DAY 3, 25 April 2002
Thursday

Another night of restless sleep. Too much excitement to sleep. This is the day that everyone arrives.

White egrets on the bluff

After breakfast on the terrace with the family (with beautiful views of the Caribbean just beyond), Dan and I rushed back to the hospital to get our blood test results (we pass) and finish up paperwork.

We then headed for snorkeling at Media Luna, another inlet next to Sun Bay. The water was shallow and clear of rocks and reefs. Nothing but sand, not much to snorkel for. We did spot white-scaled tropical fish that followed the sand trail we kicked up with our feet. You couldn't even see the fish when above water, they blended so well with the sand. But as soon as you go underneath, they're everyone.

Meg, ridding the lawn of bulbous shrooms

When we returned after lunch, Meg (Dan's sister) had arrived at the Inn, along with Aunt Jean and Uncle Wen-Chi. They caught the same ferry together. Meg and I relaxed on floats in the pool for the last bit of respite before the small flood resumed in two hours' time. After the dip we headed for the Adirondack chairs on the lawn to just sit and take in the view...only to find that mushrooms the size of grapefruit had overtaken the lawn. Not wanting people to be trippin on shrooms during the ceremony to be held here, we pulled them all from the ground and pitched them into the sea. Wheeeee. Two hours later, everyone started arriving - Dan's entire family, the rest of mine, our friends, including my maid-of-honor. 20 people total coming in from the same ferry.

We were sure everyone was tired and hungry from travel, and the last thing they wanted to do was find a place to eat in an area unfamiliar to them. So just a few hours prior to their arrival, Mom and I had decided to host a dinner for everyone at the Inn. Chef Michael accommodated by closing the restaurant to the public, and cooked up a delectable "barbeque" that turned out to be one of the best dinners anyone had. On his impromptu menu were:

grilled chicken with mango salsa grilled salmon cold asian noodles in sesame oil with black sesame, green onions fresh strawberries with rum sauce and gingersnaps for dessert

Mike gets ready for bbq

Our dinner spread on the terrace

There was something else...some sort of fancy "slaw" made out of endives and beans. Not like any kind of cold slaw I've ever had. The whole dinner was fabulous. And definitely a good idea. Everyone was so glad for this feast after a long day of travel, and I was so pleasantly surprised that Chef Michael's idea of a simple bbq turned out to be so gourmet. We were all seated in one long table dressed in crsip white linens, candles lit in hurricane glasses, all of us eating and drinking and getting to know one another. Throughout the night I would look around, deliriously happy (and drunk from the multiple banana daiquiris) and somewhat in awe that Dan and I actually pulled it off...these suckers boarded a plane or two, endured a hot steamy van, a choppy ferry ride...all because we asked them to.

Ha ha!

DAY 4 >>