I'm sorry for the long intermission, It’s been a crazy hectic and busy week…
We've been back in the states for over a week now and we just unpacked our suitcases today.
We laid out all the mementos from our trip on the kitchen table..
I picked up each item on that table and turned it over in my hands. Everything held a special meaning in my heart, There is a beautiful and treasured memory attached to each item in this picture...We’ll share the stories behind them in this TR.
****
I don't know if words can adequately describe how much this trip meant to me, to both of us.
It was truly epic, just as Markus stated and more amazing than our first two trips to Negril. I didn't think that was possible!!
I don’t even know where to start…
I guess the best place to start is the beginning...
Everyone in my office knew that it was "Jamaica day" when I entered the office on April 18th. This time my co-workers didn't give me a hard time about going back to Jamaica... This time, I feel like they truly understood and respected my need to go back.
The past two months had been incredibly difficult and painful, not just for me but for everyone I worked with. Our co-worker had passed away.
For me, She was more than just a fellow co-worker.
Michelle was my best friend.
This is the first time I’m really writing about this and It’s hard…
After her death, I spiraled into a dark place. Something just shut off. It was like a light went out inside of me. Michelle and I were the same age. Her passing was so unexpected... Once again I was confronted with the true fragility of life and It shook me to the core.
When I requested additional time off for my vacation, no one said a word. My boss just nodded with a sympathetic understanding look.
I really needed to get away so I used every vacation day, personal day and sick day I had in the bank for this trip.
I was hoping Jamaica would help me heal. I needed to learn how to embrace and enjoy life again, I needed to feel the sunshine on my skin, I needed to taste fresh fruits, swim in clear waters and be with Markus.
Life is short, and we only have a limited time on this earth. I knew Michelle would want me celebrate her memory, her life, and our times together, not shut myself off from the world. She was playful, compassionate, loving and a ball of happy energy. I loved her and She brought out the best in me...in everyone... I had to channel that..
I knew exactly where I needed to go.
I'm sorry for such a sad beginning, it's just provide a background from the place I was coming from…It also gives you a deeper understanding of how meaningful this trip truly was…
I promise It's all happiness from this point on...I didn’t want to bring you all down…
We had saved up a long time for this trip, it was going to be the longest vacation we've ever taken together in our entire lives and the day had finally arrived. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world...
Markus was waiting with the bags rolled up to the front door when I arrived home from work. I was so excited, I could barely contain it. Our friend, Jamar hugged us goodbye and promised to take good care of our kitties.
"Say Hi to Bella Bea for me!" He said with a smile.(Jamar just started a new job, so he couldn't join us this time.)
We hailed down a taxi and threw our two carry-on bags into the trunk. I had worked later than expected trying to wrap up all the last minute tasks so we were running behind schedule. It didn't help that there was a Giants game letting out...combined with the rush hour traffic it was literally bumper to bumper on the highway. For a while, we weren't moving at all, I felt my heartbeat racing in my chest as I gazed out the window at the hilly San Francisco landscape and the setting sun. I started worrying that we weren't going to catch our flight...
We were one of the last to board the plane to Miami and the flight attendent stopped us in our tracks when we were entering the plane.
"I'm sorry guys there is no more room in the overhead compartments, we're going to have to check in your bags"
After all the ridiculous packing strategy I had employed over a two week period to fit everything we needed into two carry-on bags we still had to check them in. It's was ironic in that Alanis Morissette kind of way... but at that point, I didn't even care. I was just happy to be on that plane!
Markus really doesn't like flying, He gets restless leg syndrome on long flights and he can't sleep on planes. We always fly red eye from CA to Mobay. This time we decided to purchase some wine to make the trip less painful...
and it worked!!!
When the airline stewardess found out that this trip was for our 10 year wedding anniversary, she provided us with additional complimentary bottles of wine! We ended up hanging out in the back of the plane with a bunch of flight attendants and had a little party with a few other passengers. It's all a bit of a blur...mixed in with alot of laughter and some turbulance. That was hands down the most fun I've ever had in a plane!
We definitely paid for it though during our 5 hour layover in Miami...We were hung over before we even arrived in Montego Bay...
Despite that, There is nothing better than that first beautiful glimpse of turquoise blue Jamaican waters from the airplane window...I felt like Dorothy emerging from her black and white world to the technicolor land of OZ.
A rush of energy, happiness and excitement filled my entire body...Our vacation was just about to begin…
I knew this was going to be a special trip, I just didn’t realize at the time how truly special it was going to be…