Hannah and I went to Bermuda last week, and we had such a wonderful time. I decided to just take Hannah for a number of reasons: (1) Mark could not get the time off and he likes me to travel with one kid so he can just worry about the other one, (2) all of my friends who were going to be in Bermuda at that time were bringing their kids and I didn't want to feel left out J, (3) I know how much Hannah loves to swim, bask in the sun, fly on airplanes, etc. (she seems to have my travel bug), and (4) I thought Sammy would not really "get" the fact that he was missing out on a fun trip, since he's only 23 months old.
So off we went on our Bermuda GIRLS trip!
Mark and I met in Bermuda and it's been 8 (omg…8!!!) years since we left the island. It's been 3 years since we last visited. Times have changed a LOT. We still have several friends who still live there, and several other friends came to visit at the same time we were there. These friends and I all used to party until all hours of the night, recover on the beaches on the weekends, work our tails off in our professions, spend all kinds of money on ourselves…you know, all the things you can do before children come along and suck all that freedom, energy, and money out of you. Pretty much everyone now has one or two kids. Hannah is one of the oldest at 4 and ½, and the youngest is around 5 months old. Life is fairly crazy for everyone now. I actually felt very relaxed as I vacationed with my "big girl" and watched the other mommies and daddies chase their babies and toddlers over the pink-sanded creation that is Bermuda. It is comforting to realize that even my most organized and pulled-together friends can be frazzled by a child's demands. It's not that I want them to be frazzled. It just gave me a bond with them that I had not had before. We are all parents now, and our days are a mix of frenzy and delight that is unique to the short baby and toddler years. I'm glad we are all sharing in it together.
Here are some pictures of friends who are near and dear to me. It was GREAT to see all of them!!
The Bermuda residents entertained all of the visitors in style…Hannah and I had dinner plans nearly every night!
First, there was the yummy BBQ at Sarah's house on Saturday. The kids swam in the pool and then relaxed with hot dogs and cupcakes.
On Sunday, the girls threw a baby-in-waiting brunch for Julie at Ariel Sands (during which these exciting things happened: first, we saw Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and their children lunching a few tables over…his family owns Ariel Sands, and second, Hannah completely entertained herself for 3 hours with the lovely monogrammed LL Bean tote filled with crafts from Sarah and Melissa & Doug stamps from Tina…you guys are too good!!).
Emily, Mike, Tina, and I all enjoyed salmon and a lemon torte from Miles Market that night. Hannah took a tremendous liking to Emily (who wouldn't?), who taught her how to draw a puppy dog face and play high five ("Up high, down low, too slow!!"), and generally entertained her with her delicious wit. I know Hannah will love to play with Em's girls, Gwyn and Dot, when we make it down to NY for a visit!
On Tuesday, Julie and Cary hosted the crowd for Italian (my fav…) and the kids enjoyed playing on their immense driveway with various ride-on toys. Hannah left that event with a lovely new purse and bracelet making supplies from Jules…so cute! She'll have to grow a bit to fit into her new Bermuda t-shirt, but she loves it!!
On Wednesday, we had another girls meal…the annual birthday dinner, held at Ascots. Mike babysat for Hannah that night, and was inducted into the 2-kid-dinner-and-bedtime club (I knew it would go well when he suggested fish eyes for dinner, which sent Hannah into fits of laughter).
Mike and Tina hosted a fajita dinner for the crowd on Thursday, and we had to say goodbye to the Pares and the Williams, who all departed on Friday.
The week was finished off with dinner with Mike, Tina, and Cooper at La Trattoria ("The Tratt"), a fondly remember lunch and pre-party venue from our time in Bermuda. We even enjoyed the traditional "chicken" of red wine. Very nostalgic indeed. We topped it all off with ice cream from Double Dip on Front Street. One the walk down, Hannah needed to make a bathroom stop, so we ducked into Fresco's (the former Chancery Wine Bar), and it was just as I remembered it. It was really nice to be downtown in the evening. Eight years has gone by way too fast.
As for activities, we did do several fun things, including shopping in Hamilton, taking a horse-and-carriage ride, attending Baby Boot Camp with other mommies and kids, and going to an amazing coffee shop called "TEN," the likes of which Bermuda has never seen. I had to take some shots of that to show to Mark.
By far though, my most memorable times were spent in the lovely waters of Bermuda and on the scrumptious beaches. The sand is indescribably soft and beautiful. Swimming there made me so nostalgic for the time Mark and I lived there. Hannah, who is getting to be quite the swimmer, enjoyed it so much. Mike and Tina, our hosts for the week, are lucky enough to live right on the water, and there is a little jungle path you can take down from their house to a spot on the beach. There is a little swimming hole surrounded by rocks…very protected…that was just perfect for Hannah ("No sharks can get in here, Mommy, cuz they're too big!"). We saw cute little tropical fish there too, which made it all the more fun. We went there about 3 times, and it was so peaceful. And lovely to have time to myself in such an environment with my beautiful little girl.
On another day, we took the pink-and-blue bus down to Horseshoe Bay on South Shore. Another great spot. The "baby beach" (Port Royal Bay) was another perfect area for Hannah, as she could swim around freely in the protected cove. She quickly made friends with some kids from one of the cruise ships in port, and she built sand castles and played "Ariel" with them. I could have stayed there with Hannah all day long. It was hard to pull her away…
Saturday, our day of departure, came all too soon (though Hannah was really missing her daddy and little brother, as was I). On our way to the airport, Tina gave us a tour of the caves at Grotto Bay, where she used to work, which was quite fun. Then we waved goodbye to our friends and headed back to St. John's.
Our week was one big long sun soak before the Fall days kick in here in Canada. Maybe we'll have to go back in the Spring…