Kings of St Croix (For a Week)

So I think I have been dragging my feet in writing this post for a month (a month! Brad has been married for a month!) for a couple of reasons.

One, because it was an awesome trip. A precious reuniting of Bumgarners, my family of origin, made even better because it also included my own children and my husband and my best friend, and... well it's one of those things that kids of divorced families hope for: that we will all be able to get together and celebrate life's happy moments, and mark occasions, and it will not only be tolerable and civil but... good. And y'all, it was. Really good. So good that I've been holding it close to savor for myself, like if I say it out loud it might cheapen it or make it less real because there aren't enough words or the right words. But it was real, and it was good, so I'm saying it. Right words or no. (I think you'll agree, I always have enough words.)

And two, because that happy-savor feeling is inextricably also linked to this likely being our last trip to St. Croix. Only (already?) a month later, and Brad doesn't even live there anymore. It really was a last hurrah. Who knows, we might go back someday. But without him there, and with so many other lovely places to visit... I don't know, it just felt somewhat like a farewell tour.

Anyway. I am blogging now. Mostly to say that it was super. To tell stories I hope we will laugh and re-tell a bunch more times. (It's the Bumgarner way.) And I'm telling myself I don't care how long it gets. (Note, after writing: !!!) So, a week of St. Croix, here goes:

TUESDAY

We dragged ourselves and three kids and a stupid amount of luggage to the airport at 5am. Charlotte and Anneliese had their first airplane rides! (And Nathan, the first he will actually remember.) It was all a lot of excitement before the sun even came up.

The big kids began an all-day all-week marathon of are we in saint crory? which I still (STILL) (!!) hear in my sleep. They also asked are we up high? the entirety of every flight. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes we are up high.

Another Nathan came too, officially for childcare during the wedding and reception, since it was important for Mark and me to have a grownup night to celebrate, but also it turns out he's an invaluable third set of hands when you're flying all day with three kids (and also we just really like him a lot).

If you're not flying with your very own Another Nathan...
you're doing it wrong.

So after fourteen hours of travel, hot dogs for breakfast in the Miami airport, two jets and a sweaty-hot island hopper prop plane, a rented minivan, enough pneumonia coughing to make me leak pee (note to self: you don't have to tell the internet all your hott secrets, Erin) and the traditional Welcome to St. Croix rum shots they give you at the airport (yep), we finally got to our rental house and it was gorgeous. A main house with a kitchen and living room and big master bedroom and bath, a patio with a pool and a hot tub and lounge chairs and a hammock, and a guest house with two more bedrooms and a deck with what would turn out to be a million-dollar view.

We didn't hate the house, is what I'm saying.

It took less than an hour to hug Brad, eat some pizza, throw the kids in bed and ourselves in the hot tub with rum and coke. (In the hot tub with rum and coke = the subtitle of our St. Croix vacation scrapbook.) (Seriously. Every night.)

WEDNESDAY

We woke up a little bit stunned at our view. WHOA. (Between our three phones and three cameras, I think we took like a hundred pictures of this view over the course of a week. As if maybe we had forgotten we had already taken some the day before? Oh better take another, just to be sure.)

The kids were super excited (and by the kids I mean Marky) to have toes in the sand and water, so we got into mindset: beach.

American Gothic goes Caribbean?

We drove down from our mountain (our mountain! up at the top there we felt like the kings of St. Croix! we might have yelled that once or twice) (from the hot tub) (with rum and coke) to Cane Bay beach, a cute little sandy spot on the side of the road. We had a picnic lunch and swam a tiny bit.

The kids were exhausted, but if you have to be cranky, at least be cranky in paradise, amiright?

After a not-fast trip to the grocery store, complete with boggley eyes at the food prices, and a little smug self-back-patting for excellent pre-trip menu planning, including paying $25 for an extra suitcase to bring lots of non-perishables from home (seriously y'all, it paid for itself, grocery prices there are no joke), we got word that the Bumgarners had descended onto the island. So we went and met all of my family (ALL. OF. THEM.) at a bar on the boardwalk for dinner.

It was like eight at night. Dark. And we took our kids in public. Can we just take a moment and praise my mommy flexibility? Hellz yes I can do island life, what what.

(Charlotte cried the whole time and Nathan freaked out about specks of green seasoning in his mac and cheese and normally-extroverted Anneliese cowered in her chair and barely looked anyone in the eye, if you were curious how it went.)

(Also my mom had apparently lost her purse with all her money and her iPhone and her LIFE in it; it fell out of the trunk of their rental car from the airport, and yes I know that sentence makes no sense but apparently that's indeed a Thing That Can Happen. I remain slightly bewildered myself, even after having heard the story eleventy billion a few times.)

