Back from paradise

Ah, 8 days in the Yucatan. Divine. Extensive pictures and play by play will be composed and sent to interested folks, and some photos will end up here, but here's the short version.

Vacation is good. Okay, that was the really really short version. But seriously, I love the ocean. Very soothing. The hurricane damage was nearly non-existent. We couldn't get on the beach at the Tulum ruins because they had it blocked off due to shifting sands form the hurricane, but that was the only weather-related snafu. As one taxi driver commented - hurricanes could be bad, but that was the price you paid to live in paradise. He was actually form the pacific coast of Mexico, but moved to the eastern side 12 years ago and hasn't left. One night I got quite sick (which didn't happen at all on my last trip) because I ate spinach on my pizza...at least that's what I'm tracing it to. Luckily, it was short-lived and besides being short on sleep the next day, I was non the worse.

The people in Mexico were lovely as always. As shop owners are want to do, they often try to get you into their shops with clever witty little statements.
Examples include:
"Come on in, my stuff is practically free"
"At least give me the chance to rip you off," and
"Hey honeymooners!" If you reply that you aren't honeymooners, they respond with the ever-classic "Just practicing?"

On our last trip, we were offered "a blanket for your mother in law." When I responded that I did not yet have a mother-in-law, they must have heard something quite different, since they replied with "How about a machete, then." Oh dear! This time Steve-o was offered a whip by a man selling cowboy hats, with the comment - "Buddy, a whip?...for tonight maybe?" Hey, at least they keep you laughing!

The weather was a bit too hot, and next time we'd go later in the year, or even in their high season if we had the cash. But the water was warm, the margaritas were cheap, and the chance to take a siesta mid-day was a great change. They seem to frown upon me taking naps at my desk at work. Humph.

We drove a golf cart, went to a turtle farm, swam in a cenote, saw some ruins and a ton of iguanas, shopped for liquor and hung out by the ocean, of course. It was sad to have to leave it all, but I missed my own bed, and my own kitty. Though Mexico had plenty of strays that I kept in salmon treats. Now that I'm back, I'm ready for another vacation!

Take that Hurricane Dean!

You're a loser! You try and ruin my vacation, but no! Steve-o and I are taking our little trip a few days later than planned. Big deal! More importantly - the folks there seem to be doing just fine. Though the media was being a little fatalistic. Apparently, FoxNews actually reported that the place I'm headed was "destroyed." Umm, no. They did this with the last major hurricane there, too. When they're not busy saying it is fortunate that the all-mighty U.S. will be spared by having storms smash into other countries first, they're busy claiming there is mass destruction when there isn't. I guess the news feels the need to create chaos where there isn't any.
Our little corner of heaven in Mexico got some rain and some wind, but not enough to keep folks down. Gotta love Mexico. They get up and running ASAP. The government actually does smart things like take down traffic lights and highway signs before the storm so they don't become projectiles. Electricity automatically gets cut off if winds go over 75mph. And they only put light poles on the Western side of the main roads...so that if they blow over in a hurricane, they don't block the road. FEMA and the Corps could learn a little something, huh?

There will be plenty of margaritas and ceviche and sand and warm water. There might not be a ton of fish to see when we snorkel and the turtle farm may be a little busted, but the best part - no work, no laundry, no med school applications, no job hunting (who cares that they're not calling me?!), no requirements or demands or have-to's. Isn't that the best part about vacations?

Thanks for all your support and commiserating for the past fews days. It really did all work out. We switched our flight, but we still need to switch out hotel dates. Fingers crossed that they have rooms for the new days we need. And an extra-special thanks to my flexible cat-sitters...from both Smidgen and I. And to avoid getting stuck in Dallas-Fort Worth on the way back like last time....We're going through Miami. :)

Expect a plethora of pictures when we get back!

Nesting

Okay, I'm not making babies, but I am feeling an intense "nesting instinct." Steve-o is totally making fun of me. I can't blame him. It is actually rather amusing since I've never been much into things like coordinated dishtowels and household "extras." I usually think - The white towels I've had for three years are fine, why buy new ones? I'm rather practical about most house stuff. But now - it's nuts. I've decided I want a bed skirt, curtains over the blinds, new colored towels, an actual shower curtain to cover up the plain vinyl one I've got, and I want to move furniture. I go shopping, and I'm drawn to skirts and dresses and high-heeled shoes. This girly-ness must stop. I think my estogen is out of whack!

Perhaps it is my brain trying to make a last ditch effort to get my house in order and not in a constant state of flux. Steve-o and I had pondered moving, but the $ side of things just didn't make sense. So, maybe my brain is trying to make me feel better about staying in the hobbit hole. That doesn't explain the dresses, but hey - it's something.

By the way, re-moving in never really got off the ground. I think it was too daunting. The new plan is re-moving in to one room at a time. More manageable chunks=greater potential for success, right?

On a side note, Steve-o and I need a vacation. Badly! One of those do nothing, relax, drink frosty beverages, and forget what day it is - kind of vacations. Hola Mexico!