Ok so anyone who reads this blog and knows me well enough, knows I'm pretty routine about exercising. I DEFINITELY wouldn't say I'm dilligent because I have plenty of lazy days! However, I have been pretty consistent with trying to make it to the gym at least 2, sometimes 3 days a week and fill in with running at home on other days when I can! Of course there has been many a week when I didn't make it at all, but for the most part, I try to definitely not miss Monday and Wednesday nights if possible. Why you ask? Because I truly LOVE my MRT class on Monday and Wednesday evenings. My love affair with this class began when I lost my teacher from a different class and was looking for a substitution My friend Linda and I had been pretty dilligently attending Zumba at our gym every Monday and Wednesday night since January of this year. We were so pleased once we got into the routine. Finally, an exercise class that's fun, involves dancing and fun music, and burns an unbelievable amount of calories! I was hooked! So happy to have found a workout that I actually looked forward to. In fact, we were so sold on the concept we even attended Zumba classes with other teachers to compare the styles. Nope, not even close, no one compared to our teacher and we were always super bummed when she missed class and we had to dance with a sub. So here we are, twice a week, all happy and content with our routine and then BAM!
Fast forward roughly 6 months later. We noticed for a couple weeks in a row that our beloved teacher was missing an awful lot of class, I thought, hmmm what's up? I even started telling Linda that I wasn't going unless regular teach was gonna be there...yep, Im that person, totally unopen to change and a creature of comfortable habit. Well after many terrible classes with terrible subs and missing my fun workout, I finally asked the lady at the desk (I'd like to call her rude lady at the desk but that's another story) what the deal was? MUCH to my horror, as well as Linda's..regular teach is gone, flew the coop, not coming back! We tried to look around town and see if maybe she was just teaching elsewhere, no luck there. I like to consider that last move only mildly stalker-ish, thank you very much! And for the record, I sincerely hope, for her sake, that I never run into her in town because if I ever find out where this woman lives she might find me on her doorstep, twice a week religiously, in my tank and tennis ready to JAM! Class or no class, I heart this woman!
Anyhow, with the loss of our aerobic hero we were feeling kinda lost and needing a substitute class for the same time slot. The class timing worked out great for us and was super convenient, right after work and only one hour long. Enter MRT and Ms.Verna..dum dum dummmmmm!
A few of the other girls we work with had been going to this MRT class at the womens center portion of the gym and had mentioned it several times before. My first thought being, "ok, I don't even know what MRT means and it sure dont spell D.A.N.C.E so, no thanks!" But, as we all know, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I agree to give it a whirl! Let me go ahead and preface that at this point I had gotten to the point that I really loved exercising. I loved having a fun workout I enjoyed as well as the group aspect of it and being able to do it with friends as well as meet new people in the process, and of course, I had begun to see results so there were many cravings I needed to feed after the loss of our Zumba class.
After the first night at MRT I knew I was going to like it! It definitely wasn't as fun as Zumba and I knew it probably wasn't going to be as great of a cardio burn, having always been mainly interested in cardio exercise, I was a little worried. Right off the bat I saw that it offered something I had never had the chance to do before, a total body conditioning in a group setting, with music, all women, and the funniest instructor I have met! I'd also like to add that at this point, I STILL do not know what MRT stands for but the goal of the class is to perform exercises which help to increase your metabolism. We start out with a quick little warm up and then move right into step aerobics for about 20-30 minutes which satisfies your cardio crave. The last part of the class is spent doing strength training with weights and floor exercises for arms, legs, and abs. Personally, I had never done step aerobics but was definitely up to give it a try. I also have always wanted to do more strength training with weights to tone but have left mildly intimidated the few times I have been to the weight room at the gym. I also really liked the group aspect of all of these things.
