{"id":957,"date":"2011-06-12T16:56:23","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T20:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=957"},"modified":"2025-02-26T15:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T20:08:58","slug":"chapter-41-alone-at-last-honeymoon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=957","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 41: Alone at Last\u2014Honeymoon!!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Escape to Paradise<\/h3>\n<p><strong>In short, our wedding night was a dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I wore Mom\u2019s two-piece lace and chiffon bridal nightie ensemble, preserved and cleaned by my Aunt Marietta and presented to me at my bridal shower.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Take Your Time&#8221; by\u00a0Mantronix<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375885933572\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Take-Your-Time-Mantronix.mp3\">Mantronix &#8211; Take Your Time<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<p>It was exquisite to hold each other in the Jacuzzi. We didn\u2019t get much sleep \u2026 I remember holding him close and continuously praying, <em>Thank you God for joining me to this person.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>At 4:30 A.M. came our wake-up call\u2014 the shuttle to Newark would arrive in an hour. Needless to say, we got going on pure adrenaline.<\/p>\n<p>Our travel attire consisted of shorts and matching \u201cBart Simpson\u201d cartoon character T-shirts.\u00a0John snapped a picture of me sitting in the hotel room, almost incoherent from lack of sleep.\u00a0Ahead lay our honeymoon and our life at the new apartment, and a lifetime of mysteries waiting to unfold.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7208\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7208\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7208\" title=\"Jet-laggin' at LAX\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/at-LAX.jpg\" alt=\"Jet-laggin' at LAX\" width=\"900\" height=\"739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/at-LAX.jpg 610w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/at-LAX-300x246.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/at-LAX-600x492.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jet-laggin&#8217; at LAX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As we awaited the shuttle in the lobby, I couldn\u2019t believe our wedding was over.<\/p>\n<p>We were later told that on the way back home to western Pennsylvania that morning, John&#8217;s mom was in the car sobbing, \u201cJohnny\u2019s gone!\u201d\u00a0 Today, it makes me sad to think about that.<\/p>\n<p>Between sporadic dozing, we spied the Grand Canyon and the Rockies from 35,000 feet aloft and enjoyed the in-flight flick.\u00a0The famed Canyon actually appeared quite small, almost like a brown flower from such an altitude. I hoped I&#8217;d some day see it up close.\u00a0My heart was flooded with elation for the entire journey.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6182\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6182\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6182\" title=\"Puerto Vallarta\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/puerto_vallarta.jpg\" alt=\"Puerto Vallarta\" width=\"335\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/puerto_vallarta.jpg 445w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/puerto_vallarta-300x197.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6182\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Puerto Vallarta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We landed in Southern California &#8220;three hours earlier&#8221; than local Jersey time on our watches.<\/p>\n<p>At LAX, a Carnival rep waited to round up the cruisers and whisked us to San Pedro Pier on another shuttle, where the 9-story 800-ft. <em>M.S. Jubilee<\/em> awaited another batch of vacationers.<\/p>\n<p>It was the beginning of our first adventure as a married couple!\u00a0We checked our luggage and stood in line for an extensive security check and a Welcome Aboard photo.\u00a0By the time we finally boarded, we were beyond fatigued.<\/p>\n<p>It was early afternoon local time, but back east it was nearing late afternoon and we\u2019d been up nearly 12 hours\u2014following a late night with very little shut-eye.\u00a0This was the honeymoon drill, and as happy as I was, I wasn&#8217;t about to complain.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1168\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1168\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1168\" title=\"The six of us \" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6-A.jpg\" alt=\"The six of us \" width=\"900\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6-A.jpg 650w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6-A-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L-R: Martin, Sonia, me, Jim, John, Doreen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We finally made it to our stateroom, an inner-corridor love nest that boasted chocolates on the pillows, artfully turned-down bedding and a compact bathroom.\u00a0As the vessel prepared for its thousand-mile voyage south, we stood on deck sipping our first shipboard cocktail.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6186\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6186\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6186\" title=\"Cabo San Lucas\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cabo-san-lucas-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"Cabo San Lucas\" width=\"335\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cabo-san-lucas-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cabo-san-lucas-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/cabo-san-lucas.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6186\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cabo San Lucas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A festive Mariachi band merrily serenaded the crush of happy travelers way down below.