And where did we go?!

It was MY vacation as Mike termed it since the airfare, excursions, and a good portion of the meals were financed by him. The other part came from my parents. I did shell out a considerable amount- mostly food and drink because I wasn't going to burden Mike or my parents. Now here I am officially broke... but it was worth it.

THURSDAY 7/7
- Mike gets home from his business trip at 9pm
- I finish packing and get to his house about 10
- He is so hot in his dress shirt and boxer briefs as he goes through the house frantically packing
- I throw a few things like a pair of his flip flops in my suitcase as I feel less prepared than him with his surge protector and other trip goodies
- He congratulates me for getting a job and tells me about his possible new job that would require a temporary relocation. I was taken aback, but supportive, because for him it would be an amazing experience
- Bed about 12am

FRIDAY 7/8
- Up at 3:30am for Mike to shower
- Head to airport for 6am flight
- Make good time and had an open seat between us on the flight
- Flight crew was the same crew Mike had the night prior when he got in, which I found amusing
- Hang out in the club lounge for the airline
- Fly to New Orleans
- Put bags in hotel and head out to explore... we get to stay at a swanky expensive hotel that was a "good deal"
- Wind up in an oyster bar in the French quarter
- Walk all around NO
- End up at Cafe DuMonde where we enjoy our beignets
- Walk back to the hotel
- Sleep



SATURDAY 7/9 --- CRUISE TO CHICHEN ITZA
- Grab a late breakfast at an awful pizza place down the way from the hotel and near the cruise terminal
- Missed the running of the bulls in New Orleans, but saw the people all dressed up and still partying... boo... I wanted un toro
- Get our bags and get on the cruise ship
- We get to terminal and a worker there had the same name as me... what are the chances? He was going through the passenger registry, saw my name, told all the attendants to direct me his way when I went through check in. He was in his 60s and we talked for probably 20 minutes about his family/mine. Really, what are the chances?
- Get on the cruise
- Check out ship... it was ran down and kind of soured our view of Carnaval Tryumph... rust... dirty floors... wet floors... dirty windows... bad food... unfriendly captain
- Play a game of bingo
- Drink before dinner at a wine bar
- Dinner
- Met our tablemates... 1 former and current teacher (sisters), an Mississippi nurse and her sister (I thought it was her mom), a husband and wife celebrating an anniversary
- Everyone congratulates me and Mike talks about how the job is so close to home for me (home meaning his house)
- Late dining ran over and Friends of Dorothy guys seemed scary
- Retired to room for night

SUNDAY 7/10--- DAY AT SEA
- Woke up and relaxed for several hours reading on our balcony
- Walked around the ship and read some more, drank a little
- Wine tasting with our teacher friends we met - a group of sisters, one with a gay son and partner, they loved us... duck tape at the wine tasting to quiet one of the perky teachers. We never did get to hang out with them. The sister with the gay son was a sych nurse
- Drink before dinner
- Dinner with our new cruise friends - formal night
- Convinced cruise friends, the teachers, to go to wine bar with us for an amazing after dinner chocolate martini... they joked how they had never drank one and it would put them out... lots of talking and then we had to pose for cruise photos and that meant getting down on the floor on pillows... lol... I was feeling tipsy and last night Mike told me he thought i was drunk... lol... we termed them our southern mamas... they were very conservative and hadn't been around gay guys and probably had a hard time getting that concept through their heads, but they were interested in listening and Mike even got into the religion/politics talk with Vickeee
- comedy
- Bed and action



MONDAY 7/11 --- PROWGRESSO MEXICO
- Up at 6:30ish
- Pull into port
- Meet the people on the balconies next to us
- Off boat and in line for Chichen Itza
- 2 hour bus tour to get there... was a little tired... it was cold and rainy... Mayan tour guide
- Stop at hotel for sack lunch and then on way to Chichen Itza
- It was nice there- 90 degrees and probably 90% humidity... Mike poured in sweat and I was fine

- Tour for like an hour, then an hour on our own to walk around
- I lead Mike around snapping photos
- It was unfortunate there were no placards to tell the significance of each pyramid
- They weren't as huge as I had envisioned, but after studying so much about them in school I was excited to see them
- Back on bus we relax and play Monopoly
- Back to ship
- At least 200 people were late to the ship, whcih is unheard of since the cruise ships are always in such a hurry to leave. Many, including Mike were outraged and yelling from balconies at the people who made no hurry to get to the ship
- On board we shower and dress for dinner
- Dinner was inedible... icky vegetarian and something else... we head to the bar for the best bartender ever
- This girl looked like someone from an 80s hairband and unapproachable, but we kept going to her because the bar was quiet and she opened up. What a pleasant girl...
- Joke about all the photo taking and other random stuff
- Bed

TUESDAY 7/12 --- COZUMEL
- Up to watch our ship dock with other cruise ships
- Shower
- Eat breakfast on balcony
- Out to Cozumel
- Get taxi to resort
- We chose a private beach resort where we sat out under umbrellas con our coronas, sols, y margaritas. Private waiter. Crystal clear water
- Mike joked about my choosing the same drinks over and over and needing variation
- Bad heartburn from beer... no more for me either
- Back to ship
- Another taxi
- On ship stragglers still came in late... we held up the cruise ship next to us for an hour + as their lines were anchored with ours
- Shower
- Read on balcony
- Pre dinner drinks- go to dinner with wine... we had a bottle of it!
- Dinner was ok
- Catching up with the teachers since they didn't make dinner the night prior and the big nurse girl
- Go to bingo
- Go to magic show
- More drinks
- A few kisses on the balcony and on the port of the ship when no one was out
- Sex
- Bed



