Honeymoon Adventures

A couple weeks ago was our 6th wedding anniversary I have thought a lot about our wedding day (which you can read about here.) This also got me thinking that just six years ago we were in the Bahamas on our first vacation as a married couple, aka our honeymoon. We had an unforgettable trip and this gave us a little taste of the travel bug, which is something that we both really enjoy. After our wedding we headed off to Nashville  for the night so that we could catch our early morning flight. This was actually a first for me because I had never flown in my entire life. I was a little scared during the takeoff, but then I did what I do best and I took a nap. We had a connection in Charlotte and then jumped on another plane that took us to the Bahamas. This is where our journey really began.

A little background for you - we were both 22 year old college students, who were newly married and on our honeymoon, with no jobs, some money, on our first trip together, and it was the first time either of us had been outside the United States (other than crossing the border and then coming right back). So, needless to say, we really didn't have a clue what we were getting into when we got off that plane. Hey, but who needs a clue when you are in LOVE.

After we got out of the airport we got a taxi to take us to our hotel. This is where paranoia set in for me. We were in a strange country, in a stranger's car, and having no earthly idea where he was taking us except that I asked him to take us to our hotel. Did I mention that this was also my first taxi ride. It didn't make things any better for me that when we got in and tried to put our seat belts on that Jennifer's was broken, so I rigged it up by tying it around my seat belt and holding onto it myself. I was also quite nervous because in the Bahamas they drive on the opposite side of the road, which was another first for me. Once arriving at the hotel we were informed that our room would not be ready for a couple more hours, so we grabbed a seat and waited for our room to finish getting cleaned.

The hotel room left much to be desired from the pictures we had seen on the internet, but the real concern for us came that the air conditioning unit was missing. We didn't really care all that much except for the fact that there was a hole in the wall that was clearly for a air conditioner. We ended up stuffing blankets and towels in it at night to decrease the amount of critters that might try to enter our room. After unpacking, we decided to head out and explore around the hotel. We walked down to the beach that was right out in front of our hotel. However, once again it was not everything that we had been expecting. There were no nice sandy beaches, instead we had a beach that was full of rocks and you could not swim due to the excessive amount of rocks and inability to avoid them.

We made our way down to a local restaurant, in which we were one of about 3 couples eating. Well, Jennifer thought she was playing it safe by ordering the fish and I was risky by trying something new, conch fritters. Turns out that I really liked the conch and Jennifer barely touched her fish because it was looking at her, literally looking at her. Jennifer unknowingly had ordered a whole fried fish and she didn't want to eat it after seeing the eyes. So, the first night of our honeymoon started out with a scary car ride, rocky beach, unappetizing meal and a non air conditioned room. So, it seemed like this week in "paradise" could only get better or that this was the beginnings of one of the worst honeymoons ever.

Our trip definitely got better, but the Bahamas still had a few surprises along the way for us. One problem that came about was our inability to rent a car. Apparently you are only allowed to rent a vehicle if you are over 25 years of age and of course we were only 22. So, after our scary taxi ride we decided that walking might just be our best bet. We talked around and found out where the nice beaches were located and decided that we would take a day journey over to Paradise Island to spend the day on the beach. The good beach was located on a smaller island so we took a boat ferry across to the island. After arriving at the island where the resort Atlantis is located we decided to grab a bite to eat. After our trouble with local fare we decided to try something more familiar and stopped at a Johnny Rockets. After lunch we headed for the beach and made ourselves comfortable before getting in.

Inside Atlantis at their aquarium.

The Atlantis Resort - If we ever go back to the Bahamas we will definitely stay here.

My beautiful wife on the nice sandy beach!

A torrential downpour ended our day at the beach a little early. So we decided to make our way back to our hotel. While hiding out in a shop for the rain to stop we saw the bridge across to our side of the island and decided that it would be okay to journey across on foot. The bridge looked shorter than it really was and the sun decided that it would shine brightest after the rain. We got to the other side and Jennifer said she wasn't feeling well. So we quickly found some shade in a small park and decided to rest until Jennifer felt better. Jennifer still felt sick and she actually puked in the park. While my wife was sitting there throwing up I glanced around and I noticed a group of homeless men watching this event. I could only think to myself of the vows that we had said just a few days ago - in sickness and health. On that note, I reached down to help hold her hair back and helped wipe her face off. Jennifer felt much better after this and I gave her a bit to drink and then we headed back on our way. We stopped by a landmark which is called the Queen's Staircase.

Just enjoying the beautiful day and holding this rock up

Queen's Staircase - 65 steps to the top.

At the top of the Queen's Staircase was a military fort. It was a great view of the island.