\u00a0We took video movies, giddy and excited even in our adrenaline-driven exhaustion, still in shock that we were actually married now.\u00a0A delicious week together stretched ahead, after which we would finally settle down as husband and wife in the cute apartment by the pond.<\/p>\n<p>The week was a heady blend of sumptuous meals, parties, ports of call in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatl\u00e1n and Cabo San Lucas, touring the posh cruise liner and meeting other honeymooners.<\/p>\n<p>We made friends with Martin and Sonia from Toronto, and Jim and Doreen from California. All of us had a great time going ashore, seeing shows and hitting the clubs on the ship.\u00a0We took a lot of video of all of us having a ball all week.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1167\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1167\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1167\" title=\"The Honeymooners\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6.jpg\" alt=\"The Honeymooners\" width=\"900\" height=\"716\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6.jpg 720w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/honeymoon-us-6-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1167\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Honeymooners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thanks to the Mexican sun, I ended up with a painful sunburn from just a couple hours\u2019 lounging on deck, <em>despite<\/em> having prepared with SPF 45. Ruefully I decided <em>el sol<\/em> and I would have to part ways.<\/p>\n<p>We toured the Bridge and the Galley, and observed many a beautifully-prepared food buffet with amazing ice sculptures. Our wonderful honeymoon was a blur of decadence and abandon.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6178\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6178\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6178\" title=\"Se\u00f1or Frog's Mazatl\u00e1n\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/senor-frogs-mazatlan-600x292.jpg\" alt=\"Se\u00f1or Frog's Mazatl\u00e1n\" width=\"335\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/senor-frogs-mazatlan-600x292.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/senor-frogs-mazatlan-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/senor-frogs-mazatlan.jpg 675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6178\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hot spot in Mazatl\u00e1n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One experience left a lasting impression on me. When touring the hot and dusty streets of\u00a0Old Mazatl\u00e1n, I was dismayed to see countless disheveled poor children\u00a0with\u00a0wide, dark eyes of hunger.<\/p>\n<p>They were singing and playing makeshift musical instruments, begging for even the tiniest donation. They lifted cups and pans up to the tourists. My heart went out to them.\u00a0This ancient city had primitive electrical facilities, apparent by the short poles and low-hanging power lines.<\/p>\n<p>Cars contained no seat belts. The windows of buildings lining the street were open to the heat and humidity.\u00a0It seemed a grim existence for these people.\u00a0Despite the charm and history, there existed an undercurrent of poverty.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11962\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11962\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11962\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/carnival-pool-335x234.jpg\" alt=\"Carnival Jubilee pool deck\" width=\"900\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/carnival-pool-335x234.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/carnival-pool-600x418.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/carnival-pool-768x536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/carnival-pool.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11962\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carnival Jubilee pool deck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When I boarded the <em>Jubilee<\/em>, the air conditioning enveloped me in comfort and I knew that a delicious array of anything I ever could want awaited me\u2014including cold drinks and fresh food, a shower and comfortable bed.<\/p>\n<p>I was overcome by a humble but powerful sense of gratitude that has remained with me since.\u00a0These children would probably always know a life of need. Because of the tireless work of those before me, I had grown up in different circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>A wealth of opportunities awaited me back home, and I had never experienced that kind of destitution. The Mazatl\u00e1n kids are now grown, and I sometimes wonder how they have fared in life. I can only hope and pray that things have improved since then, but I&#8217;ll never know.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 42: First Year\u2026 No Sweat!\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=964\">Chapter 42: First Year &#8230; No Sweat<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Escape to Paradise In short, our wedding night was a dream. I wore Mom\u2019s two-piece lace and chiffon bridal nightie ensemble, preserved and cleaned by my Aunt Marietta and presented to me at my bridal shower. &#8220;Take Your Time&#8221; by\u00a0Mantronix Mantronix &#8211; Take Your Timemap :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=957\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 41: Alone at Last\u2014Honeymoon!!&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1166,"parent":4,"menu_order":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-957","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=957"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17174,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/957\/revisions\/17174"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}