I'm Pregnant!!!

Its definitly official...i am pregnant! it is soooo exciting! the baby is about a month old and just a little ball of cells...perfect beautiful cells that are growing at an incredible rate! i'm doing well. no morning sickness or anything...just REALLY burpy in the evening....kinda weird. but....YEA!!!

Thankful

I was thinking yesterday about my dad. Father's day is coming up and my dad isn't here with me. I believe that he is in Heaven. I was thinking about all of the good times.

For instance... my dad always wanted my sister and I to face our fears. So we wouldn't be afraid, of the dark he would make a maze in the basement out of the cushions from our couches....my sister and I would craw threw. He would turn out the lights and poke his hands through the holes and tickle us.

He took us to cedar point often. I had never been on a roller coaster and he took me to the tallest (then) one.... the magnum. He told me that if i could go on this coaster i could go on any one in the park.

While skiing, he would take me up on the bunny hill.... (being young it felt like a mountain to me). We would go down together. I would be between his skis and held on tight to his arms.

One time we went to Disney world and they had a water park. They had this one slide that was SOOOOO tall and very very steep. He took me on it. I did have to go down my myself but he was in the slide next to me and we landed in the pool at the bottom together.

I never really had a choice with all of these things....he just kinda brought me to them. I didn't have to to face my fears and to be honest i really wasn't afraid of them. Probably becuase he was my dad; i trusted him and loved him and knew he would keep me safe.

Vacation Day 7

Sunday May 13, 2007

It is our last full day at Biras Creek Resort. It is funny how we have never slept in and this morning is no different. The sun woke us up around 7:00 am and we got ready for our day. We headed to breakfast. Dave has his usual Biras Omelet and I had the chef special. It reminded me of tortilla espanol. It was quite good. We made a video tour of breakfast and the paths we took during the days we were here. I sure hope the video turns out alright. All in all it is about an hour long. Some of the animals showed off for the camera. There is a lizard with a fan tail and when we were taping it, its throat came out and it showed off an array of red and yellow colors. We had never seen that before. We then went and read on our room while we waited for our massage appointment. We got a complementary 30 min. couples massage. We got there and I had a lady do me and to David’s surprise a man for him. LOL Boy did he feel uncomfortable. But Dave just took it as, “how to give Beth a massage.” I told my lady medium pressure… but when it came to my shoulders it seemed as if she was on full force. I guess I had some knots in them because that is where she concentrated on the most. It is when I got up when the massage was over that my shoulders felt terrible. They were so sore. Oh well. I’ll remember to say something next time. We headed back to our room to video our room and put on our sunscreen. It was not time to shop. We went to Bitter End Yacht Club to take a look at their souvenirs. They had a bigger shop then Biras. We bought Eric a pirate coconut heat. It is hilarious. I hope he laughs when he sees it. Lunch was going to start soon so we hiked back to our resort. It takes about a half hour to get there and back. On our way a heron was on the road. Dave tried to take a picture of it, but it was too quick. We quickly went to our room to drop off our souvenir and took our bikes too lunch on the beach. I had scallops and swordfish and Dave had swordfish and beef dipped in bbq sauce. The food was great. Especially the chocolate chip cookies! Yum! Also to eat we had some sort of creamy sweet cole slaw, beets with mint, spiced papaya, pasta, and fruit with so sort of sweet spice on it. There was a strawberry custard tart. We tried it but it didn’t have much flavor; which surprised me because everything we have eaten there has had much flavor. We then had more shopping to do so went took a visit to our shop. The shop, again, was closed because the worker was on lunch. So we had to wait an hour for it to open. We sat at the marina dock and ordered conk fritters. They were good. They looked like hush puppies. They were spiced with peppers and fried. You dip them in tartar sauce. They were good but I still had no idea what conk actually tastes like…but maybe that is good. After that snack the shop was open and we bought some gifts for people. Unfortunately their art pieces were not very good. So we had to go back to Bitter End to do more shopping. Boy we did a lot of hiking today! We finally got all of our gifts and headed to the beach. We had all of our snorkel and underwater stuff with us. Dave really wanted to get a picture of the starfish. And to our surprise 3 starfish were quite near the shore! Two in particular were only feet away. Dave go a picture of them underwater and I was able to take a picture of it with Dave holding it! For a moment we were concerned it was dying because when Dave put it back in the water, it just floated. Hmmmm…. But with patience Dave watched the starfish blow the air bubbles out and sink to the bottom and flip itself over! It was sooo neat! We snorkeled around a bit and played with the fished that eat near the shore. We saw a fish that darted in the sand and kept trying to hide itself. Dave suddenly yelped! A crab pinched his foot! He was able to get a picture of it. It was a little white crab that hid itself under the sand. Then as we were about to leave, I went to get us towels and I hear Dave say, “Get the camera!” We I got there I saw he found a real conk! We took pictures of it. It was sooo gross looking. It reminded me of something in Men in Black. It was not time to get ready for dinner. But first we had to drop off our snorkel fins at the rental. Then we went back and took a shower and got dressed for our last dinner at Biras Creek. For our appetizers, I had duck leg and Dave had grilled tuna with grilled zucchini. We had strawberry slush I the middle. For dinner I had a pork chop and mash potatoes and Dave had the citrus red snapper on cuscus. For dessert I had toffee pudding and Dave had cappuccino custard with rum and raisin ice cream. Dave said that his looked like canned cat food! We had a lovely last evening! When we got back to our room we did something we really didn’t want to do: pack.

