John and Lynne

This weekend we went to Virginia to visit two of our favorite people - John and Lynne. We had the good fortune of sitting next to this amazing couple on the plane on our way to St. John in July. They weren't even supposed to be on our flight, and we changed our seats at the last minute. Coincidence? I don't think so.

John and Lynne were on their way to St. Thomas to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary, and we were on what has become our annual pilgrimage to St. John. They invited us to join them for a special meal at the Lime Inn and we made plans to have some adventures together during the week. One day they picked us up in their rental boat, the Awesome, and we headed to Jost Van Dyke. The Wine Guy and I had been trying to get there for years, but the charter services are prohibitively expensive and the ferry leaves at the crack of dawn. Now it would be tough to imagine a Caribbean vacation without a Foxy's grouper sandwich or the swim to the Soggy Dollar. We made great memories at our favorite villa, Drake's Lookout, enjoyed burgers at Skinny Legs, and had lobster rolls and "Drink Right, Keep Left" drinks at the Tourist Trap. We all share a love for the reef and its inhabitants, so some of the best moments involved sea turtles and sting rays and other beautiful swimmers. They even hold hands while they are snorkeling like we do!

Getting to know John and Lynne has renewed my spirit. They are the kind of people whom you proudly call family, whether you are related to them or not. When we're together, we laugh good belly laughs and dream about the possibilities that the future holds. Yes, we've had to overlook the fact that they are Redskins fans. But they have a tricked-out Tiki bar in their yard and that is a good indicator of their idea of a good time. It's a little structure John built himself, which isn't surprising once you know that basically he can build/do anything. It's filled with cool stuff from their travels, like the Soggy Dollar ring toss game. And it's where John makes his famous Green Drink, which I'm sure he intends to name after the Eagles once they are Super Bowl Champions.

Right now, Lynne is busy beating cancer for the second time. When we met her, she was facing a couple of grueling rounds of chemo, but you never would have guessed it from her demeanor. In the next few weeks, she will be receiving her own stem cells for treatment as she goes for the cure. She's got the mind of a detective and quite possibly the most generous, gentle spirit I have ever met.

Lynne doesn't know how brave she is, which is probably a blessing or she'd be rappelling off the side of the Tiki bar. I feel like she's the sister I always knew I had out there somewhere, and I'm so glad I finally found her.