Belize-Placencia Village

We woke up today pretty early around 7 but just laid in bed kind of fell back asleep until 8ish.  Then we decided to go out and snorkel for a bit since the water was calm.

Before getting in the water a woman approached me and asked if we were staying here.  She said she had hitch-hiked from Placencia.  Then she asked if I wanted to look at her crafts.  I told her I had no money on me now so maybe late. When we got in the water we didn't see much because it's mostly sand.  Then we saw a few fish and we were getting further out and I heard Don say "Andi come back!"  We've been snorkeling quite a bit in our lives and I've never heard him say this so I was scared...like is there a shark??  So I just started swimming back to shore fast.  In my head I was a little disappointed on the swim back like..."man if there was a shark out there and he just made us swim like this and draw all this attention to us!!"  I wanna see a shark so bad and if it's far away and you just stay calm it should be alright...but we when got closer to shore he told me he saw a big jellyfish and I was swimming right for it.  So that ended our snorkeling this morning.

Then we came back in and got cleaned up for breakfast.  Don had a dish called Belizian Fried Jacks.  It had black beans, scrambled eggs and these pastry like things.  I had a Bacon Egg Burger.  It was good.  It was just bacon and 2 eggs over easy on ciabatta bread. During breakfast we could see the woman spreading out all her jewelry and trinkets on the beach to sell.

After breakfast we talked to the hotel owner about our tours.  Now I think we are adding another snorkeling trip.  It sounds pretty awesome.  Then we decided to take the bus to Placencia Village.  While waiting for it thought....guess who caught us.  The woman selling her crafts.  She was also waiting for the bus.  But she convinced us to look at her items.  I ended up buying a bracelet for $10, because I am a sucker. The bus came around 12:15 and you get on by waving it down.  It is an old school bus painted blue and it says "Richies Bus" on it.  The is $1 per person.  It took us to the end of the peninsula.

Once we got off the bus we walked around a bit.  We looked at the beaches and then just walked around.  It was sooo hot!  We decided there wasn't really much there so we planned to take the bus back at 2:30, which is the last bus of the day on Sunday.  We decided we wanted to try a different restaurant so we tried a place called Wendy's.  It was good.  The quesadilla I had was great.  After that we walked the town some more just basically waiting for the bus.  The bus was so crowded on the way back but the driver dropped us right off at our hotel.  Can't really beat the price of $1 for a bus ride.

Once we got back I wanted to go for another swim....so we went back out to the beach and snorkeled again.  We love snorkeling.  We didn't really see anything too crazy just a few fish here and there.  The water felt so good, it's so nice and warm.  After our swim we got cleaned up again and decided to walk about a mile to a different restaurant.

On the walk there the hotel owner saw us and said she would give us a lift.  That was nice of her.  The restaurant was Mangos and it looked really cool.  The food was good.  I had nachos. Don had fried chicken. The problem was when the food came immediately we were surrounded by flies.  It was so annoying.  We just ate so fast.  I feel like all we did today was eat hahaha.  We had to walk back and it was pretty dark.  But it was a nice walk.  When we got to the hotel the whole front of the building had little lizards on it.

Now we are back and we are just getting ready for our excursion tomorrow to the ruins.

Belize-Getting There

Today we woke up around 3 am so we could make it to our 6 am flight at ohare.  We got to the airport and our flight was on time....so nothing really crazy to tell from Ohare.

We had our connection flight in Dallas/Fort Worth.  We ate breakfast at a taco bar.  It was pretty good.  Then an alarm started going off.  It was a siren with a computerized voice saying "There has been an emergency reported in the building.  Please stand by for further instruction."  No one knew what was going on and it just kept repeating over and over.  Finally a real voice came on and said the emergency was taken care of so to keep going about business.  Even though he said this the alarm continued to go on until we boarded our flight for Belize.

We sat in the aisle that had 3 seats so we were sitting next to a woman.  She had the window seat.  Eventually one of her friends came and told her they had an open seat by them so she could sit next to them. I was excited because then we would have a giant space...but when I moved over to her seat it was a little damp and kind of smelled like urine, not really sure.  Luckily I only touched the seat with my hand...and I had hand sanitizer.  So for the flight we did not use that window seat.   It was funny though because I saw her when I was exiting the plane and she said "You didn't sit in that seat did you?" and I said "no" and she was like "good because it made my pants damp".....

So then we made our way into the airport to go through customs. There was a live band playing some music.  That was a first for me at an airport.

When we made it through customs we met our driver, Abraham.  He took us to his truck.  Abraham drove us 3 hours to Placencia...we had a private ride.  It was cool. He told us things about Belize on the way.  We stopped at a grocery store to get some drinks.  It was so weird.  It was a Chinese owned grocery store in the middle of no where.

The whole ride to the hotel all I could think was this place has really nothing but jungle.  I didn't really know what to expect but it is just land with trees, very rural.  We even saw Amish! Abraham told us the Amish settled here about 50 years ago.

We finally made it to Maya Beach Hotel and got settled in.  Our room is the Hummingbird Room and we saw a hummingbird outside our window!  We walked by the beach and relaxed on the deck for awhile.  Then we had dinner at the Bistro here at the hotel.  We had Spicy Fish Empanadas for an appetizer and we both had burgers for dinner.  It was really good.

After dinner it was only like 8 but we went back to the room for bed!

Honeymoon-Greece

Monday September 19 2011

Today I woke up and ate some more catering left overs.  Then we left for Ohare around 9 am. We checked in and talked to the parents about how great the wedding was.  Our flight was on time to Montreal.  The plane was so freaken small to Montreal that our carry ons wouldn’t fit above our seats!  I made “friends” from an old couple from nearby Lake Geneva.  They were going to Rome.  When we arrived in Montreal we had a snack and used their free wi-fi.  Why does Canada have all this free stuff?!  Our flight to Athens was also on time!  It left around 3 pm and was an overnight flight.  We noticed when they were boarding basically no one was getting up to get on the plane.  The flight was freaken empty!  It was awesome.  We could lay down in the middle row and sleep.  We had a dinner, it wasn’t very good.  So then I laid down and watched the movie that was on, Unknown.  I fell asleep towards the end and woke up and the new Yogi Bear movie was on. I watched some of it but was so tired and fell asleep again and woke up to something about electronics on.  This was boring and I fell asleep again and woke up and No Strings Attached was on but it was towards the end. So I fell asleep again and was woken up by a huge bump.  I sat straight up and was kind of freaken out.  It was bumpy and I started feeling queasy.  The rest of the ride sucked and they fed us some breakfast but I couldn’t really eat.  And it was bumpy.  I was so happy to be on land in Athens.  I was also surprised to see how desert-like Athens looked near the airport.

Tuesday September 20 2011

We arrived at the Athens airport at 1020 am.  We found our tour guide with the Gate 1 sign and she gave us instructions about our next flight to Santorini.  Our flight to Santorini wasn’t until 3 pm so we had a lot of time.   It was so boring.  I was also getting so cranky.  I was tired of traveling and I wanted a shower.  We got a sandwich and shared it and waited until we could go to the gate. 

