Our Caribbean Christmas

Let me start by saying I do enjoy Christmas. But maybe I’m not like everyone else (understatement) when it comes to holidays. What I enjoy about Christmas is the meaning, the gathering of family, and the always wonderful food. What I don’t like about Christmas is the superficial gift giving tradition. People get all stressed out trying to find the perfect gift for others. Parents spend money that they don’t have on the latest electronics and fads. Most of the time people give gifts that others don’t need or want. This year I decided to give my children some uninterrupted quality time and memories for Christmas. I do believe this is our new Christmas tradition.

We had our family gathering the week before Christmas (Never a dull moment there!) The day before Christmas Eve the kids and I boarded a plane and flew to Orlando, Florida. From there we spent the day in Coco Beach (that was an adventure for another blog). The following morning we headed to Port Canaveral and boarded a cruise for the Caribbean. We had no plans, no itinerary, and for the next eight days – we had no worries. I had one rule and one rule only. We had to have dinner together each night. (I still have not gotten over my fear of eating alone in a restaurant.)

Within an hour of boarding the ship the kids had found their friends (from the last cruise) and made new friends. They spent the time on the boat relaxing, dominating the basketball court, dancing the nights away (usually until 5am) and they never stood me up for dinner. I spent time on the boat reading, talking to strangers, meeting amazing people, and most of all relaxing. There was no stress. There was no talk of health issues, no work related issues to deal with, no cell phone service, no expectations and no one needed me for anything. I can’t explain how peaceful that time was.  We left the rest of the world behind (well almost, but lesson learned!). I feel like I should add here that we had an incredibly hott waiter from Russia. 

 We visited Costa Maya, Belize, Honduras and Cozumel. We had no pre-planned excursions or itinerary. We just got off of the boat and wandered. We visited with locals, tried the amazing food, enjoyed the beaches and the water sports, and laughed and smiled more than I can explain. The weather was absolutely perfect. I honestly forgot that it was winter. We shopped.  We enjoyed lots of very tropical fruit and healthy food. (Bub HATES coconut water.) We walked a lot and then walked some more. We fell in love with the atmosphere (and the accents) all over again. We participated in a rain dance ritual and I kid you not that the weather changed right in the middle of it. We met people from all over the world and look forward to seeing lots of them again soon. I still have no doubt that Honduras is the place for me and have become obsessed with finding a house there.

“Michelle – what are you thinking?? The economy is the worst ever, you are facing serious health challenges, you are awaiting the announcement of a multi – million dollar contract, job security is not what it was last year. Are you going to just leave the country? This is so irresponsible to you. Your decision making is flawed.” Yep, I heard it all. Guess what? This was by far one of my favorite decisions ever made. The quality time that I spent with my children was priceless. The health benefits of disconnecting and relaxing cannot be measured. The trip wasn’t even as expensive as just buying superficial gifts would have been.

Making memories with the people I love is one of my top priorities. There’s no price tag that can be put on that. Everyone outgrows and gets bored with gifts. We waste money on things that we can’t even remember that we bought or own.  Making memories is never a mistake. Memories last beyond our lifetimes. You can bet that next year we will be skipping Christmas again to travel to another country. And you can also bet that I will be looking forward to sharing that experience with all of you. I’m off to start preparing for our non-traditional Easter and Spring Break. Stay tuned…..this one is going to be quite the adventure!!

As always – if anyone has any questions about any of the places we go, please do not hesitate to ask. I’m always happy to share any information and suggestions I have. If you ask me for advice I will just say….Don’t make any time restricted plans – don't let anyone stop you - don't make excuses - just go make memories!!

XOXO -Michelle

...I love Jamaica...

Picture this…. White sand, reggae, rum, a Caribbean breeze, and sunshine… laying on a hammock underneath a palm tree surrounded by tropical flowers and fruit trees…the sound of the waves crashing nearby…the laid back rhythms of Bob Marley…a breeze blowing just enough to carry the amazing aroma of jerk chicken cooking on the nearby outdoor grill…

 

I love Jamaica and am always ready to return. The laid back vibe of the island is contagious. There is absolutely no reason to be in a hurry. (There might even be a law against being in a hurry – unless you are a taxi/bus driver.) After a few days in Jamaica something happens –it changes you. Your pre-Jamaica life becomes a blur. You’ve slowed down and relaxed. You wear less clothes, forget your insecurities, show off a great tan, smile more than ever, walk slower and catch yourself saying “yeah mon”. You are officially in Island Mode – and life will never be the same.

 

Here’s  some of my random thoughts/notes about Jamaica.....

 

-          The airport is chaos. Getting through customs/immigration is never easy. Always use Club Mobay – you will thank me later!!

 

-          You will be repeatedly asked if you “need anything”. It’s Jamaica – I think the definition of “anything” is quite obvious.

-          You have to try Jerk Chicken from a roadside outdoor grill. One of the locals told me that it was introduced to the island by escaped slaves that settled there in the 1600’s. After you have authentic jerk chicken – you will not settle for anything less.

-          The food is amazing! It is local, fresh, light and healthy. Your body will be happy with you.

 

-          The taxi/bus drivers are insane. The drive the winding roads with no rules, Bob Marley blaring on the radio, windows down and they will run over anyone that is in their way. (Our bus driver ran completely over a man on a bike and everyone acted as if this was an everyday occurrence.)

