Kennetta's 30th Birthday!!

Once again my husband prooves that he can still surprise me... I had a big birthday coming up and I felt like I needed to do something a little bit crazy. I left it up to my more than capable husband to plan. He is always so good at those things, and I love surprises:) My actual birthday was a Saturday, and Brian had to work. So, I spent the day with a few friends and then later that evening had a nice dinner with Brian, Hannah, and a group of friends... The next day we woke up early and packed up the car with everything imaginable - so as not to give me any hints about our plans - and then we headed north. I was beginning to believe that we were going up to Flathead lake when Brian pulled onto a dirt road just outside Ronan. We soon turned into a small airport and I realized what we were going to do...skydiving!! This was something that has always been on my list of things to do in my life and I was excited and terrified to finally try it. We signed our lives away, were trained in what we needed to do during the dive, and then waited for the sky to clear up a bit before the dive. I was the first to go up because the plain can only hold one pair of tandem divers at a time. I won't lie, there were a couple moments on the flight up over the clouds when I was wondering if my 30th birthday would be my last:) It made for some great prayer times!! By the time we made it 10,000 feet over ground it was hard for me to see the ground because of the clouds. I suppose that made it a little bit easier for me to take that first step out of the plane onto the ledge. Once on the outside of the plane I was supposed to hold onto the wing until he told me to let go. For me, the hardest part of the whole experience was letting go of the wing to cross my arms. Then we fell. I watched the plane fly away for a second and then I saw nothing but white as we fell through a cloud. It was exhilarating, and FREEZING!!! However, soon we broke through the clouds and fell for a total of 30 seconds - a surprisingly long time - before pulling the parachute. The moment the chute opened everything was so calm. It was surreal. Yes, I could see the Mission mountains next to me, and Flathead Lake behind me, but I felt like it was a dream. We floated around for 5 minutes turning the parachute and practicing our landing etc. and then, before I knew it, we were getting ready to hit the ground. We had a nice landing -although I ended up falling on my stomache - and I was so full of adrenaline that I was more than ready to go back up and do it all again! However, it was Brian's turn next and so Hannah and I stayed on the ground while he went up in the plane. The skies were a bit clearer for his jump and so I was able to see everything - including his first step out of the plane:) He had a nice flight as well and then landed right on target. We both enjoyed it so much, and I think it was fun for Hannah to watch us jump out of a plane as well:). Later that day we drove Hannah back to her mom's house and then drove on through to Salmon, ID where Brian had booked a Bed and Breakfast for us. Brian had found some fun hotsprings up in the mountains with waterfalls flowing into the pools. I love hot water, and I love waterfalls, so it was a wonderful combination!! We had a sweet time there in Idaho and then made our way back to Missoula on Monday. All in all, this was an amazing birthday! I can't think of a better way to ring in this new decade... Now, I have about 9 months to think of a way to celebrate Brian's 30th birthday. The only problem is...how can I top skydiving!!!!

Brian looking just a bit nervous during the training...I think the reality of what we were about to do hit me as we were practicing on the groundGetting all suited up for the diveMy handsome husband looking ready:)Flying away over the Mission MountainsTrying not to think about the dive during the 20 min. flight upA view of the Mission Mountains at about 7,000 feet. We had to get up to 10,000 feet - over those clouds - before we doveMe flying - It is actually quite peaceful after the 30 second freefallBrian FlyingJust after landing...It took about a half an hour for my heart to stop beating so fast!!!The Bed and Breakfast Brian and I went to in Salmon, IDThe waterfalls leading up to Goldbug Hotsprings The falls flowing into the pools The view from the pools

Brian playing under the falls - This water was NOT hot:)

Soaking in the pools...what a wonderful vacation!!!

February 28th 2009

The wedding was wonderful!!! Suffice to say that everything came together and it was magical (for us at least:))

And because I lack the words to share with you just how amazing the whole evening was, I'll let the pictures speak for me...

Jamaican Honeymoon

Here is an account of our honeymoon (I'm sorry, I just couldn't keep it short:)

Brian planned the honeymoon and was even able to keep our destination a secret up until the last moment. I was impressed - particularly because the closer we got to the wedding, the more people knew where we were going. I was so surprised and excited when Brian finally let it slip that we were going to Jamaica!!!!! Not only that, Brian got a sweet deal at a Sandals Resort (complete with a villa overlooking the ocean, our own butler, 24 hour room service and watersports included etc.) Let me tell you that I have never been so pampered in my life:) It was amazing! But I am getting ahead of myself... Brian and I flew out of Missoula Sunday afternoon and made our way to Minneapolis. Brian forgot to pack his jeans and so we ended up with a night in Minneapolis, MN in 14 degree weather. I, personally, was amused by all the looks we got by everyone once we got out of the airport. Thankfully we didn't need to spend much time in the cold. We checked into our hotel - which upgraded us to one of their nicest suites for free - and caught a ride to the nearest TGI Fridays for dinner. It just happens to be one of those restaurants we don't have in Montana, and it serves the best appetizer ever: fried macaroni and cheese. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it:) Anyway, it was at dinner that I found out about Jamaica - kind of a long, funny story - but Brian still wanted to hold out on all the other details for a while... Keeping me guessing.

