So, I tried acupuncture today. No, I don't really have anything I need to treat, but when the opportunity arose, I had to try it. Living Social offered a deal for an initial consultation and acupuncture treatment, along with one follow-up treatment for over half off. I mean, who wouldn't want to voluntarily get themselves jabbed with tiny needles?
Before I stopped in for my appointment, I filled out all of the forms to get a head start. Good lord, who knew acupuncturists needed to know so much. How many times per year do I get a cold? Am I overly excited, have nervous energy, or am worried or depressed? Do I have low or high energy, have difficulty falling asleep, wake up frequently during the night, have bad dreams, am sensitive to weather changes, have hot flashes, sweat too much, am gassy and nearly two dozen questions about my bowel movements and urine output. Geez lady, at least buy me a drink first.
My appointment was at the same place that I had my numerology done four years ago. Wow, four years ago. Gah, I don't want to think about the fact that I was 29 four years ago. Scratch that, it was almost five years ago. Dammit.
Moving on.
I have to admit, I was NOT expecting the doctor that I had to be the acupuncturist. The girl - and I call her a girl, because she was this teeny tiny petite little thing, who didn't look a day over 25 - was like a little fireball of energy. A fireball that vomited medical information. She started talking the moment she walked in the door and didn't stop for the next hour and a half. I liked her though.
She started reading through my form that listed any and all embarrassing medical moments in my life, and started commenting about each one. We talked about my diet, family history, my overall energy (which has been sporadic and mostly low as of late), my sleeping patterns, and that I'm tired in the evenings but wide awake when it's time for bed, my body temperature and the fact that I sweat easily, but can also get cold and stay cold, the fact that I'm constantly hungry despite the fact that I feel like I'm eating all of the time, and finally ways to help protect my hand when I work out. The conversation was incredibly helpful, and she thought perhaps I might have an underactive thyroid. She suggested iodine pills or seaweed chips (seriously?), but I think I'll consult my doc before I get too crazy. She did tell me that if I start drinking water from the moment that I wake up, that could help with my fatigue. Apparently there have been studies done to not only determine the right amount of water you should be drinking, but also what parts of the day are most effective.
After the initial consultation, she took me back to one of the massage rooms and told me to lie on my back with my shoes and socks off. When I made my appointment, she had told me to wear shorts or capri pants and a t-shirt so she had easy access to stab me with her tiny needles. I may or may not be paraphrasing. She took her alcohol wipes and sanitized my fingers, arms, legs and feet before she began. The needles are protected in their sanitary sheath, so there was no need to wipe them down. She told me that she never reused needles, not even on the same person, so that was a relief. I even saw her toss the used ones at the end into her little biohazard jug.
After the sanitizing, she felt the pulse in my left hand, then in my right, and back to my left and finally with my right again. She kept muttering something about "liver...small intestines...kidneys..." as she was feeling my pulse. I have zero idea what that meant, and in her verbal diarrhea explanation, I got a bit lost. But, whatever it meant, there was something dominant about my right hand. Whether it's because I am indeed right-handed, or I had "blockage" there due to my hand injury, I have no idea. This seemed important to her though.
She started consulting her notes from our chat, as well as a chart that I could barely make out. From what I could see, it was an outline of the human body with notes all over it. She said that she likes to consult charts, especially with new patients, to make sure she's selecting the most effective areas for the needles. And then the muttering started again. I'm sure what sounded to me like random body parts, actually meant something in her overall plan. Each time she'd consult the chart and then place in 2-4 needles in different areas.
She started with ol' pointer finger on my left hand. "I'm going right for the hard stuff first." And then she stuck the needle in about a quarter of an inch down from my fingernail. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but it wasn't bad. I could definitely feel that insertion - on both forefingers - but, it wasn't unbearable. Annoying, yes. Unbearable, no. She even said that those spots would likely be the worst I felt all day. And, she was right. She proceeded to add needles on my second fingers, my hands/wrist, forearms and elbows, knees, a couple toes, feet/ankles, inner/outer shins, one on my forehead and one on the top of my head. I think that's it. After the first couple in my fingers, I didn't really even feel them anymore.
It took her around 10 minutes to get all of the needles in, due to her chart consultation, but she said it normally only takes a couple of minutes with her recurring patients. After that, she turned on some new age music, turned the lights down and left me to relax for 10-15 minutes. This was supposed to help the needles do their thing. Or something more doctor-y sounding. I looked down at that point to see where all the needles were and realized that I really couldn't feel them in...until I moved my limbs and the flexible wire started swaying back and forth. That was trippy.
I find it incredibly difficult to relax in a situation like this. Even with massages, my mind tends to wander, and I go over the 8 billion things I have to do for the day/week. So, it takes every ounce of strength I have to clear my mind and even out my breathing. Which, kind of negates the purpose of trying to relax if I'm working that hard at it. I did manage to relax a bit, or at least my form of relaxation, before she came back in and removed all of the needles.
I didn't feel the removal of the actual needles, but I thought it was funny that she ran her hands down my arms and legs to make sure she didn't leave any needles in me. She said that she tries to count as she adds the needles, so she can make sure she gets all of them, but that never works for her. Well lady, if you stop talking for 5 seconds, you might be able to keep track of them! I tried to recall where they all were myself, just to make sure I didn't walk out of the office with a needle still attached to my body, but since I hadn't really felt them all go in, I couldn't be sure where she had stuck them.
After that, she said I might feel a burst of energy, but everyone's reactions are different. I made my follow-up appointment for the next week and off I went. Then shit got cray. Over the course of the next 12 hours, I was up and down more than a Catholic at mass. On my way to meet up with a few coworkers to play some practical jokes on a few other unsuspecting coworkers, I started noticing that I was really energetic in the car. Like REALLY energetic. Like a 2 year old hopped up on pixie stix and kool-aid energetic. By the time I finished and grabbed lunch, I thought going for a run was the BEST. IDEA. EVER. As you know from previous blogs: I. HATE. RUNNING. Notice the excessive use of caps lock. This is how my life was for a few glorious hours. Everything was in caps lock.
Until about halfway into my jog/walk. That's when the downward slope hit. It's actually amazing that I made it back to my house without curling up into a little ball in an alley somewhere and taking a cat nap. That would have been fun to explain to some random homeowner. My legs felt like I was dragging two Christmas hams behind me. My lungs were clearly not wanting to participate in all the fun, so they just said eff you and refused to play nice.
