Beautiful Bermuda

If you ever get the chance to go to Bermuda, we highly recommend it. It was one of the most beautiful and unique places we have been to so far. The timing was right and everything just fell into place, and we are so lucky to have been able to go. I don't know if we will ever be able to return, but it was a wonderful experience.

Panoramic View of Horseshow Bay Beach taken from the cliffs

Honestly, I hate flying. My personality doesn't allow for me to be relaxed as there are just too many things that can go wrong (gut wrenching moments like how we almost missed our flight to Jamaica for our honeymoon - sprinting down the terminal as we hear our names over the intercom). We flew out of Mobile early Tuesday morning (April 16th). Running a bit behind schedule, the check in process and going through security was surprisingly painless. Our connecting flight landed in Charlotte, North Carolina with no issues, and our flight to New York (LaGuardia) provided us a great view and took us straight over Central Park and the Empire State Building. When we landed, my apprehension set in once again, but the transfer service swooped us up and headed towards the cruise terminal with no problems. We boarded the Carnival Splendor and hung out on the deck until we departed taking in the sights. We got an amazing view as we passed right by the Freedom Tower, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

 

After a day and a half at sea, we arrived in Bermuda. We didn't have a whole lot planned and were just going to wing it when we got there. So, we took a stroll in the Royal Navy Dockyard, went to Snorkel Park Beach, and booked a couple of excursions for the day. First, we would jet-ski in the bay and then, we would take a sunset cruise on a glass bottom boat. There was a lot to see in this area.

 

 

 

So, we decided that it would be a great idea to jet ski while there. This turned out to be a near epic fail. Everything was fine until the couple that went with us (from the Bronx, never been to the beach much less ever drive a jet ski, girlfriend couldn't swim, etc.) fell off. The water was really choppy and cold, so I can understand why it happened. But, as Craig and I waited for the guide to help them, Craig's attention was diverted and as a wave crashed into the jet ski he was knocked off balance and we went crashing into the water as well. It was cold and unexpected. It literally took me 2.5 seconds to get back onto the ski. However, Craig took a bit longer. He even thought that he may not make it back up, but he did and we proceeded with caution. This time I would drive! Sheer terror from flying off the thing kept us on. I refused to crash into that ice bucket again. Flying through the bays and shallows at 55 mph, remember the guide telling us, "follow me exactly and don't go over the dark spots because you will crash and sink into the rocks below," and clinging on for dear life made this excursion a little less enjoyable. However, who else do you know has gone jet skiing in Bermuda. So, BOOM! No pics, sorry to disappoint.

After that debacle, we needed a drink or seven. So, we headed to the nearest bar, the Bone Fish Grill (not the chain). We met a couple of locals, and I had several "tropical" beverages and were ripe and ready for the cruise. We sailed to a ship wreck, the Vixen, which was sunk in 1896 where the bow is just above the surface of the water. It made for a beautiful photo op, and the water viewed from the glass bottom was teaming with marine life. On the way back, they served "rum swizzles" which Craig and I took full advantage of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we booked an excursion through Carnival. We took a guided bus tour of the island with stops at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Museum, Aquarium/Zoo, Crystal Caves, John Smith's Bay Beach, and the Gibbs Hill lighthouse. The aquarium/zoo was tucked away in a beautiful little harbor (Flatts Inlet) with Harrington Sound on the opposite end. It wasn't a huge facility, but it was well kept and the exhibits were great. It seems like every vacation we take, we MUST stop at a zoo. Sorry Craig, it's kinda my thing.

Next stop was to the caves. Yes, there were caves on the island! This one was particularly awesome because you walked through it on floating docks. It wasn't very deep, but Craig and I enjoy caving and this was an awesome one to visit. 

 

We made a brief stop at John Smith's Bay Beach so that we could put our toes in the pink sand. The sand is pink in Bermuda because the parrot fish bite tiny pieces of coral as they are forging which creates the colored granules. Rock formations are found surrounding the island because a volcano created them millions of years ago.

The Gibbs Hill lighthouse was set on top of a large hill, and we could see the opposite end of the island that housed our cruise ship. The entire tour took the majority of the day, and it was well worth it. We got to see a large part of the island and learned some stuff along the way. Did you know the cheapest houses (2 bedroom, 1 bath) in Bermuda are $500,000 and are considered "ghetto."

