Back In the U.S. of A!

NOW we are for reals.

Knowing that we would most likely volunteer for standby, I guess I never seriously entertained the thought of actually getting on that plane and leaving. We kissed out sweet hotel room goodbye and headed to the airport.

Since we were already checked in we got to stroll right up into the business class line.



Don't mind if I do! My friend Karla checked us in and I almost completely lost it knowing that this meant goodbye forever. Ross and I quickly headed over to security so I could at least cry in front of a dozen strangers.

Ross and I hung out with his cool classmates before we anxiously boarded the plane. I gave Karla one last tearful hug and headed out on the tarmac.

I absolutely love this photo I took of our friend Ida. She is so dang happy to be headed home forever!!



It was on my STBL to take a photo out of a plane. What better time than my last views of Grenada?

I was right over the plane wing, but I still like the pictures.

Once we landed in AMERICA we headed straight for food. Any food. We ended up eating at Corona Beach Bar in the airport. Once we all got our food we took a fantastic photo that I need to track down.

We all look so happy in the photo. I love it. What a welcome to America!

See Ya Lata- Hold that Thought

As many of you know, Ross and I planned on flying out of Grenada Saturday, May 17th. You know, along with every other person in Grenada.

Friday night was really weird; packing up and putting the finishing cleaning touches on the apartment.

Ross cleaning off the top of the closet

All our stuff from the past two years was packed up in 4 bags, 2 carry-ons and a couple backpacks. I was pretty surprised but all the bags were comfortably under weight. In the morning my fantastic friend Erin gave us a ride to the airport. As we were leaving Lance aux Epines I saw a SGU school bus. That wasn't so weird, but it was awesome to think that I would never have to wait for, miss, or ride one of those ever again. As Erin drove down Maurice Bishop Highway, windows down and fresh Grenada air blowing on my face, something so normal felt surreal, "This is it."

Ross and I planned on flying out that day but not really. Long story short, American Airlines consistently overbooks their flights (particularly at this time of year) and they offer vouchers to travelers who "give up" their seat and travel on standby.

I have an amazing, absolutely incredible friend who helped us out. It really could have been a disastrous morning what with my travel reservation made in my maiden name, a couple false alarms, and re-booking our tickets. My friends sure aren't making it easy to leave this place.

Ross and I decided to give up our seats and fly standby. This meant we would stay an extra day in Grenada. It's a pretty sweet deal, they give you American Airlines voucher money, a food stipend, and put you up in a local resort. Also, they provide your transport to and from the airport in a nice taxi van.

I was blown away by the service of the staff at Dodgy Dock, the resort we stayed at. The room was far better than I could have hoped for.



The room had two levels and gorgeous views! I thought the decor was pretty cool too.

The second level had a bathroom with a walk-in shower with jets! And another pretty view.

I think our favorite feature was the AC though! I thought we might go to one of the pools they have, or venture to the beach, but we just relaxed inside. I honestly don't know why we have never traveled like this before. It was awesome to be packed and moved out of the apartment, but have time to decompress and say a couple more goodbyes.

The best part was that our original itinerary had a 24 hour layover in LAX, so we arrived at our final destination in Utah at about the same time had we not taken the voucher. It was a truly beautiful last day in Grenada, and it made the upcoming full day of travel a breeze.

Pack, Clean, Repeat BREAK!

As you can tell from my previous post, packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing has been the bane of my existence. Ross and I are sooo close to being done. I can just feel it. Because Ross and I have a terrible track record of amicably packing and moving, I built-in little breaks. The breaks were designed to help us get some fresh air and enjoy our last moments in this beautiful country. 

After some Friday morning packing we headed to the ever-classic Grand Anse beach. 

The beach is a great photo accessory - it always makes you look great.

I love our tan lines. You can tell we have desk jobs. ;)

I took a ton of photos and a couple videos. I'll miss this being our backyard, but I just have to remember that getting to hang out with Ross in the warm Caribbean waters wasn't every day life, but a nice perk once in a while. 

After some beach time and swimming we decided to get some lunch at Umbrellas, a restaurant on the beach. I ordered a virgin pina colada of course. I got into a bit of a habit of ordering them every once in a while if we went out. I am happy to say I found the BEST one on the island. I am sad to say I found it on my second to last day on the island. Haha. 

As Ross and I were staring out at the amazing view from our table, we laughed to ourselves. Grand Anse was the first beach we went to, and Umbrellas was the first restaurant we ate at. Funny how life so often comes full circle like that. 

Our friend Ethan met us and later we took a classic beach pic with him. 

We will take as much beach time as we can get! But for now it's back to packing. 

The Coconut Beach

Wednesday evening some of my work friends arranged a nice chill hang out. After work we went out for drinks at this restaurant called The Coconut Beach. I didn't have a preference but when Lauren suggested the place I was really excited because I had always wanted to go. Apparently the food isn't great but we were just there for drinks so it was all good. 

Plus, look at that sunset! That is hard to beat. Cassie, I just loved the atmosphere, you know? Being able to kick back and relax with your toes in the sand, a pina colada in your hand is the quintessence of island life right? It was the perfect evening. It was one of those events that you kick yourself for not doing more often. The company and conversation were the best I have had in a long long time. I am reminded once again of the truly amazing people I have met here in Grenada. I am beyond lucky to be such good friends with them, and I know that the bonds I formed will last long after I leave. 

Sadly not everyone could make it, but for being last minute, I think 5/7 is still pretty good.