Christmas on the South Coast of Jamaica

The edge of the property at Jakes

My family is big on vacationing. Don't just work work work...enjoy the fruits of your labour. Many of us die while still working, never getting the chance to retire and see the world. I'm trying to do it while I'm working. Pinch a little now save a little for later and hope we make it to later. I'm passing on the love of travel to my munchie. Not all the while we need to leave our shores. We live in a tropical paradise that people all over the world have on their list of places to visit and many of never stop to take in the beauty of our own little island. This Christmas past, I struck Jake's St. Elizabeth and Little Ochi Seafood Restaurant off my list.

Back to life as we know it: the cycles of LDRs

I've been in a long distant relationship longer than I cared to be in one. We both know that if munchkin hadn't come along it would have long fizzled out and died. We were young and one half of us just wasn't ready to settle down....the other half was tired of wishing and hoping. If he hadn't left the country, we would have surely fought it out but with all the distance between us we were ready to let it go. I was anyway. But with new reasons to stay together and the old ones still fresh in our hearts we decided to "panka" on in the relationship from afar hoping to keep the fire fanned over the next year or so. The say frequent visits help to keep one focused. They're right. Its not so bad...since I have munchkin to keep me occupied anyway...I dunno whats happening on the other end and I'm can't bother to worry about all that.

The part especially that I don't care for right now is the cycle of the visits. If its a short visit, you're giddy right thru-out. You're super-excited to see each other and it takes precedence over everything else. You stifle arguments because you don't want to waste a moment of the time mad at each other and the buzz is higher than what you'd be experiencing if you saw each other everyday. Before you know it, its time to separate again and cross off calendar days till the next. If its a longer visit, then you get more and more comfortable with the person being around and start to work them into your routine then braps!! Theyre gone.

Just one more! Help me choose!

Now that the spending season is winding to a close and the season of saving is beginning, I wanna get myself one last little morsel. My wishlist is chock full of amazing shoes that I didn't manage to get myself and I still want them all! But I can't be frivolous. 2011 is a big year and I must start saving now. Must.

But look at all the pretty shoes! I'm gonna get myself one final pair...which do you like best?

You'll notice there are two brown pumps there...I really want a brown/nude coloured shoes but I'm not sure which one of these two are hotter. HELP! Which do you like best?

An amazing year

Yesterday I got my adult on and hosted Christmas dinner for the fam at my house. Both my fam and boo's fam were present. I did the mac and cheese (ode to my mama) and the ham. Note...I don't eat ham so this was my first time. I just had to...what's Christmas without ham they said. I also did the 'tato salad and boo did an amazing fish in foil complete with stuffing and bammy and he did the roast chicken. Grandpa (my dad) did some amazing sorrel and lil sis did the salad. We also had more chicken, curry goat and gungo rice and peas. With all that cooking I was completely pooped by the start of dinner but it was all worth it and I would do it all over again...as long as the next time is a year away!

Christmas Grinch...have a seat!

Sigh...I am so tired of hearing how Christmas isn't the same again and its so commercialized. I've been hearing it since high school. You know why? Because it always was. But before high school, I. Was. A. Child. I didn't know what commercialized was yet. As many people echo, Christmas was fun when we were young. Well...thank your mother. Thank your pa...your gammy...thank whoever held the tradition up in your household so you had a Christmas. Now you're grown and know the harsh reality of what Christmas "really is." Like I was crushed the day I found out my mommy was the tooth fairy. CRUSHED! But, I am excited to sneak money under my baby's pillow in a couple years. Its your turn you grinch! The magic is not gone, its now your turn to make it happen. Make it special for your little cousin, your niece your nephew...your mom, your pa...your gammy who sacrificed her December pension so you could feel Christmas.