Public at the Brickyard.
Levi made really good bar cookies with M&M's and Reeces Pieces in them.
Noah plays games twice a week, so we sit through many hours of basketball every week.
Levi and Kreed get to spend a lot of time together, too.
And finally, it was dry enough to get back out into the field and finish soy bean harvest. Their final day of harvest was Thanksgiving.
All through November I worked on shelling peanuts. It's a long process since I don't have time or enough thumb strength to do too many at one time.
There was another Thanksgiving potluck at work and it was just as delicious as last year!
And here's a pick of my plate at our Epp Thanksgiving gathering.
In preparation for Ben's cattle to arrive, the hay grinder paid a visit to the farm.
We hung out at the Smith's one snowy Sunday afternoon - the boys all bundled up to play outside. :-)
The view on the way home was great, but getting stuck in the snow was not. My dad came with a tractor to take us home...Ben and dad went back the next morning to get my car out.
This photo makes the tree look crooked, but I'm pretty sure it's actually straight.
Because the snow was blowing so much they called school off. I was thrilled for the snow day at home with the boys!
It's also thrilling that they're old enough to play in the snow on their own.
It took us several weeks to slowly get our house ready for Christmas, but we enjoy the warm glow.
And the perfect snack on a cold, wet winter night is garden popcorn. :-)
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