Destination Vacation

Destination on the Magical Mystery Tour Part 3???

Key West, Florida!! It was an amazing weekend with lots and lots of sun, fun and the usual debauchery that comes along with being part of the Toxic Trio. A quick recap?
Thursday night, we arrived around 7PM after a day of flying and immediately had dinner in the hotel restaurant which is situated on the beach at the southernmost point of the state! Key West just happens to be 90 miles from Cuba, and is indeed the farthest south you can get in the USA. The Southernmost is also the name of our hotel! The thing about Key West is that even though you are in Florida, you really don't feel like you are in Florida. Key West has this awesome island feel that makes you believe that you are somewhere in the Caribbean.

The pool bar just to the left in that photo was our next destination on Thursday night, and we closed out the evening in perfect Trio fashion: cocktails, friends, photos and fun! Friday was a spectacular day, weather wise, it was in the high 80's and we spent the day at the pool relaxing and making merry. The sun was strong and hot and we got plenty of sun kissed color on our bodies. We had arranged a sunset booze cruise, so we told the Trio to be ready by 5:45.

After some Pirate photo ops-complete with earrings and eye patches, we boarded the boat. The band on board was the first indication of the next two hours of fun and safe to say that the Trio ladies hijacked the boat and held court on the dance floor! We held a limbo contest and even dressed other people up as pirates with our props. Some people even thought that we worked for the cruise company! The scenery was perfection and the sunset didn't disappoint! We left the boat and retired to dinner on world famous Duvall Street. (remember the clue:Robert Duvall?) So many bars, restaurants to choose from, we chose outdoor dining and engaged in people watching for the rest of the evening.

Saturday was another gorgeous beach day and the guys managed to find a new obsession: Wallhooky!
Who would have thought the men could find so much fun with a hook, a brass ring and a piece of string? We then rented an electric car that seated six, perfect for the Trio and we were off to explore the island.

First stop was lunch at El Siboney Cuban restaurant for the locals favorite and then off to the Hemingway House. Earnest Hemingway was a very famous Key West resident whose home has been turned into a museum of sorts, and we toured the old home complete with the many cats that reside there. FUN FACT: the many cats that roam the property freely are direct descendants of Earnest Hemingway's first cat, Snowball, that was given to him by a Massachusetts fisherman decades ago. Hemingway was a complete dog-we found out-as he was married 4 time in his life, seemingly to women his wives had introduced him to. We had a wonderful dinner at Louie's Backyard, which is smack dab on the beach. The fine dining was some of the best food we experienced on the island and the atmosphere was incredible!

Sunday funday was another great beach day! The Trio spent the day playing Wallhooky with the world famous champion, Barcode-who was touring the coast trying to promote the sport. It was Sunday Funday for sure because the Trio got very tipsy spending quality time at the pool bar with Barcode and the boys and almost missed our dinner. We made it of course, and because it was our last night we just HAD to experience some Duvall Street night life and we chose, of course, Sloppy Joes, as our final destination for Key West night life.

Sloppy Joe's is a historic bar in Key West and its most famous patron was Earnest Hemingway himself!
The drinks and the music were flowing freely by the time we got there and I'm not quite sure we ever left the dance floor! The band was awesome, the patrons were just as crazy as one would have thought they would be in Key West and we danced until the wee hours in the morning.

Monday reluctantly came and the Trio boarded the plane to head back home, but not without heavy hearts.
We were just grateful that no one came home from vacation on probation..

The Magical Mystery Tour:Part 3

Hey bloggers! It's that time of year again..
Time to embark on our storied tradition of mystery travel with the Toxic Trio. This is our third year of the mystery trips and it is our turn to plan the events of the long weekend. In case you aren't familiar with what I am talking about I'll give you a quick bit of background:

• The Toxic Trio are a group of 3 couples that we are a part of and spend lots of quality time together making merry and crazy wherever we go. Believe me when I tell you we have been kicked out of only the finest establishments.
• This tradition started back in April 2013 and you can read about our first trip HERE and HERE.
• The next trip which was last April 2013 and was a great success! You can read about that trip HERE and HERE.
• The idea of the "mystery" is to provide the other couple with clues, so as to try to understand where we are going without really knowing where we are going.

This year it is up to us! My Guy and I have planned a fab vacation destination for the Toxic Trio to converge on and enjoy some quality drinking/fun time together. Last night we had our kickoff dinner, to get our Trio Trip vibe on, and as always it was a wonderful evening for all of us! We are definitely getting pumped for the weekends events!

