Viva el South Padre!

I'm back from South Padre Island, Texas! My friend Natasha and I had a wonderful time getting away from the busyness of day to day life here in Dallas. The weather the first day was incredible: 84 degrees! We immediately put our bags down, put our bathing suits on, and headed for the beach. There was a persistent breeze off the ocean and for a while we just laid there amazed by the breeze. Living in Dallas we have not felt the wind blowing in a while! It was a great treat...thank you, Lord!

Natasha and I made a quick observation upon arriving on the island: Se habla mucho espanol en Padre!
Translation: Spanish is spoken a lot in Padre!

South Padre lies at the southernmost tip of Texas about 10-15 miles from Mexico, so many of the Mexican nationals go to Padre to vacation. Good thing God has given me the gift of speaking in Spanish, because there were many times where it came in handy!

Everything there had a Spanish flare. Natasha and I caught the Latin fever! In fact, the first night we went to a popular spot called Louie's Backyard where we danced (gasp!!!) the night away to Salsay y Merengue, and the latest Latin music called Regaton (a mixture of salsa and reggae). Latinos sure do know how to throw a party! It was great fun and offered us an opportunity to be emmursed into a different culture than our own.

Another fun highlight of our trip was dolphin watching. We got on a double-decker boat and went out in the ocean to watch the dolphins. The water was a beautiful sea-green color and we were fortunate to see several dolphins and some baby dolphins too! However, I started to feel quesy from the boat ride so I had to sit down and concentrate on NOT throwing up! I don't think a cruise would be my cup of tea either.

We spent our last day entirely on the beach. We ate lunch, slept, talked, slept, and ate. It was nice to take a nap. I do not take naps often, so it was a beautiful thing! Although I got sun burned...I should have fallen asleep under the umbrella instead of the sun! Now my sunburn has turned to a nice golden tan...I look 100% Latina now! (I think that was my goal! Remember I have Latin fever right now!)

Natasha and I were sad to leave, but as they say, "All good things must come to an end." Of course, the trip would not be as memorable without Continental Airlines losing my suitcase! Yep, that's right! I got to Dallas and no maleta! Big ups to Continental though because they were able to trace my suitcase (it was in H-town) and deliver it to my doorstep at 4 a.m.! As one friend reminded me, "Better late than never!" Thank you, Jesus!

So, now it's back to reality. No more ocean, no more cool breeze, no more dolphins, and no more naps (well, on the beach anyway)! That's ok, I suppose.

Hay mucho trabajo aqui en Dallas!! (There is much work to do here in Dallas!)