An UnBEETable Adventure 4: the Wedding

Weddings.

For many of us, weddings bring images of white dresses, teary-eyed bridesmaids, flowers, rings, kisses and I do's. We find ourselves humming the notes of a familiar succession of chords—the Wedding March.

Something Old.

Something New.

Something Borrowed.

Something Blue.

All of these images, sounds and emotions usually add up to one thing:

Perfection.

However, ask any bride, and she can tell you with no hesitation that the road to perfection is usually far from 'perfect'.

*********

OCTOBER 8 - The Big Day.

11:00 am—Since today was going to be a big day, we all allowed ourselves to sleep in a little bit later than we have been doing for the past few days. So instead of the usual four hours of sleep, that night we got six. As I wake up, I turn to Beets and rouse her awake. She immediately gets up and heads to the bathroom to start freshening up. Next, I turn to Twin and try to wake her.

"Twiiiiin," she mutters groggily, "I feel like crap..."

Oh gosh! I think to myself, Here we go. Pre-wedding jitters... Now, I'm not sure how Iron Man prepared that day, but let me tell you, getting Twin to the church was something short of an ordeal. It was time to put Battleplan: Bride to Altar into action.

"Twiiiiin!" croaks Twin from the bed, "I have food poisoning..."

Upon hearing this, Beets rushes out of the bathroom, toothbrush dangling from her mouth, and her eyes as big as saucers. I shrug my shoulders and at the same moment, we both catch each other rolling our eyes.

Now, maybe it really was food poisoning (hangover), but Beets and I believe that a majority of what she was feeling that morning had to do with nerves. To be fair though, Twin did make many visits to the bathroom

In order to avoid any more undue stress on Twin, I humor the possibility that she in fact was suffering from food poisoning and offer my assistance. I grab a bucket from the bathroom and lay it by her bed, encouraging her by saying "Better out than in". After, I was zooming around the room and the bathroom yelling for guidance as I packed her bag.
"Are you showering here or at Marisal?"
"Are you wearing a bra under your gown?"
"What about for the dress at the reception?"
"Which one is your toothbrush again?"
(Despite asking her which one was her toothbrush, I still managed to pack the wrong one... I brought Beets' toothbrush instead.... Beets searched for it for a good ten minutes...)

Now you see, we were booked at the Parador, but for the big day, Twin got a room at the Hotel Marisal which is literally a 20 second walk from the church. We were meant to be there at 1pm, gather at the church at 3:30 and start the ceremony at four.

It was past 12:30pm, Beets and I were unshowered, Twin was still in bed and showed no signs of wanting to get up.

*********

"I need to talk to my mom." Twin says decisively. Yeah right. Food poisoning my butt.

After trying to call her Mom's hotel room and text her cell phone we still couldn't reach her. Beets and I decided that one of us should go find her (me) while the other stands guard in the room (Beets). As I rush out of the hotel room, I run into Twin's three older sisters—Quin, Pards and Penny—and found out that Twin's mom is already at Marisal.

"Help me!" I plead immediately. The four of us then return to the room and try to talk Twin out of bed.

"You need to be at Marisal by one."
I can't move!

"You'll be late for your own wedding. They'll start at four with or without you."
I feel like crap!
"That's not food poisoning..."
It's food poisoning!!!

After assuring them that I will do my best to get her to the altar, Twin's three nonplussed, unconvinced and now extremely concerned sisters leave our room with more decorations for the wedding and reception.

*********

1:15 pm—"Listen Twin," I begin calmly, "You told me I was coming to your wedding by hook or by crook. And I am telling you now that I will get you to the altar by hook or by crook—even if Beets and I have to carry you down the aisle."

"Beets," says Beets to Twin, "You have to get up."

Beets and I naturally fell into a good-cop/bad-cop routine, and to be quite honest, we were pretty good.

Twin looks from me to Beets, finally smiles—then dives back under the covers. Eye-roll number two from Beets and I.

