FORTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is 40.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, December 12
ONE MORE DAY!!!!
Last day of being 30, and I spent it going to one of the New 7 Wonders of the World! How cool is that??
Friends, fun and fabulous ruins.....who could ask for more?!
We took cushy bus ride (3 hrs) south of Cancun to the Chichén-Itzá. Don't we look amused?
Actually, the bus ride was lovely, and we stopped at a "sink hole" along the way. It seems that there are no lakes or rivers in this part of Mexico, so sink holes, large, natural wells, are extremely important to those living here. In fact, it was considered holy to their rain god, "Chac". Raychel, Jodi and I enjoyed looking over things from Mayan artisans, while Shannon took a dip in the sink hole. I think they used to sacrifice women and children in there, so she jumped in with caution. She made it out ok, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
The ruins...wow. Not much to comment, as the pictures tell the tale. But actually, you have to be there. The pictures really don't do it justice.
Bus ride.
Sink hole and shopping stop.
Lunch stop.
Tour and history lesson of Mayan ruins.
Coke Zero for the ride back to Cancun.
4 happy tourists.
Priceless.
And then.....we had a yummy dinner, followed by the hotel entertainment, which included the Mexican waitstaff lipsyncing ABBA songs. Hilarious! Like the ruins, you really had to see it to believe it. (wink)
Last day in this decade was wonderful.
Last day of being 30, and I spent it going to one of the New 7 Wonders of the World! How cool is that??
Friends, fun and fabulous ruins.....who could ask for more?!
We took cushy bus ride (3 hrs) south of Cancun to the Chichén-Itzá. Don't we look amused?Actually, the bus ride was lovely, and we stopped at a "sink hole" along the way. It seems that there are no lakes or rivers in this part of Mexico, so sink holes, large, natural wells, are extremely important to those living here. In fact, it was considered holy to their rain god, "Chac". Raychel, Jodi and I enjoyed looking over things from Mayan artisans, while Shannon took a dip in the sink hole. I think they used to sacrifice women and children in there, so she jumped in with caution. She made it out ok, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
The ruins...wow. Not much to comment, as the pictures tell the tale. But actually, you have to be there. The pictures really don't do it justice.Bus ride.
Sink hole and shopping stop.
Lunch stop.
Tour and history lesson of Mayan ruins.
Coke Zero for the ride back to Cancun.
4 happy tourists.
Priceless.
And then.....we had a yummy dinner, followed by the hotel entertainment, which included the Mexican waitstaff lipsyncing ABBA songs. Hilarious! Like the ruins, you really had to see it to believe it. (wink)
Last day in this decade was wonderful.
Thursday, December 11
Two Days
We are Mexico bound!!!
Today, mi amigas (Jodi, Raychel and Shannon) joined me for our Mexican adventure! We were quite tired from our 2-hr nap last night, having to be up at 330am and out the door by 4am. I gotta say, with age comes wisdom, as well as the ability to get ready. Can you imagine 4 women in their 20s taking 30 minutes to get up, get ready, eat and finalize packing....all with one bathroom? NO!!! (hee hee) We did it just fine... and at the time, we were 4 women in our 30s. Quite a nice decade, if I do say so myself.
Anyway, we drove to Alphonso's at that horrible early hour, and he was kind enough to jump in, go with us to the airport and then take my car back to his place and watch over it until he came and picked us up....so nice!! And, he had to work that day. Yikes!
Raychel and I were on one flight, and Shannon and Jodi were on another...couldn't get us all together. And it seems that Boston-->Miami (the faster flight) is rather usually quite busy. The Boston-->Dallas flight (longer layover for Shan and Jodster) took a bit longer, but it wasn't as full.
Raychel and I landed in cloudy Cancun, preparing ourselves for the gazillion time share folks that would supposedly harass us upon exit from the airport. Obviously, people who told us this haven't traveled much. The harassment was non-existent, at least on this day, and we very smoothly, although slowly, made our way to the resort via the free one-way shuttle. Sweet!
