Nov 7 neon party

November 7th neon party 

A day at the beach with crashing waves cost us a pair of Carm's glasses… he went for a walk along the beach alone and decided to dip into the ocean 🌊… a big wave crashed over him, knocking him over and whooshing his glasses off. Luckily it was just his glasses that were lost and not his whole self… for a smart guy he's pretty stupid sometimes.

Thank goodness I thought to pack a spare pair…

We spent the morning at the beach, had lunch at the buffet, sat by the pool for a while, retreated to the swim up, then had an excellent supper.

Some afternoons the music is loud but other days it is blasting - today was a blasting day. And now, at bedtime, the black light party is just outside the door on the other side of the pool and it is fn loud. It should be over by 11 (fingers crossed) as it feels like the music is right in the room with us!

November 6 front row seats

November 6th front row seats for nature's beauty 

This morning I got up early (I have been awake since 5 but stayed in bed till 7) and ventured to the beach, after getting a giant iced coffee, so that I could get front row seats in the shade. The ocean waves are crashing against the beach, white caps adding to the scene. This is the way to start the day!

It's not hard to be content with a peaceful easy feeling enveloping me.

Carm eventually showed up and then Steph, Olaf arrived much later. We had smoked salmon breakfast wraps and of course light and airy pain au chocolate. 

The morning slid by, blue sky and crashing waves creating a kaleidoscope of the senses. I was the first to leave, with a nap in mind. An hour or two later Carm and Olaf arrived for a swim. Steph had a nap arriving here in time for giant coconut drinks.

We've been here for 5 days and have only seen a handful of people in the swim up so it's like we have our own private pool 😀 that we've enjoyed in the afternoon and again at bedtime.

We had steaks tonight in the open air restaurant under an almost full moon. It was a beautiful setting and our steaks were fantastic. Oh my gosh though, I (maybe we), are exhausted so it's an early night for all of us.

I can hear the bass from the theater and there is a bit of construction nearby but neither will keep me awake!

November 5th at the pool today

November 5th at the pool today 

We decided to do something different today so instead of the beach we walked to the cheesy market crowded with shops all selling the same junk. Very expensive! They wanted $30 US for a cheap ball cap… we didn't buy anything.

Now we are at the 'relaxation' pool. We found lounge chairs in the shade close to the pool. It was nice except now the party pool just cranked up the music which is drowning out the mellow music here.

Big base undertones.

… Ages later… It's already 3pm… I'm chasing that 'peaceful easy feeling' and have caught up! I couldn't feel more mellow. It's pretty great!

Olaf and I swam down to the other end of the giant pool to the swim up bar to get a 'purple Rain' which was sickly sweet but a marvelous colour. I can't get over how much space there is. Nothing seems crowded or too busy, at least where we are! The swim up bar area had lots of people but not a crush. We are at the other end and it almost seems deserted.

The bar is past the bridge. I have no idea how they maintain such a huge space!

We spent an hour decompressing (from what I don't know!) at our swim up then got ready for supper. Tonight was Italian! The food was great. I'm not sure where the time went but by the time Olaf and Stephanie left from our pre bed swim it was past 11:30! A far cry from last night's 10pm bedtime.

It poured at one point in the night but the moon was out to say goodnight.

November 4th another day in paradise

November 4th another day in paradise 

I think this is going to get repetitive (I hope), although it's hard to imagine that today could top yesterday when I was on a high all day!

We were up early, actually, I barely slept and was totally wound up in bed from all the dancing paired with a bit of alcohol (not too much though - I feel fine today). I started using my giant mug mid day. The bartender put in a margarita then filled it the rest of the way with ice. As I drank it down I kept topping it up with water so I was well hydrated. It lasted me until supper.

I did the same thing with a Pina colada which with added water lasted me all day. It stays cold for hours!

We didn't make it to the beach early enough to nab 4 chairs in the shade together so we are split between 2 locations. Our umbrella is low to the ground… luckily we are short!

Mid afternoon we came back to our room to swim and relax. Unfortunately at some point they turned the volume up to level 11 so it's hard to have a conversation 😜

So far I have avoided a sunburn… I'm slathering sunscreen and trying to stay in the shade when possible… the sun is crazy strong ☀️ 

Supper was a much quieter affair than last night. We ate at the French restaurant tonight. I had the lamb, which in my mind was a stew, so imagine my surprise when what seemed like a whole honking leg was served! It was good and also slightly hilarious. We didn't last long past supper before a swim and then PJ's…

I hope I sleep better tonight 💤 

November 3rd getting into the groove

November 3rd getting into the groove 

Does it make any sense to be sitting by the ocean fighting back tears? It's such a mix up of emotions… happy and sad at the same time…

Our morning has been wonderful so far. It's only 11 am and already it would be hard to make it any better, although Carm has disappeared somewhere between our room and the beach ⛱️ (update - he was talking with a lovely couple from Houston, although the man was originally from Nigeria - he dragged them back here so we chatted for quite a while.

