Bonaire

Bonaire, Bonaire... Wish we could have spent more time there. (We only had about 5 hours to enjoy the island.) But between the six of us we packed a lot in and enjoyed our time there.

I was pregnant on the cruise- was being the operative word- so I couldn't scuba dive. I was really hoping Bobby would go anyway, and he did. He didn't grow up near the ocean like me, so as you can imagine, he's not as at ease in the water. But he went for it! He loved snorkeling in Aruba, so I think that weighed in a lot. He was a total rockstar. I mean, noone should get a dive like that the first day they even take a class. I was impressed and thrilled for him that he was going to have this awesome experience.

Ooh, he's so handsome...

Then he got in the water...

I don't consider myself a paranoid person. I think it's important to be cautious, but I also like to take risks occasionally. Bobby and I watched the instructional video together. Afterward the instructor was giving them verbal instructions while I took pictures and watched Justin, Ash, and Bobby get outfitted in their gear. Fool that I am, I wasn't worried at all at that point.

As I watched Bobby enter the water, still no fear. I was snorkeling just above him and had my cheap water camera and took a few pictures. First thing he did was sink all the way to the bottom and sit on the ocean floor. I thought to myself, "Oh... cool, he just wants to sit on the ocean floor and see what that feels like." Then I noticed everyone looking at him and the instructor swam over to him to help him back up. I think it was then that it occurred to me that this was a very ambitious dive for a first time scuba-diver. That's when the fear set in. A million thoughts at once... A lot of what if's. What bothered me the most was the fear that something would happen to him and I wouldn't be there. We were supposed to be trying this together, but our plans changed as soon as we found out there are risks even in such an early pregnancy.


Bobby just after entering the water. Sitting on the ocean floor.

Bobby with the instructor on his left. He was great about staying right with Bobby. Bobby scuba-diving solo at the very beginning of the dive.

Justin and Ashley holding hands. Another one of Bobby flying solo, Justin and Ash below to the left.

Melody and Paul snorkeling.

After following them until I couldn't really see them anymore from way above at the water's surface, I was sort of aware that I was getting carried away. So I grabbed Melody and Paul, who said the snorkeling there was even better than the day before in Aruba- can't help feeling like I missed a cool opportunity there, but I was worried about my husband so what does a girl do?- and asked if they wanted to go find some flamingos. (Bonaire boasts the world's largest population of flamingos.) We poked around some shops and looked around for taxis, but soon found out that a flamingo pilgrimage would last much longer than an hour, which was all we had left before we had to return to the boat. Blast! So I cut my losses and decided to shop. Smartest idea I'd had all day. I bought some cool Christmas ornaments for gifts. One is for my Dad. He loves ornaments. I found those old lollipops that you can whistle. My mom used to buy those for me and I haven't seen them since I was a kid. The girls loved them. I also found this dress which matches a Laurimar pendant my Mom bought for me when she was in St. Thomas with my Dad years ago. So I wore the dress and the necklace in St. Thomas on Saturday.

I had about half an hour left so I thought I better head back to the boat. And then I saw this:

This picture is for Jessica. When I saw these mannequins, I knew I had to stop and take this picture for her. Thirty minutes later when I was released from the trance of their demon eyes, I headed back for the ship and met Justin, Ashley and Bobby for lunch.

And guess what they saw after scuba-diving? Flamingos! They asked a local where they could find them and were directed to the home of a local artist who had flamingos running around in her backyard! I was so excited that Ashley had her camera so she could share her pictures! Don't they look fake? They're not.

Obviously, Bobby made it out just fine. He loved his scuba-diving experience.

I was a little surprised at how happy I was that he enjoyed snorkeling and scuba-diving so much. I remember being surprised that Bobby didn't enjoy going to the beach as much I do. He makes a huge effort for me because he knows how much I love the water. The Caribbean was a completely different experience. When you're in that gorgeous, crystal blue water, you look down and you see your feet. I think being able to see through the water he was swimming in made him feel much more at ease. He loved every beach we visited. So did I. It's nice when your partner is willing to try and enjoy things when they know it's important to you, but it's completely ideal when you both truly enjoy doing the same thing. So I guess we're just going to have to vacation in the Caribbean from now on. That sounds good to me.