I’ve always wanted to do a “his” and “hers” travel blog. It’s no secret; girls and guys think different. What I love about vacation, Prince may love, too, but he definitely has a different idea about what makes a trip incredible than I do. And what Stela enjoys about a trip, Pat may not. The his and hers travel series will hopefully be beneficial to many couples with hopes that you will secure a vacation that is mutually relaxing, and bucket-list breaking for all he's and she’s. So, I’d like to start with a full review of Exuma, The Bahamas. If you follow me on social media, you’ve seen me say probably five times already, “If you haven’t been to Exuma, go!” Prince and I visited Exuma after learning about the island from his best friend. She mentioned Exuma and I had to ask Google, because I had never heard of it before. One glance at the first picture to pop up and I was sold. We were looking at Hawaii, Fiji, Jamaica, Belize and were just up in the air about all of them. Exuma was a mutual, “Hell yes!” I mean, for goodness sake guys it is some of the bluest water I've ever laid eyes on and… they have PIGS! They also have a Sandals resort—Sandals Emerald Bay. If you haven’t visited a Sandals resort, you need to! Like tomorrow. The food, the drinks, the set-up. It won’t get much better than that. Unfortunately, Sandals only has resorts in the Caribbean. They need to expand to Greece and Fiji and Bora Bora and Africa and all the places I want to go, because I will never have all-inclusive food like the food we had at Sandals Emerald Bay. Here is a breakdown of what she thought of Exuma, The Bahamas followed by what he thought: Her thoughts- If I could spend everyday on the private island where the piggies reside, I would. I mean, most people think it's crazy, but where else will you see pigs swimming with the most beautiful backdrop? No where. It is exclusive to Exuma. (Ladies, if you guy isn't all for it. Just say "Babe, you absolutely cannot go to Exuma and not see the pigs." Trust me, it works!) Book with Island Routes, the tour guides were amazing. They taught us all so much about the island, stopped mid-ocean, jumped in and pulled a star fish up for all of us to get a picture with it. Super personalized attention, I loved it! They took us to where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. It's also where Ben sent Olivia home on the Bachelor. They pointed that out for us. (It's the little things guys!) Overall, the tour was fantastic. The best of the trip, by far. We did the half-day tour and all of us were pooped on our way back to our bus. If you do the 8-hour tour, I hear you can swim with sharks. But, take your 5-hour energy, because that's a lonnnng day. With that being said, my last piece of advice for those going on the piggie excursion, do pack a sandwich and chips. They provide beer, water, cokes and cookies, but a sandwich is ALWAYS a good idea. Do visit the weekend Chat N' Chill. Even if it's only to take a pic next to the destination sign, do it! The food was subpar, but the company and the culture was great. We got fresh conch salad and it made the $100 taxi worth while. Do not depend on Sandals for entertainment. While we can most certainly go on vacation without partying, if you can't.. Exuma and Sandals Emerald Bay may not be for you. We spent two nights at the Drunken Pub, which were great for non-drinkers and non-partiers like ourselves, but we did meet four friends who said they'd never come back solely based on this. With that said, don't go with friends! If you go to Exuma with friends, I'd definitely Air BnB it. Do not depend on Sandals for room service, the food is amazing at the restaurants but the room service food was not remarkable at all. What else? If you want to some of the bluest water without traveling 12+ hours, go to Exuma. Period. His thoughts- The airport was small. The smallest airport I've ever seen. I thought it was little Rodney's house from Haughville. (Note: Do not be the first to check in when departing, you will sit for 3 hours in a room that looks like a jail processing room. You'll be forced to eat microwavable Jamaican beef patties and watch some corny show on a 1997 television.) Food is what I go on vacation for. I go just to eat and sleep-in. (Given Stephanie lets me, which is never.) Sandals Emerald Bay's food was top-notch. The Bombay restaurant was the best, and if I okay an Indian restaurant, it's good. The French restaurant was over-hyped. Plus, they forgot to write "Happy Birthday Stephanie" on Steph's cake after I asked several times. The hibachi restaurant was good, too. After being dragged to Stocking Island for the Chat N' Chill pig roast, I can say I was happy we went. The pig roast only takes place on Saturdays and Sundays. Sandals does not tell you about the pig roast, but after my wife did some talking (her favorite thing to do) she pulled me along. We got lucky and split a $50 taxi into Georgetown where we caught a ferry to Stocking Island. The island had a hammock where I napped for about an hour. That's really all I need. The water was clear as glass and warm. The stingrays on the beach don't bother you, you can feed them. The following day, it was my wife's birthday. So we had to do what she wanted. Then again, don't we always? $188 for some pigs. I told her I would dress up as a pig and flip around in the water for a fraction of that price. It was her birthday, so I just coughed up the $376 and went about my business. It turned out to be my favorite thing about the trip. I thought Babe, The Pig, would be in a commercial environment. It was their natural habitat, though. The entire trip. From the pigs to iguana beach to the islands owned by superstars, I enjoyed the tour. I would definitely recommend it. The only suggestion, do not walk up the rocks to view the meeting place of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. It is made of like hardened lava and does not feel good on bare feet, thank you Stephanie.
