Feriado

In Portuguese, feriado means holiday.  So when you take ferias, it is like saying you are going to pass the holiday (or go on vacation).  We went to Florianopolis in Santa Catarina.  It is about an 8 hour trip by car from Porto Alegre, or 12 if you hit traffic...guess how I know that.  But the Brazilians say it is the only beach in Brazil.  In other words, once you go there, why go anywhere else.  We went to a city called Bombinhas which has several beaches, including one called Four Islands.  If you are standing on the shore you can see the four islands out in the distance.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  When the sun hits the water it turns it this beautiful turquoise green.  I never thought such depth of color really existed naturally.  I kept thinking...I never really thought I would see this type of beauty with my own eyes--like it is almost surreal.  What is most stunning about these beaches is that they are surrounded by rocks and mountains and gorgeous trees.  Beautiful palm trees.  The other thing I really enjoyed is that it lacked that hokey touristy feel so many places have.  I mean, they still cater to tourists--they bring you a table with food and drinks right to where you are sitting on the beach for about the cost of McDonalds--but it is all still very rustic and native to the culture. 
Matt hasnt had a vacation in two years, and I kept telling him when we got here it would be worth it.  And it was.  God really blessed us with the ability to enjoy a lot of things we would not normally be able to do and we just basked in His blessing. 
Here are some pictures of family fun at the beach...

Who knew they had moose on the beach...

That would be Matt...