By the time I finally made it home, I felt like I was about 102 and barely managed to take a shower. After that, I started feeling better and did some work around the house. I was on the upward slope again. But, it didn't last very long either, and then it was game over. I was lethargic for the remainder of the day. I fell asleep on the couch at one point and it was only 4 in the afternoon. So much for that short burst of energy. Hell, I could have gotten that with a Snickers bar and a Mt. Dew and paid quite a bit less money.
So, the real question is, did it work? As of right now, no. I don't really notice any changes whatsoever in my energy levels or my overall feeling of exhaustion. She did say that it usually takes 3-5 sessions before you notice a difference. That could be true, or that could be a line to get more money. Who knows at this point. I have my additional session in a few days, so we'll see if I notice any additional changes after that one!
--Follow-up week: I honestly didn't really notice any changes. I did, however, try to start drinking more water as soon as I woke up, and holy crap, all I've done for the past week is pee. Every. Freaking. Hour. I think that what doctors don't tell you is that the reason drinking water is so good for you is because all you do is walk to and from the bathroom all day. It's amazing I've gotten any work done.
At my follow-up appointment a week later, we talked more about the exhaustion thing (I had bloodwork done at my doctor's and everything came back normal). So, instead of working on my hand this time around, she figured she'd work more on the fatigue. So, the needles didn't go in the same places she did before. I had some in my thumb (which hurt worse than the fingers from last week), more of my toes, including pinky, and a few other changes, but mostly, she used needles on my stomach. I think I had a dozen or so around my belly button and some on either side of my abs.
But, she didn't inform me that she was going to do my stomach until after she had a few needles in each one of my hands. So, instead of me pulling my shirt up a bit and rolling down my waistline, she just dug right in and started unbuttoning my pants. It's a good thing I'm not really all that shy, because I have a feeling other people might have jumped off the table. All she did was unbutton the top button of my pants and tuck the two edges into the waistline, but it was still pretty funny.
This time I was able to relax more and fell in and out of sleep on a few occasions. I woke myself up snoring, so I was really hoping it wasn't too loud! She said that was a good sign because it means I was able to relax and get the most out of my session.
--It's been a few weeks since my sessions, and I can't say I've noticed much of a difference. I didn't really expect to. I went into the treatments with zero expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm not sad I had them though. It was a pretty neat experience.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
New Thingd #79 - Viva México!
What better way to celebrate two people starting their life together than doing so in Mexico. In February. Thanks to my friends Betsy and JP, I got to go to Mexico for the first time. I was usually working during spring breaks in college, and cash was limited, so I was never able to make it to Cancun like most other kids my age. It's kind of amazing that I had never made it there, but an adults only resort in the middle of winter was just what I needed.
What I didn't need was a bout of the flu the week before I left. Well, it wasn't actually the flu, but it sure felt like it. I haven't felt that terrible in a very long time, and I don't recommend it to anyone. Nearly 6 days after the first inkling of craptacularness, I was finally feeling better enough to go back to work. Yes, 6 days of it. It. Was. Miserable. Of course, that was also the day before I left for my trip and would be gone for another 3 days. Good thing my boss is an understanding guy.
Side note: we have come so far in medical technology. So why can't doctors determine if you have the flu without shoving a giant Q-tip into your neural cavity. Through your nose. That was quite possibly the worst thing I've ever experienced. Had the wall not been right behind me, there would have been an Exorcist moment with my head flipping all the way around.
But, anyways, getting back to Mexico. I'm going to try to pair down the 5 days into one blog, so bear with me. Fortunately, most of what I did was either lay poolside/beachside, or sip Mango Tangos in the water, so there won't be too much to write about. But, you know me, I can write a three page essay about walking across the street.
I did have a roommate for the duration of the trip - another of Betsy's friends - Julee. We were both without a date, so it made sense to share the costs of a room. We flew out on a Wednesday morning, with nearly everyone else from St. Louis that was going to the wedding. JP is from Jersey, so the other half of the guests would be coming from that direction.
One of the great things about this wedding package is that we had a direct flight from St. Louis to Cancun. The resort was actually in Riviera Maya, but it's only a short bus ride south of the airport. Our plane left pretty early, but I was happy to be getting there with enough daylight left to enjoy. The flight was uneventful, other than the fact that it was about 35 degrees when we got on and about 85 when we finally departed. Leaving St. Louis in February, I was prepared with long pants and my winter jacket. I layered up though, so I wouldn't be dying when I got to Mexico.
I was still dying. Before we even got off the plane, I could feel the humidity deep in my pores. Sweat was starting to seep out of places that hadn't seeped since last August. It was equally exhilirating and terrible at the same time. Standing in the airport waiting for our luggage was quite possibly the longest 20 minutes of my life. I hadn't worn any shorts under my yoga pants (big mistake), and my legs felt like they were being jabbed with thousands of little red hot pokers. I could feel little beads of sweat running down my calves. Good grief, we hadn't even left the air conditioned terminal yet! I went totally hoosier and pulled my pant legs up as far as I could to let everything breathe. Don't judge me, I was freaking hot.
Our baggage took forever to come out, and I started to panic a bit. I always do at airports. There's always that chance your luggage is half way around the world from you. One by one, I saw everyone pick up their suitcase until there were only 3 or 4 left. None of which were mine. Well that's neat. At least I had packed a swimsuit and flip flops in my carry on. I may not have anything to wear to the wedding, but at least I could get in the pool!
To my great relief, it eventually plopped onto the baggage belt, and we could head over to customs. Each person has to press a button to get randomly selected to have your luggage searched. The lady before me pressed the button and it turned red. She had to get searched. I assumed I would be lucky and get a green, but nope, I wasn't that lucky. I had to heft my suitcase - which, of course, was overpacked - onto this table, and open it up along with my backpack.
Now, if you know anything about me or my family, you'll know that we are the ultimate packers. We can get 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag. That suitcase was a thing of glory. I had enough clothes to last me for 2 weeks, maybe 3, and it was packed so beautifully .... As soon as that lady started to open it up and run her hands through my stuff, I almost lost it. Was I going to have to repack that entire thing in the middle of the damn airport while everyone stood around and watched? Fortunately for me, either they don't have to be super thorough, or I got an agent who didn't really want to go through my immaculately packed suitcase. She barely moved anything and then sent me along my merry way. Whew!
