Jamaica; Yah Mon!

In these last 9 months, my husband has been traveling the world like a mad man and at times I have been privileged to tag a long with him. Basically it's a way for us to see each other and spend more time together. I calculated today that within this 9 month span, he's probably been home a total of 3 months. His current post will be over by October 2012, so in the meantime, if traveling with him from time to time is what we have to do in order to maintain a healthy marriage then that's what we'll continue to do.

About a month ago, we had heard of a potential trip to Jamaica in June. We decided that it was a no brainer, and I would definitely be accompanying Billy if the trip became a realty. As soon as Billy received his itinerary, we went on-line and booked my flight to Montego Bay (MoBay). I left a couples days after Billy. It was the quickest overseas flight ever; 5 hrs total from Reagan National Airport.

Unlike Italy, Billy this time was able to meet me at the airport. It was sweet to see a familiar face waiting for me once I landed. We then preceded to the Palmyra Resort & Spa Hotel, a secluded resort located 15 miles outside of MoBay. I now know for a fact it's one of the nicest hotels I've ever been in my life. Our hotel room was a 1 bedroom apt with a fully equipped stainless steel kitchen, Bosch appliances, marble floors through out, a king size bed with down pillows and cover, with silky white sheets. It definitely put my 1 bedroom apt in Arlington into shame. There was a walk-in shower in the middle of the bedroom with a 360 view, and a bath tub, if you chose to take a bath instead. And to top it all off, the balcony viewed the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. I now believe there is heaven on earth, and it's called Jamaica.

The next 7 days were fabulous. I arrived on a Friday, and on Saturday Billy and I, and his co-workers were ordered by Ambassador Bridgewater to take a break and enjoy Jamaica. She scheduled a tour to Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios (Ochi). It's a park with zip lining, bobsledding, a pool, and restaurant with gorgeous views of Ochi. We had such a wonderful time that day. We started out with lunch at a elegant restaurant overlooking the ocean, then went bob sledding and ended the day zip lining our way back down from the top of the mountain. The following day, the Ambassador called from Kenya to make sure we had followed her orders and enjoyed our adventure. Now...that's a classy lady.

The rest of the time I pretty much relaxed. When Billy would finish work we would venture out with his colleagues and typically have dinner at what turned out to be our favorite restaurant "Scotchies". An authentic Jamaican restaurant, where the locals eat. That's one of our things when we travel. We like to get away from the tourists and eat real local food, and pay local prices. We tried other places, but we would find ourselves gravitating to Scotchies every other night.

At times, we would do our own thing and separate ourselves from the group, but since we like hanging out with people, we would find ourselves wanting to reconnect with our bunch after a few hours of alone time. The remainder of my time consisted of me sunning, swimming, eating, drinking, and eating some more.

I did manage to get up every morning at 6 am and go running with the hotel staffers. Billy discovered this group of runners after speaking to one of the marketing directors at the hotel. Frank, formed a running group in order to stay active. He noticed there were interested joggers in our group, so he committed to picking us up every morning. Our group ran on the paths of the most gorgeous golf courses in MoBay. The views alone motivated me to get up bright and early every morning.

Aside from the evident amount of poverty and hardships the Jamaicans face, the country and people are beautiful. From the lush vegetation to the crystal blue water, to the friendly faces with genuine smiles. Jamaica captivated me. There is a rawness and realness there that is refreshing to me. I wish I had had more time to get to know the locals and possibly volunteer some place where I could do some good. I believe in time I will have an opportunity to do so. Bidding season is slowly approaching. Billy and I are drawn to third world countries, so who knows, but for now I'll end this journey with a YAH MON!

ITALY! What?!

In the end of April, I came home to an itinerary sitting on top of our kitchen counter. The flight destination was Rome, Italy and the passengers name on the ticket was MINE! Yes, Billy surprised me with a ticket to Rome. He was scheduled to fly there for work and was going to spend 10 days, so what does he do...buys me a ticket so I can spend some time with him in Rome. I am a fortunate girl.

A day after Billy departed, I flew out of Dulles International to the capitol city of Italy to meet up with him for 8 full days. Prior to leaving, I called Hotel Bristol and asked about methods of transportation. I knew Billy would be busy with meetings that day, so I really couldn't depend on him picking me up from the airport. The options were of course, a taxi (as long as it was white), the hotel shuttle bus or the train/subway. So, I opted for the third option: train/subway in a city of 2.7 million people. Once the plane landed I couldn't wait to get off and start my adventure. Like I had planned, I took the train and subway to the hotel. After a lot of questions to the locals on which to train to take to Central(metro station) and how to get to Piazza Bernini (metro stop, 1 block from our hotel)I arrived an hour later at our hotel. I am very thankful many of the Italians I came across helped me out.

As soon as I got settled into the hotel room, Billy walked in. I just wanted to pinch myself. I couldn't believe we were together in Rome. I had been here before as a young teenager with my father, but to return as an adult and with my husband is a total different experience. I knew this trip would be very busy for Billy, but to be in the same place together was so very special to me.

Every morning Billy and I would enjoy breakfast together then off I would go, but before every journey a stop in the local coffee shop (Bar) for an espresso was a must. In Italy 3-4 espressos a day is completely normal. The locals walk into the bars and get a quick shot of coffee and leave. I would find myself spending 15-30 mins at these "bars" people watching. There's something about Italian's that just draws me to them. They have so much expression when they talk, it's truly an art form, and there's a lust for life which is present and real. Italians are very proud of who they are. I believe Italians think there's no greater nation than Italy and that's OK with me.

With a map in hand I would find myself roaming for hours in Rome. This city is a master piece full of history. Every corner has beautiful buildings, magnificent monuments, endless art, and piazzas where friends and lovers sit and enjoy hours of endless conversations. I would spend my days walking and just stumbling across the Pantheon, St. Peter's Square, the Roman Colosseum or numerous Basilicas. It's an amazing place, and to top it off the food is to die for. Even something as simple as a mozzarella/tomato panino or pasta with marinara sauce is always made from scratch and tastes out of this world.

After exploring during the day, Billy and I would always meet up for a marvelous dinner. Sometimes co-workers of his would join us and other times it was just him in I. Rome is very well lit at night, so we would take long walks, have a gelato and sometimes revisit areas I had discovered during the day.

Eight days went by so fast, but the trip was unforgettable. I will never take any of these experiences and quality time with my husband for granted. Ciao!

April Visitors

April was an entire month of back to back visitors. I believe I now have been into every museum in the DC area, and visited Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, and the National Cathedral (my favorite) more than I've cared to. But honestly, I'd do it all over again because I appreciated having the company and knowing that people made the time to come out to spend time with us.

Our first visitors were Billy's sister Katrina and her husband Jonas. They live in Beaufort, SC. They were mostly interest in relaxing and wanted to experience being in the city. Once they left my good friend, Donna who also lives in Beaufort, flew out to spend a few days with me. Our mission was to sleep in and enjoy each other's company. We had a fabulous time chatting, drinking wine, and having lunch or dinner in cute little restaurants in the DC area. Shortly after Donna left, my sister Renata and our nephew Tristan (7) and niece Karina (3) came from San Diego to spend time with us and explore DC. This was their first time in DC, and they wanted to fit as much as they could into one trip. Granted we had two young kids so we had to cater to their moods and nap times, but we were able to see a lot within our time frame. Once the kids left, we really missed their presence. Especially in the mornings when the kids would hop into bed with us and chat. Love that!

I believe all our visitors had a wonderful time visiting us in DC. At the end of the month, I was very exhausted, but thankful for the friends and family Billy and I have.

Love you guys ;)