As most people were due to arrive throughout Wednesday, it was planned to spend the day at the resort. Garrett left the room early to meet with our burrito guy--yes, we had a burrito guy that rode by on his bike every morning--to secure breakfast. As was now routine, I slipped on a bathing suit and headed to Lizzie and Kevin's condo.
We had a languid morning by the pool, spent eagerly awaiting the first water taxi that would bring our parents and a big group of Lizzie's friends to Coco Beach. As the taxi came in, we skipped gleefully down the dock to greet the new arrivals. It was almost hard letting everyone pass us and continue on to check in--we just wanted to get to the fun stuff!
The group quickly settled in, and from there on the day was passed by reconnecting, drinking frozen cocktails from the bar, and watching out for water taxis holding more wedding guests.
By Wednesday evening, most (if not all) of Lizzie's friends from Boston, both sets of parents, Kevin's sister and niece, and friends of both the bride and groom from California had settled into Coco Beach. Sunscreen was applied and drinks were thrown back as smiles and laughter abounded. The happiness that overcame all of Coco Beach was a true testament to what wonderful people Lizzie and Kevin are, together and individually. What other couple would 50 people cross an ocean for?
The excitement of the day wore on most of us, but we all pushed on to absorb every minute of being in each other's presence in such a wonderful place. Tired but too elated to care, we all readied ourselves and headed into San Pedro to Elvi's, a favorite Belizean restaurant of Kevin and Lizzie's. With the sand floor beneath our feet and tunes from a local keyboardist filling our ears, we dined contentedly on a delicious meal.
One of my favorite parts about our trip to Belize was the nighttime water taxi rides. Never before have I flown so quickly through water in the black of the night--again, Coco Beach, and I guess the rest of Ambergris Caye, had no rules. We over packed ourselves into the water taxi to the point that two were forced to stay behind--thank you, Patrick and Garrett, for doing so. After positioning more guests on one side of the boat than the other, securing the 7 week old baby and his mama in the "safest" place, and sternly putting my dad in the back toward the engine, we took off into the night. Wind whipped our hair as the boat slapped against the tide, alerting us all to be present in the moment.
"Do you think they have enough life jackets?" one of the passengers asked me.
"Definitely not," I answered.
Luckily, there was no need for life jackets. The relief was obvious as we turned toward the Coco Beach dock. We all sprang out of the boat, some of us thrilled by the ride, others thrilled to be done. Another night was brought to a close with all of us grateful for our lives; grateful to be in Belize, grateful to be with each other, and grateful to be alive after a what-could-have-been disastrous boat ride.
Read about Thursday here!
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