We returned to the ship to set sail for a day at sea. Another cruise ship had to dock, and the dockyard was under construction. Evidently, prior to us booking, the itinerary was altered because of this. Thank goodness we knew this after booking otherwise I would have been pretty upset, as the people that purchased tickets did not have the option of cancelling and paid way more than we did. Our ship time was made much more enjoyable by our dining couple, Danny and Amanda. They were from Hoboken and were really fun.

We returned on Sunday for our final day. This was going to be our beach day. We woke up early, were among the first to debark, grabbed a taxi and headed for Horseshoe Bay. The beach was AMAZING, but we wanted to hike to a more secluded location, so we set off and hiked through the South Shore Park. Along the way, we stopped at several locations to take pictures and view the gorgeous scenery. We parked it at Jobson's Cove, and Craig hopped right in to snorkel. He really enjoys snorkeling ever since Belize, and I'm glad we have a shared interest as those are few and far in between. The long-tailed birds were calling, the waves were crashing into the shore, and there was nothing but us and the beach. This was the best day EVER. We moved from cove to cove, snorkeling and laying out. At one point in time, we both fell asleep only to be awoken by the cold surf hitting our feet. Scared us both to death! Oh, but what a way to die. Sadly, the time was nearing for us to hike back. After getting back to Horseshoe Bay Beach, we grabbed a couple of drinks. I decided that I needed to climb up the cliff for the view. Craig decided that he needed to hang out at the bar for a few. I wish he would've climbed up with me because this view was phenomenal!

We sailed back to New York and flew back to Mobile with few hiccups. We both enjoyed this trip so much. We feel extremely blessed to have had such a wonderful opportunity to see this amazing island. The pictures really don't even do it any justice.

Cheers!
Tara

 

April in Photos

Ok, so I haven’t been updating my blog as often as I should, but we have been very busy. April was a very exciting month for us!  I will try to keep it short and sweet, so here are some of the highlights...

My mother and I attended an Elton John concert. I have never seen her so happy... like, I don't even know if having a grandchild can top it, happy. She knew the words to every song, and I sang along with the handful that I knew. Ya see, my mother LOVES Elton. We grew up listening, so it was nice to actually see this man in person. And buddy, he puts on an awesome show. He played non-stop for three and a half hours, breaking only to wave to his fans and sign a few autographs. He is an amazing pianist, and I'm glad I got to experience the show with my Mom.

We were very upset to say goodbye to The Walking Dead. We have grown very fond of this show on AMC, as it serves as almost like a "family dinner" or "family game night" of sorts. Our favorite character by far is Darryl, and our least favorite (and perhaps everyone's least favorite) is Andrea. She got the fever and blew her brains out, so it's all good now. We can't wait to see what next season will bring.

Craig and I attended an MSU baseball game with my favorite Alumni Aunt. We met up with her and a few of her family members, including my all time favorite, "sort-of-kind-of" cousin, Ben. State played USA (a pretty decent team), and ended up winning 6 to 4. It was kinda sad though. There were tons more maroon shirts than red in the stands.

I went over to Florida to visit with my little man, Tristan (and I guess Tina and Drew also...). It was amazing to see how big he was and all of the milestones he had reached. I got to hear him say "mum ma" and pull up on his own. As of now, he is practically walking. We hung out on Tina's new porch, and I got to see the nightly routine, which included bath time. After we attended church the next morning... which by the way, Tristan was the most well behaved kid out of the loud hoard that was in attendance... we got to eat at one of my favorite places, Another Broken Egg. Yum! Then, we headed to the beach. Tristan looked awesome with his little hat and glasses and just chilled out for a good bit of time. I just love this little guy, he is so pimp! 

My sister came into town April 12th right before our trip to Bermuda. I didn't get to hang out for very long because I had to work the weekend prior to our trip. But, I will see her again in July (more on that later). I will save our trip to Bermuda for the next post. But, I will leave you with a Mobile skyline sunset. Hope April was a good month for you as well!

Cheers!
Tara

Adult Spring Break

Do you know the song, “Kokomo,” written by the Beach Boys? Well, that was one of my favorite songs as a child (so was pretty much everything else sang by the beach boys). Every time that song would play, I would think to myself, “I want to go down to Kokomo.” So, I decided that I would visit all of the places named in that song.  Beach trips are my favorite, and they just so happen to all be tropical locales.

