Summing up on Saturday!

The time is about 4:45 on Saturday afternoon. Betty and I are winding down after a lovely day. I am in the foyer once again, entering our final blog. The awnings have been lowered as it looks like a storm may blow in. We both feel sad to be leaving but are anxious to see all our loved ones, even if it is cold and wintery up there!














We got up at 6:20 this morning to wave good - bye to the others. They were leaving at 6:45 (that will be us tomorrow!). We felt a bit abandonned! Betty went to make our reservations and I did the blog. We went down to the buffet for breakfast and ate a rather modest meal...but I had another pancake which was delicious. I think we are on food overload! The weather was looking a bit "iffy" so we browsed through the shops for a bit - I needed to get a larger carry on so I can reorganize my stuff! I don't want to go over the weight if possible.
We then went up to the pool as the wind was very gusty and we didn't want to get sand all over everything. Every time we got settled, it would begin to rain so we would grab everything and run for cover. Finally we said we were staying put and would just put plastic over our stuff. The rain stopped and the rest of the afternoon was fantastic with very sunny skies. I went for a final swim in the ocean. The water was warm, but very choppy, making actual swimming difficult!
We waited for a big cloud before we headed over for lunch. Because it was Saturday, there seemed to be a more simple meal. We didn't overdo it, each of us concocting a sandwich of sorts.
We read by the pool and suntanned and swam. We were ready to come in by the time the big, threatening clouds and gale force winds blew in. Now we are heading up to the room to try to squeeze all our stuff back into our bags. No way I am lugging my pillow back! But I am glad I have my winter coat!
Thanks you all for reading! Shirlene, you get the award for most loyal and responsive follower!!! Thank you so much for your extensive comments! See you all soon.

Fun on Friday

Our amazing journey is winding down now! Betty and I have just waved goodbye to Pat, Donna and the rest of the wedding guests. Betty is sitting at the reservation table, first in line, to make our reservation for tonight - we are going to Sir Richard's again as it was so fabulous.

Friday was such a fun filled day! The sun was shining brightly almost all day and even when it sneaked behind some clouds we didn't mind as we needed a brief respite from its rays. We had our usual leisurely breakfast at the buffet and everyone was branching out with their eating, knowing we didn't have many more chances. I even had a pancake and Pat had her second omelette with jalapeno peppers.

We spent the morning on the beach again. The water was more clear than Thursday even though there was a stiff breeze blowing. Once again, we were amazed by how many women were sunbathing TOPLESS! (Sorry Mike and Frank missed it!) There was no more really strong sunblock for Pat, Betty and me! We moved down in number, trying to maximize our browning.

We went to The Plantation for lunch again, and were pleased to see that our favorite waitress, Arlene, was there today. She spent a lot of time at our table telling us about her sons. After lunch, we moved to the pool deck but spent most of the afternoon in the water. First, we went in the whirlpool with our Mojitos. We had a hilarious time trying to get a picture of the four of us using Betty's camera timer. She had such a hard time getting back through the waves in order to be in the picture! I had to grab her arm and just pull her into the frame - we were laughing so hard, we almost drowned!

Donna has been hilarious, wanting to try each new drink on offer! We really wanted to get a shot of us in front of the "fan palm" or, as Betty calls it, the East - West palm. You can see how amazingly big they are!

As the sun was going down, Betty and I came up to the foyer to do a bit of emailing. (Thanks to those who commented on our blog or emailed - it was so nice to hear from home!) We laughed to see the staff "redecorating" the tree (they must have heard our comments!) They decided it didn't look very pretty, so started all over again with silver and blue lights and ornaments - it is much nicer now, although there are still tacky bows on it. But who's complaining? It brings Christmas to Jamaica!

We got dressed up for dinner as we were going to Tachima's, the Japanese restaurant, for dinner. It was a very peaceful room which had been decorated with Japanese touches. Pat, Betty and Donna really enjoyed the starters: huge shrimp, sushi, sashimi and nigori (did I spell everything right, Shirlene?).

Then we had tempura vegetables with shrimp (I skipped the shrimp!), followed by yummy grilled salmon or beef with red sauce. Dessert was "to die for" - fried iced cream with strawberry and apricot sauce! Most of the other guests were eating together at the buffet so we went over to say Hi to them.

As it was Pat and Donna's final evening, we were a bit wild and went to "the bar" where the entertainment was. We began with coffee, but then had a couple of drinks: pina coladas, cosmos or creme de menthe on ice. We were sitting at the back where we could feel the ocean breeze while we watched the stage performance of Grease. Naturally, we sang along!

About 10:30, we headed to our room as Pat and Donna had to have an early night.

On our way, we spent some time on the beach, frolicking in the sand and taking funny pictures by the "gnarly tree". It was SUCH a beautiful evening!

