And I thought I loved you then o/`

Love the new song on the radio from Brad Paisley's upcoming album - American Saturday Night being released on June 30th, 2009.

I will always deny being a country music fan, but my parents always played it and it is still the main station in my mom's van. Hank Williams Jr., Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn are just a few of many artists my parents listened to at home.

I must have mellowed in my older years because although it's not the main station I listen to, I have it programmed too. I guess it's hard not to be influenced by a music genre when you've been listening to it since you've been a little girl.

So I must admit, I was not surprised how much I love Brad Paisley's new song: Then. I guess what surprised me was how much it reminds me of my relationship.

Every time I hear this song, the lyrics make me think of the man I love and how I know I am lucky to be loved like this. I hope he always knows how lucky I feel to have him in my life, how much he means to me and that every moment we spend together is so special.

Then By Brad Paisley

I remember trying not to stare
The night that I first met you,
You had me mesmerized,
And three weeks later,
In the front porch light,
Taking 45 minutes to kiss goodnight.
I hadn't told you then,
That I thought I loved you then

And now you're my whole life,
And now you're my whole world,
And I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl,
Like a river needs the sea, stronger than it's ever been,
We've come so far since that day,
And I thought I loved you then

And I remember taking you back to right where I first met you,
You were so surprised.
There were people around, but I didn't care,
I got down on one knee right there,
And once again
I thought I loved you then

And now you're my whole life,
Now you're my whole world,
And I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl,
Like a river needs the sea, stronger than it's ever been,
We've come so far since that day,
And I thought I loved you then

I can just see you, with a baby on the way
I can just see you, when your hair is turning gray
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more
But I've said that before

And now your my whole life
Now your my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl,
We'll look back someday at this moment that we're in
And I'll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then

Dreaming Of Far Away Places ~ Jamaica Day 1

So in May 2009, my sister and I took a week long vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Her Husband is from Jamaica and has some family there who visited us during our stay. It was a fantastic vacation and has my wanderlust in full throttle as to where I could possibly go next.

I thought I'd post a few of the 1500 photos I took while there - yeah I know that's a crazy amount of photos, but I wanted to remember every moment. Also, I was taking photos for myself and my sister. No pressure in taking the photos of her husband's family to bring back home, thankfully he's liked my photos of their children at home.

The first day we relaxed once we finally made it to our destination, and let me tell you how glad I was to see my sister's name on a poster attached to our driver. Once we got to the apartment we were staying in and unpacked a bit, we enjoyed a lovely nap as it was soooo hot. Then our driver collected us to go grocery shopping at the Supermarket where we bought lots of liquids - water & juices, and a few staples like bread and coffee.

Some of the staples: Great Blue Mountain Coffee





















Last but not least in our food shopping for the day - we stopped to buy some fruits at the local market with our driver.





Our first dinner adventure was at the Pelican Grill:






















It looked pretty nice on the outside, a little upscale from the other restaurants we saw on the strip a few blocks away from our apartment complex. My sister ordered curried goat, I had chicken and rice & peas and we both had a drink to celebrate Mother's Day and our safe arrival in Jamaica. Dinner here was our first lesson in the laissez-faire attitude of the island - Soon Come - meaning things happen when they happen. Dinner tasted pretty good when it arrived.



My sister enjoyed the goat but the rice was a little dried out. My chicken was tender and yummy, but the rice & peas was different than the dish my sister's husband makes - I thought it was missing the coconut milk that he uses. Overall it was still a good meal, the drinks were pretty strong, and although it turned out to be a bit expensive it was a great end to a long day of travelling.






















Until next time :)