“Recalculating…”
To Ibiza
An anniversary memoir from Missy
“Recalculating…” to Ibiza
Kevin and I are about to celebrate 7 years of marriage! It’s so crazy how time flies! 7 years sounds like a long time but these have been the best years of my life and they’ve happened so fast!
This Has me reflecting on all the ways we’ve celebrated in the past. One of my favorite celebrations was our five year anniversary.
We had planned to celebrate for a week in Aruba. We had everything booked and spent 6 months planning every detail: where we would rent bikes, where to go to happy hour, a little fruit stand we could walk to for breakfast, what company we would use to take us deep sea fishing and snorkeling, just to name a few!
One month before we left for Aruba I had surgery because after years of tests to try to figure out why we couldn’t get pregnant my doctor suggested exploratory surgery to see if that would be able to give us explanations and answers. She said she had found a mild case of endometriosis and removed it via laser. Two days before we left for Aruba I had my post op appointment with my doctor. She drew my blood and told me she’d call me on Monday with the results. As I walked out the door I stated she could leave a voicemail but I might not have service.
Doctor: “where are you going”
Me: “ARUBA!!! For my 5 year wedding anniversary!”
Doctor: “No you’re not.”
Me: “?”
Doctor: “there is Zika in Aruba and you only have 6 months to get pregnant before your endometriosis comes back. If either of you get bit by a single mosquito you should not try to get pregnant for 6 months”
(Spoiler alert-surgery didn’t work)
Well that put a dent in our plans. I was so anxious and up set and didn’t know what to do. I stopped at my close friend Kelsey’s on my way home from the doctors to hyperventilate and have a drink. I bent her ear as I realized it really wasn’t worth the risk. We wouldn’t have any fun if we were terrified the whole time of encountering a mosquito!
We were hosting our couples group that night but asked them to start without us in our own living room as we researched where else we could go in less than 48 hours. We were determined to use those passports and be on a beach.
My sister taught me an amazing travel hack: google.flights.com/explore! It’s the broadest, and most comprehensive flight search platform that I am aware of. On Thursday night we found round-trip flights to Ibiza, Spain, leaving Saturday morning for $400 each on Norwegian Airlines (this trip started a love affair between us and Norwegian!) We started investigating hotels and found a beautiful hillside villa that had just been redone and was running a soft opening special that week for 75% off the normal rates! We hit the jackpot! We rerouted our plans and booked a week in Ibiza, Spain!
The icing on the cake was that it was off-season on the island and the clubs were closed. It’s actually a huge island and only the biggest town, Evessa, is the party town and we stayed in St Antonio and the beaches and restaurants were empty!
The whole trip was amazing and the adventures we had on the island will have to be their own post.
We had to be a team and really support each other as 6 months of planning crumbled with less than 48 hours to recalculate. Thankfully I’m married to a kind, patient and optimistic man. We embraced the adventure! Life throws so many curve balls but with the right frame of mind, the right person by your side, and a little faith you’ll find the silver lining.
Kev, you’re my best friend, my rock, my silver lining in every situation. Thank you for your endless encouragement, love and support. This life isn’t what we planned but so much better and so blessed. I love you so dearly.
-Missy
