Write Me Away From Here

Each island on our cruise brought new excitement and St Kitts was no exception. From the little we had the opportunity to explore, this island seemed more rural and untouched compared to the others. The views of mountains and palm trees and seemingly never-ending beaches could take your breath away. Without knowing what we were doing at the time, we planned a paddle boarding trip which was perfect for absorbing the views. We were shuttled off to a remote beach and wasted no time getting on our boards. Neither of us had been paddle boarding before so naturally we had no idea what to expect. Ben being the stellar athlete and me being the clumsy, uncoordinated one, I thought for sure he'd be off and running (or shall I say paddling) while I spent the majority of my time falling into the ocean. Much to my surprise I didn't fall in once and Ben took a few spills... one in particular where he seemed to be in slow motion and took a good 30 seconds trying to save himself... which he ...

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who used to throw on whatever clothes she could find, run outside and spend hours in the dirt... building a village in her sandbox, riding her bike through puddles, falling and scraping her knees so frequently that it seemed she had permanent scabs, catching caterpillars, frogs and whatever other critters she could find... all the while without a care in the world. Fast forward some years and that same girl thought  she was grown up. She stopped listening to her parents (because she knew better than them), she caked on layer after layer of makeup until she looked like a mixture of cleopatra and a clown (because she wasn't pretty enough), she gave her brothers an attitude and only wanted to be around her punk friends (because they were cooler than her family). She stopped finding pleasure in simply things like dirt and caterpillars and became disgustingly superficial. Well, that girl somehow found her way. It didn't happen overnight....

Can I always remember how it felt to just let go and jump? As I was leaning over the edge of the plane looking down on land thousands of feet away, I remember thinking to myself, "well, if your parachute doesn't open, you'll be a pancake before you know it and won't feel a thing." And then I let go.     The initial sense of fear, followed by accomplishment I felt when I bought my own house, started supporting myself and was officially classified as an adult. The nights we used to stand in the kitchen, sipping wine, listening to music, talking and playing with our puppies... for hours. The bond little Zoey and I developed when we were room mates (more to come on her later).     Summer 2010. This was the last summer I lived at home and, since Derek was away at boot camp, Curtis and I spent lots of time together.     How important girl time is. Here are four of the most important ladies in my life celebrating my 18...

According to Trip Advisor, St. Maarten is a "spicy marriage of Caribbean, French and Dutch cultures" ... which I hear is correct. This was the first destination on our cruise and, since we were only able to visit for a day, our experience was mostly Caribbean. If visiting the beach is your MO on a cruise you can either book an "excursion" which will set up your travel to a particular location or do a little research, pick a spot and find a taxi to take you there (they are plentiful at the ports). I recommend the taxi route so you don't have to be anywhere at a certain time... being on vacation and all. Since we were so excited about our cruise and had never been on one in our adult lives, naturally we asked around for ideas. Here's what we found...   A beach with an airport directly behind which made for some amazing views. Arriving planes were so close it felt like you could jump up and touch them. Departing planes were so close that people held ont...

Cruise vs Resort... Resort vs Cruise Any chance to be in the Caribbean I wouldn't want to pass up regardless of whether I'm on a boat or on land but, for us, we have decided resorts are our favorite and let me tell you why. We had so much fun on the cruise we took in December but even a massive ship feels small after a week. At each destination, we had to plan an excursion or we would be stuck wandering around the same diamond/watch/junk stores. Excursions are great but it's also nice to be able to walk from your room to a beach and relax without worrying about planning and being punctual.  Pools are smaller, food (especially fruit) is not fresh, and you don't get to really enjoy/learn about the culture of the island because you are only able to stay for about 10 hours. Some people love cruises... there was even a lady on board our ship that had been on 100+... but for us, the flexibility and amenities at a resort are superior.  Despite preferring a re...

So many people having babies lately and I have developed a serious case of baby fever... not one that we're ready to act on quite yet... but a disorder none the less. There is an extra special little bundle of joy on the way and we recently celebrated her pending arrival. First, let me tell you about her mom. She is one of the most lovely people I have had the pleasure of knowing... my entire life. Amanda is my big cousin and someone I have always tried to emulate since before I knew my behind from my elbow. Growing up she was always someone I looked up to... from playing dolls to teaching me how to apply too much makeup. It's hard to believe she's about to have a real life little princess of her own. Now back to this little one on the way... she is going to be the best dressed, baby-Keurig-drinking (this is a real thing... except of course it makes formula instead of coffee) princess in town and I can't wait to meet her! And she'll be proud to know one ...

The New England cold weather starts to get really old between February and April... every once in a while we even get a surprise snowstorm after the daffodils bloom... so a trip to Punta Cana in April was impeccable timing I've been to multiple Caribbean resorts and all have put their own flair on the same things... all inclusive food and drinks, pool bars, beaches and entertainment at night. I never even thought to do more research before booking a resort besides perusing pictures and reading a few ratings until I booked our stay at Zoetry Agua.   This place was picture perfect. Beautiful rooms that looked like your own personal spa. Beaches that belong on post cards. Yummy drinks out of coconuts we watched being cut down from palm trees. Staff who bent over backwards for their guests. Perfection... that stopped after you ate dinner and the place became far too quiet for us. If you know me and my family, you know we like to dance and have a good time and we were slightly ...