Jamaican Vacation, Mon

Todd and I are both afraid of heights yet we choose to spend our vacation cliffside at a resort where staircases are rail-less steps of winding rock, and entries to the turquoise Caribbean are 6-40 Ft. cliff jumps. It was beautiful and peaceful and invigorating despite our wobbly knees. The scariest part, looking back, was not the jump itself, but the approach. Descending the rock staircase, shaking, knowing that jumping is the better option then ascending those same rocky steps. Although this may sound risky or extreme, believe me when I say, it was neither. The jump into the salty waters was a refreshing change from the scorching sun. The quick rush was a boost of adrenaline that reminded us simply, we were on vacation.

We stayed at The Caves, a private, boutique resort in Negril. We were two of 14 people on the premises. The Caves is minimalistic, yet maximized in relaxation and beauty. It is private enough for celebrities, yet obtainable for commoners such as ourselves. There is not much to do other than relax and soak in the beauty of your surroundings, yet this was the one of the best vacations ever.

It is not unlike Todd and I to go away on vacation and come back with a friend or two. Often times we find ourselves befriending others and we become alliances amongst the sea of strangers. At The Caves it is different, however. The maximum capacity is 24 people. You know everybody's name and their basic story, and in return they know yours. We were Todd and Wendy, from Philly, with the Twins. There was Jack and Laurie, there celebrating her 50th; Scott and Kim, also from Philly, and they frequent Jamaica; Brian and Amanda from Alabama; and Danielle and Dave from Hoboken, they were honeymooning. At the resort you feel almost as if you are at home, casually conversing with your neighbors.

Being away without Chase and Ryder was not as bad as anticipated. We missed them dearly and though the 4 days were amazing the moment we walked in the door at home to see their smiles on Sunday was the best part of the vacation. We talked about them all the time. On our first night there I had some nightmares, I kept awaking thinking the boys were missing....I guess in a way they were, only they were safe. Despite missing them, It was nice to have time to myself and some time to relax, and of course some precious time alone with Todd. I remember after Todd and I first started to fall in love and we vacationed apart. I missed him terribly and wondered what our reunion would be like. Would he have missed me too (he did,) would our embrace be as wonderful as always (it was)? My thoughts were similar, I felt such dread leaving our boys. I wondered if they would miss us too, it seems they did not, and would their smiles melt our hearts and make us be so glad to be home, they did.

All in all it was a fantastic trip, worth the time away from our little guys. We all survived and we will do it again some time soon, we hope.

For more pix from our vacation, click here