Vacation Day 6

Saturday May 12, 2007

Another early morning around 7:30. This day wasn’t going to be very busy. We got dressed and headed for breakfast. We tried their banana fritters but they were not very good. But the fresh fruit today was really good… especially the pineapple. Dave tried some of the dried fruit and it was good too. The dried pineapple was like candy, very sweet. After breakfast we went to the souvenir shop to buy some more sun screen. We then went on a Boston whaler. We were hoping to go to honeymoon beach, but we saw a boat docked on it so went exploring. We boated past Oil Nut Bay. We thought about docking there but there wasn’t a very good place to dock… so we boated around. Next we went to Saba Rock. We went to see how their souvenir shop was. It wasn’t much of anything. It just had lots of clothes and expensive jewelry, and pirate stuff. But one of the boaters who was trying to catch fish showed us a sting ray who was trying to sneak a bite to eat from the fisherman’s cage. It was rather large. Tarpin were also hoping for a snack. We then went back to see if honeymoon beach was clear. Unfortunately it wasn’t so we headed back to the marina. As we were docking our boat the resort’s engineer, Jacque, tried to give us instructions but no use… we could not understand him at all. He has a very heavy French accent. We finally made it to solid ground and had our picnic lunch at the Fat Virgin Café. They really must love Celine Dion because that is all they were playing in the restaurant. Our lunch was good. We had salad, turkey sandwiches, honey dew, and plantain chips. We went back to the souvenir shop but it was closed for lunch. We went back to our room and Dave took a nap and I laid out on our front porch reading. After Dave got up we got ready for our tea time. They had really good lemon cake with frosting and vanilla cake without frosting and chocolate cookies that melted in your mouth. We then went back to the room and got ready for a hike. We loaded up on the bug spray and headed out. This hike was challenging for me. It was really steep and you had to constantly watch were you put your foot or you will slip. Actually both Dave and I slipped once. But we didn’t get hurt. The views were amazing. You could see island after island and just as far as your eye could go. We saw lots of lizards, goats, grasshoppers, and we might have seen the elusive pigmy gecko. Dave took a picture of it so we can tell for sure later. We saw lots of hermit crabs which was very funny being at the top of the mountain. At one point Dave saw a little green snake that jumped at him and tried to bite him. Fortunately Dave had seen it in time and was able to jump out of the way, thanks to all the times he’d seen the crocodile hunter do it. The snake was harmless anyway, just trying to get away. Dave was so sweet he helped me up and down the steep slippery rocks. We visited lovers leap but the view wasn’t as fantastic as some of the over views we saw. The trail ended by the ocean and we walked back to our villa. We took a shower because we were covered in sweat. It was really hot up in the mountain. We got ready for dinner and headed out. For our appetizers I had some sort of shrimp salad and Dave had five spice duck salad. For dinner I had tuna and Dave had swordfish. For desert I had molten lava chocolate cake and Dave had frozen soufflé. The calypso singer was back tonight so we enjoyed his singing while we ate. We then headed back to our room. Dave read Robinson Crusoe and I read The constant Princess until it was late and we went to bed.

