A Little More on Mexico

My two good friends Bev and Brooks tied the knot on July 5th on a beach in Playa del Carmen, a growing little town not too far from Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula. B&B were my friends separately and are even more wonderful together, not to mention, a big bucket o' fun. They are both as entertaining as they are intellectually gifted. As I told Bev about a month after they started getting serious, "You and Brooks are going to get married and then have the smartest little curly headed children the world has ever seen.." So far so good ;-)

Brooks was my neighbor about 4 years ago. I knew we would be friends when after meeting him for the first time, he didn't get upset (at least I hope not) when I kept calling him, "rivers", for the rest of the evening and giggling at my own tipsy cleverness. Now Dr. Bev I've known for about 8 or 9 years. When we first met, I knew she was fun but I had no idea just how much. Since then I've learned that she's jut one of those special gems of a friend who can reference Shakespeare, Thoreau, Biggie and Missy Elliot in the same sentence and just keep on going, while at the same time pouring multiple glasses of champagne and cooking up something yummy in the oven. She's my special dancing partner who likes to get down just as much as I do--and let there be no confusion folks, I'm talking down to the ground. Yeah--you know what I mean ;-)

Their wedding was on the beach and just lovely. Made even lovelier by the fact that my friend and trip roomie Megan and I enjoyed some delicious happy hour Pina Coladas during the ceremony. (Hey, don't judge--it was on the beach after all :-) After the wedding (and quick undercover honeymoon suite decorating by myself, Megan, Trish, and Amalia), we all gathered for cocktails and then a candle-lit dinner reception. A couple of "straight up raccoons" even joined in on the fun. After eating and chatting for a bit beside the beach, B&B led the younger crowd downtown in their wedding attire. You would have thought we were celebrities by all the cheering that followed. And of course the evening wouldn't have been complete without dancing.

The next day and our last, Megan and I just sort of lounged around the resort and beach being lazy. During the afternoon rainstorm, we enjoyed complimentary massages on the beach(thanks again to the happy couple who decided to jet ski instead). These would have been even nicer and more relaxing if we both didn't suddenly have the strong urge to pee during the middle of our sessions. I guess it was the rain/3 days of pina coladas combo. We splashed and giggled our way back to our room through the puddles and found that our housekeeper had waited out the storm in our room and left us a towel swan. Just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. We'd been leaving tips all week just hoping for such an exquisite towel sculpture and finally--the best one ever created in the history of hotel linens.

All in all, it was a wonderful break from the stresses of ordinary life, a fine balance between fiesta and siesta and a trip that made me seriously consider a destination wedding for myself someday in the future, the far, far future :-) Despite the stomach bug I came back with and the fact that Mexican mosquitoes find me particularly tasty, the time away was great and just what I needed. I've discovered, yet again, that vacationing really suits me. So, if you know someone looking to hire a travel writer with a great affinity for pina coladas...

P.S. If you're ever looking to self medicate a vacation stomach bug that just won't quit, I recommend a combined morning dosage of: LiveActive cereal, Activia, and DanActive-immunity support. You might also want to clear your afternoon of plans outside your home. I guarantee your bowels will be back to pre-trip condition in no time.

(photos coming soon)