#vhl1

[zimbyplays]

Dear Jelly Bean, I hope things are going well with you and the family! Zoey and I decided our next destination should be somewhere more tropical, so we headed to Isla Paradiso!

There’s your mom lounging in front of the cute cabins this resort had. We were in a blue one, since they didn’t have pink!

And there she is snorkeling! We did a lot of snorkeling for the first few days, because we heard there was scuba diving here!

We were here during the main island’s Summer Festival, so we made sure to stop by. It turns out your mother is a skating pro!

And there’s me! Of course your mother caught me at the snow cone machine - I had 6 of them during that festival!

[zimbyplays]

Hey Jelly Bean! Hope all is well! Things are going great here! We figured our next stop could be France! Champ Les Sims it was! Naturally we hit their museum - La Gallerie d’Art - first.

There’s your mom, checking out the Egyptian sarcophagus - she stepped right over the velvet rope! She was disappointed, though - it was empty.

We discovered some secret passages, though! And found some really neat stuff! There I am, pulling a statue - as one does.

And there’s Zoey, picking away at some fallen rocks. She found a chest underneath that rubble that had 300 year old nectar!

This was a few days later - we were searching for a tomb. Your mother has a knack for adventuring!

[zimbyplays]

It wasn’t all just exploring secret passageways and tombs, though!

There’s your mother, sitting at a quaint cafe. Their crepes were delicious!

And here she is at the Nectary, pouring us a taste of their popular red. It was lovely!

All that nectar went to Zoey’s head I think, because she became convinced we need to start making our own Van Hollow Nectars. She gathered grapes and apples and set to work!

Lesson learned - Don’t drink and squish. The Grapple nectar she produced turned out... well, really bad. But that hasn’t stopped her from wanting to try again! If only we could buy a nectar maker back in Willow Creek! Champ Les Sims was gorgeous, I wish I had remembered to take a pic of some of the scenery! We weren’t really sure where we wanted to go after France - surely anywhere else might seem less interesting? But we then we figured - Windenburg! I’ll write again soon!  Miss you, Princess! Love you, Dad

[zimbyplays]

Here’s your mom practicing her horseshoes, while Mr. Seals grills up dinner - of course we took Mr. Seals with us! 

We’re not forcing him to buttle much, though. He offered to make dinner!

There’s your mom checking out one of the many waterfalls!

And here I am fishing! A lot of fishing was accomplished here. I loved it!

Last picture! Can you see me? I climbed down all those rocks to check out that waterfall! Your mom couldn’t join me because she was in sandals, so she took the picture! Granite Falls was the perfect first stop on our travels. It was so relaxing, water everywhere, more fish than I could possibly eat, and you can’t beat that woodsy, forest scent! Have you been? If not, maybe you and Jakob could plan a romantic getaway here someday! I highly recommend it! Alright, I’m off. I’ll write you from our next destination soon!  Miss you, Princess! Love you, Dad

[zimbyplays]

Dear Jelly Bean, I promised I’d keep in touch during our travels, so here I am! And of course, what’s life without pictures! Warning though, I’m the photographer most of the time, so expect to see a lot of Mom!

Here’s Zoey in front of the cabin we rented. We figured our first stop should be Granite Falls, because why not?

Your mother and I in the backyard of our cabin. There was a fishing spot right nearby, so relaxing!

The views this place has! Amazing!

I love this picture! I bet if Zoey knew I was taking it, she’d have smiled! 

[zimbyplays]

A couple of scuba diving pictures next!

That’s me! Scuba diving! So cool, right? I’m a natural! Although, I wasn’t a fan of depressurizing. 

We saw a shark!! Don’t worry, though, we kept our distance!

This picture is a little dark, because, well, it was getting late, but that’s your mother over there, checking out a boat wreck.

Last picture! Your mother windsurfing. We really enjoyed our time in Isla Paradiso, but we were also kind of relieved to go. It rained for half of our stay, which kind of left us with not much to do, and mom got really tanned - we didn’t even know she could get tan!  Okay! We’re off again, not sure where to yet, but I’ll definitely write again soon! Say hi to Sophie Angel and Baby Blythe for us! Miss you, Princess! Love you, Dad

[zimbyplays]

They ate in silence, then Virgie washed the dishes. 

[zimbyplays]

Zoey: “I can’t listen to this!” Amelie: “Mom! I just need to be on my own for a while!” Zoey: “So we’ll build a guest house on the property! You’ll HAVE your own place! Or why not move down the street? We’ll buy that cute little house two blocks down. There! On your own and still nearby!” Amelie: “Mom, it’s not the same thing...”