Basically, Ms. Verna turns on some tunes...sometimes cheesy 80's music, sometimes her personal fav, Pitbull...and we get to exercising! As we are going through the motions, she just talks..and talks...and talks...and talks! HA! Seriously this woman is a crack up! She doesn't just stand at the front of the room and call out orders such as, "And 1 and 2 and 3 and stretch and lift and sweat your butt off" She just talks to us about whatever goes through her mind. Whatever is going on, random thoughts she has, how tired she is of doing this one motion but we gotta keep at it! I just know that whatever she says is real and it's funny! Little Ms. Verna is probably in her early to mid 60s but this woman is TONED and in shape! And she is quite hilarious. I seriously think I could make a blog post each week solely dedicated to the one liners and funny conversations with Ms. Verna. Honestly, I go to class probably 40% because I want to exercise and 60% because I want to listen to the funny things she has to say. No matter how many people are there in class, when you walk in the door, she shouts hello to you...mid exercise move typically. I wish I could remember some of the many things she has cracked us up with but heres just some "for examples" from tonights one hour class alone.
"Hey y'all, ____ band is playing at my friends house this weekend and I am so excited. Yall please keep us in your prayers because there is NOOO telling what all's gonna go down at that house. They did hire two cops though...and Im really glad"
"Ok yall let's get up here"- steps on her aerobic step to start the next move
"Ok let's go skiing"-starting the snow skiing jump..."and we're HITTING the slopes, here we go"
Like I said, this is just a minor sampling and this doesn't include the many times she busts out in random song or dance momentarily. I.e. tonight one of the songs was "C'mon baby light my fire" and right after they sang that line she would say "Firreuuah". I seriously just love this woman. Aside from keeping us entertained she is a super great instructor, knows a lot about fitness and wants every woman there to get the most they can out of the class because it is your class. She never pushes you to do more than you think your body can and always encourages those who want to push harder if they are able. And at the end of every class she thanks all of us for coming, like 3 times!
So today is to Ms. Verna and my new favorite class. She tells us that building a muscle is what helps to up your metabolism and that muscle burns fat even when we sleep! My ears are perked at that point alone! If you are in the Saline County area you should check it out at Fitness Unlimited Women's Center Monday and Wednesday nights 5:30-6:30. They also have free childcare! Bonus! My disclaimer...if I ever find my retired Zumba teacher, Ms. Verna may take a backseat, but for now, I'm blissfully burning with Verna!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Busy days, good deals, and COOKING!
Whew, another busy week at the Otwell house. Still recovering from getting back into the swing of things from Jamaica and resumeing our spot in our busy busy life. Plenty of posts coming on Jamaica but I see that as a Sunday detailed project. We got home from vacation and settled back in to work and a weekend of call ahead for the shopaholic. What a bummer, but praising the Lord for the opportunity to make more money and replenish what was spent in Jamaica. This past weekend we had a big camping trip planned with all of our friends so that was a lot of fun. Lake time is definitely my happiest time in the summer. I think it's one of the reasons I love summer so much. Put me on a boat, on the water, with some music and I could just stay there all day for days and days! Here are a couple of photos from our weekend on the lake
I just love our friends and the times we spend together. We always have the most fun whatever it is we are doing.
Back home again Jason and I have been working on a couple of remodels in the house which I am so excited about! I will share all the details as soon as the projects are finished. As usual, I've gotten my hands dirty in a couple different areas all at the same time and nothing is quite complete yet!
I've been trying to spend more time in the kitchen and get out of the eating out rut! I truly love to cook when I have plenty of time it just seems as if we simply don't have time for anything less than something on the run lately. Last week I decided to take advantage of the end of summer tastes and make these fabulous coconut lime sugar cookies! Yum-me!!
Here is the finished product
I sure do love a sugar cookie and these definitely did not disappoint!
Also thought I would share a couple shopaholic super deals! I came across these some time ago but some of the things I just got around to wearing. This dress I happened upon this summer. I discovered a sale by accident and couldn't pass this little baby up!
This dress was originally $100 and I paid $9.99. Possibly the best day of my entire summer! Haha I totally felt like a super shopper! I pulled this next top out to wear to dinner with the girls this week. I had found it on sale this summer and stored it away till I had the right opportunity to wear it.
Hard to tell the details on it but it is way cuter on than it shows in pictures. This top was originally $60 and I paid $9.95 for it! SCORE!! Now if I could just find some awesome deals on fall clothing! I get mildly obsessed with getting a deal and try to avoid paying full price at all cost. I don't know about you ladies but it gets me so excited!
Well that's about all I have for now! It's Thursday and about time to get ready for another very busy weekend ahead. Goodbye Mr. Free Time, see ya again after Christmas. As crazy as it sounds, yes, I pretty much do have all of our weekends planned until Christmas, oh.the.fun...
