TBT: Mexico Edition

Spending the week at the Ecksteins' residence in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was the trip of a lifetime to say the least. 

Waking up every morning with fresh coffee and an endless menu of breakfast items awaiting,

lounging in the pool while platters of your drink of choice being brought to your side,

being serenaded by a mariachi band and having a real mexican fiesta in your own backyard...

ya, it was like a dream come true. 

Except for one bright and sunny day.... 

It was the morning of March 16, 2011. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the waves were freaking tsunamis. Our sweet, surfer bra guy friends paddle out on their styrofoam surf boards in attempt to capture the 10 ft waves. Being the adventurers we are, Alix and I decided that we should probably join in with all the excitement. So we grabbed the ONLY boogie board we had… no string and all… and set sail on the ocean blue. It was all fun and games… until about 10 yards off shore. Then shit started to hit the fan. The next 10 minutes of our precious lives were spent under water… being plummeted by wave after wave after wave. Meanwhile, our boogie board was taken out from underneath us and was no where in sight. The next thing I knew, we were a mile off of the Mexican shore, no one near, and treading water as if we were on a bike being chased by a mountain lion. Alix was still having the time of her life (I’m convinced she chugged an espresso shot and shotgunned a Red Bull before we set sail). I, on the other hand, was quickly running out of energy.

What happens next… I will never forget. Alix continued to ramble on about whoever the HELL she could be talking about at a time like this when I looked at her, started crying and said “ALIX. WE CANNOT DO THIS ANY LONGER. I AM ABOUT TO DROWN” (at this point we had drifted another half mile off shore). Thank the Lord she finally took notice how serious our situation was. I mean.. think about that… a mile and a half off the shore being constantly rocked by huge waves with NOTHING to hold on to. Our poor legs felt like they belonged to Gumby. 

The next 5 minutes are a blur… I balled my eyes out as Alix realized the end was near for us.

Then, all of the sudden, Clare Helow came floating up like an angel on a cloud, laughing,  ON ALIX AND I’S LONG LOST BOOGIE BOARD.

The first thing she said to us?

“Erin, you look so ‘Blue Crush’ right now” 

Ya. Imagine how funny that was to me. Anyways… I shared a few not-so-very-nice words with her as I continued to cry and the three of us made our way back to solid ground (on the leash-less boogie board).

After we finished kissing the mexican sand once we touched the surface, our feeble legs had to continue on the trek back to the house. Once we met our destination, I immediately ordered a cheeseburger with a side of fries and a cheese quesadilla for dessert. I mean, think about it… we probably burned at least 800 calories. 

(WARNING: do not eat a 3 cheese quesadilla while "relaxing" in a hut tub. You will soon be face first in the toilet, throwing up what closely resembles a napkin for the next 30 minutes.)

Post Drowing... Pre Munching

Mariachi Band

                                   

Result of Bennett eating a taquito  

                                         
                                     

Dougie-ing with Mr. Eckstein 

                               

Just buying some Mexican Rosary's... 

Mariachi Dance Party

Trifecta

Good times.

Babies, Birthdays, Hat Parties, Croquet Games and Such

The past few weeks, my schedule has been obnoxiously busy.

The word "available" has started to make me cringe and I get super bad anxiety.

"Are you available tonight?"

"Are you available this Friday through Sunday?"

"Are you available next Wednesday all day?"

"Are you available next November 23?"

ok... you get the point.

Not to mention the three families I already sit for on the reg...

My biggest problem is... I hate saying no.

I also hate canceling on people.

So you can only imagine the stress running through my mind last week when my entire calendar on my phone was randomly GONE. Literally.

I PUT EVERY DATE, JOB, EVENT, ETC. ON THERE AND IT WAS ALL GONE.

I almost threw up. 

To make matters worse... I kept getting asked if I was "available" BUT I HAD NO IDEA IF I WAS OR NOT.

So my worst nightmare came true, in fact several times, when I finally figured out how to get my calendar back. 

I had to change around my nanny schedule to suit other things such as a MATH test (which I had completely forgot about), I doubled booked myself for evening jobs, had to cancel on one, and find someone to replace me, canceled two days with my oldest nanny clients in which she had asked me about a loooong time ago... because I made plans to visit my grandparents.  

Seriously..........

Sometimes I think people forget I actually have a life.

But don't fret...

I still get to have my fun.

March 27 was my Birthday. For once, I actually took the day off. I was soooo looking forward to having absolutely nothing to do all day and just relax.

BUT... that's not exactly how it went.

Since my birthday began at midnight, Hank and I went to mojo's to have a drink.

"A DRINK" quickly turned into me being tricked into taking a Chartreuse shot once the clocked struck 12. 

Post Chartreuse

Let me just say for those of you who don't know what that is... stay far, far away.

And if you do happen to get forced into taking one... don't. It is NOT "just like whiskey".

I was drunk for the next 12 hours.

So on my actual birthday, it wasn't until I had a glass of wine and walked around the mall for awhile until I finally felt normal again. Later that night, we celebrated at Al's Pizza then walked across the street to Blacksheep for drinks. All in all, it turned out to be an awesome birthday.

Hattie was so thrilled

Mandis' delicious surprise at dinner

Blacksheep

I have the best sister

From my birthday on was pretty much a weekend full of fun. Hank Jr.'s mom cooked us a fabulous surf and turf dinner... we had Hurricanes with my dad... and on Saturday, we got to dress up like preppy bitches in big hats and drink free beer for a few hours while listening to live music and enjoying the beautiful weather:

The following day was Easter Sunday, so clearly the party continued. 

Hank Jr.'s mom hosts a big lawn party. We spent the day drinking Bloody Mary's and beer, "playing" croquet (I lost severely) and of course celebrating our Lord. 

Next week, I am taking the whole week off of work and going to visit my grandparents with Hank while he takes a course for his job. Needless to say, I am extremely excited.