On January 31st, 2012, I stood on a beautiful white sand beach and exchanged wedding vows with my better half.
The following day, we hopped on a ferry and embarked upon the ultimate honeymoon vacation.
St. John.
Tortola.
Jost Van Dyke.
Virgin Gorda.
For ten glorious days, we traipsed around the Caribbean without a care in the world.
We ate. We drank. We celebrated.
We dreamed. We laughed. We loved.
It was hands down the best vacation of my life. When we returned home from our honeymoon, I was chomping at the bit to plan our next trip. We would need to travel during the off-season to afford where we wanted to stay, as we would be fitting the bill this time around. I researched islands until I was blue in the face and finally settled on Nevis, a tiny island near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. We would travel in November and call it our Almost Anniversary Trip.
Leading up to the trip, I spent countless hours researching the best bars, beaches, and restaurants on the island. I bought cute swim suits and flirty dresses. Our couples massage was in the books.
And then October rolled around, and everything changed.
You see, B and I weren’t planning to have a baby for several years. We wanted to travel and hold onto our freedom for as long as the biological clock would allow. Evidently, the universe had other plans for us.
It’s funny how abruptly life changes when you find out that you are expecting. My husband and I began saving money instead of living paycheck to paycheck. We made responsible decisions instead of acting on every fleeting whim. We cancelled our Almost Anniversary Trip and earmarked the funds for Baby J’s birthing bills.
B and I haven’t made it back to the Caribbean just yet, but we have shared two of the most glorious years together in the comfort of our very own home. And thanks to Baby Jack, we laugh harder, dream bigger, and love stronger than we ever imagined possible… There is no denying the allure of an island vacation, but in all honesty, the Caribbean has nothing on my sweet little family.
