When I was a young girl, I decided that I would get married in the Triangle Church, which was actually entitled, St. Albans Congregational Church, in St. Albans, Queens.
I was not a member of this church nor was my family but I just thought it was so beautiful that someday, I would have my wedding there. I have always been big on deciding what I want to happen, seeing it in my minds eye and then manifesting it through repeating my desires and visualizing. It sounds hokey but I later put this into action through vision boards and I find it amazing that this process truly works. I also decided that I wanted to honeymoon in the Poconos. When I reflect back on the latter choice, it makes me smile because my dreams were not solidified in terms of international travel. I had been to Canada and Aruba but my travel ideas were still small.
When it was time for me to marry, after meeting my wonderful husband while we were both students at Yale University, soon after we graduated, I fulfilled my dream of having a beautiful wedding in the Triangle Church.
As we planned for the wedding, I shared with my best friend at the time, the Poconos honeymoon idea. She laughed and said, "You can't honeymoon in the Poconos. You should go to the Caribbean. You don't have to go far. What about the Bahamas? That will be so romantic." That definitely seemed like a great idea so I shared it with my then fiancé and he loved it. The plan was on. We chose Nassau, as it was a popular spot, and once again I was dreaming of crystal blue water, white sand beaches and the joy of traveling internationally.
Our wedding was beautiful, followed by a lovely reception, which included all of our family and friends, a champagne fountain and other libations, delicious food, a lovely cake and gifts galore. I was now Mrs. Rose, a married woman, and off to my honeymoon with a young man whom I loved with all my heart. We arrived at the airport, with luggage in hand and excitement beyond my imagination, ready to check in and board our plane (there was no TSA then). However, upon proceeding to check in for our flight, we were advised that the rules had changed ten days earlier. We needed a passport, birth certificate or baptismal record, or another form of ID, none of which we had on us. This situation was unbelievable! We called our travel agent (yes, they were very active then -- no online bookings) and he panicked advising that he had forgotten about this change and said he'd re-book us to fly out the next day. Immediately, I began to cry, comforted by my husband and we left the airport. I called my mother and my best friend Valerie, who tried to console me. Valerie rushed to my mother's house and they had all of our wedding gifts on display on my mother's dining room table, for us to open, when I arrived in an effort to try and bring back some joy. My mother had my birth certificate ready for me.
My husband's hometown was in Connecticut, in a small city called Norwich. We would have to drive there (It would take us 2.5 hours). When he called his parents, they told him they could not find his birth certificate in their house. They would have to go to their church (they were Catholic) to get his baptismal certificate. We headed there with earnest. I was a bit calmer because all seemed resolved and my husband assured me that our honeymoon would be just as wonderful, a day later. We arrived at his parent's home and he went to the church with his mother. To make a long story short, they came back about an hour later and Jeff's mother was in tears. My husband had a look of shock on his face. It turns out that there was some confusion in locating his baptismal certificate at the church when the priest couldn't find it. Jeff's mother then recalled that the reason was because the priest should look under a different last name. My husband was surprised and confused and then it happened. They found it and he learned that the man who had raised him for his entire life, was not his natural father. He was his adopted father! This indeed was a shocker and the details of this entire story will be revealed soon, through a video series in progress, but you can imagine the shock that my husband and I were in. Now, not only was our honeymoon delayed by a day but, my husband had to come to terms with the fact that the father who had loved him and raised him, was not his natural father and that everyone in his immediate and extended family knew and never told him out of love for him. His adopted father had been so good to him that my husband never had a hint that he wasn't his natural born son.
So, we went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas, my second and my husband's first international journey, now in a state of quasi-shock and madly in love. It was a wonderful honeymoon! We stayed at the Nassau Beach Hotel, which was lovely.
We carried a basket with us, that was given to us as a wedding present by one of my husband's many, aunts. In it was a bottle of Dom Perignon (liquids were allowed to be carried on the plane at that time), two crystal champagne glasses, a beautiful and tasteful negligee and a lovely card. We enjoyed every drop of the champagne, in the Bahamas on our first night, and forgot about what we would have to face when we returned home, as I knew that my husband would want to find his real father at some point, which he ultimately did. It turns out that his real father was the first Black President of a college in the Northeast (that's another story, altogether) and they have remained in contact with each other until this day. He's a very nice person and we have all enjoyed getting to know him and his wife over many years.
So once again, another international journey for this naturalista led to an intriguing story that made the experience exceptionally interesting. We remember the Bahamas so fondly because of all it meant to us--the beginning of our life together and a new discovery that would change our lives forever. While in the Bahamas, we went to the straw market, ate delicious food, swam in the crystal blue waters and enjoyed every moment of our beautiful honeymoon in a place that I recommend as a "must do."
We returned to the Bahamas for our 17th wedding anniversary and stayed at a nearby hotel and we visited the Nassau Beach Hotel which was still as lovely as it was the first time. Recently, we celebrated our 30th anniversary in Paris in November. We made it home just before the tragedy that occurred in Paris on November 13, 2015. But that's another story to be shared in an upcoming post. Stay tuned for that!
Below are some tips on how you can begin your travel journey, if you have not already, which I hope you will find useful. Tips will follow throughout this travel series, with more detail each time.
Travel Tips:
1.Create a Vision Board
Visualize where you would like to travel in the world. Speak this desire to everyone you know, whenever the opportunity arises. Create a vision board which includes a picture of you standing in the place where you want to go. Look at it often. Write on the vision board, "I am happy and grateful that I am now happily in... (the Bahamas as an example). Then believe it and achieve it!
2.Pack your suitcase
Once you decide on the destination that you want to travel, research the weather, pick a date and pack your suitcase with the basic items of clothing that you will need for the trip. Once you pack your suitcase, then your mind knows that you are going and you are on your way to manifestation. Always pack lightly when you actually travel, particularly now, with TSA in place. If you can bring your suitcase as a carryon, that is always better to avoid lost luggage.
3.Prepare to Travel Under TSA Guidelines
First, update yourself on the TSA guidelines as they do change. The basics that I suggest is, naturalistas, where your hair in a simple do. Your hair may be subject to a pat down, which is totally frustrating but it can happen. Where shoes that are simple to take off, avoid wearing a belt and basically -- just keep it simple.
4.Leave a Copy of your Passport behind with Family/Loved Ones
It's always a good idea to make a copy of your passport and leave it behind with family along with your itinerary (address and telephone number of where you will be staying and any other important details), just in case.
5.Change Currency Before you go or Outside of the Airport/Your Hotel
Often times, currency exchange rates are higher at the airport or at your hotel. If possible, acquire your international currency through your bank or at a currency exchange location outside of your hotel once you arrive at your destination. There should be many currency exchange locations, in the country you are visiting, which post the daily rate, which enables you to choose the best possible rate.
I hope you find these tips helpful as there will be plenty more as this series continues. Remember, visualize your dream trips as part of your preparation process. In my next post of this series, I will share my journey with you for some locations that I traveled to in the U.S. and Canada, which was part of my doctoral dissertation research process! I traveled to ten cities in the U.S. and two provinces in Canada in less than 6 months, alone. This was quite a journey for a young, married, mother of 2 toddlers! Until then, believe it and you will achieve it! Manifest your travel dreams!