Wow was that post on flying to Jamaica long! Hopefully you made it through it, or maybe you got bored and quit reading half way through. I hope not, since I've only just begun telling you everything about our trip!
I am having a really hard time coming back to reality, or maybe it's just the completely draining jet-lag I feel like I'm still suffering from. Here's a hint: The trip home wasn't any smoother than the trip there! Either way, it is not helping me prepare for the quilt show this weekend! I went home yesterday afternoon and could hardly keep my eyes open, let alone fire up the quilting machine. At this rate, I should be caught up quilting, well........never.
If that isn't bad enough, my sun burn waited until yesterday, 2 days after coming home, to turn a nice golden color. Now, it will for sure be long gone and I'll have to start the process all over again if Summer ever arrives in Idaho. Doing the laundry has been totally depressing, since it involves putting away swimsuits and shorts and tanks that won't reappear for another 2 months at least!
Thank goodness for my parents, who have helped me prepare items for my super awesome booth at the quilt show! I will be posting pictures, of course. I am so excited to see it all come together, exhausted or not! We set up for the show tomorrow afternoon, so wish me luck!
On top of everything else, my Cookie Lee jewelery arrived the day before I left for Jamaica. I love it all, but I'm so overwhelmed with everything I can't even begin to start really selling it. I'll settle for wearing it for now, I guess!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
And We're Off!
This is the first of several entries about our vacation to Jamaica. First, some background info: Monte and I have never attempted a vacation like this! Our usual "vacation" involves going no farther than 5 hours from home, by car, for less than 4 days, usually with kids in tow. This time, we were gone thousand of miles away, for 7 days, alone! We booked this trip last October, so we have been waiting what feels like forever to go.
We had friends who recommended the Sandals Montego Bay Resort, so after some looking we decided to go for it.
We left the evening of April 1, and for the two nights preceding it neither of us slept well. Tuesday, the 1st, I was so excited I couldn't hardly stop moving, let alone eat anything. By the time we made it to the Spokane airport, we were both starving. After checking in and feeling relieved that everything seemed to be in order, we ate a quick dinner of chef salad from the only airport restaurant open in our section. Of course, I followed this up with a Starbuck's iced mocha, and since I hadn't eaten all day I even ate a blueberry muffin with it. I finished just in time to board the plane at 7:40pm for Seattle.
The flight to Seattle was uneventful and fast, although I was cold. (I'm always cold, thus the tropical vacation). Inexperienced though we are, we even managed to figure out how to board the subway style train that would take us to our next gate in Seattle. We checked in there, received our boarding passes clear to Jamaica, and settled down for a short 1.5 hour wait for the next plane, scheduled at 11pm. Of course, Monte was hungry again, and proceeded to eat a second dinner, telling me I should do the same since our next flight was 5 hours to Charlotte, NC.
At 10:45, we hear the announcement that there is a problem with our plane. Something is broken and they're trying to locate the correct part. At 11:00, we hear that it may not leave until 11:30. And then, at 11:30, we find out that we are stuck waiting for the next available plane to arrive at 1:30am. This is a huge problem for the entire plane, since all of us are missing our connections in Charlotte. We proceed to stand in line at one of 3 counters in order to change our tickets out of Charlotte from 930am to 1130am. The girls in front of me are also going to Montego Bay, and I over hear them talking about how they put their swimsuits in their carry ons, in case their checked luggage ends up lost. Why didn't I think of that, I wonder, as visions of spending a week in my hotel room with no extra clothes fill my head.
After almost 2 hours in line, I have new tickets on the 1130am flight out of Charlotte. Now fully frozen and exhausted, Monte and I retire to our uncomfortable chairs to wait. By the time 130am rolls around, I feel as though my lips must be blue, despite the blanket that Monte so nicely bought for me at one of the airport shops. We board the plane to Charlotte, and before it even takes off I think I am asleep.
I awaken an unknown amount of time later, and immediately I know something is wrong. I feel sick, and not just a headache either. My head is pounding, I feel dizzy, and that Mocha and blueberry muffin suddenly don't seem like they were such a good idea. Monte is sleeping lightly beside me, and I nudge him awake to tell him I don't feel well. The bathrooms are all full, and I'm not even sure I would make it there anyways, so I stay in my seat. I'm unsure if I'll throw up or pass out first, and then I'm having a nice dream of flying, and Monte's shaking me and whispering, "Mindi, Mindi, are you ok??!!"
It turns out I passed out, scaring Monte to death. When we ask the flight attendant if she could hold the bathroom open, she finds out I'm feeling dizzy and insists I stay in my seat. And if I get sick, we ask? She hands me a white paper bag smaller than a lunch bag. I guess no one told her I ate a huge meal right before we left Spokane!