Now...at the resort....that was another story! We were accosted by a smartly dressed lady who suggested we "check in with her"...to which I pointed to the front desk and suggested we check in with them...and she whisked us away and said, this is where check out is (pointing us to another area that had free [bad] booze and comfy seats). TRAPPED! Yes, trapped to listen to the time share spiel. Oh well, it wasn't long, and we were both clear that we were not going to buy anything, as lovely as it all sounded.
The place, the Royal Solaris Cancun, was gorgeous!! Far better than some of the expedia travelers that reviewed it (um. the resort rates itself as a 5 star....I'd have to give it a 3.75 star).
Anyway, since it was cloudy, we decided to book massages....what a great way to start the trip!! We each had massages, which were very relaxing after an early morning day and two flights....the place had a fabulous hot tub, steam room and other essentials which made the post-massage time very nice....free access to these things with the massage. SWEET!!
Shannon and Jodi arrived, were pounced on my the smartly dressed lady, but they had a twist. She told them we had AGREED to some sort of showing of the time share (boat ride?), and promptly booked with them. I wasn't amused when I heard this, but Jodi was sweet in going through with all of these conversations, and in fact, had she partaken of a few more margaritas, I think she may have very well bought a time share. :)
The girls arrived, and we all walked the beach...the sand was so white...and while it was super cloudy, the water was the bluest I had ever seen. And, it wasn't snowing or raining or under 70 degrees....so who could complain?? Not me!!!
First day...very relaxing....so nice...and in two days I will be middle age! Grab a drink, and bring it on!
We are Mexico bound!!!
Today, mi amigas (Jodi, Raychel and Shannon) joined me for our Mexican adventure! We were quite tired from our 2-hr nap last night, having to be up at 330am and out the door by 4am. I gotta say, with age comes wisdom, as well as the ability to get ready. Can you imagine 4 women in their 20s taking 30 minutes to get up, get ready, eat and finalize packing....all with one bathroom? NO!!! (hee hee) We did it just fine... and at the time, we were 4 women in our 30s. Quite a nice decade, if I do say so myself.
Anyway, we drove to Alphonso's at that horrible early hour, and he was kind enough to jump in, go with us to the airport and then take my car back to his place and watch over it until he came and picked us up....so nice!! And, he had to work that day. Yikes!
Raychel and I were on one flight, and Shannon and Jodi were on another...couldn't get us all together. And it seems that Boston-->Miami (the faster flight) is rather usually quite busy. The Boston-->Dallas flight (longer layover for Shan and Jodster) took a bit longer, but it wasn't as full.
Raychel and I landed in cloudy Cancun, preparing ourselves for the gazillion time share folks that would supposedly harass us upon exit from the airport. Obviously, people who told us this haven't traveled much. The harassment was non-existent, at least on this day, and we very smoothly, although slowly, made our way to the resort via the free one-way shuttle. Sweet!
Now...at the resort....that was another story! We were accosted by a smartly dressed lady who suggested we "check in with her"...to which I pointed to the front desk and suggested we check in with them...and she whisked us away and said, this is where check out is (pointing us to another area that had free [bad] booze and comfy seats). TRAPPED! Yes, trapped to listen to the time share spiel. Oh well, it wasn't long, and we were both clear that we were not going to buy anything, as lovely as it all sounded.
The place, the Royal Solaris Cancun, was gorgeous!! Far better than some of the expedia travelers that reviewed it (um. the resort rates itself as a 5 star....I'd have to give it a 3.75 star).
Anyway, since it was cloudy, we decided to book massages....what a great way to start the trip!! We each had massages, which were very relaxing after an early morning day and two flights....the place had a fabulous hot tub, steam room and other essentials which made the post-massage time very nice....free access to these things with the massage. SWEET!!
