Jamaica
I have a lot to say on a great many subjects. i'll be kind and cut. ;-)
But First, thank you SO VERY MUCH to celticangel424 for keeping our Kitties fed and safe while we were gone, and to justonejawa , mythicpoison, and nullreturned for helping us finish packing our kitchen when we left, and to nullreturned and la_loba for helping us clean up the window bashed in by TS Hannah when we got home. THANK YOU.
So, i was over-worried the days before traveling. Gustav was hitting Jamaica, and phynieus had to have their flights delayed. SUXOR. But in the end, they caught up to us at the airport on Saturday, and they stayed a day extra, rather than got there early.
We got to the airport, and (SUXOR) the INN (where were scheduled to stay) was Closed for Renovations (i called today, and their renovations were scheduled for a bit later, but with the hurricane damage, they bumped it up) so we got Shuttled to the Ocho Rios... 2 FLIPPING HOURS AWAY!!!. and you know how i LOVE bus rides. they did show us Mr. Bean's Vacation... so the experience was mind numbing. rather a blessing if you ask me.
At the Ocho Rios, we made sure (while starving, exhausted, and annoyed) (and hot) that we were put in rooms together that eventually (thanks to the mastery of mythicpoison and malfactor ) lead to an Upgrade! we were put in Villas with semi-private pools. SWEET!
after a YUMMY dinner, we were all feeling better, and retired to our rooms to sleep and unpack.....
Sunday Morning found us with full Bellies (thanks to the breakfast buffet that Sandals Provides). and Sun and an amazing pool. we found each other at a shady spot in the pool... RIGHT NEXT TO THE BAR (go figure). and had a marvelous time splashing around.
To be Honest, much of the vacation blurs in my mind... a swirl of amazing fruit, sun, water, friends, rum, and peace. Some of the Highlights?
Innertubing on the river was awesome! at one point i realized i had no actual THOUGHTS... just a sence of well being and a wet butt. The land around the river was so beautiful. we stopped at a half way point called 'Hidden Beauty" and i wish we'd have been able to spend a bit more time there...
Spending time with this group was fun, and i feel i got some good time with everyone there. I wasn't as cuddly with matt as i usually am, but the hot had a lot to do with that. i love that in the water he can carry me around. I won a bottle of rum in a karaoke contest (fortunately or unfortunately the prize was for QUANTITY not QUALITY - LOL). And the Playmaker Staff (in charge of games and events at the resort) knew all of us by name. I'd hear "Eelizabet! How Ya Doin' ?" they did an awesome job.
There was a pack (herd? pride? gaggle?) of wild kittens near our resort that we saw a couple of times. so very cute. we were all good and didn't pet the wild life. they had GIANT ears and tiny heads and bodies. CUTE. i loved all the little lizards.
Snorkling early in the week kind of sucked, as the ocean was still muddy from the hurricane. but when we went on Thursday, it had cleared up quite a bit, and was LOVELY. Matt and Damian went SCUBA diving on Thursday, and from all reports it was also way good.
The food at Sandals Ocho Rios was mixed. at times amazing, and at times mediocre. the rum was never gone, though, towards the end of the week i had to cut WAY back, as my blood sugars were starting to go higher. Oh, and i lost 3 lbs while we were there, and i'm not dehydrated. ;-) YAY SWIMMING!
my favorite moments were all in the water. the pool, the ocean, and the river all. I hesitate to tell too much of the other's stories... you'll have to check out their LJ's or just talk to them. But i had fun with everyone who came, and i hope we get a chance to vacation together in the future. i'm sure there are pictures around (Lauren has some nice one's posted somewhere)... I'll be putting mine up on facebook soon, i'm sure.