We finally went to our gate around 2 and our flight was delayed by a half hour.  It was horrible.  I was so tired.  We were sleeping in the chairs.  We used the internet.  They had free internet for one hour in the airport.  So not as good as Canada….but hey at least you got some free time.   We finally got on the plane and we sat on the plane without moving for a long while.  When we took off we both fell asleep.  We arrived in Santorini around 445 pm. 

We took a bus to our hotel and got our travel documents for Santorini.  It had a map and a list of excursions we could do and other things we could do on our own.  We decided on of the excursions we wanted to do was snorkeling.  Once we got checked in we showered. The shower felt so good after all the traveling.  Then we left the hotel to find food.  We saw a little field with 2 goats and an old woman just sitting there.  The walk to the beach and main street from our hotel was about 5 minutes. The beach was black rock and pebbles instead of sand.  I think this is because Santorini is a volcano.  We walked around trying to find a place to eat and there were so many choices.  We decided on a place that had a bunch of cats hanging around at it.  The cats were cute.  Our first meal in Greece was a mixed grill for two that included potatoes, pork on a stick, meatballs, sausage, chicken and lamb.  It was soooo good. We walked around more after dinner to pick up some water since we can only drink bottled water.  On the walk back to the hotel we took a different way and ended up getting lost.  We had to ask another hotel how to get to ours.  Luckily we were not too far away and we made it back.  Tired and went to bed.

Wednesday September 21 2011

I slept really good last night, probably from all the traveling.  I woke up at 350 am and thought it should be 7 am already.  I tried falling back asleep, but I don’t know how well that went.  Later I woke up to all kinds of birds and a rooster.  I opened the balcony doors to find a cat wandering below our room and the sun rising over the sea.  We decided to eat at an English bar for breakfast instead of the complimentary breakfast.  It was good. Then we came back for a meeting with costa, one of the tour guides.  After the meeting we took at taxi to the port for the volcano cruise.  We walked up the volcano; it was very cool but tiring.  On the way down I rolled my ankle, it was bad but kept going.  It will probably hurt tomorrow.

After the volcano we got back on the boat and went over to the hot springs.  The hot springs are not very hot just warmer water created by the amounts of sulfur in the water from the volcano.  The boat anchored and we had to do about a 5 minute swim to get to the hot springs.  When I got back in the boat there were a lot of waves and I started to feel sick.  It was bad.

We stopped at the island of Therassia and I was feeling pretty bad.  I got a coke at the first restaurant we were shuffled into.  After looking at the menu and seeing some of the other restaurants we left to go to a different one.  The coke made me feel better.  We ate at the last restaurant on the waterfront.  It had a cat and we saw an octopus in the water.

Once we got back on the boat to go to Oia, we sat in the top back.  I had a fear I was going to get sick so I balled up a plastic bag in my fist.  I didn’t get sick luckily and it wasn’t that bad of ride.  We got off at Oia, the famous part of Santorini with all the white buildings, it was awesome and beautiful.  It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.  The only way to get to the city from the port is to walk up the stairs or take a donkey.  We decided to take a donkey.  It was crazy!  When I got on the donkey I thought it would be a nice leisurely ride and I could take pictures, NO!  When I first got on the donkey charged up the stairs.  It was very fast and rough, but awesome.  I had to hang on tight.  My donkey would go between two other donkeys or get up close to the wall; I scraped my leg on the wall.  Once we got to the top we took a lot of pictures.  We walked around the city and looked for a restaurant to watch the sunset.  The sunsets in Santorini are very famous.  We found a restaurant and we saw people staying at our hotel.  We watched the sunset, had some drinks and had some food.  The sunset was very pretty, except clouds were on the horizon so we didn’t get the full effect. 

After dinner I got cold.  We walked around a little bit more then decided to take a cab to the capital city of Fira.  We split a cab with another couple who was staying in Fira.  They were from Minnesota.  When we got to Fira I bought a sweatshirt.  We also stopped at an internet café to check in with our parents.  From Fira we took the bus home to Kamari.  We were both falling asleep and I was just lucky enough to hear the bus driver say Kamari.  I shot up and said “we’re here!”

Thursday September 22 2011

I slept good last night.  We slept with the balcony open and apparently it started thundering and storming so Don got up and shut it.  I never heard any of this happen.  We got up around 730 am so we could go on our snorkeling trip.  First we went to breakfast at the hotel.  It was not so good but it was free.  I was getting a little worried because it was very cool outside and it looked like rain.  I couldn’t imagine getting in the water but we went for it anyway.  A person from the dive shop came and picked us up around 9 am.  On the way she asked us if we wanted to try diving instead of snorkeling.  I’ve always wanted to do diving but I have never done it so the thought of doing it today made me a little scared.  After thinking a little bit we decided just to do it. 

It was 85 euros a piece.  I was feeling really nervous but excited also.  When we got to the dive shop we filled out the paperwork, paid and got our wetsuits, boots, and flippers.  Then we got in a van and drove to the port.  The port was a lot smaller than the main one on Santorini.  The boat was a small speedboat and it was freaking rough.  I was bouncing up and down.   We got out to the first dive spot and the experienced divers went out.  We stayed on the boat with our instructor.  He gave us a brief talk about diving.  I couldn’t really focus on it because the boat was rocking and I was feeling very seasick and nervous.  Finally we got up and Don got in first.  We went to the back of the boat and put weights on our waist, our flippers on, mask on and then the instructor helped us put the tank on.  Once the tank was on he hoisted us up and we stepped off the boat.

The first time I was in the water with all this gear on it was very awkward and I felt panicked.  I felt like I couldn’t control my body very well because it kept pushing my body up.  We went underwater for a little bit just to see what it was like.  Then Don went with one instructor and I went with the other one, Costca.   He was very easy to work with.  We followed the chain from the boat anchor down.  My ears hurt a little from the pressure but not that much.  The first dive was awesome.  We saw a few fish and saw the drop off.  It was pretty amazing. 

When we got back on the boat we had some water and a little croissant thing.  I couldn’t really eat.  I didn’t feel that sick anymore but I just couldn’t eat.  So we boated to the next dive spot.  It was by the island of Therassia, where we ate the day before.  When I first got in the water I felt a little better about it.  I felt I could control my body a little easier.  Then we started to go down.  This time I didn’t go with Costca; I went with the other instructor.  We started to go down and my ears hurt bad.  It was really giving my problems.  So we would go back up a little, but I felt like he wouldn’t listen to me.  It was really hurting and he told me maybe I was focusing on trying to regulate them too much.  This was probably true.  They started to feel a little better, in my mind I was like maybe they are just feeling better because they have burst!  We went down and I saw a black sponge and a few fish.  Then my goggles started giving me problems.  At first I tried to ignore it but then they came off.  I started panicking.  My instructor brought me up and I was done.  That was okay because it was the end of the dive anyway.

I want to try diving again but with gear that fits me well and lessons.  The first dive was amazing, second one not so much but I want to do it again.  When we got back to the dive shop we took pictures with the crew and exchanged some names for Facebook.  It was a really cool experience.  Costca gave us a ride back to the hotel. 

Once we got back we showered and got ready for dinner.  It was early but we didn’t have lunch.  We had some pizza, it was really good!  We watched some dogs while at the restaurant.  One of them was really territorial and wouldn’t let one of other ones into its area.  But one of the other ones was okay to go in its area.  It was entertaining.  After dinner we went down to the beach and laid for a little bit.  It got chilly so we walked back.  Then it rained a little.  The rest of the night we just chilled, packed, and got ready to leave for Mykonos in the morning.