Overall, I would revisit Exuma again. Also, not sure how I will ever go back to regular resort food after visiting a Sandals resort. Happy traveling! More reviews to come.
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Attend college. Check. Graduate from college. Check. Get a job. Check. Get a ring. Check. Have a lavish wedding. Check. Get pregnant. Check. Buy a house. Check. Stop it already. We blame social media for this falsified guide to a "successful" life. Who made this checklist? Rip it up, trash it, burn it! To be honest, we ALL fall into the trap. It's easy to compare yourself to the next person. Susie went and got a master's degree, I should too. Judy is 26 and she's married, I should be too! Earth to our reader! Susie and Judy arent you. You aren't Susie and Judy. Sure, there are things about their life to admire and are impressive. The same can be said about every single one of us. We all have our triumphs, we all have our tragedies. Yet it seems we're more boastful about our triumphs and less transparent about our tragedies. Death to keeping up with the Joneses! Why? Why do we [the human race] want to keep up with the Joneses so bad? What if I told you....... the Joneses aren't real. Social media allows us to falsely portray perfect lifestyles. Nothing is perfect. We fabricate appearances to seem like we have it all, but we're people, & people are imperfect. Again, the Joneses aren't real. The last few years, engagements and weddings have become a huge "trend". Maybe it's always been this way, but social media has magnified the significance of "Forever". It's almost an obsession for some. Not because we want to live right under God and society, but because we'd rather flaunt that huge rock & throw a lavish wedding. Which, let's be real, most ladies are not gonna get the Kim K rock they obsess about. The average spent on an engagement ring is about 5k. That 5k will only get you a 1 carat center diamond. Most ladies obsess over the 2-3 (and bigger) carat rings... so imagine THAT price. Size is not everything. [Be sure to learn about the 4 C's when shopping around.] Also remember, the engagement ring is the gateway for the marriage. You'll have to put in work, compromise, sacrifice, etc. It's not all glitz and glam. So we rush into an engagement, a wedding, buy the dream house, get pregnant (so we can post about the gender reveal party and baby shower). It's like we live in a world where we are obsessing over this checklist. Checking every item just to?? What? Why? We are keeping up with the Joneses. What does this really lead to? A bad situation! It leads to: 50% divorce rate, financial hardship, and kids that are constantly being put off on others. All because we weren't really ready for the steps we took.
So instead of focusing on the likes, let's take our time doing each step when it's the right time for us. Even if it takes longer than we want it to take. Even if it means others are getting that engagement ring before us. Stop comparing yourself to the next girl or guy. Be happy at whatever step of your life you're at and enjoy the ride. Don't force or rush anything. Your time will come at the right time.
Creature: anything created, either animate or inanimate. We are creatures. More specifically, we are creatures of habit. We have the same routines. We use the same methods. We frequent the same stores. We order the same item off the same menu @ our same favorite restaurant. When we show up to Starbucks daily, we don't even have to order. Enter: CHANGE Change: to make the form, nature, or content of something different from what it is If you want to understand the gravity at which we are genetically predisposed to despising change... simply mention the word to Will Jones. Unless the "change" you speak of requires breaking a $100 bill, you will be lectured, scolded, & berated. Some of us REALLY dislike change, but why? Unfamiliar Unsettling Uncomfortable This is why we stay in relationships that are toxic. You have no real desire to be with him//her, but you also have no desire to be alone. Your desire to test the open market is even less. End result: you manage the toxicity & hope for CHANGE. You seek what you have no desire to do yourself. Ironic. This is why we stay in jobs where there are no opportunities for growth. Work is draining. It is unrelated to the degree you worked so hard to attain. Unrelated to anything that brings you joy. Neither the field, environment, or coworkers are ideal. & yet you adamantly refuse to budge. You are an immovable object! Your "commitment" & "determination" is an excessive fragrance masking the true odor: FEAR..... End result: Lead an unfulfilling work existence because the lights need to be on, groceries need to be in the fridge, & Navient is more menacing than DeBo. Unfamiliar. Unsettling. Uncomfortable. Unknown. So what's the incentive for change? Being content & complacent deters growth. Refusing to change yourself or environment can lead to resentment & toxicity. Fear of the unknown can shackle you into a bitter & unfulfilling existence. All signs point to CHANGE!!! Some of you are ready to be BOLD, courageous! Ready to adventure out into the unknown! There is a willingness to adjust! Adapt! I salute you! The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step! & yet there are "the others"....."special people" ..... "Creatures" Unmoved by the keystrokes.
Untouched by the memes. The creatures of habit are immovable objects. They will NOT change!! Therefore I must yield to your overwhelming conviction, & can no longer urge you to change...... However, I will suggest you "transform".... "evolve"...... "modify" To those who pose the question, "If it's not broke, why fix it?".... I respond to your question with a simple & profound statement: If it's not perfect, improve it! Now that it’s all said and done (well-done, I might add) boy do I have some advice for you..
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AuthorsJust four married friends here to discuss relationships, life-changing events, parent-hood, religion, race & trending topics. Archives
January 2018
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