Opportunity I couldn't pass up!

2 weeks out of surgery for medial tendon tear & ulnar nerve damage, my husband took me on my first venture out of the house other than to visit the doctor. We saw our friend in the grocery store & I said "they are leaving for Negril in 4 days". I said that I wish that I could go with them......They had asked us months ago to go with them. We declined, as we were going for Christmas and I had surgery scheduled in January.
When we got home I said it again, I wish that I could go. My husband said, do you really want to go? Stupid question - hell yes! I thought he was kidding. He texted his friend and asked if the offer was still good. M said "bring it"! Well, after texting back & forth all afternoon & evening, hubby said if you can figure out how to go on x amount, you can go. I asked hubby if he hit his head?had a girlfriend?why would he let me go to Negril without him? What was wrong with him? I think he was tired of being the nurse & needed a break! I racked my brain all night! I searched for flights and thought no way, can't do it for the budget he gave me. Big let down......Then it hit me, I have points on my credit card that I can use for the airfare! Yes, I am a weasel!
Hubby woke up Sunday morning & I called cc to make sure that I had enough points. Crazy thing, airfare alone was more than my points. Big let down again..... So I added 1 night at the hotel & it was less than the airfare alone. Yeah buddy, I'm in!!!!!! I pulled the trigger. I have 6 days to make plans and get packed. I can't drive yet, so I get a friend's teenager to drive me around to get things together.

The stars aligned perfectly for you! Lucky girl.
What better place to be on the mend than soaking up the sun on the beach in Negril?

First order of plans, need airport transfers. I email Kingsley from Take Care Tours. He replies right away, no problem he can pick me up. I call Hampton Inn at CLT to reserve a room for Saturday night. Call Delta for airport assistance. Get my hair done and a pedicure. All week I keep saying pinch me I can't believe I am going back so soon! I get all my stuff in 1 bag to be checked & will carry a backpack on my good arm. First time I have packed so little.....
We get to Charlotte, do a little shopping, & have dinner. Hubby goes right to sleep. Me, the excitement really kicks in, I can't sleep. Alarm goes off, get a quick shower, & ice my arm for a few minutes & catch the shuttle to the airport. Due to the last minute plans, I can't get a direct flight. I check in at Delta & the have a rep with a wheelchair take me to security & my gate. I get to board first. Off to ATL. I get a quick nap on the way. In ATL a rep is waiting for me & takes me to my gate & sits me at the desk. First on the plane again! The stewardess gives me ice for my arm & I take another nap. I get up to go to the bathroom. That was interesting to say the least, but I survived. In no time we were preparing to land. I had the biggest smile on my face. HAPPY FACE, HAPPY GIRL! We arrived about 15 minutes early! Rep meets me & whisks me to immigration. He handed my passport to the officer. I asked if I needed to stand, he said no & we were off to get my bag. I thought no way would the bags be unloaded yet, but there it was. We went to the front of the line at customs & I was out of the airport in record time - about 5 minutes! Kingsley wasn't there yet & the rep didn't want to leave me alone. I told him it was okay & I sat on the bench with my bag. He put the word out with the taxi drivers that I was waiting for Kingsley. About 5 minutes go by & a driver with Take Care Tours sign approaches me & says that Kingsley's son will be driving me. Whew - I was relieved....
Damien has a cold bottle of water for me & we are off. His Dad calls to make sure that everything is alright. Kingsley called again & asked where we were & few minutes later he passes us and we wave at him. We talked all the way to Negril. Damien took great care of me & stopped to get minutes for my phone, supplies, & stopped at Hammond's for patties. Final destination Negril Beach Club. I check in, change, eat my patty, & M is knocking on my door!

Before I left, my daughter & husband tell me that I should call my doctor. I call & tell them that
I AM GOING to Jamaica and do they have any issues with me going. If they do, I am NOT going to cancel! They call me back & ask how long since surgery? It has now been 3 weeks. When did you get your stitches out? Ummm, last Friday...Good news you can go, bad news you can't get in a pool or the ocean. Okay, I can deal with that ! :D

Good for you. I had bowel surgery a couple of years ago and went to negril two weeks after. Had a crazy speedy recovery. Doctor said he wished he could send everyone down to the land of happy!