From under the covers—"I need to talk to Iron Man," says Twin with unmistakable Twin finality.

Beets and I lock eyes, too alarmed to roll our eyes this time.

"Uh, Twin... Isn't that, like, not allowed?"

"I need to talk to Iron Man."

For about an hour Beets and I text/call everyone from Twin's mom, her sisters and the other bridesmaids—but no one knew where Iron Man was. Last we heard was that he went for a jog on the beach. I ran all over the hotel checking hallways and hotel rooms, but to no avail. Feeling a bit defeated, we step onto the balcony for some air. In about two minutes' time, we see a familiar figure running three floors below. It wasn't Iron Man, but it was close enough. It was X, Iron Man's youngest brother.

"X!!!" We both yell at the same time, "We need you to find Iron Man!"

"On it!" he replies, and jogs off in the other direction.

*********

2:20 pm—We step back into the room and update Twin on the Iron Man situation. We continue our tactics of trying to convince Twin to get her out of bed, I, believing Twin was actually sick and telling her we'll deal with it and help her through it, and Beets, telling her to simply get a grip and get her butt out of bed (good cop/bad cop).

Suddenly—

A knock on the door.

It was Iron Man. Talk about a knight in shining armor.

I catch him up on the situation, which he takes in calmly as he walks into our room.

Sensing the need for privacy, Beets and I step onto the balcony and shut the door behind us and we wait. And wait. And wait.

Finally, the door opens. Iron Man pops his head out and says, "She's ready."

We walk back into the room to see Iron Man kiss Twin on the forehead and leave the room just as calmly as he entered.

Twin looks up at us and says,

"He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him again."

Perfection.
Tear.
Die.

*********

With a renewed spirit, Twin finally gets out of bed and takes a shower. Being pressed for time, Beets and I decide to split up. I was to accompany Twin to Marisal and shower and get ready there, while Beets will get ready at the Parador and meet us at the Church. We soon texted Momsy telling her to gather the other bridesmaids and to meet us in the lobby ASAP. As I look around the room, I realize that there are two bags to carry, a suitcase, the wedding dress, the veil and Twin's reception outfit. And with my prayers answered we hear another knock on our door—it was Penny. She had come to help us get Twin to Marisal.

After gathering our things, we head down to the lobby.

Now, it might have been the nerves or maybe she actually was feeling sick, but at the time Twin could care less about what she put on (one of my tops, a wrinkled pair of pants she had already worn, her hair—a bird's nest, giant sunglasses, and a giant water bottle). Upon meeting the other bridesmaids downstairs, one of them, Preggers (who you haven't met yet), exclaims: "You look like a homeless person!"

*********

2:30pm (an hour and a half later than scheduled)—We finally leave the Parador and head to Marisal.

PAN.DE.MANILA.MONIUM!

Bedroom 1: One bride, four bridesmaids, two of Twin's sisters—Pards and Penny—and me.
Bedroom 2: Kids plus Twin's parents
Kitchen: Groomsmen and other manly men.

Two bathrooms for all of us to share.

The place was a warzone. Suitcases and overnight bags were strewn open across the living room floor of the tiny apartment like disemboweled soldiers; hairspray like gunsmoke; bridesmaids at every reflective surface with the same concentration and focus as an official contemplating the next move (Hair up or down? Is this too much blush?!). Amidst the sound of heavy artillery (hairdryers—there were three), commands were being yelled as though from a general to his subordinates:
"Her hair needs to be pulled back!"
"That was the last freaking bobby pin!"
"I call the bathroom next!"
"Somebody get her veil!!!"

Finally, the groomsmen, who were forced to share the tiny kitchen, left the apartment like soldiers getting to their battle stations (fall in line at the church).


Quite impressively though, in the midst of it all, Penny was able to document the scene with the calm and level-headedness of a regular Nat Geo photog. Or it might also just be that she's tougher than most of us there (I heard she didn't even cry at the wedding!).

Something Old.

Something New.

The 'Something Borrowed' shall remain a secret.

