pt II: escape

In early January our neighbor Tyler came over to our house with a fiendish look in his eye. I could tell something was up but I wasn't sure which direction his mischief was going. He then asks us, "How would you like to go to Atlantis?"

I was a little, dumbfounded. I wasn't sure if Atlantis was a new seafood restaurant in Bozeman, or if he actually meant the legendary lost city.  Turns out both of my assumptions were wrong, he meant the paradisiacal resort of Atlantis.

My response was... "uhh... is this a joke?" Tyler's wife Chelsy finally intervened and said something to the effect of, "Tyler quit goofing around and tell them what's going on."

Tyler then goes on to explain that because of his incredible sales acumen, he was awarded with not one but TWO, all expenses paid trips (for two) to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas and they were inviting us to come with them.  We really couldn't grasp what was going on, the enormity/generosity of it all. Prior to this we were kind of down in the dumps and I must say that having this trip on the horizon was a huge blessing.

We had an amazing time with our friends and neighbors, the Barnwells. We basked in the sun, buffets, and gluttony/extravagance of it all. Here are a few of the highlights.  Not pictured are highlights from clubbing, and yacht admiring.

This is at the entryway to the resort. Ashley was totally decked out in resort gear the entire time and looked like she was a well-seasoned resort hopper.  

 Alas, Ashley's cover was blown by her husband who drank about 5 glasses of chocolate milk a morning and four pieces of coffee cake. Violating the first rule of resort living, "act like you've been here before." ;)

 One day we left the island and went to downtown Nassau. The Bahamas are a part of the Commonwealth of the United Kingdom. They had just finished celebrating the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's inauguration. God Save the Queen!

Chelsy and Ashley are serious shoppers, so "it was a mighty duel" to dissuade them from buying these creepy dolls to bring home as souvenirs. 

 We then went to the market and bought mostly a bunch of knick knacks. The best part about these places are the vendors. Their sales pitches are hilarious, "slow day special", "I made these myself", and our favorite, "come here, lean closer, closer, don't tell anyone, how much do you want to spend on this?"  Ashley is a world class barterer and should not be trifled with. 

 Spring break for a lot of Florida University Students. We thought about joining the booze cruise but wanted to be in bed by 7:30 ; ).

 Chelsy and Ashley on the little boat that took us back to the Atlantis resort.

 As Tyler and Chelsy's guests freeloaders, we were treated to free dinner every night. It was amazing. I would guess that that perk alone allowed us to gain approximately 10lbs.

 Ashley got these rad shoes (pictured above) that added approximately 4 inches to her height, bringing her within an inch or so of me. I loved it. She looked so beautiful the whole time and there's just something about a tall, beautiful woman. ; ). Show stopper.

 The resort was basically on par in terms of lavishness with a premier Los Vegas Casino/Hotel. No expense was spared. The aquariums, water rides, beaches and other amenities were top notch and we really felt like we were in a dreamland.

Us and the Barnwells having our last breakfast before we departed. We were truly blessed to have the Barnwells as neighbors, not just because we were their vacation stowaways, but because it was so fun to have friends right next door that we could have bonfires with, parties, dinner, and watch garbage tv together.  We will miss living next to them so much.

This sums up our Bahamanian adventure. Next up will be a post about our live in Colorado Springs.