Hi Gram,
I woke up early this morning planning on going to a HIIT class with David, but we both decided that we wanted to-have-gone, but didn’t feel like actually going. We opted instead for breakfast pizza and heading to yoga barn with Ashley. While she headed upstairs for some acupressure, we headed to a studio for some guided meditation. After finding our mats in the second row, I grabbed an extra cushion for my ankles and we waited while more people filed in. The session was a good one. The instructor led us into a state of calm and relaxation, then helped us envision a light radiating from within. I entered a trancelike state of half asleep, sitting straight up and feeling detached from my body for a while. After some time, though, I started feeling my ankles and knees hurting and my back starting to ache. I opened my eyes and saw that at some point the instructor had told everyone to lie down, so I was one of only a few still sitting cross-legged. I closed my eyes again and tried to fall back into the trance, but to no avail.

Once the class wrapped up, we headed down to the patio lounge area where we found Ashley. Talking about what we got out of the session, we walked back to the house to grab our laundry and change out of our workout clothes. After dropping off the laundry to be done, we headed to meet Samantha for lunch at Monsieur Spoon. We got there a few minutes early, found a table, then got excited and waved when we saw her walk in. The four of us ordered food and drinks, then listened to Samantha recount her adventures in flying over here. She had been flying for two days and had quite the story of delays, one of her flights turning around, and issues with visas and paperwork. If you see her, she has quite the story to tell!

After lunch, our squad walked over to show her the Yoga Barn, then we all headed to get massages. Samantha had to shake off the jet lag and the rest of us went with to show moral support, of course. The next two hours passed with a smile as I got a massage and facial to emerge feeling like a king. We all had the same goofy smile as we headed down the street for some pre-dinner icy beverages. I tried a taro latte, a purple sweet drink with a unique flavor, while Ashley had the hot version of the same. Samantha had a cure potion of rice juices that looked fancy and delicious while David had an avocado espresso drink. Pure decadence all around before we walked over the restaurant to meet our friends who had arrived in the last few days.

Chant’l was waiting for us when we arrived, then the rest of the crew filtered in a few at a time. The food was delicious, the conversation non-stop, with laughter that filled the whole room. The staff brought out a piece of chocolate cake with a candle for Christine and everyone joined in a round of the happy birthday song. It started to rain as we prepared to leave, and we all made a quick dash to the coconut shop down the street for some ice cream to cap off the night. The talk continued as we discussed pans for the next few days and how the idea of FI affected each of us before people started trickling out to go find sleep. David, Susan and I shared a deep talk about dreams, personal finance, and choices before we realized that a few hours had passed and we all needed to get home and to sleep before the rain came back. David and I continued the conversation as we walked back to the house, having completed seven miles that day. Tired, we each headed off to our rooms to recharge once more.