One Happy Island

In case you have been wondering why I haven't blogged in a while, that's because we were on our annual Dodson family vacation to the beach! We try to do one big vacation every summer with the girls & we usually try to go somewhere new every year, but all of our destinations have a beach :)

 

This year was no exception. We went somewhere new where none of us had been before. It is a small island, but it's definitely a popular tourist destination. Huge American destination - 80% of their tourists are from America. Here is your first clue:

 

I know, that picture doesn't give much away. There is a huge sign that you see when you leave the airport & it is also conveniently located near downtown where all the shops & restaurants are, which also happens to be near the cruise terminal. Yes, cruise ships do stop here & we saw 2 while we visited.

 

Let's try again:

 

 

Any closer? The slogan for this country is "One Happy Island". It is pretty far south - close to Venezuela. In fact, it is probably the farthest south we have every been. It is also a very dry island because this island is not in the hurricane path. In fact, they hardly get rain at all. It is the driest island we have ever been to - I mean seriously, we felt like we were in the dessert! But the beaches were beautiful. Bryan & I have discovered that the most beautiful beaches are on the ugliest islands. If it is a pretty island (lush, green & tropical) than we will probably be disappointed in the beach.

 

Last chance to make a guess:

 

 

Aruba! We just spent 8 days & 7 nights in Aruba & we fell in love. It definitely climbed to the top of our list for favorite places. And we had a fabulous time with the girls. They are getting so fun to travel with & this was by far our best family vacation yet. You know I took way too many pictures so I will be blogging all week about our adventures. But first I have to finish unpacking, do laundry, pay bills, go to the grocery store....... all the not so fun stuff that has to be done when you get home from vacation :(