Day {Sixteen}

{Day 16 A photo of somewhere you want to go}

I really think I may have been born in the wrong region of the United States. No wait, God doesn't make mistakes so that's right... in fact, I was born in the right part of the US, it's my parents that uprooted us and moved me away from the East Coast.

If I had a free ticket to anywhere in the world right this minute, I would visit the Massachusetts/Maine area. I realize that there is a much bigger world to visit, but I am enamored by the stories I've been told and the cuisine I've heard so much about. My grandmother hasn't lived in Dedham for probably 60 years at the very least but she still sounds like she's just left Massachusetts. I would love to go see where she grew up and the sights that she was accustomed to so long ago. I'd love to visit old lighthouses and read the history of where our country was formed.

In reality, I know that much of this area is quite a bit more populated that when she was born in 1921. I know that times and people have changed but it would still be so much fun to me to visit, especially if she were there to supplement the sight seeing with stories.

Most importantly though, it is all about the food. For me, vacation is about 95% about the dining experience. It can rain the entire week but feed me some crab legs and I'll be alright. The lodging could be unfit for a homeless shelter but as long as there is some buttery lobster in front of me, I could care less about the bed bugs.


We went to Mexico in January which was loads better than being in Missouri in January, but I don't know that I would necessarily want to re-visit. It rained about half the time and the ocean was not the most fun even when it wasn't raining because I was scared to death of sting rays and the floor was comprised of sharp rocks and coral. Not fun, but I could overlook that. What I couldn't overlook was that all of the food tasted the same. Don't get me wrong. The selection was good, the service was wonderful and the steak was delish. But I can eat steak at home any day of the week; I cannot, however, eat fresh seafood. The only time I had fish in Mexico was from the buffet and it had definitely been frozen at one point in time, and probably for a while.

When you think about good eats, it's on the east coast. It's caught fresh, cooked up by people who were fed oyster juice in their bottle and know what they're doing in the kitchen. It makes the experience memorable and brings back a craving whenever thoughts wander to that last vacation. The most memorable part of Dauphin Island? Sean & I visited a run down establishment that had the.best.flounder. It was amazing and produced my favorite picture of the entire trip.

So yes, I would love to visit Italy one day and to experience the Eiffel Tower another day and I would be thrilled to explore the Greek islands. But really, you should know that I would only be going to see what real Italian pasta tastes like and to tour authentic French bistros. For now though, I would be satisfied with a hearty plate of seafood, caught just this morning.

Day {Fifteen}

{Day 15 A picture of somewhere you’ve been}

I love winter.
I love the cold. I love the snow. I love the crisp, clean feeling of winter.
But I .LOVE. the beach. I realize now that I had a very blessed childhood; my parents took us to the beach nearly every summer. When I got into high school, my parents also let me invite my best friend. How many people (from the midwest) can say that they got to visit the beach with their bestie FOR 4 YEARS IN A ROW!?  Those are some pretty sweet memories. 

I can't remember if it was 3 or 4 years ago now, but my parents were in need of a vacation and asked me to go with them, but also asked Sean if he would come as well. Sean knew my parents but wasn't quite at the point that he felt comfortable in a room alone with them. My parents knew Sean but really didn't know much about him other than what I had told them. Essentially, this was an important trip in our relationship. 

We went to Dauphin Island in Alabama. Sean had been to the beach but he had been so young he could hardly remember it. We spent the entire time in the water or on the beach drinking an icy margarita. It was a blast!

We did nearly everything as a family. Sean had a good opportunity to really get to know Will, which was supremely important to me. My family left the beach with a much better idea of who this guy I had been seeing was and were satisfied. I knew this boy would fit in just fine and I was proud. It was a good trip.

There's No Place Like Home

We left Saturday the 8th for vacation but didn't arrive until the sun was almost already down so we finally got to the beach on Sunday!

We enjoyed 2 days of sun.

And a few piña coladas :)

We ate great food & had excellent service everywhere we went on the resort.

But then it rained for 2 days. We started to get a little bored & kind of bummed. So we decided to paint some souvenirs for the family.

It was all good though because we were with family.

The last full day we finally got to enjoy a few more ounces of sun to finish off our tans.

Overall, we had a good time, but we were never so happy to see Señor OP. It is certainly good to be home.

Worthless

I am absolutely worthless today. All I can do is sit behind my desk, buzzing with energy & excitement, ready to leave for MEXICO! This time tomorrow we'll be on our way (probably waiting in Atlanta to board our plane to Cancun). I'm so freaking excited that I've got that nervous sick to my stomach feeling that I tend to get when I'm this elated. I shall endure it!
I didn't sleep that well last night because a) we're leaving for Mexico, didn't you hear?! and b) because my sickly hubs has pneumonia. He must have coughed half the night. I think Mexico will cure him, don't you? I was up bright and early at 6AM this morning so I could be at work early so I can take an extra long lunch.
Sean's dad asked yesterday if we could meet him for lunch somewhere today; he wanted to see us before we left. This is an especially sweet gesture but it makes me a tad bit nervous. I'm not at all worried about the flying. I LOVE to fly! It's all the talk about violence and corruption in Mexico & all of the questions of, "are you sure you want to go down there right now?" that are finally getting to me. YES! I'm sure. But when the father-in-law says he wants to take you to lunch before you leave, it deposits a tad amount of fear.
I packed most everything I'm going to need last night. I have a list of everything else I need to pack & made a list of things for Sean to gather together so I can pack for him. I kissed our nephew goodbye this morning - he is celebrating a birthday while we are gone. I'm so sad to squeeze OP for one last time for a WEEK. We are heading to mom & dad's tonight to close our eyes for a few hours before going to the airport at 4:30 in the morning.
Adios!