September 23 2011

We woke up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel.  We made sure we were all packed then we waited for the bus to come to take us to the port.  The bus came and went to several different hotels and drove us to the port.  The drive was crazy because the port is at the bottom of the island so we had to drive down a cliff.  We had a snack of Greek fries and a coke before getting on the ferry.  The ferry to Mykonos would be about 3 hours.  We left around 1230 and Don and I were separated.  We were in the same row but there was a giant space between us.  I made friends with a couple I sat with, Michelle and Stephen.  They were from NY.  They were traveling with some friends.   They were pretty cool.  The first half hour of the ferry was fine but then the waves got huge and the boat was just rocking.  It felt like sometimes the ferry would flip over.  One of the workers started passing out extra puke bags.  Tons of people were puking and the waves were just constant.  I was feeling horribly sick, but I wasn’t alone Michelle was also.  We didn’t puke but it was completely horrible. 

When we finally got off around 4 our tour guide took us to the bus to take us to our hotel.  Then he told us he would be at our hotel around 450 to talk to us.  When we got to our hotel there were only stairs leading up to it.  We were with a bunch of old people so they were not very happy about this.  We got to our room; it was room 42.  The hotel was very nice.  We walked around the hotel grounds and it was very pretty.  Better than the one in Santorini. 

We met with the tour guide to talk about Mykonos.  Then we went to walk around Mykonos City.  We decided to upgrade our 5 hour ferry ride to Athens to a flight.  I just couldn’t do the ferry again.  Plus the flight would leave at 11, and the ferry wouldn’t leave until 2 pm and take 5 hours, so we would have a little more time in Athens.  Don liked the idea of the flight also.  So now we have a 40 minute flight to Athens so hopefully all goes well. 

We had dinner at a place on the water and watched the sunset.  The sunset was absolutely beautiful.  Then we just walked around and took a lot of pictures.  Mykonos is very pretty.  I was still feeling dizzy all night from the boat.  We came back to the hotel around 9.  We got some water and watched a little TV, since the TV in our last hotel didn’t work. 

September 24 2011

Our alarm didn’t go off this morning.  We wanted it set for 7 am, because we wanted to go to the bank and get more euros.  Then we had a 9 am pick up for a car rental.   Maybe the reason the alarm failed to go off was because there were power outages all over the island.  So we had no power and also no shower.  The power luckily came back on soon and I was able to take a shower, while Don went to the bank.

He came back with no euros though because the front desk failed to tell us banks are not open on Saturday. So after breakfast we walked to a place to get some euros.  Then we got a call at 9 am from the car rental place.  The guy was out front and ready to take us to get our car.  We rented a smartcar.  It was kind of purple and Don drove it first. 

We wanted the car so we could go beach hopping. We went to Psarou Beach first.  There were people every where as Don tried to park the car on a hill.  It was challenging because the hill was so steep and the car had such a weird brake/accelerator system.  Finally we walked down to the beach and the beach had a bunch of nice chairs and tables.  The beachfront had a bunch of restaurants on it also.  Even though it was busy, it was pretty quiet.  We had to have lunch from the restaurant to sit at the chairs or pay 10 euros for 2 people.  We figured we would just have lunch since we needed to eat.  We ordered a cheeseburger and pizza.  The pizza was very good.

When we first got in the water it was cold, but then it felt good.  The water was so clear and the salt in it made it sparkle.  Don wanted to snorkel so we got our snorkels, good thing because it was awesome.  On the side there were rocks with tons of fish and sea life.  Fish were surrounding us.  It was so cool.  I think it was my favorite beach of the day. 

Next we drove to Kalafatis Beach.  It was much quieter; people were mostly sleeping.  There were a few restaurants on the side but we didn’t go there.  We wanted to snorkel.  There were big rocks with tons of sea life.  I think this was Don’s favorite beach.  It was fun to just ride the waves and see the fish doing the same. 

Next we went to Kalo Livadi.  We thought we would snorkel again but the beach was sandy with no sea life really.   We saw a few fish following us around but mostly it was a beach to have a good time. We mostly just laid out and tried to get dry.  The sun felt so good.

After this beach I tried driving the car.  The car was very rough shifting, probably because it had the option to be a manual and it was also very hilly.  Going uphill felt like you were just going to fall back down it.  But after awhile the driving was okay.  I did fine.  Don was the navigator.  We decided to stop at one more beach, Lia.  It was surrounded by rocks, kind of like a mountain.  We saw some people hiking.  There were hardly any people at this beach.  We just walked around, but didn’t get in the water.   We took some pictures with some random dog.  It was very quiet there.  There was a restaurant that seemed kind of weird but relaxing. 

Then we took the car back to the rental place. My first time driving in a foreign country was not too bad.  Driving in Greece was crazy though!  There were bike, atvs, people and other cars all on these tiny winding hilly streets.  After we returned the cars we got a ride back to the hotel and took showers.  Then we went out and had some gyros at a little place not far from the hotel. 

After eating we did some more exploring.  We found a little desert café place.  We had a chocolate cake thing with ice cream.  It was probably the best desert I’ve ever had.  The people running the place were so nice also.  We got back to the hotel pretty early, but we were tired.   

September 25 2011

Today we woke up around 730 and got ready.  We had breakfast at the hotel.  The bus came and picked us up at 9 for the Delos tour.  From the hotel we went to the port and we had to walk all the way to the other side to get on the boat.  We talked to a few people we had seen before like Michelle and Steve.  We also made friends with an old couple that had been at our hotel. They were from North Carolina.

On the boat to Delos we talked to a woman about getting seasick and traveling.  Delos is an island that has ancient ruins from about 5000 bc. There was running water and toilets, even a sewage system.  It’s an active archaeological site and it was pretty cool.  The water surrounding the island was pretty, so blue.  The tour was guided and lasted about an hour and a half.  It was very informative.  We saw the remains of an old house and a huge house with marble.  There was also a theater and the birthplace of Apollo.

After the tour we had a snack at the café and then headed back to the boat.  The boat brought us back at 130.  It made us so tired.   We got back and ate at a little restaurant and then walked back to the hotel.  We followed the coastline so we could see the windmills.  When we got back to the hotel we jumped in the pool and laid out.  We slept, relaxed and read. 

September 26 2011

We woke up around 8 today and got packed to go to Athens.  While I was packing and Don was in the shower I heard a strange noise. The little orange cat had gotten through our patio door and was hanging out in the hotel room.  I loved this cat!  He was so cute. We played with the cat for a little while and then went to breakfast. 

The bus picked us up around 10 to go to the airport for our flight to Athens.  The flight was very short, maybe 30 minutes.  It was totally worth upgrading to the flight instead of doing the 5 hour ferry ride.

When we arrived in Athens our guide found us and took us to a bus.  On the 45 minute bus ride to the hotel she went over things.  We checked in and looked around the hotel and then decided to venture down to the plaza.  We were told to take a taxi since the public transportation was on strike, but Don thought we could walk it.  He was right; it was no more of a walk from our apartment in Lakeview to Downtown.  We went to a restaurant close to the hotel because I was starving.  It was pretty good.  Then we walked and saw some sites.  But we mainly saw shops.  We had a beer at one of the restaurants and then walked back to the hotel.  It was a good walk.  But really Athens is just a city. It is unique though with all of its ruins. 