We decided to call it a day and headed back to the hotel to rest up. The next day we had our most exciting day planned. We signed up for a snorkeling adventure and the company came and picked us up at our hotel. Being out on the boat and snorkeling to see the underwater wildlife was amazing. We were able to see many different fish and the coral reefs were amazing to see. We snorkeled at 3 different spots and the last proved to be one of the craziest things we have ever done. We got in the water with sharks - and if that isn't bad enough we didn't even have any barrier between us. I just wish that we had bought our nice underwater camera so that the pictures would somewhat do this adventure justice, but instead we only had a disposable one at the time. 

The happy couple on their first snorkeling adventure.

When we got to the dive site to swim with the sharks they placed this cage, which you can see in the picture above, that was full of fish heads down in the water. Then they told us to all get in the water. As we were filing off the worker said to Jennifer that they loved the color red (Jennifer's swim suit was red) and this freaked her out even more. We got in and snapped some pictures and then they told us to all get out. After making sure everyone was out they warned us that the sharks were about to be very upset and the sharks would bite at anything that touched the water. Then they pulled the cage with fish heads out of the water and the sharks came up and circled the boat. The workers then rewarded the sharks with the fish heads from the cage.

The sharks coming up to eat.

The ride home proved to be a trying time for us. The driver was calling out the names of hotels and you had to let him know which one you were staying at so he could drop you off. I was exhausted and nodded off to sleep and Jennifer stayed awake to listen for our hotel. For those of you that don't know Jennifer- she is on the shy side especially around people she doesn't know well. Well, she wasn't sure if she heard the driver call out our hotel name or not because of his pronunciation but figured that since people got on the bus at our hotel with us that it would at least stop to let them out. It didn't. She woke me up after we had passed by our hotel and informed me what happened. Not sure if my paranoia set in again, but I was not a very nice person and we actually had our first little fight as a married couple in that bus in the Bahamas. I was being a jerk and told her that she had to correct her own mistake and that she had to go tell the driver. After a few more minutes thinking about it she went to the front of the bus and informed the driver that he had passed our stop a few miles ago. In the end everything worked out and I got to see that Jennifer would step out of her comfort zone for me. (Jennifer reminded me just how mad that driver was that day) 

Another adventure we had while in Nassau was visiting the Straw Market. This was a huge flea market where the locals tried to sell all kinds of souvenirs. We spent a couple hours walking up and down the aisle looking for the perfect gifts for ourselves and something to get our family members. Jennifer and I ended up getting a wooden sculpture of a man and women that closely resembled a wooden sculpture that we got in New Orleans after we got engaged.

Overall, this was not our favorite vacation that we have taken together, but writing this blog post has made me really appreciate how far we have come in our relationship. Jennifer and I started dating when we were 15 years old and got married when we were still just kids at 22 years old. We have been through some rough times, but the one thing that stays constant is our love for one another. We have been a couple for almost 13 years and I love her more each day. I am happy to call her my best friend and the best wife a man could ask for. I'm an extremely lucky man to have her in my life and I can't wait to spend many more anniversaries with her. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Landon's Room is finished!

Landon will be arriving soon and Jennifer has been working really hard on completing his room with all of her craft projects. She finished it yesterday and it could not be any more perfect for our little man. Today marks exactly 1 month left until Landon's due date, which is July 14th. This pregnancy has seemed to fly by even faster than with Brinley and it is mostly because we have been kept super busy with taking care of our little lady. I know that this pregnancy has been difficult and tiring for Jennifer because it is hard to take care of a infant who is turning into a toddler all while being pregnant and feeling miserable at times. Not until talking with a friend the other day did it really hit home for me, but I just happened to figure out that Jennifer has been pregnant for 18 of the last 24 months. It makes Landon's room even more amazing that she was able to make almost all of the decorations. Here are the pictures of Landon's jungle themed room, with a little touch of sports for our little guy.

Door leading into Landon's room. Hand painted by Jennifer. This is the only sports that I could get in the room for now.

Back of the door painting by Jennifer.

Jennifer loves her cricut machine and all the projects that it allows her to do and how quickly she can cut out her different creations.

Doors to Landon's balcony.

Hand painted letters by Jennifer with the giraffe print.

Landon's wall decals with some jungle animals. 

Looking at the rest of Landon's room from the decal wall.

Mobile that Jennifer made to be above the rocker.

Nook bedroom area with chevron wall painted by Jennifer. This was done one night after I went to sleep and she didn't tell me she was going to do it. When she gets her mind set on something she doesn't want to stop until she is done.

