I'm back...

Ahhh, the adventures we had! We left home on the Friday (the day before the cruise) with a plan to stay overnight in Miami. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and planned to take a "shared ride" into Miami (a taxi you share with other people). Well, we were late getting in because our connecting flight was delayed. We waited for the shared ride and it was determined that we would be one of the last people dropped off. No biggie. We dropped off a bunch of people around South Beach. Wholly shit! I've never been there before and it's beautiful! Great Art Deco architecture, beautiful people, just amazing. I was so excited! Then... we head off to our hotel. When we stopped I was very nervous. This couldn't be our stop could it?? Yep, it was. So we got our luggage out of the taxi and walked by the scary individuals smoking outside of our hotel. The hotel itself was ok, the rooms were small (bathroom was the smallest bathroom I've ever seen) and it was fine for just one night. At this point it's midnight and we are starving so we head off to find food (the hotel recommended a place right around the corner - a Cuban cafe we were told). We are walking through this very sketchy neighborhood and come across this "Cuban Cafe". It was on the corner, had no walls on the sides, just a lunch counter and stools. I had my first Cuban Sandwich and it was incredible. Marc had the Cheeseburger Deluxe (made with shredded lettuce, tomato, ketchup and potato sticks). While we are eating, the police are stopping by for Cuban coffee. It was hysterical. The next day we ran around buying last minute things we forgot and boarded about:00 p.m. Boarding was a very simple process and then we headed off to our room. It was beautiful! We had an oceanview suite with a private balcony. We then met up with our friends which was wonderful because we haven't seen them in ages. It was nice going with 3 other couples because we got a table all to ourselves. Marc and I (the lushes in the group) got the wine plan and bought 10 bottles of wine for our 7 day cruise (way too much). A few people in our group shared our wine (which was great because we bought too much). Had a wonderful waiter and wonderful food. Our first stop was in Labadi which is a private island off the coast of Haiti. Marc and I got separated from our group (unfortunately) and just hung out on the beach and relaxed (fortunately). Our next stop was in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We did the Green Grotto Caves which is a maze of caves with a great deal of interesting history, underground water sources, etc. It was beautiful! We then went on to Dunns River Falls. The bus drops you off at the top of the falls, you walk down to the bottom and climb up the falls through the water. We were very glad to have our water sneakers. It was a great workout and a ton of fun. The water was crystal clear and the people who run the falls go around with wire brushes and brush the algae off the stones to make them less slippery (great idea huh). Next was Georgetown, Grand Cayman (my favorite excursion of the trip). We left the ship and went on a short boatride out to a reef where we went snorkeling. The leader of the trip dove down to the reef with bait and lured out a 4 to 5 foot moray eel. It was incredible! We swam around for quite some time and then we were all brought back into the boat. We then moved on to Sting Ray City. What an experience!! It's a sandbar in the middle of the ocean that fishermen used to throw their scraps. Because it's behind the reef (land side) it has drawn many stingray and has become a protected habitat for them. You can feed them, touch them, hold them... you can even kiss them for good luck. I was giggling like a little kid the whole time. They are such beautiful and graceful creatures. They "fly" through the water and, if you get on your knees, will just sail into your arms and let you hold them. What an amazing experience! Our final stop was Cozumel, Mexico. Very touristy (at least where we were) and we ended up getting to our bus late because of docking issues with the boat. We all boarded our bus (I got a seat right behind the driver - I don't do well on buses) and was told that it was a long 45 minute ride to Tulum (the Myain ruins) so we would be making a rest stop (read - kick back shopping stop). We were stuck at this little shopping area for about half hour to forty-five minutes. We finally get to Tulum and we are told that the ruins are a 20 minute/half mile walk or... we could take the trolley for $2. So, the bus decides to do the trolley. We get to the ruins are we are told there is a $4 fee for video taping inside the ruins. We get the receipt and it was $3. Our driver took a bit for himself (which cut into his tip). Our driver was very knowledgeable about the ruins but was a bit too long winded and we ended up having about 10-15 minutes to just wander on our own. Marc and I did manage to grab a few beers for the ride to our next stop (which was a good thing). We all got on the bus in our original seats (Marc and I behind the driver). We are driving down the highway (2 lanes in each direction) when a tractor trailer headed in the opposite direction lost a tire from the back of the flatbed. We're not talking a bicycle tire or even a car tire, we are talking a huge tractor trailer tire and now it's in our lane bouncing in our direction. Our driver slowed a bit and it hit the front grill section of the bus destroying it and cracking the windshield and sharing the shit out of us (Marc realizes after if he had been videotaping it - we probably could have made a few $$ on the video). Luckily another bus that was 1/2 full picked up us and took us on to our next stop which was Xi-Ha (pronounced shel-ha). It's a natural water park with brackish water (fresh and salt water). We just had enough time to snorkel and then we were on our way again. Our last day at sea was miserable. Overcast, windy as hell and cold. I slept the entire day which was wonderful! Marc and I had time to reconnect which was what I had hoped for. It's been so long since we have real intimacy. I'm not just referring to sex. I'm referring to time together, talking, cuddling, reading, etc. I still can't believe how much I love this man. I can't believe how alive and whole he makes me feel just by looking at me or touching my face. I can't believe I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. We made no decisions on the trip and didn't even really discuss fertility (except w/our friends who have been going through the same thing and are now pregnant w/twins). When we got the airport, I sat and cried. I cried because I was reading Cecily's blog about the twin's due date which would have been on 3/1. I cried because I didn't want to go home. I wanted to be like the guide on our trip in Grand Cayman who had a real job, a real apartment, a real car and a real life and chucked it all away so that she could take tourists out to play with the sting rays. I didn't want to have to face reality. But... here I am at work. My boss told me twice how much I was missed and how glad they are I'm back. It was nice. Thursday we are going to a meeting for people who are considering adoption. Oh, and here's a few books you HAVE to read... "How to Make Love Like A Porn Star" by Jenna Jamieson. Wow... what an incredible woman. Very dark and graphic at times but an amazing story. "The Devil Wears Prada". I don't remember the author but a great vacation book.