FUN Friday Giveaway! (And our honeymoon story)

(see below for contest info)

Considering Rob and I got pregnant on our honeymoon almost seven years ago, we haven't been afforded time to escape just the two of us.  So aside from parenthood, I would say our greatest adventure together was in fact our honeymoon.

We went to Virgin Gorda.  Ever heard of it?  It is part of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and is really popular for sailboating/snorkeling.  Rob and I were not really familiar with either.  Truth be told, I heard about the island from a friend who heard it from her dentist.  I googled it, showed it to Rob, and we said, sure, we'll go there!  It was totally random.

puddle jump

We had to take a puddle jumper from San Juan to get to the island (whose name Virgin Gorda translates to "Fat Virgin," aptly named when seen from an aerial view).  The runway was literally dirt.  The "customs" at the airport was a one-room shack.  And our taxi ride was some Rastafarian in a pickup truck.  It felt like home.

 

Chickens and goats were everywhere on the dirt roads.  The island is only eight miles from end to end.  There was ONE town center with maybe ten shops and one restaurant.  There were a few other restaurants, scattered throughout the island. 

We had a cozy cabin all to ourselves with no a/c in 100 degree temperatures.  We found out that we came in the "off season."  Our cabin was on the end of the island that has The Baths, a world-famous phenomenon where these giant boulders were somehow plopped near the shore, forming fun caves to snorkel and hike through.

Just one of the many boulders

At our first meal out we ordered two entrees and two drinks and it was $100.  So we decided most of our meals would consist of BLTs that were $5 from a shack on the side of the road called "Mad Dogs."  We also bought a camera memory card on the island because we forgot to pack one.  It was 256 mb for $100.  In the states at the time I think they sold for about $30.  Now they cost $7.

We rented a moped to explore the island, narrowly missing the roaming farm animals.  We explored some old copper mine ruins.  We rode in the dark, on an island where the night sky seemed to come down on us like a blanket, it was so close.

On our last day there, we went to one of the ten churches on the island.  Yes, there were more churches than restaurants.  I remember they had a guest preacher who taught from the book of Jeremiah, and he spoke about how Satan was stealing their young men who were dying in the streets and that they needed to rise up and be men.  And I remember there was one other white couple in the church, also on their honeymoon, named Terra and Brad (which is ironic because those are my sister's and brother-in-law's names).  And I remember everyone dancing on the way out, all hugging and clapping and singing something loving your brothers and sisters.  It was awesome.

So that sums up our adventure.  I hope you enjoyed it, but I know that I enjoyed it much more. 

Congrats to winner from last week's contest, Kim!  Kim won a lovely, romantic gift basket from Day Three Bath and Body! 





To Enter To Win A $25 Lou Malnati's Gift Card! {mandatory}:

• Leave a comment with your greatest adventure with your loved one and list the things below that you are doing/already have done!

• Commit to going on at least one date between February 6 and March 11 and register for the Date Night Challenge. (You don't need to live in Chicago to take the Date Night Challenge, and they have a really cool app to help with all of your date night needs!)
• "Like" the Date Night Challenge on Facebook.
• Follow the Date Night Challenge on twitter.
• Share about this giveaway and the Date Night Challenge on Facebook or twitter and include a link back to THIS post.

The more you do, the greater chance you'll win!  That's 5 different ways to win! 

{This contest is open to US residents only}

This giveaway will close on Thursday, February 16 at 9pm CST. 

Check back here Friday morning to see who won!