We got back to the hotel and had dinner on the rooftop.  I wanted to eat outside but it was so windy so we moved indoors.  It was really cool because the Acropolis was lit up so after dinner we took a few pictures of it while having a drink

September 27 2011

Today we woke up at 645 so we could be ready to be picked up at 8 for our Athens sightseeing excursion.  The bus drove us by many of the sites and then we got out at the new acropolis museum-woke up at 645 so we could be ready to be picked up at 8 for our Athens sightseeing excursion.  We had a guided tour through the museum and then we were free to roam for awhile until we walked up to the acropolis. 

The walk to the acropolis was pretty amazing. The sights were so beautiful and a little scary because the marble was slick!  We took a lot of pictures.  And then came down for lunch in the plaka.  The plaka was the first place where we had people begging us for money.  Mostly children begging.   At the restaurant where we ate children would come up to you and play music for money, but the restaurant staff kept kicking them out.  It was sad.  The meal that I had here though was one of my favorites in Greece, stewed meatballs and rice.

We had the rest of the day to do whatever so we decided to take the tram and go to the coast.  It was hard for us to figure out how to pay for the tram but I guess we did it right!  We rode to the end but there wasn’t really anything there so we got back on and got off at a marina.  The marina was beautiful and had a nice little mall.  We left the marina and walked the coast for a bit.  We saw people fishing, swimming and snorkeling.  It made me want to snorkel!  Then we took the train back to the plaka right in front of the parliament building.  There was a protest happening here and it was cool to see.  There were tons of police and riot police.   Luckily it wasn’t violent. 

Then we walked back to the hotel and started packing.  Around 830 we saw a sign saying there would be a strike for cabs and all public transportation the next day.  We were a little worried this would interfere with our ride to the airport.  Luckily there was a Gate 1 representative at the front desk and she told us not to worry they would send a private bus to pick us up. 

We went to a little place and got some gyros and beer to bring back to the hotel for our last night in Greece.  It was the best gyro I’ve ever had; even though I’ve only had a few…it was amazing!  It was hard to believe our honeymoon was ending, it was amazing.  I never dreamed I would go to Greece for my honeymoon.  It was the best experience.   After eating we went to sleep to await our 230 wake up call to go to the airport.

Wedding Week

Best Week Ever

Saturday September 10 2011

Today was one week before the wedding.  I was starting to feel a little nervous about the wedding, but more nervous about everyone from out of town getting here on time and safely.  We were getting ready to pick up Don’s dad, Danny, from Ohare when I noticed a crazy rash on Don’s arm.  He said it was really itchy.  It looked horrible, but I didn’t think too much of it. 

So we went out to the suburbs by Ohare to do some last minute shopping for the wedding and to buy Lina a new litter box.  I was so excited to put Lina’s litterbox in the closet instead of in the bathroom….and she liked it too I think.

So we went to Ohare and failed to check the status of his dad’s flight.  So we spent a couple of hours waiting for him because it was delayed.  We passed the time by talking about the 9/11 ten year anniversary, which was a little awkward being in an airport.  As we were at the airport the rash on Don’s arm was getting worse. 

Once we picked up Danny we drove him by Wrigley Field and then we just came back to the apartment to chill.

Sunday September 11 2011

Don’s dad slept in until about 10 am, I think he was jetlagged.  Don and I watched some of the 9/11 memorial on tv.  It was so sad.   Once Danny woke up we walked to the lake to show him where the tennis courts were.  The weather was so nice and he enjoyed seeing the lake.  On the walk home we ate at the Grove Restaurant on Diversey.  Then we got in the car and drove to Men’s Wearhouse to make sure all Don’s and Danny’s measurements were correct.  After that we went and saw the movie Contagion.

Monday September 12 2011

Today I woke up and had to go to work.  On the way to work I stopped by Panera and sat outside to eat a bagel.  While we were both at work Danny walked around the neighborhood and shopped.

Tuesday September 13 2011

Today was our last day of work before the wedding and honeymoon.  I finished packing everything up for the wedding weekend.  Don made a good dinner of chicken.  We are excited.

Wednesday September 14 2011

Today we woke up and went to pick up Miguel at Ohare.  We stopped by a party store to get some last minute things for the reception.  Then we ate at a diner.   Then we came back to the apartment to pick up Don’s dad.  We went to Men’s Wearhouse again to pick up Miguel’s tux.  Then we found an indoor tennis court for Miguel and Danny to play at.  Don’s dad loves tennis and was very excited to play with Miguel because he’s a tennis instructor in Long Island.  While we watched them play tennis I felt nervous and upset about the weather. The weather had turned so cold and rainy and gross.  Later in the evening, Don, Miguel and I went to Dukes of Perth for some drinks and we played some Zombie Flux and a game called Fingers.  Afterwards we came home and watched Deadliest Warrior: Zombies vs. Vampires.  It was disappointing but entertaining enough.  We were all pretty tired.

Thursday September 15 2011

This morning I woke up eary, got Lina packed up and headed to Paxton.  It was absolutely freezing out for September….my worries about the wedding weather have increased.  Don stayed behind in Chicago to pick up more of his groomsmen.  I arrived in Paxton about 9:30 am.  My mom and I worked on packing things up for the reception and organizing as much as we could.  Around 1130 my dad came home and we all went up to the pool hall for lunch.  The special was chicken fried steak so I was happy.  After lunch my mom and went to Wal-mart to pick up some last minute things.  Then I spent the afternoon sending emails and replying to wedding vendors. 

Around 5 pm we went back to the pool hall to have dinner with Doug Tucker.  The special was wings and 50 cent drafts.  We ended up going through 2 pitchers of bud light.  Then we came home to do some more drinking.  My mom wanted to do my nails so I let her.  Then Marty and Diane came over to look over the stuff we needed to bring for the wedding.  Kathryn also came over and we all just had fun talking. 

Friday September 16 2011

Last night I slept horribly.  Couldn’t get to sleep and woke up a lot.  Then my parents woke up at 6 am!  I tried to get back to sleep but couldn’t really and got up around 730.  We went to breakfast at Country Gardens and talked to our favorite waitress Lisa about the wedding.  After breakfast we went out to Timber Creek Bed and Breakfast to see the people who were already there.  We saw Judy and Steve and Don’s mom Estelle and her two friends Agnes and Connie.  My mom was kind of upset because the reception tent was not being set up yet.  So we went back home to start packing up stuff in the cars.  I brought all my stuff to Timber Creek and checked into our room.   Then I helped my mom put bows on all the light posts on the drive way.  Then my parents left to go get more stuff and Steve and I sat on the patio and hung out with the 3 little kittens that live at the b&b.  Judy and Sam had went to Bloomington to pick up Michael and Teresa. 

