Once Bitten...

Thanks for all kind wishes for the nuptial anniversary. It was actually very nice to get away. Even if it was only, as Caris puts it, for "what? 17 hours?" As it turns out, it was even less. Despite an amazingly incredible afternoon of sitting on the patio of The Fisherman's Restaurant, which happens to be located ON historic San Clemente pier AND enjoying a beautiful room at Casa Tropicana overlooking the ocean....I got the flu. I made it through a wonderful rainbow of tropical drinks. Yes, the silly ones, resplendant with paper umbrellas and pineapple wedges. The ones that are bluer than Cabo San Lucas waters, and pinker than Pink's hair. We enjoyed Oysters Rockefeller, me for the first time in my life. Charlie was in shellfish heaven; getting an aphrodisiac type high on oyster shooters. I had scampi, made with prawns that bring to mind the oxymoron "jumbo shrimp". It was Nirvana, plain and simple. We laughed and snuggled and watched people on the beach. We talked. Something we haven't done in so long. It felt good, even if most of the conversation revolved around the kids. It is, after all, our world. In all, we spent four hours "camped" at that table, drinking, eating, talking, reacquainting. I have no complaints.

At 3 pm, it was check-in time. We simply paid our bill (with a VERY generous tip to our waitress Colby), and WALKED across the railroad tracks to our hotel. No driving involved. Got our beautiful room (Key Largo), enjoyed the celebratory balloons and champagne the host gifted us with, and then proceeded to take a long nap on our HUGE featherbed. When I woke up a couple of hours later, I felt...not so good. It couldn't have been the food. I didn't have THAT much to drink. Charlie had everything I had, and it was just too soon for a reaction like that. Charlie surmised that perhaps sitting out in that sun for four hours may be the contributing factor. No matter, I wasn't going to be doing much of anything from that point on. So we layed there in that bed, and watched a hockey game on ESPN. Nice. I'm glad my husband can appreciate my love for the game. Especially when I'm not feeling so great. Somewhere around 9 pm, I felt a little better, so we went out for a walk on the pier, got a cup of soup, and walked back to the room. We slept. Charlie; peacefully. Me...not so much.

Being a B&B, they provided us with a full, beautiful breakfast on our patio overlooking the beach. I didn't eat so much, but what I had was very nice. We ended up leaving early, and even though we had no rush to be home, I couldn't think of anyplace better. I wanted my jammies, my blankie, my big fluffy chair. Just feeling...bad. Charlie was patient and wonderful. Kids wondered why we were home so "early". Mom sick. Bleh.

Still, despite my apologies to my ever patient husband, he reminded me how wonderful our four hours of talking, laughing, spending really valueable time together was. I couldn't argue. I'll remember it forever. No bug can ever take that away from me.

The nastiness was gone by Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the fast pace of the world begins anew. Caris and I are off, yet again, to Los Angeles for a rush casting call on a WB Fall pilot called "Prodigy". Averie is having a "stunning" Tuesday, full of rare and special compliments. Like candy from strangers, perfect English test scores, Comedy Club wonderfulness, and artistic set work. Charlie? He has the flu. :o(