Once Pat and Donna left, Betty and I were putzing around and Betty found a pair of glasses stuck in our couch. They turned out to be my glasses and much of the week I had been wearing Pat's missing reading glasses. Here I thought I was going blind and it was because I wasn't wearing the proper glasses! Now I can REALLY see how beautiful everything is.

Now we are going to head to breakfast and off for a day in the sun. We will likely do a final blog this evening to finish off our record of the week - and to show Pat and Donna how we spent the day without them!

Friday Morning

A happy day of sunning on the beach!

All spiffed up, going for our gourmet dinner at Sir Richard's! (Shirlene, notice the elegant evening bag I am carrying!)

We are all sad that our fabulous week is winding down! It is 7 a.m. and I am, once again, sitting in the resort foyer with my computer. Unfortunately, there is no computer access in the rooms, but who can complain about sitting here with the ocean on my one side, beautiful palms and gardens on the other, with a gentle breeze blowing through. Betty is around the corner, second in line for making dinner reservations. Tonight we are headed to the Japanese Restaurant.

Because the computers weren't working for two days, we weren't able to give many details of the wedding. I think the pictures we posted give an idea of the idyllic setting. Pat and the girls had left around noon to get their hair done and then Pat rejoined us for lunch. Her hair looked fantastic and fortunately they had put enough hair spray on it that even a hurricane wouldn't have disturbed it. Even though there had been a rainstorm in the morning, the afternoon was perfect: warm, sunny and breezy.

The guests began assembling on the beach about 3:45. The chairs were set up facing the arbour with the ocean behind - beautiful! Betty had brought "bubbles" for everyone to blow so she put those on the seats. The groom and groomsmen came down first and we were able to get some nice shots of the Wilson family together. Then came the bridesmaids, beautiful in teal. The got rid of their shoes and walked barefoot on the beach. Angela walked slowly down the ramp in her gorgeous dress. She looked amazing - she had chosen the perfect dress for a destination wedding. Her hair cascaded down her back and she had a flower behind her ear. The ceremony itself was very touching and beautiful. The minister gave a few pieces of advice to the newlyweds. After the declaration that they were Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, we all went along the beach for some group shots. What fun that was, trying to get everyone into one picture! We stood on the beach drinking champagne and toasting the happy couple. Fantastic

!

The reception was traditional in format - entrance of the wedding party, followed by the bride and groom, speeches (short and sweet), yummy dinner, and lotsa dancing. However the setting made it very unique: singing crickets (Richard says they are tree frogs!), gentle breezes, the sound of the ocean waves pounding on the shore, friendly beaming waitstaff. All in all, it was a perfect day!

Wednesday was our "off day".The weather was threatening all day with short periods of sun but never much blue sky. It ended up raining from mid afternoon off and on. However, that gave us a chance to go to Pat and Donna's room and visit with the three Wilson boys. Scott brought the DVD of their trip to the falls on the catamaran and that was fun to watch. That was our night to have our fancy meal at "Sir Richard's" so we got all dressed up and had a leisurely meal. We all enjoyed our dinner, although 9 o'clock is too late for "old gals" to be eating! Betty had crab soup, Pat had mussels Rockefeller, Donna had cous cous with shrimp and mussels and octopus, I had vegetable soup (of course). For dinner, Betty had the beef filet which she said was divine, Donna had chicken, Pat had lamb, and I had linguini. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Thursday was perfect! There was not a cloud in the sky until about 4 p.m. and the breezes kept it from getting too hot! We had our usual extensive breakfast at the buffet. It is so much fun having so many friends and acquaintances here - everywhere we go, we know people! We spent the morning on the beach, sunning and swimming. The water was quite wavy, although the reef keeps it from ever getting too choppy. We were surprised by the number of topless women on the beach - some even as old as us!!! (We took pictures!). Then, of course, there were also the Speedo clad Europeans - gross!

Around noon, we moved to the pool as sand was blowing into everything. The kids and other adults were spread around the deck so everyone was very friendly. We swam in the Infinity pool - very refreshing - and Pat and I lay on the tile lounges in the pool. I could have cheerfully gone to sleep there but would have been a lobster by the end! We sauntered down the beach to The Plantation for lunch. On our way, we went through the auditorium and got our picture taken with a very skinny "Santa". They were putting up rather tacky Christmas decorations on the stage. The others had Jerk Chicken along with the buffet and said it was amazing. No one could complain about the variety at the buffet! WOW. For those of us who love vegetables, we are in heaven. I love how they use "pumpkin" (squash) in so many ways. Yummy.

