Cancun

About two weeks ago, I went to Cancun with Patrick, my mom, and step-dad, Kirk. For years, we have talked about going on a vacation together, and we finally made it happen. It was the perfect time of year to go since April is the shoulder season (the time between spring break and summer). It wasn't very crowded and we got some amazing rates for our hotel rooms at the Westin Lagunamar, situated right on the Hotel Zone in Cancun. With a pristine beach and clear aqua water, it is the perfect setting for relaxation, fun, and sun (when we had it). The Westin Lagunamar is located across the street from a large shopping complex and there are lots of restaurants within walking distance. Being from New York, proximity to the necessities is important! All of the larger attractions and historical sites are quite far from the Hotel Zone, but those are a must see when visiting Cancun. We decided to venture to Chichen Itza via CARM tours, one of the wonders of the ancient world, and a fascinating place it is! Our tour guide was full of facts (maybe too many since he sucked up a lot of our allotted time and we ended up ditching him so that we could explore the sacred grounds), and our drivers got us back to enjoy some tacos! Here's a fun fact about Chichen Itza: If you stand in front of the stairs and clap, the sound travels up the stairs and echoes a bird sound back as it bounces off the top of the temple. So cool! My birthday just to happened to land on our final full day in Cancun. How did that happen? The day started with going to the Westin Resort and Spa (located on the other end of the Hotel Zone) where I had a wonderful hot stone massage. It was my mom's first time ever going to a really nice spa, and I think I converted her to the lap of luxury. She had a 50 minute facial, and she looked radiant afterwards! Once we were all nice and relaxed, we headed back to finish up some last minute shopping and pool time before heading over to Fred's House for a tasty seafood birthday dinner. I had crab soup and a lovely house salad with fresh goat cheese, but I did manage to try some grilled octopus that Kirk had ordered. Dinner is always a fun occasion with my mom and Kirk because we pass around our food, wanting to sample everything we have ordered. Kirk usually kicks this off with his statement, "Oh my God, Lin (my mom), you gotta try this." He says this as a utensil piled with food is right under my mom's nose. "No thanks," she politely declines. However, being a true Italian, he insists and my mom eats the food and repeats, "Oh my God. That is so good." Thus we all are inclined to sample one another's food with much laughter and lots of happy stomachs. So here are a few pics from our trip. If you are ever in need of a good vacation, check out the Westin Laugnamar. Each room is a villa equipped with a full-functioning kitchen complete with pots, pans, and anything you would have at home! The resort also has activities for families such as a kids club, themed buffets, pool games and contests, a water slide, and DVD rentals. Make sure you go during the slower seasons to get better rates and you too can say "Bienvenidos a Mexico!"

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Not at Home

What I am about to reveal may come as a shocker to some of you, but it is the truth. I am a homebody. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel, as you well know, and I love seeking out new adventures. I also love coming home that first night from a long trip and sleeping in my own bed, with my own pillow, in my own sheets that smell like Gain detergent which cover the squishiest mattress that I simply adore. My daily routine consists largely of me staying inside my home because I have a lot of favorite indoor activities that I like to do every day. I actually have to force myself to go outside just to get some vitamin D and a nice jog. But, usually, I stay inside until I have to go to work in the afternoon. This may sound silly, and it may sound lame, but it is who I am. When I was a little girl, I was the quiet one who preferred to read for long periods of time rather than play with the neighborhood kids in our alley. If I did go outside, it was to chase squirrels, sit on the back deck with just my dog, or once again...read for a long period of time. I was never lonely, and it never bothered me. In fact, I reveled in my stealthy ability to escape all forms of society, especially when my mom would suddenly realize she hadn't seen me around for quite some time and would shout, "Beth? Beth? Where's Beth?" I rarely answered her and would smile briefly before returning to my book pages. I suppose that being a homebody has cultivated a wild imagination for me. I still like to dream up stories and personal adventures, and I am rarely bored because of that. It has also helped me balance out my travel pursuits, knowing that even if I go far away to exotic places, there is no place like home and it is always waiting for me. My particular case of preferring to stay in my home environment does not ever keep me from staying in one place for very long, however. I still retain that impish itch to find the new, the alluring, the charming, the delicious, the fun, the adventures that call my soul into searching. Yet when those longings subside, I am ever-content to knit, paint, read, and watch Pride and Prejudice for the gazillionth time in my home. Yes, I love my home. Tonight, I will not be sleeping at home, but it is only for a short while. Fortunately, I am only a few blocks from home tonight (working this weekend babysitting my favorite little ones while their parents are on vacation) and I was able to swing by my apartment today to pick up my pillow. If I can't have my whole bed to sleep in tonight, at least I will have my pillow that smells like home, for the time being. Speaking of not being home, I will be sure to post about my recent trip to Cancun, Mexico!!! It was a super fun one, and staying at any Westin almost feels like home to me. Ha! I even thought that as soon as I walked into the lobby and smelled that signature Westin odor. Well happy weekend!!! Here's to thoughts of home.

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Brooklyn Day

Every once in a while, Patrick and I need a Brooklyn day because it is really a great borough and sometimes we really miss it. My favorite place in all the city is perhaps the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and this time of year the cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom. Just like D.C., they have a cherry blossom festival, celebrating the beauty of the blossoms and partaking in the Japanese tradition of Hanami, which is the art of staring at the cherry trees in full bloom. If you go when the trees are in peak bloom, you can understand from where this tradition came. Not only are the cherry blossoms out, but we also viewed a variety of spring time flora including, lilacs, hyacinth, daffodils, and magnolias.

I am having difficulty with the new format of blogger, and so I apologize for the weird placement of my paragraphs. Hopefully they will fix this problem. Anyways... After the garden, we took a stroll through Prospect Park into the Park Slope neighborhood where we had a late brunch at the Stone Park Cafe. I had shrimp and grits topped with a poached egg, and Patrick ordered the best BLT he has ever consumed (specially made with Berkshire pork belly instead of bacon). It was a lovely day spent in Brooklyn.

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