I am going to blog more. I am making an effort, as evidenced right this very second.
Rather than take forever to catch you up on the little, insignificant day-to-day stuff, I'll just say...
It's Summer. Finally.
And I'm coming off of a hedonistic week.
When a busy mom who works a crazy, unrealistic schedule gets an opportunity to fly across the country by herself for a week, she should totally go.
I know. I did.
Technically, I was only truly by myself for 3 days. The other four days were spent with my parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles - all of us celebrating my cousin's marriage to a wonderful woman.
Let me break it down for you, dance-remix style...
Day 1 - Get up at 3AM. Drink a lot of coffee. Watch a thunderstorm and hope that my flight still plans to leave on time. Taxi. Airplane. 1 hour delay. Race across the Phoenix airport to make connecting flight. (Which I do, but barely. I was the last one on the plane.) Land in California. Immediately get a sunburn.
The hotel is cute in the way that poodle skirts and saddle shoes are cute, but the view makes up for it. Apparently, they call it the Inn at Sunset Cliffs for a reason. Cliffs, ocean, sun. Perfect. From the balcony I see my cousins and aunt. Beers are cold, wine is opened, and the fun begins.
Sometime later, I go upstairs to shower and discover that two shower-heads are way better than one.
Later that evening, I have dinner with a dear old friend. We catch up, laugh, and eat until the restaurant closes. So much fun!
Day 2: Laziness and jet lag consume me. I get up and walk on the beach for awhile, then read until other people start to wake up. Once everyone shows signs of life, we head to La Jolla for my cousin's rehearsal lunch. We eat, drink, and celebrate, then explore for a few hours. La Jolla is amazing and I want to move there.
Back at the poodle skirt by the sea, my other aunt, uncle, and cousins have arrived. We promptly barge into their room, start laughing, start drinking, and then all go out to dinner.
I don't really remember a lot about the rest of day 2.
Day 3: Happy 4th of July! Happy Bryan and Andrea's wedding day!! The official festivities don't start until 5 PM, so we all order breakfast burritos from a little shop down the street and listen to my Dad complain about how he hates Mexican food. We get him and his pitiful palate a bagel and lounge by the pool until it's time to get beach-wedding beautiful.
Rather than take forever to catch you up on the little, insignificant day-to-day stuff, I'll just say...
It's Summer. Finally.
And I'm coming off of a hedonistic week.
When a busy mom who works a crazy, unrealistic schedule gets an opportunity to fly across the country by herself for a week, she should totally go.
I know. I did.
Technically, I was only truly by myself for 3 days. The other four days were spent with my parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles - all of us celebrating my cousin's marriage to a wonderful woman.
Let me break it down for you, dance-remix style...
Day 1 - Get up at 3AM. Drink a lot of coffee. Watch a thunderstorm and hope that my flight still plans to leave on time. Taxi. Airplane. 1 hour delay. Race across the Phoenix airport to make connecting flight. (Which I do, but barely. I was the last one on the plane.) Land in California. Immediately get a sunburn.
The hotel is cute in the way that poodle skirts and saddle shoes are cute, but the view makes up for it. Apparently, they call it the Inn at Sunset Cliffs for a reason. Cliffs, ocean, sun. Perfect. From the balcony I see my cousins and aunt. Beers are cold, wine is opened, and the fun begins.
Sometime later, I go upstairs to shower and discover that two shower-heads are way better than one.
Later that evening, I have dinner with a dear old friend. We catch up, laugh, and eat until the restaurant closes. So much fun!
Day 2: Laziness and jet lag consume me. I get up and walk on the beach for awhile, then read until other people start to wake up. Once everyone shows signs of life, we head to La Jolla for my cousin's rehearsal lunch. We eat, drink, and celebrate, then explore for a few hours. La Jolla is amazing and I want to move there.
Back at the poodle skirt by the sea, my other aunt, uncle, and cousins have arrived. We promptly barge into their room, start laughing, start drinking, and then all go out to dinner.
I don't really remember a lot about the rest of day 2.
Day 3: Happy 4th of July! Happy Bryan and Andrea's wedding day!! The official festivities don't start until 5 PM, so we all order breakfast burritos from a little shop down the street and listen to my Dad complain about how he hates Mexican food. We get him and his pitiful palate a bagel and lounge by the pool until it's time to get beach-wedding beautiful.
