i am out on my balcony for our last morning here in the bahamas to bid adieu to our vacation! it is raining, which makes me feel good about leaving. better to leave on a day with crappy weather than with sunshine.
yesterday was our most relaxing yet. a true vacation in paradise day, beginning with a trip to a "straw market" near our hotel. the walk to these flea market type souvenir shops was a pretty path lined with green grass and marked with trellises covered in bright pink and yellow tropical flowers. it was quite lovely.
when we began perusing the items of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tchotchkes of all sorts, every vendor welcomed us to buy from them. "i'll give you a special deal" was everyone's motto. "it is $25, but for you i will make a deal." they certainly know how to work the psychological aspect of getting you to buy their wares, even though every vendor has pretty much the same things. our favorite seller of the day was cinderella. we bought two coffee mug sets (they included mug, saucer, and a spoon) from her and she was amazed at how young we looked, and that patrick and i were married. she couldn't believe it! cinderella was so charming and completely delightful, we just had to buy the beautiful mugs from her. conversation was her draw, and that works better for me to buy something.
cinderella then found us buying water from her friend, and told us that when we fly back to the u.s. we just need to trust in God to get us home safely. judy told her that we all trusted in Him with our lives, and cinderella's friend commended us on our faith. we said our goodbyes, with souvenirs in hand and a feeling that should we return we have a friend who will greet us at the little market.
after making our purchases, we headed back to the sheraton to get in lots of sun and pool time. we ate our lunch on the beach, taking heed of the sea gulls hovering around us. i made one of the servers laugh when i yelled at someone who lost a fry to the flock..."what is wrong with you?" i shouted. from that point on, i covered my sandwich in between bites and was on bird watch for any potential harm that should come our way.
as lunch ended, and sunbathing began, patrick and i decided to swim in the pool, and emily and amanda eventually joined us. we then watched patrick compete in a hold your breath and swim laps race. when it was patrick's turn, he surpassed all those who went before him by a lot! but as soon as he raised the bar higher than all the others, the final two just had to beat him. at least he didn't come in last.
when the race was over, patrick and i headed back to our room to get dressed and get ready to play some games in the casino with judy. while patrick played at a black jack table, we ladies hit up the game king slots! by the time i lost $9, patrick came over with a chip, seemingly losing money. judy then sighed in sadness, only to be encouraged as patrick opened his other hand revealing more chips declaring his winning $200! we rejoiced in his good luck, and he began to tell us that the guys at his table were upset with his winnings because he was too lucky and took away theirs. good thing he left because the guys (who were very drunk) could have become belligerent. anyway, we are going to use this money to buy a wii, so winner winner wii play time!!!!
from there we began to prepare for celebrating the new year. we ate a buffet dinner then went to judy's room to play games. we watched the ball drop and counted down the seconds, hollering "happy new year" from her balcony! we laughed and drank champagne and headed to the beach for the most amazing fireworks display that we have ever seen! the finale was spectacular and lasted for a long time. the five of us were in awe as we drifted back to our rooms, feeling satisfied with ringing in the new year, full of excitement and ready to sleep.
and now, on this rainy new year's day, i leave with much rest and happiness. i am glad to head back home to sleep in my bed again and get back into the routine of life. thanks to everyone here in the bahamas and the sheraton for making this a wonderful trip. and thanks to my family (judy, amanda, and emily) for a wonderful vacation. until we meet again, i love you all and will miss spending time with you!
this is beth signing off.
mission: fully accomplished and time to go home.
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