Forever and a Day: New Year's Eve 2013

Ken spent the day trying to get some medication that he left at home, and I spent the day getting pampered and ready for the party.

When Ken went to take his medicines in the morning, he realized that he forgot the most important one at home - Gabapentin. Holy crap!! He can't be without the anti-seizure meds! We spent the entire morning on the phone with a local pharmacy and the VA trying to get a couple of days faxed over to the pharmacy. We weren't successful, and Ken kept thinking he would need to drive the over 4 hours round-trip to get his meds from the Loma Linda pharmacy. I knew it would be a hideous drive and probably closer to 7 hours, so I kept trying to get someone on the phone for him.

By noon, I had to get to the spa for my express mani/pedi. I kept hoping that I would get a text from Ken that it was all worked out, but unfortunately, my phone was in my pocket, so I had no idea what was going on for the hour I was there. It was enjoyable having my nails done even though I knew it wasn't going to last long - the nail polish made it through the night, but two nails were toast by the next morning.

As I returned to our villa, Ken had finally gotten through to someone at the VA about his meds. He changed tactics which was a genius idea. Rather than continue to ask someone to fax in a prescription, he asked how long he could go without the anti-seizure meds. The clinic kept telling him that he couldn't go as long as he already had, and they were concerned about him not having the meds. Finally, a nurse took it seriously and said she would have the doctor deal with it immediately.

Since we had some sort of resolution to this, Ken and I went to the resort's Wine Tasting room to try some of their wines. South Coast Winery just doesn't have the wines for me. I like a few of them, but I just don't care for them completely. I also didn't enjoy being ignored by the barmaid. I heard her say she was new, so I tried to be patient, but she did not make the rounds to her side as she should have, and she was devoid of personality. Oh well. We found a new bubbly and a white that we liked, so we purchased a couple bottles as well as some more cheese and crackers and went back to the villa for "lunch."

We sat on the private patio and enjoyed cheese, crackers and wine for lunch while waiting for Domenica, the hair and make-up guru to arrive. She had been recommended by the winery, and of the two recommendations, she was the only one to respond to my request.

When Domenica arrived, Ken and I couldn't believe the amount of items that she kept bringing into the villa. She covered the two sinks and all counter space in the bathroom, plus the entire length of the tub and then there was more on the floor. Holy crap!! That is a lot of stuff required to make me look pretty for an evening!

Ken tried to nap a little bit while we were in the bathroom getting started, and then he went to the pharmacy to pick up his medication. Once he had gotten his meds and taken them, we both relaxed. Him having a seizure during the event would really put a damper on things.

Domenica was adorable. She and I had fun talking and giggling about life while she got me ready. It took just over two hours for my hair and make up to be done. She started by curling my hair and having me look Medusa-esque and then she airbrushed the make-up on. I totally expected to have the make-up feel heavy and stiff on my face, but it was surprisingly light. Of course, when she let me look in the mirror and see myself, I couldn't recognize myself at all! The final touch was getting the headpiece on and pinned to my hair so it wouldn't move. I was really happy with how it all turned out, and I felt it was well worth the $285 for it all to be done. This was a rare event, and I wanted to look amazing for it - which I did.

Ken got into his tux, and I got my dress and accessories on. Ken couldn't believe how much make-up I was wearing, and it took him a while to get used to it. I had never worn this amount of make-up in my life, so I was adjusting to it as well. The most weird thing was the fake lashes! Having your eyes glued shut is uncomfortable, and then the settling in part feels bizarre. Of course, the look it totally worth it especially if you're like me and don't have any eye lashes to speak of!

We walked over to the restaurant and had to wait for a few minutes before being seated. While I looked around, I suddenly noticed that none of the other women had done more than dress up nice for the evening. I was the only one there who had gone all out for the 1920's Gastby theme!! Ken asked me if I was worried about being out of place if no one else dressed up. I told him that it wasn't high school, and I didn't care if I was out of place. I came to have fun, and that was what I wanted. I was seriously hoping that there would be a costume contest which I would totally win, but there wasn't. Oh well.

The restaurant was beautifully decorated. The Staff was wonderful, hospitable and the service was timely and amazing. The chef had especially prepared our meals since I had to have the request of no shellfish, and he completely took care of us. The food was exquisite, and it was fun to watch people. Most everyone was dressed in Black Tie and gowns, but there were a few men in suits (the Black Tie was optional). One guy sitting near us had tried for the Gangster look and his date had gone for the Moll-look but they both failed miserably. They had a great time anyway apparently.

Ken and I ate, drank, danced, walked around and had fun. We were seated by ourselves (which was most of the tables), so we didn't get to socialize very much. However, every time I walked around, I was stopped by one woman or more and given a compliment on my outfit. One woman actually grabbed my hand as I walked past her table in order to compliment my outfit, and she said she wished she had been brave enough to dress the theme as well. I was totally stoked about it all. I didn't care if I was the only one, and I loved that I was!

To make the evening perfect was Ken. He kept complimenting me on how beautiful I looked and how happy I make him. It was really good to hear, and it really made my evening.

A disappointment was the fact there was no photographer. I really wanted to get that "one" picture for our Anniversary picture, but I had to either take a self picture or rely on the Staff for photos with my camera. Sadly, none of the staff could effectively operate a camera that wasn't attached to a phone, so I had many fuzzy pictures. ACK!

One of the highlights of the evening was an 83-year-old man and his wife. He was awesome!! That man had some serious moves on the dance floor, and we loved watching him. He was two-stepping, ballroom dancing, and anything else he could come up with. His wife was giggling like a young girl, and I have no idea what he would whisper to her, but she would giggle and blush. I loved every second of those two!!

The live band was amazing!! They had a great sound and a large range of songs to sing. They took a break every hour, but they were obviously having a great time performing which made it fun to go dance to songs we normally would not have. (Ken really doesn't like fast dancing, so he shyed away from it for a while.)

As it got closer to midnight, we were handed our glass of champagne and we walked to the dance floor. We enjoyed the last songs and dancing, and then it was time for the countdown. I was able to hug and kiss Ken before, during and after midnight. So, he was my last kiss of 2013, and he welcomed 2014 while kissing me. PERFECT! We sang Auld Lang Syne, and shook hands and said Happy New Year to everyone we came into contact with.

It didn't take Ken very long to get out of his tux and into bed. However, it took me over half an hour to get the make up off and pull all of the pins from my hair. So, sadly, he was asleep before I made it to bed.

I did receive pictures from Kim about the New Year's Eve they were having at her house while we were partying it up: They went to see Catching Fire at the theater and then camped out in her living room.