|
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA: November 9 - November 14, 1999
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA Sunday, November 14, 1999 Rich and I returned to the States for the wedding of our very good friends, Damion (a..k.a. Doc or Doctor of Leisure) and Lissa. We were both in their wedding party. What a wonderful vacation from our vacation! We arrived in Phoenix very very late, or should I say very very early on Wednesday morning. Our friend, Mark Brochu was kind enough to pick us up from the Phoenix airport. The old Rich and Kelly would have just taken a taxi; however, we now consider that 4 hotel rooms in Central America. Mark and Josie's home in Glendale, a section of Phoenix, is very spacious and beautiful. They even have a pool! We spent Wednesday just hanging around the house playing with their little boy, Thor (is that a cool name or what??!!). That night we had Mexican and Corona's, the Brochu house beer. The wedding festivities began on Thursday. We picked up our very good friends, Dave and Maureen Mansky from the airport with Brochu's car, of course. Brochu made us a great breakfast and we were off. Damion Remsberg, the groom, took time out of his busy day to pick us up from the Brochu palace and drop us off at our resort hotel, The Scottsdale Plaza, with a brief stop at his home which is also spacious and beautiful with a pool! We shared our suite at The Plaza with Dave and Maureen, which was great for two reasons: first, we saved money and second, we were able to spend quality time together. That evening the girls and boys split up for the bachelor parties. The bride's bachelorett party included dinner, dancing and other bachelorett party festivities.. Friday was SPA DAY!! I spent all of the money that we saved on cab rides and our hotel room to get a manicure, pedicure and eye brow wax. Actually, it did not cost that much and it also included access to a great pool, hot tub, cold plunge, steam sauna, dry sauna and more. After a morning at the spa, Maureen and I joined the boys at the pool. That evening we went to the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at the Remsberg mansion and finished the night off at the Andrew Dye hospitality suite. The rehearsal dinner was very nice. I was impressed that Damion and Lissa were able to host such a party the night before their wedding. Saturday was WEDDING DAY! Damion and Lissa exchanged vows in a story book setting at the gazebo on the lawns at the Plaza. The weather was perfect and the wedding was beautiful and smooth, with the exception of a few blunders by the justice of the peace who showed up a half hour late and referred to Lissa as Chris during the wedding. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and danced the night away at the reception which was held in a large white tent just yards away from the gazebo. We had a fabulous time with all of our friends! Congratulations to Damion and Lissa Remsberg! Tuesday, November 16, 1999 Not to rub anything in, but I just had to look at my watch to check what day of the week it is today. Rich and I are on a plane right now flying from Las Vegas to Guatemala City with a layover in Houston, Texas. We just ate a delicious chicken sandwich and flew over the Grand Canyon. Vegas was fun! We were able to visit Rich's mom and dad, Tessa and Don. The apartment was already decorated with Christmas decorations. Tessa does theme trees every year. This year she has a southwestern tree and a beenie baby tree. We spent some time checking out the new casinos on the strip, including Venice and Paris. Last night we went to The Orleans to eat dinner and gamble a little. I was pretty strict on limiting how much we were able to spend. Late in the evening we were down $46. I told Rich that was enough, let's cut our losses here. But then, I decided hey, let's just make the loss an even $50. So, I walked right over to a roulette table and slapped $4 on red. The dealer looked at me with admiration. As the wheel spun, the room became silent to me. All I could hear was the little white marble hitting the sides of the wheel as it slowed down and eventually landed on a red number, which number I cannot remember as I was so elated to double my money so quickly. I could have walked away with my $8, but I decided to stay. Luck was with me that night, because I kept laying my chips down on the winning numbers. I wanted to walk away from the table several times, but Rich convinced me to play on as long as I was on a lucky streak. The streak continued on as I picked more winning numbers. As soon as my luck began to fade a bit, I walked away from the table with $160. If I had been playing with serious cash, I could have added another week or two to the trip, but I am cautious and conservative gambler. I am very excited about my victorious trip to the roulette table. It has definitely left me with a burning desire to come back for more some day. I think I will go to the same table and perhaps, just perhaps, slap down $40. Although we spent a lot of budget money during our one week in the States, as it is simply a lot more expensive here, it could have been a lot worse. Don and Tessa took mercy on us and treated us to everything. In addition, we imposed on many of our friends for rides here and there. Still, it was great to be back in the USA. I enjoyed finding toilet paper in the public bathrooms and the luxury of flushing used toilet paper down the toilet, as opposed to having to throw it in a waste basket next to the toilet. I also enjoyed regular food and brushing my teeth using tap water instead of bottled water. But, the world is calling and we must continue our journey 2 go global. Tonight we will land in Guatemala City for a five week tour of Central America. PRESS
HERE TO CONTINUE MY TRAVELOGUE THROUGH CENTRAL AMERICA.
|
|
2 Go Maps / 2 Go Actual Itinerary / 2 Go Photos / 2 Go Home Page
PLEASE E-MAIL US. . . WE WOULD LOVE 2 HEAR FROM YOU!
©1999-2001 Kelly and Rich Willis. All rights reserved. |
