Top Ten Lessons Learned So Far. *honeymoon edition*

Newlyweds! On our first flight to Paradise!

The tip of FL is in the upper left corner... and so are the Bahamian Islands. ;)

Lesson #1: Taylor and I stayed at a lovely resort in Nassau, Bahamas... the island of which you can see is barely due east of the southern tip of Florida. We, for reasons unknown, thought we were traveling to the Equator. Or even beyond, who knew! We were going on our honeymoon and nothing could stop us. We were perfectly content with thinking that our two hour flight from Atlanta to Nassau got us 2,000+ more miles than would actually be realistic/possible. Our minds were obviously still in wedded bliss mode. (when does this end?? don't tell us!!) We continued this thinking up until the second night of our stay in the Bahamas, (after apparently arriving there in a hyper-speed Star Wars jet (which we also didn't know)), we found a cool antique map at the gift shop. One glance at the equator told us that we weren't there. We looked up and up and up... and there were the Bahamas! Right by Florida. Oh, we thought. Well at least it feels like we're in another world. :) And now I'm asking for enrollment in an online geography class from Santa this year- this won't be happening again.

At the Crystal Room- T. got crab legs and I got salmon! Mmm.

Lesson #2: Taylor and I both like to eat food. We knew this before we were married of course- but the food at this resort was at another level. It was already prepared for us by happy smiling people, at any time of day and in any quantity. And it was FREE. (or at least we'd paid for it months in advance so it felt like that) Watch out bathroom scale! You're gonna get some use when we get home. Oh and that treadmill too. But back to the food- there were restaurants within 1,2, and 4 minutes of our room. Yikes. Too convenient. But so fun. We got to try lots of fun foods we wouldn't have normally ordered. Yummy seafood, unique combinations of flavors and tons of fresh fruit. Nothing super exotic- but hey, we weren't on the Equator after all. We miss that food... it will always be a delicious memory.

At the fun & exciting Japanese steakhouse- Kimonos

Lesson #3: We both love pulp in our orange juice. The pulpier, the better. Mmm it tastes like Florida in a glass. (Which is basically where we went on our vacation if I haven't already mentioned that. I hope my sarcasm isn't coming across as ungratefulness.. it's just so funny to me what we thought in #1.)

Taylor, me & baby sugar bananas

hahaha!!!!

Lesson #4: The supermarkets in the Bahamas do NOT have good deals. Unless there is something we don't know about... coupons or discounts for the locals... or a scheme to rip off tourists? Either way, we would be losing weight rapidly if we had to live on our own there. Milk- $6.99 a gallon. What!? But hey- Generic Bleach looks cheap, right? Seeing this cracked me up for some reason... enough so that I took a picture. Did anyone miss the fact that this bleach is GENERIC???? Good. You're keeping up.

(We figured out later that since it's an Island, most everything has to be imported... but $6.99 a gallon??)

We loved this awesome tiki hut!! So peaceful.

View of the beach from the tiki hut off the point!

Lesson #5: The primary faith in the Bahamas is Christianity. We were told that most everyone will admit to being a Christian, loving God & going to church weekly, even if they don't act like it on the other 6 days. We had several great conversations with some of the resort staff throughout the week- all of them being so encouraging and positive. It was really fun to be served by such joyful people who seemed to love their jobs and their island. All of the people who chatted with us mentioned the Lord, his goodness in their lives in some way, or that we should continue to read the Bible like we were doing if we wanted our marriage to last. This was definitely a highlight of the trip- and a wonderful glimpse into the Bahamian culture.

Lesson #6: If you make fun of someone else falling off their paddle board (TAYLOR), you will probably fall off yours immediately following your laughter. Or during. I'm glad my tumble didn't make it on film.

Lesson #7: I am a rule follower. Taylor is NOT. For example- say you are kayaking in the ocean in a 2-man kayak with your husband. Say he decides to jump out of the kayak while you are about 1/3 of a mile off-shore. Say you thought you remembered reading that jumping out isn't allowed, but get convinced to jump in the water too. What would ensue after the lifeguard drives his rescue boat all the way out to tell you "Do not get out of the kayak!!" ?? Tension and frustration because you are a rule-follower and he is not. He is smiling and laughing and you are not. This happened to me. (looking back, it was kinda fun. Kind of.)

Yep, this is my hubby. He's all mine, ladies.

