#57 - See a Friend I Haven't Seen in at Least 3 Years

Like this happens nearly every time I've checked this off the list, it happened by happenstance. 

Well, maybe this one wasn't quite happenstance because it happened because my friend and 2x former roommate got married!

I was so pleased to receive K Rob's text sharing his engagement and asking for my address to invite me to the wedding. I was even more pleased to attend. 

On the Friday before, he invited the out of towners to the Pizza Port in Carlsbad, and I was reunited with Kevin, met his fiancee Aimee, and then got a huge bonus when Smitty and Kelly, Smoky and Chanel, Dino and Veronica, Lams, and Jivs were all there, all with their children, ages ranges 2 to 16. It was so joyful to spend time with them again, and I really hope that it becomes a regular happening because I knew I missed them but didn't realize how much. 

K Rob and I have done an off-and-on job of catching up, something that definitely fell off during and due to the pandemic. He was there during some of my toughest and best years: undergrad and my doctoral program, and we were roommates for around 5 years total. I was so honored to be there for his big day and loved that it was super quirky and personal.

The rest, well, they were my best friends in undergrad and the years after, the guys who always treated me like one of the guys and also still always looked after me and made me feel safe and cared for. 

It was so nice to see all of them again, to see them partnered and not, and all parenting lovely kids with big personalities. 

I am bummed I didn't really take pictures at the wedding!

Before the wedding, I also popped up to see the brilliant Dr. Kai Mathews, and that was super delightful.

I also had the bonus of seeing Tyler, who popped over to play trivia with John, Jenny, Conor, and me. I know Tyler from my years of Big Ten kickball in San Diego, and I'm hoping to see him and more of that crew next time I'm in town.

What a great trip. My cup is very full right now.

#88 - Spend the Night on an Island.

I had completely forgotten about this one until I reviewed my list in Puerto Rico.  And how about that?  Puerto Rico is an island.  Check.

(Yes, Puerto Rico is a large island, but to the best of my recollection, I have never slept on any sort of island ever.)

Dino found us a place using airbnb called Coqui Del Mar.  I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a low-key place with wonderfully accommodating and helpful hosts.  The place we stayed in would be particularly good for a large group.

#10 - Go to a new state or #11 - Go to a new country.

I didn't go to a new state or new country, but I did go to a new territory of the United States, so I'm counting it as #10.5.

I have always hated my birthday.  I cried all but one year from 1997 to 2003.  And when I tried to have a gathering of some sort, I was so preoccupied with who didn't show up that I didn't fully appreciate the people who did.  That wasn't fair.  And a belated thank you to those who did show up.  I wish it had meant as much to me then as it should have.

So starting in 2009, I have scheduled weekend trips for my birthday.  That way, as long as one person was with me, I'd have fun.  Plus, if I left town, I already knew who would show up and who wouldn't.  And I had no hard feelings towards those who didn't because I couldn't and didn't expect everyone to drop their lives and spend money on wherever it was I wanted to go.

In 2009, 4 of us (Beth, Jen, Jen, & I) went to Las Vegas for my 29th birthday.  I didn't even know one of the Jens and we had all a great time.  Plus, 2 of my guy friends (Dino & K Rob) who lived in San Diego surprised me and showed up the first night.  Awesome.

In 2010, 7 of us (Masters, Virus, Alicia, Lindsay, Reiko, Beth, & I) went to Louisville for my 30th birthday.  The first night we went to Churchill Downs and the rest of the time we just bummed around Louisville.  Lovely.

In 2011, 3 of us (Masters, Alicia, & I) went to Kalamazoo for a night then drove to Ann Arbor where I saw many friends pre- and post-football.  I was surprised by what a good time Kalamazoo was.

In 2012, I drove up to LA, stayed with Shehrzad, whom I hadn't seen in years, and went out with her sister Sheila, whom I also hadn't seen in years, and some of their family and friends in Hollywood.  I do not like Hollywood.  I really like Sheila & Shehrzad.  They were so sweet and fun.

This year, one evening, I was wondering aloud where I might go this year.  Dino said if my birthday were the same weekend as the Puerto Rico Tip Off, we should go cheer on Michigan there.  So I looked it up.  It was the same weekend.  We did a bit of casual exploring to see if it could happen.  Then we decided it could.

It ended up being Dino, K Rob, Sanjiv, Masters and me off to Puerto Rico for 5 days.  We went to 3 Michigan games, Old San Juan, some forts, some restaurants, the beach, and Masters & I did some caving.

The stadium was strange.  There weren't many people there for the first couple games.  The Puerto Rican Michigan fans were fantastic.  Especially the Banana.  Plain clothes vendors sold beer and pina coladas.  If you ordered a pina colada with rum, you drank a bit and they topped it off with rum from a clear, plastic bottle.  There were fried balls and things to eat.

Old San Juan was beautiful.  The forts had incredible views, and that part of the city is so colorful and with small, cobblestone streets reminiscent of some old European cities.  We had a great meal there.







The beach and water were warm.  The others spent a bit of time at the beach.  I'm not a beach person so I put my feet in the water, soaked in a few minutes of sun, and then headed back to do homework on the porch.












The caving will have it's own post.

Driving was a disaster but that seems to be my only complaint.

Thank you to Dino, K Rob, Masters, & Sanjiv for being a part of my most adventurous birthday trip!

Coqui.