Leaving an Impression {A Plea For Help!}

When I was enjoying the highlife of our high school choir,  I learned a valuable lesson. Not that "if I applied myself I could actually be a second soprano", no, that came later in college. Nor was it that "if I didn't apply myself, I might not get a part in the school musical", and yes, that really did happen. No, I learned, that when we went on tour, we needed to bring gifts.

When we traveled on tour we stopped over night at other high schools and their choir would host us for the night. This meant that we would go sleep over at someone else's house, who we had never met before, who's kid also happened to be in a high school choir. Luckily for me, I enjoyed this very much! Meeting new people and seeing where and how they lived. Most often we traveled north to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival and our stop was either in the Napa area, where my Grandparents lived, or the Chico area, where my best friend lived. I was fortunate in these brief meetings to enjoy the host family so much that we would become pen palls and shared letters throughout the duration of our high school career (please note, this was before the internet). Upon departing from each families' generous hospitality, we would offer gifts of gratitude. It was a simple gesture but I think it surprised the family, that kids would be so thoughtful. (Thank you! to Mrs. Fujikawa, for the lesson.)

The pool and patio at the Alamanda Resort
Saint Martin, Caribbean Islands 

In this industry, namely the hospitality industry, it is also customary to bring gifts. As a manager of a resort, if you travel far and wide, you bring gifts to the manager of the place in which you are staying. This, however, doesn't really seem like a simple sweet offering of gratitude as much as it does a moment of advertising. Generally because the gift is usually a Tee shirt with the name of your resort on the front and since we are still paying full price. Still, who doesn't love a new Tee shirt, right?

With this in mind, my Darling Adventure Man and I love to travel, and it was on one of our many adventures that we made an offering of a Tee shirt, left at the front desk for the manager of the Alamanda Resort on Saint Martin. The response to our gift was that of surprise, perhaps this isn't as common in other countries? But the manager sweetly sent up a gift in return. A bottle of rum punch! Which, we still have stashed in the cupboard to this day, two years later. As I mentioned before, us Mormon's aren't much for drinking!

But Why Isn't The Rum Gone?

So my big question is, what can I do with this bottle of rum? Can I put it in a cake? Does it go bad? I honestly, have NO idea, people! Help!