Even on vacation, I wake up with the sun. I enjoy the mornings and usually get at least an hour all to myself. Jodie and I had agreed to walk and I was surprised to see her at 6:30 ready to start the day. We enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee and then proceeded with our morning stroll through the Village and onto the beach. We walked to Pedro’s and then back, stopping at Tap Five for some pain raisin and croissants. (Not really a workout, but it was a great way to start the day)

After waking the men and packing a lunch, we decided to head to Orient for the day. We had tried to describe the beach as accurately as possible, but they were a bit apprehensive which I totally understood. We simply told them to do what was comfortable for them and that there were plenty of beaches to see and experience. It wasn’t five minutes before they decided to experience this type of sunbathing and while Eugene refused to stand in line during Happy Hour, it turned out to be a very fun day. The waters were choppy and the winds strong, but we simply enjoyed the fact that it was never too hot. The guys swam out to the raft, which was quite funny for Jodie and I. Once they made their destination (Greg isn’t a great swimmer), we wondered if they were going to fall off as Eugene sat just about as far apart from Greg as possible. I guess it does take at least 24 hours to relax. Dinner that night was at Planet Orient. We started with a glass of champagne and shrimp tempura. More Tagliatelle Noir, Blackened Mahi and a very nice steak were our entrees. Saturday was their “Live Band” night consisting of a saxophonist, singer and midi player, and we enjoyed the mix of French and English songs. It was fun to watch the entire staff sing along during the French song, “I don’t want to work”. There weren’t many people in the restaurant but there was a large area suitable for dancing, and Greg and I couldn’t resist (ok, I couldn’t resist). I think I pulled him up for just about every song. Towards the end of the evening we were getting tired, but when we heard, “Come on dancers, this is going to be another great song” we finished the night with a disco. It was a hoot. After returning to the bungalow, we closed out our first night with friends in our normal custom, playing a game of Euchre.

Every Sunday morning I make a big breakfast for about 15, so it just felt normal to do the same on the island. We all had a Gouda omelet, home fries, avocado, and toast. Another full day on Orient where we enjoyed the sun, sand and a couple of ti punches. Dinner that night was at Rancho del Sol. The prices were so reasonable for their pizzas that we assumed they were individual pizzas and we each ordered our own. We were quite surprised when they brought them out as none of us could finish more than half. All of them were very good with a nice crispy crust. Greg has a knack of always choosing the best food and this night was no exception. I don’t remember the exact name, but it was a seafood pizza with scallops and shrimp. He requested some fresh basil on top and it was amazing. After dinner, back to the bungalow where Eugene and I again won in Euchre.

We wanted them to experience more of the island than just Orient, so on Monday we made our way to the Dutch side. We stopped at Mullet and Simpson Bay for a while and then ended up at Cupecoy. It was such fun to experience the beauty of the island through the eyes of our friends. I think Jodie tried to soak in every moment of every day. We stopped at Philipsburg on the way back to do a little shopping and of course, ended up at DK Gems. Greg bought me a ring several years ago and wanted to get a matching necklace. We looked at several which were very nice but then were offered the option of making my ring into a necklace and getting a new ring. The very first one pulled out of the showcase was stunning, but way too extravagant for our budget. I tried on several others, but never found one that I liked as much. While we were browsing, Jodie found a lovely emerald that she liked, and Eugene decided to get it for her. We were very excited for them and assured them that they were getting high quality at a very good price. Greg and I decided to “think it over” so we continued with our souvenir shopping and headed home. While none of us are great connoisseurs, Jodie and Eugene really had no great interest in haute cuisine, so we decided to try the Ribs and Chicken platter at Talk of the Town in Grand Case for dinner. Just as good as we remembered, and way too much food! Another evening by the pool, then around the table where Eugene and I again won a game of Euchre.