The tent was finally set up around noon or 1 and Marty, Kathryn, my dad and mom started putting up decorations.  Don arrived in a huge rental car with Lorina, Khris, Miguel, and Ethan. We all get checked into their rooms.  I was starving and needed to make some phone calls so Lorina and I went to town and stopped by Hardee’s.  Later around 3 Mary and I went to IGA to pick up Don’s grooms cake and 3 gallons of orange juice for the reception.  (I wonder how much of this OJ was actually used during the reception for mixed drinks…) We got back to the b&b and got ready for the rehearsal.  Jamie, Kat, and Kelsey arrived shortly.  The rehearsal was at 430.  My mom seemed like a nervous wreck.  It was all starting to set in.  The weather was very chilly and cloudy and I was so nervous it wasn’t going to be better by tomorrow. 

At around 530 we drove to Gibson City for dinner at Bayern Stube.  When we got there all the trees were tp’d around the restaurant.  That was kinda cool.  I had some German beer and a fantastic meal of schnitzel.  I then tried a little bit of other people’s deserts.  We had a lot of laughs and fun.  After the rehearsal dinner we thought it would be a good idea to hang out somewhere for awhile since it was only like 830.  We hung out at my parent’s garage.  A lot of people came.  I picked up some budlight…there was a ton of beer there.  Everyone was just talking and chilling.  Even my mom was out there.  She said she couldn’t do anymore decorating til the morning.  It was a nice time.

 

I drove back to the b&b with Mary and Kat.  Then my sister showed up.  We decided we wanted to use the Jacuzzi.  So we got down to our bras and undies and got in.  It felt good.  Somehow we all four managed to get in. at once.  Mary and Kat later went to Mary’s room and my sister and I started to get to sleep.  We stayed up talking for a long while though so I didn’t sleep good again.

Saturday September 17 2011

Just start off by saying our wedding day was completely perfect.  I woke up around 8 with a bit of a headache.  I went downstairs with Mary, Kat, and Kelsey for breakfast.  Connie had made delicious breakfast enchiladas.  I tried to drink coffee.  I’ve never made coffee for myself I just order it…and even that is not often.  So I just drank it black, it was okay.  Then I took some aleve.  Most everyone was there eating with us even the guys. 

My hair stylist, Heather, showed up at 9 am and we got work on the hair right away.  Kat first, then Mary, Kelsey, and last me.  Kat did most everyone’s makeup, including mine.  She did a fantastic job.  Then the photographers showed up around 1130 so they could look around for the places to take shots.  Dad ordered a ton of cheeseburgers and fries from Just Hamburgers.  I think most people liked it. 

Around noon I started getting my hair done and then my makeup to follow.  Around 130ish mom started helping me get into my dress.  And at 2 pm we started pictures with everyone.  I wanted to do most pictures before the ceremony.  Pictures seemed to take forever…and I can’t wait to see them. Hopefully they all turned out good.  People were already starting to arrive when we were finishing up pictures.  We all hung out in the tent where people couldn’t see us to wait to start walking for the ceremony.  I didn’t feel really nervous but I just wanted it to be over already.  A lot of our closer family and friends walked into the tent and saw me before the ceremony.  Then we all lined up and started the ceremony.  The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down to a piano version of Hands Down. I started to get a bit more nervous there standing with my dad.  He started talking about the weather, which by the way was perfect.  It was completely perfect, it had not been nice the days before but today was around 70s and completely sunny.  When I walked down the aisle I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I would be.  I walked down to the song Only Hope by Switchfoot. The ceremony seemed pretty short.  It went so good.  Mr Jones did drop Don’s ring on the ground but that was funny.  Before we knew it we were walking back down the aisle married.  Then we released each row to say hello to people.  When we walked out everyone showered us with bubbles.  Then we did a few more pictures with family members.  The ceremony was beautiful and perfect, everything I imagined and hoped for. 

We did our grand entrance to a Beastie Boys song, I don’t think it was the one we requested but it was fine.  I think it was the one about a party…can’t remember the name.  Then we started dinner and signed our marriage license.  While we were signing a vase broke but Steve took care of it.  Our usher Steve was the absolute best, anything we needed he was on it.  I received several compliments about the wedding music and the dinner music.  That was nice because I picked it all out.  Then we listened to the amazing toasts from everyone on Don’s half.  Kelsey was the only who did a toast out of my girls, and she started bawling.  The speeches were so good. 

After the toasts we had our first dance.  It was Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.  Steve later told us that right before our first dance he was just standing there looking around and happened to see Rusty, the DJ, looking a little panicked.  They happened to lock eyes and Steve could tell something was wrong so he went over there.  Rusty couldn’t find our first dance song anywhere, and Steve asked what it was and Rusty told him.  Steve said “Hold on, be right back, I got it.”  Steve came back with a cd that had Iris on it and our first dance was played from this cd.  We had no idea.  Steve is the best! 

Next Don did his dance with his mom to Mama by Boyz II Men.  Everyone was impressed with their dance moves.  While all these dances were going on Marty and Vicki had been working on the raffle to dance with the bride.  Uncle Donnie won…so I had a dance with him and we got a few extra bucks without doing the dollar dance.

The reception was awesome, people were constantly dancing.  There were a few songs that stuck in my mind.  During the Kesha song Blow, Khris had arranged to have confetti shot everywhere.  It was so cool.   He was proud of himself.  During Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, it became like a mini mosh pit.  I fell down twice and Khris tried to do some crazy flip off Don’s back.  In the process Don got a busted lip and a huge scratch on his arm.  My dad got down on the dance floor during Bad To The Bone.  He was pretty drunk at this point.  It was funny.  The best song though was “Soco Amaretto Lime” by Brand New.  Most of our friends know this song and they formed a circle around us and everyone was signing it.  I was basically screaming it.  It was such a cool moment.  It was amazing.  Everyone was there in that moment. 

Mary and I had to do a shot with my dad since that has become kind of a tradition.  I didn’t really feel like doing a shot so we just had a beer and found someone to take our picture.  My dad saw our beers were full and his was almost empty so he finished it.  We thought he was going up to the bar to get a new one but he just turned around to his table and picked up a new one.  He had a small cluster of beers for himself hahaha. 

I was talking to the DJ at one point and Andy Bennett came up and said “hey play some Eminem, I like 10 mile”.  I thought this was hilarious.  Sure enough some Eminem was played.  

At some point in the night my dad was really drunk.  He just had his head on the table and my mom was also drunk leaning against him.  My dad started puking outside the tent.  He told someone “I’m gonna be ditch driving”, we all knew though he would not be driving.  During this time there was a dinner roll fight.  Rolls were flying. 

Doug Tucker, Diane, Vicki and Marty then decided they should get my parent’s home.  They put my dad in the front of my parent’s suv with a trash bag tied to his shirt.  Diane put my mom in the back and when she was trying to put the seatbelt on her she said “that feels good”.  My dad puked on the way home and by the time they were home he had puke all over his shirt.  Marty helped my mom get her dress off and they got them put to bed.  Crazy night…best wedding ever. 

Sunday September 18 2011

Woke up and went to breakfast around 8.  Then we packed our stuff and said bye to Khris and Ethan.  It was sad seeing everyone go.  I didn’t want the wedding weekend to be over!  My mom, Doug and her friends were in the tent cleaning and packing things up.  I went over to my parent’s house and saw my dad, he was looking really rough.  He had been puking all night.  I asked him if he remembered telling Doug that they can watch the game together today and drink beer.  He said “yeah I remember that but that’s not happening.” Then my mom, Doug, Marty, Doug E., Vicki, Diane, and Jeff came over and we all ate some leftover food from the reception.  It was so good!  Doug asked if I could take him back to Bloomington on the way home.  I said sure I could just take 55 up.  The ride over to Bloomington with Doug was good.  We talked a lot about the wedding.  Then a lot more about all the stuff going on with my family like my grandparent’s divorce and the money.  It was crazy, but good to talk to someone about it.

