Let me first start by saying, I had the best time imagineable in Miami--once I get there! My plans were to be flying out of Philadelphia International at 7:10PM and landing in Miami just after 10:00PM. Well, that didn't exactly happen. We did not take off from Philly until around 10:30PM. Which put me in Miami way later than I was planning to be. I was bummed because I read later that people met up at Lario's on the beach and I totally missed the opportunity! But I did make it from Philly to Miami in one piece on my first ever flight. So, in the end, I was pretty happy about that!

The first day in Miami started with the boat tour. I have to say, the weather at first didn't look promising. But like I remember from a prior trip to Orlando, rain comes and goes very quickly in FL. The skies cleared a bit and the boat ride was awesome! I took so many pictures of so many houses that it was totally insane. I definitey got quite a few shots of the Estefan mansion!! It was a relaxing trip and a very informative one as well. The captain knew a lot of information and shared it all with us as we went. It was a great trip!

After the boat tour we decided that food was our next endeavor, so off to Bubba Gump's we went for lunch. There were a ton of us there and we had a really good time. Then it was back to the hotel to relax a bit before dinner at Oriente that evening. I took the cab from the hotel to the Cardozo with Victor and Michael. Which bring me to those two, they were the best roommates to have at the bash. We had a good time!!

Oriente was amazing. TMarie and Cyndi were sure to set us up real nice in the back room. There was Gloria on the TV's and to my amazement....GLORIA IN THE MEN'S ROOM! Of course I took pictures of it! The dinner was scrumptious! The icing on the cake though was the best.....when Gloria showed up to say hello! She came by on the way back from the studio and was thinking she may miss us, but she caught us. She was amazing. She went all the way around the room, pictures and hugs for everyone. Then she stood and talked to us for nearly an hour on anything and everything. She seemed so relaxed and I could tell she enjoyed talking to us and answering our questions. I was so amazed....and my arm wanted to fall off because I was videotaping the whole thing! But I'm glad I did because that will be a DVD that I will cherish always.

The next day was the bash. We walked from the hotel to Bongo's. There are some busy intersections in Miami! Bongo's set us up with some more enjoyable Cuban cuisine and we were able to sit and relax and talk. I was so amazed at the inside of that club. I would definitely spend a lot of time there if I lived in Miami! After the bash, it was back to the hotel to relax some. That evening, it was off to the diner. I wanted to see where the I See Your Smile video was taped. I anticipated eating my birthday dinner and heading back to the hotel. I was not prepared for the party we were about to have! We did so much dancing! Conga lines from one end of the diner to the other! The waiter was amazing. He totally let us go and we had a GLOrious time with music blaring, dancing, limbo, singing. It was a real good time. I'm glad that I decided to go! After leaving, we went to the Cardozo and crashed in the courtyard for a few hours just talking and sharing stories. It was a very memorable day!!

Sunday was the day of relaxation!! I stayed in the room most of the day chatting online and watching TV. I enjoyed soaking in the idea that I was so far away from work and in the warm and no one could make me do anything! I did have lunch and dinner with Vic and Michael. Then it was back to the airport on Monday morning for a 9AM flight back to Philly.

To those Conga members that shared the time at the bash with me, I had a great time. Everyone made me feel welcome and especially on my birthday. My 28th will definitely be one I will remember always!

To Gloria: If you are reading this Gloria, thank you. Thank you for stopping by and thank you for your music that has pulled so many of us together and created friendships over the years. I'm looking forward to the next bash and anything else that you toss our way.