Monday morning we woke up early for a direct flight from Minneapolis to Montego Bay, Jamaica. At the airport we we immediately ushered into a VIP Sandals lounge where you begin the wining and dining experience that lasts the whole trip. Food and drinks included...so nice:) We eventually hopped on a bus that took us the 100 or so kilometers to Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. There we were introduced to one of our two butlers for the week (Nicola and Calicia) driven up to our villa and shown the ropes. We ordered some room service and unwound for a while before making our way down to the ocean for a while. We just wandered around trying to get our bearings in the 100+ acres of the resort. It was beyond beautiful! Later we joined a big international food bazaar that was being held and took advantage of the eclectic buffet and open bar :)

Brian getting the VIP treatment while we waited for our butler to take us to our villa.

We spent a lot of time just swinging here on the dock listening to the waves crash around us...

Our first evening out on the deck of our villa

The International Bazaar...Note the name of the booth in the picture:) How fun!! Tuesday morning we woke up hoping to get out on a sailboat for some lessons but were thwarted by the rain. We opted to make our way into the town of Ocho Rios and do some sight-seeing/shopping after having breakfast delivered to our room. We even found Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville for Brian:) Later that afternoon we made our way the 20 minutes away to another Sandals resort called Dunn's River (The cool thing is that if you stay at one Sandals Resort you can eat/play at any of them). We signed up for scuba lessons and then played ping pong by the pool before taking up a small round of golf and then heading back to our resort. Then we got ready for our candle-lit Italian dinner on the dock overlooking the ocean. It doesn't get much better than this:)!! Later that night Brian and I joined a Poker tournament in which I won some rum for 2nd place...oh yeah...Brian got 3rd:) Beginner's luck, I guess..

Brian and I had a huge jacuzzi just a stone's throw away from our villa...It was kind of hidden and so we pretty much had it to ourselves.

Brian and I after our round of golf...I'm pretty sure he LET me win:)

The view straight out of our villa... The drink on the table is our "honeymooner" made with Dr. Pepper - our butler found some for me:), rum, and ??? (Brian was the creator)

Wednesday we went back to Dunn's River Sandals and took part of the first part of an intro to scuba. We watched a video and then practiced our new "skills" in the pool. Unfortunately, this time, it was the rain that was keeping the scuba teams from going out on the water. So we hung out in the jacuzzi and ate some lunch there at Dunn's river and then returned to Ocho Rios to hang out at the beach and play shuffleboard (surprisingly fun, oh yeah...I won!:))

We had another fancy candle-lit meal that night - Have I mentioned that our butlers reserved us places right next to the ocean for all our meals?, and unlike other guests, we didn't have to wait in line for the restaurants at all!!! After our dinner we joined a big dance party under a tent and had a wonderful time dancing the night away! Room Service... I could get used to that!!

Our hammok right next to our jacuzzi Soaking up the sun Dancing the night away:)

Thursday Brian and I chose to sleep in and take the morning slow. We spent some time on the beach enjoying the sun and then had lunch at a beach-side grill before jumping on a catamaran cruise up to Dunn's River Falls. This is the largest waterfall in the Caribbean and is reported to be one of the most picturesque falls in North America, and I am inclined to agree. The best part of the falls is that we could climb from the ocean up the falls to the beginning - about 500 meters away. B and I had a great time splashing around and making our way up the falls. Then we headed back to our sailboat and went out to the Ocho Rios National Seashore to do some snorkeling. The waves were a bit crazy, but we got to see some really pretty coral and the always awe-inspiring tropical fish. We finished our "booze cruise" making our way back to the Resort with the sun setting behind us... Magical. We then spent another wonderful evening dining at the second Italian restaurant there at the resort.

Brian and I aboard the catamaran

Dunn's River Falls

This is where the waterfall runs into the ocean...

We had a blast climbing up these falls...and, yes, the water WAS warm:)

I love this picture!! We have so much fun with the timer:)

Friday Brian and I went on a canopy tour to zipline over Jamaica's tropical forests. We had a fun 30 min. van ride up the mountain and ended up with a breathtaking view of the north coast of Jamaica. Then the real adrenaline-pumping adventure began. We got strapped into our harnesses and made our way down a path through the jungle to our first (of 9) zip line trecks over the rivers and trees. It was so fun! By the 2nd or 3rd zip-lines we were getting more comfortable and able to really loosen up and play on the zip-lines:) There was one zip-line that was straight down that kind of caught my breat, but that is the purpose...right? We ended the canopy tour with a nature walk through the forests discovering more and more plant-life that neither of us had ever seen before. God has such an imagination! And a sense of humor:) We got back to our resort just in time to get ready for a beach buffet/party. We ate and enjoyed the entertainment - I even convinced Brian to join me for a reggae dance competition onstage:) We both lost, but we(or maybe just me) had fun trying!

Brian and I on the canopy tour

Brian zipping away:) One of the rare moments he wasn't spinning or bouncing the rope...

I took this picture mid-flight...What a thrill!

I'd never seen a plant like this before:)

The Beach Party. I have a video of Brian dancing onstage in the competition if anyone is interested:)

Saturday, could it really be our last full day in Jamaica?? We had a wonderful breakfast in bed and then we ended up spending the day taking in the ocean and enjoying it to the fullest - knowing full well that we wouldn't see it again for quite some time. We did take time in the afternoon for a game of life-size chess and a game of pool(Brian won both:) We then enjoyed our last candle-lit meal by the ocean.

Wishing we didn't have to leave...

Brian smoking his Cuban cigar.

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast and then took the bus back to the airport for our jaunt to Minneapolis and then back to Missoula. We got back to Missoula a little past midnight and crashed so that I - Kennetta - could get up in the morning to teach! Back to the real world, I guess, but I am hoping that this new real world of mine will have its shares of adventures as well. Married life, boring? I think not!!! :)