After more time by the pool, sunning and visiting, we came up and put the pictures on our blog. While we were doing that, some staff were decorating the Christmas tree in the foyer. The decorations are rather sparse and there is no star at the top, but who's criticizing. It does add a festive touch to the space! We were casual for dinner last night and went to the buffet. Everyone was feeling a bit bloated, so it seemed that we all cut down a bit on what we ate. I still managed to have a piece of pumpkin pie!!! After dinner, we went back to our room while Donna went to use my computer in the foyer. She came running up to say Alicia was on the stage competing in the Scavenger Hunt. We ran down and watched the end of the competition - very funny. Alicia was third - no one had any i.d. to give her. We watched some Jay Leno - poor Tiger and all the jokes - and then turned in about 11:30.

Donna is now up to 14 different drinks which she has sampled - add a Blue Ocean, Strawberry Daiquiri, a Cosmo, a lime Daiquiri to the list. I tried a Miami Vice under Leah's instructions.

Today looks like a great day. The sun is up now and Betty has just gone to get us a pot of coffee. We hope you are all having a great day up there in the northland! Betty and Donna have now joined me, Pat is saving our spot on the beach, then we are off to breakfast and another day of frolicking in the sun!

Jamaican Fun

Enjoy this random selection of pictures from Tuesday to Thursday. We hear that there is a blizzard happening at home so we thought you would like to live vicariously and see us frolicking in the 35 degree heat with nary a cloud in the sky. Today was a perfect day and we are all feeling very mellow and calm.

You will notice me in my winter coat and a blanket in the one photo. Thank goodness I brought my winter coat as I slept on the balcony (why is on a need to know basis) and was freezing! That's all I'm disclosing.

The line of the day is from Donna: "I find it difficult to go by a bar without grabbing a drink." What has happened to our friend Donna???

I have been having a wonderful time and I really do not want to go home!!!

The wedding was absolutely perfect-the weather was warm, breezy and and beautiful. Angela was gorgeous and my son was very handsome if I do say so myself. The rest of the wedding party looked pretty darned fine.

I highly recommend a winter vacation in Jamaica and this hotel is fantastic. I will see you all soon.

Pat

Hi folks,

So glad to be talkin' to ya agin, mon. I am so relaxed after spending the last few days in the sun and in the warm salt water sea!! I have had the most wonderful vacation with my best friends in the whole world..other than my sisters!! We enjoyed the most wonderful wedding in the best location ever! Scott and Angela are the cutest couple and we have enjoyed being part of their wedding "party"!!

Talk to everyone soon.

Love, Donna xoxoxoxooxoxoxo

We had a marvellous dinner last night at Sir Richard's. It is the only gourmet restaurant that serves very high-end food, such as mussels Rockefeller, beef tenderloin, and crepes! (Betty)

Look at the MOG (mother of the groom) isn't she lovely? The friend guests also were very well-dressed.

The ceremony was very touching. It was the largest wedding here at the hotel with the greatest number of attendants.

The Wilson family!

Mavis, this is our toast to the sisters. The champagne was delicious!

With our favorite waitress from the wedding.

Jamaican Wedding

Hello all avid blog followers,
Betty and I are sitting in the Sports Bar blogging as the wireless internet has been down for two days. They are "working on it"! So this will be short and sweet as my clock is ticking. We will add more when we can including more pictures.

The wedding on Tuesday was amazing. There was rain in the morning, but by early afternoon the sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze. Pat looked great and Angela was absolutely gorgeous. You can imagine how amazing it was to see them getting married under a white arbor with the waves crashing on the shore behind them. The five bridesmaids, dressed in teal, and the five groomsmen dressed in tan slacks and white shirts, fanned out on either side. We will add pictures and more details when the internet is up.
They had a lovely reception in a private dining room - The Plantation - where we ate, listened to a few speeches and danced to some great music. Of course, the four of us were up "shaking our bootie" most of the time! The youngsters went off to the disco and the beach for more partying and we went to our room.
Yesterday was rather inclement, but not as bad as yours! At least it was warm with a bit of sun, but a lot of rain. We still managed to get a tad sunburned in various exposed places. The bride and groom and all the wedding party had survived and were out on the beach playing volleyball, and back to drinking. Betty's infamous dinner reservation was for 9 o'clock at Sir Richard's gourmet restaurant so we had lots of time to get ready. We had a very cute young waiter named Paul who put up cheerfully with our antics. I think we were rather raucous. The food was amazing and it was nice to sit in a quiet elegant dining room for a change rather than the buffet.
Today looks fabulous. From here we are heading to the beach for what promises to be a lovely day. But who cares? We HAVE NO SNOW! As I said, we will "blog" later and post pictures when we can. Enjoy your winter wonderland.
love, "the girls"

Sunday and Monday Pictures

Here are a few of our many pictures from the first few days in Jamaica. You can see how beautiful the resort is and how much fun everyone is having! The order of the pictures is very random, but we figured you can sort out what is happening! Note the picture of Usain
Bolt which Donna took Saturday night! Enjoy!