Lesson #8: I am now able to pull the "I need to talk to my husband about that" card. And it's awesome. My first chance to throw down that little gem- 5 days into our marriage. A well-meaning but intense woman selling beach cover-ups 10 yards from our umbrella called me over to look at her wares spread out on the sand. I have a hard time saying no to things like this in the first place, and so looking back at Taylor sleeping in his beach chair, I confidently walked over to Sarong Lady. She told me her name was Indiana- which was weird- and I decided not to tell her that's where I was from because who knew what would happen at that point. (Maybe I could have gotten all the cover-ups for free! Or maybe she would have hugged me.) She showed me her beautiful fabrics and jewelry and could "give me a really special honeymoon deal!!!" I looked slowly over the colorful items, and then back at my sleeping husband... and back to Sarong Lady. "You have some really pretty things here, but I need to talk to my husband before buying (plus we had no cash with us which is only a minor detail) but it looks like he's sleeping right now. Thanks!" I smiled kindly to her, went back to my chair and opened up my magazine again. Hopefully this technique won't come back to kick me in the pants, but it's certainly a good one. (But in all seriousness, what a blessing to be in a partnership with someone in which decisions are made together- big, small, financial... everything. God knew I needed to grow in this area- saying 'no' to spending money at various (unwise/unnecessary) times- and that's why He gave me Taylor.)

There's my man- soaking up the sun and new hunting tips.

#9: We both love magazines. Now, until about 4 weeks ago, I would have thought this was something that only I had in common with myself. And so would Taylor. Until we got to the airport at 4am on the Monday we left for our honeymoon. We were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready for a nice vacation. And suddenly, work, wedding planning, driving all over tarnation to see each other, and all sorts of other busy things were not a part of our lives at that moment. And, oh, I don't know, maybe that's what made Taylor suggest we go look at the magazines. :) I love magazines, and have since I came out of the womb. My mother once told me that I like magazines because 'they represent leisure.' Perhaps. Taylor has made fun of me because they are made up of pictures of 'pretty things.' Definitely. Is it a crime? I just like them! There are lots of great things in magazines, really and truly. My favorites are fitness/healthy lifestyle, home decorating and cooking magazines. And now, it is with great pride and pleasure that I announce Taylor's favorite magazine genres.... duhn duhn duhn... Hunting, fishing and all things BIG BUCKS!! (that would be of the deer variety with antlers not the green paper version) Of course, no one is surprised by that, except maybe Taylor himself. I think it was a humble moment when he realized that he actually liked magazines. The best part is that he suggested we get more magazines when we flew back into Atlanta- and I almost said no I didn't need one. Almost. He picked one out and then I realized I couldn't pass up a magazine opportunity. As fun as it is to make fun of T about this (no hard feelings, right babe?) he sure got his money's worth out of those things. He poured over them cover to cover, read every typed word and studied every photograph- and I was even convinced to read some of the big kill stories (which are actually pretty exciting). Considering how long this paragraph is, you can probably tell what a monumentally exciting reality this new commonality is to me.

I'm a married lady!! Whoa!

Out on the pier enjoying the balmy breeze on our last night in Paradise.

#10: You can learn how to be a good parent, and also a bad one, all in 3 hours while waiting in a single line before going through customs. Fact: People take their [very young] children to the Bahamas. Also a fact: Everyone has forgotten all the fun in the sun by the time airport-waiting has rolled around. And no one is happy at that point. Kids, parents, and newlywed couple right in front of the family-reunion-of-4-adults-and-14-kids. Actually there were only 3 kids. But I'll admit it was fun to start out watching one set of parents entertain their kids successfully and happily, and the other set not so successfully (or happily). But the fun didn't last super long. Plus, it looks like a hard job. After we finally made it through customs, we were grateful it was just us and that we had gotten the opportunity to watch some great parents care for their children (and the opposite too).

Goodbye Bahamas!!

#11: (Bonus lesson learned!) There's no place like home. We had an amazing time on our trip, were so thankful for the opportunity to visit such a great place and definitely needed some R&R- but we're also glad to be back. We love our new home and have been settling into our life here in this wonderful world- as husband and wife. P.S. I have a nursing interview this Tuesday (8/28), please pray for me!! 

Here's to many more lessons to be learned. The moore, the better :) God is good!!