Something Blue.

As the hands of time seemed to be ticking much faster than usual on that day, the bride and her entourage could not seem to keep up. As if I wasn't stressed enough, Twin's Mom comes in and says: "Geo. You are in charge."

Great.

Also, remember how Beets was getting ready at the Parador in order to save time and space at the Marisal? Well, at 3:45 her last text read:

"Just finished showering. Where are you?"


O.
M.
G.
She's not gonna make it.

T3 and Beets were the official flowergirls. With T3 in Manila, and Beets still at the Parador, we were down two (all) flowergirls.

I keep this information to myself so as not to freak anybody out. I check in on Twin and the bridesmaids to see how everyone was doing.

How many bridesmaids does it take to make a bride? Cammy and Momsy helping Twin.

Finally though, with gentle but firm encouragement, I usher the last bridesmaid out of the apartment (Momsy—who I found squatting next to a socket straightening her hair) and lock the door behind me.

It was game time.

*********

3:50pm (20 minutes later than scheduled)—We gather at the Iglesia de San Salvador.

With only ten minutes to go, we hustled into marching position and held our breaths.

Sonia, the wedding coordinator: "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!" Iron Man: "Not now Sonia."

Just about to ready to begin.

Suddenly, a long note on the violin is played, and the first pair (Iron Man and his mom) take their first step down the aisle, I soon realized something: Beets wasn't there. But we'll get to that later.

*********

4:00pm—Perfection—Right on schedule.

Iron Man and his Mom, Tita Honey start the procession.

Me and Pards, Veil.

Momsy with her two escorts, Barca and Futbol. I still don't know how this happened...

Ring-bearer: Nyops, Quin's daughter. Bible- and Coin-bearer: Shwekky, carried by her Daddy, Pards' husband.

Hi Nyops!

Man of Honor: Fletcher, Quin's son.

Matron of Honor: Penny.

As the members of the entourage finally take our seats, the familiar tune of the Wedding March is replaced by Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. Immediately, all heads turn to the back of the church.

Waiting with baited breath...

Twin walking down the aisle with her Mom and Dad. This is also the point where many of us start to cry.

The stress of the morning and afternoon quickly dissolve as the figure of Twin inches closer and closer. This is why we came to Nerja. For this second, this minute, and the better half of an hour that would soon follow. Before I knew it, my lip started to shake, my eyes got moist, and there was a sniffle in my nose. Across the way, bridesmaids and sisters were afflicted with the same condition. Next to me, Momsy's husband, Papa Lee, put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. This only made it worse. My pathetic simper was now a full-fledged cry.

After kissing and hugging her parents, Twin takes Iron Man's outstretched hand and they take their place at the altar.

Harpist, Soprano Soloist, and Violinist.

Soccerhontas, Ceremony's Lector.

As we take our seats, the ceremony begins.

And at that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a harried Beets standing in the side of the church.

Where were you?! I mouth to her. Now, I must explain that I am painfully near-sighted and possess poor lip-reading reading skills and so I was unable to make out what she was mouthing back. I did however manage to interpret her hand gestures to mean "zipper" and make out one word "Popped". I throw my hands in the air and mouth "Ayayay..." to which Beets replies with a shoulder shrug. After taking a few pictures, she slinks down the side of the church and makes her way to sit with the bridesmaids.

The ceremony continues.

Pards and I doing our duty.

Before long the ceremony was almost over.

And of course, it was time for—

THE KISS.

And with that, Twin and Iron Man were married.

*********

With a round of applause (and requests for more kisses), we welcomed the newly-wed couple.

Sonia informs us that it was now time for pictures. As Twin and Iron Man stood hand-in-hand taking pictures with various groups of the wedding party, I made my way towards Beets to find out exactly what happened to her.

Now, does anyone know what the perfect cure is for an emotional hangover? Simple. A funny story.


