Twenty Lessons from Mexico

1. Stretchmarks do not tan.
2. It takes 2.4 hours for me to miss my children.
3. It takes 2.4 minutes in white sand, foaming waves, and extra salt on the rim of my glass to feel confident that they're A-OK.
4. La Margarita es mucho delicioso.
5. A woman with the boldness to wear a thong swimsuit should also have the innate self awareness to never, ever run while she's wearing it. EVER.
6. Choose traveling books wisely; no books about sick, abandoned, neglected children, while I cannot have the assurance of kissing mine goodnight.
7. My husband can dance and sing. He really can. :)
8. I could grow quickly accustomed to hired help for my every whim. Dangerously so.
9. Nachos with guacamole and pico de gallo make for a great mid-morning snack. On the beach. Six days in a row.
10. All-Inclusive is the only way.
11. Mexican waiters have a thing for girls with freckles and curls.
12. Honeymooners (as in, just married two days ago) are easy to spot. With their brand new, shiny rings and their honeymoon clothes and their hand-holding across the breakfast buffet. And they think they're all sly.
13. A pedicure can beautifully survive a week of sand, sun, and saltwater. A manicure cannot.
14. We prefer a table overlooking the ocean. Especially at sunset.
15. Shins need sunscreen, too.
16. I love a book slightly stained by saltwater.
17. Waves at night make a chorus of praise.
18. I can tackle 500+ pages in five days or less.
19. I should have taken the Christmas and VeggieTales songs off my iPod. "Shuffle" brings some odd ones sometimes.
20. Spanglish is easily acquired; never mind that it isn't really a language.

In the novel of our marriage, Ten Years = Part I. Here's to Part II.

Robb, I'd marry you all over again. And don't you forget it.