I go over to my friends condo to check it out & see what the plans are for the evening. I'm tired, but the adrenalin has kicked in....We are going next door to Travellers to watch the Super Bowl. Good crowd. Order buckets of beer & appetizers, Pepsi for me. We stay til after half time & head back to NBCC.
I'm up early & take a walk down the beach to Rondel Village. Carl is on duty. He can't believe that I am back so soon. I ask him for a phone number & he tells me to stop back later. Okay. I am going to schedule a massage with Pat this afternoon. Stop at Alfred's for breakfast - callaloo omelette & a fruit smoothie - yum! I stroll back towards NBCC. My friends are going to Moondance on the cliffs to spend the day. I piddle around until they leave & walk back down the beach. I see Dean the pork guy at Rooms & get some pork. I stop by Rondel again & Carl has the phone number I need.
I go over to the Boat Bar & wait for Pat. I get a Pepsi & start to eat the delicious pork when Anthony the coco bread/pastry guy comes by. Just in time! Need some bread to cool my mouth down!I get some banana bread for later. I get Marcia to fill my ziplock bag w/ice & head upstairs to ice my arm & check out the view. Pat makes me a deal for 3 massages for the week. When she tells me the hour is up, I tell her to please give me another half hour! I feel like a million bucks! I make an appt for Wed & head back up the beach. I stop at Bourbon Beach & have a dirty banana. I tell David & Shabba that I'll be back for dinner.
I go back to the room & get showered & go to the lobby to check emails, etc. head back to Bourbon Beach & order some chicken. My god, I had to tell a line of guys NO, I do not want company - I just want to eat my dinner by myself & watch the sunset in peace! Chicken was great. Finished my finding just at sunset & beat feet back to NBCC! My friends came back shortly after I did & we hung out on their balcony for the evening.

ha ha great thread had shoulder surgery torn subscap 2 weeks later soaking it in the sea in front of white sands gotta love it

Jeffrey1-Negril has miracle healing powers!

Some pics from my morning walk & sunset

Awesome story! Hat's off to your husband!

Happy Travels!

Skb

Tuesday is hanging at the beach with my friends. Breakfast at Treehouse - eggs, bacon, & fruit smoothie. Gotta great some good vitamins! 1 couple is going home today & I am moving into the condo. M moves my bags & we hit the beach. Tony the juice guy comes by. We try the cucumber ginger juice. He said at Christmas that it was his favorite, so we tried it. Not bad - it's got to have some healing qualities, right? L & I drink the whole bottle before it gets warm. Next Anthony shows up. Hmm, what kind of goodies today? Vanilla cake with pineapple - my midnight snack! I love Negril - you don't have to get out of your chair all day - the vendors come to you! Lunch time....we're going to Jamaica Tamboo. I ordered a calalloo pizza & it was off the hook. I did share 1 piece! Best calalloo pizza yet! After lunch we head back up the beach and my worst fear happens. We're walking along and yapping. S says to me "watch out for that rope"! If you were in front of BarBBarn you witnessed my grace. I lifted my left foot over the rope & my right foot didn't quite make it. I caught the rope between my big toe & down I went like a ton of bricks. Oh *****....it seemed like forever....I couldn't fall on my freakin left arm. My left knee hit the sand & I threw my forearms out in front of my & shifted to my right side. M & S came running. I couldn't get up fast enough. You know that embarrassing moment - you jump up & look around to see if anyone saw you! Yep, a whole bunch of people saw it....I didn't want to get my purse wet either! M grabs my arm to see if my incision split open. The look on his face....He promised my husband that he would take care of me. I said my arm was okay, check & see if my knees & foot are bleeding. Sh*t....I had rope burn between my toes & the top of my foot, left knee & calf huge bruises... A Jamaican man runs up to see if I am alright, just embarrassed & my freakin knee is killing me. Needless to say everyone was sworn to secrecy NOT to tell my husband. He'll never let me go without him again. Arm/elbow good - didn't tear the anchor out.....Go back to the condo & get my handy gel ice pack & move it around to all my new injuries. Yeah, my family calls me "Grace" - really - tru dat! My friends have a good time the rest of the week teasing me that they are going to wrap me in bubble wrap!
Tonight we eat at Linga By the Sea. Orange ginger chicken with rice. It was good, but small pieces of chicken - back & drumstick????? Huh-back ????Hang on the porch. This is our evening ritual. Heck, we even have karaoke up there! Everyone goes to bed. I can't do my usual trippy trapping around, so I get into bed & spin tunes on my iPod with my ear buds in for a couple of hours & eat my cake!

Thanks Smokin Kevin! He is a great guy & I'm a lucky girl.

Oh my I am so happy you did NOT get hurt too bad. SHHHHHH......LOL

Kool husband!!,Great place to heal is in Negril!!!!~Good people watching over you as well!!!~That DAMN rope got me there too!!!!Same place same trip and fall too!!!~Thanks to Yello Bird for the rum punches i felt NOTHING!!!:)~But you know i DID NOT spill a drop either falling!!!(grin)

Vince, I was sober! That was the most likely the problem lol! I didn't drink cause I didn't want to fall. That didn't work out so well!!

