So we just came back from a gorgeous little getaway to the Bahamas and are feeling very, very relaxed!

We stayed at Lazy Bay, our little beach house in Staniel Cay (the Exumas) and relaxed in bliss.    It backs right onto the water and has its own dock, so we mostly chilled out, went stand up paddling, swam in the bay, and visited friends on the island.

All taken in Lazy Bay, Staniel Cay.

It really is the most relaxing place to go to.  The water is so clear and such a pretty colour - I just want to do photoshoots there (someone come and shoot me please!!).  If you're interested in taking a family vacation or a little romantic getaway, check out www.stanielrent.com to book a trip.   They can organise anything from boating tours, personal chefs, accomodation, flights and golf cart rentals.

We're in the process of redecorating Lazy Bay, because the previous owners stuff was (in my opinion) pretty horrible.  They loved their fishing and so pictures of salmon, trout, marlin and lobsters adorned everything from the wall hangings, plates and cushions.  These had to go….It was a very therapeutic spring cleaning session for me ;)

So, so ugly.  Watch this space - I'll make it chic!

So we've moved a bunch of new furniture in and I'll go on a decorating trip next time I'm in Miami.  I'll update you guys with new pictures when we come back next time, but I'm thinking a beach-house kind of theme - what do you reckon?  If anyone's an interior design expert, hit me up with some ideas!

The only thing that marred our holiday was the trip home.  We were booked on Flamingo Air (a little 8 seater plane) to fly from Staniel Cay to Nassau, and shortly after taking off, we made a stop (unexpected) in Black Point to drop off an envelope or something.  We landed pretty hard, but the pilots were joking and laughing, so I didn't think there was too much of a problem.  One of the pilots got off the plane to drop off the envelope, came back on, and we were about to start taxi-ing again to take off when all of a sudden there was a huge bang and the plane fell onto one side.

The pilots seemed shock but switched everything off and we weren't in any apparent danger, nonetheless I wanted to get the hell off that little plane.    As we got off, we saw that the wheel and it's stand had collapsed in on one side of the plane, the rotors were damaged and it was leaking fuel.    The pilots reckon that the switch must have flipped by itself - but I know nothing about planes, so I have no idea.  Anyway, check out the pics, and if you have piloting background, perhaps you can shed a little light for me.

We called one of our friends back in Staniel Cay and they organised to send one of the guys on the island our - he's a pilot with his own private business, so he took us safely back to Nassau.  I wasn't particularly keen to get back on another Flamingo Air flight, especially since the pilot told me that the plane was probably an '83 or '84 model (older than me)!!!

So thank you Bahamas, I love all of your islands, but Flamingo Air - not so much.  Next time we come back, I'll book the private pilot again, he's not that expensive and well worth it in my opinion!   Let's just say I was more than happy to get back on a big American Airlines plane again.

One night in Miami, a beautiful dinner at Doré with friends, and a couple of mojitos to calm the nerves (it's cheaper than therapy), I felt just fine to fly the next day to Austin.

At Doré, Miami with my beautiful friend Imany

So here we are in the Lone Star State - I'm hoping this weekend will be a good one, we're due for some extra luck right about now :)

Stay tuned for a recap of Qatar and Dubai in my next post about Austin - I have my awesome new little Nikon 1 V2 that's coming around the world with me as my Gypsy Cam!

Lauren xx