Thursday, June 24, 2010

Safety Town Graduation


Congrats Andrew on your Safety Town Graduation!!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

You only live once, if you do it right, once is enough!



Sorry I cannot seem to rotate this video. You will either have to turn your neck or laptop. Sorry! :)

Jamaica


We traveled back to Jamaica again this year. This time, joined by our neighbors The Napholz's. We spent seven nights at the all inclusive Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort. Everyone had a great time playing on the beach & relaxing by the pool. One morning we arranged for a driver to pick us up for a day trip to Negril & Mayfield Falls. A happy go lucky Paul arrived on time in his pot scented van. We all loaded in and set off on a wild adventure. You could sense Cheri's apprehension as we whizzed down the narrow traffic lanes with only 2 seat belts and Sydney bouncing along on an ottoman. First stop was an old English fort. We thought is might be our last stop when Paul's van wouldn't start up again. But, "No Worries Mon" after a few tinkers under the hood he popped the clutch and we were off. We spent a good hour driving up the mountain along the hairpin turn roads towards Mayfield Falls. Paul sipping his Red Stripe Beer and honking the horn before each turn to warn any oncoming cars sharing the one lane road. Mayfield Falls was truly a nature lover's paradise and s great alternative to the overcrowded Dunns River Falls. Crystal clear water, beautiful waterfalls, natural pools, all set in a rainforest backdrop. After about a two hour hike the kids were exhausted and slept most of the way to our next stop, Rick's Cafe. Rick's Cafe overlooks the limestone cliffs on Negril’s west side and are a hot spot for thrill seekers. The cliffs overlook a calm cove of crystal blue ocean with dive platforms ranging from 10 to 40 feet. A few of the locals jump from a tree that’s about 25 feet higher than the highest platform, for tips of course! I took the plunge first for our group. It roughly 37 feet give or take depending on the tides. But once your up there it looks much higher since you can see all the way to ocean floor. I opted not to linger too long on the platform, closed my eyes and stepped off. The plan was to keep my arms in tight and remain straight as possible. Unfortunatly, I ended up angled slightly back and smacked my ass really hard. So hard that its now 6 days later and it still hurts. Oh well! You only live once, and if you do it right, once is enough!!!!

The boys couldnt let a girl show them up so Eric & Matt both manned up and made the jump before we left. The biggest surprise was Andrew. Our little fish hopped right up on the 10 foot and leaped off before anyone was quite ready.

Both kids really suprised us this week with their bravery. Sydney was a daredevil in the dining room trying all sorts of new foods.

She wrangled every critter she could get her hands on; bugs, slugs, crabs, butterflies and lizards.