"Newness" Is In The Air

So I've been terrible about updating this thing, which I say every single time I post. I really need to be more diligent about it. I've never had a blog before, and I am impressed by those who remember to update theirs once a week, or at least on a regular basis...

I'll talk about my Puerto Rico trip first (from way back in June). I had such an amazing time! Definitely a new experience for me, as my friend Michelle and I really didn't plan much of anything. Most of our time was spent here:

Or here:

It was the first time in a long time I'd felt completely relaxed. Granted, I did get sunburned (as most of my friends will tell you it's usually a given) but not as bad as I thought I might, and I stuck it out and STILL went to the beach :).

We also explored Old San Juan, which is a really pretty town. All the buildings are painted in different colors, and it looks like it was transplanted from Spain (which in a way it was, since the early explorers who came to the island were Spanish). Michelle and I spent a couple of days walking around the town, looking in all the shops, and we went to one of the old forts, El Muro. There are a lot of nooks and crannies to explore there, and there are great views of the ocean and of the coastline.

One of the days we were there, it so happened that a couple of work friends of mine were docked from a cruise ship in San Juan, so we were able to meet up with them for lunch and drinks and Senior Frogs. I know, very touristy, but also very fun, their drinks come in these really tall colorful glasses that are awesome!

The other experience I got to have was going to the Ritz Carlton! On Saturday night, our hotel was kind of crazy with lots of kids running around. So Michelle and I  wanted to get out and go somewhere special for dinner. We had been pretty frugal up until then with spending on meals, and decided to splurge. A friend of her's had told her how the Ritz was amazing (they have the restaurant Il Mulino there), and we decided to dress up and have a very posh evening. We started with drinks in the lounge, and I have to say they we had the BEST mojitos ever! I could have had those all night.

Dinner was even more amazing. All the waiters are dressed in tuxes, and as soon as you sit down it's a whirlwind of food. They brought us a wedge of aged Parmesan, than garlic bread, then a tray with about 4 different kinds of other bread, a small plate with hard salami, eggplant, and a mussel. All before we saw a menu. What???

The meal we did order was incredibly good. We split a seafood appetizer, and then each had a pasta dish (I wish I could remember the name) that had a light cream sauce and lots of yummy veggies. Then  for desert we split a bowl of strawberries with mascarpone cheese.

It was so hard to leave! When Michelle and I left Puerto Rico it was sunny and warm. As we got closer to New York, we could see it getting darker and cloudier, and then when we touched down it was raining. Sort of depressing. But it was still and amazing trip!

Next post will be about a new experience that will stretch out over the next year...