Then we were off to our bus to be shuttled down to the resort. We all got on the bus and realized that there were two people missing. They're friends of the couple's, but I don't really know them that well. They never showed up after quite awhile, so we assumed they found their own ride. Eventually, we got on the road, and our guide started handing out Coronas. Bingo. This is what vacation is all about. (Come to find out, the girl's passport had been chewed on by her dog, and the Mexican customs agent wouldn't let her into the country. So, she and her boyfriend had to immediately return to St. Louis. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.)
The ride didn't take too long, and the bus was air conditioned, but I was definitely itching to get out of my pants. Wait, that sounds bad. Dirty birds! Get your minds out of the gutter. I wanted to put on swimsuit and cool off in the pool! Geez. Once we arrived and checked in, we had someone take us to our room. While we were on the golf cart, we had him take us around the resort a bit to show us where some things were, and I immediately got lost. I'm pretty decent with directions - I am the Map Maven after all - but his constant turns and weaving had me losing my bearings pretty quickly. Oh well, at least they gave us a resort map, so we could find our way around.
Everyone was congregating at the pool, so we quickly changed and met them there. It's amazing what a little sun, some frosty beverages and a little pool time can do for your overall disposition. It was like the previous week of feeling like poop just disappeared. All the stress at work...gone. And it felt amazing. The swim up bar was incredible, and since Betsy had given me a Bubba Keg for Christmas, I was able to have them fill it all the way to the top and decrease my frequency to the bar. So, while everyone was carrying warm glasses of beer back and forth, or freezing their hands off from the daiquiris, I was pimped out with my giant thermos.
I stared with a Miami Vice, which was a combination of a strawberry daiquiri and pina colada. Not bad, but a little too sweet. Next I went for the Mango Tango. A strawberry daiquiri/mango concoction that was perfect for our Mexican retreat. That ended up being my drink of choice for the entire weekend. And I wasn't alone. Most of the girls were drinking it, as well as most of the guys. I think it's funny how guys won't admit they like girly frozen drinks until they're on vacation at a tropical locale.
The afternoon went by way too fast, and we all headed back to shower and change for dinner. Julee and I opted for the Italian restaurant on the resort, along with Sarah and Jenny, two of Betsy's other girl friends that came together. It's kind of funny getting Italian food in Mexico. It made me think of what my friend, who lived in Italy briefly, said while we were there. He could never find Mexican food in Rome!
I was in heaven. Give me a good caprese salad and I will be your best friend. I could have eaten 5 more plates of this.
YUM. I wasn't completely sold on the duck breast, mainly because the thought of eating poultry that's still partially rare freaks me out. But, the ravioli and the cream sauce were amazeballs.
Again, freaking delicious. I'm not usually a fan of these teeny plates, but it gave me the opportunity to try numerous different things, so I wasn't complaining too much. All of us were still starving at this point though, so we opted to get two desserts. Well, everyone except Julee. She wasn't feeling well, so she headed back to the room. I, on the other hand, went to town on my desserts.
I was pretty disappointed in this, especially considering how amazing the first 3 courses were. It was incredibly dry and a little too heavy.
This was better than the cake, but still not as decadent as I was looking for.
After our meal, Sarah, Jenny and I headed to the hot spot on the resort called Guacamayas. This was the "it" place to be every night because they had entertainment - from dancers to singers to fire throwers - followed by a DJ and a big dance party at the end. We hung out for a bit, but I was sad to admit that between still recovering from being sick and the long day of travel and sun, I had to leave pretty early. I wanted to enjoy the weekend and not be an exhausted mess.
Thursday arrived, and Julee and I were up early. We headed down to the closest restaurant to grab some breakfast before it got too crowded and then did a little sightseeing at the resort. They had a buffet set up with fresh fruit, meats and cheeses, cereal, toast and other bakery items. You could also order off the menu, so I got some eggs to go with my fruit and cinnamon rolls. They brought my eggs with a side of refined beans. Can't say that you see that every day. After that we headed over to the activities pool, different than the one we were at the day before. Betsy had gotten up early to snag a cluster of beach chairs together so we could all hang out. The day was spent soaking up some sun, frolicking in the pool, drinking Mango Tangos and people watching. It was magical.
I should explain Flat Nate. Basically it's a family joke going around at Christmas that someone always gets an item from my cousin Nate with his face on it. My mom got a t-shirt one year, and my sister-in-law got a poster. This past Christmas I got a dozen or so adhesive Nate faces, and I decided that 2013 was going to be the year of Flat Nate, and I'd take him everywhere with me. Stay tuned for the end of this year when you will see the entire Adventures of Flat Nate! Oh, and I left the one on the bed. Except, I left it under my pillow for the maid to find! :)
Lunch was at the Mexican restaurant, and we were all a bit tipsy. And by tipsy I mean full on drunk. The mango tangoes had been going down way too easily that morning. This time I went with Julee, Natalie, Aaron, Amy and Kelly. Because of said inebriation, we ran a train on the nachos and quesadillas the waiter brought out. I'm pretty sure he's used to drunk guests eating their meals, but we were particularly entertaining. As were the other half dozen or so tables full of our wedding guests.
Again, the afternoon was spent at the pool until the sun started to descend and the temperature in the pool became a bit too chilly. One of the drawbacks of going in February. Plus, this pool wasn't heated like the one from yesterday. Again, we freshened up for dinner, and this time Julee and I went with some of the St. Louis and Jersey clan to the Caribbean restaurant. I failed to get pics of what I ate - I'm sure you're devastated - but it was tasty and should make all of you jealous.
Back to Guacamayas for drinks and entertainment, and this time there were guys and gals dancing around with fire. Fire on poles. Fire on rings. Fire everywhere. It was pretty cool. Too bad I didn't want to drag my camera everywhere with me, or I would have gotten some bitching photos. Eventually, I realized that the bride was having a few too many drinks. I didn't think she'd enjoy a hangover on her wedding day, so I stole her away from her guests to get her back to my room where she planned on spending her last night as a single lady.
Friday. Wedding Day. I had booked a massage the day before, and I figured the morning of the wedding would be a perfect time. My personal concierge had convinced me to do the massage/facial package which ended up costing less than their normal massage. Uh, hell yeah, where do I sign? It was on the other half of the resort, so I hopped a golf cart early in the morning. I hated to leave Betsy by herself, as Julee was heading to do ATVs and wave runners with Aaron, but fortunately, Natalie showed up shortly after I left for their day of pampering.