Thankfully, I make it to Charlotte without using the white bag by holding my head between my knees until we land. We're stuck in Charlotte for about 2 hours, during which I try to eat something. Monte, who thinks food is the cure for just about everything, insists that if I had only eaten something in Seattle, I would be fine. Actually, I think I would certainly have overfilled that white paper bag had I eaten in Seattle, but I'm too sick to tell him so.
The plane for Jamaica miraculously leaves on time at 11:30am, and we are in Jamaica by about 1:30pm Jamaican time. Thinking we finally made it, we are stopped in our tracks by the sight of the custom's line, which strings back and forth, filling the entire length of ribbon strung out in front of the counters. Monte looks at me and says, "We should have gone to Hawaii," and honestly, I'm thinking the same thing. We end up waiting an hour in this line, before we finally get to collect our luggage and find the Sandals desk.
After only a few minutes, it is clear this is going to be an interesting week. We can't understand half of what the Jamaicans say to us, making it difficult to find the right bus to our resort. As soon as we leave the airport, the road is lined with dilapidated concrete buildings, junk cars, and caved in houses. "We ARE NOT leaving the hotel," Monte says to me. Suddenly that Canopy Tour we signed up for is not sounding so great.
When we unload at the resort, which is only 5 minutes from the airport, and we are guided inside. As soon as we step off the bus, an airplane flies directly overhead as it leaves the airport, drowning out all sound for a few seconds. This is almost more than I can take. "What kind of a dive is this?" I wonder to myself, almost afraid to go inside. The hotel employees insist that it is OK to leave our luggage for them to bring in, but after the trip I've just had I'm not happy about leaving it out of my sight. They lead us to an air conditioned lounge, which is actually really nice. They offer us champagne and cool rags, but all I want is a shower and my toothbrush (my mouth feels like it might possibly have fur in it). Exhausted and unnerved, I am sure I am not the happiest guest they've ever seen, as I refuse the drink and towel and fight the urge to scream at them to book us on the next flight home. We are showed to our room about 15 minutes later, with our luggage safely following. The view from our room is beautiful:
so maybe this won't be so bad, I think. Still, half of me is wishing I had stayed my butt home. Monte is excited to learn they've upgraded our room to one with a mini-bar. Still, after showering the only thing we want to do is sleep, and we both collapse and fall asleep immediately.
To be continued........
We had friends who recommended the Sandals Montego Bay Resort, so after some looking we decided to go for it.
We left the evening of April 1, and for the two nights preceding it neither of us slept well. Tuesday, the 1st, I was so excited I couldn't hardly stop moving, let alone eat anything. By the time we made it to the Spokane airport, we were both starving. After checking in and feeling relieved that everything seemed to be in order, we ate a quick dinner of chef salad from the only airport restaurant open in our section. Of course, I followed this up with a Starbuck's iced mocha, and since I hadn't eaten all day I even ate a blueberry muffin with it. I finished just in time to board the plane at 7:40pm for Seattle.
The flight to Seattle was uneventful and fast, although I was cold. (I'm always cold, thus the tropical vacation). Inexperienced though we are, we even managed to figure out how to board the subway style train that would take us to our next gate in Seattle. We checked in there, received our boarding passes clear to Jamaica, and settled down for a short 1.5 hour wait for the next plane, scheduled at 11pm. Of course, Monte was hungry again, and proceeded to eat a second dinner, telling me I should do the same since our next flight was 5 hours to Charlotte, NC.
At 10:45, we hear the announcement that there is a problem with our plane. Something is broken and they're trying to locate the correct part. At 11:00, we hear that it may not leave until 11:30. And then, at 11:30, we find out that we are stuck waiting for the next available plane to arrive at 1:30am. This is a huge problem for the entire plane, since all of us are missing our connections in Charlotte. We proceed to stand in line at one of 3 counters in order to change our tickets out of Charlotte from 930am to 1130am. The girls in front of me are also going to Montego Bay, and I over hear them talking about how they put their swimsuits in their carry ons, in case their checked luggage ends up lost. Why didn't I think of that, I wonder, as visions of spending a week in my hotel room with no extra clothes fill my head.
After almost 2 hours in line, I have new tickets on the 1130am flight out of Charlotte. Now fully frozen and exhausted, Monte and I retire to our uncomfortable chairs to wait. By the time 130am rolls around, I feel as though my lips must be blue, despite the blanket that Monte so nicely bought for me at one of the airport shops. We board the plane to Charlotte, and before it even takes off I think I am asleep.
