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John & I just returned from a wonderful 4 days in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. What a beautiful place! And we had a good reason for making that great escape: Patrick & Heather got married. The ceremony was so romantic, set against a backdrop of azure ocean and palm trees...and hurricane Isabel. Luckily we left before Isabel arrived, and her impending visit convinced many other travelers to leave so we had lots of spots on the island all to ourselves. Our favorite couple escape was a romantic dinner at Blackbeard's Castle, which sits halfway up the mountain rise of the island to make for a wonderful view. You can see the view in that picture at the top of www.auraleigh.com!

This little photo of me was taken in the surf of St. John's island, where we went SNUBA diving at Trunk Bay. I was very nervous at first, but our instructor Frank took me aside and worked with me patiently until I was ready. Since John is already a PADI certified diver, he was the perfect partner for me and held my hand tightly until I was comfortable enough to swim about on my own. Even though the visibility was poor due to Isabel stirring up the surf, it was still wonderful. Take a peek at the pictures that Frank took of John & I, Heather & Patrick and Debbie & Chris. By the time it was over, I had decided I want to know more about SCUBA diving. Maybe I can get certified to dive one day. And of course that means, in order to get my money's worth (it's a very expensive hobby) John & I need to move to the beach and dive all the time. St. Thomas, here I come!