Our Anniversary Trip To El Salvador

To celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary we took a trip to the Pacific Coast of El Salvador for a few days of R&R.  We had a flight layover there once but other than that we have never visited there before.  We were all excited about seeing something new.

We crossed the border on Sunday afternoon.  It was a very easy and quick process. We drove away thinking surely we had missed something because it just seemed too easy.

crossing the border into El Salvador

Checking in at immigration and getting a new stamp in our passports.

After checking into our hotel, unloading our bags, and getting settled in we put on our swimwear and headed down to the pool.

  It was hot there too so we stopped for something cold to drink along the way.

 swimming is our favorite part of any trip

The hotel had a great playground and my boys spent a lot of time there.

Here is a short video of them on the playground in El Salvador.

The hotel had several pools.  One of them was a saltwater pool out by the ocean.  Here are David and the boys playing in that pool.

my sweet boys

me and my little guys

Happy to be celebrating #19!

having a blast on our anniversary eve

toes in the sand

the boys playing in the ocean

Getting ready to head to breakfast on our anniversary morning.   Any day that starts in your swimsuit is a good day!

after breakfast we spent some time at the beach

our 19th anniversary

one of the boys favorite things was playing in the sand

silly boy!

Mid-morning we moved to the pool.  Here is Ben enjoying a snow cone poolside.  We ate a lot of those on this trip.

Cruz showing me his red tongue from his snow cone

ready for lunch

The hotel was all-inclusive (the best way to travel with kids) so most of our meals were buffet style.

Taking pictures on our anniversary night before going to supper

my little loves!

our family on our 19th wedding anniversary celebrating in El Salvador

making memories

brothers

I know my little guys do not understand much about anniversaries just yet, but I hope they will grow up with fond memories of seeing their mom and dad celebrate their love for each other each year in fun ways.  I pray that our marriage will be a good example for them to follow in the future.

19 and counting!

the older they get the sillier they get

Our anniversary is one of my favorite days of the year.  Celebrating it in fun ways is one of my favorite things to do.

David and the boys in El Salvador

anniversary sunset

The hotel has several reservation only places to eat.  We chose to do that for our anniversary night only.  The other times it was just easier to eat the buffet with the kids.  Here is where we ate on our anniversary night.  It was Italian at this open-air by the sea setting.  It was delicious.  The best part was dessert.  I had the best creme brulee I've ever eaten.  Yummy!!!

Each night the hotel offers free entertainment at their outdoor amphitheater.  On our anniversary night they showed the cartoon movie "Heroes".  It was followed by a song and dance show which was a take off of the kids show "High 5".  They then had an adult dance contest that the boys loved watching.  Unfortunately they have picked up a few new moves from that, ha. 

The night ended with an Hawaiian themed showed that was very good.  We all enjoyed it a lot.

a video of the Hawaiian dance show

Cruz enjoying the morning ocean views from our balcony

my boys on our last night in El Salvador

one last trip to the playground before driving back to Guatemala

We drove a different direction to get home and crossed a border less than an hour from where we live.  On the way we made a stop in Santa Ana, El Salvador for a snack.  A friend had recommended we try the Mister Donut there.  It was a great recommendation because we love donuts!

thumbs up for donuts!

Right next door to the Mister Donuts was a really nice Pizza Hut.  We made a stop by there too for a snack. 

thumbs up for pizza!

 On the way home we drove past the beautiful Lake Coatepeque near Santa Ana.  Our road took us along the top with amazing lookout views of the lake.  They boys were sleeping so we didn't get to stop but I'd love to return someday just to make a visit there.  It looked really pretty!

Here we are arriving back home in Chiquimula.  Don't we look like a fun crew, ha.

I am so thankful for the time we got to spend in El Salvador for our anniversary this year.  It was a beautiful place to celebrate and we all had a wonderful time together.  I love to reminisce about our wedding day each year.  I love to talk about past anniversary trips each year.  I love to look back at our lives together and see how God has worked in both of us and in our marriage.  I love old memories and I love making new ones.  We have had a pretty amazing life together so far and I look forward to what the future holds for us.