Puerto Rico Babymoon!!!

Wikipedia defines Babymoon as: "a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby. Babymoons usually take place at a resort that offers appropriate services like prenatal massage."

My version of a prenatal massage at a resort: snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and hiking!

The two summers before I met Shane, he spent half of both of them in Puerto Rico. He managed the San Juan office of a Provo security system company and explored the island with his buddies. He actually met my brother Brian there, and Brian introduced us back in Provo. Shane's been telling me how incredible Puerto Rico is since we met. So when I was bugging to plan a babymoon, and there was a sweet deal for Puerto Rico, it only made sense. It's truly a magical island.

Shane was so awesome and planned all our activities beforehand. He had a lot to show me, and he knows I like to pack the fun in tight. We didn't waste ANY time:) 

Our fist day we got up early and caught a ferry to another little island off the main island, called Culebra. We caught a rickety taxi over to Flameco Beach, ranked #2 on the top 10 most exotic beach in the world! White, sand, few people, amazingly clear warm water, awesome reef snorkeling. In true islander fashion, Shane even grabbed a coconut, broke it open and we feasted on the beach!

Some locals told us about a lesser known, even more amazing spot. We climbed through a gate with a no trespassing sign, and hiked to our own private cove! It was so cool to be alone out there on this tropical island, snorkeling in such a crazy beautiful place. We felt like we were in a movie.

Shane knew I wanted to surf, so the next morning we drove to the local surf spot. We rented some junky boards and hit the waves with NO wetsuits! We're not used to that. The average air temp in PR is 82 degrees, and the average water temp is 80! Soooooo nice. Look behind us and check out that spot we're in! Tropical jungle, white beach surfing. 

 We made it home just in time to catch our shuttle to our kayak tour of the bioluminescent bay!

A bio bay is a body of water that contains millions of micro-organisms that glow in the dark (neon blue) for a second when agitated. 

To get to the bay we paddled through a long, skinny, jungle river, covered by a canopy of trees. Soooo cool. When we made it to the bay and our paddles started making the water glow in the dark! We hopped in and when we moved around, our bodies made glowing water angels. It was one of the more spectacular things I've seen in my 26 years of life. (Our camera wouldn't capture the glow, dangit.)

For our next adventure, we made our way to the rain forest! Yes, it's the real deal rain forest. And let me tell you, these pictures don't do it justice. It was TOTALLY incredible. 

As we got further into the rain forest we started seeing waterfalls everywhere. 

We stopped at an old tower, and at the top discovered the some of the most beautiful views we've ever seen.

Next, we hiked 30 mintues deep into the forest to a huge waterfall. The hike was so cool- the sights, sounds, and smells were exactly what you'd think they would be in the rain forest. It even started raining while we were hiking, which made it that much of a real rain forest experience! When we got to the waterfall, I climbed around and even took a dip in the pool at the bottom. I seriously loved every minute of this experience. It was so rad.

 Our last day, we finally took some time to check out our hotel!
Our hotel turned out to be super nice and right on the water. It had had some awesome pools and even a private beach.
I felt like one lucky gal. I mean, look at this view from our room!!

Before heading to the airport we took some time to check out Old San Juan, the historic colonial section of San Juan. The city is "characterized by its narrow, blue cobblestone streets and colorful flat-roofed brick and stone buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish possession." It was such a rad place. We enjoyed the afternoon walking around, going in shops, taking pictures, eating treats, and admiring the awesomeness of the town. 

Way fun and the perfect way to cap off an amazing babymoon!!

I can't say enough about my bomb husband, and how sweet he was to take me on this trip. He knew it meant a lot to me and he did A TON to make it happen. He spent a lot of time, money, thought, planning, and effort into making this something we'll always look back on with huge smiles. He made it such a fun trip for us and we had a total blast, thanks to him. I'm SO lucky to have him as a husband and best friend. Our daughter is lucky to have him as a DADDY!! We just may have to take her back to Puerto Rico someday:)

We took a ton more pics. Check them out here: https://plus.google.com/photos/104396866593957854377/albums/5741316304834684273