Craig and I went to Jamaica (this is listed in the song) in June 2010 for our honeymoon. It was the last vacation that we had just the two of us. So, for our 3^rd year anniversary, we wanted just the two of us to go somewhere. We already have a family vacation planned in June, and I don’t get much time off from work. We had to make this work. Fortunately for me and my bucket list, we decided to go to another destination listed in the song. We are going to BERMUDA! But the even better news is, that we don’t have to wait until the end of May. We will be leaving in 12 days. YEP! 12 DAYS!!!

We literally just booked this trip a week ago. I was just searching around for vacations and cruises and found a great deal that we couldn’t refuse. We put in for vacation and after a brief yet stressful waiting period, we were approved for time off and booking occurred within minutes. We are flying out of Mobile and are headed to the NYC, where we will board our vessel, the Carnival Splendor, and set sail towards Bermuda. I can't wait to put my feet in the pink sands, swim in the crystal blue waters, snorkel in the reefs, and tour the island. 

I know what you’re thinking. “Carnival? Are you crazy?” Well, the way I see it, if something happens while in Bermuda, oh darn… I have to stay in paradise a few extra days. Or, if something happens while out to sea, oh darn… I have to miss work a few more days and will likely get another cruise and maybe some other free shit. So please, keep your negative comments to yourself because we are super excited. Hopefully, I will post shortly after our trip with highlights. Everyone have a great spring break! We sure will!

Cheers!
Tara

Chocolate and Crawfish

March has been a slow month in the Smith household, with only a few highlights. Craig and I attended the Mobile Chocolate Festival at the end of February. For those of you that know me, you know this would be my heaven. To be honest with you, I expected to enter the event down a waterslide of chocolate syrup into a pool of hot fudge while being showered in chocolate chips. I was considerably disappointed that this was not the case. There were few actual chocolate vendors, and even fewer vendors that gave out samples of their products. Thankfully, it was for a good cause though. Most goodies had to be purchased, and I ended up with a massive chocolate and caramel apple. However, my favorite was definitely the chocolate martini. I would have snuck back several more times to this booth, but alas, I was on call.

Craig and I attended the Corey Smith concert at the Soul Kitchen in downtown Mobile on March 2nd. This was an anniversary gift for Craig and certainly was not my choice in music. He loves this dude though, so I thought it would be a nice outing for us. Besides… the multiple alcoholic beverages made it more tolerable on my end. It was a good night.

Mid-March we finally decided to put one of our excellent wedding presents to use for the first time. Craig’s sister, Wendy, gave us a crawfish boiler and accessories, and Craig finally decided to go for it. We had a bonfire and boiled crawfish with all the fixings that turned out pretty darn good for the first go around. Craig was so proud of himself.

We worked our schedules out so that we could have a three day weekend off together for travelling to Memphis to visit Craig’s best friend, Robert, his wife, Holly, and their newborn, Seth. Come to find out, they had already planned a trip down here that very weekend. In true form, Craig and I procrastinated and had to rush to clean up the disaster area that is our home the day before our friends arrived. Of course we didn’t finish, but I had to check out early the next morning (gosh, I sure hated that…) to attend an old friend’s baby shower. Yeah, I know. Another one bites the dust. The shower was held at Phoenicia’s Gourmet in downtown Ocean Springs on Saturday morning for breakfast. I put my crafty diaper cakes skills to use and created another great elephant themed cake. The venue was excellent, the food was great, and Kathryn looked good as a prego. Still, I can’t get over the fact that she is gonna be a mommy. I thought she was going to be the one that would hold out like me. Nonetheless, little Cooper Ellis is already much loved. I headed back to Daphne for our crawfish boil with the Johnsons. This batch turned out even better, and the company was excellent. And an added plus for Craig, he got his baby fix for the month.

  

Last blog, I talked about planning a vacation. Well, we have the next one planned out and booked. But, I am going to leave you hanging because I’m tired of writing for right now. I guess you’ll just have to check back in with me in a few days to find out the details. We are SUPER excited!

Cheers!
Tara

Wat up Dawg?!?