don't hate us for going someplace tropical while you all shiver in the cold

In a few short days, Peter and I will be packing up our crazy crew and heading HERE (you HAVE to click the link!!), to the Royal Sea Aquarium Resorts in Willemstad, Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean. 

Can I repeat that last bit??

AN ISLAND IN THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN.

Peter and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this year... Liam is almost 7 1/2 (*small faint*)... and this will be OUR FIRST family vacation. OUR FIRST. We are far too practical with our money to take fancy vacations. We do sensible things like pay off debt, make extra car payments, or build beautiful, massive, yet-to-be-blogged decks... only to move to another hemisphere a few months later. Any "vacations" we took were back west to Regina (not exactly a sought after holiday destination), or were of the fun-yet-frugal camping variety.

Thankfully, one of the perks of being a Canadian diplomat posted overseas to a somewhat/potentially volatile place like Colombia, is that the government pays for one trip back to Canada each year. More accurately, they give us the equivalent amount of money to spend on travel expenses, etc, during the year. And, and, AND... THEY MAKE US SPEND IT ON TRAVEL. They force us to go against every penny-pinching, money-saving bone in our bodies and actually take a trip (with receipts required to claim all the travel related expenses).

While we could have used the money for a trip back to Canada, for Christmas or some other obvious holiday, the constant reports of inches upon inches of snow and -40 degree windchills make this look preeeeetty good.

Am I right? YES, I AM.

So when the blog is soon-to-be-filled with picture after picture of palm trees, turquoise seas, pristine beaches AND THE DOLPHIN ACADEMY RIGHT NEXT TO OUR HOTEL, please don't hate us. Remember, it's our first family vacation EVER. 

Can you tell we're excited?

(And sort of really desperately hoping that the lower altitude and massive doses of Vitamin D will help alleviate some of this morning sickness?? Am 12w 1d today and current weight loss is 14lbs... *sigh*)