So yes, we were the lucky, lucky winners of the TomTom Map Paradise contest that ran this spring. We won an all inclusive 2 weeks in St. Lucia, and the chance to help them map paradise.

We finally connected with our amazing TomTom analyst on the last day of our holiday (even though we had spent an amazing family day with her the week before)  She had won her way into our hearts and after enjoying our company (and that of our 3 yr old) agreed that just dad and the 9yr old would learn the mapping skills!

Hubby was pretty excited to check out how they do all this and afterward he filled my head full of facts and numbers and things that sounded very scientific. Eldest daughter was just super thrilled to have spent another day with Fernanda!

The neatest part for me of the whole Tomtom adventure was hearing Fernanda`s story. Not only did we win the experience, but she kind of did as well.

Fernanda didn’t know much of our story, how we won, who we were, etc. As for her end of things, after we had set our dates her office was notified of the adventure and that 1 of the 10 of them would be chosen to map the island and connect with the family. Fernanda wrote the most compelling story and was chosen to come . . . the best part, she was as excited about the adventure as we were!

A huge thank you to TomTom for choosing us as their St. Lucia family. Your mapper was amazing (both at her job and as a face for your company) and we loved learning about your methods and exploring the world with you!

We also think you should have us map the other Caribbean Islands with Fernanda – we are a well oiled and highly trained team now . . . pretty sure we could make some magic happen!

It was the trip of a lifetime, to explore another country and not worry about the bills at home. To be able to build a (hopefully) lasting relationship with people we never would have met was something we will always cherish.

So, thank you . . . and for all of you wishing it was you, Tomtom has another contest running until the middle of January. You might as well enter!  And if you need some extra coins for the contest, check their Facebook page for bonus codes!

You just never know . . .