Shannon and Jodi arrived, were pounced on my the smartly dressed lady, but they had a twist. She told them we had AGREED to some sort of showing of the time share (boat ride?), and promptly booked with them. I wasn't amused when I heard this, but Jodi was sweet in going through with all of these conversations, and in fact, had she partaken of a few more margaritas, I think she may have very well bought a time share. :)
The girls arrived, and we all walked the beach...the sand was so white...and while it was super cloudy, the water was the bluest I had ever seen. And, it wasn't snowing or raining or under 70 degrees....so who could complain?? Not me!!!First day...very relaxing....so nice...and in two days I will be middle age! Grab a drink, and bring it on!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
3 Days
Wednesday, December 10
THE DAY BEFORE MEXICO!!!
Rush rush rush....run around....where did the time go? I wanted to see Sue and Anderson before the trip, wanted to see mom again, and so many others. Didn't happen. And today was just as busy as the last few. When I say "busy", though, I mean it in every good sense.
I had some meetings, urgent deadlines and much to do before the trip tomorrow. I'm exhausted right now, but really excited, too. Mexico with friends has got to be a fun and wonderful experience, whether a birthday was involved or not. It'll even be ok if it rains every day. Hmm...that won't happen, right?
Raychel's here!
Jodi's here!
Shannon's here!
We've exchanged some fun gifts, and we've finalized some last minute packing....and soon we're off to bed. Hmm...maybe not? We have to leave by 320am to get to Alphonso's and then to the airport by 4am. They say we should be at the airport 2 hrs before (international flight), but I've been to Logan many times, and I'm not sure they know what 330am is....but by 4am maybe someone will be ready to take our tickets, check out our passports and get us on board.
In a few hours we will be on our way to Mexico!! I'm hoping to blog while I'm there, but as they say, what goes on in Mexico, stays in Mexico. :)
Saying goodbye to my 30s has been an interesting little farewell party. All in all I have observed that my life just continued on as it was, only changing slightly to record more memories than usual, but the memories were typical - good friends, good food and really amazed at all God has done and the purpose He has for each one of us. Wow. This journey of life...like I've been saying a lot lately - with all due respect to my Buddhist friends, this is our first time at this journey for all of us. So, let's be patient, walk along the journey together and keep on moving ahead.
Yep. First time through it. I can't complain.
I'm going to Mexico!!
:)
THE DAY BEFORE MEXICO!!!
Rush rush rush....run around....where did the time go? I wanted to see Sue and Anderson before the trip, wanted to see mom again, and so many others. Didn't happen. And today was just as busy as the last few. When I say "busy", though, I mean it in every good sense.
I had some meetings, urgent deadlines and much to do before the trip tomorrow. I'm exhausted right now, but really excited, too. Mexico with friends has got to be a fun and wonderful experience, whether a birthday was involved or not. It'll even be ok if it rains every day. Hmm...that won't happen, right?
Raychel's here!
Jodi's here!
Shannon's here!
We've exchanged some fun gifts, and we've finalized some last minute packing....and soon we're off to bed. Hmm...maybe not? We have to leave by 320am to get to Alphonso's and then to the airport by 4am. They say we should be at the airport 2 hrs before (international flight), but I've been to Logan many times, and I'm not sure they know what 330am is....but by 4am maybe someone will be ready to take our tickets, check out our passports and get us on board.
In a few hours we will be on our way to Mexico!! I'm hoping to blog while I'm there, but as they say, what goes on in Mexico, stays in Mexico. :)
Saying goodbye to my 30s has been an interesting little farewell party. All in all I have observed that my life just continued on as it was, only changing slightly to record more memories than usual, but the memories were typical - good friends, good food and really amazed at all God has done and the purpose He has for each one of us. Wow. This journey of life...like I've been saying a lot lately - with all due respect to my Buddhist friends, this is our first time at this journey for all of us. So, let's be patient, walk along the journey together and keep on moving ahead.
