Iowa

While we were in Aruba, the kids were spring breaking in Iowa. We joined them for a few days after we got back and hung out on the land. 

{Caleb hung a rope swing from a tree. And hopefully he cut off enough branches for the kids not to get caught up...}

{Caleb and Jacob took off to check the trail cameras and came back with these antler sheds. We are getting quite the collection of animal parts that once belonged to animals...}

{Speaking of the trail cam. Caleb now has more pictures of things walking in front of the camera than he does of our children.}

{The boys got paintball gear, so they tested it out in the woods. Mason is really good at getting hit.}

{Camryn caught a fish. And Mason caught 17--yes, 17--fish in a couple of hours. He was most proud of this one he reeled in. So much so that he carried it about 150 yards away from the pond to show Caleb.}

{This fish was not the fish Caleb caught. The fish Caleb caught was being eaten by that fish as he was reeling it in. Two fish with one hook?}

Some random pictures...

Aruba!

Caleb and I skipped town for a week to spend some kid-free time in Aruba. And once we got our negative Covid tests and travel clearance, it was smooth sailing! We spent a week at an all-inclusive directly on the beach. And while we would prefer to experience different restaurants around the island instead of being shackled to our resort's meal plan, we thought it would be safest to stay at our resort for the majority of our trip. I'm not going to lie, I didn't mind an endless supply of fruity adult drinks to sip seaside! 

{The flight over to Aruba was quite enjoyable as we flew over several islands along the way, including the Bahamas (left). I didn't know it when I took it, but the picture on the right shows the resort where we stayed.}

{Waiting for our room to be ready for us. And those fruity adults drinks I was talking about. They bring them to you fast. And strong. Makes it hard for some of us to keep up! My favorite drinks were the Aruba Ariba, Miami Vice, and the Caribbean Temptation. So delicious.}

{Welcome to Aruba! And just in time for our first sunset.}

{The view from our room. The resort we stayed at was very spread out, but only filled to 60% capacity so we never felt as if we were near other people. We spent many lazy afternoons lounging on our patio with the ocean steps from our door!}

{A few of the creatures hanging out near our room. This bird cracked me up because it had what looked like a perfect circle drawn around its eye in sharpie. As if it was the first one to pass out at the party... Not pictured: The iguana that ran for its life--and didn't make it--from the pack of stray dogs roaming the beach. As gross as it sounds.}

{So many palapas waiting for sunbathers! The cruise ship dock was about a half mile from our hotel. We were told that the four boats that were docked there had been there for several months. Each day a different ship would go for a quick ride around the ocean. I was not expecting to see this beast so close to shore when I looked out our window one morning!}

{This was the beach that connected our resort with the other resort on the property. We set up camp at a palapa near the bar each morning. The sand was sugary and the water was a beautiful teal. We visited several beaches on the island, but this was my favorite!}

{We walked for about a mile down the beach before reaching the Divi Tree. One of only a few on the island. It's unique because it always grows toward the southwest. Also near the tree was an area of rock that had been carved out by the ocean waves. It was fun to watch the waves spiral through the rocks.}

{We always indulge in a massage while on vacation, and this time was no exception. Unlike our others massages, however, was that we were in outside cabanas with the sound of the waves and birds filling the air around us. I took this picture as we were waiting to be escorted to our room. So peaceful!}

{The two of us like to explore the islands we visit, and Aruba offers a unique opportunity to rent side-by-sides that are also street legal. We spent the day driving through rocks, sand dunes, and highways. We saw both coasts and everything in between!}

{Most of Aruba is a rocky desert filled with cacti. The rock on the right was no less than 20 feet tall, and there were several of them strewn about the island!}

{The coast opposite our resort had an unforgiving surf. It's a reminder of the strength of nature!} 

{We got held up in a bit of a traffic jam while waiting for this group of goats to giddy up!}

{We stopped at what once was the bustling cruise dock shops. Without the dependence on tourism, many of the shops were closed up and shut down. We were told that ships are set to cruise to Aruba again on June 5. It felt so desolate and abandoned.}

{We always like to find new beaches when we travel. This is Baby Beach. It was a tiny cove with calm waves and shallow waters that would have been perfect for the kids to splash around in. We only stayed for a short bit--long enough to have the rain pour down on us--before we headed back to our hotel.}

{The food was remarkably good at our resort. Among the seven restaurants we had to choose from was this hibachi grill where I watched Caleb cook me dinner. This was his favorite. Mine was the sushi bar.}

{One final day. And one final sunset.}

{Soaking up the last hours of vacation before heading back to the airport. This is at the opposite end of our resort.}

Vacation is good for the soul!

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Home improvements. It’s kind of our thing. This time it was our master bathroom. I have hated our shower since we met nearly 7 years ago. The glass was permanently cloudy, the tiles were gross, and I couldn’t get the shower floor as white as it should have been. Had there been unlimited funds, I would have stripped the room down to its studs and rearranged everything. But, instead, this band-aid will do! 

{Goodbye, ugly shower! Hello, you pretty thing! This new setup makes waking up to shower early on a Monday not so bad.}

{It's amazing how much a coat of paint can freshen things up!}

{Painting cabinets and installing mirror trim has become our trademark. A new set of globes for the lights and some black spray paint gave a completely new look to the outdated light fixtures!}

{We installed some shiplap across the front of the bathtub, and laid new tile around the perimeter. Not nearly as awesome as a standalone tub, but a quick and inexpensive fix for sure!}

Finally, a master bathroom I won't actively avoid cleaning!