Moving to Mexico: Celebrating my 36th Birthday in Playa

I know I've talked about many times the wonderful friends we have made in Playa del Carmen. They are not just friends, they are more like family. And there is no better group (besides my immediate family) to help celebrate my 36th birthday.

Allan reserved a few lanes at the local bowling alley, Planet Bowl, for a group of about 20 expats from our close circle of friends. We could have certainly invited more and easily had the group up to 40 people, but with big numbers it is much harder to organize and enjoy everyone's company. We have been meaning to visit the bowling alley for about a year but have never gotten around to it - no one had in our group. In fact when we first moved to Playa 5 years ago the alley was still under construction and did not open till 4 years later. And the lanes were like you would find in the states - great condition, and really just a lot of fun.

We bowled for a couple of hours. As you would expect with a group ranging in age from 36 (me) and then the next youngest in her mid 50s and then up to mid 70s, some opted not to bowl due to aches and pains. The rest, myself included, were quite rusty and posted scores that would be quite low for the general population of bowlers. Granted I had the highest score on both rounds, but I am also about ½ the age of everyone in attendance.

Really the bowling was about having fun. Though Allan and I had a friendly competition going - I wanted to beat him, and vice versa. And with 2 knee replacements, Allan was beaten, but not by much! I wonder how well i would fare around this group when I'm at retirement age?

To make the night even more special our good friend Scottie made a delicious white cake with strawberries and buttercream frosting. It was so decadent and usually not on my diet, but it came by special request by me and I was not going to pass up a generous helping. And of course the cake was one of the most delicious ever. People joke that being invited to Scottie's home for dinner is like going to a gourmet restaurant - you are rarely disappointed with the food and the experience.

After bowling a smaller group of 7 of us capped the night off with a visit to a local Japanese restaurant. I swear I never get tired of spending time with my friends. When I don't see them for several days I start to miss them. Allan and I have just been blessed with great families and great friends!