And then we went home and got in the hot tub with rum and cokes. Kings of St. Croix!

THURSDAY

Thursday all the Bumgarners and all the Croatians (Marija's family is Croatian, have I said that yet?) took a sailing trip to Buck Island, which is a national park area off the north coast of St Croix. An island off an island, got that? (I swam from that island back to St. Croix in 2006. It was five miles swimming in the ocean, which I might have mentioned several times because really, you should be impressed.) (My mom and sister did it too. Faster. Be even more impressed.)

Brad and mom on the boat, approaching Buck Island

I should preface this by mentioning that such sailing trips have been Brad's job for the last six years. (I don't know why that's relevant but it seems it.) And technically we didn't take the sailboat but a different one with just a motor but whatever, we went on a boat trip with forty of our closest family strangers.

We drank rum. We snorkled. Well, the kids watched fish through the glass bottom on the boat, they did not snorkel because haaaa have you met them? We saw and photographed a barracuda. We kissed a little underwater.

Mark took a snorkel selfie. Oh yes he did.

Another Nathan freaked out a tiny bit when he first got in the water (he fancies himself not a great swimmer, which is nonsense, but it turns out believing you don't swim well is enough to make you panic when you're trying to breathe through a tube underwater when you've never done such a thing before, oh yeah in the ocean) but after about ten (kind of adorable) minutes of trying to climb onto me, and clinging to my arm with a death grip, and making me promise I wasn't going to leave him (see? awww) he got all kinds of brave, and grabbed hold of a ring and snorkled in that coral like effing Nemo, gimpy fin be damned.

And then promptly joined Ashley in feeling seasick back on the boat. (Note to Bumgarners: rum before snorkel, only makes you sicker... or something.)

Then we sat and ate Subway (like you do) on Turtle Beach on Buck Island, which, PRO TIP, is the most beautiful little beach in the world. (I say this with 100% certainty, I don't care what your 2002 screensaver showed you, in real life this is better.)

Ashley, Liam, Buck Island... all beautiful

Nathan had a grand playtime splashing in the waves with all his uncles. Anneliese asked one relative after another to hold her hand in the ocean. Charlotte spent as much energy as possible not stepping one foot off the beach towel. No sand for our little delicate flower, apparently.

Mark and I jumped off the top of the boat into the water because we are exactly as sexxaaay as the bachelor and bachelorette, so how could we not?

All my siblings! me, Collin, Sean, Ashley, Brad (plus Nathan)

It was such a super afternoon. Seriously one of the highlights of the trip.

And then we went home, threw our sleepy sunny children in bed, and grilled steak kabobs with pineapple (tropi-kabobs!) and... got in the hot tub with rum and coke.

FRIDAY

We had a lovely morning lazing at our rental house. If there is anything much sweeter than three kids in a hammock on a tropical island, I can't think of what.

Nathan and I took a mid-morning break to go to the wedding rehearsal (he was an excited but nervous ring bearer). On the way there, Nathan asked me in his Most Serious Voice: What... is a wedding?

I, um. Are you kidding me with this, child? Why do you think we are on this island??? It's not like we have been talking about it for months or anything. For an incredibly bright kid, he is sometimes hella oblivious. (I'm not sure if that's better or worse than three days into our trip when Anneliese woke up and asked when are we going to saint crory? and I tried not to laugh and cry at the same time.)

with uncle John at the rehearsal
(great spot for a wedding, no?!)

Anyway, later while Mark and the kids napped, Another Nathan and I had a Caribbean version of our normal "friend Friday" -- souvenir shopping and lunch on the boardwalk, complete with wandering chickens and (you guessed it!) rum.

classic St. Croix, two counts

Friday evening we went to Brad's rehearsal dinner, which was actually a poolside welcome party and cookout for everyone who was there.

Nathan and Anneliese's version of "swimming" means
someone else gets wet, so they don't have to.

#photobomb

Oh and there was a rum and coke bar (did I even need to say that?) with lots of kinds of Cruzan rum, sodas, and then we toasted the happy couple with rakija, which is like a Croatian moonshine. It laughs in the face of rum, in case you were curious. Hoo boy.

And then we went home at stared at the wall for a while because omg aren't you tired just reading about all this? Yeah. So.

And also whatever cold/virus thing I had that turned into pneumonia, was hitting Charlotte by that point, so she was very screamy and without medicine and had a hard time sleeping which wasn't un-stressful. So there was that.  But then we got in the hot tub with (more!) rum and coke anyway, because obviously.