Caught up in the stress and frenetic pace of the day, Beets and I both abandoned our texting and focused on getting ready and getting to the church. Beets explained that she did in fact make it in time for the march. She took a cab from the Parador to the Balcon de Europa and hoofed it to the chapel. The problem was, in her efforts to make it on time (i.e. sprinting in heels and a body con grown-up-flowergirl dress) her dress' zipper popped—and the zipper in question went all the way down her back. Ultimately, she decided not 'march' down the aisle in order to avoid exposing her backside to the entire crowd of the town square. But that is not to say she didn't march. She explained how she 'walked' with the march. The image of Beets, her hands clasping her zipper behind her; her back against the wall the side of the church; doing her step, step, step to the pace of the wedding party; forced a giggle out of me. That explains why she ended up in the side part of the front of the church. So in effect, she did 'walk'.

After hugging and more laughter, we took our positions for the pictures.

Now, that's a good-lookin' wedding party, if I do say so myself.

*********

After the pictures are over, Sonia informs the wedding party that we were to gather at the front of the church to welcome the newly-weds.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

One Fine Day.

You know what else was cool?

The entire town square was there to celebrate with us.

♫ Little town, full of little people... ♫

Seriously, it was pretty cool. EVERYONE was so happy.

*********

We then head off to the edge of the Balcon and take more pictures.

The newlyweds.

The newlyweds with Iron Man's family.

Twin and her family.

Twin and her army: Sweet Pea, Preggers, Twin, Momsy, Beets, Cammy and me.

*********

Weddings.

White dresses and teary-eyed bridesmaids.
Flowers, rings, kisses and I do's.

Something Old.
Something New.
Something Borrowed.
Something Blue.


Earlier that day, while Beets and I waited on the balcony for Iron Man to sweep Twin off her feet all over again, Beets asked me two questions:

"What is it about weddings that make people nervous? Why do people cry?"

At first I didn't know what to say. It really made me think.

I was certain that for most, the tears cried at a wedding are tears of joy. With this wedding at least, I can attest to that. The wedding is as official as official gets. She is his, and he is hers. Til death do us part. An exciting and unpredictable new chapter in the lives of two people which will now be written as one.

But that's the funny thing about beginnings. With the beginning of a new chapter, the one before must always inevitably end. Sure there are tears of joy, but I can't shake of the fact that perhaps a part, even if it's a very very small part, of each tear weeps for what has finally come to a close.

Walking down the aisle. We see our friend, our best friend, sister, daughter, niece, Twin, take her place beside her man as his wife.
Til death do us part.
It's as official as official gets.

We can't help but be selfish. We want our friend, sister, daughter, Twin to come home to us. But at the end of the day, she comes home to her home—the one she will now begin to build with her husband.

And that, dear readers, though it may somehow pain us, is such a remarkably beautiful thing. We never lose a friend, a sister, a daughter or a Twin. Things may change, but in many ways, they stay very much the same. Weddings are meant to be a celebration of love, no matter what anyone else may say. There is no true loss—only happiness, growth and love.

There is a familiar saying, which I will now adapt to this story, and which I believe to be truer than true:

"I did not lose a Twin. I gained a Triplet."

That's why people cry at weddings. We cry because we are happy. We cry because we are so happy it hurts. We cry because our friend, our sister, daughter, Twin has never been more beautiful in her life. We cry because all around us there is love. We cry because despite zippers, war zones and food poisoning; that day is perfect.

*********

5:20 pm—Arm in arm, with smiles on our lips, tears drying in our eyes, love in hearts and butete in our bellies we headed over to Casa Luque.


Next Chapter—It's a SURPRISE!






<3

An UnBEETable Adventure 3: Nerja, Before the I Do's

The word "excited" is completely insufficient in describing the atmosphere on that Vueling jet from Madrid to Malaga on October 6th.

Yes, Twin, Iron Man, his brothers and I had a little over 24 amazing hours in Madrid; and we had seen other friends throughout the city and at the mini-Reunion at the Madrid airport, but in a couple of hours' time the entire group would be running amok through the sleepy seaside town of Nerja. That's a pretty big deal.