I arrived at the spa, and they immediately showed me to the women's locker room. I had about 45 minutes to kill before I would begin, so I opted to partake in their sauna and steam rooms, along with the jacuzzi. I had done those before with a massage in Vegas, and it was the most magical day of my life. I read the numerous "rules" lining the walls that required a shower before heading into one of the rooms. I'm not sure why, but I rinsed off in the shower and stepped into the sauna. Dear God in heaven, I forgot how difficult it was to breathe in there. Dry, suffocating heat. How do people enjoy this? I watched the timer on the wall, which uniquely enough was an hourglass that you turned over yourself. It had little tic marks at different lenghts to let you know how long you had been in there.
I tried to relax. I really did. I was in Mexico after all, at a gorgeous resort, getting ready to have an 80 minute massage. But you try relaxing when all you can think about is the heat invading every pore, every air passage and every single part of your body. Breathing in and out without passing out from the heat was the least fun game I've ever played. Instead of closing my eyes and relaxing, I was counting down the tic marks on the timer. Five minutes. That's all I needed to stay in there. Just five minutes. As soon as that was over I walked over into the steam room. Which is about 5 million times worse than the sauna. At least it was a dry heat in there. The steam room felt like I was in the middle of the jungle with someone pouring hot water all over me. Little water droplets from hell cascaded all over my body. I sat on the tile bench and tried not to wince every time one of those little pellets of death struck my skin. I couldn't see a timer in there, but of course there was so much steam, I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me. Hell, there could have been 15 women in there, and I'd never have known it. At least I didn't pull a Chandler and sit on someone's lap. That's a Friends reference, in case you didn't catch it.
I tried to count in my head silently, but I couldn't concentrate on that either. I eventually left to see what time it was and realized I had about 10 minutes left until my massage. One more room, the jacuzzi room, was on my agenda. I walked into the jacuzzi room, which was not inside the ladies' locker room, and was glad I had worn my swimsuit. In Vegas, all the ladies had been free-boobin' it. A couple was in there using the high-powered jets to ease their muscles. I saw 3 pools, one large one with different areas for massage, a small pool in the corner and one medium sized one at the front. For reasons unbeknownst to me now, I headed straight for the back pool. I guess I wanted the solitude and was bummed there were other people in there. I stuck my toe in and it nearly froze off. Holy shit, that must be the polar pool. Uh, no thanks!
I decided to try out the jacuzzi pool, even though the couple kept moving around and trying all of the jets. I walked in and looked around and saw a small squared off section by itself. Embedded in the tile was a small button that said Push Here. I pushed here. And water shot up out of the floor like a cannon going off and nearly tossed me on my ass. I realized there were handles, which I now fondly refer to as "Oh shit handles", and held on for dear life. If that couple hadn't been watching, I probably would have left immediately, but I figured I should save face and ride it out. But, holy hell, I'm surprised I didn't drown. Water was shooting out of the floor and the three sides surounding me. How in the world is this supposed to be relaxing? I didn't feel like the water was gently caressing my tired muscles. I felt like the water was trying to punish me in terrible, terrible ways. It only lasted for about 30 seconds to a minute, but if felt like forever.
I was trying not to watch the other two people in the pool, but I was trying to figure out if all the little areas around the pool were like this one. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, so maybe I should try another one. I went around a little corner, and saw what looked like a metal bed just underneath the surface of the water. Hmmm, this is pretty wacky. Again, another button to push to start the jets. Big Mistake..... Huge. I had barely gotten situated on the "bed" when the jets started, and it was like a combination of a damn rollercoaster and one of those old-timey vibrating beds you feed with a quarter. I can only imagine what those people thought as they watched me holding on for dear life like I was riding a bull at the rodeo.
Seriously, how is this relaxing? It seemed like forever, but less than a minute went by before the jets stopped. I realized it was probably best if I got out now before I killed myself. I assumed they would come and get me for my massage, so I grabbed my robe and waited. One of the employees eventually asked why I was sitting there, and I told him I was waiting for my massage. Apparently, I should have been waiting in the lobby, but no one told me that. Damn language barrier. I finally went upstairs for my massage, and it was magical. Well, other than a few minor glitches. First, I had specifically put on my chart that I didn't want my right hand to be massaged. It's much better, and doesn't really give me any trouble anymore, but I also don't want some guy kneading the crap out of it and bruising it all over again. Well, either my masseuse didn't look at the chart or he didn't really care. Not one, but twice, I had to stop him in the middle of my massage as he started to knead my hand. Good grief buddy, I said stop once already! No means no in Spanish too, you know! Also, I'm not entirely sure why I even wore my swimsuit bottom at that point. He massaged so far down my back that I was considering teaching him an anatomy lesson. It wasn't inappropriate or anything, but it was just a bit surprising.
A quick facial followed, and then I was out the door. I had nearly fallen asleep on the table, so I was a bit weak and disoriented. I headed back down to the locker room to shower and change, and realized that I hadn't brought any dry underwear with me. I had worn my swimsuit knowing that I would be spending the day in the water, but hadn't really thought about the ride back to my room. That was fun.
A quick lunch followed with getting ready for the wedding. I stopped by to see Betsy getting ready, and then we all headed over to the wedding area. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do a destination wedding. I love the idea of having my friends and family all there to celebrate with me, and that's difficult to do at a tropical locale. But, I have to admit, the ocean as a backdrop does make for a spectacular wedding site.
The wedding was in Spanish and then translated into English. Also, Betsy and JP had opted to officially get married in Mexico, rather than doing a quickie ceremony in the states to make it official followed by the ceremony abroad. It was beautiful and of course had me crying.
After the wedding, we had some time to kill while we waited for them to take photos before the reception. What to do, you ask? Two words: Mango Tango. I'm seriously going to miss those things.
My memories of the reception are hazy at best, but three things I know: 1. There was SO. MUCH. FOOD. I think they brought out every protein known to man: chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, you name it, along with pasta, potatoes, spinach...it just kept coming. Even tiny little bite sized desserts along with a giant plate of tiramisu. It was all phenomenal, but I finally had to throw in the towel because I just couldn't fit any more in.
2. Caribbean Jungles are quite possibly the best vacation drink ever. Yes, even better than Mango Tangos. In my not-so-slight inebriation, I had no idea what they were, other than a succulent nectar from the Gods. However, I was told later it was just a mojito using coconut rum. I also know that the bar at the reception area was the only place on the entire resort that knew what the heck a Caribbean Jungle was. Everywhere else I went for the duration of the trip, they looked at me like I was nuts, so I just went back to ordering Mango Tangos.
