jamaica

Who knew all you have to do to get a stamp in your passport is leave the country? What an incredible idea...they should really explain that better.

So Tay, J and I all got a stamp in our passports because we went to wonderful Jamaica. Who knew people that don't get along with the sun (at all) like us could still go and have a good time. It is one of those places I would have never gone to on my own, but since we were going for a wedding, it was a good excuse to be able to add that to the 'list of places I've been.' It was a good time and it was great to be able to see so many friends down there as well. It was like a Minnesota reunion, but with a lot more sun and much more use of the word 'mon.' It was an extremely beautiful place and I really enjoyed being able to sit on the porch in the morning and just look out into the ocean. It was so peaceful - made me completely forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a little while. That was one of the best parts about the vacation (other than witnessing two of our best friends get married). It was great to be able to spend the entire day with the fam and not have to worry about completing any tasks for the next day.

For those not familiar with Jamaica (as I was not until recently), you can see the map below.

We flew into Montego Bay and then took a shuttle (it was a bus that went pretty fast) out to the city of Negril, where our resort was. The shuttle ride took about 1hr and 45 minutes going out and about 1 hr and 10 minutes coming back. We stayed at Beaches Sandy Bay and some of the others stayed at Beaches Negril. It was fun to be able to go between the two resorts and sample what each had to offer. There was a shuttle that went between the resorts and the ride was only about 5-7 minutes.

There were many fun things we were able to do - many dinners together as a group, hanging on the beach, watching the NBA Finals and playing pool, swimming in the ocean, much time well spent. Below are a few pictures of the resort...as you can see, it's no Detroit, but then not much stacks up to this town...I don't know why I ever leave...

Picture of our resort - from the beach...

View from our room...

One of the restaurants at Sandy Bay...

Sunset...gotta love it...

Kathy Griffin - Need I say more?

Who knew...Kathy Griffin is even funnier in person? J and I went to see her last night (June 23) at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall. It was a great night and we had a lot of fun. It was our first time at the Hall and it was a beautiful place. We were close to the back, but it didn't matter, we could still see here quite well...didn't miss a facial expression.

She isn't necessarily the most "wholesome" comedian (and Tay was definitely not with us), but we really had a ton of fun none the less. Most of her jokes are at the expense of other Hollywood notables, and also at her own expense. She really has NO FEAR in saying what most people are thinking. We had first seen a few of her stand-up shows on TV and then have watched a few episodes of her new show on Bravo (I guess it's not that new - about to start the third season) called, "My Life on the D-List."

It was really enjoyable to be able to turn off my brain for a few hours and just laugh. I don't think we laugh as much, I mean really laugh so hard you can't stop, as we should. That is something I'm going to try to work on - getting more laughter in my life on a regular basis. Not sure how to pull that off, but since I've got nothing else to do with my time, I'll work on figuring that out.

It was great to go on a date alone with J and just get to enjoy talking and spending time with her. I had worked to surprise her with this - she knew we were going out and when, but had no idea what we were going to do. I had kept it a secret for about a week and a half, but as we were walking down the stairs at the parking structure, some one walking with us said, "So, you guys going to see Kathy Griffin tonight to?" J just looked at me and I had to say, "As a matter of fact, we are." It spoiled the surprise, but since she would have figured it out in about a half a block anyway, it was still perfectly fine. Just funny how that stuff works out.

All in all, I would say the night was a success and was really, really fun.

Epiphany...big word for me...

Who knew I'd actually start reading...for fun...and not just comics?

I'm currently reading Blue Like Jazz (by Donald Miller). I'd be interested in any comments that anyone has about the book. I've read the first 10 chapters so far, and there have been a few lines in the book that have really stuck.

"Passion about nothing is like pouring gasoline in a car without wheels. It isn't going to lead anyone anywhere."

"...what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do."

Both of these quotes are on page 110 in the book. It's always interesting to have the epiphany of realizing people in our lives actually teach us things, and show us things we never would have had exposure to without them crossing our path. Even though it is tough to have friends come and go, it's always fun for me to realize what they have shown me, or taught me, or even just allowed me to see in myself, that wouldn't have been learned or noted without them.

It's always tough for me to put into practice what I believe. In the book Miller gives a great example of a friend of his that believes we should feed the homeless. He believes this and confirms it by actually going out, and feeding the homeless at least once per week. I would agree with the statement that we should help feed the homeless, give them shelter and get them off the street. I can't remember the last time I actually did anything to help the situation. There are many more examples of this in my life.

Passion is also something I believe I have a lot of. Who knew you actually should be passionate about SOMETHING? I had no idea. It makes sense that passion without something to throw it at is worthless, I just never had it explained that way before. Wrapping my brain around what I am actually passionate for will help me do what I believe.


Good thing about this life is that we are not called to be perfect...if we were, I'd already be toast. This process may be long, but it's always nice to have the light bulb turn on once in a while along the way...

Who Knew?

Who knew I'd be sucked into the blogging empire. I've been fighting it for quite a while now and have finally jumped in to see what all of the hype is about. I'm sure it's going to be me writing to myself, commenting on my own ideas, and then laughing at my jokes. At least I'll be able to keep my thoughts in one place instead of all over. It's like this is my pensieve (from Harry Potter) to keep all the thoughts that are falling out of my head...