R&R

So, what did I do on my leave? If I was a good blogger, I would have updated this thing while I was actually on my R&R so that people could keep up with where I was, although I’m not going to apologize for relaxing instead of typing. I spent the first part of my leave in the great state of Texas. I flew into Dallas on New Years Eve day to be greeted by my family and friends, not to mention a slew of volunteers who were just out that day to welcome troops home (Thank you). That day I got my first real pizza since my pass in Qatar and then I got to spend New Year’s Eve with some friends, but was asleep before the ball dropped. I know...real exciting, but I was truly exhausted from travel. I spent a few days in the Dallas area taking care of business and catching up with a few folks. I then spent some time with my family down in the heart of Texas, although I regret that it was too short due to me and some outside circumstances.

About 6 days on the backside of my leave were spent relaxing in St. Lucia with my girlfriend and it was just what the doctor ordered. We split our time on the island between two different resorts with two very different styles. Near the south by the Pitons, we spent 3 days at Stonefield Resort in a villa overlooking the cliffs to the water below. There we had our own hammock, plunge pool, and picturesque scenery in a very quiet setting nestled in the rainforest, perfect for getting the sound of helicopters out of your head. The large mahogany plantation blinds did not have any windows behind them and the room was very open to the jungle around us (which made the mosquito netting around the bed more than just a pretty decoration). The outdoor shower gave you the impression of bathing in the rain and the wildlife was always hiding behind the nearest wide banana leaf ensuring you didn’t happen to drop any morsel of food. For three days we gorged ourselves on scrumptious island food. The small restaurant at Stonefield had a great breakfast and thanks to the advice from Kevin and Beth, we ate dinner one night at Laderra up on the ridgeline and were treated to one of the most wonderful meals (and bottles of wine) we’ve ever had. When we weren’t stuffing our faces, we were lounging by one of the three nearby beaches and took long walks along rocky coastlines chasing crabs and looking for picture opportunities. On the fourth day, we said goodbye to Stonefield and took a long two hour twisty cab ride north towards Pigeon Island (which is more of a peninsula than an island) to stay at the all inclusive Sandals Grande St. Lucian. While Stonefield was a little more quiet and rustic, Sandals was classy and full of energy. Everything was at your beck and call and everywhere you looked there was someone there to help you move a bag, freshen your drink, or ensure you got fitted for that nice $4k TAG watch which I was enthusiastically told was worn by Brad Pitt, as if the watch would suddenly make me handsome and married to Angelina Jole. If there was only one word to describe the resort, it would have to be luxurious. Our room was upgraded upon arrival and while we exchanged our original view of the Caribbean with a top level room looking over the parking lot and the Atlantic Ocean. We had free reign over the well stocked mini bar (which we never used) and full use of the 24 hour room service (which we took advantage of right away). We spent the next 3 days lounging by the pool or the swim up bar, laying on the beach, or keeping tabs on when the ice cream cart was going to serve it’s next batch of milkshakes and sundaes. We took a bike and hike tour into the rainforest to climb a waterfall and frequented the spa for some muscle relaxing massages. The food again was top notch (as can be seen in the growing waste lines of our pictures) and while we had full access to eat or play at two other Sandals resorts to the south, we ended up staying put and eating at one of the 5 restaurants they had at the Grande. We took LOTS of pictures, only a few of which I can show here due to space restrictions. I got back stateside only to find myself with a little more than a day to pack my stuff and ready to end my leave. I rushed to see my parents and my brother one last time and made the excruciating trip back (as outlined in a previous blog).

View from the room at Stonfield of the Petite Piton

The Raintree Villa at Stonefield where we stayed for the first 3 days

One of the three beaches we visited in the shadows of the Pitons

Henry the bird who guarded the hammock

The scavengers of Mango Restaurant

View from the Mango

This is the "rustic" room we stayed in on the beach...okay, not really.

Apparently, tourist getting bonked in the head by coconuts is an issue on St. Lucia

Alissa about to do her Tarzan impersonation

The bike portion of our "Bike and Hike" adventure

The waterfall. Thank goodness for waterproof cameras.

Alissa and I at Sandals

Rainbow over Pigeon Island

One of the many cool sunsets over the Caribbean at Sandals

I’ve been back in Iraq for about a week now, still riding the wave of relaxation from my leave, but being battered by a nagging sickness and lack of a normal sleep regime. Although I hear of folks not taking their mid tour leave in order to avoid the stress of it all, with the exception of the regret of not seeing my mom, dad and brother more than I did, I’m very glad I went home.

Now, we are in the home stretch of the deployment with anywhere between 70 to 100 days left before we get released from our indentured service. The military likes to keep things vague for reasons that I’ll never know or understand.