3. I didn't get the nickname Dancing Queen for nothing. I'm seriously scared to look at the professional photos from the reception. There were very few songs that I sat down for - and they were mostly the slow dances - and by the end of the night, I was a sweaty mess. It didn't help that a torrential downpour came through during the night and brought with it a hot mess of humidity. But, despite glistening like a pig, I couldn't bring myself to stop dancing. I just physically couldn't do it. When we left the reception and went back to Guacamayas (naturally), JP's brother, Terry, came up to me and very seriously said: "I have a question for you....what's it like to own a dance floor?" Granted, he was far from sober at this point, but it was pretty funny.
Eventually, the night had to end, but fortunately, we had one final full day at the resort before we had to head home. Betsy and JP planned their wedding for a Friday night, knowing everyone would need a day to recuperate before heading home. We all spent the morning at the beach, followed by an afternoon at the heated pool. The storm from the night before brought cooler temperatures, so we wanted the warmer pool this time around!
At some point, Jackie decided she wanted to start a belly flop competition. At first, she was met with resistance, but the guys finally gave in to her pleas. I think it was mostly alcohol driven though. I missed most of the best flops, especially Betsy's improv one, because I was actually in the pool and didn't want to take my camera in. I eventually got out because I couldn't stay warm, and started snapping photos at the end. I did catch some great moments though! This was a fun afternoon.
This video happened. There's a mixture of St. Louis friends, Jersey friends, Virginia friends, and random other tourists from the resort.
The day finally came to an end, despite my best efforts, and I headed to dinner with Aaron, Natalie, Amy, Kelly and Julee. This time we went to the Chinese restaurant, and had nearly a 2 hour wait. It was pretty ridiculous. They apparently had strict rules against pushing two tables together to accommodate a larger group. And since the ONE larger table they had had a group of people drinking heavily with no intention of leaving any time soon, we were stuck waiting. Fortunately for us, there was another larger group behind us in line who were drunk and belligerent and kept trying to pay off the hostess to get them a table sooner. She was clearly getting annoyed with them, so I think they ended up pushing two tables together for us, just so she could seat them faster.
Our departure from Mexico the next morning wasn't nearly as fluid as our departure from StL had been. Our transfer bus was late, the line to check in at the airport was ridiculously long, a handful of us weren't assigned seats when we checked in, our gate got changed 3 times, we finally received seat numbers, then we had to wait in another line to get on a bus that took us to our plane. It's never fun being hungover and traveling. I don't recommend it. But, we eventually made it home to the freezing Midwest.
A few resort photos I got before we left. I love all the vibrant colors!
Overall, the trip was awesome. I wish I hadn't been sick right up until I left, because I was pretty tired the entire time I was there. But, at least I wasn't sick on the trip, and that's really the only thing that matters. I'm so happy to have been a part of my good friend's wedding and the start of their life together. Thanks to the Deckers!!
What I didn't need was a bout of the flu the week before I left. Well, it wasn't actually the flu, but it sure felt like it. I haven't felt that terrible in a very long time, and I don't recommend it to anyone. Nearly 6 days after the first inkling of craptacularness, I was finally feeling better enough to go back to work. Yes, 6 days of it. It. Was. Miserable. Of course, that was also the day before I left for my trip and would be gone for another 3 days. Good thing my boss is an understanding guy.
Side note: we have come so far in medical technology. So why can't doctors determine if you have the flu without shoving a giant Q-tip into your neural cavity. Through your nose. That was quite possibly the worst thing I've ever experienced. Had the wall not been right behind me, there would have been an Exorcist moment with my head flipping all the way around.
But, anyways, getting back to Mexico. I'm going to try to pair down the 5 days into one blog, so bear with me. Fortunately, most of what I did was either lay poolside/beachside, or sip Mango Tangos in the water, so there won't be too much to write about. But, you know me, I can write a three page essay about walking across the street.
I did have a roommate for the duration of the trip - another of Betsy's friends - Julee. We were both without a date, so it made sense to share the costs of a room. We flew out on a Wednesday morning, with nearly everyone else from St. Louis that was going to the wedding. JP is from Jersey, so the other half of the guests would be coming from that direction.
One of the great things about this wedding package is that we had a direct flight from St. Louis to Cancun. The resort was actually in Riviera Maya, but it's only a short bus ride south of the airport. Our plane left pretty early, but I was happy to be getting there with enough daylight left to enjoy. The flight was uneventful, other than the fact that it was about 35 degrees when we got on and about 85 when we finally departed. Leaving St. Louis in February, I was prepared with long pants and my winter jacket. I layered up though, so I wouldn't be dying when I got to Mexico.
I was still dying. Before we even got off the plane, I could feel the humidity deep in my pores. Sweat was starting to seep out of places that hadn't seeped since last August. It was equally exhilirating and terrible at the same time. Standing in the airport waiting for our luggage was quite possibly the longest 20 minutes of my life. I hadn't worn any shorts under my yoga pants (big mistake), and my legs felt like they were being jabbed with thousands of little red hot pokers. I could feel little beads of sweat running down my calves. Good grief, we hadn't even left the air conditioned terminal yet! I went totally hoosier and pulled my pant legs up as far as I could to let everything breathe. Don't judge me, I was freaking hot.
Our baggage took forever to come out, and I started to panic a bit. I always do at airports. There's always that chance your luggage is half way around the world from you. One by one, I saw everyone pick up their suitcase until there were only 3 or 4 left. None of which were mine. Well that's neat. At least I had packed a swimsuit and flip flops in my carry on. I may not have anything to wear to the wedding, but at least I could get in the pool!
To my great relief, it eventually plopped onto the baggage belt, and we could head over to customs. Each person has to press a button to get randomly selected to have your luggage searched. The lady before me pressed the button and it turned red. She had to get searched. I assumed I would be lucky and get a green, but nope, I wasn't that lucky. I had to heft my suitcase - which, of course, was overpacked - onto this table, and open it up along with my backpack.
Now, if you know anything about me or my family, you'll know that we are the ultimate packers. We can get 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag. That suitcase was a thing of glory. I had enough clothes to last me for 2 weeks, maybe 3, and it was packed so beautifully .... As soon as that lady started to open it up and run her hands through my stuff, I almost lost it. Was I going to have to repack that entire thing in the middle of the damn airport while everyone stood around and watched? Fortunately for me, either they don't have to be super thorough, or I got an agent who didn't really want to go through my immaculately packed suitcase. She barely moved anything and then sent me along my merry way. Whew!
