a day on st. john.

on day two of our vacation, we took a 15-minute ferry ride to the island of st. john. we were instantly in love with the feel of the island. st. john is not very developed (you can only get to the island via boat/ferry), the tiny little huts with locals selling fruits & tropical drinks, bars and restaurants right on the beach and some of the brightest teal water you can imagine. we spent the majority of our day at Trunk Bay, which is easily one of the most beautiful beaches i've ever been to (National Geographic agrees). the boys spotted an iguana (d was excited), we snorkeled and the guys saw a manta ray. we ended the day at Joe's Rum Shack on the beach for $3 drinks until our ferry left.

such a perfect day in paradise. i think we were all just trying to take it in... not only we were in such a beautiful place, but we were enjoying it with some of our favorite people. pretty awesome. 

{on the 15-minute ferry ride from st. thomas}

{island clouds on the ferry ride}

{where there ferry dropped us off. picture perfect.}

{our amazing flaming open aired cab}

{take us to Trunk Bay... and an ATM!}

{trunk bay, st. john}

{crystal clear, warm water}

{that's our little group pinching ourselves "are we all seriously here together?"}

{you can bring all your own food & drinks to any beach}

{the girls soaking up some sun while the boys snorkeled}

{the group moved... just another day in paradise}

{ting and his pina colada}

{our cab driver PUFF - in case you were wondering what his name was}

{could not be happier}

{watching the sunset from a little bar on st. john}

{bars and restaurants right on the water}

{to joe's rumhut we go! $3 "you call it's" until 7 p.m.}

{not a shabby view from the bar}

villa tranquility. our home in paradise.

we're home from a wonderful week in paradise! friends invited us to join them on a spontaneous trip to St. Thomas and we immediately jumped at the opportunity... as did three other couples. the eight of us - me + danny, matt + jenny, colby + jake, tiffany + troy - spent a week together in the Virgin Islands. we stayed at our friend's family home on St. Thomas which was absolutely amazing. while it would have been easy to just hang around the house (more like a boutique hotel) each day, we kept a full schedule... we spent a day at St. Thomas' famous Magen's Bay, one day we took a ferry to St. John to explore the island and Trunk Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and another day we chartered a private boat and captain for a full-day tour of the British Virgin Islands.... 

Lots more photos and details from each day coming soon. First, here's "Villa Tranquility" our home in paradise. 

{the view from the home}

{the "guest suites" of the house}

{the main house}

{inside the main house}

{everything was perfect... even the decor}

{our insanely private pool}

{the walkway from the main house to our room}

{outside our room}

{the private balcony we shared with tiff and troy's room}

{the westward view from our room}

{views everywhere}

{we'd meet by the pool for our morning coffee & conversation}

{jake & matt in the BBQ gazebo area}

{see the "ants" down there? the boys decided to take a hike}

{next time, we wanna take a boat to the private beach on the island in the distance. looks amazing}

{matt & jenny's private suite & balcony on the other side of the property}

{evening games & cocktails on the upper level terrace}

{pass the pigs}

{watching a quick afternoon storm roll in}