Debbie + Barbados

Dates: 6/22/19-6/29/19
total distance: ​5,600 by plane and right-side-drive car

People: Debbie (aka DK or Debbie the baker)

​Debbie and I became instant-friends during the January Blizzard of 1996. ORD + BWI airports were closed for several days, and Debbie was stranded in Chicago. I was happily unemployed, so while our mutual friend Carissa worked… Debbie and I embarked on a 3 day post-holiday shopping/dining bender across the crisp, white city. Each morning, we bundled up, prepared to walk up hill, both ways through eight inches of fresh powder into Chicago’s best shopping meccas.
Debbie is:​

• an accountant 
• a baker
• and a fancy-cocktail-drink maker

She is continually taste-testing sweet-treats and unique cocktails, as research, to improve upon, and eventually make - with love - for friends and family.

Place: Barbados (Impossible to fly direct from Chi) 

Barbados, a Caribbean (North American) island only 400+ miles off of the coast of Venezuela, and:

• the 13th smallest country on the planet
• 21 miles long and 14 miles wide
• takes 10 hours of travel time from Chicago - through Miami
• ​slow-moving traffic, poor road conditions, and frequent/sudden stops of the home-grown-rustic bus shuttles make driving slow yet exciting! 

Located 13 degrees north of the equator keeps the temperature toasty at this Brit’ish (said in my best British accent) tourist destination. Once you get to Barbados everything is easy, with US currency accepted and clean drinking water flowing abundantly from the taps.

Our adventure:

Step out the door and into paradise...

Debbie’s time-share patio opens onto the this beautiful scenic sandy beach at the Bougainvillea Resort (picture above). This Bajan beach has my new favorite thing - great beachfront Wi-Fi!
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While I lounged on the beach, I meditated, journaled, and practiced relaxing…. Before I devolved (the opposite of evolved) into a flurry of activity, taking LinkedIn Learning & Coursera classes on podcast production and writing. Several courses (and days) later, I began a 3 day podcast binge, exploring podcasts in every genre to understand what is engaging and offensive in the world of podcasting.

Our SUP Yoga class was cancelled due to high winds, which was a relief, since the liability waiver we signed during our 2017 SUP Yoga still haunts me.

The waiver included the hazard of “fish in the ocean”...

…. First, I think of sharks
…. Then, I think about how much a paddle board looks like a delicious seal-meal from below
…. Which causes concern about the SUNSET yoga class, since Shark Week - feed the fear - clearly warns that sunrise/sunset are when sharks attack
…. So I was honestly grateful when the high winds, blew away my somewhat-irrational anxiety

Facing my fear and stepping onto the SUP yoga class in 2017, created unimaginably beautiful memories, as our downward dog poses synchronized with the sunset!

“The sun cast sparkly white diamonds on the tip of each wave, yielding to the moon with a pink sky, before setting in a perfectly placed drishti between my feet.

My brother was on taking cruise which docked in Barbados, so Ben, Macy, Logan, Hayden + 2 cousins joined us for a windy afternoon at our resort. I attempted to sneak Macy into the glass-sided-pool at the resort next door for a photoshoot, but noticed 1/2 way to the pool, that it was a Sandals’ property - adults only.

Ben’s four teenage boys + Debbie’s four teenage girls - daughter + 3 friends - teamed up for some competitive co-ed beach volleyball. Connections were made as Snap Chat usernames were exchanged and marriage plans proposed (in jest) by the seriously-smart 18 year old women.
​
I'm sure there is a cool word for Snap Chat usernames...

• Sn-users
• Snap-pers
• Chat-ats
• Sna-chers

Far from home, in the 13th smallest country in the world, hanging out with my friend & family made the world feel cozy, comfortable and coincidental.

I spent two days on a plane, flying a quarter of the way across the globe, to hang out with the people I love, perfectly placed in the spot I needed them!

What I loved:

• Café Del Sol
• SUP Yoga
• Bliss Café​
• Banana infused cocktail at the Bouganivillea​
• Driving on the left-wrong side (again)

What I didn't love:

• The flight included rude people talking over me to their relatives across the aisle. I was unfortunate enough to sit next to these same fools on the way home!
• Travel time from Chicago