We returned yesterday from our trip to Jamaica for Jen and Ryan's Wedding. It was a quick and busy trip, but we had a great time! Here is a run-down of the trip:
Thursday - Left bright and early at 6 am from Lambert St. Louis, with a connection in Miami to sunny Jamaica. We arrived in Jamaica around 1:30 p.m. and took a shuttle from Montego Bay to Negril. We arrived to our resort, RIU Negril around 3:30 p.m., got all checked in and retreated to our room to freshen up and head out to the pool! Unfortunately, it began to violently rain, so we ran to the bar instead, where we met the bride and the groom and other guests. That evening, we enjoyed dinner at the Brazilian Steakhouse, following which there was a show, Around the World, in the main area. H was in rare form that evening, he even went on stage with Mark and Theresa during a group dance lesson! Here are some pics from that evening:
Friday - The Wedding Day! We got up and enjoyed a nice breakfast. You didn't really go hungry at the resort, there was food everywhere at all times! After breakfast, H went to lay by the pool and I went to assist Jen to get ready for the Wedding! It was such a fun day, it rained briefly but cleared up beautifully for a beautiful ceremony. There were 3 bridesmaids and groomsmen. Jennifer walked down the aisle with her father with a Steel Band playing the background. In lieu of the unity candle, they did a Sand Ceremony, in which they had red and blue sand (cardinals and cubs) which they poured from their individual vases into one heart shaped vase.
Following the ceremony, there was a champagne toast and the guests enjoyed cocktails, music by the Steel Band and watched as the happy couple took pictures. After photos were complete, we all headed up to the Welcome Bar where we toasted the Newlyweds and relaxed before the reception. There was a dinner reception at Sir Andrew at the Resort following cocktail hour. We were greeted by the very friendly staff. After everybody was seated, the bride and groom gave a toast, followed by the Maid of Honor (Theresa Reimer - sister of the bride), and groomsmen (Jason and Will Shirley - brothers of the groom). Lastly, the mother of the bride said grace before dinner began. Halfway through dinner, a group of gentleman came in playing their instruments. It was wonderful, the bride and groom danced to a few songs and we enjoyed the entertainment. To end a wonderful dinner, the bride and groom cut their cake. Following the reception, we all headed out to the main bar, and enjoyed the rest of the evening, finishing the night at the great Discotheque! This was definitely the hot spot. Unfortunately my camera's battery died, so I do not have any photos of this crazy disco!
Saturday - A day of rest and the beach! We enjoyed doing nothing on Saturday, well other than the water aerobics Justin and I did. That evening we all piled onto a bus, and headed over to Rick's Cafe. This place was fabulous and a bit crazy! I was happy that they had Absolut there (I wasn't too fond of Jamaican vodka), that was not the crazy part. There were cliff divers at this cafe, they were jumping approximately 60 feet into the water. The gem of Rick's Cafe is the view of the sunset, it was breathtaking. We were all pretty wiped out after a day in the sun, so after returning to the resort, we retired for the evening.
Sunday/Monday - This was our departure day to come back home. We left the resort at 8:30 that morning, for our 1:30 flight to Miami. Once we got there, we learned that our flight was 2.5 hours late, and we probably were going to miss our connection. Now, I really enjoyed Jamaica, but if I heard No Problem one more time, I was going to kill somebody! I wanted somebody to say, yes this is a problem, but nope, all I got was 'No Problem'! Too laid back for me! Eventually, we left Montego Bay, about 3 hours late. By the time we got into Miami, cleared customs, got our luggage, it was too late, so they say. We had about 35 minutes left, but they directed us to re-book our flight, we were stuck in Miami. American Airlines set us up with a room at Hotel Miami and re-booked us on a 7 a.m. flight home. We were definitely irritated, but decided to make the best of a bad situation. We checked into our hotel room, which looked like it was straight out of a 70's mob movie, and headed to the Top of the Hotel Restaurant for dinner. The next morning, we went to check-in early for our flight so there would be no issues. Our flight again was about 25 minutes delayed, but we were ok with our connection this time because we had a 2 hour layover in Orlando! Everything was going smoothly and we arrived in St. Louis at 11 am Monday morning (luckily we had both taken Monday off work for recovery time). Justin went to get our car and I headed to pick up our luggage, 30 minutes later, Justin's luggage had arrived, but not mine. For some reason, my luggage was in Dallas and wouldn't make it to St. Louis until that evening, I obviously was less than pleased. They said they would deliver it to our condo that evening. So, we decided to enjoy the rest of the day. We headed home, and decided to grill out and have a glass of wine to unwind. We figured by the end of dinner, my luggage would be arriving. We waited, and waited, and then eventually just went to bed. No luggage! The next morning, I was not happy at all, I called AA, and they said they got too busy and didn't send out my luggage, but to be home between 12-4 p.m. on Tuesday and they would get it to us. Unfortunately, we both work and are unable to be home at that time! I was extremely livid at this point, so H decided to handle the situation. He spoke with AA and arranged for my luggage to be dropped off with the front desk staff at the Sheraton. So, that evening, a little apprehensive, I checked with the front desk and it had arrived. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see a suitcase my whole life! Here are a couple of pictures of us hanging out at the Miami Airport.
Overall - we had a wonderful trip, other than our mess coming home! It was a beautiful wedding and Jen and Ryan were so happy. They left on Sunday to Antigua for a week long honeymoon.
We can't wait to see pictures! Go to My Kodakgallery to view the rest of the pictures from our weekend.
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