Yep. First time through it. I can't complain.
I'm going to Mexico!!
:)
4 Days
Tuesday, December 9
Today was another friend's bday - James. I virtually sent bday greetings, texting and facebooking wishes. I have know idea if he got them, but I trust his day was good. All December babies have good days.
Tonight was our BroadPR Christmas party.....We tried something new this year, celebrating Spanish style, doing a tasting menu of tappas and sangria....this was all while watching a Flamenco dance performance.
The sizzling shrimp and the goat cheese were my favorite tappas...
It was great to see the New England team, and I'm looking forward to a great 2009. We are thankful for 2008 and all it brought to each of us.
We were also thankful to avoid death on the way home. I swear Boston drivers are getting worse and worse. We managed to pose a smile while driving back, though.
For all things - Thank you, God.
Today was another friend's bday - James. I virtually sent bday greetings, texting and facebooking wishes. I have know idea if he got them, but I trust his day was good. All December babies have good days.
Tonight was our BroadPR Christmas party.....We tried something new this year, celebrating Spanish style, doing a tasting menu of tappas and sangria....this was all while watching a Flamenco dance performance. The sizzling shrimp and the goat cheese were my favorite tappas...
It was great to see the New England team, and I'm looking forward to a great 2009. We are thankful for 2008 and all it brought to each of us.
We were also thankful to avoid death on the way home. I swear Boston drivers are getting worse and worse. We managed to pose a smile while driving back, though.For all things - Thank you, God.
5 Days
Monday, December 8
Hooray for Mondays!
Hooray for conference calls and meetings!!
Hooray for scallion pancakes and crispy tofu!!
After quite a hectic day, Raychel and I drove north to see a mutual friend at a favorite Chinese spot she had introduced us to years ago. We had a wonderful visit, and in fact, closed down the place.
Who knew bean curd was so good! A little ginger, garlic and cilantro....and what more do you need in a dish?
Hooray for Mondays!
Hooray for conference calls and meetings!!
Hooray for scallion pancakes and crispy tofu!!
After quite a hectic day, Raychel and I drove north to see a mutual friend at a favorite Chinese spot she had introduced us to years ago. We had a wonderful visit, and in fact, closed down the place.
Who knew bean curd was so good! A little ginger, garlic and cilantro....and what more do you need in a dish?
6 Days
Sunday, December 7
Church was super, and it was great to see my sweetie pie boyfriend, Anderson, who is going to be a full year in January. Wow, time flies!!!
Raychel's friend Diane came down to hang with her around lunchtime, so we raced home to see her....we all hung out for a bit, and then they did the shopping thing downtown (mostly window shopping and catching up), while I went out to central Mass to see my niece's Nutcracker performance. She was a soldier AND an angel. What a terrific job she did!!!
So proud of her...
The make-up...
Her hair up....
Those several inches she grows each week....
Well, she looks older than 9, that's for sure. Her mom and dad will have trouble when she's a teenager. Actually, probably not. She's a sweetie and a good kid. She's also got some great wisdom. I pray that God would keep her safe and wise, always.
He has already made her beautiful, inside and out.
Church was super, and it was great to see my sweetie pie boyfriend, Anderson, who is going to be a full year in January. Wow, time flies!!!
Raychel's friend Diane came down to hang with her around lunchtime, so we raced home to see her....we all hung out for a bit, and then they did the shopping thing downtown (mostly window shopping and catching up), while I went out to central Mass to see my niece's Nutcracker performance. She was a soldier AND an angel. What a terrific job she did!!!
So proud of her...
The make-up...
Her hair up....
Those several inches she grows each week....
Well, she looks older than 9, that's for sure. Her mom and dad will have trouble when she's a teenager. Actually, probably not. She's a sweetie and a good kid. She's also got some great wisdom. I pray that God would keep her safe and wise, always.
He has already made her beautiful, inside and out.
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