WEDNESDAY 7/13--- SEA DAY
- Up late
- Do some reading... Finish my Ricky Martin book and start on Pride & Prejudice... get 26 chapters in (out of 39)
- Relax eating cake and listening to music
- Run into teacher friends at lunch and wave ecstatically
- Icky lunch
- Table to ourselves, but talk to black couple next to us and tell them how bad the fish was (whole fish in bread crumbs... very dry)
- Few drinks
- Out to buy a watch Mike had been eyeing... he has a watch obsession
- I got to wear a watch of his and felt obligated... I now need a watch... I don't have one... I may have a classroom with a bad clock... I can't pull out my cell phone. A visit to Kole's is in our future
- Dinner and photos with table mates
- After dinner drinks
- Bed

THURSDAY 7/14 --- NEW ORLINS
- Off ship at 8:30
- Woken up at 6:45 through PA announcement
- Shower and pack room
- My suitcase miraculously expanded... weird
- Bags to hotel
- Check in and get our cool 12th floor room
- Mike is unimpressed by the room, but I was content
- Breakfast sandwich that was delish at Dayzee Dooks
- Out to Gardin District on the trolley
- End up in cemetery and meet tour guide who insists we take her tour... $40 for us 2
- She tells us how the above ground crematoriums work... my bf wants one now... eeeeeew
- See houses of the stars like John Goodman, Sandra Bullock, the house from Benjamin Button
- Lunch at Coket, a really upscale french restaurant everyone raved about
- Icky nasty tequila martini... it was hot and had jalapeno
- I educated Mike on the finer tequila - I told him the difference between anejo, reposado, joven, y the everyday run of the mark
- He tries a Dos Amigos Anejo and is impressed by the sipability
- MAJOR DOWNPOUR... THUNDER AND ALL... try to wait out storm... Mike bought us umbrellas earlier at CVS thankfully
- Walk through town in the rain since it didn't stop and cruise the antique stores and other variety shops on Magazine Street
- Back to hotel via trolley
- My mom calls and I chat with her learning about my aunt in Nor Cal, her work situation, etc.
- In hotel we relax
- I look up things to do the following days
- We decide we need to try an Emeril restaurant for dinner and that one is N O L A
- we love the open layout where you can see into the kitchen
- Guy at bar wouldn't let me have a seat... he was out to seat hog
- Delish beet salad, pan bread, and mussels - Dinner was cheaper than lunch
- Out and about exploring bourbon street after dark... walk around
- Cafe Dumond
- Back to hotel

FRIDAY 7/15 - NO
- Up at 9
- breakfast at restaurant across street... scrambled egg was disapointing on breakfast sandwich
- Decide to do NO Cooking Class
- Walk around French Markit and mall to kill time
- NO Cooking Class with our very own Paula Deen
- Lard is the secret ingredient
- Watch demos and then eat jambalaya, gumbo, and pralines
- Chat with tablemates who were from Chicago and first time in town and without kids for weekend... swap restaurant ideas
- Back to hotel for naps
- Mike makes dinner plans with his friend Mike
- Nap and then head out for dinner
- Mike, the friend, changes plans and says we need to meet his bf and get free drinks at his restaurant
- We go there and get drinks... I get a margarita
- My bf encourages me I'm not drunk and need to be, so orders a shot of tequila for me
- The drink helped
- His friend's boyfriend gets off and we all go to a touristy restaurant that had awful overcooked shrimp... yuck
- Head to gay bar off of Bourbon Street and everyone knows everyone
- We order shots of tequila and I begin to get really touchy... I touch Mike a bit much and he tells me later at dessert that though it is burbin street I need to be careful and he does appreciate it
- Cafe Dumond where we talk about his friend, how this won't last, and the convo I had with his friend about my bf's past... lol
- Back to hotel and I'm in the mood to dominate and want sex
- Bed

''

SATURDAY
- Up at 9ish
- Shower
- Breakfast at Dayzee again... not good this time... scrambled egg instead of over easy again
- Cost was much more... different waitress who charged per cup of coffee
- Back to hotel
- Mike decides we need an earlier flight to get home earlier
- To airport since Mike couldn't navigate airline site on my computer due to the airline's issues
- INcompetent desk attendants... yes... the south is lazy... that's Mike's retort for everything bad about the south
- Flight finally changed
- Small commuter plane and 1st class seats
- Grab fries for snack at Wendys
- hang out in lounge waiting for flight... order sapphire and tonic... little munchies... play on iPads
- 1ST CLASS SEATS... lots of photo taking and excitement on my end... WOOHOOO
- Mike assured me it was a good meal and tons of drinks
- 2 gin and tonics for me, corn chowder, salad, beef and noodles, icky cheesecake, and wine
- I <3 first class and <3 him for giving me that experience
- Baggage claim
- Talk about my flight for the wedding of my best friend this weekend
- Talk about carmageddon, which was all we heard about in TX and NO
- Nobody understands our Cali obsession and thought we just bitch too much
- Back at his house at 8
- Head home about 8:30
- Show family vacation photos
- My mom is taken back by the number of drinking photos... I did drink wine... and a martini... and cerveza... and a pina colada or 3
- Narrate until midnight for the family
Now here I am wide awake...