Day 152: Ah, yes, Tequilla in a Pool in Mexico

By the time we got to Mexico, the three of us were quite exhausted, physically and emotionally, and very ready for. . . "festivities". . . . Brian had just graduated from U. of Missouri, and with this high came the distress of my dear SIL's congestive heart failure, hospitalization, and diagnosis of a need for a heart valve replacement. Brian had also gotten 2nd degree burns on his foot at his job.

Dianna and Brian are the middle two people at the bar

The day my husband and I left Grand Forks for Brian's graduation in Missouri, Dianna called, distraught, because her best friend had been found dead a few hours earlier from a previously undiagnosed heart problem. . . . Five days after Brian's graduation, we drove to Dianna's school, and picked her up for our week in Mexico. But first, she had to move all of her belongings out of her room, across campus, and down two flights of stairs into storage. We hadn't quite expected this task, and because of the events of the week, Dianna had not begun to pack anything until after we arrived. . . .

After emptying Dianna's dorm room, including carrying a futon by hand across the campus, as well as moving the various and sundry refrigerator, TV, etc, we stopped to eat at about 11 pm before checking into our hotel in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, Brian had to stay up all night working on a job application. At least he was up in time for our trip to the airport at 6am!

So, when we finally arrived at our resort in Mexico, the Barcelo Riviera Mayo, we were quite ready for R&R!

You won't believe what this 54, almost 55, year old middle-aged, over-weight, woman decided to do, with thoughts of "now or never" spurring me on! I always wanted to go to Mexico, and this trip far exceeded my expectations! I can't wait to share the pictures and details with you. And even a few survival tips.

Thank you, everyone, for comments over the last several days on the graduation pictures. It's really a nice feature of blogger, being able to schedule posts in advance. And, thank you for your concern about my sister-in-law, and about Dianna in her grieving. My sister-in-law, Barb, had her valve replacement surgery yesterday. The aortic valve is suppose to be tricuspid (3 flaps); it turns out hers only had one, and her surgeon said he'd only seen this once before in his career. (It's not usual a good sign when physicians find your medical problems "interesting.")

Now, here's my nagging advice to all of you: Women REALLY DON'T experience heart problems like men do. If you find yourself short of breath and much more fatigued than usual, or with an odd, persistent cough, don't just write if off as "I'm out of shape," or , "must be an allergy." We women are way too stoic, way too often, which is why the fatality rate is much greater for women with heart problems than for men.