Bon Voyage!

This time next week, I will be packing my bags for Jamaica (and Cozumel, and the Grand Cayman Islands)!!!

This cruise has literally been planned since last year…. and if you’re smart enough to do the math- Joe and I haven’t even been together a year! (it’ll be a year in June though.) But, we’d only been dating about 2 months when “we” decided “we” wanted to go.

APD (Joe’s mom) had been planning on taking Joe on a cruise for his graduation gift, so when we started dating- it was only fitting that he invited me to go w/them. Now granted, I’m definitely a planner—but I don’t make plans w/guys; and especially not more than a week ahead of time. I almost had a heart attack at the fact Joe was inviting me to go on a WEEK LONG VACATION w/him in a year!

I surely wasn’t investing any money into putting down a deposit for something I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be participating in, so Joe paid for it.

Well… you know the rest BUT… the cruise is literally a week away!

We’re both super excited that the time has finally come, and have planned our off-shore excursions.

Montego Bay, Jamaica: IRIE MON BEACH PARTY

“Enjoy Montego Bay’s newest beach any way you like…Quietly soaking in the sunshine or learning the latest dance moves from your party hosts.

On this excursion you will, depart from the pier. Take a 20-minute bus ride along Montego Bay’s scenic harbor to Cornwall Beach on the famous “Hip Strip.” Arrive and enjoy a refreshing welcome drink as you take in the beautiful white sand beach and the reggae and soca music in the background.

Swim, snorkel, or just relax in the tropical surroundings.

Quench your thirst at the OPEN Jamaican beach bar which features a selection of Red Stripe beer on tap, rum punch, fruit punch, sodas and bottled water.

Enjoy a tasty barbecue buffet with local cuisine, including BBQ chicken, jerk pork, rice and peas, hamburgers, hot dogs, festival, tossed salad, coleslaw, fresh fruits and cake for lunch. Join the fun after lunch and learn the limbo from the experts or participate in a friendly game of beach volleyball.

Special note: Barbecue lunch, open Jamaican bar, and a beach chair are included. Lockers, umbrellas and snorkel gear are available for rent at the beach. Remember to bring your swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and camera.”

Sounds like fun, right!?

Grand Cayman: We don’t have anything at all planned. We’re just going to hop off the boat, enjoy the weather, the food, and do some shopping!
Cozumel Mexico: SCUBA!!! “You don’t need certification for this incredible scuba diving adventure.

On this excursion you will:
-Join PADI certified dive instructors for a 30-minute instructional orientation.
-Test your skills and gain some confidence in shallow water.
-Once you’re ready, be taken up to 20 feet below the surface.
-Encounter schooling fish and brilliant coral formations indigenous to the Mayan Caribbean.”

We are literally- going to live it up this entire week! I’m going to eat food I wouldn’t normally eat, and encourage Joe to do the same thing. Apparently, our ship has an amazing sushi bar, and since Joe “doesn’t like” sushi- this would be the perfect time for him to try some he might actually like.

Speaking of our ship, it’s also equipped with a coffee bar, 24- hour room service and pizzeria, movie theater, 9-hole mini golf course, internet café, dance clubs, casinos, a waterslide, whirlpools, and state of the art beauty salon and fitness center. (not that I plan on working out, but it’s good to know I have the option to do so….if I feel like it!)

This will be my 3rd cruise, but definitely the one I’m looking forward to the most. The other two were family cruises and I didn’t have to pay a dime! Don’t you appreciate something more when you have to pay for it!? And when you’re a working adult--- you really learn to appreciate any vacation time you have!

Not to mention, I’ll be w/my honey all week long- with no email- and no cell phone. And even though I’m a facebook-aholic; I’ll be facebook free for an entire 7 days!

….hope I decide to come back!... who knows- I may just stay in Jamaica!

Some of the things that I appreciate….(in no particular order)

Joe-William Driver
Buttered popcorn @ the movies
Rice Krispy treats
Children (ages 3 months- 5 years)
My bed…
DVR
My nephews (although 1 of them is older than 5, and the other one is getting damn close)
My friendship w/Onaome
Chick Fil-A
White Out correction tape
Sharp scissors
New York & Company
My good @$$ hair
Sprint Navigation
Taking pictures
Sharing my life via my blog
Office Supply stores
Creativity
Elephants (w/the trunk up)
Contacts!!
Chewing Gum
Handheld Mirrors
Target
Fingernail Polish
SANGRIA!
The other day, someone said, “hey… do you have a pencil sharpener?”

my favorite blog comment thus far...

...speaking of your blog...
I've been reading it
& only it..
between my assignments...
at work..
since I got here..
yesterday.

Quite addicting and Entertaining!!! I love it! Lol.

[sorry if I sound stalkerish!!]

KiM Dike (Tuesday, May 11 @ 1:27 p.m.)

funny things

A friend @ work sent me this... and it really makes me chuckle! #36 is our favorite!

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear get dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

29. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'll bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

30. My check engine light has been on for three months now and nothing's happened. I'm starting to think that my car is just an attention whore.

31. I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

32. Sometimes I pretend not to remember details about people because having a good memory apparently equates to creepiness.

33. My GPS says "Estimated Arrival Time." I see "Time to Beat."

34. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

35. My keyboard needs a removable crumb tray like my toaster.

36. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

37. I wish it were appropriate to say to a complete stranger, "Excuse me, would you like me to show you how to discipline your child?"

38. I never understood why the Lions and Cowboys always get to play on Thanksgiving. Shouldn't the Patriots play the Redskins, and then steal their stadium afterwards?

39. Double-Stuffed Oreos should just be called Oreos, and regular Oreos should be called Diet Oreos

a bold confession

God has an appointed time to fulfill the visions, dreams, and desires in my heart. He'll restore the years the enemy has stolen... and my tears, are seeds of faith. I trust that the work he began in me, that he'll finish. But in the meantime, I choose to avoid strife and will walk in love. I'll be patient and look for ways to walk in unity with the people around me. The Lord will honor me for my humility and I trust that my prayers aren't going to deaf ears. I am a child of God, and I confidently trust that God alone is my source. I will embrace new things, and in this time of waiting; I'll be content no matter the circumstances.

I say no to fear, and I choose to believe.... I choose to believe in God... and I choose to believe that he makes all things possible. I pray God's divine favor over my life, but most importantly- I pray His will.

So shall it be written, so shall it be done.

a little encouragement from my Daddy...

Do not get ahead of God’s Plan. His greatest work comes when it looks as though he is “not” working on your behalf. He “appoints’’ the good and He is in “control” of the bad…He does not allow wickedness to run around at “random” causing havoc in your life... He is not the author of confusion and does not seek to do you harm. Others are not in control of your life and they cannot do anything without God allowing them to. Even this he uses for His own glory, not theirs. Let Him “shape” you with these trials you go. After you come out, share how he bought you out with someone else who may be going through the same issues.

Dad