it’s been a month since mr. re-nest + i headed home after seven days of warmth, sunshine, no e-mail (for me), sand + peace. this trip was in celebration of our fifteenth wedding anniversary + our matchy-matchy 40th birthdays, and besides it being a celebration trip, it was just a much-needed vacation for us. time away from the cold and downright depressing, grey days of northern illinois. time away from work and e-mails. and, don’t judge: a little time away from our kiddos so that the mr. and i could reconnect, and have an actual conversation. (note: if you don’t know us irl, our kids are everything to us, every single day, as they should be. but, we also believe that it’s important for us, as their parents, as partners in this roller coaster of parenting, to take some time away and strengthen our relationship so we can be the best we can be when we come home to them. this works for us.)

neither of us had ever been to the bahamas, and it did not disappoint. we booked a week at the harborside resort at the atlantis on paradise island, so we had the benefits of condo-esque vacationing, which meant a kitchen. (which also meant being able to cook some of our own meals because let me tell you bahamas rule #1: it’s expensive.) the other big bonus to the harborside was that we had an all-access pass to everything at the atlantis resort (read: the plunging waterslides), the casino (which we didn’t gamble at), the awesome pools, and the shops (which tested my tendency to treat myself while in foreign places, but i kept my discipline!)

the whole trip was amazing, and we’d definitely go back. the overall vibe was that it’s very family friendly (we kind of dubbed it the disney of the caribbean), and we’d take the boys there in a heartbeat. we did take a couple of journeys while we were there that we wouldn’t do on foot with the kiddos (the mr. and i love to walk and explore when we go new places): like the two days that we walked into nassau to go to fish fry and hang out where the cruise ships dock. the one thing we didn’t get to do that i really, really wanted to do was to paddleboard with the dolphins at dolphin cay at the atlantis (silly me, i wanted too long to call to make reservations…instead, we treated ourselves to dinner at nobu!)

so, if you’re thinking of the bahamas, we totally recommend it! it is pricey (i.e. most groceries are 2-2.5x what they are here at home), it’s super easy to get to (we flew through atlanta from o’hare), and the weather is gorgeous.if you go, you must visit fish fry. it’s incredible!

hope you enjoy some of the pics we brought back!

p.s. in case you’re wondering what i meant about the waterslides at the atlantis, here’s a peek at the leap of faith. yes, i went down this, once. i’m not sure i’ve ever really understood the saying “heart in your throat” until i did this.