Vacation warmed over

It's not like anyone died, really. I only wished I had...

So goes the story of this most recent vacation. It also partly explains why I haven't blogged for over a week. I ain't been well. Hopefully I can expound a bit later, but here's a start.

THE FACTS

We were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, so we splurged and booked a week's vacation at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica. If you click the link, yes it does resemble the pictures... but it's maybe not exactly what it looks like (plus there was a lot under construction).

We flew out of Fort Wayne, Tuesday, April 25 and returned on Tuesday, May 2. Both flights were through Atlanta (1 1/2 hours FW to ATL, 2 1/2 hours ATL to Jamaica). The resort is a mere 10 minute bus ride from the airport in Montego Bay. 

Our room was on the second floor overlooking a pool on the "quieter" side of the resort (actual pic from our balcony). There was a daytime bar around the corner, and a girl who brought us drinks usually 10am-5pm-ish. There were rarely more than a dozen of us old farts around this pool, and occasionally we were the only ones there. It didn't suck.

There were like seven different restaurants, and we only ate at four of them. We did the buffet for breakfast every day, mostly skipped lunch, and ate at the Italian outdoor place for four suppers. All the food we had was good, but we are purposely not adventurous when it comes to eating in faraway places. Better safe than sorry.

There was entertainment every evening and we enjoyed most of it. Sometimes it wasn't so well-attended, and a couple nights we just weren't into it. I do recall having fun at the headphone dance party late one night.

We tried snorkeling on the Monday before we came home. I was a complete nervous wreck - and that was before I knew they took us in a boat out to deep water!! I lasted about 30 seconds. Jane for a bit longer.

It was HOT. Daytime temps were in the 90s and it only cooled to upper 70s (if that) at night. 

SICKO

I only drank too much one night (maybe two), and only had a couple mild panic episodes (which I'm not sure Jane was even aware of). I was plenty stressed before we even left on the trip though, and never settled much. However, towards the end of the week I started getting an earache and sore throat. At first I thought it was all the vegetation. I have allergy problems anyway, and the smells were pretty overpowering. Plus, the air conditioner blowing nonstop didn't help. So...

Sunday I was just kind of all-around feeling like crap. Stress, I hadn't been sleeping much, my stomach was messed up, it was sooooo hot, I was having a hard time swallowing, and I was honestly just counting down the hours until we could leave. 

I always hate when I get like this, but I just did not feel well. Fortunately I was able to hang on until Tuesday when we flew home.

Getting out of Jamaica was a bit tedious in itself; as well as the connecting flight in Atlanta (which they actually scheduled us for a hotel and a different flight the next day because they didn't think we'd make it). We finally arrived home Tuesday night around 10pm. I was beat, and had no idea that night would be even worse!

I'd gotten to the point where I couldn't swallow at all. I was spitting into a waste basket all night. At some point, since I couldn't sleep anyway, I made an online doctors appointment for the next day. I was supposed to work Thursday, and I was stressing about that too - not to mention needing to fly out again Friday for Atlanta!

The doctors visit just pissed me off! He's a quack and I don't know if I will continue there. At least they finally did a strep test and that was negative. So he says, "Just do what you normally do for a sore throat." Really?!?! Fucking moron. And this was after I waited 2 hours for my "scheduled" appointment!

Turns out I apparently had a "7-9 day" virus. Yeah, I'm still recovering, but feeling better.

ANYWAY...

Honestly, my head is still swimming. It's not that we didn't have a good time at all... I've just been really thrown off course by not only being out of my routine, but this sickness has done a number on me. I didn't feel like blogging or journaling the entire vacation, I haven't run for two weeks, and it seems like everything has changed.

I wish I could say things were getting back to normal, but I'm not sure what that even is anymore. I suppose I will survive. It's just taking awhile to get there.

One of these days I may post some pics and more details, and also about the boy's Phd graduation. Maybe. Hopefully. 

[Yeah, I know. I hate being that guy who goes to a caribbean island with a beautiful woman for a week and all I can do is complain. Argh.]