Why Honeymoons are better with Friends.

Cuz look at that guy? You KNOW that guy has a sense of humor.

That's Hanna and her husband, with me. She and I have been friends since Halloween of 1993, 7th grade, in Montana. Thick and thin, from tiny concerns to deaths in the family, we've been there for each other, for all the things in life. And she and her funny husband - who knew us in 1995 and thus the facial expression there - had the guts to toss away the negative concerns of others, and join us on honeymoon in Jamaica.

Best. Time. Ever.

So much fun... after the madness of a wedding, we took the party on the plane, all together! We swapped "OMG did you hear about THIS?!" stories. We swam, drank, sunned, ate and ate some more. We teased each other, we hiked the falls, rode horses, and felt no guilt about slipping away for couple-only trips to the nude island, afternoon naps or visits to the spa. It was decompression after the wedding without too much time to say, Holy Crap I Just Got Married! And after mega-socializing, it was like a nice calm tapering down instead of quitting cold turkey and staring at each other for over a week.

So we were gone 9 days; 5 with our friends, and then 4 alone. It was absolutely ideal. With no reservations, I heartily recommend that if you only get a vacation a year or less, and if you've been with your partner for many years, combine the friend-vacation with the honeymoon, and you will not be sorry.

/salespitch.