Turks and Caicos

We decided to vacation in Turks & Caicos this year with our friends Andrea & Travis. It was absolutely wonderful and I wish I could afford to stay there forever. I really have to start playing the lottery.

We stayed at a new resort, The Veranda. It is located in Providenciales and just opened in February 2010. The resort is actually all-inclusive, a rare find in Turks & Caicos.

Below is a picture of us in front of our room. The suites were very spacious with a small kitchen & laundry room. The staff at The Veranda was wonderful & our rooms were cleaned at least twice everday.

This was the most comfortable bed ever!!! It felt like sleeping on a cloud. I love fluffy beds!

Below is a picture of our new friend Mazie from the Jersey Shore. She was also staying at The Veranda and she was amazing. One night at dinner, a guitar player was taking requests and Andrea & I asked him to play Islands in the Stream by Kenny & Dolly. She came over to our table to sing with us, then invited us to a local club to sing karaoke. We love her! She loves and embraces every second of life. I aspire to someday experience the freedom & confidence Mazie personifies.

Mazie was a great singer!

Me and Andrea were NOT so great singers. I know everyone was praying for us to stop. I am sorry Madonna! You would have probably asked us to leave the stage.

Below is a picture of us before going to Coco Bistro. The restaurant was great! Everyone on the island told us this was one of the best places to eat & we were not disappointed. The food was delicious & the atmosphere was phenomenal. The dining area was outdoors, covered by only the foliage of the palms--very romantic! 

Below is a picture of our beach at the resort. This is where we spent the largest amount of our time. This is also the sight of one of my most embarassing moments ever!!!! On thursday, we were lying in the sun when Robby asked me to get up for something (I can't even remember what he asked me to do). Anyway, as I began to sit up, my top completely popped off. I have never seen anything like it. It was not like it just fell down-- it popped off like a boomerang, ultimately resulting in me flashing a non-suspecting Chinese man. I thought I would die! Then, Robby was laughing so hard, it took him 5 minutes to help me get the top back on. I swear this could have only happened to me.

Below is a picture of one of the many Turks & Caicos sunsets we were able to enjoy each night.

We enjoyed this vacation so much. We would definitely recommend the island & the resort to everyone.

I am also having some pictures of our snorkeling trip developed, so I will try to post some of those pics later this week. I know I have posted a thousand pictures tonight, but the place was so beautiful!--Such a wonderful way to celebrate our 4th anniversary. I wish every week could be a vacation.......

Grateful for Monday

I am so grateful to be home after a wonderful vacation in Turks & Caicos (I promise to post pictures soon--it was beautiful!). We arrived home at 5:00 am on saturday morning, then quickly packed for few a days at the lake for Memorial Day weekend. It was wonderful to see our family at the lake yesterday---I was so afraid I would never make it back from the vacation to see everyone. I am terrified of flying! I have flown a hundred times, but I have developed a terrible fear over the past couple of years. For this flight, I was even prescribed medication to help ease my fears, but after 2 pills and a glass of wine---I still thought I would pass out before I stepped on the plane (I am well aware that you should never drink with medication, but desperate times often call for desperate measures--please don't judge). If only I had a sailboat to take me to the Caribbean!

Robby was in a beautiful wedding last weekend. Congratulations Candice & Travis! I just love weddings.......

I always wonder what the future will hold for new couples. Life can take them anywhere....

The couple celebrated the wedding at their home in Richmond, Kentucky. Everything was gorgeous!

Robby looked so handsome! He was worried another woman might pick him up at the wedding. Thankfully, he was safe.

This is a photo of my in-laws at the wedding. (Randy & Brenda). They are the sweetest people in the world. They treat me like their own daughter. I am very grateful to have them in my life.

This is a photo of myself, my brother Shane and his wife Jennifer. I know it is impossible to tell she is 5 months pregnant with a baby girl. She is not showing at all! I am so grateful for them and my niece-to-be. It is unbelievable how much I already love my niece. I know she will be one of my favorite people in the world. I cannot wait to meet her. You can read more about my sister-in-law and my niece-to-be at http://southern-blonde.blogspot.com/ .

Mom & Dad were unable to make it to the wedding, but I still wanted to post a picture of them. I love them very much and was very grateful they were able to make it to the lake yesterday to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. Looking forward to summer!