Vacation Day 5

Friday May 11, 2007

Dave arose early at 5:00 am to try and get some pictures of the sunrise. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and he even saw a storm coming in. It was too bad that the sun wasn’t as pretty this morning. He came back to bed after awhile and we both woke up around 7:00 am. We got ready for our breakfast. Dave had buttermilk pancakes and I had eggs. While at breakfast we saw the black humming bird and this time Dave had his camera ready! Then we left on a trip to Anegada. I sure was glad that I had on my patch because the ride over was very bumpy! We got off of the boat and saw 10 gars. They are long skinny fish with long skinny mouths. It smelled like dead fish because there were lots of lobster traps in the ocean. We piled in a truck and zoomed (quite fast) across the island. We saw goats and cows and donkeys. We got off and made our lunch selections and then went to the beach. Our guide told us our boundaries and said that in one area sea turtles would munch on the sea grass. We put on our snorkeling gear and headed for the ocean. The water was the perfect temp and there was a lot of beach. The sand was hot and very soft. We went out to find turtles but we didn’t find any. The waves were strong and pushed us parallel to the beach. This was good because it took us to an area with lots of cool looking fish. There were these white fish that followed us everywhere … at that time I didn’t know why but one nibbled on my toe. It didn’t hurt but it surprised me. There were parrot fish, a long big gar, yellow headed wrasse, and blue with brighter blue on its fins fish, blue striped fish. We just could not find the sea turtles. We got out of the water because it was about lunch time. We took a quick walk and found dried sea biscuits. We went over to the restaurant called Big Bamboo. I had lobster. It was quite different than lobster from New England. It was grainy and dissolved in your mouth...almost mushy. Dave had bbq ribs. It both came with rice, pasta salad and cooked carrots. I was still hungry by the time lunch was long gone. We had time for one more snorkeling trip. Dave got out there first… and I soon followed him. As I was putting on my sunscreen, Dave waved over to me to signal hat he had found a sea turtle. He actually found 2 but the bigger one got away. He was following the smaller one so I could see. It was beautiful. It was about a 2 ft long and 1 and ½ feet wide. The bigger one that Dave saw was over 2 feet big. Dave also saw another flounder. As we were heading back the white fishes came back. I noticed they were always around my feet. So I stirred my feet in the water and they looked like they were eating something that the sand stirred up. They came so close to me I could almost touch them…but they were always too quick for me. It was now time to go so we packed up and waiting for our bus. This ride back to the other side of the island was even bumpier than the other time. Dave tried to take pictures of the cows. Again I was so happy that I had the patch on because the boat ride home was even bumpier. On the dock we saw an Iguana and I tried to feet it but I don’t think I was patient enough because it moved to the rocks by the dock. I threw the flower over the side and it ate it. We then went to tea time and ate some good cupcakes and cookies. When we went back to the room we found that my bum was burned….not too too bad thought…which is good. We then had tea and got ready for our night reef tour. The tour was amazing. Our boat had a glass bottom and lights so you could see below. We saw the most amazing fish of different colors and shapes and thing i didn't know even existed.

Then after our tour it was time for dinner. In between or appetizer and dinner we had lemon slush. I had scallops and Dave had chicken. After we got back dave put lots of aloe on my bum because it was very burned.