After I dropped Doug off I took 55 up to Chicago and it was the worst traffic!  It felt like it took 6 hours to get home.  I was so tired; I had to keep opening the windows even though it was rainy and crappy.  When I got home Don was almost back and he was going to drop off the rental car.   Then we made sure we were all packed for our honeymoon!  And we opened the few gifts that we had.  Most of the gifts we left at my parent’s house. 

Lake Geneva

June 24-26 2011

For the past 2 years Don has made it a tradition that he takes me on surprise birthday getaways (Montauk, galena)…and this year he carried on the tradition.  Friday after work he picked me up and we started on our way.  We got on 94 and started driving.  About an hour into the drive we pulled into an Arby’s for dinner and got some gas.  He told me we only had about 30-40 minutes left.  I drove since he needed to navigate.  We arrived at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin around 9:45 pm Friday june 24^th. 

He had booked us a room at Maria’s Bed and Breakfast.  It was a nice place and we were tired so we went to bed.  The next morning Maria made us breakfast (stuffed French toast).  Then we set out to take a look at the lake.  It was a nice day. We saw many places you could rent boats like motorboats and wave runners.  Don wanted to rent a speedboat so bad.  I was a little bit nervous…Don: Honey, I’ve driven boats hundreds of times..Me: Not in real life! Grand Theft Auto doesn’t count!

After walking around more and discussing what we should do, we decided to rent the speedboat.  We rented it for 2 hours…neither one of us has ever driven a boat. We got about a 10 minute lesson then they turned us loose.  It was great!! So much fun.  Don loved driving.  I was a little scared to drive.  The speed limit was 35 mph.  We could barely get it up to 30…it just seemed so fast and when you hit waves the front of the boat would fly up. 

After the boat ride we went to get lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the lake called Popeye’s (not the chicken place).   It was pretty good.  Then we walked around and looked at the shops. At 3 pm we had a 2 hour boat tour of the lake.  It went around the perimeter of the lake and told about all the houses and the properties and a little bit of the history. It was interesting but we were both so tired. 

After the boat tour we went back to the b&b and used the Jacuzzi.  Then we went putt putt golfing. We ended the night by going to a small diner downtown. 

The next morning we woke up and Maria had prepared a vegetarian omelet for us. Then we set out on the road.  We wanted to go to a cheese festival we had read about but Don wanted to make one stop on the way there and of course it was a surprise. We arrived at a place to pick our own strawberries.  We got a lot of them.  Don fell in a hole when walking and I thought he broke his ankle!  I got rashes on my hands and ankles from the weeds so all in all a successful trip.  The strawberries were amazing.  We even got to taste some time that they make from all fruit except grapes.  It was a little too sweet for my liking.

Then we got back on the road to head to the cheese festival. When we got there it was just a grocery store that had a few of the award winning cheeses for people to try. Not really a festival in our eyes.  We saw an old fashioned train at the store and decided to see what that was about. The train went from the elegant farmer store to east troy Wisconsin.  When we got to East Troy we arrived at the original building for the train depot.  Then we went to an old fashioned ice cream parlor and then back to the grocery store. 

Then we headed on the road again towards home. We made a stop at the Cheese Castle to pick up some Wisconsin cheese.  And we stopped at the fantastic Big Ed’s Barbecue.  So good.  It’s funny because at the beginning of the trip I said to him “Remember that time we went to that restaurant and we were the only white people…well except you’re not white.”  That was Big Ed’s and we ended the trip by going there. 

Philippines 2010

Philippines 2010

Day 1 Travel: Saturday May 22:

Left for O'hare at 4 am for our 7 am flight. The flight actually left on time. Got to NYC JFK around 10:30 am.  Found out our flight to Tokyo-Narita had been delayed from 1 pm to 5 pm.  Super bummed because this would push back everything.  We waited around JFK, scrambling to make arrangements to have our flight reservations to Boracay changed.  Ended up leaving JFK's runway around 6:30 pm. 

We didn't notice but our seats were split up on this flight. Luckily a woman opted to go to an empty seat to let me sit by Don.  It was a 12 hour flight.  I spent it first of all getting a meal of chicken and potatoes.  I almost got sick and couldn't eat hardly any of it because of the turbulence.  I spent probably an hour with my head down trying to hold down whatever I did eat.   The flight had a good deal of turbulence, at one point I was really afraid.  The plane bumped around a lot and I got a huge bruise on my thigh from this. 

Then I attempted watch Dear John. I got tired and took a nap.  After waking up I decided to finish Dear John…which I thought was not a great movie.  Each seat had a touch screen that we could watch movies, listen to music or play games on.  I spent the next several hours playing trivia, sleeping, and watching movies like Avatar that I had already seen so I could sleep to them.  Then the flight attendants gave us snacks, which consisted of an apple, bread, and a drink.  After this we had about 5 more hours of flight left.  I started getting very irritable.  I wanted the flight to be over!  So I slept more.  Then there was about an hour and half left when we got served a breakfast of an omelet and fruit. 

Day 2 Travel: Sunday May 23:

We landed in Tokyo around 9 pm Sunday.  We missed our 7 pm flight to Manila so Delta airlines booked us a hotel and put us on a flight for the morning.  This was my first time having to go through customs and all that craziness.  It wasn’t too bad.  We took a shuttle bus to the hotel, where we got a free meal.  Then we pretty much just went to bed so we could continue our flights in the morning. 

Day 3 Travel:  Monday May 24:

We got up around 6 and had breakfast at the hotel then took the shuttle bus to the airport for our 9:30 am flight to Manila.  Our flight was on time and it was around 4.5 hours long.  I watched Shutter Island on the plane. Kinda crazy.  Then I watched animal planet’s funniest animals.  This flight was really good, super smooth.  The only problem was that at this point I was done with flying and I wanted off.  We finally got to manila around 1:45 pm.  Here we thankfully got our bag that we had checked in a day earlier.  Then we met up with Don’s dad.  He had our Boracay tickets and we had to catch that flight at 3:45 pm.  He got a cab with us to take us to the different terminal.  Our flight to Boracay was delayed of course…because we rushed, rushed, rushed to get there fast and get through security.  We were told that our flight was having to be diverted to a different island so we would have to take a shuttle bus and then a boat to Boracuy after the flight.  So our flight took around 5 pm and we landed around 6.  Then we got on the shuttle bus, which was super crowded.  We actually had to sit on seats in the middle of the aisle that came down from the sides of other seats.  It was super uncomfortable and super hot.  What we thought would be a 15-20 minute ride turned out to be an hour and half.  We got to the place with the boat around 7:45 pm.  Then we took the boat over to Boracay.  When we got there we didn’t know where to go because no one came from our hotel to greet us.  So we finally figured out we had to take a “cab”, which was really a motorcycle with like a wagon thing hooked to the side.  They call them tricycles.  It was a crazy, bumpy ride but cool.  So we got to our hotel around 9 pm.  We had some pizza since we hadn’t really at all day then just watched a band play on the beach and then went to bed.

