5.26.2011

The Jamaican Husband Story - Part 2 : It's the Little Things

[If you missed part 1 - catch up here!]

I was awoken from my post aerobics nap by someone pulling the earbuds out of my ear.  It was him again. The bouncy Jamaican, not the Italian. “Come on… we’re playing beach volleyball” he said, reaching for my hand. Luckily I was able to talk myself out of that one. Don’t they know my whole point of coming to the beach is to lay on my butt and get a tan?! He stuck out a pouty lip as he popped up off my beach chair and walked off to retrieve the volleyball.

I may have pulled the 'I look like im napping on my belly, but really I've got one eye open watching this volleyball game" trick for a few minutes, until I really did doze off again, but not for long! Both their game and my sun-baking session were cut short as an afternoon shower rolled in. Mom and I packed up our stuff and headed towards the lobby.

During the short bout of ‘liquid sunshine’, mom and I were relaxing in the lobby taking advantage of the wi-fi access when Mr. Shaddy comes strolling through.

"HI MOMMY! HI BOO!" he shouted out when he saw us.
We rerouted him to a chair near us, since he was on his way to play soccer but it was raining, he excitedly asks if we want to play dominoes. I, equally as excited, respond YES! I love dominoes. Love them. The 2nd  time I was in Jamaica we played them nearly every night with the locals at a bar across the street from our resort.

He hopped up out of the chair and bebopped his way out of the lobby (no really, I wish I had video of him walking. He’s so damn peppy all the time.)

About that time, Mom wandered back to the room/bar/bathroom to do something or other, and Shadrick comes back, plops down and asks for my room number. Jokingly I ask if he’s gonna send flowers there, although really he just needed it to ‘check out’ the dominoes set from the resort, the flower joke got legs and turned into a full blown discussion though spanning topics such as how boys like flowers too. Mom appeared back at some point and we started playing.



It only made sense that a small bet was born, and when Shadrick beat me by a few games I jokingly agreed that he would get flowers. After about our 5th game we had learned that Shadrick is a dancing machine (that explains his constant peppiness) and that he had recently gotten back from Europe where he was on tour as a backup dancer for Beenie Man. By that time, mom was clearly kicking both of our butts in dominoes and the weather had cleared up, that’s when  Shadrick shot me that familiar face. “Come on, come play soccer with me”

Let’s momentarily back up. I’m not really all that athletic of a person, I mean I played softball, did gymnastics and can toss a football… but I’ve always absolutely hated soccer. HATE. No interest in it whatsoever. Except for the mere fact that Chrstiano Ronaldo and David Beckham happen to play that godforsaken sport.


So I did what any soccer-hating chick would do… laughed, and said “I’ll meet you at the field in 5 minutes”.

Imagine my excitement when Mom and I stroll back to our room only to find our bathroom adorned with hibiscus flowers.

I was about to make one Jamiacan gentleman very, very happy – compliments of our maid.


TO BE CONTINUED! [updated : find out part 3 here!]


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5.25.2011

So What Wednesday

It's my favorite blog day of the week!

So What Wednesday


Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!




So what if I start a song over in my car so that when I pull up somewhere that specific song is playing... is that weird? Please tell me someone else does that too



So what if I put the empty bottle of French vanilla coffeemate back in the fridge this morning because I was running late and didn’t have time to rinse it out and put it in the recycle



So what if I sorta felt important this morning when I got "hi"s from like 8 different people between the parking lot and my office.  

 

So what if I’m thinking about catching a cold Friday morning and calling in sick so I can go to Carb Day (for those not familiar, it’s the last day the Indy cars practice before the 500 on Sunday… in real man’s terms, it’s the biggest party day of the year at the track). I have a friend dangling pit passes, garage passes and suite passes in front of my face! How can I say no to that?!




