Traveling to One Happy Island - Aruba

Aruba, a Caribbean island located 55 miles north off the coast of Venezuela, offers white sand beaches, pristine crystal blue waters, and is one of the best islands to getaway to for a fun, relaxing beach vacation. My husband’s family has a timeshare at the Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, and this year they invited us to attend for a week-long vacation along with my husband’s brothers and their significant others. Whenever we get the chance, we always make it a point to attend organized family travels because we know as we get older this may become even more difficult to do.

While we were in Aruba, we visited Flamingo Beach and Iguana Beach. Both beaches are privately-owned by Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino and provide the perfect escape for adults. Visitors can interact with real flamingos while relaxing on the beach, isn't that awesome? Unfortunately, I was too scared to feed the flamingos so I didn't get that postcard photo I wanted (and my fiance is a terrible photographer), but it was still a great experience.

Note: Aruba is a very dry and windy island, and this private island can get very windy depending on the day. Also, my husband had a huge issue with the flies, and we ended up leaving within 45 minutes being there.

While on vacation I always make it a point to book at least one excursion. Unfortunately, it didn't happen for me this time around, but my fiance's brother Chris and his girlfriend Janay went on an excursion through ABC Tours.

It looked amazing. I would be lying to say I wasn't completely jealous, but I'm so happy they got to share this experience together. Their trip included a jeep tour of the Natural Bridge, Gold Mill Ruins, Alto Vista Chapel and snorkeling in the Natural Pool. Oh, you're jealous now too? I feel ya.

If you plan on booking a trip to Aruba, I would highly recommend an experience on the Jolly Pirates. It's the best and most affordable "booze cruise" in Aruba. Prices range from $30-$60 per person; depending on what type of experience you want. Typically, we do the "Afternoon Snorkeling" which includes: Sail, Snorkel, Swim and Swing and unlimited alcohol.

Every vacation requires great food; and I believe (as well as my future mother-in-law) that every vacation should exempt you from cooking and this Happy Island does not disappoint. Aruba has a wide variety of international food and restaurants; and that includes their famous Dutch Pancakes. Don't miss out.

Fact: Aruba is a tiny Dutch Caribbean Island off the coast of Venezuela. European influence shows in architecture that features Dutch gables painted in tropical pastels. It’s also evident in language, with English, Dutch and Spanish spoken alongside the local tongue, Papiamento.

Lawrence and I are truly grateful to have the opportunity to travel together. Traveling is a love we both share and I look forward to our adventures together. Recently, we have started to relax more on our vacations. While we do enjoy island excursions and daytime activities, for this trip we decided to spend most of our time with family and friends; which also included several hours of day drinking and being beach bums. For those who travel in packs; remember the importance of spending time with those you love. We sure did.

Lawrence has two older brothers and Marcus (no, they're not twins) decided to take his relationship with his girlfriend to the next level. He got down on one knee and proposed and of course she said, yes! She played a little hard to get in the beginning, but Marcus knew she was the one. (Pictured above) This was the day after he proposed.

I don't want to blind you, but check out the bling on her finger. Absolutely gorgeous! Now we have two brothers getting married in the same year and I'd be lying if I said we weren't busier than ever. It's been an exciting summer filled with love, new beginnings and accomplishments and I can not wait to see what next year will bring.

As we plan our next vacation, I hope these photos have inspired and encouraged you to do the same. As Labor Day Weekend approaches, it's important we all take a moment to relax and unwind. When life gets crazy, we must unplug ourselves from the world and take time to rejuvenate and get back to our awesome selves. I hope everyone does this and has an amazing Labor Day Weekend!