Drunk on Love (and maybe a little Rum)

When you live through a winter dubbed Snowmageddon (honestly, who comes up with these things?), the allure of sunshine, warmth, and the tropics is intoxicating. Pure temptation. One night, lusting after the thought of splashing in the Caribbean blue, I succumbed to my wanderlust. I booked a ticket to St. Croix! Well, we booked tickets – because that’s not somewhere you just jaunt off to for a few days without your better half. It’s the kind of place people to go get drunk on rum on love.

Even with regular doses of “travel for my everyday,” the raging travaholic wanted, nay, needed a hit of real, actual travel. Like magic, the opportunity to bundle two destinations in one presented itself. *Poof* I was already planning to attend the wedding of a dear, longtime friend in my hometown of Naples, FL. Naturally, I took that as a sign to visit the Virgin Islands. I mean… it’s so close. Right?

The wedding was amazing, by the way. The kind where people actually have a good time, talk to strangers, dance, drink, take pictures, laugh, recount stories of the bride and groom… the makings for a long and happy marriage. Pretty sure I embarrassed myself in the video when the “polka” came on for the Polish side of the family, but hey – it happens. And I’m cool with that.

Right, so back to the trip part. The Virgin Islands are preeeety close to Florida. But you still gotta take a few flights to get there. From Ft. Lauderdale we hopped over to Puerto Rico, then reluctantly boarded a teeny, tiny-ass plane (< just working on boosting SEO query results for sexy search terms) for the remaining leg. It only fit 9 people (there were 6 of us, including the pilot), and we were seated based on our weight for even distribution. Fun times!

The toy plane landed safely, my shadow kissed the ground, then we slipped into our standard attire for the remainder of the getaway: the tropical trifecta — swimsuits, sandals, and sunglasses! Think I should trademark that?

We did what every couple desperate for a vacation does: eat, drink, burn, apply sunscreen, swim, drink, repeat. We had our share of lazy time on the beach, but really got to explore the island, do some hiking, snorkeling, and try out a newfangled water sport.

Have I talked about the drinks yet? Cocktails. My favorite part (almost), only second in line to a view of the water. Fruity, cold, big, small, strong, and maker of many friends. We became fast regulars at the beach bar. “Oooh, get the BBC or the Lime in de Coconut!” ~ Ms. Tipsy here.

Our skin started to tan, I embraced my frizzies, and waking sans alarm to the early sunrise felt good. Before I knew it, one, two, five days… it was time to go home and leave the island. I’d grown accustomed to not checking the time. I had a tan line from my wedding ring, and I really wanted another fish taco.

It’s hard to say goodbye to good things. Badbye. Is that a thing? Then I thought about our pudgy dog Sumo. Traveling when you have a pet can be a little tough, but it sure does make the return home a lot sweeter.

I’m currently going through a little bit of island withdrawal, you guys [sigh]. My pineapple-coconut smoothie this morning didn’t quite do the trick, but I’m working my recovery one step at a time. Any words of inspiration and encouragement will surely help me through this tough time.

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A big thanks to We Travel Far and Forty Winks for sponsoring this post. Check out their online shops for travel gear and lingerie & swimwear.

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