Feb. 12, 2006

            Arrived in St. Thomas just in time for bed.  After traveling for 24 hours we were ready for a good night sleep.   For Christmas my dad gave me a blow up pillow and I will recommend buying one of those for sure! I think I got 4 hours sleep in total.
When we arrived at our hotel we were informed they were overbooked (there was a fire in our original hotel) so we were re-routed to a hotel called Pavilions and Pools and were pleasantly surprised to find a kitchen, a king size bed and our very own secluded private pool!  We of course went for a quick skinny dip, a shower and off to sleep. 

Feb. 13, 2006

            Went to Sapphire beach just a 5 minute walk from our hotel where Damon went snorkeling and I hung out on the beach.  I was a little annoyed as my snorkeling equipment was leaking and I finally gave up. 
Damon cooked up some hamburgers for dinner and we were still a little tired from our travels the night before so we headed to bed. 

Feb.14, 2006

            We went to Coki beach for a little snorkeling and a lot of sun. My equipment was still leaking so I was starting to get annoyed and wanted to go back to shore.  Damon talked me into staying for a little longer.  A couple minutes later he started hitting my leg and when I turned around he was holding a ring in front of my mask.  I started pulling off my mask and just as I was about to ask him how he found  that in the middle of the ocean it occurred to me that it might be for me.  I asked him if it was for me and he said yes it was.  I was so excited and caught off guard.  I had no idea at all.  Damon and I are now happily engaged and we can’t wait to tell everyone.

            We of course wanted to go out to celebrate our engagement so off we went to a restaurant called Off the Hook.  I had a seafood and steak dish while Damon just had steak.  We also ordered calamari to share.  We were both very happy with our dinners but I was still wanting a little more wine so we took a quick walk to a nearby pub called Malones. 

            Once we were in bed, Damon kept laughing at me because I couldn’t stop staring at my ring.  It is so beautiful and I love it!  I thought I might have to exchange it for a smaller diamond but now that I am used to it, it doesn’t look so weird.  I think I will keep it although the size is a bit big so I will have to deal with that when I get home.  I was so worried about it slipping off while we were snorkeling!  Damon would have killed me.  What a wonderful surprise and a perfect proposal!

Feb. 15, 2006

            Still looking at my ring.  Can’t stop.  Feels weird having a fiancée.  Can’t stop looking at pretty ring.  I am trying to enjoy the scenery on this beautiful island and I can’t stop looking at my hand.  Oh well, Damon will show me the pictures later.

            We decided to go to Magens Bay beach today as it is known as one of the top 10 beaches in the world.  There was no underwater beauty to look at but the beach was pretty nice.  The weather was cloudy with a couple 5 minute showers which was ok because it kept the beach from being so busy. 

            I was attacked by sand flies at this beach and I don’t know why Damon only got 2 bites and I got 50 but they are so itchy I can barely sleep at night.  Thank goodness I had the sense to bring anti-itch cream because I would otherwise be dying right now. 

            Damon made steak for dinner and we marinated it in lime for a couple days.  I highly recommend this.  Good job honey!

Feb. 16, 2006

            We had a fabulous time at Leinster beach and did tons of snorkeling, the best yet!  We saw sea turtles eating the algae at the bottom of the ocean and tons of colorful fish.  We swam out to an island and then swam around it.  It took us at least an hour before we came back to shore.  The only reason we came back that early was to warm up!  I would recommend this area if you want to get some good snorkeling done.

            For the afternoon Damon and I went to Maho beach and tried to get some more snorkeling in but it was extremely murky underwater so we settled for tanning on the beach and talking about the wedding (just kidding, Damon was having none of that!).  All in all it was a very relaxing day.

Feb.17, 2006

            For our last day on the island we decided to go to our favorite beach, Sapphire Bay and of course get some last minute snorkeling done.  I am so glad we decided to do this as we saw a stingray, 2 turtles (really close up) and a family of squid.  We stayed until lunch and then went back again in the afternoon. 

We have enjoyed our holiday very much and found it especially relaxing.  I am now on my way home and will be arriving shortly in Toronto.  My fiancée and I are on our way to Calgary to tell my parents the big news and then Vancouver bound to tell all the rest of you.  I hope you are as shocked as I was! 

Feb.18, 2006

            Damon wanted me to mention that we also traveled in business class (you should just assume this if I am on the flight) and to say how much money he spent on this trip (If he is traveling business class I can assure you he didn’t pay for it).  I can also say he didn’t even pay for the hotel.  We went on points with that as well.  The only money Damon spent on this trip is on my ring and a lot of taxis!