So what if I plopped down on the couch with a carton of ice cream and a spoon the other night, only to scramble to hide it because my macbook started ringing as soon as I opened it up (Skype request)




So what if my first time video-skype'ing creeped me out slightly. Sure it was fun chatting with Shadrick but I have this weird fear that the video thing stays on even after I turn off my computer



So what if my Shadrick's birthday is Friday and his birthday bundle of goodies probably isn't going to even get shipped out until tomorrow. It MAY be a little late. What a bad wifey I am!!



So what if you’re gonna have to wait even longer to hear the next installment of the Jamaican Husband chronicles! (Catch up on part 1 here if you haven’t already!)




So what if I was thinking last night, whilst shopping for a dress for an event Thursday night, that I need to make friends with more stylish girls my size. Is that vain? I’m just sayin, it would be nice to have someone who I could swap clothes with (esp party dresses!)




So what if I skipped out on doing laundry last night to grab dinner with my friend Wheeler. I feel like I only get to see him at race time! (He works for a race team)




So what if we really wanted cookie dough, and since his parents are bff with the owner of the place we were at… we got a plate of cookie dough brought to us! (not as good as homemade but hit the spot!)




So what if any domestic duties are going to fall to the wayside the remainder of the week/weekend. Dinner with a friend tonight -- charity event tomorrow night with IRL drivers bartending (should be interesting!) -- Carb Day 24hr flu on Friday, party on Main St after that – FANtasy 500 Party Saturday night – Race Day Sunday ----- good lord I need a relaxing pool day come Monday!




So what if the lunch I packed today consists of a bag of Lime&Salt popcorn, 2 Kashi Chocolate Cherry bars and Easy Mac.  It was all that sounded good!




So what if I find it kindaaa weird when I go to someone’s house for a get together, and the next day 17 pictures of the food pop up with EVERYONE tagged in them.  Yes – I go through and promptly untag myself.


So what if I'm seriously trying to plan another trip to Jamaica in August! I told you - I have a problem.



Still wanting more? Check out my SoWhat's from weeks past - I promise there's some good ones that'll keep you giggling!  

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5.24.2011

The Jamaican Husband Story - Part 1 : First Encounters

On our second morning in Negril, as I’m standing with mom waiting on her omelet to finish cooking at the omelet bar a particularly enthusiastic fella comes bebopping his way over to us…
(Borrowed from facespace)
 “Hi mommy!” he spouts out to my mom, and then turns to me with a “you look grumpy”. No shit Sherlock, I just rolled outta bed 10 minutes ago and your happy ass is a bit much for this hour of the morning! “Just a little sleepy still” I sweetly replied back, and flashed my best half smile. “What’s your name?” he asks, and no sooner had my name left my lips did I get the quintessential “ooh like the football team!?”. Yes, yep that’s it. My parents named me Chelsea after a bunch of sweaty ball-kickin men. Precisely.

“I’m Shadrick” he replied, extending a hand. “Chadwick?” I asked? “Shhhadddrrrickkk” he corrected. OOH. GOTCHA I thought to myself. As I watched him throw out a few fancy-footed dance moves in the middle of the restaurant. Bouncy boy.... Stand still please.

“I’m leading beach aerobics in a bit are you going to join??” As if my blank stare didn’t answer his question, he waited eagerly for a response. I held back laughter as a YEA RIGHT came out. He smirked and started to turn away. Not before one more quick look back, and a “haven’t forgotten my name yet have you?” “SHADDDRRIICKKK” I answer.

Shortly thereafter I was finally getting all settled into my beach chair, sunscreen applied, ipod on the perfect playlist when I feel a hand tapping my arm. It’s our second day. I haven’t made any friends yet. Who is bothering me now!?

Damn Italianos. “I’m Roberto… come with me!” I can barely even ask him where before I’m being pulled up outta my lounge chair and into the shallow ocean water. Beach Aerobics. Of course. With SHADDRRICKKKK
Me in the white. Roberto in the blue next to me. Shadrick nice and dry on the sand.

And next thing I know we’re jogging on the beach. Do I look like Bo Derek to you?! Believe me…. they both got their fair share of glares that morning!