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| Jason catching some air |
Back home again Jason and I have been working on a couple of remodels in the house which I am so excited about! I will share all the details as soon as the projects are finished. As usual, I've gotten my hands dirty in a couple different areas all at the same time and nothing is quite complete yet!
I've been trying to spend more time in the kitchen and get out of the eating out rut! I truly love to cook when I have plenty of time it just seems as if we simply don't have time for anything less than something on the run lately. Last week I decided to take advantage of the end of summer tastes and make these fabulous coconut lime sugar cookies! Yum-me!!
Here is the finished product
I sure do love a sugar cookie and these definitely did not disappoint!
Also thought I would share a couple shopaholic super deals! I came across these some time ago but some of the things I just got around to wearing. This dress I happened upon this summer. I discovered a sale by accident and couldn't pass this little baby up!
This dress was originally $100 and I paid $9.99. Possibly the best day of my entire summer! Haha I totally felt like a super shopper! I pulled this next top out to wear to dinner with the girls this week. I had found it on sale this summer and stored it away till I had the right opportunity to wear it.
Hard to tell the details on it but it is way cuter on than it shows in pictures. This top was originally $60 and I paid $9.95 for it! SCORE!! Now if I could just find some awesome deals on fall clothing! I get mildly obsessed with getting a deal and try to avoid paying full price at all cost. I don't know about you ladies but it gets me so excited!
Well that's about all I have for now! It's Thursday and about time to get ready for another very busy weekend ahead. Goodbye Mr. Free Time, see ya again after Christmas. As crazy as it sounds, yes, I pretty much do have all of our weekends planned until Christmas, oh.the.fun...
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Home Again Home Again....
Well, we made it back from Jamaica safe and sound and totally bummed to be leaving such a beautiful island. We had an absolutely wonderful time! Jamaica was definitely more beautiful than I had expected. While choosing our vacation spot we heard many different mixed reviews of Jamaica and I must say I was a little apprehensive. It seemed that most people who had visited there on cruises didn't care for it and those that had stayed on resorts loved it. Since we were going to be on a resort I was pretty confident that everything would be ok and we would love it. I also didn't worry about our safety because, well #1, I tend to be rather oblivious to things like that. Im sure that I take things like that for granted I just really have never been worried about that type of thing. Kinda like how I feel about storms, they just don't scare me at all really, just tell me when to get in the closet because I'm sure I'll be off in my own world....or shopping on my laptop : ). But, yes, knowing we would be on a resort offered a level of comfort. In regard to the negative reviews from cruise go-ers, yes I can definitely see where Jamaica would appear dirty because honestly, it is! It really just depends on where you go, who you go with (tour guides), and what you see.
Our review was based mainly on the comparisons we could draw from other places we have visited. For our honeymoon we went to St. Lucia and WOW...talk about an uncivilized country. Jamaica was leaps and bounds ahead of St. Lucia in the developmental aspect. Don't get me wrong, St. Lucia was an unbelieveable experience and I feel so blessed to have experienced such beautiful beaches and terrain. Certainly an opportunity that I never dreamed I would be presented with. The thing about St. Lucia, Jamaica, and any caribbean island is that they truly are 3rd world countries who live in poverty. I learned so much in Jamaica talking with tour guides and employees on the resort. It is crazy to think that all we dream of as Americans is to visit those beautiful beaches and rainforests that we think only exist in a dream, and all Jamaicans dream of is the chance to come to America and live the life that we do. It really puts things in perspective for you and helps you to realize all that you have. Our tour guide who took us into Ocho Rios on a full day excursion was a wealth of information. We stayed in Montego Bay so to get to Ocho Rios was an hour and a half ride one way so there was lots of time to get educated on Jamaican people. On the ride back a couple we had met from Maryland and myself took the opportunity to dig for info. Of the interesting things that Carla, our guide, told us there were a few that stuck out in my mind. Like the fact that she has to put her 10 year old son on a taxi to go to school everyday because most Jamaicans can't afford cars. She works nearly every day till sometimes as late as 9 pm depending upon which tour she is guiding for the day. She also said that she has tried to get a Visa 3 different times to come to America for a 2 week visit and has been denied all 3 times. The funny part is she said that she assumed to get a Visa you must tell a lot of lies because each time in the questioning phase she only makes it as far as "Are you married?" and when