Our itinerary says our stop for today is Montego Bay, but instead we are pulling in, hours earlier, in Ocho Rios. Hey, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still Jamaica! Continue reading “Jamaica”
Brief interlude
I promise to return soon to tell about the rest of our trip… but I have come down with the Cold To End All Colds so please bear with me. Hoping to be up to share more tomorrow…
At Sea
I don’t know what time it is when I wake up. An inside cabin is a dark and quiet cave. There are no external cues. I wake up not sure it is 2am or 10am. I use the restroom (priorities) and then check. 8:23am.
Woo hoo I love vacation.
Exploring, checking in for the Effy Jewelers giveaway (guess who wins?) Continue reading “At Sea”
Check In
We both sleep in and ease into our days. S needs to reorganize her packing and I need to cram everything back into my bag.
We check out scant minutes before the noon departure and check our bags with the front desk so we can head to Havana Harry’s for Cuban food. Continue reading “Check In”
A day in Miami
We flew down early to avoid airline issues. January, anything can happen.
We had no issues getting here, but I arrive to a useless but frustrating notice from my company’s travel partner about the conference I’m attending which comes down to “Smelta Airlines” (not their real name) has once again screwed me over. (Sigh)
So when I wake up early (asleep not long after 9pm) this morning I’m scrambling to rearrange what I can until Monday when the flight itself can be adjusted, doing my Spanish lesson for the day, and then dozing on and off…
Basically it’s a pajama-lazy morning for us both because we don’t have the walking food tour until 12:30pm. Continue reading “A day in Miami”
Exit South
In the small hours I am already awake, in that way one does when there’s somewhere to be. So I am already showered and dressed and ready to do my Duolingo lesson by the time my alarm goes off.
It’s raining but not torrential en route to the airport. It’s still dark and early as Dad drops me off. Continue reading “Exit South”
Missteps
Apparently I can’t adequately navigate the stairs down to get coffee until I’ve HAD coffee.
Because this? This is not great:
4th toe is broken but since all they do for that is rest, ice, compression (eg tape it) elevation, that’s what I’m doing. Continue reading “Missteps”
555 days and counting
I wish I could say I really spoke Spanish by now — but alas, as in so many other ways, I am a work in progress.
A Christmas Eve moment
We come early but already the church is pretty full. Too full for our group of 8 to sit together. The girls and their guest sit in the middle of a row in the middle of the church. My parents and I are two rows ahead of them, next to the pastor and his wife. My sister and her husband are several rows ahead and to the right. Continue reading “A Christmas Eve moment”
Adjustments
Time zones and daylight savings, then Thanksgiving and the official start to Christmas shopping season. Seasonal decor to render things festive.
Leaf raking and the introduction of a sharp back pain that is all new. Oh Lord, have mercy.
And then the return to my early hours commute. The early rise not as much of a shock as I expect, though the drive feels longer today (heated seats a blessing for my still-sore back).
But the rain won’t come for hours and the temps will be above freezing then, and a lack of ice and snow is a bonus and a boon.
Fluorescent lighting in the office is sharp and stinging – especially juxtaposed against the dark of the morning – but the office is quiet and calm in these early hours, and my eyes have time to adjust to the unfamiliar brightness.
Things to do, a blessing for me and a way to bless my clients – even those that irk.
It’s official: I’m back.