Vacation Day 4

Thursday May 10, 2007

I awoke to a beautiful sunrise… the clouds were hot pink …it was only 5:30. It was magnificent. I went back to bed and got up around 7:00. Dave tried to get a few pictures of the sunrise but by the time he got everything ready the nice colors were fading. This morning we got ready for our excursion to the Baths. While waiting for the boat Dave spotted 3 Wahoo’s (at least that’s our best guess) swimming in the nursery. They were almost 2 feet long. They were long and skinny. We also saw a red centipede in the rocks of the nursery. Mike the manager told us, while we were waiting on the boat that the actor Morgan Freeman frequently eats at Biras’s restaurant and that Catherine Zeta Jones and her husband, Michael Douglas, came to dinner there on News Years! There were four other couples with us. We had a glass bottom boat to see under! It was so pretty. I felt good on the way to the baths. We almost got caught in a light shower.. our guide let the squall go ahead of us so we wouldn’t get rained on. Our guide told us some awesome information about the island. On our way we passed a villa worth 5 million with 100 rooms. It was owned by a Czech republic man who was only 40 years old. Then we passed a villa that belong to an owner of JP Morgan. We saw a villa under construction that was owned by the man who owns miracle grow. Also, we saw a villa owned by the lady who has had so many plastic surgeries that she looks like a cat! Pretty neat information! When the boat got to the baths it turned off its motor and I began to feel woosy again. ERRR. But I hoped in the water and we snorkeled to shore. There were so many fish. Now, when you snorkel you really cant see behind you and these girls kept saying … “excuse you” well I finally popped my head up and they said something to the effect that I was in their way and I was splashing them.. Well, Golly I didn’t know they were there… I told them I couldn’t see behind me and I was sorry but they mockingly giggled at me… I forgive them. Getting to shore was quite the task. The waves were strong. No rip tide but you really had to make sure you were out of the water before you took of your fins because a large wave could push you over. The rocks were HUGE they created these natural baths in them that you could swim and wade in. It was an awesome sight. There were rocks piled on top of each other forming semi caves, although it wasn’t really dark like a cave. It was a challenge to squeeze through at places, and to get up and down the wooden ladders built for you. You had to hike through the baths and you came to devil’s bay. We snorkeled there too and we saw 2 squids! It was really really cool! There were so many different types of fish. We saw a flounder for sure. Dave got pictures so I hope they turn out! I went to shore there too and the waves were even stronger. It was funny, at one time, I felt like a barrel in the water... just being tossed… We headed back to the boat and when I got on it I got woozy again… not sick but definitely not myself. One of the ladies there told me she would give me a motion sickness patch that lasts for 3 days. She gets really bad motion sickness and she says it works for her…so I hope so! I will try it out tomorrow before our next boating adventure. Our guide took us to Spanish City where dave got me some motion sickness pills. I stayed on the dock for a while but then I ventured off to see the roosters. They were everywhere. I sat a picnic bench and all these baby chickens came over… There was another couple there feeding them. They were so cute and made lots of peeps. The mom and dad were really gorgeous too! I guess they like to eat beans…LOL. We then ventured off to find a sea turtle. We found one.. our guide went over it and we were able to see it swimming below our boat. It was so neat..its head looked like mosaic tiles. It then swam away and we were able to take a picture of it. It was the largest one we’ve seen so far. We then headed back to our resort and I began to feel a little better….cause the boat was moving again and not just standing still. We went back to our room and I got a shower cause I was covered in sand. I also took a sea sickness pill and felt even better. For lunch we sat next to a couple who we met on the boat. The wife offered me a sea sickness patch that lasts for 3 days. She gave me her extra and told me to cut it in half. We had curried Wahoo and beef with barbeque sauce and bbq pork, potato bites, pasta salad, beets with apples, pineapple cake, and assorted fruit. I rested on the beach while Dave went to get sun tan lotion from the gift shop. While on the way back he saw an iguana in our drive way. He came back to the beach but then had to leave to make dinner reservations. We then relaxed on the beach and took a short siesta. I then went snorkeling and found the starfish again. I told Dave but then when we went back into the water, we didn’t find it so it must have moved. We went for tea but had a weird pastry with tomatoes in it. Definitely not a sweet. The chocolate cake was ok. We went back to change and wash up and we put something on before dinner. We went down to the dock and I tried to type up this journal entry. But these tiny black bugs kept biting me in the arm and head… so went up to higher ground to type. All of this was happening while Dave was taking pictures of the nursery. He saw a blowfish, a pelican landing on the dock (finally), and a sea gull land on top of a pelican after it dove for fish to try and steal a morsel, two turtles, and a heron. Then as he left a bunch of sea gulls landed on the dock and were squawking… not sure why though. Then he went walking down a path and tried to take pictures of lizards and crabs. Then we met up and he tried to take a picture of a rainbow and the sunset. We then went back to our room to change into our evening wear. We walked to dinner and a dj was setting up for the evening. For our appetizer I had lobster/mango tian, and Dave had this very thinly sliced beef with cheese. We’re not sure if the beef was cooked, or even if it was supposed to be. It was definitely different. For dinner I had red snapper with lemon cuscus and mango salsa, and Dave had Wahoo with garlic mash potatoes and asparagus. For dessert I had raspberry brownie and Dave had banana bread with ice cream and caramel sauce. After dinner we went to bed. It had been a long day.

