We’ve been in Aruba 36 hours now, and if I’ve learned one thing, it’s this… The Island Nation of Aruba wants to kill me, and it’s awesome.

Between spiky plants and charging lizards and off-off-off-roading the roughest trail I’ve ever seen and jumping into natural pools next to choppy seas, well, the trip has been perilous, but incredible. We spent 9 hours yesterday exploring the island with Pam & Mike, and we’re even MORE excited for their wedding on Thursday now… although I didn’t think such a thing was possible.

If you want to see a daily update on our trip, you should follow us on Instagram (chelsea_mcgowan & ejmcgowan, respectively). We’re kiiiind of blowing it up. But until we’re able to get home and post a few blogs about our trip (and, of course, all the wedding loveliness), here’s a little sneak peek at yesterday’s adventures!

(The color on our laptop is all sorts of screwed, so forgive me if these images look a little wonky. I promise, the finished project will be gorg-e-mous.)

Mack added his own sculpture to this beach full of rock stacks… we made wishes, of course.

Here’s our good-lookin’ couple, Pam & Mike! They’ve been so much fun. 🙂

I can’t remember how to spell the name of this cave, so you’ll just have to believe me when I tell you it was way cool and unsafe and there were bats flying around us.

This next image hints at what was the best part of adventure day… the Natural Pool. It was a CRAZY drive through the national park to get there, and another crazy hike down, followed by a “not sure I can do it” slippery rock climb down to the pool… but totally worth it. We were actually in the pool by ourselves for a little while, which was a rare treat. Unfortunately, there’s no pictures down there, because I needed both my hands to keep from falling (and to ward off angry rock crabs).

Wanna know what four adults without their kids look like after spending 9 hours rocking around in an open air jeep and rock climbing and swimming? This hot mess is the answer, and I absolutely love this picture!

Believe me, this doesn’t even scratch the surface… we’re so excited to share more of this experience on the blog when we’re home next week!