Before I try to tempt you to solve our Mystery Tour riddle, I need to let you know that I will be leaving on our Mystery Trip tomorrow, April 9th, 2015. I will not be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 14th, 2015. On Tuesday you can all find out if you guessed the right destination.

These are the clues we provided:

• We will be traveling in the United States-no passports are required.
• The destination will be warm, so beach attire and light clothing are a good bet. 
• We will be taking 2 planes to reach our destination. (remember-I live in Boston)
• And the last clue was this:
  

Good luck guessing bloggers! I'll see you on the flip side!! That is if I survive...

Scrub You

While I was away I had the distinct pleasure of having a body scrub at the Eau Spa. Being in the business that I work in, I was more interested in the body treatments than I was in massage. I had a fab mani/pedi on the first day I arrived and after My Guy had a wonderful massage that he raved about, he persuaded me to try the services at the Spa.

I chose the decadent Champagne Shimmer Body Luster. A 60 minute service, it was nothing short of incredible. After being ushered into the spa facilities where I was given a robe and flip flops, I was taken to the relax lounge where a hot tub(with a cascading waterfall fell continuously from the ceiling), steam shower and heated lounge chairs set the tone for my body scrub. I entered into the treatment room where I was instructed to choose the lighting and the music for my treatment. I chose an upbeat playlist with a mixture of lighting (different colors changing sporadically).

The treatment began with a spoon full of honey that was curated by the spa's very own bee keeper and told of the benefits of a spoon full of honey a day. Then it was time for the treatment. Face down, I laid on the massage table as my girl worked the gritty scrub into every part of my body. I had never experienced a spa scrub before, so when it was done my body felt invigorated, yet gritty. I was then allowed to go to my own private, outside shower, just outside the treatment room, to rinse the scrub off. My skin looked amazing and felt even better. Smooth and supple, I then climbed back into the massage bed where I was massaged with exotic oils till my skin literally glowed.

My friends thought the body scrub would scrub off any suntan that I might have gotten the two days before, but on the contrary, my tan was even better and my skin felt and looked...glowing.

I can report that almost 5 days later, my skin never looked better. No dryness, no flaking, which usually happens when I change from a warm climate back to a cooler one, and the best thing? The condition of my skin has improved dramatically. Dimples, freckles and all of those "older skin" issues have almost disappeared completely. I think I may be onto something here! I can't wait to inform my clients the benefits of a 30-50 minute at-home scrub for healthy skin. I would say that an oil based scrub would be most beneficial as we head into the summer and I'm thinking that once a month I will take to a Day Spa for a serious scrub treatment.

I will keep you informed of my results...and I will thoroughly enjoy it. I''ll just file that under "research and development".

 

Plastic and Play

The winner is....
US! My Guy nailed it. It was West Palm Beach and it was spectacular! We arrived at the Eau Palm Beach Resort. It was gorgeous.The posh hotel and spa, the Eau was the subject of the second clue:

Which was very funny...because my friend thought "Eau" meant "ewww", but we later learned that it relates to water. So this clue was out of left field.
Anyway.. we arrived at the fantastic resort that was once The Ritz Carlton and we were ushered into the seaside bar for cocktails and a spectacular view of the ocean. It was then on to dinner and the service at the restaurant couldn't have been better. While we were there, we noticed that a lot of the women walking about had a similar "look". Nobody said anything, but I kept thinking that I had "seen that lady before wearing something completely different".

Next day after a leisurely day at the pool and a luxurious mani/pedi, we were off to Worth Avenue for some shopping.

Worth Avenue is an upscale shopping district in Palm Beach. voted one of the 3 Most Iconic destinations in the world, I call Worth Avenue the "rodeo drive" of the East Coast. Rod Stewart walked right by us and I issued a "Hey Rod", to which he replied, "oh hello", in his adorable little accent. After some retail therapy, we had dinner in one of Worth Avenue's little alley restaurants in outside dining. It was then that we really saw the women of Palm Beach. And we realized that they all look alike because they must all have the same plastic surgeon...
They looked like Stepford wives clones. Each one older than the next, but the same face, tight and completely lifted. You could tell by their exposed arms that they were older, but they all looked forever young. And the diamonds....we joked that after casing the joint, we could finance quite a few trips around the world with those rocks.Then there were the rugs, and I don't mean the ones that you step on. The men had to keep up with the women and they had the hair they bought to prove it. Needless to say we had a blast, the entertainment, the food and fun seemed endless.