After a rough thirty minutes of flailing around in the waves, we all huddle up for a group chant. Because if publicly displaying your out-of-shapeness in front of an entire resort isn’t embarrassing enough, a huddled mass of sweaty folks shouting at the top of their lungs will surely garner some onlookers!

Apparently my bubbly personality, athleticism and grace all impressed SHADDRRICCKKKK though, as that wouldn’t be my last encounter with him that trip. Hook, line and sinker.

TO BE CONTINUED!
(Updated: Part 2)
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5.23.2011

Conquests of the weekend

Things I'm OK with.....
- FINALLY got my first pedicure of the season. Hi little frenchie toes. Missed you all winter!
- Enjoyed cocktails (Cherry Squeeze that I posted about Friday actually) on my patio with one of my good friends Friday afternoon
- I'm becoming a pro at making guacamole. I may even eat it with a spoon while I'm making it. I call it taste testing!
- the Saturday night I spent having dinner & drinks with Classy Aly. Lord help those who had a table near us.
-Icebreakers Fruit Punch mints (side note: why are they called mints if they aren't minty?!) They taste like Hawaiian Punch in tablet form. I've almost ate an entire container!
- new jeans I got Sunday while shopping with mom. They're super cute!
- also got 3 pairs of work pants that actually fit - woot! no more saggy pants!
- 3 day weekend coming up!
- I have been craving fresh veggies nonstop lately. Everything is sooo good right now. Love summertime!


Things I'm not ok with....
-$9 martini's. Not cool. I need a buy one get one free vip pass or something.
-the complex I now have because someone said all Hoosiers say "dowhat??" instead of "huh?". I'm totally a 'dowhat'er.
-it will cost nearly $40 to FedEx a birthday package to my Jamaican hubs! (I know, I KNOW... story coming soon I promise)

-how clingy Russell has been lately. Getouttamyfacedog
-the 7" long slug that was kickin it on my back step last night... I didn't even know they existed in that scale. It was like a freakin landlocked eel in my yard!
-the forecast this week. rain, rain & more rain. It's Indy 500 week mother nature... knock it off! We want to go hang out at the track!
- the condition of atleast half the wedges in my closet... after a few good years, they are ready to be replaced/upgraded. Lookin a bit dingy!!


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5.20.2011

Mixer & Mingle Friday - Cherry Squeeze

Ready for another tasty Mixer & Mingle Friday?!
+

Try Pucker 'Cherry Tease' Vodka and Vitamin Water Squeezed... it's like a light cherry lemonade, I discovered this as a fluke since I had no Sprite at my house and wanted to try the new bottle of Pucker Vodka I brought home!

Wanna see more of my favorite drinks? Check out all of my mixer & mingle Fridays here!
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5.18.2011

Pour Some Summer on Me : Partners


 Below is the list of swap partners for the 'Pour some Summer on Me' blog swap!!! 

(Hint: If you need help finding your name (We had 86 entries) hold ctrl+f and type your name in the box and it will appear a lot quicker versus skimming that list)







7.Angie @ Just Shy of a Y ---- 8. Lacey @ Bugs and Kisses


















31.Emily @ The Juice is Worth the Squeeze ---- 41.Katie @ The Lacy Family


















72.Katie @ Life With the Dietrich's ---- 86.Molly @ A Day in MollyWood 

Please purchase your Summer themed items with a spending amount of $25 (not including shipping). 
Some ideas include, but are not limited to: flip flops, beach towel, sun tan lotion, magazines, favorite drink recipe, cocktail glasses, sunglasses, nailpolish, etc!
 (If you are sending nail polish or sun tan lotion, PLEASE wrap it up and place in a sealed zip loc bag!!!) 

All items MUST be mailed between Tuesday, May 24th - Saturday, May 28th. 
We will post a link-up party on Thursday, June 2nd for everyone to reveal their goodies they received!

Happy Shopping!

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So What Wednesday

It's my favorite blog day of the week!

So What Wednesday


Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!


So what if everytime someone calls me Miss Chelsea in real life I wonder if they have read my blog... there's just some people I'd feel odd if I knew they read (ie some coworkers)




So what if I always get confused as to whether it's "play it by year" or "play it by ear". Anybody??


