I’ve been home from beautiful Aruba for approximately 48 hours and I’m already island-sick. See I have island fever and although I live in a beautiful city in a lovely state, Aruba has stolen my heart and it was so hard to leave.
As part of my media visit I snapped a lot of great shots of our adventure on social media with my iPhone 5c. My husband has some great shots from our Canon on his nomadic solo exploration and I’ll be sharing those plus many articles on the island in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned. Here’s a few of my favorite things, my favorite Aruba snapshots.
The Caribbean colors and Dutch architecture shine in the Capital city of Oranjestad. 
Our first night, we witnessed the best cotton candy sunset.
Drink local, brewed in Aruba Balashi is refreshing with the daily heat!
The gorgeous flamingos are friendly on Renaissance Island, a private area for guests of the Renaissance Hotel. (Lucky us!)
Unique Divi Divi trees dot the island with their twisted trunks.
Such contrast to island life, the cacti are many at Arikok National Park.
Hot and spicy Caribbean Jerk Shrimp is lip-tingling and superb at The West Deck restaurant.
Also at The West Deck, coconut mojitos served in…well a coconut of course!
Hammock with your loved one, one of the best things about my Aruba visit!
Hermit crabs are so happy on the island.
Another lovely sunset.
We are spoiled. Our family lives in the best spot in California in my eyes. We’re less than 30 minutes from the Monterey/Carmel coast line and beautiful Pacific Ocean. We are just 90 minutes from San Francisco and only 4 hours from the beautiful Lake Tahoe in the Sierras. Along with those beautiful cities we are a short 2 hours from the most gorgeous wine country our state boasts! As you can imagine, our year includes many weekend trips to these iconic travel destinations and lucky for us some can even be conquered in a day. We love Napa’s wine country and who doesn’t, even our kids have enjoyed a ride on the fabulous 
Each ride begins at the McKinstry Street Station in Napa. Here you pick up your boarding pass and you can also visit the gift shop for clothing or the wine shop for area wines and the chance to purchase a lock for the Love Lock Bridge and have it engraved a personal message. Also there is a bar inside the station to whet your appetite.
Once the train arrives you head over the Love Lock Bridge and snap on a memento of your love. Don’t worry, your seats on the train are reserved, take you time and and read some of the notes on the locks, I think it’s such a romantic gesture! Whether it be for an anniversary, birthday, or “just because” the locks’ sweet messages are something you should plan on bringing or purchasing in the station!Photos are taken of your party before you board and you can purchase them at the end of the night.
Stepping onto the train you jump back in time to circa 1915. Our Gourmet Dinner Express package had us in the the 1915 Pullman Lounge Car for “second seating” which means appetizers and our taste of either a local red or white wine traveling north to St. Helena. Expertly refurbished, the cars offer large picture windows on either side to maximize the view along the way. Honduran mahogany paneling, etched glass partitions, and brass accents provide an authentic feel and just add so much to the overall experience. The swivel chairs face the windows but also can face your company for eye contact and smiles throughout the ride.
An appetizer plate for each person includes a plethora of items such as fruit, meat, cheese, fish, bread, and spreads. One thing I can tell you is that you must ride the train hungry because you get such an amazing amount of food! 
During this time, you also have the option to wine taste and walk about the train. Wine tasting can be done at your seat with a white, red, or mixed wine flight or you can walk to the tasting bar in the Zinfandel lounge car (at an additional cost). 
You can also choose watch the master chefs at work in the Kitchen Viewing car as they prepare each feast to order.
This gourmet restaurant on the tracks is just something you need to think about for a minute. The kitchen team is led by Chef Kelly Macdonald and he and his staff use environmentally responsible ingredients; humanely raised, hormone-free meats and fresh, and line-caught fish for a freshly prepared meal for each guest. All while on a moving train! I have trouble getting up from my seat and walking 5 steps without holding on to the chair next to me!
Dinner is a choice of 5 phenomenal dishes that includes a beef, pork, salmon, ravioli, and ‘special of the day.’ We really wanted to try something different so we could share but we had the roasted beef tenderloin on our brain and it was so moist and tender it just melted in our mouths. Served with baby vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and a tangy balsamic onion marmalade, it was over-the-top delicious! Clearing our plates with happy stomachs we were left with one final choice between desserts. Creme brulee has the best crispy topping that I love to crack through, while my husband hardly left any of his chocolate tiramisu truffle for me to sample!
Walking back to our resort, we vowed to indulge in this romantic escape every few years because it doesn’t get old, only better. If you want to book a Napa Valley Wine Train Gourmet Dinner ride, visit 
I cannot tell you how excited I am and I’ve already told my husband we need to go Chevrolet shopping, like immediately! Right now you can find 4G LTE Wi-Fi in the 2015 Volt, 2015 Malibu, 2015 Impala, 2015 Corvette, and the 2015 Equinox with a dozen more models connecting soon. Visit 
The Dad’s perspective:
The first test for the Santa Fe was in the cargo department. With big luggage for the girls, backpacks for the boy and I, finding space for all can be a challenge in any vehicle. The 50/50 third row bench seat provided a solution our current car does not have. We had one of the seats down for extra luggage space and one up for the 8-year old who needed the “extra personal space” from the older siblings. The Santa Fe included a second row with two luxurious captain’s chairs for the big kids with plenty of foot space and our front row seats included both heated and cooled seats. Summertime means shorts and bare legs on hot leather, Jen appreciated those ventilated seats! With all the cargo and leg room anyone could ask for, the space felt like a mini-van, no climbing over the seats to get to the middle or back, no footprints or damage to the interior. We set off on our voyage.
A cool July morning departure allowed for the panoramic sunroof to be opened wide for a breath of cool air and a view for days extending through the wisps of fog to the sun. Again we’re reminded of Jen’s convertible, so much open sky but without the hair flailing about our faces! As we left our coastal valley home and entered the central valley we promptly closed the sunroof in favor of the Santa Fe’s climate control bliss. Special features enjoyed by those on the sun side of the car were the integrated sun shades which I personally have not experienced in any other SUV. 
Two hours through the valley with no complaints from the peanut gallery means the Santa Fe has already exceeded my expectations. The Limited Technology Package (+ $4850.00) gave us amazing sound with the Infinity Logic Surround Sound Audio System, and our youngest in the back politely asked us to keep our music to the front of the car so she could still enjoy her DVD player plugged securely into the bonus 115 volt power outlet. Along those lines, the engine and drive train were remarkably quiet and efficient. From a driver’s perspective the Santa Fe’s performance was exceptional whether cruising along the freeway or flying over mountain passes.
Having blind spot detection is something my wife appreciates when exploring new areas, and I’m happy to see it in so many new cars with my oldest only weeks away from her driver’s license.
Thankfully, the airbags, traction control system, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management and electronic brake-force distribution safety systems were not tested on this trip yet it is nice to see that they were all ready to assist if necessary. In the mountains and hills of our cabin, there are no streetlights and pitch dark at night, we used the Xenon headlights and LED taillights to their fullest potential.
Our days with the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe flew by and I feel the car and family grew together. As we left our cabin we quietly wound our way out of the mountains and tearfully separated from our week with the Santa Fe. Hyundai has provided a great SUV fully capable of providing a family of five with all the comfort and features that could be dreamed of. One wish I had was that there was a slightly better gas mileage with the cost of fuel these days, we may have gotten 20 mpg during our trip. 
Also, is there any way my wife can get those seats with such great lumbar support comfort and heat/cooling as a desk chair model? Just asking.