Vacation Day 3

Wednesday May 9, 2007

Another early day. We woke up to the sun shining into our room. We went to breakfast and we both had the Biras omelet. We then booked the rest of our adventures that we wanted to do for that week. We had to get everything together that morning because we had a snorkel trip at 9:30 that morning. While we were waiting for our boat we saw two small sea turtles. They popped their head up out of the water a few times before diving into the water. Dave got a few pictures of them. We went with another couple on their honeymoon: Laura and Trevor. The waves were choppy and the reefs were swelled so we could not go to some of the places that our guide, Shawn, wanted to take us. So we went to Mosquito Island. It was still choppy over there as well, but we decided to take a look and snorkel anyway. Dave got in first and I followed in after him. One of the first types of fish I saw was some sort of angel fish. It was about a foot tall and black. It was huge. I tried to yell for Dave but his head wasn’t in the water to hear me. He was getting his goggles on. The visibility wasn’t too clear but we could still see a lot. The only downfall was that the underwater pictures may not turn out. (We’ll see) We saw a great assortment of fishes, blue and yellow fishes, blue stripped fishes, Schools of fishes, fan coral, tube like coral, huge white coral, Dave even saw a spotted moray eel. We spent a half an hour in the water. When I got back in the boat I realized that I really had to go to the bathroom (so did laura) I was so pleased that we stopped at an Island/Restaurant called Saba Rock. It was so neat! You just dock right in front of the restaurant/bar. They had a pool of fish, gigantic lobster, and eels! It was quite the sight to see! There was a cannon and an anchor also in the water from a famous ship that sank in the ocean round Virgin Gorda. The couple took a picture of us in front of a boat. Dave took a picture of me next to a statue of a skeleton pirate! It was fun! On our way back to our room, dave fed an iguana! It was so cool. One of the workers gave us some tips on how to feed them. We got a couple of pictures of it. Maybe later I will be able to feed one myself. After we came back we road our bikes to the gift shop. We saw many neat souvenirs for friends and family and of course us. We ate lunch at the castle. We both had tomatoes and mozzarella for the appetizer and beer battered mahi mahi with spicy potato wedges on the side! It was definitely scrumptious. For dessert Dave had raspberry parfait and I had pecan pie. We then went back to the room and got ready for a hike. We road our bikes to the beach and left them there while we hiked around the salt water pond. The only cool thing we saw was a couple ducks. It was VERY hot! Dave asked if I was wilting and I definitely was. So we took a rest on the beach. I stayed in the shade and dave rested in the sun (hoping to get a tan). After a short nap, we took a kayak out into the bay. We rowed by the mangroves and saw a type of king fisher. It was white and blue/gray. As we were heading back to shore Dave spotted a sea turtle. He said it was larger than the ones we saw earlier that day. It was time for tea so we went back to our room, got a shower, and got ready for our sunset cruise. Well, the beginning of the cruise was really nice. The scenery was beautiful. But unfortunantly, I got sea sick. It just hit me like a rock. As we were heading back though I began to feel better…or so I thought. We got ready for our dinner and ordered. Dave and I got the grouper spring roll. Dave gobbeled it all up! The smell irritated me and I began to not feel good again. But before we left I got my lobster tail and Dave had his lamb. I was really not feeling good again so we got our dinner taken back to our room. I was able to eat most of my lobster but then I went to bed. Not the best ending to our day but oh well….