Painting done by Jennifer that is similar to Landon's bedding. 

See You Later Alligator

Owl Always Love You

Don't Worry Bee Happy

Monkey Business

Closet and changing area.

Blocks made by Jennifer.

This adequately will describe our house in a few weeks.

Changing area with his comforter on the wall.

As you can see from all the pictures that Jennifer has been a very busy lady. We can't wait until little Landon Michael Heflin makes his arrival. A lot of people have asked me lately what Brinley thinks about having a little brother. I find this funny when they ask because she is clueless to all of it. She is just happy to play, eat and walk around all day long. So we are very interested to see what will happen when she actually gets to meet Landon and what her reaction will be in the following weeks when she isn't always the center of attention. I am very lucky to have a job in which I am allowed time off to spend with my family. Jennifer will be taking off about 8 weeks and I will be spending 4 weeks at home in order to bond as a family of 4. We are extremely excited and scared/nervous all at the same time about what our future will hold once Landon arrives. Although it hasn't been that long ago since we brought Brinley home, I don't remember all the sleepless nights, crying and all the feeding and changing diapers that is involved with a newborn. I just know that Brinley was a pretty good child and we can only hope that Landon is too. We would appreciate all your prayers as we finish all the last minute preparation and after our son arrives. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Hanging out with monkeys!

This past Monday we had the opportunity to meet up with my parents and my Uncle Michael for a trip to the Louisville Zoo. We all arrived right around the opening time and started out on our trek through the park. Grandma and Grandpa were really excited about getting to spend the whole day with Brinley Kate. They soak up every opportunity that they have to spend with our little lady. The day was filled with many pictures and learning lots about animals. This was not Brinley's first trip to the zoo (we went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.), but it was her first zoo trip where she was awake and actually saw animals.

We started off with the giraffes. One of our favorite books to read at home is Giraffes Can't Dance. We were unhappy that none of the giraffes danced while we where there.

Baby and parent giraffe.

Next stop was the elephants. Can you tell that these grandparents love their granddaughter?

Brinley was excited to see so many new things.

We happened to be at the elephant exhibit when it was time for a show.  We enjoyed getting to see circus type stunts by these amazing creatures.

Brinley riding a baby elephant statue. I actually had the chance to ride an elephant when the circus came to Livermore when I was just a little boy. This statue will have to do for now for Miss Brinley.

Brinley and her mommy with the zebra baby and her mommy.

Close up of the baby zebra and mommy zebra.

The silver back gorillas didn't seem too happy during our visit.

Bengal tiger made think of the recent movie Life of Pi. Not sure I could have survived on a boat with this fierce animal. We also happened upon a show of this tiger being fed.

The polar bear had just finished eating when we arrived at his viewing area. The polar bear must have still been hungry because it was looking all over for more fish.

After lunch we stopped in to see the Lorikeets. Brinley was holding her hand out, but the bird didn't feel like she was a suitable arm to land on.

The flamingos brought a laugh to Jennifer and me because at the zoo in Washington we changed Brinley's diaper in front of the flamingos. Not sure she will appreciate that story when she is older.

Grandma and Brinley really enjoyed getting to spend the day together.

Brinley was such a good girl all day long and she didn't even take a nap. Jennifer and I were both expecting a very grumpy girl, but she was a great little lady. 

Not a great picture of grandpa, but this was the best one that I got that had Brinley and a penguin in it.

This orangutan was very friendly and allowed us to come up for a photo opportunity.

After seeing all the animals that the Louisville Zoo had to offer we decided to take a ride on the carousel. We got a ticket and I decided to hold Brinley while she rode. However, she enjoyed it so much that everybody decided that they needed to take a spin with Brinley. I think she liked Grandpa's selection best because he picked a horse that moved up and down during the ride. 

Brinley's first carousel ride.

Look at the smile on that little lady.

Brinley trying to tame this zebra, while Grandma is trying to keep Brinley on the  saddle.

One final ride with mommy on the lion.

We had to get a family photo at Brinley's favorite place of the day.

Family photo at the entrance.

Our whole crew for the day!

We had such a great little day trip to the Louisville Zoo. We enjoyed getting to spend the day with Grandma, Grandpa and my Uncle Michael. After grabbing a dinner together, we all left for our respective homes. Brinley was so exhausted that she slept the entire trip back to Lexington and still went to bed at her normal bedtime.

On a side note: It is crazy how many things we had to pack for just a day trip that was only an hour drive away for just one kid. I can't imagine what our lives will be like in just a few short weeks when we will have both kids to pack for. I know that it will be hectic around our home for a few years, but I am excited about it. Thanks for reading and God Bless!