Then we were off to our bus to be shuttled down to the resort. We all got on the bus and realized that there were two people missing. They're friends of the couple's, but I don't really know them that well. They never showed up after quite awhile, so we assumed they found their own ride. Eventually, we got on the road, and our guide started handing out Coronas. Bingo. This is what vacation is all about. (Come to find out, the girl's passport had been chewed on by her dog, and the Mexican customs agent wouldn't let her into the country. So, she and her boyfriend had to immediately return to St. Louis. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.)
The ride didn't take too long, and the bus was air conditioned, but I was definitely itching to get out of my pants. Wait, that sounds bad. Dirty birds! Get your minds out of the gutter. I wanted to put on swimsuit and cool off in the pool! Geez. Once we arrived and checked in, we had someone take us to our room. While we were on the golf cart, we had him take us around the resort a bit to show us where some things were, and I immediately got lost. I'm pretty decent with directions - I am the Map Maven after all - but his constant turns and weaving had me losing my bearings pretty quickly. Oh well, at least they gave us a resort map, so we could find our way around.
Everyone was congregating at the pool, so we quickly changed and met them there. It's amazing what a little sun, some frosty beverages and a little pool time can do for your overall disposition. It was like the previous week of feeling like poop just disappeared. All the stress at work...gone. And it felt amazing. The swim up bar was incredible, and since Betsy had given me a Bubba Keg for Christmas, I was able to have them fill it all the way to the top and decrease my frequency to the bar. So, while everyone was carrying warm glasses of beer back and forth, or freezing their hands off from the daiquiris, I was pimped out with my giant thermos.
I stared with a Miami Vice, which was a combination of a strawberry daiquiri and pina colada. Not bad, but a little too sweet. Next I went for the Mango Tango. A strawberry daiquiri/mango concoction that was perfect for our Mexican retreat. That ended up being my drink of choice for the entire weekend. And I wasn't alone. Most of the girls were drinking it, as well as most of the guys. I think it's funny how guys won't admit they like girly frozen drinks until they're on vacation at a tropical locale.
The afternoon went by way too fast, and we all headed back to shower and change for dinner. Julee and I opted for the Italian restaurant on the resort, along with Sarah and Jenny, two of Betsy's other girl friends that came together. It's kind of funny getting Italian food in Mexico. It made me think of what my friend, who lived in Italy briefly, said while we were there. He could never find Mexican food in Rome!
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| First course: Caprese salad with plum tomato confit and buffalo mozzarella cheese seasoned with basil. |
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| Second course: Ricotta cheese ravioli with mandarin carbonara cream and smoked duck breast. |
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| Third course: Salmon filet, with a light, sweet pea cream with essence of white truffle, ragout of porcini mushrooms and a tomato, oregano anchovy bruschetta. |
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| Dessert #1: Mexican chocolate cake |
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| Dessert #2: I can't remember what this was exactly, but it was a pear bruleed over a cream/custard of some kind. |
After our meal, Sarah, Jenny and I headed to the hot spot on the resort called Guacamayas. This was the "it" place to be every night because they had entertainment - from dancers to singers to fire throwers - followed by a DJ and a big dance party at the end. We hung out for a bit, but I was sad to admit that between still recovering from being sick and the long day of travel and sun, I had to leave pretty early. I wanted to enjoy the weekend and not be an exhausted mess.
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| Kelley and Amy - Betsy's friends from StL |
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| Natalie, the matron of honor, and her husband, Aaron |
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| Sarah, Betsy and Jenny - friends from college |
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| Lauren and Johnny - friends of the couple |
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| One of only a few photos I got of me in Mexico. Clearly I need to work on my self-portrait skills |
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| Giant chess!! Too bad I never made the time to play. |
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| This is a great way to wake up. |
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| Preeeeetttty. |
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| I had to capture that beauty for all the world to see. |
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| Our beds. With Flat Nate. He was taking a nap after a long day. |
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| Just being silly hanging out with the bamboo. |
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| Our room was pretty nice. |
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| Why yes, that IS a see-through piece of glass from the bedroom right into the tub. I can imagine this is cool if you were sharing a room with a significant other. Not so much when it's just a friend. Needless to say, neither one of us used the jacuzzi tub. |
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| Nice shower and a toilet room. |
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| LOVED the sinks/bathroom. |
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| Closet on the left with the hallway into our room. |
Lunch was at the Mexican restaurant, and we were all a bit tipsy. And by tipsy I mean full on drunk. The mango tangoes had been going down way too easily that morning. This time I went with Julee, Natalie, Aaron, Amy and Kelly. Because of said inebriation, we ran a train on the nachos and quesadillas the waiter brought out. I'm pretty sure he's used to drunk guests eating their meals, but we were particularly entertaining. As were the other half dozen or so tables full of our wedding guests.
Again, the afternoon was spent at the pool until the sun started to descend and the temperature in the pool became a bit too chilly. One of the drawbacks of going in February. Plus, this pool wasn't heated like the one from yesterday. Again, we freshened up for dinner, and this time Julee and I went with some of the St. Louis and Jersey clan to the Caribbean restaurant. I failed to get pics of what I ate - I'm sure you're devastated - but it was tasty and should make all of you jealous.
Back to Guacamayas for drinks and entertainment, and this time there were guys and gals dancing around with fire. Fire on poles. Fire on rings. Fire everywhere. It was pretty cool. Too bad I didn't want to drag my camera everywhere with me, or I would have gotten some bitching photos. Eventually, I realized that the bride was having a few too many drinks. I didn't think she'd enjoy a hangover on her wedding day, so I stole her away from her guests to get her back to my room where she planned on spending her last night as a single lady.
Friday. Wedding Day. I had booked a massage the day before, and I figured the morning of the wedding would be a perfect time. My personal concierge had convinced me to do the massage/facial package which ended up costing less than their normal massage. Uh, hell yeah, where do I sign? It was on the other half of the resort, so I hopped a golf cart early in the morning. I hated to leave Betsy by herself, as Julee was heading to do ATVs and wave runners with Aaron, but fortunately, Natalie showed up shortly after I left for their day of pampering.
I arrived at the spa, and they immediately showed me to the women's locker room. I had about 45 minutes to kill before I would begin, so I opted to partake in their sauna and steam rooms, along with the jacuzzi. I had done those before with a massage in Vegas, and it was the most magical day of my life. I read the numerous "rules" lining the walls that required a shower before heading into one of the rooms. I'm not sure why, but I rinsed off in the shower and stepped into the sauna. Dear God in heaven, I forgot how difficult it was to breathe in there. Dry, suffocating heat. How do people enjoy this? I watched the timer on the wall, which uniquely enough was an hourglass that you turned over yourself. It had little tic marks at different lenghts to let you know how long you had been in there.
