When my cousin May (often referred to as ‘sister’) gave me a card during a recent visit to LA I had no idea what it could be for. I pulled it out of its envelope. SH*T JUST GOT REAL it read.
And on the interior: Will you be my bridesmaid?
I squeeeeealed! I’d never been asked to be anyone’s bridesmaid before. She likes me, she really likes me! My entire life I’ve waited for this validation from my younger and always cooler cousin. She had been the glue that pulled my DIY wedding together back in 2006— literally— tacky-gluing programs and place cards hours before I walked down the aisle. Finally I can reciprocate.
Lucky for me, she’s not a hardcore DIY-er.
So far, the only duty I’ve been burdened with is attending a bachelorette party in the Caribbean. It was really really really hard to leave LA, folks. Really hard to leave amidst the chaos of end-of-the-year everything at two different schools, really hard to take a 5-day vacation— the first I’ve taken since having children. Really hard.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
This was also my first bachelorette party. Ever. So it was a bit of a cultural experience. And like all cultural experiences I partook with enthusiasm. If you’re interested in the dark side, you can read about my existential conflict here.
As for the Suitable for Work St. Maarten Travel Brochure read on!
I met May and her friend Maggie at JFK and we flew to St. Maarten together. I never even asked “why?” regarding these rubber masks. I just accepted them as a “why not” from the start. They fit right in to the surreal, fantastical environment of this Caribbean adventure. And, I have always wanted to be a unicorn.
Three hours later we landed in paradise.
We rented a beachfront house May’s maid of honor Mel found on VRBO. I think I paid $140 for three nights. Steal.
You know you’re staying on the dutch side of St. Maarten when the sea glass is broken Heineken bottles.
We spent the first night in Marigot, French side, and had an amazing dinner at Rosemary’s.
Seeing these cuties made me miss my girls. But I worked through it. The bachelorette party must continue!
Caption this.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Shoot. These lips and lashes are for another, Boo.”
It’s too bad the people of St. Maarten have zero personality. We were so bored.
The next day we lounged. I read Gone Girl. Perfect reading material while celebrating someone else’s pending nuptials.
This drove me nuts. But eventually wrote it off as #caribbeanproblems. (Seriously though, a plastic thing to fit in the casing? Something?)
Clearly I wasn’t there yet. I needed help relaxing.
Participating in more of our favorite beach pastimes.
At night we hit the town.
The view from the top… of the bar. Gotta admit, the French bartenders defied all stereotypes. They were friendly, generous and seemed to be having as much if not more fun than their customers. (If anyone knows the name of this place I”ll link to it.)
The hour when strange men and kleptomania start creeping in…
Just as we started to settle into island life… it was over.
Thanks for an amazing trip, ladies.
May, I hope you enjoyed burying your maidenhood. I sure enjoyed digging mine up and dusting her off.
Next up… NANTUCKET!
