Oh, Mexico

As I mentioned last week, I spent the last week in lovely Cancun, Mexico.  March in New York is the perfect time for a sunny vacation... you're tired from a solid 4-5 months of freezing, snowy winter, and you're envious of your southern friends who are enjoying summery temperatures.  Add the general allure of laying on a beach anywhere, anytime, and I was obviously ecstatic for the trip.

Leslie, Cori, Abby and I had a wonderful time.  We slept until we woke up each day (which happened to be around 7am due to the sunlight that poured into our room every morning), drank our coffee and read leisurely on our porch that overlooked the water, sunned on the beach, cooled off under cabanas, and ate plenty of guacamole (along with a delicious margarita or two, too!).

The majority of our time in Cancun was spent at our hotel, which was, fortunately, at the quiet end of the strip and primarily occupied by adorable little quiet families.  We were adventurous a couple times, though... both of which were filled with humorous escapades.

One night we went to dinner at La Parilla in downtown Cancun, and it could not have been more perfect.  The authentic Mariachi bands played "La Cucaracha" and "La Bamba," the food was delicious, and we were treated with a manager (we think?) who sent over guacamole and a waiter who offered to take us dancing.  One of the most notable moments of the night came when our margaritas arrived.  They did not arrive on a tray carried by our waiter.  No, instead, a short, bald Mexican waiter balanced all four margaritas, one right on top of the other, on his head, and with no hands, walked them over to our table.  We were terrified... particularly when I was charged with taking the top one off of his head.  ¡Muy impresivo!  Later in the evening, four waiters accosted our table and tried to give us unsolicited lap dances and tequila shots... I can honestly say that I have never been more shocked/horrified/in awe than in that moment.  And that's enough on that. :)

Our other notable adventure was on an all-day catamaran excursion.  The concierge at our hotel told us about the excursion... a nice little boat ride to Isla Mujeres, snorkeling, lunch and shopping on the island.  Sounds delightful right?  Well... it was.  Kind of.  As much as we enjoyed being out on the water and seeing Isla Mujeres, the other characters on the boat were determined to turn our relaxing boat day into what can only be called a Booze Cruise.  Yes, for the majority of the day we sat perched high on the boat, separated like the four Manhattan (classy, mature, adult, etc etc) snobs that we probably are and watched everyone act like a bunch of Spring Break circus animals.  Please enjoy my video documentation of said events:

And that's the short version of my Mexican vacation!  I couldn't have asked for better weather, a more beautiful location, crazier escapades or, most importantly, more perfect travel mates.  Now... when's the next trip?

"Oh, Mexico

It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low

Moons so bright like to light up the night

Make everything all right"

- James Taylor

Ain't no better time than now

In case you miss me, I will be in Mexico for the next week. Leslie, Abby, Cori and I are headed to the Westin Resort & Spa in Cancun. ¡Estoy tan emocionada!

"I've been up to my neck workin' six days a week
Wearin' holes in the soles of the shoes on my feet
Been dreamin' of gettin' away since I don't know
Ain't no better time than now..
for Mexico"

- Kenny Chesney

Six Word Stories

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway, when challenged to write a story in six words, penned the following -

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

Legend also has it that Hemingway felt this was the best prose he ever wrote.

John Mayer recently Twittered about this and posed the question to his followers (Twitter followers, that is... this is not the cult of John Mayer), "What's your six word story? I'll be the fridge magnet for you..."

John's story?

This heart didn't come with instructions.

Some of John's favorites...

True love: He's shorter than me.

Then we realized it was Sharpie.

I am always his second choice.

And some of mine...

Taylor Swift

My diary is read by everyone.

Leslee

Home isn't home without you here.

Susan

They exchanged glances and knew forever.

As for my six word story? A story about moving to New York, about leaving the only home I'd ever known to possibly find a new one? About trying new things? About forging ahead, looking forward, and not clinging to the past? About taking risks and trusting God with the unknown?

I bought a one way ticket.

After all, Shakespeare did say,

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Perhaps sometimes, six words is all you need.

Quote of the Day

“It's spring fever. That's what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

Mark Twain, thanks to Courtney via Emily

Food for Thought

According to Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) on "How I Met Your Mother" last night, there are four reasons an ex would want to have lunch with you -

1. They want to get back together.
2. They want to kill you.
3. They want to give you your stuff back.
4. They want to rub your face in how great they're doing.

I think I agree, as I have not been able to come up with a fifth reason all day.

Relief will arise

Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to Wikipedia, "Purim is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Haman's plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical book of Esther. Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal; other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration."