Day 4 Boracay: Tuesday May 25:

Woke up around 7:15 am and went to breakfast.  Then we decided we were going to go snorkeling.  We found a guy that said he could take us on a tour from 2 pm to 4 pm.  So in the meantime we found another guy that said he would take us.  We went on a boat with 2 tour guides.  They took us to an island called Crystal Cove.  Here we went to a cave, like a lagoon and went snorkeling.  It was awesome,  I saw a ton of crabs.  Then we hiked along the island to a second cave and snorkeled.  Once we were done we got back in the boat and the guides took us and anchored the boat and let us snorkel.  The current was very strong so we had to hold onto a rope that was attached to the boat.  I felt something sting my shoulder and I didn’t think much of it but then I felt something sting my neck and found out I had been stung by a jellyfish.  I was so worried, but all that happened was I got a small rash on my neck and chest.  The sting was not too painful.  We went to a different location and snorkeled some more then we went back to the hotel.

Next we met up with the next tour guide,  They had a boat that was painted like Nemo and the bottom of the boat was clear so you could see the fish and corals.  We saw a lot more fish on this tour and the snorkeling was a lot better. 

Once we got back Don told me to go shower and he would be up to the room in  a little bit.  After I was done showering he told me to get ready and to put on good walking shoes.  A guy was waiting for us down in the hotel lobby.  He took us to a truck and we got in the back.  I didn’t really know what we were in for.  We ended up going to place where you can go atv/ go-cart thingy tours.  We went up a mountain called Mount Luho.  On the way up the mountain we saw a lot of wildlife: chickens, dogs, pigs, and monkeys!! Once we got to the top the views were amazing.  Dante asked the guide if we could have a few minutes alone and we stood there…and he was like “Andi, I want to ask you something…”  And my mind started racing.  He got down on one knee and pulled a ring out of his pocket and asked if I would marry him.  Of course I said yes!  I was so happy,  it was amazing.  I was in shock…I couldn’t believe it was happening.  Afterwards we continued on the tour…took tons of pictures and still felt like none of this was real.  Once we got back to the hotel we ate at an Indian restaurant and then came back to the hotel…exhausted.  And I can’t believe we are engaged!

Day 5 Left Boracay: May 26

Had breakfast at the hotel around 8 am and then walked around and did a little shopping.  Then I went swimming for a little bit at the pool and we laid out on the beach and went in the water a little.  Mostly we were just waiting around for our bus to pick us up at 1 pm to go to the airport. At 1 a guy in a little van/truck came to pick us up to go to the port.  At the port we got on a boat to go to Catcilan to catch a fight to Manila.  This time we didn’t have a 2 hour bus ride!  For some reason the plane was allowed to leave from the closer airport.

When we arrived to Manila, Don’s dad and his friend Jackie Chan (a retired cop) were there to pick us up.  They were excited to take us to Mall of Asia.  It is the biggest mall in Asia.  The mall was really cool because in the middle it didn’t really have a roof top, it was pretty open.  There was a fashion show going on.  The mall had an ice skating rink and a beach like area with restaurants.  Kind of like a board walk. 

Jackie pointed out a woman that was really a man and then started trying to point out the gays.  It was kind of an ongoing joke. 

Then we went to Don’s dad’s apartment and will be staying here for the next few days.

Day 6 Manila/Quezon City May 27:

Today we woke up and had Mcdonald’s for breakfast.  Showered and learned that there has been a drought in the Philippines for the past 6 months, so from 2 pm-8pm the water is turned off.  Don’s dad keeps a bucket of water in case we need to wash in between those times.  So it’s important when you’re showering to try to conserve water by turning it off when you’re lathering up. 

Then we went to a mall in Manila to meet with Don’s Aunt, Tita Nitz.  She had to have us bring our ID to make some corrections on the airline tickets for our resort we are flying to next week.  First, while we were waiting we had a drink at Gloria Jeans hahaha!  Then we went to an internet café so I could email my family and Don could check some work stuff. 

After we got the stuff done with the airline we had lunch and then got a cab to go to some tourist attractions.  We went to Fort Santiago.  It was very cool.  I took lots of pictures.  We went to a museum about Jose Rizal, he was a writer who wanted the best for his country and ended up being executed. 

Then we walked to a park, saw a lot of people that were begging.  One beggar came up to us, he was really dirty and asking for money.  He wouldn’t leave and a cop came over and hit him over the head with his hat.  I was kind of shocked by this.  It’s really different here.  There are tons of stray animals (dogs and cats) and roosters crowing.  There’s a lot of poverty.  I feel bad. 

We went to an aquarium after the park.  It was pretty cool because we recognized some of the fish we saw snorkeling.  Then we at a place called Max’s Restaurant.  Don’s dad really likes the place.  We had fried chicken and chop suey. 

The driving here is crazy.  Some places there are no lines to distinguish between lanes and when there are lines they don’t matter.  There are tons of motorcycles.  It is scary to be in a cab!  We were almost hit several times.  At most intersections there are no stop signs or traffic lights so people have kinda just formed their own way of knowing when to go and usually that means just pushing your car out into the middle and making people stop for you.  It is way worse than anything I’ve ever seen.  I don’t even think I could do it!  I drove in NYC for 2 years and that is NOTHING compared to this.  People will just walk out in front of the cars…like 4 lanes of traffic and just start walking.  It isn’t like this is a small city or town.  This is a city like I think with more population than Chicago.  I will look it up later…and no stop lights.  No traffic rules really at all.  Just drive.

Day 7 Manila May 28:

Today we woke up around 6 and had breakfast.  We laid around for awhile.  We thought we would be picked up today to be taken to Los Banos, where Don’s mom is.  There was no one available to pick us up today though so we will spend one more night with Don’s dad.

First we started watching a bootleg version of the Clash of the Titans.  I was tired so I took a nap instead.  Then we decided to go to the mall to the internet café.  Once we got to the mall we decided to see a movie since we had all day.  We saw Prince of Persia.  It’s different here because you actually pick seats before the movie.  So it’s like reserved seating.  People were dressed up like the characters from the movie and I took a picture with them. 

We did some shopping of course.  Shopping is weird here because at just about every section there is a salesperson there, watching your every move and trying to sell to you.  It’s kind of annoying. 

After the mall we just went home and chilled out.  Ended up taking a nap and it rained really hard.  First rain in a long time.  Then we had McDonald’s.  Then Don’s dad put in a DVD that has copies of a bunch of Bruce Willis movies on it.  We started watching 16 Blocks.  I got tired of it, since I’ve seen it and decided to write this…

Day 8 Saturday May 29:

Woke up a little later around 8.  Layed in bed and finished my book.  Then had McDonald’s for breakfast.  Don’s Aunt and Uncle came to pick us up around 11 and we went to the Peninsula Hotel to visit some family.  Then we went out to eat.  After eating I starting feeling a little sick. 

We checked into our hotel and while most everyone went shopping we stayed in.  We went across the street to the mall Greenbelt and walked around.  Went to a museum and learned about Philippine history.  Then we ate at Wendy’s because I wanted something American.  It wasn’t that great, and then I got the craps. 