I tried to relax. I really did. I was in Mexico after all, at a gorgeous resort, getting ready to have an 80 minute massage. But you try relaxing when all you can think about is the heat invading every pore, every air passage and every single part of your body. Breathing in and out without passing out from the heat was the least fun game I've ever played. Instead of closing my eyes and relaxing, I was counting down the tic marks on the timer. Five minutes. That's all I needed to stay in there. Just five minutes. As soon as that was over I walked over into the steam room. Which is about 5 million times worse than the sauna. At least it was a dry heat in there. The steam room felt like I was in the middle of the jungle with someone pouring hot water all over me. Little water droplets from hell cascaded all over my body. I sat on the tile bench and tried not to wince every time one of those little pellets of death struck my skin. I couldn't see a timer in there, but of course there was so much steam, I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me. Hell, there could have been 15 women in there, and I'd never have known it. At least I didn't pull a Chandler and sit on someone's lap. That's a Friends reference, in case you didn't catch it.
I tried to count in my head silently, but I couldn't concentrate on that either. I eventually left to see what time it was and realized I had about 10 minutes left until my massage. One more room, the jacuzzi room, was on my agenda. I walked into the jacuzzi room, which was not inside the ladies' locker room, and was glad I had worn my swimsuit. In Vegas, all the ladies had been free-boobin' it. A couple was in there using the high-powered jets to ease their muscles. I saw 3 pools, one large one with different areas for massage, a small pool in the corner and one medium sized one at the front. For reasons unbeknownst to me now, I headed straight for the back pool. I guess I wanted the solitude and was bummed there were other people in there. I stuck my toe in and it nearly froze off. Holy shit, that must be the polar pool. Uh, no thanks!
I decided to try out the jacuzzi pool, even though the couple kept moving around and trying all of the jets. I walked in and looked around and saw a small squared off section by itself. Embedded in the tile was a small button that said Push Here. I pushed here. And water shot up out of the floor like a cannon going off and nearly tossed me on my ass. I realized there were handles, which I now fondly refer to as "Oh shit handles", and held on for dear life. If that couple hadn't been watching, I probably would have left immediately, but I figured I should save face and ride it out. But, holy hell, I'm surprised I didn't drown. Water was shooting out of the floor and the three sides surounding me. How in the world is this supposed to be relaxing? I didn't feel like the water was gently caressing my tired muscles. I felt like the water was trying to punish me in terrible, terrible ways. It only lasted for about 30 seconds to a minute, but if felt like forever.
I was trying not to watch the other two people in the pool, but I was trying to figure out if all the little areas around the pool were like this one. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, so maybe I should try another one. I went around a little corner, and saw what looked like a metal bed just underneath the surface of the water. Hmmm, this is pretty wacky. Again, another button to push to start the jets. Big Mistake..... Huge. I had barely gotten situated on the "bed" when the jets started, and it was like a combination of a damn rollercoaster and one of those old-timey vibrating beds you feed with a quarter. I can only imagine what those people thought as they watched me holding on for dear life like I was riding a bull at the rodeo.
Seriously, how is this relaxing? It seemed like forever, but less than a minute went by before the jets stopped. I realized it was probably best if I got out now before I killed myself. I assumed they would come and get me for my massage, so I grabbed my robe and waited. One of the employees eventually asked why I was sitting there, and I told him I was waiting for my massage. Apparently, I should have been waiting in the lobby, but no one told me that. Damn language barrier. I finally went upstairs for my massage, and it was magical. Well, other than a few minor glitches. First, I had specifically put on my chart that I didn't want my right hand to be massaged. It's much better, and doesn't really give me any trouble anymore, but I also don't want some guy kneading the crap out of it and bruising it all over again. Well, either my masseuse didn't look at the chart or he didn't really care. Not one, but twice, I had to stop him in the middle of my massage as he started to knead my hand. Good grief buddy, I said stop once already! No means no in Spanish too, you know! Also, I'm not entirely sure why I even wore my swimsuit bottom at that point. He massaged so far down my back that I was considering teaching him an anatomy lesson. It wasn't inappropriate or anything, but it was just a bit surprising.
A quick facial followed, and then I was out the door. I had nearly fallen asleep on the table, so I was a bit weak and disoriented. I headed back down to the locker room to shower and change, and realized that I hadn't brought any dry underwear with me. I had worn my swimsuit knowing that I would be spending the day in the water, but hadn't really thought about the ride back to my room. That was fun.
A quick lunch followed with getting ready for the wedding. I stopped by to see Betsy getting ready, and then we all headed over to the wedding area. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do a destination wedding. I love the idea of having my friends and family all there to celebrate with me, and that's difficult to do at a tropical locale. But, I have to admit, the ocean as a backdrop does make for a spectacular wedding site.
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| Reading her card from her hubby-to-be. |
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| Checking out the earrings he bought her. |
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| Gorgeous flowers! |
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| Sarah, Jenny, Amy and I. I was rocking the orange sunglasses that Betsy and JP bought for all the guests. |
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| Great place for a wedding. |
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| Betsy's Aunt Mary and Uncle Rod |
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| Amy Kelly |
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| Kane |
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| Jersey friends...I can't remember all of their names. :( |
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| Jersey boys |
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| He was soooooo nervous! It was adorable. |
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| JP with his brother/best man, Terry. |
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| Sand ceremony. |
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| I ain't mad at that view. |
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| JP waiting to see his bride. |
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| Matron of Honor, Natalie |
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| Seeing his bride for the first time. |
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| I didn't take any other photos during the wedding because I didn't want to be in the background of any of the professional photos with a giant camera in my face. |
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| The happy couple! |
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| Pretty ladies. |
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| I feel really tall....and really white. Damn you Betsy and your beautifully tanned skin!! |
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| Sorry ladies, he's a taken man now. |
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| Drinkie drinks! |
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| Betsy had the maracas custom made with the crabs from their save the date. |
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| The ladies' table. |
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| Reception area. |
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| Yep, that's a pool at the reception! |
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| So cute! |
2. Caribbean Jungles are quite possibly the best vacation drink ever. Yes, even better than Mango Tangos. In my not-so-slight inebriation, I had no idea what they were, other than a succulent nectar from the Gods. However, I was told later it was just a mojito using coconut rum. I also know that the bar at the reception area was the only place on the entire resort that knew what the heck a Caribbean Jungle was. Everywhere else I went for the duration of the trip, they looked at me like I was nuts, so I just went back to ordering Mango Tangos.
