No problem, Mon!

oh, jamaica...you did me right!! for real, this was one of the best and most needed adult vacations!! to say that we had a great time would be an understatement!! first, i need to thank my mom for making this possible! she not only financially made it possible, but she babysat kayla and carter so that jonathan and whit could come along (my bro and sis-in-law). THANKS, MOM!!!! second, a big shout out to kira, our travel agent!! she was super helpful and answered all my silly questions at the most random times! :) she got us an awesome upgrade on our room at no extra charge! if you looking to plan a trip email her!!! Kira@MyParadisePlanner.com :)

ok, so our trip started last thursday early morning am! peter and i flew out of dayton, oh to baltimore where we met up with paco (aka jonathan) and whit. we all then went on to montego bay together. we landed just before 11 am (jamaica time, they are an hour behind...kinda weird). we got through customs with no problems, got the luggage, exchanged some money (we felt pretty rich...$1US = $74JAM) and headed to our bus for transport to the resort. we all thought we were being punk'd after getting on the bus...we were told the ride would be an hour and a half long...what??? i was expecting to be sitting by the pool sippin a pina colada by 1!! not a joke. for real, this was the only bummer of the whole trip. and in the end it really wasnt that big of a deal...in fact on the bus ride back on monday we watched the classic jamaican movie, "cool runnings". ok, when we did get to the resort, checked in and got a little settled and then headed down to the pool and beach area. that was it...i was in heaven! two amazing pools (both with swim up bars), all the food you could want (including a made to order pizza place) and amazing beachfront with a breeze looking into the crystal clear turquoise waters! we honestly did not do anything special outside of snorkeling the entire time we were there, which was perfect!! we all got plenty of sun, ate plenty of food, and had a fantastic time! by the end of the trip, we were all planning our next get away! even paco, who is very hard to please, was ready to book for next year!!! the jewel (an all inclusive adult only resort) was awesome!! it was sooooooooooo clean, not overcrowded (partly because it is a smaller resort), the most friendly staff, etc. i literally could go on and on. please...check it out! i just told my dad, i have always liked cruises because everything is right there and easy...well i will never go on another cruise if i can go to the jewel. it was all the perks of a cruise, plus more and much bigger rooms and no sea sickness!! my favorite was being able to get up early and sit either on my balcony overlooking the ocean or go down to the beach for my time with God...so beautiful! i also spent saturday morning on the beach, thinking about Charlotte, looking at her pics, and knowing that her view must be a thousand times better than what i was seeing right then! so, after 5 amazing days of alone time with peter (so thankful for that!!) and lots of laughs between the four of us (plus 106 photos!!!) it was time to go. i could have definitely stayed a few more days, but we all left in great moods! paco and whit were ready to see the kids and puppy and peter and i were ready to start our adventure in texas. we all got back without any travel glitches (not so lucky for some guy who got kicked off his USAirways flight...we saw him ranting while waiting for our flight...sounded like he was not cooperating with the inflight staff before take off, so they hauled him back to the gate and kicked him off. good for them!!!) after getting in late monday night to dayton, peter and i flew out of columbus on tuesday to head to texas. big thanks to my friend, morgan, for being an airport shuttle and providing a place to stay...you are awesome!!! 

all in all, absolutely NO COMPLAINTS about our time and experiences in jamaica! we went during "hurricane season" but did not have a single drop of rain!!! we saw a sweet lightening storm, never anything else! this was a trip that all four of us needed!! wish i was there today, doing my devotions on the beach rather than inhaling the scent of smoke from the texas fires i had this morning...please be praying for that!!

here are a few pics...i will post most of the rest on facebook later today...plus pics from my last dinner with friends in ohio. no comments either about how many times i have worn the navy dress this summer either...its comfy!! :)

me and paco the first day!

me and whit on our way to dinner on the pier

getting ready to go snorkeling!

surprise dessert brought to our room one afternoon...so good!

last full day by the beach

whit and paco (so burnt) enjoying the pool

last night at dinner

one last pic on the beach before going to the airport.

blessings, ALo

ps. i will have you know, i am the only one that did not get SCORCHED in the sun. sadly, the rest of the group did not come with a base tan...and the salt water while snorkeling did them in. i know you ware probably looking at the pics saying, "she is totally burnt, look at her!" no, that is me tan, i promise...well, red, but never painful...indian tan??!!?? :)