Inspiration From One Happy Island

I'm BACK!!!  I haven't blogged, tweeted, or answered the phone in a while.  It has been a great and busy year but by June my creativity tank was almost on empty so I went MIA for 10 days visiting a little popular island called Aruba with my family.  My Dad came along for the fun and I am newly refreshed (a bit heavier-bcse their food is smokin' good!)...and inspired. How could you not be inspired and refreshed after being on an island with vehicle license plates that read "One Happy Island".  
Here is my cute kid feeling happy!!


I brought back some of the island's coral, which I love because of the bleached white color and the many organic shapes and sizes.  I found some that looked like hearts, some that had holes through it which I will be making into necklaces for friends, and I love it because it can be found all over the island!!  I placed the little ones my daughter collected, in a bowl in her bathroom, and displayed the larger pieces on a bookcase at the end of my upstairs hallway (when you look at the photo of my bookcase below you should start singing ..."these are a few of my favorite things" from The Sound of Music).  


I also brought back a georgous necklace made of beautiful stones and shells in the shape of a flower.  I know I won't wear it that often but love looking at it so I added it to my bookcase also.  I hung it around an old bell I brought back from Aruba ten years ago, on my honeymoon.  Oh happy happy memories!! 

p.s. - if you find yourself needing a place to rev up your creativity engine I would prescribe Aruba as your remedy.  Here are my recommendations on the island:

1. Drink frozen mojitos in the pool; then drink frozen mojitos on the beach until its time to eat dinner.

2. Take a sunset cruise that has a rope to jump off the boat from (always the instigator, my husband was doing flips mid air).

3. Rent a car for 1 or 2 days and explore the island.  It is way cheaper than taxiing it everywhere.  Our little white mobile was so small that if you sneezed the entire car shook.  Although the island is only 11 miles long there is good stuff on the other end like Baby Beach and lots of old ruins to explore.

4. Stack rocks. You will find thousands of stacked rocks everywhere. Supposedly if you stack 3 rocks on top of one another (Each rock has its own name (love, wealth, and health)) you can make a wish and if the rocks are blown over by the waves, your wish will be granted.  

5. Eat at the Flying Fishbone! Get a table right in the water.  Let your feet dangle in the ocean as you eat the most delectable food and watch the sunset. It doesn't get better than that.
 

Bon Bini friends!!





Comments

ElaineMicheline said…
I just stumbled upon your blog and have been going through all your post.Then I got to this page talking about "One Happy Island" and I was saying to myself, could this be true? Could she really be referring to mi dushi Aruba? And you were. So happy to see that so many people still love the little island I call home. I moved to Miami to attend college in 2002 and met the love of my life, 10 years later, I'm still here. But we do find every little excuse to go home. We're going back for memorial weekend and then again in July ( for my best friend's wedding- I'm the matron of honor).I'm glad you had a wonderful time in dushi Aruba- and if you're like me, then you're probably already counting down the days to visit again. See you on One Happy Island :-)