Aruba

That's right.  About 18 hours after arriving home from Vegas, Dr. K and I left for the airport and Aruba.  We had first-class seats for the trip down and we had no trouble getting to them.  The trip to Aruba from CLT is direct and takes about the same amount of time as a trip to Vegas, 4.5 hours.

We got a great deal at the Westin for our all-inclusive package.  The hotel was under some heavy renovation, but that didn't cause anything to be shut down or really get in our way at all.  We got a great upgrade to an ocean view room through a friend of mine that works for Starwood. 

We were all set and we did nothing.  Well, that was the plan.  We slept late most every morning.  We did go horseback riding on our second day.  It was great fun, but Dr. K got a little boo-boo butt on the ride that would dog her for the rest of the trip.

When not on horseback, we spent our days drinking frozen rum drinks and reading on the beach.  Dr. K favored the Bananarama and I was sticking to Pina Coladas and daiquiris.  The other beach goers ranged from mid-20s hardbodies and honeymooners to late 60s retirees.  Big and small, fat, ugly, pregnant, slim and beautiful were all there.  The only group missing were the school aged children.  The fact that we were there when they could not be was no accident. 

Our drinks and meals were covered by the all-inclusive plan that we won/purchased (remember, this was the winnings from my pool team's championship plus our buying Dr. K's trip).  The drinks were a bit weak, but tasty.  The food was fantastic.  The breakfast buffet was top-notch and didn't close until noon.  Lunch was by the pool.  One night, we dined on the beach on a four course meal.  Another night it was Italian, then Steak, then Chinese.  We returned to the steak place on our last night.  It was terrific.

I almost finished three books in the 5 days we were there.  Act of Treason by Vince Flynn was first.  Next was The Collectors by David Baldacci.  Those two were on loan from T who had just received them from Falstaff.  Thanks to both of you for the loan and the suggestions.  Both were great reads.  My final read was a suggestion of Dr. K's - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  Wow, what a story.  I'm going to finish that one up a soon as I finish this post.

We returned to CLT last night, rested and refreshed.  Dr. K retrieved the dogs this afternoon.  I took the day to dig through mail and email, read some more, shoot some pool and generally get ready for my return to work tomorrow.  After our good rest, I think I'm ready.