No problem mon!

I realized (with some prodding by outsiders) that I haven't updated in a while.  I have 3 events of relative interest about which to write, but only time to write about one.  I will not be imparting the stories surrounding my new job or our new house just yet.  But I will try to make time to share that soon.  

The story that I am choosing to share today is about our recent wedding location scouting trip 

to the gorgeous island of Jamaica.  Ed and I flew out of IAH on the early Frid

ay morning of December 5th.  We made sure to get to the airport 2 hours early to request seat changes; it is crucial to me that I get an emergency exit row seat for my disproportionately long femurs.  I absolutely hate having my knees crunched into the back of the seat in front of me, and that coupled with my very minor case of claustrophobia make obtaini

ng emergency exit row seats my goal for each flight.  As we checked in I became aware that the option to have what I call the "Best Seat in the House" was available, but it meant that I wouldn't be able to sit next to Ed.  Although I realized that we were embarking on our first ever romantic vacation that included just the two of us and knew that it would be nice for us to enjoy the 3 hour plane trip side by side, I didn't think twice about pressing the option on the screen for the "Best Seat in the House", my own Mecca in the air.  Now before you go thinking that I'm very selfish for 1) not sitting with my fiance or 2) not giving him the option for the impressive seat, let me explain to you which seat I am talking about.  On Continental's Boeing 737s the seats marked 14A and 14F are the emergency exit row seats that do not have a chair in front of them, allowing more than twice the leg room of a standard seat.  That means: no crunched knees and stiff back at the end of the flight, no small children standing up and peaking over their chair to stare at you with snot dripping from their nose, and no one trying to utilize the button that leans the seat back only enough to bother the person behind you and not quite enough to make you comfortable.  This was the beginning of the perfect vacation.  

When we arrived in Montego Bay, we had approximately 30 minute wait to get through customs

 and then we found our way to the Sandals lobby in the airport where we were greeted with our choice of sodas or Red Stripe Jamaican beer.  Once our Juto bus was ready, we hopped abourd and started the hour and a half trek to Negril on the West side of the island.  Our bus driver served as a tour guide and filled us in on

 the sites we were passing, making note of the different towns, the types of agriculture, and the hobbies of the locals.  Not only was it an informative and interesting ride, it was also unbelievably gorgeous.  The road to Negril is along the coast line, so if you look north you have an amazing view of the Carribean and if you look south, the jungle outside the windows looks surreal.  

When we pulled up to the Sandals resort, we were greeted with a rum punch and the invitation to have a seat while they processed everything for us.  Our bags were taken to our rooms and we were given a quick tour and an invitation to join the orientation tour at 5:00 that evening (we chose not to attend.)  We had booked one of the cheaper rooms for this trip because 1) this was a scouting trip and 2) all the rest of the rooms were booked.  I was actually surprised by our room.  I thought it was quite nice and the air conditioner worked very well.   :-)       

We spent the afternoon lounging on the swinging chairs, reading our books, and watching the sun set.  We were feeling pretty confident that we were in paradise.  The island was doing its best to

 convince us that we had chosen the right place to recite our vows.  Aside from the scenery, Ed found the island speaking to him by way of its famous Jerk sauce.  (And yes, I did find plenty of ways to play on that wording throughout our trip.)  You can rest assured that there will be plenty of "Jerk" food at the wedding reception, and I'm pretty sure that Ed will try to find a way to get a Jerk wedding cake (don't worry, Mom, I won't let that happen... and we can just assure him that the groom's cake is sure to be a jerk's cake.)  

On Saturday we were picked up by the Moon Dance Villas for our tour of their locations.  The moon Dance Villas are where we were hoping to have our wedding.  The trip to Jamaica was to check out the Villas to determine if it was right for us.  Moon Dance Villas is a grouping of 6 villas that hold up to 40 people.  Each villa has its own chef, housekeeper, and support staff to tend to your every desire.  When we arrived at the location, a butler was standing by the driveway with a tray holding two cocktails.  They were definitely off to a good start.  We toured the one villa that wasn't currently occupied and were very impressed with the layout and decor.  (Check out the garden tub below!)

From there we were taken to the Moon Dance Cliffs, which is used as an overflow hotel for weddings at the Villas if more than 40 guests will be attending.  (Moon Dance Cliffs also hosts weddings, and the scenery is unbeatable.  They have a gazebo on top of the cliffs that looks out over a vast expanse of water.  It's absolutely gorgeous and I'd love to get married there if I wasn't so hell-bent on having my wedding ON the beach.)  The MDCliffs are brand new and still under construction.  But see my pictures below to understand what I mean about the view:

I'd love to finish my trip overview, but I need to head to work.  Stay tuned for the 2nd half of our trip! 

Oh, before I go, I have decided to leave you with this scene from the beach at Sandals.  It appears the guests at the hotel next door enjoy leaving their resort and taking a stroll down 7 mile beach.  The hotel next door?  It's Hedonism II.

~For all of you "outsiders" who so nicely remind me that I haven't updated recently, why not leave a comment or 2 so that I realize people are actually reading, and will therefore be more inclined to update.

~And as another side note: I don't really think Ed is a jerk.   

~Well, not all the time.