I awaken an unknown amount of time later, and immediately I know something is wrong. I feel sick, and not just a headache either. My head is pounding, I feel dizzy, and that Mocha and blueberry muffin suddenly don't seem like they were such a good idea. Monte is sleeping lightly beside me, and I nudge him awake to tell him I don't feel well. The bathrooms are all full, and I'm not even sure I would make it there anyways, so I stay in my seat. I'm unsure if I'll throw up or pass out first, and then I'm having a nice dream of flying, and Monte's shaking me and whispering, "Mindi, Mindi, are you ok??!!"
It turns out I passed out, scaring Monte to death. When we ask the flight attendant if she could hold the bathroom open, she finds out I'm feeling dizzy and insists I stay in my seat. And if I get sick, we ask? She hands me a white paper bag smaller than a lunch bag. I guess no one told her I ate a huge meal right before we left Spokane!
Thankfully, I make it to Charlotte without using the white bag by holding my head between my knees until we land. We're stuck in Charlotte for about 2 hours, during which I try to eat something. Monte, who thinks food is the cure for just about everything, insists that if I had only eaten something in Seattle, I would be fine. Actually, I think I would certainly have overfilled that white paper bag had I eaten in Seattle, but I'm too sick to tell him so.
The plane for Jamaica miraculously leaves on time at 11:30am, and we are in Jamaica by about 1:30pm Jamaican time. Thinking we finally made it, we are stopped in our tracks by the sight of the custom's line, which strings back and forth, filling the entire length of ribbon strung out in front of the counters. Monte looks at me and says, "We should have gone to Hawaii," and honestly, I'm thinking the same thing. We end up waiting an hour in this line, before we finally get to collect our luggage and find the Sandals desk.
After only a few minutes, it is clear this is going to be an interesting week. We can't understand half of what the Jamaicans say to us, making it difficult to find the right bus to our resort. As soon as we leave the airport, the road is lined with dilapidated concrete buildings, junk cars, and caved in houses. "We ARE NOT leaving the hotel," Monte says to me. Suddenly that Canopy Tour we signed up for is not sounding so great.
When we unload at the resort, which is only 5 minutes from the airport, and we are guided inside. As soon as we step off the bus, an airplane flies directly overhead as it leaves the airport, drowning out all sound for a few seconds. This is almost more than I can take. "What kind of a dive is this?" I wonder to myself, almost afraid to go inside. The hotel employees insist that it is OK to leave our luggage for them to bring in, but after the trip I've just had I'm not happy about leaving it out of my sight. They lead us to an air conditioned lounge, which is actually really nice. They offer us champagne and cool rags, but all I want is a shower and my toothbrush (my mouth feels like it might possibly have fur in it). Exhausted and unnerved, I am sure I am not the happiest guest they've ever seen, as I refuse the drink and towel and fight the urge to scream at them to book us on the next flight home. We are showed to our room about 15 minutes later, with our luggage safely following. The view from our room is beautiful:
so maybe this won't be so bad, I think. Still, half of me is wishing I had stayed my butt home. Monte is excited to learn they've upgraded our room to one with a mini-bar. Still, after showering the only thing we want to do is sleep, and we both collapse and fall asleep immediately.To be continued........
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Welcome Back, Me!
I'm Back! I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, and I promise to post more soon. Watch for some stories from Jamaica, and some pictures! I will be preparing for the Moscow Quilt Show, which is this coming weekend, so I better get into the swing soon! If my Internet doesn't crash tonight, I will hopefully start story telling soon.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Who Needs April Fools' Day?
Today is April Fool's Day, and it is putting me in a bad mood. I hate stupid holidays, and I can't stand it that so many people get right into it. First, they were playing all Kidz Bop versions of songs on the radio this morning. Funny, maybe, for a few songs, but all morning? No Thank You! It started my day off not-so-right.
Now, all I hear about on the radio, the Internet, the T.V., is "April Fools' Day!" It's everywhere! I wasn't thinking anything about it when I booked our vacation. Who pays attention to April Fools' Day, anyways? Not me, so we are flying out for Jamaica this evening. Since it's April Fools' Day and trickery is in the air, I have the unsettled feeling that something will come up between now and this evening to prevent us from going on a fantastic vacation. Why, oh why, didn't I book something earlier in the day? Or, how about tomorrow, or yesterday? Why April Fools' day? Because apparantly, I'm the only person on the planet who forgot all about it being a stupid holiday.
Now, all I hear about on the radio, the Internet, the T.V., is "April Fools' Day!" It's everywhere! I wasn't thinking anything about it when I booked our vacation. Who pays attention to April Fools' Day, anyways? Not me, so we are flying out for Jamaica this evening. Since it's April Fools' Day and trickery is in the air, I have the unsettled feeling that something will come up between now and this evening to prevent us from going on a fantastic vacation. Why, oh why, didn't I book something earlier in the day? Or, how about tomorrow, or yesterday? Why April Fools' day? Because apparantly, I'm the only person on the planet who forgot all about it being a stupid holiday.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Bee Bop Shop Hop
I attended the final meeting today for the Bee Bop Shop Hop in June. Here is some information on the shop hop, which promises to be lots of fun if you're in our area!