3. I didn't get the nickname Dancing Queen for nothing. I'm seriously scared to look at the professional photos from the reception. There were very few songs that I sat down for - and they were mostly the slow dances - and by the end of the night, I was a sweaty mess. It didn't help that a torrential downpour came through during the night and brought with it a hot mess of humidity. But, despite glistening like a pig, I couldn't bring myself to stop dancing. I just physically couldn't do it. When we left the reception and went back to Guacamayas (naturally), JP's brother, Terry, came up to me and very seriously said: "I have a question for you....what's it like to own a dance floor?" Granted, he was far from sober at this point, but it was pretty funny.
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| The happy couple being announced. |
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| Betsy and her dad. |
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| JP and his mom. |
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| Kelly and I with our waiter, Abner. We called him Lil' Abner, but I don't think he got the reference. He was also a TERRIBLE waiter. He would never remember our drinks, or bring us the wrong things. Julee ordered an electric lemonade, and he just brought her a regular lemonade, and then later brought over a shot of vodka for ALL of us. |
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| Two of JP's coworkers: Jackie and Ryan (Kane)...JP used to live with Kane. |
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| Julee and I. No, we didn't plan our matching dresses before the trip. |
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| Loved the orange glasses. |
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| The guys went through two kegs of beer, so they had to bring over cans from another one of the bars. Then they decided to start shotgunning those beers. |
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| This was a cute moment, but I didn't catch it until the very end. They were doing the lift from Dirty Dancing. |
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| Sweaty kids. I wasn't the only one dancing my pants off all night. |
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| JP was killing it during Gangnam Style! |
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| First the dress shirt comes off. |
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| Then he does this. |
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| And then this happens. |
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| We decided to get a prom pose photos, since the resort had left us a note in our room addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Jones! |
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| Kelly ended up taking the wedding cake back to her room! |
Eventually, the night had to end, but fortunately, we had one final full day at the resort before we had to head home. Betsy and JP planned their wedding for a Friday night, knowing everyone would need a day to recuperate before heading home. We all spent the morning at the beach, followed by an afternoon at the heated pool. The storm from the night before brought cooler temperatures, so we wanted the warmer pool this time around!
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| I love resort towel animals! |
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| Flat Nate was getting some sun. |
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| He wanted to take a photo with the new Mrs. Decker. |
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| Kane felt the need to take photos with his new hat that made it look like he wasn't wearing any bottoms. Trust me, he was wearing shorts. |
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| He wanted a photo with Nate too! I don't think Nate approves. |
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| Jackie was so close to covering everything up! I guess I could Photoshop it. |
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| JP and all of his friends. |
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| They decided to do a pyramid. My favorite part is Kane rubbing Johnny's head... |
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| Not to be outdone, Betsy needed a photo with her girls. |
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| After lunch, we headed back to the pool, where Nate decided to take a nap in one of the cabanas. |
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| Then he decided he wanted to go for a swim. |
At some point, Jackie decided she wanted to start a belly flop competition. At first, she was met with resistance, but the guys finally gave in to her pleas. I think it was mostly alcohol driven though. I missed most of the best flops, especially Betsy's improv one, because I was actually in the pool and didn't want to take my camera in. I eventually got out because I couldn't stay warm, and started snapping photos at the end. I did catch some great moments though! This was a fun afternoon.
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| Team work makes the dream work! |
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| It's funny how Johnny is so much higher than Kane, but they jumped at the same time. |
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| JP going in Superman style. |
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| His Superman splash. |
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| JP describing where it hurt. |
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| Belly floppers. |
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| One of JP's friends from Jersey. Not exactly the best belly flop form! |
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| This poor guys looks terrified! |
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| The girl who started it all. |
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| Tandem fops. |
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| This one has to be my favorite. Johnny did quite a few flops, and each time, he'd yell "OW!" really loudly before he even hit the water. He also tended to tilt to one side each time. The next day, his entire right side from shoulder/armpit area down to his hip was red/purple/black/blue. It looked a bag of skittles. I couldn't believe how bruised he got. |
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| Everyone watching the flops. |
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| This random guy - who looked like a young Ozzy Osbourne - decided to give it a try. He had pretty decent form. |
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| We had a group of 3 guys who were nearby in the pool decide to jump as well. |
The day finally came to an end, despite my best efforts, and I headed to dinner with Aaron, Natalie, Amy, Kelly and Julee. This time we went to the Chinese restaurant, and had nearly a 2 hour wait. It was pretty ridiculous. They apparently had strict rules against pushing two tables together to accommodate a larger group. And since the ONE larger table they had had a group of people drinking heavily with no intention of leaving any time soon, we were stuck waiting. Fortunately for us, there was another larger group behind us in line who were drunk and belligerent and kept trying to pay off the hostess to get them a table sooner. She was clearly getting annoyed with them, so I think they ended up pushing two tables together for us, just so she could seat them faster.
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| A peacock? |
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| Or a turkey? |
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| More fun with Flat Nate. |
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| Everyone wanted to be in the picture with him. Popular guy. |
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| Pretty ladies! Julee didn't want to be in the photo. :( It was also FREEEEEEZING. That was the only long dress I brought, and I hadn't thought to bring a sweater of any kind. After experiencing 80 degree days all week, it was a bit of a shock to the system. |
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| So romantic. |
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| This was worth the wait though. Tonkatsu chicken. I can't remember what was all in the dish, but it was phenomenal! I also had a fantastic spring roll to start, but I forgot the photo. |
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| Dessert was an apple, pear and cinnamon spring roll with a vanilla and butterscotch sauce. Again, PHE. NO. ME. NAL. |
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| The evening wound down with cocktails (at an indoor bar, yay!). |
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| It was so sad to be leaving the next day. :( |
A few resort photos I got before we left. I love all the vibrant colors!
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| A sign by all of the breakable glasses. They can't tell me what to do. I totally touched under my risk. |
Overall, the trip was awesome. I wish I hadn't been sick right up until I left, because I was pretty tired the entire time I was there. But, at least I wasn't sick on the trip, and that's really the only thing that matters. I'm so happy to have been a part of my good friend's wedding and the start of their life together. Thanks to the Deckers!!
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