[source]
So what if I had a dance party with Sean Paul in my shower this morning. Not literally... just compliments of iPhone on the bathroom sink


 So what if I bake cookies atleast once a week. For no reason. I just like to. Friends, family & coworkers don't seem to be complaining!




So what if I am loving May in Indy because I have a lot of friends in the race industry and I get to go out and play with them!
[heh, blacked out my house # so ya'll cant stalk!]

So what if I wanted potted plants on my front stoop... so I bought pots and I bought already planted hanging baskets... and then I put hanging baskets in them and then just cut the 'hanging' part off. I thought it was super clever! Lazy girls guide to gardening



 So what if I am lusting over another Michael Kors watch  ....I don't have a gold one!!



 So what if I really really need to get my hands on a bottle of Pinnacle Cake after tasting it the other day. It seriously smells JUST like yellow cake... and tastes like it too!



  So what if my niece rocks her shades in the house... she's just chillin, having a cold one! 



So what if I have bathtub crayons in my shower. Whaaat?! I know you are jealous! (and yes, they are separated by warm/cool colors... it's my artsyfartsy brain)


That's all I've got for today! Have a rockin' humpday!
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5.16.2011

The scary Jamaica post

The time I nearly died in Jamaica.

I woke up Wednesday morning feeling like someone literally beat the crap outta me.  Every muscle in my body ached sooo bad. Mom joked that maybe I needed to work out a little more, if the previous days’ water aerobics had me that sore.

I wanted to laugh but I was too busy rushing to the toilet to throw up. TMI? Sorry kiddos.  After I got it together enough to swallow some Advils, I did what any ‘on the brink of feeling like death’ girl would do… put on my bikini and headed to the beach!

This is the face of agony. (Hey at least I would be tan at my funeral) Ok… maybe I’m getting a bit dramatic, yes I felt like I got cornered and roundhouse kicked by a pack of wild ninjas but after my mini barf session in the room I wasn’t feeling half bad.

Around noon, we decided to walk up to the restaurant to get some lunch. As I was getting up from my lounge chair a feeling of exhaustion washed over me but I chalked it up to the hot sun and ninja beating, and trudged up the beach behind mom.

Once in the restaurant I lost it though. At first I told mom I had to sit down, I felt like I was going to puke… then before we even made it to a table my vision started getting blurry and I broke out in a cold sweat. We didn’t even make it to the building where our room was before I had to sit down on the sidewalk. I couldn’t see and I could tell I was on the brink of fainting. As we were sitting there my left arm started to tingle. I kept telling mom I just wanted to lay down. Mom practically carried me back to the room where I passed out in bed.

After like 30 minutes… I was feeling back to normal. Granted, every bone and muscle in my body ached like hell… but I could see again, and wasn’t cold sweating. I spent most of that day in the room, and was about as much fun as a rock that evening.  And I think I drove my mom nuts with the in-depth discussion about how you would get a body back to the US if someone died on vacation.

The consensus? Jamaican freak flu. Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe bad food from Margaritaville? Regardless, I survived….  And thank goodness, otherwise this blog would be a lonely place! 

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[[On a more fun note -- you still have time to link up to our Pour Some Summer On Me swap! Go, now, hurry!]]

5.12.2011

Pour Some Summer on Me!

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Pour Some Summer on Me
{BLOG SWAP}

Shirts required, water prohibited

Let's kick off summer with a FABULOUS blog swap hosted by:
Lindsey @ Lovin' My Life
Molly @ The Fuchsia News 

The Nitty Gritty

{one}  
Sign up by adding your blog to the Simply Linked below. Please include with your first name @ blog name
 under "Link Title" Example: Jane @ Jane Smith Blog. 
(We will close the sign up post on Tuesday, May 17th)

{two} 
'Pour Some Summer on Me' partners will be revealed on Wednesday, May 18th on the blogs hosting the swap!