A swim in the ocean and now I am back with my margarita (½ strength!) and bottle of water. Hardship! 

Well, a guy just walked past with 2 macaws and now I feel a bit sad…

We had breakfast with Olaf and Stephanie at the buffet. I walked in and the first thing I passed was a giant display of cut fruit including watermelon and dragon fruit - oh yeah baby! Then Carm and I walked around to see the gym - good but you have to wear gloves to use the weights, which of course I didn't bring… we passed the lazy river and giant water slide - maybe tomorrow. For now we will enjoy the beach with O&S 😁 

I feel that I have a gene that attracts me to all the things that the beach vendors are selling! I didn't bring any money except for tips so can easily send them away… they aren't aggressive or push.

After hours at the beach we all retired to our swim up room which is across from the party pool. Rocking music drew us into the 'aquarium' pool to make fools of ourselves! I love being on the edge of crazy! The heavy glass door to our room keeps some of the sound at bay inside but step outside! I love it.

If I could bottle up today to sip on this winter…

Hours later and we are tucked into bed after an awesome evening. We went to the hibachi grill for supper which is a noisy affair… I was sitting next to a bunch of young guys from the US Navy… they were sweet and we hung around with them for a few hours after dinner. I will admit that being called a 'hot milf' made my day! I'm easily flattered but hearing from a bunch of young men that I still have it was pretty awesome and I will ride on that high for a long time 😜 

After all that excitement and hours of dancing a quick dip in the pool topped the night. I can't imagine how tomorrow could even come close to today.

The list of awesome is just too long to include…

Sunday November 2nd the adventure begins

Sunday November 2nd the adventure begins 

The journey has begun… we were both awake for most of the night, anxious about our 1:45 am alarm which was made more complicated by the time change. We ended up getting up 15 minutes before it went off which got us out of the house by 2:10… a bit early but better checked in early than late.

I suppose our trip started a week ago when I began gathering clothes and other detritus to shoehorn into our suitcases. I had lots of time to fuss and fiddle so ended up repacking into empty salad containers which fit into the bags like Tetris cubes. They are lightweight and the perfect size for t-shirts and other smaller clothes. Just a bit of insanity 😮 

No

It's been a weird few weeks… I haven't been depressed but I haven't been great either. I've been existing in a muffled nothingness punctuated by anxiety masquerading as excitement or maybe it's the other way around and the excitement gets twisted with anxiety. But mostly I feel nothing. It's almost like I've been saturated with emotion for too long so my brain has checked out.

There are two kinds of depression, although that might be the wrong word. There's the black dog which is filled with an anguish that is nearly unbearable when it gets a firm grip. The other is a grey fog that obliterates feeling, leaving me drained, exhausted, and numb. That's where I am now.

It's weird… l feel no sadness, anger, frustration, or grief. Maybe it's a protective shield… I just hope it doesn't morph into something worse.

V6

I think a week in tropical paradise will be a welcome reset. And if I know my brother Olaf at all he'll get the party going! I guess I can just say my brother without qualification since I only have one left. Reality sometimes slaps me in the face.

I have hardly been cooking for absolutely ages but managed to try a new recipe this week. I got the recipe for French onion cauliflower bake on FB but made a few tweaks. A can of white cannellini beans and some broccoli turned it into a main course. I'll make it again, even though it took hours to make! Caramelised onions never take less than 45 minutes to get right…

Last night I made mushroom gnocchi as I wanted to make something nice for Pat who moved in yesterday to take care of the beasts. I had some baby Bok Choy that I cut in half and sauteed it with chili crisp oil - yum!

But now! 7 days of a food extravaganza that needs no effort from me, other than choosing what I want!!!

By

Later at night, but really not that late at all (maybe it's 8:30? in some time zone)... we are back in our room, snuggled under the covers and ready to crash. It was a long day of hurry up and wait and then we finally got here! We've had lots of sun and too many pina coladas, and after a very noisy supper at a hibachi grill we parted ways with Olaf & Steph to make an early night of it. So far it's been a fabulous spot - lots of pool space, music, food, and drinks. But honestly, we are both totally exhausted and have cut the night early like the oldies that we are!

More tomorrow!

Awesome!

"sunrise from 35,000ft"

"No rushing around"

"getting back into cooking "