The Handholders Guide to Jamaica

While I admit that I've been quite lazy about posting here in the past couple of months, I will excuse myself for my absence from 1/17-1/24. The reason? I was in Jamaica! So, without further ado, here's more about my Jamaican vacation...


Jersey and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after about about 16 hours of travel (including two flights, a layover, customs, and a shuttle ride). Just a note to some of our fellow travelers: we understand that this process can be a pain, but please pull the stick out of your ass, chill the fuck out, and realize that some of your bad vacation karma may be due to your shitty attitude. We were appalled at how rude some people could be in such beautiful and friendly place.


Quick note: These pics were all taken on the one cloudy day. Most days were actually beautiful and sunny, we just forgot to take pics those days.

Our room was part of "the Quad", which surrounded the clothing optional pool. The room featured a mirror on the ceiling, a jetted tub, and windows that opened to the common area. Here is the room:

And the view from our window:


This pool is where we sunbathed almost every day after our nice buffet breakfast (made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, crispy bacon, smoothies...). Again, it was clothing optional, so I was totally okay with wearing absolutely nothing. We did spend one day at the resort's nude pool, just to say we did it, but this pool was more convenient and quiet. We read (I got through 3 1/2 books!) and drank lots of rum from the swim-up bar. Wonderful.

Lunch was usually spent at the buffet, where they had daily activities or contests for guests. Jersey loved the sandwiches at the buffet, though I really liked the jerk chicken and pork at the Jamaican restaurant. Plus, the Jamaican restaurant had this view:In the afternoon, I usually took a nap...sun, food, and rum make me tired! We also went kayaking (and forgot the camera that day), walked along this boardwalk:


Rested in this hammock:


Read while on this beach:


Went down this waterslide (it even goes through the disco):

Shot pool in the pool:


And got a massage in this bungalow(ish) area:


At night, we had dinner at the buffet, the Italian restaurant (which was a little disappointing), or the Japanese restaurant. Each night was a different theme, so lots of people dressed up (pirate, retro, toga, etc.), but the only night for which we dressed up was lingerie night. We hit both the piano bar and disco that night, but we're not used to staying up late, so we didn't party for very long. The other nights were spent quietly in our room, holding each other tight.

Oh, the "handholders" part of this post title comes from a woman who saw us on our way to dinner one evening. Jersey and I were holding hands and we passed a small group gathered near the pool. This woman noticed and said "it's about time two women held hands around this place" and everyone nodded in agreement. From that point on, we were called "the handholders" by that group of friends and we thought it was cute.

So, those are the Jamaican vacation highlights. It was wonderful to relax (no phone! no computer!) for a week and we look forward to doing it again in a few years. Given the wedding planning, we know it will take a while to do something as big as this again (even our honeymoon will be relatively simple), but it was incredibly special.


Anyone else have big vacation plans for the near future?

Pop Quiz, Hot Shot

So, I've pretty much sucked at blogging lately, and I really do want to get into some sort of posting rhythm. Nothing terribly forced, but at least something more regular. I was on vacation all of last week (so I'm excused from that portion of my absence), and I will definitely be posting all about that this weekend. In the meantime, Mrs. Chili has sent me some thought-provoking interview questions, so I will consider her my kick in the ass. Yay!

1. You've found the love of your life, but you didn't get there by a direct route (though, to be fair, how many of us do?) How did you know Jersey was the One?

Most simply stated, my relationship with Jersey is completely unlike the failed relationships of my past and that contrast made it terribly evident that this is what love is supposed to be. It's natural, pure, and unconditional. Also, everyone around us seemed to know we were in love before we knew...and that makes me realize that I wasn't clouded with over-analysis along the way. I truly like her as much as I love her, and I treasure our friendship as much as our physical relationship.

2. Look back on your childhood. What about the person you are as an adult would surprise that little girl? How are you different than you imagined you'd be?

Well, this is going to sound rather egotistical, but I never thought I would be considered attractive (by myself or anyone else) and I have become very comfortable with my body and femininity. Growing up, I was "the smart one" and "little miss perfect". I was responsible and mature and all that good stuff. Now, as much as I value being a good person on the inside, I admit that I like feeling good about my appearance. Appreciative looks (not stares) are, well, appreciated. I'm still smart and kind and funny, but I can be pretty, too. There's nothing inherently wrong about that.






I'm on the left. The little nerd with the cute sister.

Still on the left. Still have a cute sister.









3. You've got a weekend COMPLETELY off - no commitments, no obligations, no appointments. What are you going to do with yourself for two whole days?

I suppose that this depends slightly on how far we take the fantasy...do I also have extra spending money? If so, I'm probably headed for Southern California for the weekend or up to the Bay Area to visit my sister. If it's just a normal weekend with my existing bank account, I'm going to sleep in, play some old-school Nintendo, watch a movie or some tv show on dvd, read, take a bubble bath, and go out for dinner (which will involve cocktails or wine), and cuddle with Jersey. In all fairness, most of my weekends are close to this. I usually do a little bit of work from home on the weekend, but other than that I'm free to relax a decent amount. Until I have children, I figure I might as well be somewhat selfish with my down time.

4. What's your superpower, your hidden talent, your gift to the world?

This was hard for me to answer. I really don't know and I'd have to poll my friends and family for help. For now, I'll say that I'm really good at remembering numbers...phone numbers, birthdays, etc. I got it from my dad and it's a little freaky at times that I can recite info about kindergarten classmates that I haven't seen in over 15 years. Jersey is excited about this talent because she has a HUGE Irish Catholic family and has trouble remembering who half of them are, let alone dates and other details.

5. What's your guilty pleasure (or, alternately, what do you love that you're not terribly out loud about? What do you dig that's really NOT mainstream or cool)?

This was difficult for a different reason...I came up with a few answers and had to pick one. I've decided that one guilty pleasure can stay private, one isn't that bad and I'll reveal it when it occurs in a few weeks, and I'll discuss the third now. I am a big fan of musicals and have great difficulty sitting still while watching any of them on dvd (I'm not an ass who will disrupt theaters or anything live). Basically, if I put in a dvd of any musical, I will be up and performing songs. I may stand on furniture and sing into a hairbrush, spatula, or candle. I may even dance, depending on the musical. It's silly and I'd probably be horrified if anyone outside my family saw it, but I have this star inside me just dying to get out. My favorites include The Sound of Music (I'm madly in love with Christopher Plummer) and Rent.