But before we get to Nerja, I want to add a couple more Madrid memories and notes.

*********

1. The BO Taxi Cab.

Twin, I know you're reading this, and now that I think back on it, it's kinda hilarious! =) So after eating at the Mercado de San Miguel, Twin, Iron Man and I hail a cab to get back to the hotel. In no time, one stops and we get in. As we climb into the cab we are punched in the face by what I can honestly say is the strongest emission of body odor I have ever experienced in my life. I had the distinct privilege of sitting behind the driver's seat. Yay. As the car would stop and go, the wind would blow into the cab from the driver's open window and renew and strengthen the malodorous stench I so desperately tried to avoid. Next to me, Twin looked like she could in the next five seconds burst into tears or vomit—or both. In a desperate attempt to mask the smell, Twin borrowed my hand sanitizer and used its fumes like an oxygen mask, while I rubbed my mint anti-bac ointment on the insides of my nose. It kinda worked... just kinda. After that cab ride, I am now certain that a scent can in fact strangle you, punch you in the face, lick the inside of your nostrils, tie your stomach in knots and tickle your bladder all at the same time.

2. Reader Feedback on Madrid.

Someone reacted through Twitter about the last Madrid post. They said: "Beni is a hot churro." I say: "Gross."

*********

Before we get back to Malaga, I'd like to catch you up on the goings-on between Twin, Myself and Beets before this momentous reunion.

*********

As you all may know, the Beets would have four-night sleepovers and see each other at least five times a week. In August, Twin moved to Canada and the Manila number was brought down to three. During the first few weeks, T3 and I would still spend a lot (I mean A LOT) of time at Beets' place returning to our own homes only to refresh our over(four-)night bags. About a month and a half ago, Beets' schedule got crazy hectic and I was commissioned to do some pretty demanding projects. Beets and I haven't seen each other in over a month. =( So in effect, this trip to Spain is a reunion for all three of us—Twin, Beets and myself. =)

*********

Now, back to Malaga, still the 6th of October.

As we disembarked from the plane, the excited chatter of the wedding party filled the air:
"We're gonna get so butete..."
"Did you bring a blow-dryer?"
"Waaaaaah! I'm so excited!"
"My tummy's feeling funky..."

Suddenly, Emily—my Blackberry—vibrates. New text message.

"I see you."

"Beets is here!" I scream at Twin. Immediately our heads swivel on our necks so quickly as we scan the Malaga airport. We knew that Beets' flight arrived ten minutes before ours. However, as we scoured the crowd, there was no sign of Beets...

Emily vibrates again. Another text message.

"Just kidding. Where are you?"

Laughing, I respond to Beets' text saying we had just landed and are about to grab our luggage from the carousel.

No response...

Ultimately, we decide to go ahead and grab our luggage, keep trying to contact Beets and hope to bump into her on the way. After everyone has gotten their stuff, Twin tells us that we should also keep an eye out for a man holding up a sign with her name on it—he'd be the driver of our shuttle to Nerja, which is 45 minutes outside of Malaga.

We keep walking and in no time, we spot a man holding a sign with Twin's name. At that same moment, a girl with a familiar grinning face who was standing next to him seconds before, was now sprinting towards us. It was Beets. Now, remember how cinematic the Twin reunion in Madrid was? Multiply that by three.

Shrieking.
Hugging.
More Shrieking.
Speed of light talking.
Huge perma-smiles.
More hugging.
More shrieking.

Reunited and it feels so, you know, GOOD!

We walk to the shuttles, still chatting and smiling and hugging the entire way. When we reach the shuttles, we realized that both have almost filled up, with two free seats in one shuttle, and one free seat in the other. Naturally, we take our time to get or luggage loaded, make puppy dog eyes and do the pretend "What? We'll have to split up?"schtick  until finally, two people switched shuttles allowing the Beets to stay intact.