Andrea, my new cousin, the bride, looked incredible - radiant, happy, and gorgeous.
The ceremony was so very romantic. Bryan and Andrea went hiking on their first date and, along the way, found some cairns. Some of us had stones on our chairs and were asked to come to the chuppah and build a cairn for them, as family and friends are their guideposts through life. One of Andrea's friends read an excerpt from the Massachusetts law books regarding marriage - gay or straight - as a loving partnership built upon mutual trust and respect. My Aunt Leah, Bryan's mom, read a beautiful passage about love and family. Glass was broken, kisses exchanged, and shouts of MAZAL TOV echoed off of the cliffs.
All that followed was more amazingness - great food, homemade sangria, hilarious toasts, a perfect sunset, fireworks, a full moon, and dancing in the sand to the pop hits of the 80's and 90's. I don't remember going to bed, but I know I did at some point.
Day 4: Most of my relatives are up with the sun and heading to the airport. We exchange groggy hugs and I go back to bed for awhile.
My parents, cousin Andrew, and I decide that brunch and a trip to the San Diego zoo are in order. We won't let our hangovers hold us back - no way!
Brunch here is delicious. The zoo, as I'm sure you've heard, is incredible. And fun. And exhausting. After an afternoon of laughing at chimps and cooing over bear cubs, we kiss Andrew goodbye at the bus station.
My parents and I decide on a lovely dinner here and say goodbye, as they are taking a late-night flight back to Massachusetts.
Day 5: I move to a hotel downtown - a place way nicer than the poodle skirt I've been sleeping under.
I decide to visit the MCA. The museum itself is not that great, but the man working there is one of the most beautiful creations I've ever seen. And very nice. He and I chatted about art for awhile, then he drew me a map and told me about some fun places to visit.
Off I go, exploring downtown San Diego all day. More art, some funky shops, beautiful sunshine. My credit card dies from exhaustion. Around 5 PM, my stomach growls like a beast and I realize that I've eaten nothing all day.
Greek food here. The best I've ever had.
Rest, digest, and watch a movie at the hotel. Go out to hear some jazz and have a drink. Sleep very, very well.
Day 6: Up, shower, and out right away. I get on one of those horrendous tourist trolleys just so I don't have to rent a car or take taxis all day. All day pass for $30 - clearly the most economical choice.
First stop - Coronado. It's super pretty and has lots of nice shops. I spend the morning there, just lounging by the ocean, sipping coffee, and walking around.
Next stop - Old Town. I meet my friend, Lisa, and her two cute kiddos for lunch. We chat, laugh, chase her toddler, and eat mountains of Mexican food. After lunch, I walk around for about 10 minutes and decide that I don't like Old Town.
I get back on the god-foresaken trolley and head to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is awesome.
I wander the grounds, just happy to be outside and untethered. After a couple of hours, I decide to check out the art museum. It's small, but they have a nice collection of contemporary Mexican paintings. They also were housing this exhibit, which was pretty interesting.
Upon looking at a nude portrait that Avedon took of Rudolf Nureyev, I was astounded by the size of Nureyev's maleness. He must have had to roll it up like a firehose in order to dance.
The woman standing next to me was astounded, too. We looked at eachother and, like 12 year old girls, started (quietly) giggling. After a brief exchange of "wow" and "can you imagine?...", I came to learn that she grew up in Sacramento, lives in Tokyo, and was also in town for a wedding. We spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and walking through the park, then made plans to meet for dinner and drinks.
Which we did. And had a great time...all thanks to Nureyev's penis.
Day 7: Pack. Tummy ache. Hangover. Blah.
Coffee, bagel, and a book on the hotel rooftop.
Taxi to the airport at noon. 2 hour lay-over in Phoenix. I land Boston around midnight and reach my front door by 1 AM. Michael, awake, wraps me up in an enormous bear hug before I even have a chance to put my purse down. I drift upstairs and hug the kids while they sleep.
We fall into bed, happy to be next to eachother.
Aviva opens our bedroom door at 6 AM and, in happy disbelief, exclaims, "MAMA!!". Within moments, all 3 warm-limbed, newly wakeful children are in my arms.
And I am home.