The Hop is Monday June 16 - Sunday June 22. 14 or 15 shops are included, from Metaline Falls, WA to Spokane, WA/Coeurdalene, ID to Palouse, WA, Moscow, ID, and me in Deary, ID. Hours are 10am-6pm M-Th, 10am-7pm F-Sat, and I think it's 11am-4pm Sunday, but if you're planning on it I'll have to check those Sunday hours. All shops are to be open these hours.
You have all week to make it to each shop. Which ever shop you choose to begin with, you will receive a passport and a shop list with maps. You only need to visit each shop and get your passport stamped to be eligible for great prizes, including 15gift baskets and the grand prize of an awesome quilting retreat for you and 9 friends!
For each shop you make a purchase at, you will receive a free fat eighth. You will also get to draw a discount when you purchase, with a chance to receive 10, 20, or 30% off your entire purchase!
There is no cost to participate in the hop, and you are not obligated to make any purchases to be eligible for prizes. Just turn in your completely stamped passport at the last shop you visit!
The Hop is Monday June 16 - Sunday June 22. 14 or 15 shops are included, from Metaline Falls, WA to Spokane, WA/Coeurdalene, ID to Palouse, WA, Moscow, ID, and me in Deary, ID. Hours are 10am-6pm M-Th, 10am-7pm F-Sat, and I think it's 11am-4pm Sunday, but if you're planning on it I'll have to check those Sunday hours. All shops are to be open these hours.
You have all week to make it to each shop. Which ever shop you choose to begin with, you will receive a passport and a shop list with maps. You only need to visit each shop and get your passport stamped to be eligible for great prizes, including 15gift baskets and the grand prize of an awesome quilting retreat for you and 9 friends!
For each shop you make a purchase at, you will receive a free fat eighth. You will also get to draw a discount when you purchase, with a chance to receive 10, 20, or 30% off your entire purchase!
There is no cost to participate in the hop, and you are not obligated to make any purchases to be eligible for prizes. Just turn in your completely stamped passport at the last shop you visit!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Cookie Lee Website
Here is my new Cookie Lee website, where you can view the catalog and information about Cookie Lee jewelery. Enjoy!
Relaxing? I Think Not!
Yesterday, I unexpectedly had the afternoon off thanks to my mom. So, I decided to hurry over to Moscow and finish up some last minute things before I leave next week. First stop on the list was a pedicure for my poor, tired feet. They are now beautiful and soft, with bright pink toe nails. Hopefully this will last longer than a few days!
The next stop was the tanning bed, in a last-ditch effort to prevent serious vacation sun burn. I have never tanned before. In fact, I wear 30 spf on my face every day to prevent wrinkles and sun damage. I'm a "burner", not a "tanner," and I prefer to keep my skin young and healthy as long as possible. However, every one has their price, and mine happens to be a sunny beach vacation.
The lady that did my pedicure told me that tanning was very relaxing. I must say, so far I disagree.
First, there was a big, very bright, neon pink piece of card stock at the front counter with the message "NEW BULBS! Be cautious, or you'll be this color!" So, already I'm a little freaked because I have the complexion of Snow White, and it's been a long, cold, sunless Winter.
The girl at the counter suggested I go with 5 minutes, saying "We've had people burning at 5 or 6 minutes before." This I do not find comforting! Then, I'm directed into the tanning booth, which is in a row of about 10 booths strung together. The door has slats in it (non see-thru), and the walls don't go clear to the floor or the ceiling. There is no lock on the inside, so I can only assume that it locks automatically once shut. So, I am still not assured or relaxed.
Since I will not be using the nude beach on vacation, I've brought my swim top along. I do not relish the thought of being walked in on naked at the tanning bed, or the thought of a sun burned chest. I press the button and lay down, trying to relax. However, every noise and every sound of a door being opened gives me the urge to look up and make sure it's not the door to my booth being opened. In the short 5 minutes, I find it impossible to relax, and my toes are not even warm when the lights go off.
When I left, I felt nothing. I am finding it sort of creepy and eerie that only 5 or 6 hours later I felt like I spent a few hours in the hot sun. As I quilted last night, my back began to feel warm, and when I went to change into pajamas, I was startled to find that my abdomen and back matched my toe nails. I even have a perfect white imprint of the tie on the back of my bikini top.
Thankfully, I am much less colorful this morning, with no soreness. I might make it back to the tanning bed before Tuesday after all. And maybe next time, I'll forget my top, because that line across my back is not so attractive. I might even be able to relax a little more. If I'm lucky, I might retain a hint of color by the time I leave for Jamaica!
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