Travel - Palm Springs Day 1

I awake to achy bones from a busy night at work, but doesn't matter. It's noon and time to head to the desert. Clean air and clear skies. Ace Motel, in Palm Springs, here we come.

We arrive right at check-in, 3 PM. After driving around the motel trying to figure out where exactly we do that, we both decide it must be in the lobby of the restaurant, King's Highway. We were right. As I exit the car and enter the lobby, I hear rave music. This makes me nervous. The lobby is full of a)those attending the wedding (who look out of place), b)skinny girls heading to the pool with little on, and c)a guy who has obviously seen five too many hours in the sun without the proper amount of SPF. He does have heavy sunscreen on his nose, wrap around sunglasses, and a Rolling Stones logo (you know, the tongue) right below his navel. Oh and bleach blond hair. More on him later.

Since it's our first time here, the friendly hipster (it can happen, on occasion) at the front desk pulled out a map. She draws a circle around the premises and then an x to mark where I should park. As we drive further away from the afternoon rave scene that is the main pool, we discover we are as far away from that scene as possible. Phew. Now to find our room. After several attempts with my key card, Joel let's us in with is on the first try. We open the door to find another smaller pool as well as some busy people setting up for the wedding. The temperature is easily 95 degrees and although it's a dry heat (which most think isn't as bad), we need a/c ASAP. After declining an offer to smoke with our new Rolling Stones friend, we head upstairs to our cool, quiet room.

Our room is modest, but nice. The bed is super soft with the most amazing down pillows my head has ever felt. The theme was dorm meets pool house meets lodge. Natural wood coffee tables, tons of mini bar snacks (which we didn't touch, what are we rich), a flat-screen tv, ipod doc and two housecoats, a walking stick and some old photos hanging on the white venetian blind walls. No rave music to be heard.

With an hour or so until the wedding, Joel preps the first dance song ("God Only Knows") while I try to look wedding-like. Purple on the eyes, hair in a bun, pearls around my neck. High heels? I guess...

The wedding is short and sweet. The bride and groom look amazingly happy, as you should if you're one of those who dreams of marriage. The sister of the bride, who stumbles her way around before, during and after the wedding, is also ecstatic, but that may or may not be pharmaceutically induced. "Nice meeting you all," she says to no one in particular after Joel and I walk by. The maid of honor apologizes and nudges her along.

Free drinks by the pool while the wedding party is captured in the sunset.

The Ecuador table, as we're are called, is full of friends and friends of friends. Those at the table are foreign to me (except Joel), but after a few drinks and some small talk it doesn't really matter. That's how weddings go.

Cuban corn, tangy mashed potatoes, spicy green beans. The food is better than good, but not the best. Dessert, as always, is insane. Mmm...date pudding.

As the sun goes down, the music gets louder and the temperature becomes tolerable leading many of us outside. We sit and watch the desert sky full of stars and try to find the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. We find it a few different times...

After party at a new friend's suite, but only long enough to almost feel awkward/bored. We leave to chill in front of the fireplace outside of our room. Our Rolling Stone friend is waiting for us and he comes bearing gifts. Up in smoke goes the fire and down the hatch goes the coconut water. No hangover for me in the morning.

The bed is so soft.