Before I forget anything else that happened in Mexico, I wanted to at least recount my birthday there.

We all woke up, and there was a complimentary brunch at the hotel. Free tacos. They would later give us huge stomach problems for over a week, but that’s something I would rather forget.

Paul & Tim were gone for awhile. I pretended that I didn’t notice and sat around the pool with everyone. It was hot and humid, but it was a most welcome weather; something we’d been waiting for. It had been raining for 3 days straight.

I remember sitting at the edge of the pool, kicking my feet. Some people jumped in the pool. Most everyone was talking at the table. Time passed. They got back. I went upstairs, and when I came down, everyone started singing.

Paul was holding out an entire plate of mini cheesecakes, all stacked together. He knows they’re my favorite. I made a wish. I wished that we all would have safe plane rides back home. It came true.

I sat down at the table and opened my card. His “To: Jen” handwriting was the best I’ve ever seen from him. He told me he tried, and my heart smiled. It was a handmade card of deep green. Inside, he surprised me by getting Legion, the upcoming WoW expansion and a glamour set for Final Fantasy XIV.

Expansions, especially pre-orders, are not cheap. I wondered how many hours of gold farming he had to do to pull it off just for me.

And the glamour set for FFXIV. It was the Thavnairian pieces that cost nearly an arm and a leg in gil. Not to mention, you’d need someone to craft it for you. I remember falling in love with it when I first saw, but I slowly let it go as I knew it was nearly unattainable.

My character has been wearing it ever since we got home and I logged on.

I knew then that even without much in our lives, he somehow always manages to give me something thoughtful. But it’s a different kind of thoughtful that women have. It’s a powerful, warm love that I don’t even possess. I must imagine that every man possesses this within themselves, made only available to the right person. And it was then that I was reminded of how lucky I have been.

The day went on. We roamed the street vendors, eyeing souvenirs to bring back home.  I practiced my Spanish with them, Tim was focused on handmade fabric dyed with insects, and Paul found a man that made pieces out of coconuts.

We had Armando’s tacos for dinner. This was the third and final time we went over. I knew now to order the taco combo with only shrimp tacos. Those were the best shrimp tacos I’d ever had. The salsa was refreshing, too.

9:30PM came around, and Paul gathered everyone to celebrate at a local bar – the Drunken Duck. I kept mistaking it for the Drunken Clam.

The drinks were strong. The strawberry margarita was better than anything I’d had in the US. And the live music had people dancing on top of the bar. We spoke about many inappropriate things, and it was wonderful.

We ended the night by walking back to the beach near the hotel. The boys didn’t hesitate to skinny dip. The girls on the other hand, the three of us, stood in the sand looking at each other. We cheered every guy as they ran in, into the ocean, into the dark as we wondered if we were going to join in.

Me and Jess looked at each other, “Fuck it” we said. We gave one reassuring glance, shrugged our shoulders, and ran with laughter. Paul yelled “who is that?!” in the darkness and we found our way to the group. Rick went back to help Adrienne, and thus began one of my favorite memories in life.

The water was warm, the stars were painted in every corner of the sky, and I was with people that I loved. The waves would pull us in and bring us back to different parts of Mexico, and I loved it all. No camera, no video, no picture could ever do that night justice.

So, now, on nights when the winter cold seeps into the doorway of our room, I remember the warmth of Mexico and it holds me close until I fall asleep.