Our Puerto Rico Mini-Vay!

We LOVE Puerto Rico! Matt and I traveled down to the Caribbean over the weekend so that he could interview at the University of Puerto Rico's Dental School. (Everyone asks why we applied to this school. Well, we've got friends that are there, and if we're going to be somewhere for 4 years, I'd like the temperature to be 85 degrees year round! Plus, a little known fact is that it is a US school- it's just like going to Arizona or wherever in the states. The only difference is that they lecture in Spanish but the text and tests are all in English, so you have to have a ton of English and Spanish credits to apply.) We've only been once, and it was a cruise port, so I thought we'd make a mini-vay out of it so that we could see what we might be in for! The trip down was LONG! For some crazy reason, our flight left SLC, went to LA, then to DC, then finally down to San Juan. We ended up being delayed in LA for almost 5 hours; not great when you've got a connecting flight to make. We traveled to DC overnight, and by some miracle, our other flight was also delayed, and we made it on just as they were closing the doors. Yeah, running what seemed like miles (but was probably only 1/2 mile- the DC airport is HUGE) with luggage, and wearing clogs through the airport was NOT the highlight of the trip! Also not on the highligh reel was the fact that when I travel I swell like crazy, giving me massive cankles. NOT ATTRACTIVE! I should have taken a picture. I guess sitting on a plane for countless hours will do it!

Our plane picture. The lady across the isle looked at us like we were insane!

Well, we finally made it to San Juan on Sunday afternoon. Sheldon met us at the airport so that we could follow him home. Gabe came over for dinner, and the 5 of us, plus their kids, had a great Puerto Rican meal!

Matt and I woke up bright and early, partly because of an alarm clock, and partly because of a rooster crowing outside the window, to head over to the school for the big interview. Note to self: do not attempt curling hair in Caribbean; it will not stay that way for long! Matt's interview lasted almost an hour, then we looked around campus for a bit. When we were done, we set out to see the sights. Stacy and the kids were kind enough to show us around. We first stopped at El Morro, the old fort that "guards" the island. What an amazing place! We looked around for a bit, and got soaked by a downpour that lasted an hour or so.

Matt and I walking around Old San Juan.

Matt in El Morro. You can't tell in the picture, but it's a complete downpour!

The rain killed our beach plans, so we went to lunch and shopped in what Stacy called the "ghetto mall." Later on, we all went to dinner, which was fun, but SO LONG! I've learned that Puerto Ricans tend to take their time with all things other than driving. The driving down there is CRAZY! (And this coming from someone with more tickets than about anyone!) Our dinner lasted almost 3 hours, and for no reason! No one was in any sort of hurry to get us served. Everyone enjoyed dinner, except me, because as I was taking my first bite of a huge salad, Stacy noticed a long black hair in it. Yeah, I passed on that salad! At least we didn't have to pay for it, plus Sheldon talked them into giving us a free dessert, and I've never had anything that tasted better! A 10" chocolate chip cookie that was probably 1-2 inches thick with ice cream and whipped cream on top. Yummy!

Sheldon, Tyler, Mylee, Matt, Me, and Stacy at dinner

Tuesday, we ran a couple of errands with Stacy, then headed to the beach! It was a little windy, but such a beautiful day. We collected a million seashells for London, and just walked around for a while. Finally, it was time to go home! I couldn't believe how sad I was to leave! I sure hope things work out in our favor, and Matt will be accepted. It'll definitely be an adventure!

Matt and Miss Mylee collecting shells on the beach

The flight home was long; maybe because 3 of the 4 legs of the flight showed the same freaking movie, "The Golden Compass." Yeah, I don't do fantasy movies, and I don't do them 3 times in 3 days. Seriously, United Airlines has some scheduling issues! Luckily I took a whole lot of reading material, and with the long flights, got through most of it. We got home late last night, and even though it was a quick trip, it was so great to be back home!

A HUGE thanks to Stacy and Sheldon for making our trip so much fun. Thanks for sharing your home and crazy driving skills with us! You guys have been amazing through this whole process! Thanks again! We love you guys!