she replies that she is not, they immediately say "Im so sorry, we can't issue you a Visa." You see most Jamaicans who travel to America, get married, and do not return. Isn't that wild? I guess I just assumed that they would not want to leave their family or their country for that matter. She also said that all Jamaicans love to shop and that they all wanna go to New York City...HI-larious...definitely my kind of people! Another thing we noticed about Jamaica is that everyone there is so happy and friendly, not surprisingly so taking note of their main extracurricular activity which they are way more open about then I had bargained for. All in all, I just thought it was a beautiful country. Amazing beaches, lush rainforests, mountains and hillsides far and wide, and sunsets that would literally make you wanna slap yo' mama! I have to say that I would recommend it to ANYONE and I would be ready to go back at any point! As a matter of fact, we definitely decided that we would like to go back someday and stay in Negril, one of the places we did not have time to visit while there. So that's my first hand, positive Jamaican review
Now that I have said all these wonderful things about Jamaica and given them so many compliments...we did have an unfortunate experience that makes me just wanna say Shame shame on you Jamaica. So, Jason and I arrived at the airport for our return flight and dropped our luggage off at baggage check like everyone else. We boarded the flight leaving Jamaica headed to Atlanta. The flight was a little over two hours and we arrived in Atlanta right on time. In Atlanta we had to reclaim our luggage and go through security again and customs to enter back into the U.S. So while we were waiting on the luggage to come off the shoot and onto the carousel, I got intrigued by this cop and drug dog who were dilligently working sniffing out each bag that came off the shoot. Being the curious person I am, I thought I would get up to the front and see if this little beagle dog busted anyone trying to bring drugs back into the U.S. About that time I see Jason's suitcase come off the shoot halfway unzipped, all in disarray, and all his stuff falling out on the carousel. I took a second look and was like, "holy crap, that's ours!" So as the baggage takes it's little spin on the carousel and everyone standing around is like "Oh no, someone lost all their stuff, that sucks" Im chasing behind the bag following it around the circle like I don't even know how to pick it all up. So as everyone is witnessing our junk falling out, Im pushing through the crowd, "Excuse me, I'm sorry, that's ours"....Still chasing the bag. Finally someone helps me gather it up and I took it over to Jason. He starts to put it back together and notices his tolietry bag on the inside is all unzipped and everything looks as if it as been pilfered through. Three words...Random Security Check...Awesome! So knowing that we needed to rush on and get through security, get something to eat, and catch the next plane to Little Rock, we threw it all in there and checked to make sure that the wooden carving we had bought in Jamaica wasn't broken (a wooden fish, I named him Kingston). Kingston still had his fin, so off we went. After all of that rush and being a little frazzled, we were sitting at the gate waiting on the plane and I mentioned to Jason that I saw the case and floatation attachment to our handheld video camera but I didn't see the camera. The camera has a floatation attachment because it's waterproof and I saw it hanging out because it's bright orange. Referencing the possibility that we left it in Jamaica, Jason assured me that he knew he had packed it. I didn't think about it again and when we made it home with the luggage we got into it and started unpacking and putting away all the goodies we bought. I'm sure you can see where this is going...No video camera in the luggage. Like I saw earlier, there was the case it was packed in and the attachment but no camera anywhere. We arrived at two possibilities. #1 It fell out on the plane ride from Jamaica to Atlanta (wishful thinking after we later found that Jason's zipper was broke and malfunctioning) #2 Some crappy Jamaican unzipped the case in a random security check and slipped it in their pocket because it's small and easy to get away with...Im gonna go with option 2 on this one unless my video camera grew legs on the flight and hopped out of it's case. Soooo, needless to say, I am BEYOND bummed. We put a lost/found request into Delta Airlines and every day we check it it just says, "Your item has not been found yet" Thank you Delta for reminding me of my misfortune! I was really hoping you would be kind enough to take a quick trip to Jamaica and put out an APB on any Jamaicans carrying/peddling a white Kodak video camera. Thanks anyway. The biggest disappointmet is of course, not the actual camera because I can certainly replace that someday (even though I'd rather not), but the video that we took while in Jamaica. We used that camera the day we went into Ocho Rios to record in the Dunn's River Falls excursion we did that. The Falls were, oh my gosh, the FUNNEST day we have ever had! Seriously so cool! It's just a giant river/waterfall thingy that you climb and swim all the way through. We had two great tour guides who lead us the whole way and created the