Well, I’m back!

And if you hadn’t already figured out from Instagram or Twitter, I just came back from Puerto Rico!

When I turned 29 last year, my master plan was to do a big party then and go away or do something with a smaller group of close friends this year. But going away isn’t cheap, and so I felt bad asking my friends. They must have remembered, though, because they started hatching plans right around my cookie swap and then Ashley started asking lots of pointed questions in St. Croix about what I might like in a getaway. Something warm, I answered, immediately. I love skiing, but good lord do I love relaxing on a beach. (I mean, who doesn’t?)

And so my friends began planning and collaborating with my mom, who’d be paying my share as a birthday gift. All I was told was who was going and that I’d need to take a day and a half off work. As the trip drew closer, Shannon told me she’d meet me at my apartment that afternoon with our ride to the airport.

Thursday afternoon, I ran home from work, met Shannon in my lobby, did a frantic last-minute check of my bags and hopped in the car.

We got to JFK and checked in at the kiosk. Shannon told me to watch the screen to see where we were going. I was both exhausted and excited and didn’t put two together when SJU popped up on the screen. Shannon looked at me expectantly, and I said “no, wait, where’s SJU? I can’t remember.”

San Juan, she said.

“OHH!!!!!!!” I’d never been there and was definitely really curious about it after having layovers there on my St. Croix trip.

Our flight was horribly turbulent, and I grabbed poor Shannon’s wrists more than once in panic, but a few hours later we landed and I was thrilled to start the weekend with my closest girlfriends.

I’ll do a more detailed recap soon, but I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends who have been there for me in both the good times and the bad.

And now, time for a long run in the cold.

One of these is not like the other.