What is it?
It’s an excuse to have Mexican food! Yummos!
Actually Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for May 5th. And it’s a holiday in Mexico. A celebration held to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It doesn’t mean much to us since we are not Mexican but we have Mexican friends and the date is written on the calendar and…like I said before it’s a reason to enjoy Mexican food. Tonight, it was fish tacos!
When you have a destination wedding you realize that not all the special people in your life will be there. It’s just not possible. That is why today Andrew & Kristina will celebrate their life as husband & wife with more of the people that are special to them. Tonight is a chance to mingle and tonight we dance!
It’s Celebration time!
And dance we did! It was a privilege to dance with my boy at his wedding!
It was a wonderful evening with family and friends, some we haven’t seen for awhile.
I was so busy I didn’t take a lot but here are a few pics…
Some just for fun…
And just a peak from the ones done by their photographers. Belle Visage ( I may add a few at a later time when they get their photos back)
https://bellevisagestudio.wordpress.com
Congratulations Andrew & Kristina! ❤
Cuba is well known for a few things…cigars, rum and…it’s old cars. David & I LOVED all the old cars everywhere. From the really old ones not in great shape on back roads in the countryside to the shiny colourful ones that were restored and/or cleaned up a bit to be a taxi for a small fee…
We REALLY wanted to get to Havana the capital of Cuba and see more cars and more history but time just didn’t allow. Fortunately for us there were plenty of cars for hire and one guy was even down from Havana with his Oldsmobile….so what did we do? We hired a few of them and enjoyed cruising around in style!
1949 Oldsmobile from Havana~
Lots of oldies…
1934 Purple Ford with Rumble Seat~
And then for Wedding pics we had the Pink & White 1957 Cadillac, 1955 white Chevy, and the Yellow & White Bel Air
So much fun!!!!!!
We even bought a beautiful canvas to remember the fun we had…
Drivin’ in style!
And of course I can’t forget the shopping. Yes, market shopping is the best! There were 2 markets close by that we visited a couple of times.
James & Kristina blending in… 😀
A Chinese restaurant in Cuba…too bad I didn’t have chance to try it out 😛
Cuban cigar making
There’s something for everyone at the market! Enjoy your Saturday.
Relaxing at the resort was so lovely, BUT what else did we do?
We did a Jeep Excursion! Running around the mainland seeing some back country places.
It was a full day…horseback riding, watching a cock fight ( not to the death, just a demonstration) beautiful gardens, cane tasting, cow milking, authentic Cuban lunch ( roast pig, rice & beans) swimming in a local water hole and chance to interact a bit with the locals. I even bought a piece of art from a Juan Carlos 😀
And held this little parrot…
I loved this part!!
It was a full day and I ate plenty of dust but such a great way to see a bit of life in Cuba off the “resort island”
David & I love to travel. We love to travel South in the Winter to escape the cold. Believe it or not this is our very first time to stay at a resort for an entire week!
Our choice Winter getaway is cruising! This year, however,we are in Cuba. We are here for the wedding and it’s also a great way to see if we like all inclusive resort vacations. We flew into Santa Clara Airport and then took a bus to the resort. ( Our very own Wedding Group bus)
Just off Cuba’s north coast is the inviting resort destination of Cayo Santa Maria. With its white sand beaches, azure waters, and range of resorts, a vacation here is full of sunshine and relaxation. The area is known for its beaches, and has become famous for tourists that flock to its shores to step away from reality and enjoy the Cuban hospitality, heat, and landscape.
Cayo Santa Maria is an island on the north of Cuba in the Jardines del Rey archipelago, connected to mainland Cuba by a 48-kilometer causeway. With more than 10-kilometers of pristine, white sand beaches lapped by crystal clear blue waters. Flights from Canada to Cayo Santa Maria arrive at the Santa Clara airport and then take a bus transfer approximately 1.5 hours from Cayo Santa Maria to the resort district on the island and across the causeway from mainland Cuba. Due to Cayo Santa Maria’s location, on an island just off of the mainland north coast of Cuba, the area is known for its resort community, but little else beyond the beach and poolside activities.
So…What to do a whole week in one place?
Well seeing as we were there for the wedding, a bit of time was spent making sure everything was ready for Saturday and then it was beach time, eating, pool time, eating, eating, entertainment, coffee and check mail, eating, and LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of walking. Melia las Dunas resort is large and so we spent a lot of time all week walking just getting to places.
We had so much fun…
Tomorrow see what else we did!
Our little boy
is now a man
and in less than a week is gonna be a husband!
Today we had a bit of time to spend with our oldest son, the one who is getting married. Andrew is officially on vacay ( Kristina had to work one last shift) and today was a day to get “his stuff” caught up and do some last minute things for the wedding. One of which was a haircut. Andy likes to get his brother or his father to cut his hair. Just easier that way.
We were very happy he was here for lunch and to spend a bit of time with him talking more about the week ahead, getting excited, and just letting him know how proud we are of him and how much we love him and Kristina.
I know he knows all that but it’s nice sometimes to put those thoughts in to actual words and a special gift on this big day.
We LOVE you Andrew. Congratulations!
PS. I can’t wait to dance with you at your Wedding ❤
We are still a couple days away from leaving BUT I need to be organized and I NEED options so the #1 thing on my list for this weekend was to pack suitcases. It is relatively simple and easy to do ahead of time when you are going from a cold climate to a warm tropical climate. Easy I say, except for the fact I never know what I actually want to take, I need options, I always take too much unless I just pack in a carryon, and I usually stress over this detail of travelling…ugh!
BUT, it’s done!! We’re packed and under limit. phew!
And poor Abby has been clingy and mopey all week. It only gets worse the closer the day comes. But I know she’ll have a nice time with Nana & Papa.
3 days…
Tartan Day in Canada has become an annual event. The concept of “Tartan Day” began at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia on March 9, 1986. Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish heritage on April 6th each year, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. In Canada, on Tartan Day, Canadians are encouraged to wear tartan in commemoration of the contributions of Scots and their descendants to the fabric of our society.
(Picture below from the Government of Nova Scotia)
And it’s so funny to me…unbeknown that it was Tartan Day today, I was at my parents last night and Mom gave me the Tartan shirt that she bought for my Dad so many years ago in 1961. It doesn’t fit him anymore and she knows how much I love the Nova Scotia tartan. I washed and ironed it, and tried it on this morning and it fit me!! A beautiful keepsake that I will always cherish.
Wear your plaid proudly!
When you see it on an event tracker you realize how close it’s coming!!
Just An East Coast Girl 