most fun, high energy experience you can have in freezing cold water. We were having so much fun I didn't even notice being cold. In actuality it felt really nice because Jason and I had gotten a pretty sweet sunburn the day before. So, the tour guides made a video of the experience and sold it for $39.99. Obviously we declined the purchase because we made our own video all the way through....B.U.M.M.E.R We also videoed our whole zipline experience that day which was totally awesome! I actually held the camera and videoed the whole way through the zips. We were totally high on life that day and had so many once in a lifetime fun experiences and now some Jamaican is enjoying all my fun memories, or making some of their own which Im sure no one would want to see! In addition, on the memory card, we had some snorkeling trips from Mexico and Jamaica, and several lake trips. So, oh well, ce la vie sweet memories. Lesson learned...and no, I have NOOO idea why I we didn't pack it in our carry-on or even in my purse because all of the other cameras certainly went onboard with us, but for whatever reason, we didn't. Too bad for Jamaican Jimmy that he's gonna need the charger to charge that thing in a couple of days when it dies and guess who has that...ME!!! Oh geez, Im still fighting tears about it.
Anyway, aside from the camera drama we had a GREAT vacation and it was really hard to come back to real life but as we all know, vacation has to come to an end at some point! I plan on making a few full posts with pictures on Jamaica soon but I took upwards of 600 so I will be spending some time editing for the next few days. In the meantime, in true Otwell fashion, we came back to a full schedule of work, an upcoming camping trip, and our little labor day trip is not too far away. So we have a lot to look forward to and get ready for as we prepare to take this summer to a close...ok, I can't even talk about it, not ready for it to end, that's for another day! Happy week people! Enjoy the cooler temps that are hopefully coming our way here in Arkansas!
Our review was based mainly on the comparisons we could draw from other places we have visited. For our honeymoon we went to St. Lucia and WOW...talk about an uncivilized country. Jamaica was leaps and bounds ahead of St. Lucia in the developmental aspect. Don't get me wrong, St. Lucia was an unbelieveable experience and I feel so blessed to have experienced such beautiful beaches and terrain. Certainly an opportunity that I never dreamed I would be presented with. The thing about St. Lucia, Jamaica, and any caribbean island is that they truly are 3rd world countries who live in poverty. I learned so much in Jamaica talking with tour guides and employees on the resort. It is crazy to think that all we dream of as Americans is to visit those beautiful beaches and rainforests that we think only exist in a dream, and all Jamaicans dream of is the chance to come to America and live the life that we do. It really puts things in perspective for you and helps you to realize all that you have. Our tour guide who took us into Ocho Rios on a full day excursion was a wealth of information. We stayed in Montego Bay so to get to Ocho Rios was an hour and a half ride one way so there was lots of time to get educated on Jamaican people. On the ride back a couple we had met from Maryland and myself took the opportunity to dig for info. Of the interesting things that Carla, our guide, told us there were a few that stuck out in my mind. Like the fact that she has to put her 10 year old son on a taxi to go to school everyday because most Jamaicans can't afford cars. She works nearly every day till sometimes as late as 9 pm depending upon which tour she is guiding for the day. She also said that she has tried to get a Visa 3 different times to come to America for a 2 week visit and has been denied all 3 times. The funny part is she said that she assumed to get a Visa you must tell a lot of lies because each time in the questioning phase she only makes it as far as "Are you married?" and when she replies that she is not, they immediately say "Im so sorry, we can't issue you a Visa." You see most Jamaicans who travel to America, get married, and do not return. Isn't that wild? I guess I just assumed that they would not want to leave their family or their country for that matter. She also said that all Jamaicans love to shop and that they all wanna go to New York City...HI-larious...definitely my kind of people! Another thing we noticed about Jamaica is that everyone there is so happy and friendly, not surprisingly so taking note of their main extracurricular activity which they are way more open about then I had bargained for. All in all, I just thought it was a beautiful country. Amazing beaches, lush rainforests, mountains and hillsides far and wide, and sunsets that would literally make you wanna slap yo' mama! I have to say that I would recommend it to ANYONE and I would be ready to go back at any point! As a matter of fact, we definitely decided that we would like to go back someday and stay in Negril, one of the places we did not have time to visit while there. So that's my first hand, positive Jamaican review