The ceremony was so very romantic. Bryan and Andrea went hiking on their first date and, along the way, found some cairns. Some of us had stones on our chairs and were asked to come to the chuppah and build a cairn for them, as family and friends are their guideposts through life. One of Andrea's friends read an excerpt from the Massachusetts law books regarding marriage - gay or straight - as a loving partnership built upon mutual trust and respect. My Aunt Leah, Bryan's mom, read a beautiful passage about love and family. Glass was broken, kisses exchanged, and shouts of MAZAL TOV echoed off of the cliffs.
All that followed was more amazingness - great food, homemade sangria, hilarious toasts, a perfect sunset, fireworks, a full moon, and dancing in the sand to the pop hits of the 80's and 90's. I don't remember going to bed, but I know I did at some point.
Day 4: Most of my relatives are up with the sun and heading to the airport. We exchange groggy hugs and I go back to bed for awhile.
My parents, cousin Andrew, and I decide that brunch and a trip to the San Diego zoo are in order. We won't let our hangovers hold us back - no way!
Brunch here is delicious. The zoo, as I'm sure you've heard, is incredible. And fun. And exhausting. After an afternoon of laughing at chimps and cooing over bear cubs, we kiss Andrew goodbye at the bus station.
My parents and I decide on a lovely dinner here and say goodbye, as they are taking a late-night flight back to Massachusetts.
Day 5: I move to a hotel downtown - a place way nicer than the poodle skirt I've been sleeping under.
I decide to visit the MCA. The museum itself is not that great, but the man working there is one of the most beautiful creations I've ever seen. And very nice. He and I chatted about art for awhile, then he drew me a map and told me about some fun places to visit.
Off I go, exploring downtown San Diego all day. More art, some funky shops, beautiful sunshine. My credit card dies from exhaustion. Around 5 PM, my stomach growls like a beast and I realize that I've eaten nothing all day.
Greek food here. The best I've ever had.
Rest, digest, and watch a movie at the hotel. Go out to hear some jazz and have a drink. Sleep very, very well.
Day 6: Up, shower, and out right away. I get on one of those horrendous tourist trolleys just so I don't have to rent a car or take taxis all day. All day pass for $30 - clearly the most economical choice.
First stop - Coronado. It's super pretty and has lots of nice shops. I spend the morning there, just lounging by the ocean, sipping coffee, and walking around.
Next stop - Old Town. I meet my friend, Lisa, and her two cute kiddos for lunch. We chat, laugh, chase her toddler, and eat mountains of Mexican food. After lunch, I walk around for about 10 minutes and decide that I don't like Old Town.
I get back on the god-foresaken trolley and head to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is awesome.
I wander the grounds, just happy to be outside and untethered. After a couple of hours, I decide to check out the art museum. It's small, but they have a nice collection of contemporary Mexican paintings. They also were housing this exhibit, which was pretty interesting.
Upon looking at a nude portrait that Avedon took of Rudolf Nureyev, I was astounded by the size of Nureyev's maleness. He must have had to roll it up like a firehose in order to dance.
The woman standing next to me was astounded, too. We looked at eachother and, like 12 year old girls, started (quietly) giggling. After a brief exchange of "wow" and "can you imagine?...", I came to learn that she grew up in Sacramento, lives in Tokyo, and was also in town for a wedding. We spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and walking through the park, then made plans to meet for dinner and drinks.
Which we did. And had a great time...all thanks to Nureyev's penis.
Day 7: Pack. Tummy ache. Hangover. Blah.
Coffee, bagel, and a book on the hotel rooftop.
Taxi to the airport at noon. 2 hour lay-over in Phoenix. I land Boston around midnight and reach my front door by 1 AM. Michael, awake, wraps me up in an enormous bear hug before I even have a chance to put my purse down. I drift upstairs and hug the kids while they sleep.
We fall into bed, happy to be next to eachother.
Aviva opens our bedroom door at 6 AM and, in happy disbelief, exclaims, "MAMA!!". Within moments, all 3 warm-limbed, newly wakeful children are in my arms.
And I am home.
2 comments:
Oh, yes! Great story and what a time for YOU. Waiting (im)patiently for a trip like this...
I know. I'm even jealous of myself! It was a great time and the quiet solitude was definitely good for me.
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