It kind of all begin with some google image searches during the dead of winter. I stumbled across some images of Puerto Rican beaches and fell in love with them and the history of Old San Juan. Then, I began mentioning my obsession to the hubs. He patiently listened and said "yeah, it seems great." My response? "So, when are we going?" I got a few chuckles out of him, but I was dead serious. Reality sunk back in after my obsession subsided a bit, and I realized that a trip to Puerto Rico probably wasn't going to be possible with flights, vacation days, and the sheer cost.

I mentioned to my parents my Puerto Rican dream, if you will, and they said they might know someone who used to live down there who might give us some pointers. I ran into the couple a week or so later, and brought up Puerto Rico. As it turns out, they still keep an apartment on the island for when they visit family. Graciously, they offered to us the use of their apartment, and that just sealed the deal. How could we not go when there was free housing involved?

So, the planning began!

My engineering brain went nuts with planning our trip via an Excel spreadsheet and lots of googling. Piece-by-piece the trip came together.

While in Puerto Rico we:

• Rented a car and I put my confidence in the hubs' driving ability and was not disappointed (PR has some interesting roads, lack of signage, and limited road rules).
• Woke up at 5am to catch a ferry to the island of Culebra only to not get a ticket (instead, the hubs surprised with tickets to fly to the island in an 8 passenger airplane...way cool).
• Saw lots of iguanas around the apartment/resort we stayed at.
• Ate some of the best crab of my life - fresh catch from that morning.
• Got seasick while snorkeling and on a catamaran (dramamine was a great purchase later in the week...made swimming with fish in the ocean a MUCH less miserable experience).
• Laughed with the hubs over our broken Spanish.
• Dreamt of going back, living in a shack by the beach, and relearning Spanish (this was 100% me, the hubs was ready for the U.S. again).
• Swam in fresh mountain waterfalls and hiked a peak for a view of the island (ironically cloudy that day...so, each view of the island was like a gift unveiling itself whenever the clouds moved).

Overall, it was a trip of a lifetime. I am so thankful for the generosity of others that made the trip possible. My appetite for adventure has been whet and I'm ready for whatever is next.

P.S. see if you can spot the photo where we had a self-time fail...I think I should do a PR "Outtakes" post.

iPhone photos coming later!