After skipping New Orleans and spending the night in quaint but not-luxurious Defuniak Springs, Florida, we were still in need of that vacation. Enter the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale – on the beach, short on customers, and brand new. The result? Poshness and a balcony with an ocean view for a low low price. Plus there was a white plush alligator on the bed – how can you beat that?

We showered for the first time in 52 hours (no joke, we smelled bad and they still upgraded us, probably out of pity) and then walked down the beach for dinner, drinks, and a perfect evening.

Now, besides your inevitable jealousy, you are surely wondering whether we feel guilty. The W is a hotel chain, after all, owned by Starwood Resorts of White Plains, NY. But there is no guilt. We were helping a new, not-so-local business get off the ground.

(Did you buy that?)

God, I’m gullible.

Adrienne is one of those women who lives a life that most people only talk about. She’s always off on some adventure or working on an ambitious project, such as the children’s book that she published recently. All of this would be completely acceptable and unenviable if she were butt-ugly. But no, Adrienne has the audacity to be drop-dead gorgeous.

Inside, I seeth.

Chris and I met up with Adrienne at Colombia’s, a famous Spanish restaurant in Tampa. Our waiter Tristan was quite entertaining and had a James Bondian-like manner that hinted of illicit drug sales. To date, he is my favorite waiter on our Wedding Road Trip, not only because of his skill, but also because of his dry sense of humor.

Adrienne’s marriage advice was simple: the right match for anyone must allow you to have independent pursuits. This means that if Adrienne gets married, her future husband will have to accept that she may take periodic trips to Italy to work on an article or to Africa to help out with an illiteracy campaign. We both totally dug her approach and decided to add “appreciates independence” to our list of relationship must-haves.

Adrienne also told us a cautionary tale about a former boyfriend who referred to his secret girlfriends as “buddies.” At first, she gave him the benefit of the doubt, but when he flew off to Costa Rica with his “buddy,” she decided the gig was up and moved on. Again, her advice was on the money: if you can’t trust the person you’re dating or marrying, the relationship is simply not worth it.

Shortly after lunch, I asked Chris what he thought of Adrienne. he paused and then said, “you know, I could be married to a woman like that. Life with her would never grow boring.”

Indeed.

Bryon: So, ya, tomorrow is better for brunch.
Jaime: Great. So, looking forward to seeing your house! I hope you don’t have two little dogs like your brother. Ha ha, I always thought it was funny that such a buff guy had two tiny little dogs.
Bryon: Actually, I do.
Jaime: Hahaha.Wouldn’t that be great! You with two little sausage dogs or something. Hahahahaha. You’re joking right?
Bryon: No, I’m not.
Jaime: I mean, not like Jon. He has two Chihuahuas. They could fit in a teacup together with room for sugar.
Bryon: They’re miniature Yorkies.
Jaime: Oh, so cute! I love little dogs!
Bryon: (long pause) I’ll see you tomorrow.