So eleven years ago on November 10th, Zack got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! To celebrate the commitment started on that day along with 10 years (and a few months) of marriage, we hopped on a plane and went for a week to Jamaica! This is the first time I had been away from Zander more than two nights and away from Maddox more than one night! It was crazy to think about being in a different country from our children. They were in the best hands! Grammy stayed at our house for the week and took care of all three of our boys (our four-legged one included). Grandpa would help her entertain the kids in the evenings (and at the science center) while also taking all the boys' clothes home with him to be washed. So we came back last night to all of our boys' clothes clean and put away and some happy boys to have spent the week with two of our favorite people!
Having only flown a handful of times and not even having renewed my passport since our wedding, I was rather nervous to start this adventure. I am pleased to report that Zack and I navigated customs, transfers to the hotel, etc. with ease. The only hiccup on our whole trip was that our baggage (which made it to the resort) was placed in someone else's room. (They had changed our room assignment at the last minute but didn't let the man who took our bags know this information). I might have freaked out thinking I would be wearing a pair of pants all week but fortunately Lawrence came through and we had our clothes by dinner time!
Zack has come back with some new terms in his vocabulary. He said "ya mon" and "respect" to everyone we encountered while in Jamaica. I have to admit the personalities of the Jamaicians and their seemingly laid back lifestyle was just what we needed for our first big adventure since our honeymoon. It was easy to relax with such friendly people, a beautiful environment and delicious food! It was definitely a trip I will never forget!
Our first day we explored the resort and enjoyed the food and beverage options. It is crazy they drive on the "opposite" side of the road! I wore a romper that my co-worker gave me... it was so comfy that I might be converted to the romper lifestyle.... but how does one go the bathroom easily without being totally exposed? ;) The pictures below are the views from our balcony.
We relaxed in the shade a lot (Zack is not a fan of the sun). I did fit in a little time for tanning. It felt so great to have the 80 degree weather when we left temperatures that were averaging in the 40s.
Some of our dinners out included a sushi restaurant (Soy), a Japanese restaurant (Kimono), a French restaurant (Le Gourmand), dinner on the dock (Kelly's Dockside) and seafood on the terrace!
We even saw a mongoose!
One day we went kayaking, sailing (with our new friend, Kenroy), and snorkeling. I took a motion sickness pill to avoid rough waters. I started to feel the effects of all the motion by snorkeling. Fortunately, I made it back to land before things got awkward! haha
One of our big adventures was going on a Dune Buggy through the Jamaican terrain. We got very dirty and had a blast!
See how Zack and I compromise below.... he sits in the shade and I sit in the sun. :)
We bought some of the professional pictures! I just love the one of us looking out over the water!
We took our last picture in Jamaica before heading to the airport to be reunited with our boys! It was such a fun adventure for the two of us. We are already starting to plan where we will go next! A few vacations we discussed include the boys but maybe we will fit another one in at the 20 year mark for just the two of us. ;)
As you can see... the boys were in good hands! They got to celebrate Emerson's actual birthday which was on the day we left. Zander also celebrated the 50th day of school by dressing from the 50's. Both boys got hair gel for the occasion. ;)
