Further to July 4th :)

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Lord give me patience. Because if you give me strength I'm gonna need bail money to go with it...

I don't know what's worse, waking knowing it's your birthday & you're another year older, or waking up the day after and know it's not your birthday and there's no breakfast in bed, and no more gifts coming 😉 (PS a blog went yesterday called July 4th in Playa; I had a lot of trouble sending it...did you get it? If not check your spam!)

Awww well it was a great birthday despite some moments starting with having to haggle with the cabs about how much it cost to take us to the mall across the highway...in the end I told them to stuff it; we walked 2 blocks and caught a cab that was MUCH cheaper and he was lots of fun too. The Mall was big with lots to see including a casino, Cinema, grocery store, Sears, Pier Imports, clothing and shoe stores etc.

We bought Ava a little pair of shoes that I thought were around $18 so I gave Marth the money to buy the shoes so I could buy Rory earrings next door. Well the shoes ended up being double that price and after walking around the mall Ava said she thought they were too small...so we taken them back to find out "no money refund" only "exchange". So we spent another half hour trying to find her something that would be suitable and fit. Grrrrr.

Then we got picked up by our same funny driver, and when I went to put his business card away that's when I realized my debit card was gone, then we came back to the condo to rip everything apart. I was worried my account might have been tampered with so I go onto my banking website and all is OK, then hike it up in scorching heat to WalMart to see if it had been turned in there, wait in line just like home for customer service, to find out they don't have it, then hike back home to call my bank and wait forever, and then I realize was sunburned and I had blisters from my sandals....yippppeeee.

But despite feeling a bit beaten up and frustrated over my debit card going missing on the day of my birthday, I managed to really enjoy my lunch at the Roof Club, (so far one of my favorite spots), thanks to Ray and Pat for treating me to now a few birthday meals! Our food was delish even though it took some time to get it. What an amazing spot to dine, relax over the ocean and feel such pampering and luxury.

Afterwards we tried to get a massage but this one place close to the condo was booked. Pat managed to get one, so in the meantime we came back to the condo to relax and hang out.

By evening it was decided we'd go for dinner for the final birthday celebration. The restaurants were busy but we found a spot so I could have lobster. They gave us 20% off our bill for being return guests. Overall the lobster was great, Al's fajitas were tasty and MJ's burrito was excellent. It was hot and humid evening but we'll take it over the weather we had on Weds.

Weds was as I mentioned, had very high winds, heavy rain and thunder. We saw Casey & Kelsey off to the airport and hoped their flight wasn't delayed, but it was for about 40 minutes. WE got word yesterday morning from Kels they were home safe and sound...then I could breathe again. They did a good job traveling alone, which they've done from Ottawa to BC but this was from Mexico to the US to Ottawa. I think they had some fun being by themselves!

We'd never seen a day of rain and wind like Weds, but finally late afternoon it stopped raining and then "holy crap batman" the humidity settled in...We had been tired of being cooped up so we grabbed our umbrellas and went for a walk, and I took Al to that new wine and spirits store He really liked it, being so close and carries some of his favorite red wines. They have a cheese deli there too with canned goods so you could easily buy wine and cheese items for wine & cheese gathering on your balcony.

How we found the Roof Club from yesterday is that right next door to the new wine store is a new up-scale restaurant called Calle Ocho. (I'm behind a day here!) Talk about great service and great food; we even got to see a Wimbledon match on the big TV which was perfect given the overcast day it was. I ordered grilled salmon with a green butter sauce with roasted crispy rosemary baby potatoes served with the nicest green salad I've ever tasted. The cherry tomatoes were so fresh and juicy. They have a roof club with ocean views but it was closed due to the weather. So we'll go back. Even the bathrooms are beautiful as you see from the pics. Al ordered a grilled chicken panini and fries which were really good (It amazing me how many restaurants serve horrid fries). Ray and Marth joined us for a drink, and then we all left on different errands.

Marth & I headed to this beautiful hand make candle store which is a favorite of ours. Being my birthday I bought a candle (not one for a cake! One for our table at home) They embed sand from Playa into the base of the candle giving it quite a funky yet original look. (see candle below!)

And Weds. night was topped off with dinner at Aldea, one of our favorite restaurants, which was having its anniversary so all food and drink was 40% off. It's a rather pricey spot so that made it worthwhile to go. I know the manager Alex who greeted us and we were seated. They had a mariachi band and later a Mayan group played music in the outside area which was very tropical and lit with torches and had waterfalls and a real lovely jungle feel to it. Al captured it on video...Al enjoyed tuna with avocado sauce, Ray had some grilled shrimp and Pat a stuffed chicken with goat's cheese and zucchini flower.

We got back and we all took an evening swim...so beautiful to be in a pool with the ocean rumbling in while you see the lights of Cozumel Island flickering. We capped it off with Planet Earth...

End of another perfect day once the weather changed. So that should cover both July 3rd and 4th!

Hope your weather is hot and sunny. Today at 9 am it's 38 and sunny with a lovely breeze to keep things cool. Kids are off to the pool for a swim and lounge.

Sixteen years ago Al and I went on our first date (collective awwwww). Wonder if I'll get an anniversary card like Snoopy in Spanish declaring his love for me 😊

Lots of catch up photos below of the last few days...there are TWO pages of pics.

Let's hope today is uneventful...How're y'all doing in your neck of the woods? Anybody lost or misplaced anything???

Sal

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Comments

[Susan]

Hi
Some great photos. The food look so good. You guys look like you are having a fabulous time. Enjoy!