SATURDAY

Saturday was the big day, the wedding. (I already blogged about that. It was perfect and beautiful.) But before the main event, Mark and I got a lunch date (remember how we brought a sitter to St Croix? win!) and we ate delicious food (Mark = fish tacos. Me = salad with a fruit and fried chicken on top. Because we are nothing if not predictable, even on vacation) and watched boats in the harbor and wandered around together.

Then we came home and got dressed for the wedding, and made a few (laughable) attempts at getting everyone to look at the camera.

eh, four out of five is a win right?

best most helpful friend in paradise

So after Another Nathan took the kids back to the house, Mark and I got to party and celebrate Brad and Marija. We had a great time with my family, snuck away to make out on the beach for a bit, overstayed our chance to catch a taxi home (yikes!) but caught a ride with some of Brad's friends back up the mountain to our house. It was all very... not us. In the best possible way.

(And then rum coke hot tub you know.)

SUNDAY

We made plans to meet up with any Bumgarners at the Carambola beach, which is Ashley's favorite on St. Croix (and also where she and John got engaged).

how many Bumgarners does it take to build a sand castle?

hold my hand in the ocean! hold my hand in the ocean! hold my hand in the ocean!

we have no idea why he did this pose/face in photos all week... ?

It was such an easy and fun and relaxing morning. Oh except the part where Charlotte cried forever. (Poor bronchitis baby on vacation.)

And the part where Mark got stung by sea urchins. Which he handled exactly like you would expect of Mark -- a shrug and a grin, while limping away. (But the nettles! They have reverse barbs! You can't get them out til they just... dissolve into you! The St. Croix remedy for this is to soak it in rum, and NO I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP ABOUT ALL THE RUM; rum is a Very Big Deal there.)

After the beach, we rinsed and dried and changed as best we could (we told Another Nathan that changing out of a swimsuit behind an open car door in the parking lot of a resort he's not staying in? yeah that basically makes your Bumgarner transformation complete) (Mark has pretty much been a Bumgarner for years by now, obvs) and then drove clear across the island (only twenty-six miles, but hours) to see Point Udall, which is the easternmost tip of the United States. It was beautiful. (And not just because of that adorable toddler wandering around.)

Nathan and Anneliese marked their territory. Literally. (Anneliese was like a dang puppy trying to sniff out the best patch of grass to pee in, and then proclaimed it her silly grassy potty so, yeah... stay classy, Bumgarners.)

Point Udall also afforded the only photo op for all six of us on the whole trip. When we were sweaty and post-beach. Aren't we hott? And hot?

Mark and Another Nathan needed some guy time so they hit up the one casino on the island while I took the kids to a park nearby and let them play. While the dudes gambled and played slots, the children filled discarded beer bottle caps with sand, and dumped it on picnic tables. (Para, para, paradise.)

Then we went had our farewell dinner in Christiansted, complete with ogling of the sea plane landing nearby, and the grand finale rum drink -- something with all the Cruzan rums mixed together. I have no idea what it was called. But it was delicious.

last island dinner; say bye-bye St Croix...

last Christiansted sunset

And then we did what any normal people would do when we got home -- finally take showers and relax in the air conditioning.

Haaaaaaa just kidding we had rum and coke in the hot tub.

And we maybe got a little silly and maybe jumped with maybe less swimwear than we should have had, into the cold pool (it had a swim up bar! with bar stools!) and maybe placed faux-debaucherous bar orders but eh don't judge, if you can't be a little fun and naughty with friends at your vacation villa, then when can you be? Kings of St. Croix indeed.

MONDAY

Our last morning was spent mostly packing and lounging by the pool at our house. Brad and Ashley and their spouses came over to say bye. We ducked into town to see the Christiansted fort for a few minutes of history.

Christiansted harbor, from the fort

things that make me melt:
one last father-son hammock nap

We lingered as long as we could and then we headed to the airport. Sad face.

Even sadder face was when we were stuck in Miami forever and ever for an increasingly delayed flight. I think we were there so long we ate two dinners. But the kids watching a dvd on the floor of the airport was fairly adorable in a new millenial kind of way, yes? Them whining and collapsing all over the grownups afterward, somewhat less so.

And saddest face when we landed in Raleigh at 1am with pounding headaches, tantruming children, still wearing Caribbean weather t-shirts in below-freezing weather.

But at least we had a gabillion pictures to look at! I have whittled them down to a healthy handful of favorites, if you want to see more of our awesome house and such -- click here.