Tuesday was supposed to be our Day Sail day but all the excursions were cancelled due to the high winds and rough seas. We rescheduled for Thursday and decided to have an adventure to Petit Caye, one of our favorite beaches. It is a very long hike and we did have to slow the guys down a couple of times as they were on a mission! The path around the mountain is a fairly easy walk but going over the rocks and coral definitely slowed Jodie and I down. Greg and I were excited when we reached the point at the end of the trek where the beach can be seen so that our friends would understand the reason we take such a long hike. We weren’t disappointed. Both of them stood in awe. The waves were much rougher than I remembered, possibly because of the high wind, but they were breathtaking to see. After settling in, Eugene found a great place to swim and do some body surfing. As we sat on our towels and watched the surf, we were surprised by a young French couple that backpacked from Anse Marcel. They were very tired and wanted to find a different way to get back. We tried to explain the route we took, but they opted to go back the way they knew. We were even more surprised when an hour or so later a group of about eight people came down the mountain. They seemed to enjoy the waves as much as Eugene did, we’ve just never encountered that many people on this little beach.

After a few hours, we decided to make our trek back and head to Orient for some dinner. We stopped at the beach where we were met with very high winds and were glad that we made Tuesday our “Adventure Day”. Dinner was at Baywatch, a couple of burgers, Philly cheesesteak and Andy’s delicious Eggplant Parmesan. You just can’t go wrong at this place. Of course, the night ended with Eugene and I winning a game of Euchre.

Wednesday night was Pub Crawl night and Jodie wanted to stop back at DK to get her ring resized and look at a slide and necklace. We visited Orient again, had a ti punch, lunch at the villa and then headed to Philipsburg. Greg and I had discussed our necklace/ring purchase and decided with another wedding coming up, we just couldn’t do it. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed, but understood and agreed with the wisdom in our decision and was ok. I did not, however, want to walk back into the store, so I stood across the street as Eugene and Jodie went inside and Greg parked the car. Of course, I was spotted (drats) and when invited to come inside, I obliged. Once Greg arrived, he floored me with the statement, “We’ll take the ring”. It was extravagant. It was too much. It was overwhelming that he would do such a thing. While I waited for the ring to be sized, I stood at the counter with a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and tried my hardest to keep it together. He kept saying “You deserve it” but I know better. Even now as I look at my hands typing these words I know the truth about my blue ring: I am loved extravagantly. Wow. How amazing.

I think I floated out of the store and we arranged to have my former ring/new necklace picked up on Friday. The night could have ended there, but we had reservations for the Pub Crawl and headed to Shrimpy’s. There was a large crowd that night, but they were a fun group and Neil is such a great host. Our friends had a great time and it was a good way to try three different restaurant/bars all in one night. I did discover earlier in the week that Craig from Packlight is actually a singer and his band, Cover to Cover, was playing at Pegleg that night. We enjoyed the music and atmosphere and shared our famous “SNAP” game with just about everyone. We ended up closing Shrimpy’s with Neil and then headed home. Since it was almost 2AM, no cards tonight.

Our Day Sail that was cancelled and rescheduled was once again cancelled. No problem, we took in a few more beaches including Friar’s and Baie Rouge and ended up at Eugene’s favorite, Cupecoy. The last night gave us the most glorious sunset and we sat wrapped up in our towels as our vacation began to close. Dinner was at Halsey’s that evening; Scallops for appetizers, Grouper, Mahi, Steak and Ravioli were our entrees. We ended our evening, of course, with a game of Euchre. Tonight however, Greg and Jodie won.

Friday was pack up and check out day. No problems, no issues. We did stop at DK to pick up my necklace, checked in around 10 at the airport and ended our vacation with burgers, fries and a ti punch at SSBB. Another perfect ending to another perfect vacation.

Every trip offers me new discoveries. Here’s what I found this trip:
· You can rediscover familiar places when you bring friends
· Willie’s Choice espresso is the absolute best I have ever tasted
· Ti Punch
· Two Ti Punches are one too many
· High winds and rough seas don’t have to ruin a vacation
· Belly laughter with friends
· Extravagant love
· Kite Surfers have a lot of stamina
· Don’t tell someone you speak a language. You’ll be bombarded all week with, “How do you say _________ in French?”
· There is never enough time to do and see all I want
· I have to return