Much like the way the Twins dove right into conversation, it was the same with the Beets—it was like no time had passed at all. The ride to Nerja was a constant stream of storytelling, laughter, OMG's, hugs and knowing smiles. Before we knew it, we had arrived.

The entire wedding party was billeted at the

Paradores de Nerja.

The Parador's indoor courtyard.

Imagine, around fifty of Twin's and Iron Man's family and closest friends staying in the same hotel. F.U.N. Twin doles out the room assignments with the help of her sister, Penny. Naturally, Beets, Twin and I were roomies.

The hallway to 315.

A room with a serious view (and a terrace). This is what we woke up to every morning. No biggie.

After settling in and freshening up, we were down for some exploring.

Lovers' Lane. Iron Man and Twin leading the way.

Saying Nerja is picturesque is a grave understatement. It is so picturesque that it earned itself a theme song. Now, if the hidden walkways of Madrid reminded me of the RENT song La Vie Bohème, then the song many of us attached to Nerja is Belle's opening song from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Someone from the wedding party would burst into song every five minutes. No joke.

Speaking of Beauty and the Beast, I just have to share this really funny video one of my friends passed on to me. Seriously, everyone. Click here! It is hilarious.

Funny, right?! Anyway—

—Back to Nerja. Seriously. It is so pretty.

♫ Little town, it's a quiet villaaaage ♫

♫ Everyday, like the one befooooore ♫

♫ Little town, ♫

♫ full of little people ♫

♫ Waking up - to - saaaaaay ♫

♫ BONJOUR! ♫

♫ BONJOUR! ♫

♫ BONJOUR! ♫

♫ BONJOUR! ♫

♫ ALE!!! ♫

We walk along Nerja's quaint cobblestone paths and reach the Balcon de Europa, the town's famous square that looks over the Mediterranean Sea. SO GORGEOUS.

Twin, Iron Man, Beets and I decide to take a late lunch at the restaurant of the Marisal hotel. We order two paellas—one to be shared by Beets and Iron Man, the other between Twin and I—and a couple of free-for-all seafood platters.

The problem was that before the food even came, Twin and Iron Man had to meet with Sonia, the wedding coordinator at the hotel lobby. About five minutes after they left, the food arrived. Beets and I decided to wait for the couple to return before digging in. But the powers of the butete triumphed. "It wouldn't hurt if we ate our halves, right?" In no time, each of the two paelleras contained exactly half of its contents when it arrived. We tried to leave Twin's and Iron Man's halves packed ever so neatly in their dishes to show that we had really just eaten our own shares.

Artist's rendition.

As we waited for Twin and Iron Man to return, we were joined by Futbol and Soccerhontas. But since Soccerhontas was to be the lector at the wedding, she and Futbol soon left to find Twin and Iron Man in the lobby. Oh! We also made a friend. As we ate, a very friendly cat kept rubbing up on us. We named her Meryll. Soon after Futbol and Soccerhontas left, Twin's sister, Penny and her husband Pablito joined us.

We ordered a round of drinks and had a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation. As we sipped on our cocktails we absent-mindedly kept on picking at the paella and seafood dishes that were still on the table. Realizing what we had done, Beets and I decided to 'flatten' the paella in an attempt to cover half of the paellera to make it appear like there was still enough for Twin and Iron Man. The problem was the paella left in the dishes was only a grain-of-rice thick.

As the sun began to set over the Mediterranean, Twin and Iron Man finally returned. Beets and I sheepishly offered them 'their share' of the paella. "Are you sure you still want it? It's cold..." we tried to say, hoping they wouldn't try to eat it and get shocked when their forks would hit the paellera and barely scoop anything up. Luckily, Twin said that she had no time to eat (Phew!) since she had more errands to do for the wedding and that she'd meet us for dinner.

As Twin and Iron Man left with Sonia; Beets, Penny, Pablito and I did a little more exploring. We happened upon an artisan shop that specialized in ceramics.

Beets and Bowls.

