06/29/13

St. Lucia - Day 3

Steve saw that the tours included a Segway tour and said we just had to do one of those.

I was all about making sure he got to do something he enjoyed so I consented.

Remember, I was trying to LIVE now and not regret that I never did anything exciting and new.

And I will never regret that day... it was awesome.

Here we are getting our cute little bike helmets on for safety.

Our tour guide took pics of us all around this area... I have a ton of them.  It was funny how he kept telling us to move to different spots on the decking.

Here is our guide - Lloyd.  He was a HOOT.  We had the best time with him!

We had to learn how to ride the Segways first.  That took some balancing, but once you get the hang of it, it is so cool!  

We left the area of practicing and went up the side of the mountain.  Let's just say riding the Segway was much easier than walking up that area!

One of our first stops was to overlook Rodney Bay... just beautiful.  That is Pigeon Island straight ahead in the photo.  You'll hear more about that later.

This is Noni fruit.  

I was ecstatic to see it!

Why, you ask?

I am a teacher and I have talked about this with my students.  I am sure the other people who were in our tour thought I was nuts photographing this fruit like it was a movie star.  Our tour guide was also laughing that I got so "into" seeing this fruit in person.  If I remember correctly, you do not want to eat this fruit... it is only used for medicinal purposes.

The mountain had bunkers and other areas built by the army in 1941.  I didn't realize that St. Lucia played a part in WWII!  It was really neat seeing that part of their history as well.

We are some wild things on those Segways.....

"Look, Ma, NO hands!"

Another Army bunker area.... the date 7/5/41 was carved into the cement on the bottom right of the picture.  The closeup of that is right below.

I can't remember the actual name of this area, but it was breath-taking!  I could not get enough of it.

I was shocked to see cactus growing there, but apparently they grow in many different areas of North America.  (Learned that from Kev...)

Yet another view from that high point.

It was so neat for me (again, being a teacher who teaches this stuff!) to walk on hardened lava.  St. Lucia was created by a volcano.

We were able to enjoy some different local fruits on our "rest stop" on the tour.  (Like we really needed to rest with riding the Segways.. lol)

Here Lloyd is cutting up an orange that was actually yellow.  We also enjoyed fresh bananas, mangoes, and coconut water.  The coconut water was like water, but not... hard to describe the taste.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't something I would want all of the time.  The bananas were so sweet.  The mangoes were my favorite.

Yep... that's me eating a mango!  We were told there were between 60-100 varieties of mangoes that grow on St. Lucia alone.  When a mango falls off the tree and hits you on the head, you are supposed to keep it and eat it.  haha

!

Steve loved the Segways... he really wanted to take his home with him.

Lloyd was doing all kinds of crazy things on his Segway.  He had the BEST personality.  Steve actually caught this shot.... I was proud of him!

Here I am looking as touristy as possible...

Down at the beach at Rodney Bay.  We got to ride our Segways on the beach, but I did not find it as relaxing.  haah!

After our tour we came back and enjoyed our virgin pina coladas and lunch by the beach.

(I actually had a virgin strawberry daiquiris here but it wasn't my fave)

This is what I had for lunch pretty much every day.... hummus and pita bread.  It was yummy.

Then, we hung out by the pool and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading my books.

Our view from supper that night.... Kelly's Dockside.... nice name for a restaurant, huh?

More virgin pina coladas... Hey, if you can get them for "free", enjoy as many as you can, right?!

I had the Mahi-Mahi and it was SO good.

Steve had the steak.. said it was the best he had ever had.

Me and Sweet Man after we ate.

Our dessert that night... Oh. Goodness.

Now you see it.....

Now you don't!

Happy to be with Sweet Man.  :)

06/25/13

Drumroll please....

I will now begin the blogs on our 20th anniversary trip.  Can't say how many there will be... just stay tuned!  ha!

When we arrived on the island, we didn't realize what adventure awaited us just to get to our resort.  Even though the island is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, it took us about an hour and a half to get to our resort.

Why?

It is mountainous... VERY mountainous. 

I usually do not get car sick, but this time I did.

They drive on the "wrong" side of the road.

They do not have the same traffic laws/expectations as we do in the US.  There were a few times we thought we were going to have a wreck.   The driver, however, seemed as calm as a cucumber as he was all over that road.  Let's just say I was glad when we finally arrived at the resort.

Here is Dennery, St. Lucia.... our first view, and a nice break from the horrendous drive to the resort.

 That first day afternoon after arriving we just tried to get adjusted from the traveling and with the resort.  It began to rain buckets... apparently we arrived the same time a "tropical wave" arrived.  These are rainstorms like a tropical depression but definitely not as large.  We tried to take a nap, but were so tired we couldn't rest. 

That night, we went to a dinner they hosted for all of the newcomers.  Everyone was walking around with "Sandals" (the resort name) umbrellas.  We thought we had to buy one.... found out they were supposed to be in our rooms.... but we didn't have one.  We made our first memory that night by having to run back to our room in the pouring rain.  We would dodge in and out of the building stairwells when the rain would speed up or slow down.  Comical.  Truly.

The next day we took a tour of the resort to know where everything was.  We made reservations that night for their Japanese restaurant and then just laid by the pool trying to soak up the Caribbean.  :)

Here we are before we went out to eat at the Japanese restaurant.

Our chef's name was Simeon and he was great.  He wanted everyone to take a picture of his flame.  haha

 One of his fellow chefs came over with the fire extinguisher trying to be funny.

 We met two couples at that table that were going to be getting married that week.  We kept in touch with them all week... more on them later.  :)

We also met one of our favorite servers for the week that night - Robert.  His picture will come later, too. 

After eating we had our picture taken.... like how we kind of matched?