Grateful for Monday

Today, I am grateful for patients with patience. When I first walked into the clinic this morning, one of my co-workers looked at me and said, "If you have any sense, then you will turn around and run back home". That's never a good sign---especially on a Monday. The clinic was definitely busy all day with some walk-ins waiting over two hours. Amazingly, not one patient complained about the dreadfully long wait to be seen and treated. I think this qualifies as a miracle!

Busy Weekend

It has been a very busy & rainy weekend. I woke up early yesterday to get a much overdue manicure, then returned home to remove sutures from my father's leg--he had a skin lesion removed a little over a week ago. I tried not to hurt him too badly. I also went to a beautiful baby shower yesterday. They had the event outside and served the best food. Everything was so nice and I am so excited for Todd and Lindsey. Their new baby boy should arrive in June. (Sorry no pictures of the event----I should have taken my camera.)

Congratulations to Shannon & Mike! They got married in Tennessee yesterday. I am so happy for them---hope they have a long & happy marriage.

This morning, Robby & I woke up late to pouring rain. I could have slept all day, but instead, we went to my Mom and Dad's place to plant some flowers (in drizzling rain). They are supposed to start building their new home this week. I can't wait until it's finished---just wish I could blink and it would be ready for them to move in.

Dreading going back to work tomorrow......I wish the weekend could last just a little bit longer....

Grand Cayman

Because wednesday is in the middle of the work-week and most people are dreaming about getting away from their jobs, I have decided to use wednesday posts to discuss vacation destinations I have visited or would someday like to visit.

Robby & I visited Grand Cayman in 2007. This was by far Robby's favorite vacation destination and we have both said we would someday love to have a home in Grand Cayman (if we ever win the lottery!). The water is beautiful and the island is very safe. I actually felt safer walking downtown in Grand Cayman than I have ever felt while in Kentucky. There is virtually no crime or poverty and the island is extremely clean. The island also has wonderful restaurants and great WINE!

While in Grand Cayman, we stayed at the Westin Casuarina Resort on Seven Mile Beach. The resort was very nice and affordable.

The most memorable part of Grand Cayman, for me, was our encounter with the stingrays! We set sail on a large catamaran with several other couples to an area with no land in sight. Robby applied his snorkel gear and quickly jumped into the ocean to swim with the rather large stingrays. Prior to the trip, I assumed a stingray was probably 1 foot wide at largest size. However, the stingrays we encountered were more like 3-4 feet wide. I was terrified!!! Robby kept telling me to jump in, so reluctantly I did just that. As soon as I landed in the ocean, a huge stingray came directly over my head, shoving me into the catamaran. I could have killed Robby; so I crossed my arms over my heart and quickly swam to the ladder to climb back into the boat. We laugh over this experience every time we see a stingray.

This was one of the smaller stingrays (much smaller!!!)

I definitely recommend Grand Cayman to everyone, but I stongly advise against swimming with the stingrays!

Grateful for Monday

It's a girl! My brother and his wife are having a little girl. I am so grateful to learn that I will soon have a little niece to love--I love her already. Now, if they can just agree on a name......

Happy Mother's Day

Today has been a wonderful day. I decided to cook for both my mother & mother-in-law to show them how grateful I am for their love, guidance, and acceptance. We were also able to celebrate a new-mom-to-be, my sister-in-law Jennifer (http://southern-blonde.blogspot.com/). I am so excited because tomorrow we will learn if they are having a baby boy or girl. I cannot wait to be an Auntie and my husband is thrilled with the thought of being an uncle!

I was so nervous about making dinner for the family today. I am always afraid everything will taste awful, but everyone at least acted as though the food was edible so I am very grateful. I made lasagna & pea salad, and my sister-in-law brought lemon lush for dessert (one of my favorites). We had planned on eating outside, but the weather just didn't cooperate so we ate dinner in our formal dining room for the first time ever! I am ashamed to say this, but we have lived in this home for 4 years and had never used our dining room.

I am so extremely grateful for my mother. She has been a great role model and influence in my life. I am also grateful for a wonderful mother-in-law who has loved and accepted me as if I was her own daughter. Today has been a complete blessing. I hope all mothers have had a wonderful Mother's Day. I also pray for God's strength and comfort for all those who have lost their mothers. I know today can be a difficult day for so many.