Penny excitedly purchased a couple of items, but Beets and I couldn't decide on exactly what we wanted. By the time we were just about ready to take our picks, we were already late for dinner. We rush out of the tiny shop and head to the Restaurante Pinocchio, which is funny, because earlier that day, I did mention that Nerja also reminded me of Pinocchio. I swear I said it.

We entered Pinocchio and asked for a table for six. By the end of the night about half the wedding party was there.

Cheers to Twin and Iron Man!!!

For future reference: Standing (l-r): Me, Beets, Sweet Pea, Penny. Seated (l-r) Cammy, Momsy, Twin and Iron Man.

Pinocchio:
Ambiance: 9 (candles, open air terrace shabby chicness!)
Food: 8.5 (yumtastic)
Service: 6 (a bit on the negligent side...)
The Company: I'm pretty sure you can guess. It's more than 10.

After a super filling fun-filled dinner, we decided to walk off the 10,000 calories we had just eaten. We walk straight to a gellateria and buy gellatos. I mean, we've already eaten so much, a little dessert is nothing...

As we licked our different-flavored treats the group started discussing what to do next.

A little known fact about Iron Man: he's a triathlete. Luckily, most of the bridesmaids' (who obviously are close to Twin) boyfriends are also Iron Man's close friends. Aaaand some of them are triathletes as well. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), they decided to call it a night so that they can do some running/swimming/exercising in the morning.

Vacation. Exercise? I don't get it...

Sadly, we let them go along with most of the other bridesmaids who wanted to get some rest for more adventuring the next day.

So in the end, our cheerful band of merrymakers which included myself, Twin, Beets, Iron Man, Q, X, Penny, Pablito, and the groom's cousin—

—Baby Girl—

—decided that the night was young. We went to check out a bar we spotted earlier that night: Buddha Bar.

As we walk up to the bar's entrance we are met by an interesting sight. One half of the bar is empty, the other half is occupied by a group of tourists who seem to be having a bachelorette party and were celebrating very very hard. As I listened to their accents, I felt like I was in an Irish pub rather than a Buddha Bar in Nerja.

Lucky for us, the Buddha Bar's setup allowed for us to have a quieter corner in the lower half. We order a round of cocktails, and almost immediately, Beets gets a brilliant idea.

The Beets have a few favorite drinks: Amaretto on the rocks, Amaretto-sour in a champagne glass, and the Twins' favorite—the Weng Weng.

And aside from the cliché Patron shots, another favorite shooter is—

The Gunpowder

The Gunpowder involves a shot of Sambucca, a saucer, a straw, a lighter, a tall glass, a table napkin and cinnamon powder. It's a three-step shooter. The first step is... wait. Lemme just show you.

Here are Beets, Twin and I introducing the group to the Gunpowder by preparing one for Iron Man.

Pretty cool, right?! It's definitely a crowd-pleaser. As we ordered the ingredients and materials necessary, the bartender was intrigued. What in the world are these crazy Asians upto? he must've thought.

As he watched the magic that is the Gunpowder shot, he was immensely impressed. He had never seen that done before and told us that he was adding it to the bar list. And guess what he's naming it: Las Filipinas.

After a couple more rounds of cocktails and Las Filipinas fireworks, we decided that it was getting pretty late and we should probably head back.

As we pass the through the bar to leave, we notice that a few of the Irish partygoers were no longer screaming at the top of their lungs because they were super sucking face. I mean, the girl was sitting on the bar and the guy was... Nevermind...

On the way back, we hear music coming from a small hole-in-the-wall and decide to investigate—and by investigate I mean take more shots...

I see you lurking, Iron Man!

Finally though, we decide that we really should get some rest and head back to the Parador.

What a great first night in Nerja!

Bedtime: 5:00 am...ish.

OCTOBER 7

9:00 am

Awakened by an uncontainable excitement (and an uncontainable hunger for breakfast), I awoke and quietly made my way to the bathroom. I tried to make as little noise as possible as I went about washing up and getting dressed. As I crept back into the bedroom I find Twin sitting up in bed and Beets covering her face with a pillow.