Important takeaways:
1.) It took me all week, but I got to be the best of all of us at driving on the wrong side of the road. THE. BEST.
2.) It took him all week, but Another Nathan tried all the (Cruzan) rums.
3.) The first and only time Charlotte fell asleep on any flight was after we had begun our final descent on our final flight into Raleigh, omg child.
4.) No smoothie will ever taste as good or tropical as the ones we bought off the food truck by the roadside farmer's market on the island. Sketchy, sure. But all kinds of delicious.
5.) I freaking love Marky and and my family. Like whoa.

Five Christmases in Five Days

Merry Christmas! Yeah yeah yeah. It was a month ago. But who's counting? We can still talk about the holidays, right?

Our usual rush of family visits was somewhat lightened this year because Mark was off work the whole week following Christmas. I mean, it was still five celebrations in five days, but believe me, that is less busy or stressful than some years past. And if you want to get all liturgical semantic (of course you do), we're supposed to celebrate for twelve days anyway. So basically five is easy.

FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS: At home with our babies and coffee and stockings and looking through what Santa brought (this year: a lego table for Nathan, a doll crib for Anneliese, and a push cart full of groceries for Charlotte). Oh and takeout Chinese. Because we're Jewish wannabes? (Nah, because last year I ruined the roast beast so I didn't even attempt anything this time.)

SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS: In Huntersville, at my dad's house. With three siblings missing this year, sadly (Ashley's family was sick, Collin was working, and Brad has that whole pesky living in the virgin islands thing). But all the normal Bumgarner stuff went down properly: Sean brought present wrapped in Bieber paper, my Grandpa snuggled with the kids so hard he fell asleep on the couch, my dad immersed himself in kiddie activities like puzzles and coloring, and of course it's not a Bumgarner Christmas til someone gets defensive and says third cousins don't count! Ahem.

THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS: In Huntersville, with Mark's mom. Y'all, this is what Christmas is supposed to be like. Simple and generous in the best most thoughtful kinds of ways. We ate snacks, we played with new gifts, Anneliese dressed herself as a doctor then planted herself in Uncle Nick's lap and refused to leave his side (you know, like you do). Very sweet evening.

FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS: In Mount Holly, at my sister's new house! We opened approximately one bazillion gifts, the most bizzarre of which were a set of plastic sleds. Not one per family. One per kid. You know, because if there has ever been a child who needed a sled, it is Charlotte, the 16-month-old who can't walk and lives in North Carolina. (However, she did love sitting in it and rocking, so there's that. I guess it can be some new indoor seating for us. Good thing it's so... pretty?) Haaaaaaomg. (Love you mom.)

FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS: Back in Raleigh, with the very rare treat of having Mark's dad and stepmom for a visit. Charlotte made her first walking attempts, Nathan built legos with Opa, and Anneliese played with her new "computer" (leapfrog game) with Oma until they both cried from laughing.

SEVENTH THROUGH TWELFTH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: We puttered around at home and on the playground, spent lots of time in our PJs, hit up the kids museum several times, got dressed up for a fancy new year's eve dinner downtown, made a mess of our kitchen celebrating Mr. David's birthday with cake and whiskaaaaay cocktails.

So. Merry (belated) Christmas and happy new(ish) year!

Five Kids = Family Reunion = Playtime

To you, this might just look like a random family photo of people with alien eyes, but to our family, this is a really big deal. My dad and stepmom got to have all five kids together in one place. Plus grandkids and spouses. And my Grandpa B, for good measure. :)

Anneliese, Mark, stepmom Cathy, stepbrother Collin, Grandpa, me, John & Ashley, Nathan, my Dad, brother Brad and stepbrother Sean.

Ashley's wedding not only brought Brad stateside for a week, but ensured that his visit coincided with all the kids being around on the same weekend. Ashley and Collin and Sean all live in the Charlotte area, but even then it's usually only two out of those three who can make it to dinner on any given Sunday. And that's before you remember that I live out of town and Brad lives out of the country. While two or three out of five isn't bad, it's not great either. So that's why it was such a big deal for all of us to be under one roof yesterday: it's rare. (I think this is the first time it's happened since 2006. Wow.)

We got to visit a little more with my dad today at his house. We had a barbecue lunch (Nathan says "garbecue") and played outside in the yard.

Kicking the ball with mommy.

He's wearing long sleeves because apparently the beautiful warm April Carolina weather is still too cold for him. This is what living in the virgin islands will to do you.

Still mastering the art of throwing the ball forwards -- it takes lots of practice.

But he can kick pretty well!

You people think they look alike? Really? I just don't see it.