Big ship, great people, and lots of laughs.

That was SOOOOOOOO fun! Where do I start! As you know, I went on a cruise this weekend to Ensenada with a group of single people. There were some of my Wowettes, some guys from the Party List, and some who booked the trip after walking into the Auto Club and seeing the flier.

What can I say? It was probably the most fun weekend I've ever had with friends. Our group was friendly and fun and almost like we were of the same mind with plans to get together for the weekend and enjoy the heck out of everything offered. We ate, we drank, we saw shows, we shopped, we laughed, and we partied. Did you notice that sleeping wasn't on the list?!?

There were so many moments that I hoped to remember so I could tell you about them, but they all just blurred together and I can't remember the specific things we laughed about, but my stomach still hurts from all the cracking up. To start, we had planned to meet on the pool deck upon embarking to have lunch and get to know each other but Bev and I didn't see anyone we knew so we just sat with a view of the Long Beach Harbor, having a drink, and one by one the table filled up. One of the guys I didn't know leaned into me and said, "I read your blog and booked this trip so that I could meet you!" Think about it, over 19,000 hits and I really have very little clue who is reading this and there, just inches away, is a guy I've never met who has read the posts for years and knows all about me and, until that very minute, I didn't know existed. He went on and on, praising me about my writing and my personality and I was totally amazed. Having not dated or had a party in over six months, it was almost shocking to meet someone, a man, with such knowledge and appreciation of me. And that set the tone for the weekend.

The women were beautiful, the men handsome, and everyone was fun. We woke up Saturday morning, docked in Ensenada, and had planned to meet on dry land to walk together into town. Bev and I waited and waited and, one by one, were met by three other guys from the cruise, two from my group and one from Utah who asked to join us, and we were off. Now, I didn't know these guys from anyone until the day before and didn't have any idea of how they would react to browsing through store after store in a strange town, but they were just hilarious. Kept us laughing the whole three hours. I just can't describe what a treat it was to spend the time with these guys who entertained us, let down their hair, and made it so much fun.

I feel rejuvinated, just alive again! It's been a tough year for me, as you readers well know, and this weekend just made my spirits soar. For some reason, which is still a surprise to me, I got more hugs and kisses and un-asked-for shoulder rubs from guys on the trip than I have had all year. After a while, Bev just stood there with the most bemused expression while another guy would come up to me and do something affectionate. Oh, I do remember one strange thing that happened. Bev and I were eating lunch (on the Lido deck, of course), and one guy who I had never seen before came up and asked me "What is there for lunch" to which I answered "There's Japanese food over there and some really good fish dish over there" to which he responded, "You should really be in comedy, you remind me of that comedian, oh yes, Rita Rudner." Listen, I told him what was for lunch. How funny is that? And at least three guys, at three different times, came up to me and said to the person next to me, "She's the most beautiful woman on the cruise." Listen, I have witnesses.

I don't know what got into everyone, but their spirits were high, the booze flowed, and everyone was gracious and friendly, which made for a good time for all. I have big thanks and love for Bev, our travel agent from the Auto Club, who spent so much time and effort booking all of us and turned out to be the best roommate a girl could ever have. (You can reach her at 818-313-7677 for any of your travel needs.) And to all of you who travelled with me, both those of you I have known and those of you who I met for the first time, I say that you were amazing, so friendly and happy and nice to each other, and I appreciate each and every one of you for making the trip so much fun for everyone. I can't wait to see you again. Really. Let's plan something again! (Pics soon!)