4.12.2010

More Honeymoon Adventures. . .


When I left you last time we were just getting into the swing of things. We hadn't really made many friends, but were enjoying the sun, the rum and life together. We decided to take advantage of a few day trips the Island had to offer, the first being a snorkeling adventure on the Scaramouche ("scare-uh-moosh"). We didn't know what to expect, other than some great snorkeling. But we got much more than anticipated! The scenery, of course, was amazing. The boat was also pretty cool - it was used as an "extra" in the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean. Speaking of that movie, one of our destinations was an island they used in the movie! You know the scene where Jack Sparrow is marooned and finds the rum under the trees in the sand? Then they burn the island down to create a smoke signal? "Why is all the rum gone?" Yes, that island. Anyway, we quickly befriended the captain and some other people on board and had a great day. The only bummer was the monsoon that came in for an hour or so. But it made the experience all the better!

Another Island adventure we went on was a trip to Happy Island. We saw this place on our way to Palm Island and wanted to go. You see, there is this man made island about a mile off shore, and all it is is a bar. You'll see from the pictures below. It is literally a bar, and that is it. The owner (and builder) says, "It is great, mon! No traffic, no police, no worries bro!" We convinced a local worked to take us there in his boat for a drink (no we didn't go alone, we dragged 2 other couples along with us). It was great! Rum punch was flowing, as was Bob Marley. Talk about as local as you get it!

Day 4 brought us something we didn't anticipate - a tennis match against 2 Brits. We met Mike and Sue on about Day 2 and instantly struck up a friendship. They are well into their 60's, and live in Sussex, England. A great, entertaining pair! Every morning they greeted us with one of 3 statements: "Where have you beeeeeeen?" "What have you been dooooing?" or "We've beeeeen loooking for youuu". They were so fun to be around! Well they asked to play a match of tennis and we obliged. Did we take it easy on the old timers? Nope. Kicked their butts 6-3. Did I feel bad about whooping up on grandparents? The jury is still out on that one. The bright side to the match, however, was an invitation to England (we may score a plane ticket too, he runs Virgin Atlantic Airlines!). We shall see...

Day 5 was the goodbye day from Palm Island, and hello day to Hermitage Bay, Antigua. Our friends Mike and Sue, and John and Kakee came to the dock to see us off, which was nice. We did not know what to expect at stop #2, but our expectations were high. We had amazing food, great friends, fun adventures and lots of sun. Could it get any better??? You be the judge.

As for life in Portland, things are going well...we are loving shopping for the apartment with our gift cards, spending time with baby Rhodes, and being married. Loving the last one the most. Until next time, why is the rum gone?

4.04.2010

The dust has settled...


Hi everyone. I'm back. Again. I know, I say it every time I have a long lay off from writing. But there has been a major dispute with my editor, so I have fired them and have hired a new one....well actually I married her. I have a feeling this editor will be around for a while, as our relationship started on a great note! That note was called the honeymoon! But first, let me walk you thru the most incredible day ever: The Casebeer Wedding Day.

I'll spare you the details of the day leading up to the ceremony, because who cares about girls getting their hair done and guys getting European shaves? For those of you who were in attendance, you obviously witnessed the greatest wedding of all time. For those of you who missed, well you missed the #1 Wedding of the Century. The officiant was a great friend of ours, Eric Scofield. To say he did a great job would be the understatement of the year. He made the ceremony so personal, so loving, and so incredibly memorable. We are forever in debt to you, Sco! And could the music have been any better? We had the world renown PW Gopal travel to Georgia to play some very special songs...3 actually. Did he move people to tears? You know it. Could not have been any better! And the cherry on the cake was my brother helping him out on the keys during our communion. It was at that point that yours truly lost control. Unbelievable.

And the best part of course was being introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Casebeer....sounded weird, still does, but it is so so cool, gratifying, and worth it. We, as you know, have had a LONG and arduous journey to this wedding. Years, miles, tears, fears, smiles all encompassed the "I do's" and the vows. But, we will both tell you, it was and is clearly worth it. For those people who tell you a long distance relationship does not and can not work, well we proved you suckers wrongs!

And for the reception? Well let's just say party of the year. Decade. World. Eternity. Needed to last longer!! We had our friend DJ Nickel fly out all the way from LA and rock this wedding, and rock it he did. Have you ever seen Harry Marks lose his mind to AC/DC? Have you seen my godfather Ed announce that he's having such a great time he's flying everyone to Vegas next weekend? How about Nana going hands in the air during "Shout"? I mean, it was unreal. Nickel mixes like no one has ever heard. It was so great. A night NO one will forget!!

So off to the Honeymoon we went...on such a life high. That feeling of being married, being together, and starting a journey is one we'll never forget. The journey at hand was getting to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to a private island called Palm Island. We couldn't wait! A great start it was in first class (thanks Dad and Mom!). They treat you like kings up there! And we needed it too - so tired from last night's festivities. But we made it to the Island after 2 planes (one really tiny, sweaty one) and one boat ride. Waiting for us was the General Manager with a Rum Punch (which turned out to be the drink of the trip). We also met some friends, who at first glance seemed odd, but turned out being some of the greatest people on earth. Jonny and Kakee. You'll hear more about them.

Also waiting for us was a beach front villa and a great meal. We were treated like kings again and had a great night one. Day 2 brought a ton of sunshine, 2 massages and the meeting of more friends. Mike and Sue were from the UK and we ended up spending a lot of time with them during meals and even played a tennis match - which we won! We were mainly concerned with getting tans, however, but did not realize how intense the sun is down there. Too close to the equator, we decided, as I ended up with a nice burn. Great start to the tanning process!! So we bought some strong sunscreen at the little boutique...for $32. Ouch.

Stay tuned for more Honeymoon adventures...I'll write about Day 3,4 and 5 soon. For now, the day's focus is Jesus. The fact that he resurrected changes everything. He was who He said He was. He did what He said He'd come to do. And that fact alone means so much to us as humans. It gives us hope, not only for today and tomorrow, but for eternity. Let's celebrate that today!

Have a happy Easter, and until next time, stay out of the sun!