"Twin!" Twin exclaims, "What were you doing in there? It sounded like a warzone!"

I was (and still am to this day) very very confused. I seriously honestly thought I was being super careful.

But since the butete force is stronger than sleep, both Twin and Beets decided to get up, too, and get dressed to make it to breakfast.

After my usual three plates of food (breakfast is the most important meal of the day!) and coffee; Twin, Iron Man, Beets, Q and myself linger on the breakfast terrace and enjoy the sunshine and magnificent view of the sea.

What started as usual conversation quickly turns into an on-the-spot celebrity interview, with Beets asking the hard-hitting questions. The couple talked about the wedding, love, their love, the future and each other.

Iron Man: "I promise to be the best for her that I can be."

Twin: "I want him to know that I feel very very lucky to have him."

Needless to say, everyone's eyes and cheeks got a little bit wetter.

*********

Since our schedules revolve mainly around food, soon it was time for lunch. Beets and I had been invited to have lunch at AYO's with Twin and Iron Man's families. We were more than happy to accept. Most of our other friends had decided to explore Nerja's neighboring towns and cities that day. As expected, we got our butete on.

Here I am probably already worrying about what to order next...

Oh! We also met Iron Man's eldest brother—

—Iron Chef and his girlfriend Yogi Bear—

—who had both just flown in from Canada.

*********

After lunch,we head back to our hotel rooms for a quick costume change and decide to spend a day on the beach.

X, me, Beets, Twin and Q.

Later on, we played some volleyball with Twin's nephew, Fletcher.

After about an hour or two of intense volleyball we decide to wash up and get ready for a dinner with the entire wedding party. Our trip back to the hotel was a bit delayed as we passed by a bar on the shore and took another Sambucca shot.

As Twin, Beets and I took turns getting ready, our beautification was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Iron Man and he looked distressed. We were going to be very late to the pre-wedding dinner. In a short amount of time, the discussion between Iron Man and Twin got quite heated. Beets and I, sensing trouble in paradise, deet-dee-dee away and exit into the bathroom where we suddenly became very interested in gathering up our toiletries.

We walked to the Italian restaurant with Twin and Iron Man in the lead and an invisible wall between them. It took very little imagination to imagine fumes blowing from their ears.

Beets and I exchanged  a knowing glance: "Pre-wedding jitters." (A lot more of that in the next post!)

After dinner, Tito Madrileño invites the men to a Boy's Night Out. Not wanting to be outdone, the girls decide to go out as well.

Girls' Night Out? I seriously think Iron Man sent his brothers to keep an eye on us...

So the boys do their thing—

♫ I use antlers in all of my deeeecorating! ♫

—and the girls do theirs—

♫ There's something there that wasn't there befooore ♫

As a peace offering, Iron Man sends three long-stemmed red roses to the bar where the girls were at. Twin's reaction: "Gross."

Now I dunno if it was the intense volleyball, the Sambucca shot, or the lack of sleep, but that night, I was out for the count. I don't mean drunk, I mean I was dead tired. As early as dinner I knew that I wouldn't last another night out. At about 1:30am, I finally surrendered, and with her signature eye roll, Twin said "Fine..." and I headed back to the hotel with Baby Girl.

*********

At about 3:30am, I am jolted awake by a pounding on my door. I suddenly realized that I had taken the only key to our room. As I open the door, I see Beets' flustered face ("After ten years!" she exclaims) and behind her, Twin's green face resting on X's shoulders.

As the three of us help Twin into bed, I am regaled with the girls' antics that night. Don't worry guys, it's all harmless—I promise!

After making sure we were all ok, X finally takes his leave of us and returns to his hotel room. Whatta gentleman!

And at 5 am, as the three of us laid down to sleep, Beets on the right, me in the middle, and Twin to my left, I knew that I was sleeping over with a single Twin for the very last time.

Next—Chapter 4: The BIG Day.

<3