I think that Jewish holidays are super cool, and I have always been kind of confused on why Christians don't celebrate more of them. Something like Yom Kippur I get, seeing as the whole Easter thing took the very concept of atonement in a different direction (to say the very least). But holidays like Passover and Purim? These are biblical stories from the Old Testament that formed the foundation of Christian faith and still have major implications in our understanding of who God is.

At its very root, Purim is a holiday about hope. See, things were looking pretty grim for the Jewish people in the book of Esther. King Xerxes did not particularly like them, and the Prime Minister, Haman, flat out hated them. Hated them so much, in fact, that he demanded that every Jew in the Persian kingdom be killed. Talk about hopeless! Every Jew in the kingdom had a death sentence, and there seemed to be nothing that could be done.

But by God's divine grace, King Xerxes had (through a bizarre series of events) married Esther, a Jew. Esther did not know what her role in the events should be, but her cousin Mordecai challenged her with this: "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

This is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. For one, I love the exhortation that Esther had been placed in her role as queen "for such a time as this." What a beautiful way to illustrate God's sovereignty and remind us that he has us right here, right now for a very specific purpose. Beyond that, though, I love that Mordecai says, "relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise." Not "might" or "maybe." "Will." Mordecai had a firm faith and an unwavering hope that God not only could save him and his people from extermination, he would. Hope that whether God used Esther or not, God would deliver on his promises. Hope that, even though he didn't know the means, he could trust God with the end.

As we know, Esther did step up. And God did save the people from Haman's wicked plan for annihilation. Mordecai instituted Purim as a way to remember what God had done for the Jewish people, to celebrate the victory that he had given them in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. Purim is one of the most joyous and festive holidays for the Jewish people. Why should it be any different for Christians? The hope we have in our Great Deliverer is unchanging, and that is reason to celebrate.

Happy Purim!


"Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them."

Esther 9:20-23 (italics mine)

I love New York because

I love New York in the rain.  I love the relative solitude rain brings to a city that never sleeps.  I love the clapping of thunder overlaid on honking taxi horns and sirens.  I love the way rain smells, especially when combined with pavement.  I love to open my apartment window just a crack when it rains.  I love that rain makes it okay to curl up inside a coffee shop with a crossword puzzle and a cup of tea.  I love that rain is peaceful.  I love New York in the rain because the rain pauses my crazy life and helps me connect with another side of the city.

I love New York in the snow.  I love the way it covers everything dirty and makes it look pure and clean.  I love how the flakes buzz all around in the air, moving every direction, up, down, left and right.  I love when you can walk through the middle of Times Square and not see a moving car in sight.  I love seeing an impromptu snowman on a median.  I love how the snow blankets the roofs of parked cars on the sidewalk.  I love New York in the snow because it's magical, and sometimes I just need to be reminded how magical New York really is.

I love New York in the sunshine. I love walking outside and, unintentionally, skipping for a second or two because there's so much energy in the air. I love Central Park on a beautiful day. I love running into friends as we both jog. I love the way it smells, too. I love sitting at a cafe next to an open window and watching people walk their dogs. I love sandals. I love New York in the sunshine because it makes me feel like the city that I love so much is telling me that it loves me, too.

Spontaneous travel

This past weekend, Cal and I took a spontaneous (read: decided while eating at Shake Shack at 1pm to get on a 4pm Chinatown bus) trip to Washington, DC. We visited all of the major monuments, ate at both great and average restaurants, explored Georgetown and played chess. We also took a lot of pictures with no people in them... oh the joys of traveling in a pair. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Angie the Rock Star

You may remember me telling you about my extraordinary friend Angie, who is applying for The Best Job in the World.  I am pleased to announce that, out of over 34,000 applicants around the globe, Angie has been selected as a Top 50 finalist.  

Repeat.  34,000 applied.  50 were chosen.  In other words, Angie is in the top 0.15% of savvy, creative, adventurous travelers on planet earth.  That is a BIG DEAL!

Knowing that the 50 shortlisted candidates would be announced Monday, I was furiously refreshing the site on my iPhone.  When the list finally popped up, I scrolled through...no Angie in the first row (no biggie).  No Angie in the second row (starting to worry).  No Angie in the third row (uh oh).  And then, like a beacon in the night, her smiling face and bikini-clad body appeared.  OK that sounded creepy, but that's what she looks like in the picture.  I fell out of my chair, screamed, and proceeded to stalk her via phone, text and Twitter until she called me back.

SO - as Angie works on essays and I start packing my bags for a trip to Australia to visit, YOU can help by voting!  If you're so inclined You simply must visit islandreefjob.com/angie every day for the next three weeks and vote for her!  Have a Gmail and a work address?  Vote twice.  :)

GO ANGIE!  

xoxo

For up to the minute information on Angie's Quest for Queensland, or just to be thoroughly entertained, read Big Apple Angie's blog or follow her on Twitter at @bigappleangie.