Next day it was on to Delray beach. A bit of a change from Worth Ave, and a bit more real, the shopping and dinner was a bit more casual. We then stopped for music and drinks at an outdoor cafe with live music. It seemed like it belonged more in Key West, and there was a certain "biker element" in attendance, but strangely we were much more comfortable here than the previous night.

The last day was a relaxing Sunday by the pool, time spent at the spa getting a Champagne Body Scrub that was the most incredible feeling, I can hardly describe it. Then it was on to the world famous Breakers Hotel for dinner. It was the greatest way to cap the trip off, and we thoroughly enjoyed hob-nobbing with the elite of Palm Beach.

The whole trip was a joyous celebration of fun, friends and excess, in just the right amount. I have to admit to needing a wee bit of rehab...and detox, but it was well worth it. And next year, it's our turn to plan the trip.

Any suggestions bloggers?

Magical Mystery Tour Part 2

 It's that time again bloggers!

Remember last year when I went on a Magical Mystery Tour with The Toxic Trio? Yes? No?
Quick recap: The Toxic Trio are a group of three couples that I hang out with. We are a crazy bunch and a year ago we made a credo to travel once a year, for a long weekend, on a mystery trip. One of the three couples plans the trip and keeps it a secret until it's time to go. Well that time is here again!

This time we have received only 2 clues!! And while we still are not sure where we are going, we have narrowed it down to two choices of destination. Let's see what you come up with...
Here are the clues:

So that picture above was our first clue:
Kim and Kanye. Really? I don't think it's LA, because that would be sooooo obvious. Don't you think? But what do I know?
Ok, so we believe that the clue here lies in Kanye's last name..West. Hmmm..

The second clue:

This one really threw me...WTF? I am not looking forward to going somewhere smelly. I'm not getting anything here. Word has it when I find out what this clue means, I will think it was a brilliant clue.

WE have come up with two destination guesses:

Key West or

West Palm Beach. What do you think?

So, we leave tomorrow in the morning, Thursday, April 3,3014 and I will not be returning to the bloggersphere till Tuesday, April 8, 2014. I'll have a full recap and we will see who guessed correctly!!

I'm dying to know what you think....

Birthday Baby!

It's still my birthday!!! Really?

Yes! Beginning tomorrow,Saturday December 28th, I will be celebrating my fabulous birthday gift from my equally fabulous husband! We-including Frick and Frack-(it was a prerequisite) will be departing for sunny, gorgeous Puerto Rico to enjoy some fun in the sun and some family team building! I couldn't need it more...

I will be returning to the bloggersphere on Friday, Jan 3, 2014. So bloggers, have a very happy and healthy New Year! And  for goodness sake, don't behave if you don't have to.

But do be safe..See you next year!

You Know You've Been In Uganda When...

Overheard in the car ride home from the airport:

• First question out of his mouth: "Who won the NBA finals?" That's my boy.

• "It's weird to driving in a car." Not only a car, but one that has the steering wheel on the "other" side.

• "I can't wait to take a shower. I haven't taken one for a long, long time." This is a miracle, considering I could hardly get Frack to take one regularly, even when the shower is about 6 steps from his bed. 

• "Are you hungry?" I asked him. "No, mom. The airplane food was so good!"

• "I wrote in my journal every day." You could have knocked me over with a feather. We had the biggest fight over including a small, wire bound notebook in his backpack. "I'll never use it," he said before he left.

• "The best part of the entire trip was when we got to play in an actual soccer game with the kids from the school we were at, against another team from another school. The entire village came to watch the match. We were like super stars." Frack reported that the people in the village they were in LOVE white people because they don't get to see them very often. "And I scored the only goal," he added with a smile. 

• "Yes, mom. I will get a buzz cut tomorrow." Again, shock. This kid is the same kid who could barely see out from under the shaggy bangs that covered his eyes. We had royal battles over hair cuts for picture day, his job and semi-formal dances. If I knew all I had to do was send him to Africa for three weeks...I will happily take him for the world's most expensive haircut today.

• "We talked a lot about our families. I told the group that my mom undoubtedly had our itinerary taped to the refrigerator door and was telling everyone what we were doing every day." he said. Well, it wasn't taped to the fridge...exactly. 

• "First thing I'm doing tomorrow is going to McDonald's and then to see Spiderman,"  he said. And it was then that I knew that my boy was home. Safe, and exactly where he belongs.