R&R... VILLA STYLE

Last week, my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to go on a vacation with some of our favorite people at Rivendell Villa in Jamaica. For amazing photos of this place, click here. It was truly a time of rest, relaxation and pure restoration. I have never experienced anything like it. I had an incredible amount of anxiety ( over flying and leaving my daughter) before leaving, and it felt insanely good to feel that weight lift off of me as soon as I pulled into the gates of heaven. Yep, I like to call it heaven on earth. 

^^ Welcome goodies are always a good sign, right? ^^

^^ We spent many of the evenings playing croquet at sunset ( fancy, right?) as we sipped tea and ate pastries.... like a lot of pastries.....well, maybe that was just me. ^^

^^ I am actually quite scared of the ocean and everything underneath the surface, but this trip managed to host a lot of "firsts" for me. It helps to have friends cheering you on shoving you into the water. I had been snorkeling once before, but it had been so long that this might as well have been my first time. ^^ 

^^ A couple of our guy friends went about 12 miles out into the ocean with this fisherman and his wife, and caught some amazing tuna ( SO proud of them) that we were later served during a game of croquet while sipping wine.... I know....not real life. ^^

 ^^ There was truly nothing more peaceful on this trip than paddling out into the ocean and just sitting.^^

^^ We went on a Black River Safari where we saw crocs, devoured fresh crab and white wine at a REAL crab shack, jumped off of a bridge into a "croc free" part of the river ( I was skeptical and felt the urge to throw up several times as I don't like heights or the possibility of rubbing elbows with a crocodile), and listened to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" more than once. The tour guide seemed to like that song.

^^ An amazing tablescape for our last night's dinner.^^

This house was staffed, and I felt like I was leaving family by the end of the trip. They were SO serving, humble, gracious and amazing at their jobs. I am so grateful to them for taking this experience to the ultimate level for us. I must admit...it was a wake up call for me on my first morning back home. No fresh fruit for breakfast, anyone to make my bed, a toddler tugging at my pant leg.... oh how quickly we adjust to luxury, huh?  

What is your dream vacation that you had the chance to go on or still dream of going on?

-Jenni