Wednesday - Bob Marley's birthday! My room mate L is up early to go snorkeling. I wish that I could go, but I made an appt with Pat for a massage at 11:00. I walk down to Alfred's for breakfast - fruit smoothie and banana pancakes. On the way back to NBCC, I stop at the Cambio behind Bourbon Beach to exchange some $$$. Since I took my gracious fall yesterday, I'm taking a cab to the Boat Bar today (knee hurts too bad to walk that far!). Pat isn't ready for me yet, so I grab a water & some ice at the bar from Marcia & head upstairs to my perch to ice my arm & watch the peeps on the beach. I love it up there - nobody bothering me & a wonderful view! Pat is ready for me. When I tell her that I fell & she sees the bruises, she asked if I hurt my arm, no just my pride! I told her that when I go home, I will wear long pants & long pj's around my hubby so he won't see the bruises. I told her that I would have to put some coverup makeup on my knees too! She got the biggest kick out of that...I brought my vitamin E oil with me today for her to use on my incision. It is so sensitive & Pat is very gentle. After my massage, I head down to Niah's for a chic & veg pattie. Niah & Maude are there today. He asked me if I brought him a copy of the picture that I took of Maude at Christmas. No I didn't - kinda made me feel bad that I didn't think to do that. I sat under the tree waiting for my pattie to go. I walked over to Rondel & Carl got a taxi for me back to NBCC. My friends are on the beach, so I plant myself in a chair & eat my yummy pattie. L & S are sisters & have been coming to Negril for 25+ yrs. They have never tried a pattie from Niah's. They love it! While I was gone, Tony the juice guy stopped by with a bottle of sorrel juice. Another new treat for L & S. We chugged the whole bottle! Delicious!
Tonight, everyone wants to go to Xtabi for dinner. I'm a little apprehensive about going because of the steps, but decide to go. We head out before sunset. We order a round of drinks (me a dirty banana - fantastic!) and everyone wants to go down to the caves. Umm, not me! Everyone comes back & we get some good pics of the sunset. I ordered brown stewed chicken & it was really good. After dinner, we go to the bar for more drinks. Yeah, I have another dirty banana - yum! We go back to NBCC. On the way we see MXIII. I am dying to go out, but everyone is tired and wants to go to bed. Hmmm, I really want to go, but definitely not by myself. I need a real body guard to stand by my left side so I don't get bumped or grabbed by the arm. Even with a sling on, you wouldn't believe the people that grab you or slap you on the sling?????Dumb asses.....! It is killing me not to go, but I know safety first! So, I sit on the porch & listen to the music coming from Bourbon Beach. Next year I'll go to the concerts!

Bob Marley's birthday - a great time to be in Jamaica! Sooo happy!

Thursday is another beach day with my friends. Breakfast at Lingha by the Sea. I'm not really impressed with this place. I ordered a side of calalloo and got it after I finished my breakfast????? L went snorkeling again this morning. She said that it was absolutely beautiful this morning. The water was smooth. The usually vendors stop by & I can't say no to Anthony...Got to have my midnight snack of cake! Today we are heading to Bourbon Beach for lunch. Three of us get chicken, S & L get the chicken wraps. The jerk chicken is delicious. I bought a bottle of their jerk sauce to take home. After lunch we cross the street to shop at Times Square. We pick up a few t shirts & head back to the beach. Me, I am now walking around the ropes on the beach! No more sober tumbles for me!!!!! We hang at the beach until sunset. Everyone is going to Angela's for dinner tonight. I'm going to pass, still full from lunch. I decide to walk down the road to grab a pattie before it gets dark. Can't remember the name of the place, but it was a littler further than I thought. Got a chicken & a beef n cheese pattie. Damn, it is dark. I'm a little nervous being by myself, so I cross the road & hoof it back to NBCC. Someone was walking right behind me & scared the crap out of me. I almost broke out into a sprint, but thought WTH....There was so much traffic on the road, someone would see me. The guy ended up passing me, almost gave me a heart attack, as I was high steppin it & thought "why is this guy crawling up my butt?"Oh well, made it back safely. Lesson learned. I stopped by the lobby & checked my email. When I got back to the room, L was there. She didn't go to dinner. Someone knocked on the door & it was the repair man. Finally, after 5 days, they sent someone to fix our toilet....We could flush it if we stuck our hand in the tank & made sure the flapper went into place. After an hour and a half the repair man said he had to get some silicone???? Okay, whatever...I went into the bathroom to see the progress & he had the whole tank off!!!!Really????Dang, give me a Lowe's or Home Depot to get parts & I could have fixed it in 15 minutes! Everyone comes back from dinner & we tell them that the repair man is here. The repair guy leaves around 9:30 & it seems to be fixed. We hang on the porch & everyone calls it an early evening - they are resting up for tomorrow!!!!

Sweet review... i have some new places to taste... Thanks...

Happy Travels...

Skb...