The End of an Era? Or the Start of Something New?

So, the Brickwife and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary this Friday. I can't believe that it's been five years! I also can't believe that I'm only 25, but I've been married for five years. No way am I letting the brickson get married when he is just 20, but that's a discussion for another time. Anyway, to commemorate this milestone, I'm going to spend the next few days telling stories about stuff that we've done over the last 5 years. When we got married, we had no clue that the next 5 years would turn out how they did. Well, except for the first two. Since we were still in college, those years turned out about like we expected.

Two quick notes: No, me telling these stories will not preempt the normal Thursday and Friday features. I know how much you all look forward to Bad Poetry and Random Pictures, so I won't rob you of that. Second, did you know that the theme for fifth anniversary presents is "wood?" How stupid is that? "Here, honey, I bought you a cord of cherry wood!" L-A-M-E.

So, on to the first story (unfortunately, this one takes place about 2 months B.D.C., before digital camera, so there are no pictures.)


If you're a regular reader of my dear wife's blog, you'll know that we spent a few weeks in Mexico back in the summer and fall of 2002. Six weeks, to be exact; three in Guadalajara and three in Monclova. Our three weeks in Guadalajara started on the eve of our second anniversary, which was celebrated in splendid fashion by going out to some random restaurant and picking up some flowers from a street vendor. Not my finest hour.

But that failure was more than made up for (I hope) by the trip we took to Puerto Vallarta the next weekend. The HR manager at the plant I was working at had all sorts of connections in the tourist industry. He got us cheap bus tickets and a discounted rate at an all-inclusive resort. And let me tell you, when they say "all-inclusive" they mean "all-inclusive." Drinks, meals, snacks, everything. It was radical, and very far removed from the bus trip. Now don't get me wrong, the bus was about as nice as you can expect a Mexican cross-country bus to be. They served us little sandwiches that tasted like preservatives, the seats reclined almost all the way, and they even showed some movies. We had the privilege of seeing The Matrix, What Planet Are You From, Swordfish, and Fools Rush In, some in English with Spanish subtitles, and others dubbed into Spanish. It's a good way to learn a language.

The resort was nice, just a few steps from the beach. And since this post is getting long, I'll now recount some of the cool things that happened in list style

We went swimming in the Pacific ocean even though the red "Don't Go Swimming!" flag was out

We got caught in a vicious, sudden rainstorm

I bought some silver and onyx jewelry from a beach vendor

We got to see a bunch of sweet looking lizards crawling around the hotel

We watched some of the Mexican World Series on Mexican ESPN. I think the Diablos Rojos won.

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe. We were, like, the only ones there.

We took a taxi into Old Town, walked the almacen and then went to a third-story semi-dive bar that had a Mexican Nirvana cover band playing.

We only saw a few guys walking around with machine guns.

We did all this in only two days.

Someday we might go back there, or we might go somewhere else in Mexico, but for two wonderful days back in 2002, there was nothing better than spending some time drinking free margaritas beside the pool with your best friend in Puerto Vallarta. Also, about two three weeks later, a huge hurricane hit Puerto Vallarta and totally messed it up. Timing is everything.