December 2, 2007- post Thanksgiving and Cancun

Ahhhh what a great feeling to have spent a week of leisure in paradise with friends. After having to abort most of our Thanksgiving festivities due to illness (see earlier posting about typhoid), we were able to squeeze in one lovely evening with Judy and Jim Goar over turkey -- something to keep us feeling thankful all year long. They had relatives (Carolyn and Terry Sullivan) and friends (John, Luis, Belisa, and Beatriz) over for the holiday meal and we all bonded over cranberry mojitos and an award-winning pumpkin pecan (yes both in one pie and it was scrumptious) pie as just one of our desserts that night.

Then we headed over to the timeshare in Cancun for a week. First Tom and Jerry joined us and kept us giggling, as we shopped and ate and swam and participated in the welcome party by trying to follow the dancers, but bowing out before the game in which we would have thrown water balloons at each other. Spent some time at the luxury avenue stores just browsing and ogling all the lovely things, but mostly beach and pool time (in the shade of course!!) with the accompaniment of mango daiquiries just to make us feel more relaxed. Tom even found that he kind of enjoys drinking -- when it involves mangoes and rum!!

Then Tom and Jerry headed back to Merida and Judy joined us with her daughter Jennifer and husband Brian and Matt Lange, a friend of theirs from Denver (all of whom are now property owners in Merida). These four came over to keep us merry. They played tennis and we watched, but we did manage to squeeze in one wonderful Italian dinner at La Dolce Vida and one downtown at a sushi restaurant that doubled as a Japanese Benihana-style place and drinks and dessert at La Madonna, one of the most visually amazing restaurants ever. And again, lots of shade and mango daiquiries and swimming in the pools and the sea and mainly lots of relaxing. I managed to read all of Eat, Pray, Love (by Elizabeth Gilbert - thanks for the recommendation, Angela, and for the book, Jen and Paola!) and enjoyed it immensely. I also am editing the manuscript for a friend's book about Yoga and life, so it was quite an interesting balance of reading materials. I couldn't help it one day when I found myself meditating on a tiled area of the pool with water pouring down around me!!

Fortunately, we found some time to spend with Patti McCormick, a long-time friend from the Chicago area (and her son, daughter in law, and beautiful granddaughters briefly), and Gary and Dale Bader, hunter-gatherers with terrific senses of humor from the great state of Alaska (with their son Chris and a very quiet friend Lewis or Luis, we are not sure). We always look forward to our time in Cancun with these folks!

We were sad to see the beach erosion despite tons and tons of sand that the Mexican government brought in to correct the ravages of Hurricane Wilma from several years ago. The town and hotel zone have been completely rebuilt and enhanced and it's just an amazing place once again -- feels like being in the US since everyone speaks English, but that water is just so divine that we don't mind being treated like gringas for a few days. It also stands in stark contrast to New Orleans since it is better than new in such a short time, while poor New Orleans still suffers after Katrina which happened the same year as Wilma.

In case you missed our holiday card, here is a link -- we wish everyone the world over a blessed and joyous holiday season, filled with peace and lots of love -- enjoy! (http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1133156230).