Dessert

These pictures were actually taken later in the week but you can see our room.  :)

It was so funny that they had doorbells for the rooms!

I realize it may be weird to photograph the bathroom, but it was a nice one!  

 

The shower had a huge shower head.  Usually when you go to a hotel you don't get as good of water pressure.  This shower was not like that at all.  Steve wanted to take it home with us.  haha!

This was a picture of the pathway we walked every day getting to and from our room.  It was just so pleasant.  More pics of the grounds to come.

Well, that was our first full day in St. Lucia.  I realize it wasn't as exciting but I enjoyed the relaxation because of just getting off of school and then traveling.  

Just wait until my next post on Wednesday's adventures.... lol

06/22/13

I honestly did not mean to have a week between these posts!  I have been crazy around here doing summer fun things with friends and the kiddos.  :)

SO... let's get back to those past 20 years of "me and Steve" shall we?


I can't believe how young we were.  I looked like a baby.

I don't believe I have ever told this story on my blog before.  I have told several people in person and it usually gets people giggling.... even laughing hysterically.

It is our honeymoon story.

Now, before you think I am going to go TMI on you... DON'T.

Just sit back, read, and laugh, er, uh... ENJOY.

When Steve and I were planning on what to do for our honeymoon, I knew it was no need in us going anywhere far away from home because I knew I would be having issues with that.

People used to say I couldn't get too far from the silos at the farm....

Anyway, we decided to just go to the beach.  Emerald Isle, NC to be exact.

My aunt had a condo there so we asked her if it was OK for us to use it.  She was fine with that.

We were fine with it, too, because we had no money.

I was extremely money conscious then.   

(Not that I am not today...but then I was... well.. ) 

I even borrowed my wedding dress.  (Regret #1 that I never even tried on dresses!!!)




Fast forward... we are hitched and heading to the beach.  We were going to stay there from our Saturday night till the following Sunday/week.


It took us 4 1/2 hours to get to the beach, which normally just takes 3 hours, because Sweet Man thought he knew a better way.  (He just didn't realize then that he was living with Rand McNally.)

After finally making it to the beach, and already being exhausted from the wedding/driving for a thousand hours... it was time to unpack the car.

We also brought a cooler with food in it that had to be hauled up to the condo... to cook... on our honeymoon.

Tight wad would be more descriptive of me.

Our time there had many comical moments on top of what I have shared already.

However, remember how I was really cost conscious??

We never went anywhere. 

Not even putt-putt.

Not even FORT MACON.

And only went out to eat ONE night during our stay.

We just stayed by the pool or beach.  When it rained one day we stayed in and watched TV.

We lived the exciting newlywed/honeymoon life.

On Wednesday, Sweet Man decided he would be fine without any sunscreen while sitting by the pool.  After all, it was May and the sun couldn't be THAT bad.

He fell asleep on his stomach.

He fried.... looked like a lobster, actually.

He was in pain.

He hardly slept the entire night he was in so much pain.

Thursday morning, he says to me:  "You are homesick and I am fried... let's just go home!"

Yes, I was homesick... the only time I had been away from home for a long period like this was my Senior trip in high school and I was miserable then, too.

WHY was I homesick you might ask?  After all, I was with the love of my life.  I had just gotten married.

I don't know WHAT was wrong with me, people.  I honestly do not know.

This was before cell phones, you know, so imagine the surprise of my Mom when we show up at the door on THURSDAY afternoon....from our HONEYMOON.... not the week later SUNDAY afternoon.

We stayed with them until Sunday because we didn't want anyone to know we came home early from our honeymoon.

WOULD YOU WANT ANYONE TO KNOW THAT?  Seriously!

When we left that weekend to go to our house... a couple of miles away.... my Mom and I cried and held on to each other as if we would never see each other again.  You would have thought I was moving across the country.

Poor Steve... he didn't quite know what to do with me those first few weeks.

Shoot... I wasn't quite sure what to do with ME those first few weeks.

It surely does make for an interesting story, but THIS is why we celebrated 20 years in the way we did this year.  When we took our trip to St. Lucia we had the honeymoon we never had.

More on that to come soon...

Are you still laughing?

Yeah, I thought so.

06/15/13

Where, oh where have I been?
I've not been looking at birds..... although, these pics are quite nice. 

I have been getting out of school.

I have been celebrating 20 years with Sweet Man.

I have been having a trip to celebrate those 20 years with Sweet Man.  (More on that soon...)


Here we are 20 years ago on our wedding day, May 29, 1993.

Boy, were we young.

Here we are today.... much has changed.

I say much has changed, because it has...

I don't weigh 115 pounds anymore.  OY.

Steve doesn't have brown hair anymore.  (I don't really, either, but that is our little secret.)

There are many other things that have changed, too....

On our anniversary we went out to eat.  As we ate we discussed ways we had changed over the past 20 years of marriage.

We both decided we are not the same two people who got married on that day in May, 1993.  

The thing that matters most is that in that changing we changed TOGETHER and not separately in the fact that we drifted apart. 

I wrote this poem a year before we got married and gave it to Sweet Man.  It hangs in our room to this day.  Little did I realize when I wrote it in 1992 how true it would be to our marriage.  This sums up our last 20 years... and I am confident it will be a continuation in the coming years. 

Precious Gift

Love is a precious gift from God

That cannot be bought or sold.

Love is something that stands strong

Even when storms of life beat on.

Love takes pain and grows with it;

Does not quit when time seems long.

Love is there when hurt is felt,

And stands by to heal the pain.

Love shares laughter, as well as tears;

And loving arms to hold you still.

Love is patient and very kind

Although it may be tried.

Love makes each day a bit brighter;

And grows stronger as they pass on.

Love is sometimes hard to express,

But is felt strong in the heart.

Love can last the test of time ~

For love is you.