At 9:30 I was so exhausted but all the cousins wanted to go out.  We went to a couple bars.  Reagan, Robbie, RJ, Justin (Liz his wife), Mariel, Francis were who we went out with. Ended up doing some shots and having beer.  Came home and pretty much passed out.  We slept til about 1 pm!  We both woke up with diarrhea and I have a headache and my throat feels funny.  Hopefully tomorrow we feel better. 

We went out to eat at Chili’s because we woke up late and didn’t want to go shopping with the others.  Then we came back to the hotel and decided to try out a zoo.  The zoo wasn’t very clean and smelled like poop and made us feel sicker.  So now we are in the hotel, don’t know what to do next.

Day 9 Monday May 31, 2010

Today woke up with a really bad side ache and constipation.  I don’t know what’s worse being able to poo or the pain from not being able to poo.  Anyway, the side ache had me really worried it could be appendicitis…but I haven’t really had any other symptoms and I still have a pretty big appetite.  Right now my side is kinda sore but not as much.  It's probably something we ate or drink because Don is feeling a little sick too.

Don's mom and I went out to get food and medicine and then came back and Jonathon was here.  We wanted to go out and do something but didn’t know what.  Jonathon convinced us to go to a spa.  I’ve never done anything like that.  We got full body massages.  It was kinda weird for me at first but then it was good.  I think I want to get a foot massage next. 

Then Jonathon, Don and I ate a Filipino restaurant.  Then we came back to the hotel.  We are invited to go out to karaoke but I don’t know if were up for it.  I just feel so out of it.  I hope things get better for the resort tomorrow.  I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

Day 10 Tuesday June 1

Woke up today around 8 and had breakfast.  We had to leave the hotel around 10 to get to the airport to catch a flight to Ilocos.  It is in the northern part of the Philippines. 

We are feeling better today.  Still not much of an appetite, but at least my side is not hurting. 

We made it to our new hotel around 3.  This place is very rural.  The hotel is very minimum…I mean not the most I’ve stayed at I guess.  We still have some cable and supposedly some wireless internet out in the garden area where people can sit.  We have a pool.  Most of Don’s family is staying here so we have most of the place.

When we arrived we settled in for about 20 minutes then it was back in the vans to go eat.  It was a “snack”, more like a meal.  We had empanadas, which had bean sprouts, pork, and an egg in it.  Seriously it was great, best food since I’ve been here.  Then we had a soup, which was kinda like ramen.  Then we got back in the van to go to Tito Rome’s house to have a little birthday celebration for him.  It was cool.  The guys there used to be in a singing group in school together so they sang songs all night with a guitar. 

We walked around a little bit to see a very old church.  When we were there a group of girls asked me to take a picture…at first I thought they wanted me to take their picture but they just wanted a picture with me…I guess they don’t see Americans a lot.  I don’t know…kinda weird for me.  After eating and hanging out we came back to the hotel and now the boys are playing poker and I’m relaxing in the room.  It’s nice to have some privacy!

Day 11 Wednesday June 2

Today we woke up and had breakfast..rice, egg, and bacon.  Every meal has rice.  It was raining so we were not sure if we should go to the beach.  By the time breakfast was over though it had stopped and people decided we should go to the beach. So we all piled in the 2 vans and rode about an hour to the beach.  It was like a public beach behind a resort and the resort was awesome.  It had an awesome pool with a view of the sea.  We looked at the rooms and decided we will stay there tomorrow night instead of this other hotel we are in.  So we can check in tomorrow at 2. 

But anyway we paid to swim in their pool today and then we also swam in the beach.  The beach water was soooo warm.  I’ve never felt water that warm before.  The beach was okay…not as nice as Boracay but good.  It had a lot of little hut like things you can sit under for a picnic.  We swam for about 2 hours then it started raining.

I guess some people had went to get some food and wanted to eat it at the beach but it was raining so hard so we all got in the vans and went to Tita Nitz’s house.  After eating we just came back to our hotel and showered and relaxed for a bit.  Then we decided we wanted to go walk around and take pictures…but somehow that turned into EVERYONE wanting to come…first it was just going to be like me and Don’s cousins…so it was kinda annoying.  So we decided to just walk around and we got empanadas.  By this time one of the vans came up to us and said it was just the people we originally planned to go with so we got in the van and went to Laong City.  We walked around and took pictures. 

After a little sight seeing we went back to the hotel and had dinner because Don’s mom invited some of her old classmates for dinner.  After dinner we just went to bed.

Day 12 Thursday June 3, 2010

Today we woke up and had breakfast then came back to the room because it was raining and we really didn’t know the plans.  We packed our stuff to go to the new hotel and good thing we did because soon a hotel worker came and said he was there so we could check out.  He wanted to take our bags to the van.  So we went out to the van and got in.  We went to Don’s grandfather’s place where he grew up called Pigdig…I think that’s how you spell it.  Basically just drove around and he got to see some old neighbors and family.  Then we took pictures of a church.  Mostly just drove around all morning.  Then went to a restaurant for lunch. 

Luckily this restaurant had some normal foods haha.  I’m just getting kinda tired of Filipino food.  So I ordered a grilled cheese and fries…except they said the grilled cheese will just be a cheese sandwich, not grilled.  Carol, from Australia also got this.  The sandwich turned out to be not so great…it had mayo on it and some cheese like velveeta.  The fries were okay though.  I also ate some of the other stuff they ordered I just wanted some comfort food haha. 

I’ve pretty much noticed though, here, any food I would normally eat in the US is never cooked the way you would expect it.  It always ends up having some weird sauce on it or just not tasting right at all haha.  I like Filipino dishes but I miss the food I always have haha.  And I miss my Dr. Pepper, there is none here.

After lunch the sun came out!  We started to head towards the new resort.  As soon as we got here we swam.  I had some Pineapple juice with Vodka.  We were in the pool all afternoon.  It was great.  Then we came back to our room to get cleaned up for dinner.

Some people wanted to go out for dinner but some people didn’t.  No one could agree really and I didn’t see why we couldn’t just eat at the hotel.  So Don, Jonathon, Reagon and I decided to stay here.  We ordered food from the hotel restaurant and were able to eat it in one of the little huts.  Surrounding the huts is a pond with fish in it and when we were done eating we starting throwing rice at the fish.  They were eating it like crazy.  There were tons of fish at the surface waiting for food.  We fed them pretty much all the food we didn’t eat.  Rice, bread and meats hahaha.  These fish were going crazy.

After dinner we decided to swim again so we came back to our room to change.  Our power in our room would not work, nothing would work so we had to switch rooms.  Then we went to swim with Jonathon, Jonas, and Eunice.  Reagon found a crab by the side of the pool and it grabbed onto his flip flops and he brought it over to show us.  When he sat the flip flop down the crab got off and just ran into the pool.  Jonathon was the closest to it.  We got kinda freaked out cause now there’s a crab in the pool.  So we got goggles and started hunting it to get it out.  It took a long time but finally we got it cornered and used part of folding chair to lift it out.  It was also pouring down raining when we did this.  When we flipped the crab out of the water Jonas saw where it went but then seconds later we couldn’t find it. So who knows where it went.  Hopefully it’s ok.

Since it was pouring we were getting kinda cold so we came back to the room and changed.  Then Don decided to go play poker with his cousins.  Hopefully he doesn’t lose.