Now that I have said all these wonderful things about Jamaica and given them so many compliments...we did have an unfortunate experience that makes me just wanna say Shame shame on you Jamaica. So, Jason and I arrived at the airport for our return flight and dropped our luggage off at baggage check like everyone else. We boarded the flight leaving Jamaica headed to Atlanta. The flight was a little over two hours and we arrived in Atlanta right on time. In Atlanta we had to reclaim our luggage and go through security again and customs to enter back into the U.S. So while we were waiting on the luggage to come off the shoot and onto the carousel, I got intrigued by this cop and drug dog who were dilligently working sniffing out each bag that came off the shoot. Being the curious person I am, I thought I would get up to the front and see if this little beagle dog busted anyone trying to bring drugs back into the U.S. About that time I see Jason's suitcase come off the shoot halfway unzipped, all in disarray, and all his stuff falling out on the carousel. I took a second look and was like, "holy crap, that's ours!" So as the baggage takes it's little spin on the carousel and everyone standing around is like "Oh no, someone lost all their stuff, that sucks" Im chasing behind the bag following it around the circle like I don't even know how to pick it all up. So as everyone is witnessing our junk falling out, Im pushing through the crowd, "Excuse me, I'm sorry, that's ours"....Still chasing the bag. Finally someone helps me gather it up and I took it over to Jason. He starts to put it back together and notices his tolietry bag on the inside is all unzipped and everything looks as if it as been pilfered through. Three words...Random Security Check...Awesome! So knowing that we needed to rush on and get through security, get something to eat, and catch the next plane to Little Rock, we threw it all in there and checked to make sure that the wooden carving we had bought in Jamaica wasn't broken (a wooden fish, I named him Kingston). Kingston still had his fin, so off we went. After all of that rush and being a little frazzled, we were sitting at the gate waiting on the plane and I mentioned to Jason that I saw the case and floatation attachment to our handheld video camera but I didn't see the camera. The camera has a floatation attachment because it's waterproof and I saw it hanging out because it's bright orange. Referencing the possibility that we left it in Jamaica, Jason assured me that he knew he had packed it. I didn't think about it again and when we made it home with the luggage we got into it and started unpacking and putting away all the goodies we bought. I'm sure you can see where this is going...No video camera in the luggage. Like I saw earlier, there was the case it was packed in and the attachment but no camera anywhere. We arrived at two possibilities. #1 It fell out on the plane ride from Jamaica to Atlanta (wishful thinking after we later found that Jason's zipper was broke and malfunctioning) #2 Some crappy Jamaican unzipped the case in a random security check and slipped it in their pocket because it's small and easy to get away with...Im gonna go with option 2 on this one unless my video camera grew legs on the flight and hopped out of it's case. Soooo, needless to say, I am BEYOND bummed. We put a lost/found request into Delta Airlines and every day we check it it just says, "Your item has not been found yet" Thank you Delta for reminding me of my misfortune! I was really hoping you would be kind enough to take a quick trip to Jamaica and put out an APB on any Jamaicans carrying/peddling a white Kodak video camera. Thanks anyway. The biggest disappointmet is of course, not the actual camera because I can certainly replace that someday (even though I'd rather not), but the video that we took while in Jamaica. We used that camera the day we went into Ocho Rios to record in the Dunn's River Falls excursion we did that. The Falls were, oh my gosh, the FUNNEST day we have ever had! Seriously so cool! It's just a giant river/waterfall thingy that you climb and swim all the way through. We had two great tour guides who lead us the whole way and created the most fun, high energy experience you can have in freezing cold water. We were having so much fun I didn't even notice being cold. In actuality it felt really nice because Jason and I had gotten a pretty sweet sunburn the day before. So, the tour guides made a video of the experience and sold it for $39.99. Obviously we declined the purchase because we made our own video all the way through....B.U.M.M.E.R We also videoed our whole zipline experience that day which was totally awesome! I actually held the camera and videoed the whole way through the zips. We were totally high on life that day and had so many once in a lifetime fun experiences and now some Jamaican is enjoying all my fun memories, or making some of their own which Im sure no one would want to see! In addition, on the memory card, we had some snorkeling trips from Mexico and Jamaica, and several lake trips. So, oh well, ce la vie sweet memories. Lesson learned...and no, I have NOOO idea why I we didn't pack it in our carry-on or even in my purse because all of the other cameras certainly went onboard with us, but for whatever reason, we didn't. Too bad for Jamaican Jimmy that he's gonna need the charger to charge that thing in a couple of days when it dies and guess who has that...ME!!! Oh geez, Im still fighting tears about it.
