Day Off!

Well, what a beached out day it was as we adventured for another day in Puerto Rico. Of course on our day off, we woke up earlier than on a work day! We started out with breakfast at 6:45am to carb load  on our long car ride to the lava rocks. We hiked up the rocks to find shaded blue ocean water and to see how big God is.

A quick ride to Crashboat beach in Jon’s mind meant winding roads and a never ending car ride for us, BUT we’re in Puerto Rico and the view from the window made the whole ride worthwhile. Pulling up to a crowded beach, we unloaded the cooler, the snorkeling gear and our anxious spirits to enjoy the sun in March. We found a shaded area between the pelicans and the booming speakers, Jon took off with goggles and a snorkel, and we quickly followed suit.

As many grabbed snorkels and goggles to see a fish with HUGE black eyes (like the one from Finding Nemo) that are meant to trick people into thinking they have big eyes, and when our snorkelers were scared of sharks and realized what they saw in their peripherals was just their hand, other group members made their way to the pier where they could perform tricks as they jumped into the clear blue ocean. 

You would never believe what we found in the water! Whales, ALL over the place.  And by whales, we mean our own group members lunging at one another in the water while making whale-like sounds (inspired by our very own Dillon, aka Pickle). We had great fun with this as we would discreetly great each other in the water in this manner. Meanwhile, we had other group members up on shore in their “missions pose”, making new friends. Christian friends. 

Laying out, applying and re-applying sunscreen, and pushing each other off of the pier wore us out, and we were just about ready to move on to our next adventure: Cam and Gina holding trained pelicans on their arms! A man at the beach saw a pelican get his head sliced off six years ago, and from then on decided to pursue his passion for training pelicans so their lives would not be seen as worthless. As our day unwound, we packed up and headed back.

You know what sounded good? Frappes at Don’s! We made a quick trip and continued on. Laughter filled the bus and the conversations with crazy facial gestures and jokes from the trip while rain came down heavily. So heavily that we felt it on the inside as well. Making it back safe and sound, we had pizza for dinner and time to relax before we conversed about our day’s events and shared a bit of our hearts.

To all of you reading this, life is about the little moments: spending time listening to one another, looking out at God’s beautiful creation, tying wires and laying bricks, and everything in between. We are so blessed, as are you. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Laura & Taylor