Filed under: AOL, Balance, Donations, Family, Life, Love, Parents, Summer, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tags: Family, Love, Parents
Have you ever hated something so much that it hurts? The pain unbearable and nothing, absolutely nothing makes it go away? Have you ever felt like you just want to rip your heart out and bury it deep beneath the earth, just so that you don’t feel the ache in it anymore? Have you ever felt so lost because the one person in your life who loved you NO MATTER WHAT, was no longer physically there to hear you when you called? No longer there to hug you when you needed a huge bear hug?? That is what October 19 does to me. (more…)
The new changes in my life require a bit more discipline on my part, particularly getting to bed at a decent hour. If the blog name doesn’t tell you, I have frequent bouts of insomnia and have been a night owl since I was a kid. Some of you readers really know, as I have chatted with you until the wee hours at times. Sometimes greeting the next day with as little as 3 hours sleep and feeling it. (more…)
Filed under: Beach, Family, Jamaica, Kids, Life, Montego Bay, Photos, Summer, Travel, Vacation
I have been procrastinating writing this, as it’s like ending the vacation all over again.
Thursday morning started off with the breakfast buffet and coffee. My son had left his flip flops somewhere on the resort the day before, so we decided to walk across the road to the strip mall. Some souveniers and flip flops were the goal. The strip mall must have had at least 20 stores, all with someone outside encouraging you to come and look. “Free to look” they will say. If you are polite but say you are not interested, your wishes are respected and you are on your way.
We found some flip flops for the boy and a few other touristy things. Next to get a cold drink from the convenience store. As luck would have it, we found Jamaican Patties there, something we really wanted to try. Beef for the hubby and oldest, curry chicken for myself and the other two kids. Turned out to be such a treat, as they are really good. Not to mention, Patties are very inexpensive, so it makes them even better. (more…)
Filed under: Family, Jamaica, Life, Montego Bay, Negril, Photos, Summer, Travel, Vacation
(Again, if you press play on the right of the screen, your mood will be set!)
Monday June 16, 2007 started off with the hubby, my youngest and I heading to the buffet for breakfast and coffee. The older two kids slept in a bit later and joined us after a bit. The five of us had scheduled a glass bottom boat tour for mid-morning and we were excited about what we might be seeing. This tour was offered by our hotel for a cost, but since we are Holiday Inn Priority Club Members we were given a 50% discount. That turned out to be a great deal, only $32 for a family of five! (more…)
Filed under: Beauty, Family, Jamaica, Life, Montego Bay, Negril, Photos, Summer, Travel, Vacation
I ended up having to do this post in sections. Here is part 1, the first 3 days of our Jamaican vacation. I hope you enjoy. Hint: Press play on the songspot on the right to set the mood! 
Friday, July 13th started off early (alarm went off at 5:00 AM) and the five of us leaving for Dulles International Airport at 5:30 AM. Thank God that my mom doesn’t hit the snooze button, because I would have and we would have overslept. We got to the airport, into line at the ticket counter and by 7:00 AM, our bags were checked, boarding passes were issued and we were through security on our way to the gate. Subway was the only open choice near our gate, so we had subs for breakfast while waiting for the plane to board. Once we boarded the plane, we were put on hold on the runway. The Charlotte, NC airport was apparently very busy, so we were held before take-off for about 25 minutes. Not too bad as far as airports can go nowadays. This just cut the 45 minutes we had to change planes in NC to 20, but we could still pull it off, hopefully.
We got to Charlotte airport, with exactly 20 minutes to catch our next flight. We hustled through the airport and got to our gate as it was finishing boarding. Just in time and hoping all the luggage got transferred, too. Guess who didn’t get to stop and grab lunch? Guess who had 3 hungry children on the next flight? At this point, I realize that this is going to be a long day and reminded myself that we were not flying direct because I hate BWI airport. It will be OK as soon as we get there.
We arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica a little before 2:00 PM and were ushered straight to immigration. With the exception that this portion of Mo-Bay Airport does not currently have AC, Immigration was smooth sailing there and we were off to claim our luggage. We finally locate the correct conveyor belt and a nice gentleman retrieves our bags for us. This portion of the airport the AC is working and feels quite nice. The hubby tips the gentleman who helped retrieve our bags and he ushers us over to a short line at the customs desks. Customs asks a few basic questions and once again we were off on our way. There were absolutely no issues or delays. We were then directed to a desk for Liberty Travel where we could validate our resort transportation vouchers and retrieve the paperwork for our resort. They direct us outside to a waiting bus and load our bags and we take off to the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort. (more…)
Well here it is, a video clip of our climb up over 600 feet of water falls on Dunns River in Runaway Bay (Ocho Rios) Jamaica. We went on July 17, 2007, and had 2 of the best guides, D. Shaw and M. Boyce. Boyce carried my bag (silly me for bringing it) and kept it dry. Both Shaw and Boyce made sure my baby girl was in the front of the chain gang, constantly stating “Get me baby” and making sure she was safe the entire trip. (more…)
We are getting so close to leaving on our trip to Jamaica. Less than a month to go and the excitement is enough to make you burst! We are staying at the Holiday Inn Sun Spree all-inclusive resort, not top of the line, but not bottom either. They have great programs for the kids and anything that we could possibly want all day long. There are four restaurants, three pools, numerous bars, a fitness room, private beach, local shopping, and much more. I am sure the post upon our return will be full of stories and relaxation. (more…)