{three} 
Please purchase your Summer themed items with a spending amount of $25 (not including shipping). Some ideas include, but are not limited to: flip flops, beach towel, sun tan lotion, magazines, favorite drink recipe, cocktail glasses, sunglasses, nailpolish, etc!
 (If you are sending nail polish or sun tan lotion, PLEASE wrap it up and place in a sealed zip lock bag!!!)

{four} 
All items MUST be mailed between Tuesday, May 24th - Saturday, May 28th, March . We will post a link-up party on Thursday, June 2nd for everyone to reveal their goodies they received!

{five} 
Grab the button and display on your sidebar!!!


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5.11.2011

So What Wednesday

It's my favorite blog day of the week!

So What Wednesday


Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!


So what if I am extra jingly today! It's fun!


So what if I am just now getting around to doing the laundry from my Vegas trip, atleast that means I'm already unpacked from Negril trip (which is moving at a lightening fast speed for me!)


So what if I walk around all day saying "Shadrick tell Roberto to stop dancing, he an embarrassment to my country" (in my best Italiano accent of course) because it still cracks me up. Those silly Roman boys.


So what if I caught some ugly glares yesterday as I turned onto my street with Backseat by NewBoyz blaring and windows down. Lighten up old folks, it's all in good fun!


So what if I accidentally had the post office hold my mail until May 14th instead of May 9th... clearly I subconsciously wanted a much longer vacation than I really got!


So what if I am tired of having broke friends who can't vacation with me!! I'm going to start recruiting individuals for the cause... anyone want to sign up?? Anyone? BFF with Benefits. 


So what if I drove to the grocery at 930 last night because I REALLY wanted a bowl of Reese's Puffs, and was out of milk  

 So what if I am on my 3rd Cherry Dark Chocolate Kashi bar of the morning - these are really addicting. I go through a box in like 2 days. I might have a problem.



And lastly... So what if I am in a super good mood today?! The sun is shining, it's warm out and I'm just lovin life right now!! 


Still wanting more? Check out my SoWhat's from weeks past - I promise there's some good ones that'll keep you giggling!  
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5.10.2011

Reflections on Jamaica

I struggled with how to recap this vacation. It wasn't my first time down there, it was my 5th. Telling you about how gorgeous it is and how fun the people are just seemed… lame.

We stayed at the ClubHotel Riu Negril.

Riu resorts rock my world –I’ve stayed at them in Jamaica, Mexico and Dominican Republic– they are my absolute favorite and this one didn’t disappoint. If you REALLY want to know the nitty gritty details you can email me but that's all I'll say about the resort here!

And now I share with you my insightful reflections on our week in Negril ....

[1] No one can dance as good as a Jamaican. No one.




[2] If I die in a tropical location, I would like to be cremated and spread across the ocean
*There's a story that goes along with this one. I really did almost die.



[3] If you have an Italian accent you can probably talk me into doing just about anything

 Like 9am water aerobics. That's me in the white. Don't I look thrilled?! Those are the Italianos next to me in the blue shorts.
 Or playing soccer. I don't play soccer. As evidenced by the fact that after one blow to the head I was sitting on the sidelines playing watergirl instead.


Or wearing a toga. Err wait... I didn't give in to that one!


[4] People still can’t believe, Jamaica’s got a bobsled team
 (The Italiano's were obsessed. Throughout the course of the week, we saw luggage cart bobsleds, pool chair bobsleds, imaginary bobsleds all while singing that Cool Runnings tune)


[5] Boys like flowers too. even if you find them in the bathroom on the toilet paper dispenser.



[6] I have a problem. I make friends with everyone down there, and want to bring them all home.







[7] My mom rocks (duh), and I loved having a girls getaway with her! It was so funny how much everyone down there loved her, it was always "HI MOMMY!" and "Oh my god I love your mom!"


[8] Michael Jackson lives on



[9] Oh... and most importantly -- Hannah Montana doesn’t just party in the usa


Did I mention I now have a Jamaican husband? I can't muster up the energy to get into that tale now though, so maybe tomorrow!

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