Dear Diary:                                                                      July 20, 2013

After accepting the invitation from Alexander to join him and the rest of the Watchers on a nice vacation to Rogue's Isle, our house turned into a frenzy of people running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Alice was almost never home because she was always dragging someone shopping for new swimsuits, and that included the men. The only ones spared from the shopping onslaught it seemed were most of the Watchers save Corin, Amy, Michelle, and Kim. The others liked the ones they had and didn't want to get new ones. No amount of convincing would change their minds which caused Alice to sulk.

Her sulking didn't last that long because she had our whole family to dress, so to speak. Seth and Jacob had decided to take their cues from the Watcher men and get more form-fitting swimwear as opposed to the usual American versions. On top of that, Alice made sure we all matched in one way or another with our mates. I was beginning to think we were preparing for a fashion show instead of a vacation. The photos of all of our swimwear are in the album for your pleasure; you can decide whether she picked stuff to match our personalities. Rogue and Alexander matched in color, having both of their swimwear attire a light blue shade.

While our pixie fashionista was coordinating outfits, the rest of the family were taking out their suitcases and talking excitedly about what they were going to pack. For a long time I watched them, and then was pushed by Esme into our master bedroom to do the same. Even though it had just been a few days since her return from her journey, I knew that my bond with my wife had gotten stronger. I always thought of her as a strong woman, but now I got a chance to see her as my equal and as an incredibly independent woman. Every time she brings up the volcano-hopping journey, I always put my hand over my heart in a mock heart attack that makes her giggle and roll her eyes at me.

My love for her has grown wildly. And what is so cool about going to Rogue's Isle—which is actually a lot bigger than Isle Esme, because ours contains just one house while the one Alexander bought has one house with wings and then other bungalows scattered around the island— is that everyone can have a romantic getaway and not have to worry about the neighbors next door.

This whole getaway couldn't have come at a better time because while we will be there, it'll be Bella and Edward's Wedding Anniversary. We have all decided to give the happy couple different and original crystal champagne flutes that are a part of a bigger surprise that will be revealed when Bella's birthday comes along. Bella being Bella didn't want a huge party with a ton of gifts, so we just literally created, or still are creating, something that will mean a ton to her. She doesn't know it yet, and lord knows I'm not spilling the beans. So even though these crystal Champagne Flutes are an anniversary gift, they fit into a part of Bella's present that Edward is very well aware of.

Not to get off track here. So we are just going to have a family gathering on that evening and quietly celebrate; we've even toned Alice down—go figure. For Bella's birthday, the Denali's are coming down to celebrate with us and have already purchased their gifts. So it'll be nice to celebrate with them. Nessie's ginormous birthday party will be before Bella's, so it'll be one right after the next when we return from the trip. Of course I'll tell you how everything went and show you pictures.

Alice was downstairs wanting everyone's attention so we bolted down. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we found out that all of our swimwear had been bought and name tagged. She's definitely efficient. You can't take that away from her. So she thrusted each bag into our hands and shoo'd us away to go and continue packing with a very satisfied look on her face. I was kind of nervous to see what she got me, and Esme was very curious about hers. When she peaked, her eyes got wide and she smiled. When I wanted to see, she pushed me away and said that she will wear it on the island and only then I could see.

"Alice got it totally right," Esme told me. "Before my adventure, I wouldn't have ever picked this out for myself, but now it is perfect for my personality and still shows my class and new found edginess. And the color is superb."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Alice yelled from across the house, and Esme laughed.

"What did she get you? A swimsuit in the shape of a volcano?" I grumbled.

"Would you leave the poor volcano alone? It's not like I swam inside of the thing. Sheesh!" She rolled her eyes at me again and continued packing, careful not to show me the swimsuit.

I grumbled along, while packing my own suitcase, about how unfair the women of the house were and how poor little me couldn't even see the swimsuit on my hot wife. All of a sudden, I heard a voice in my head; Rogue's. I guess my mental grumbling had been heard miles away.

"Oh, would you put a sock in it! She just wants to surprise you. You sound worse than Jacob and/or Emmett!" she chided me.

Peachy. Now I was being compared to a semi adult wolf and an over-grown child. I shook my head and continued packing. I knew my whole family was laughing at me. I ignored them and zipped up my suitcase. When I was finally done I was still frowning, so Esme walked over to me and kissed me so hard she literally knocked me off my feet onto the bed where the suitcase had just been sitting. In the middle of it all I heard a lot of hooting and hollering from the rest of the house. When she finally broke the kiss—

Wait, what was I upset about? I couldn't remember now. Oh well.

I helped her zip up her suitcase and we brought them downstairs where the living room looked like a tornado hit it with clothes everywhere. I could imagine that's what all of the cottages looked like. I was glad we were the first to finish but made sure we stayed out of everyone's way so we didn't get run over. In the meantime, we headed to the backyard and sat on our favorite two-person swing, watching and listening to doors opening and slamming, people running in every which direction. Looked like an international airport without the planes.

I've already called the hospital to tell them I was taking a vacation. I know it seems like I take a lot of them but believe it or not I work a lot more hours than most employees, being immortal and all, so therefore get more time off. Not too many humans can work for three days straight without a break and not fall over. So Bill was only too happy to send me away; he was afraid that I would get burned out—which of course was impossible. If I didn't turn tails and run after the whole Carrie incident, nothing would make me leave that hospital until it was time for us to move again, which was still at least 5 years away, if not more.

Unlike the townspeople of Forks, these New Englanders don't seem to care that we weren't aging. They kept to themselves and were very cordial. When we had a close call recently that made us question for a moment whether it was safe for us to stay here, turned out to be a false alarm. There was a conversation overheard in the grocery store between two of the town's main gossiping ladies about how the 'Cullen family don't seem to be aging at all.'

One said to the other:

"Oh please! With all of the technological breakthroughs with plastic surgery and the pressure to stay fit it's almost a maniacal thing. Who's to say that the family isn't just living a very healthy lifestyle that helps them age later or more gracefully than the rest of us? Plus Dr. Cullen being a well-known doctor must know all about the new advances in age defying technology. Sandy if I were you, I'd pay it no mind."

The conversation ended there with both agreeing that we were just some health freaks and that was the end of that. That was the first and last time we were the topic of the town gossip, thank heavens. Rogue doesn't foresee any issues with us and neither does Alice. So I think we're good for now.

So this is my second to last entry before we all leave; talk about a mass exodus. The next one will probably be shorter than this one as I will write about our final day before leaving and first impressions of the island. I hope it's not too hot where you all are. Enjoy your weekend!

~Carlisle Cullen