The day is March 29, 2024….Good Friday. It’s a VERY good Friday. Not only is it Good Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified and died for our sins, but it is the day that Kathy is FREE! Free from working weekends. Free from working evenings. Free from trying to solve insurance issues. Free from listening to customers that are mad waiting for their prescriptions while she makes sure that they are getting the correct medicine and that there are no drug interactions. Free from working short staffed when people call in to work. FREE!!!!!
Not only is Kathy free from her job, she is financially free. With the help of her financial advisor, Melissa Myers CFP, Kathy has been able to retire 3 years early!!!! With Melissa’s help, Kathy has been able to pay down her debt, pay cash for her Jeep, and is “living the life”. In fact, March 29th is not only the day that Kathy retired, but it is also the day that she accepted an offer on her house! Now, Kathy is free of that as well. That is why she will get to do all the traveling while I am still working, wishing I was on a beach somewhere.
Kathy has worked 35 years in pharmacy. She has put in her time. Now is the time to have fun and actually LIVE her life. Congratulations, Kathy! We are all so happy for you. I, on the other hand, am just a little bit jealous. That is why I am now working with Melissa! I want to retire early, too. For now, you travel. I will write about it. 🙂
Welcome to one of the most laid back hideaway spots in the world – Pineapple Beach, Antigua! I have always been a planning person. Every day of the vacation had to be planned out. I thought that if we were going to a place, I needed to get my monies worth and do as much and see as much as possible. Kathy kept telling me that I needed to relax. Relaxing is not easy for a pharmacist. In fact, the word stress should be a synonym for pharmacist.
Then one year, Kathy asked me to help organize a girls trip to Pineapple Beach, Antigua. I was a little nervous since I really had never been out of the United States except for a cruise. I soon learned that Pineapple Beach is an all inclusive resort on a lovely little island in the Caribbean that is filled with lovely people and lovely places to visit.
Once there, I was ready to go. I wanted to snorkel, go shopping, walk to Devil’s Bridge, go to an old sugar mill, or even go to an old fort. It took me 3 days to get it through my head that I did not have to plan realize that I did not need to be doing something every minute of the day. It was okay to lay on the beach and read a book or just soak up some sun. It was then that Pineapple Beach became my most favorite place in the world, my happy place!
That was 2019. We have been there almost every year since then (We missed 2020 due to Covid). This year we had 15 people in our group. Ten adults and five “kids” (young adults age 21-26). Needless to say, the kids were usually off on their own doing their own thing, but that is ok because there is literally something for everyone at Pineapple Beach.
Do you want to relax someplace quiet and listen to the sounds of birds or the waves crashing on the beach? There are hammocks under palm trees just waiting for you to find them. Caution: they are a little close to the ground. They are perfect height for swinging and reading a book or taking a nap. However getting out is a different story. I had to roll out of the hammock, get on all fours, and grab the tree to get up. Was relaxing in the hammock worth the trouble of getting out? HECK YEAH!
Are you into Chess or Shuffle Board? They have that, too. Right in the same area of the hammocks. Maybe play a game of chess, take a nap, then play some Shuffle Board.
If you are in the younger crowd, Pineapple Beach has paddle boards, sail boats, kayaks, and snorkel equipment to use for free. They will direct you how to use the equipment…..proper use, where you can safely go, etc. They do have buoys that mark where the sailboats enter and exit the bay. The buoys mark where it is safe to enter/exit the bay area due to reefs that are close to the surface of the water. If you snorkel, the reef is to the right of the resort. If the water is not too rough (waves kicking up sand making visibility more difficult), there are many different kind of fish that make the reef their home. I do not know the names of the fish you will see, but there are some with a yellow stripe down the middle, some Dorry fish (watch Finding Nemo from Disney), sea urchin and lot’s of other cool creatures. I even saw a sea biscuit and a lobster one day. I tried to touch the lobster, but he wasn’t having it! He just moved on before I could try to dive and reach him. Then I remembered that “fat floats” in the ocean. LOL. Well, not fat but well insulated.
Once you are done with the water sports, help yourself to a Mango Tango or other fruity beverage of the day from the bar! Or take a hike up the hill to the Outhouse or some excellent BBQ! Word to the wise, If you don’t want to walk up the hill, stop by the reservation desk and have them get someone to drive you up the hill. If you are not in excellent shape (like us), take the go-cart ride up the hill but walk down the hill. About half way down, there is a gazebo with a beautiful view and a place to relax if you need it. The gazebo is where the weddings at the resort take place. The Outhouse has REALLY good BBQ. They have various salads, baked beans, BBQ chicken, Ribs, Fish, and a sausage wrapped in a tortilla shell and grilled (don’t know the name). The beer is cold, soda is fizzy, and the iced tea is refreshing. Definitely a favorite.
At night, the resort always has something planned for your enjoyment. Pineapple Beach has had a steel drum band, various DJ’s, island singers, and even Karaoke. Karaoke is always fun. It always seems that the people that were graced with a good singing voice go first. Watch out! Towards the end of the night you have the people that have had enough liquid courage (rum punch) that they get the nerve to get up on stage. This is where I fall. My singing should be kept for the car or the shower….where no one else can hear me! Lucky for you, there is not enough rum punch to get me on the stage to sing!
By far, Pineapple Beach is my most favorite place in the world (at least until I find someplace better). Like I have said, this has been the ONLY place that this pharmacist has learned to really relax and take a deep breath rather than rushing to put out the next fire at work or trying to check off the next thing on my list of things to do. I hope you have someplace that you can go to that gives you inner peace and to find yourself.
