Kamalame Cay

Birthday trip of a lifetime.

Spoiled beyond belief.

Love, love, love.

Loved every second, every minute, every hour, every day of it. 

We left Miami by boat. Spent the day fishing (read: the guys fished and I sunbathed and took pictures) checked into Cat Cay around noon and then took off for Kamalame Cay, a small island off of Andros. 

Kamalame is so narrow that we had a waterfront view from the front and the back of the house.

As was only fitting, when we arrived in Kamalame at sunset, a rainbow greeted us. 

 (It would, right?)

More pictures to come later in the week, but...I'm back!

Underpants, Puppy Dog & A Love Affair

Today, I would like to encourage each and every one of you to take time to dance like a crazy person in your underpants.

Once you've done that, you're welcome to come back and hear my thoughts on a long distance love affair, summer, a golden-doodle named Lucy, and beach time.

Last weekend, we played on the beach. It was such a tease because it was just a teensy bit too chilly with the wind, but then the wind would die down and it was perfect. I'm craving summer with a vengeance. Check out these cute faces! I think Chris was over having his picture taken. Oh well :) 

I've fallen head over heels in love with Lucy. She's so snuggly and makes me laugh out loud when she bounds around trying to find her toys. 

Don't know about you, but I cannot wait until it's warm all the time and I can get some semblance of a tan again. Something about being so pale makes me feel unhealthy. 


I don't care how popular Twilight is - the whole reflective skin thing is not my style.

So when I started this whole long distance love affair, I wasn't sure what to think. At first, I didn't even know if I wanted a relationship. All I knew was there was this guy who made me ridiculously giddy. 

We started corresponding, 

and then hanging out, 

and pretty soon we were seeing each other every weekend. 

He is always game for an adventure of any sort, so since we were travelling to see each other every weekend, we started going on random trips. So far we've been to Nashville, Miami and New Orleans.

Any reasonable person, after realizing that this has turned into something, thinks through the logistics. 

1. You have three states between you and the person you're dating with no end to the distance in sight. 

2. You are in grad school and working full time (and at the beginning had a second job). 

3. He works 60+ hour weeks with potential "short term" assignments in foreign countries. 

How could this possibly work? Are we setting ourselves up for failure? 

Then you think through the reality of the situation:

1. You can't stop thinking about him. 

2. You smile every time you see his name light up your phone. 

3. You don't have time to start something new with someone during the week. Your only free time really is on the weekends. 

4. His only free time is on the weekends. 

5. For the first time in your life, you don't really care what anyone says about it. 

This just might work. 

And now, here we are. The weekends have become my escape from the craziness of juggling life and work and school. 

We go on fun dates.

We just hang out.

We laugh, and joke and play. 

And,

Yes, I have to do some homework on the weekends, but for the most part, it's our time.

No, at this point, there is no real end to the distance in sight. And we have our ups and downs, just like any relationship. 

But, I'm happy. 

I'm really, truly happy. 

Holiday at the Cape

This weekend, I snuck away to Cape May. Chris' parents live there and welcomed us into their home with cookies and wine. Have I mentioned how spoiled I am? I might play hard to get, but oatmeal raisin cookies and wine are definitely the keys to my heart! They have me pegged!

 When I arrived, Chris was up on the scaffolding. His mom saw this type of wall on HGTV's website and fell in love with it. Chris' dad adjusted the design to fit their house and the two of them built it for her. 

I was so impressed with how it turned out! Isn't it gorgeous? They did such a fantastic job. Jane even found an awesome deal on the artwork used in the display from Ethan Allen. I love the asymmetry at the top as well. I think it fits well with the feel of the metal pieces. 

Saturday morning we went to the beach and it was breathtaking. The sun was out and the sky went on forever. 

Have I mentioned yet that I've fallen in love? 

Yes, it's true... 

I'm in love with a Golden Doodle named Lucy. 

She is the most playful, lovable, ball of fluff I've ever encountered. Vivi kitty will always be number one in my heart, but Lucy is vying for place number two! 

Chris and Lucy braved the icy water. Seeing as I didn't have my bikini with me (read: seeing as the water was frigid, it is November, there was no official polar bear plunge happening, and I didn't want to get sick) I stayed on shore. I played with the camera and tossed the ball out to them. 

Luce was a great travel companion. We snuggled up on the tailgate as Chris drove us down the beach. I love watching the sand fly by under your feet as you swing them over the edge.  

 It did my heart good to spend some time in the sun playing barefoot in the sand. 

This Thanksgiving, I'm so grateful for all of the time I've had in the sunshine and by the water. 

Back in September, I took my last gasp of summer hoping it would last me through the misery of winter. 

However, this year, I've gotten to have so many weekend adventures with perfect weather. Even the snow treated us well! I'll keep storing it up and hopefully February will be easier. 

This blows my mind!

Garret McNamara broke the record for largest wave ever surfed. He successfully surfed a 90 ft wave in the Atlantic. Wow.