Anyway, aside from the camera drama we had a GREAT vacation and it was really hard to come back to real life but as we all know, vacation has to come to an end at some point! I plan on making a few full posts with pictures on Jamaica soon but I took upwards of 600 so I will be spending some time editing for the next few days. In the meantime, in true Otwell fashion, we came back to a full schedule of work, an upcoming camping trip, and our little labor day trip is not too far away. So we have a lot to look forward to and get ready for as we prepare to take this summer to a close...ok, I can't even talk about it, not ready for it to end, that's for another day! Happy week people! Enjoy the cooler temps that are hopefully coming our way here in Arkansas!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Jamaica Day 5 and 6
Thursday Day 5:
Thursday was another pool and beach day. We have made the mistake before of keeping our schedules full while on vacation so one of our biggest goals was to spend as much time on the resort as possible and get lots of beach time. After all, who knows if we will ever be able to experience this again. Might as well take it all in! We also took the opportunity to go snorkeling with some friends that we met on the resort. We just snorkeled the reef close to our beach but we saw some really cool fish and sea life!
As you can see Jamaicans LOVE dancing! And they love American hip hop and R&B music! We got a big kick out of watching them!
Friday Day 6:
Our last full day on the island : ( We got right up that morning and decided to head into town to the Hip Strip to do some local shopping and take in a few sights. While there we purchased some local items and some wonderful Jamaican coffee! I wish I could get it daily at home it is so good! We stopped and visited Doctor's Cave Beach which was a historical private beach that a group of doctors located long ago and accessed by using and underground cave. It is used today as a public beach club and a favorite hot spot for cruise ship travelers.
Thursday was another pool and beach day. We have made the mistake before of keeping our schedules full while on vacation so one of our biggest goals was to spend as much time on the resort as possible and get lots of beach time. After all, who knows if we will ever be able to experience this again. Might as well take it all in! We also took the opportunity to go snorkeling with some friends that we met on the resort. We just snorkeled the reef close to our beach but we saw some really cool fish and sea life!
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| Totally into my WM3 documentary book |
Thursday night we had dinner and went down to the street party the entertainment was putting on. The week we were there they were celebrating their Independence and Emancipation which is celebrated every year on August 6. This was pretty cool to experience and be a part of. We also got to learn a lot about their history!
Friday Day 6:
Our last full day on the island : ( We got right up that morning and decided to head into town to the Hip Strip to do some local shopping and take in a few sights. While there we purchased some local items and some wonderful Jamaican coffee! I wish I could get it daily at home it is so good! We stopped and visited Doctor's Cave Beach which was a historical private beach that a group of doctors located long ago and accessed by using and underground cave. It is used today as a public beach club and a favorite hot spot for cruise ship travelers.
After some shopping we were hungry for a snack so we stopped off at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. It was a really neat place to see. Too bad there wasn't enough time to take a ride on the slide and play on the water trampoline : )
We headed back to the resort for the afternoon to get one more day in the sun on the island!
Jamaica has some breathtaking sunsets!
And finally headed out for our last night out!
Saturday morning we packed our bags bright and early to get ready to head back to the good ol' US....I must say, I was still not ready to go! We really enjoyed Jamaica and all it had to offer and hey, who wants to leave the beach EVER??? I am a Summer girl through and through and it wouldn't bother me one bit to relocate to a beautiful beach with 80 degree temps year round! Ahhh the life! As you can see we handled the departure very well in a mature adult manner..
So so long beautiful Jamaica! Until we meet again!
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