Monday, February 28, 2011

Everybody Needs A Get Away...

So we lost the SECOND house we put a bid on. I know they say not to get emotionally involved but it's hard not to! This house was gorgeous, maybe not really our style but it had almost everything we were looking for! It was huge and open with a giant kitchen, wood stove in the living room, TWO master closets! Ugh. I think we just got some bad advice. Who knows. I HAVE to believe that this happened for a reason, cause this is really starting to wear on us. I just have to remind myself that the next door neighbor had a severe case of hoarding, the house was on a busy street and it had a super steep hill for a driveway, all things that would have sucked. Anyway it was kind of good timing because I had booked us a weekend away out in Western Mass as a surprise birthday/Valentines day gift for Pete! It was a relazing weekend in a lake cabin that was just perfect! Exposed beams, wood stove, hot tub and a weekends worth of trader joes food and wine. Pete started to feel a little under the weather but it was all good because we had no where to go or be! Hurley loved running around and exploring! I wish we could have made it down to the lake but THAT was one steep snow covered drop! I bet it's gorgeous in the summer as well! The owner was so nice and we wanted for nothing! If you're ever in the market for alittle get away We highly recomend it!! We rented the red house : ) http://lakehouseheaven.com/ Now after a weekend off, its back to house hunting, time is running out and we have got to find our home soon!!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Cruisin'

Katie, Pete, Chris & Kelly got bowled over by the Caribbean! What an amazing trip! We are back and I am 30 bitches!! Feels so good to have some vitamin D back in my body. That's about the only thing that feels good after a week of gluttony! I will say this, not a fan of Carnival Cruises. "Fun Ship" My ass. It was kind of small and there wasn't too much to do! The rooms were huge though, so that was sweet. I surprised Pete and upgraded us to a deluxe suite with a huge balcony and a whirlpool tub! And thank god, because we really didn't want to be anywhere else on the boat! I know this will sound "off color" or whathaveyou, but I was really just done with Puerto Ricans by the end of this trip. I thought because we were going to so many places and it was leaving from San Juan, that it would be a little more upscale. So wrong. So very Wrong. Apparently the thing to do in Puerto Rico is to go on a cruise, jam as many people as possible into one of those tiny rooms with no window and then proceed to eat the entire ship out of every morsel they can get their hands on and drink their weight in soda. ARGH! They were everywhere and NEVER left the ship! So they stuck their claim by the pools and in the hot tubs for hours at a time (had to deal with a teenage couple doin it right next to us!) They were loud and rude, they would cut in line and then order for 30 people, they never cleaned up anything, the kids were insane, even in the adults only spots... I don't know it was a whole different cruise culture that definitely threw me off a bit. HOWEVER the places we went and the things we did were AWESOME! We hit St. Thomas... Had some drinks called pain killers on a bar WITH SWINGS for the bar stools! Then headed out to meet our Captain to go for a sail and swim with some sea turtles! They did not disappoint! The rum was flowing and the turtles were everywhere! Pete did such a great job not freaking out with his snorkel! Definitely got a little burn on the boat but it was so worth it. The Captain and crew were awesome and it was a fabulous way to start off the cruise! A fun day at sea... Basically the four of us spent the day drinking, attempting mini golf with high winds and laying in whatever free space we could find. Chris & Kelly attempted to teach us some Black Jack but there were so many rules and I'm just way too cheap for a game like that, I'll stick to video poker! Kelly won a diamond necklace and $300 at Bingo! That's a fun day at sea!Barbados... I turned 30 in Barbados!! And when we woke up and opened the curtains there was a double rainbow waiting to greet us!! Kelly & Chris took a tour of downtown and Pete and I were off to hurl ourselves off a 200 foot cliff and zip line to prove... Not sure what we were trying to prove but it seemed like a good idea. It was TERRIFYING!! We almost choked at the first platform and turned around! But once we were on it, it was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. My brain was totally down with it, but it took a while for my body to catch up, Even though I was yelling "Let's do this! Yeeeeah!" My legs wouldn't lift and my body was frozen haha It just wouldn't move! So worth it, I would do it again in a heart beat. Met up with Chris & Kelly and hit a bar and a beach and watched the sun set! St. Lucia... We were excited to dock here because so many people had told us such great things about this island. Unfortunately we decided to go horseback riding. Which sounded great, but it meant a long ass crowded bus ride to the middle of nowhere, 45 minutes of waiting with rude people covered in flies and then a slow, hot trot through what I guess was supposed to be a banana plantation and down to what was supposed to be a beach. Really it was more like a cove of death. There were rusted pipes and bars sticking out of the water and the undertow was so strong you could barely move. At least we banded together to save a Hick with jean swimming shorts that didn't listen to the guides and went out to far. He was screaming for help, and against Kelly's wishes we made a human chain to get him out. Should have listened to Kelly, the mullet didn't even say thank you. Loved the horses though. I want two, Larbee and Peaslee. St. Kitts... We didn't plan any excursion here we just wanted to wonder and it definitely was the right choice! St. Kitts was adorable! It was as hot as Hades that day but we had a great time wondering around the old town, eating some sort of meat stuffed into something, and finding a gorgeous beach to relax on. I would definitely go back and explore St. Kitts, the people were friendly and it was much quieter than the other islands, in a calming way. St. Maarten... The morning started off with us getting fired up thinking we had been ripped off by the tour company, but really it was just a big misunderstanding which no one seemed to care about except for us! The four of us jumped on some ATVs and took a tour of the whole island, both sides! Some parts really reminded me of India, probably the parts with cows in the streets. We ended up at a beach by the airport that literally throws you off your feet when the planes come in, SO FREAKING COOL. The plans are spitting distance from you, it's incredible. After our ride we hit the beach, the nudie beach. Nothing is more fun than strong drinks and people watching! Wish we got a chance to see Uncle Paul though. Not on the nudie beach, just in general. Kelly and Chris headed back to the cold and Pete and I took another day to relax in Old San Juan. Who knew, that all we had to do to get some relief from the Puerto Ricans, was to spend some time IN PUERTO RICO! I guess its the whole hiding in plain site thing! We adored San Juan. Walking along the blue cobblestone streets drinking cold beers and eating empanadas (which took us the whole week to find) We found an amazing little tapas place tucked away that served amazing food and sangria. Our hotel was gorgeous and the people were so friendly. It was the perfect way to end a super crazy week! and the absolute right way to start off a new decade!! Great friends, new experiences and challenges and belly full of strange meats and booze!!