 

-          The locals at restaurants and bars will get you to dance with them. Don’t fight it – just do it.

 

-          Always assume your drink contains rum. Make sure to try the Purple Rain, Dirty Banana and the Bob Marley shot.

 

-          Take time to talk to everyone you come across. They love to talk to strangers and have some amazing stories to tell. (It’s a bonus that the accents are so captivating!)

-          Have dinner on the beach! You will not regret that experience.

 

-          I’m not a coffee or beer drinker, but I’ve been told that you have to try the Blue Mountain Coffee and Red Stripe Beer. (This was for picture purposes only...I did not drink the beer!)

 

-          In Montego Bay the people that do not have running water or plumbing go to the public beach across from The Carlyle each morning at 7:00am to take baths. On the weekdays the school bus picks them up at that beach.

-          Everyone can sing!!!

 

 

There is still so much I have to do and see in Jamaica. I’m looking forward to returning to some places and going back to visit some of the amazing people I’ve met. Despite the many things they lack in Jamaica – there is so much we can learn from them – just slow down, don’t take life too seriously, let go of stress…live simple, sing, dance… and just be happy.

 

 

 

Funeral, Snow, Static Electricity, Magic, Me Too, Pinky Promise, Fingernails, Who Dat and SWAT team....

My Monday has finally calmed down. I've spent some quiet time reflecting on my recent trip to Pennsylvania and Maryland. The trip was primarily to attend the funeral of my cousin Curtis. It turned out to be so much more.

Curtis. His life was cut short by a tragic traffic accident. I was prepared to be full of anger and sadness. I was sad. I feel like it was untimely and unfair. I was not prepared for the feeling of peace that I felt when I talked to his friends, family, co-workers, his preacher, his motorcycle family and his many lady friends. He really defined living life to the fullest. He worked hard and played even harder. He surrounded himself with people who loved, respected, admired, and adored him. He always said "It is what it is and it will be what it will be."  He made a difference in the lives of everyone he met and he will live on through the memories he left behind.

 

 

Martha and Daryl: I met new (extended) family. It's one of those times where you feel the connection before you are even introduced. Martha and I showed up dressed EXACTLY alike...Including having the exact same color fingernail polish. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. Daryl and I have personalities so similar it's hard to believe we didn't know each other before last week. I will not tease him about my football team beating his football team last night because it is their anniversary and I don't want him to go to bed mad. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and visiting under better circumstances and weather conditions.

 

 

Cousins. I traveled to Maryland to visit my cousin Eric, his gorgeous wife Karen, and their amazing son Luke.  Karen and I are twin souls. We had more "me too" moments in a few hours than I've ever had in my life. I've always been super proud of Eric for selflessly serving our country for 25 plus years, but I am convinced he has missed his calling. He works true MAGIC in the kitchen and his mixed drinks are amazing.

 

Luke. I don't have enough time to tell you about this little ladies man. Earlier that day... I told Eric that Karen living up north with him should be all the proof he could ever need of how much she loves him. (Karen is from Hawaii and as allergic to cold weather as I am.) I stated that I couldn't imagine anyone convincing me to return to that painful weather. I stand corrected. Luke wrapped me around his little finger and made me pinky promise to come back soon. I've never, EVER broken a pinky promise. He even promised to teach me how to build a snowman. He kept a little piece of my heart with him. I miss them already.



 



My dad. Any of you who know him will understand that traveling with him will always be an adventure, a challenge, a battle, and 9 out of 10 times you will get to meet the local law enforcement. This trip was no different. I'll save the story about the SWAT team at Chicken on a Roof for another time. My heart is still beating too fast. Every one of Curtis' friends said "Oh you are Uncle Nolan from Louisiana. We've heard so much about you. Curtis really looked up to you." They were a lot like brothers. He also got to spend time with his brother in law-Harry (Eric's dad). THAT is double trouble!!! I completely enjoyed this road trip with him. He is still bragging that he was TSA Pre-checked and I was only Delta Priority. Pretty clear to see where I get "being a brat" from. I'm blessed to be able to experience these adventures with him and I hope I tell him enough how lucky I am that he is my dad.

 



Snow. To everyone who told me "it's a different kind of cold"...I will NEVER believe another word you say. Cold is cold. I've honestly never been so cold in my life. I'm NOT being a sissy. It was a winter storm. It even had it's own name. Cato. After the initial shock, I realized it's the cold WIND that was the most painful. I was amazed at how many layers of clothes I could really wear at one time. Snow is beautiful. I played in it, however, I could not come close to mastering the art of making a snowman. I'm pretty sure my nose was running most of the time, but I was so cold I had no idea. The air felt so clean and fresh. I was pretty excited thinking I might have a few days without the humidity frizzy hair. Well...I ended up with the static electricity hair. It's just a hopeless hair world that I live in.

I returned home with a refreshing feeling of inner peace. I'm sad that I didn't get to spend more time with Curtis as adults. I vow to make the time to visit my family. I was reminded of the importance of  living each moment to the fullest, enjoying life, and not waiting for tomorrow. People often ask
"where has the time gone?". GONE and we don't get to get it back. I don't plan to waste another moment waiting for a tomorrow that may never come.
Thanks for reading....
Michelle