Tropical Fashion Faux Pas?

For those of you who don't know, Puerto Rico doesn't really have seasons. We get 75-85 degrees F during the "winter", or at least from mid-December to February, and the rest of the year we get 85-95 degrees F. However, from June to November it's Hurricane season, which can get really intense from August to October. Actual Hurricanes are very rare here, but we do get many Tropical Depressions, Waves, and general low pressure activity, which means tons and tons of rain!

For example, in the past 2 weeks we've had like 3 different Storms, Depressions and Waves pass close to us, and that has meant rain, rain, rain! Take a look at some pics I took from my car:

[caption id="attachment_399" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="This was taken yesterday afternoon on my way to Mom's house. That's hubs' car in front!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_400" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="This was taken this morning driving down my street"][/caption]

Now, all this rain doesn't mean that it's cold, but it does lower the temperature SLIGHTLY, let's say about 5-10 degrees F. This means that people will still wear shorts and sandals even though it's pouring outside.

It's been raining so much lately and I was tired of getting my feet wet every time I stepped out of the house, so this morning I got fed up and decided to cover myself up. I put on long leggings (which I rarely use) and my "winter" booties that I only wear about once or twice a year. They looked super cute and comfy, at least in my opinion.

[caption id="attachment_398" align="aligncenter" width="223" caption="Cute booties or just wrong?"][/caption]

Don't worry, I didn't go overboard with my wardrobe, I wore a short-sleeve tunic over that, because let's face it, it wasn't really cold, just wet.

So I took lil man to school dressed like that. I was so happy and comfy because I didn't have to worry about the rain, or stepping in the water. However, when I walked back to the car, I began to notice all the moms looking at me. At first I didn't know what was going on, because I had forgotten what I was wearing, but as I kept walking I noticed one of them was actually looking at my shoes! I looked around, and sure enough, all the moms had their umbrellas out, but were still wearing shorts and sandals! For a slight moment, I felt super ridiculous. Apparently I had committed a fashion faux pas and I hadn't even realized it. Are we allowed to wear boots in the Caribbean? Maybe if I had worn jeans and sneakers I wouldn't have looked so out of place.

Then again, I'm not a jeans and sneakers kind of gal.

What do you think is most important: fashion, comfort, or blending in, even if it means getting my feet wet? Sound off below!

UPDATE: Upon reading my post, I received this comment on Twitter from a fellow Puertorrican. I think it proves just how wrong I was! LOL

RT @JeanessaPR: @zelmarl hahahaha. Love the boots but to me it´s a bit shocking to wear them in broad daylight. But I sure wear them, cute!

Wordless Wednesday 2: Puerto Rico!

Those of you who know me know that I'm very proud of the little island that I call home: Puerto Rico. Its nickname is "La Isla del Encanto" or "The Isle of Enchantment", and it completely lives up to its name. The downside to living here is that if we want to "get away", the only ways to do it are hopping on a plane or boarding a ship. The upside? There's TONS of beautiful places to go right in our backyard.

Last year we took lil man to El Morro, the most famous Spanish fort in Old San Juan. He just loved it, and I hope you enjoy some of the pics too!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Arriving at El Morro, very excited!"][/caption]

For you Disney fans, you'll notice that this is where they shot the last scene of "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie". Actually, the entire movie was shot in different parts of Puerto Rico!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Mama & lil man"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="View from inside the fort"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Showing off our 3 flags: Puerto Rico, USA & Spain"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Checking out one of the "garitas" inside the fort"][/caption]

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, link it here for others to see!

Here's the fun thumbnail linky:
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Thanks to Resourceful Mommy and 5 Minutes for Mom for introducing me to Wordless Wednesday.

Thanks to Uisce for creating Wordless Wednesday.

Mini-vacation in paradise!

Many people think that because I live in a tropical island, I *must* go to the beach all the time... I wish! Yeah sure, when I was in high school and college, I spent many days & weekends at the beach, or on my parents' beach house or boat. There was a time when I truly lived a caribbean beach life.

Then I became an adult.

It wasn't on purpose, and it didn't happen overnight - it just happened. I graduated, got a job, got married, had a kid... and now, just like many working moms, I need to schedule my pool/beach time. The upside to this, is that I don't need to get on a plane or drive hours to get to one, they're right here! All I need is to set some time aside to go. Also, since Puerto Rico is such a big tourist destination, there are many, many wonderful resorts just minutes away!

So when lil man had exactly one week between his classes ended and his soccer camp started, I decided we HAD to get away, at least for a few days!

We drove to Dorado, a popular resort destination on the north coast of the island, facing the Atlantic Ocean. It was really about a 40-minute drive from my house, but we felt as if we had traveled to another place! We stayed at the Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach & Golf Resort (long name, I know). The best part was that since it's an all-suite resort (as all Embassy Suites are), we were able to get super comfortable - lil man had his own room with a sofa bed and TV, and we could even heat up some food in the kitchenette! Great for vacationing with kids. The resort itself was beautiful with a quiet, secluded beach and an amazing pool area that consisted of 4 pools, some with waterfalls! Lil man had a blast "visiting" all the pools (I got dizzy following him around) and playing with the waterfalls.

Yes, I do realize how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful island, and I *have* to make time to go to the beach more, especially for lil man to get used to it like I was when I was little. But for now, we had a great vacation right at "home"!

[caption id="attachment_207" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from my suite"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_205" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from my pool chair"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_206" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Playing at the pool with lil man"][/caption]