And the Mariachi Band Played On

Ole Bethenny fans! Our SkinnyGirl headed to Mexico to soak up the sun and hopefully some delightfully relaxing vibes. Let's see if that fresh South of the Border air helped B ring in a great birthday, shall we?

Once You Pop
Is there anything cuter than kids eating popsicles? There is and it's Bryn stealing Bethenny's popsicle. If it was foreshadowing anything about the vacation to come, I think it was just foreshadowing how precious Bryn would be in her vacation clothes the whole time.

In RaRa We Trust
Over dinner Bethenny and Jason discuss who gets the flatbread of trust, and then more importantly, who they would bestow Bryn to if something went wrong. In a post-boat-cruise-from-hell world, the pair is wondering who the best caretaker for young Bryn would be. Bethenny would like RaRa to take her, since it would be a smooth transition of love and adoration for little Bryn. Since Veronica is around Bryn so often (and can be for a while -- unlike Jason's parents) she seems like the best choice. Bethenny’s waiting to pop the question to Ra if that’s something she’s comfortable with – so we’ll see if Mexico ends up being the perfect setting. It is a very romantic place (you want romance in this situation right?).

Then the gaggle of gals comes up, and Bethenny discusses Julie's leaving. She's finally moved to accept the change, and learn that there's nothing they can do. I like this zen-like approach to the vacation already. Hopefully Jason and Bethenny can take that perspective with each other.

Bethenny: The Bargain Hunter
I loved love, watching B get into the trenches with that beach merchant. No body stiffs her on a sarong deal. Not even you Valentin you sassy beach merchant you.

Bryn and Houston sitting in a tree
For future reference, Bryn will play hard to get into her teenage years. . . .

The Allusion
When next we see Bethenny and Jason they're getting in to it before lunch. The cause of the exact fight is unclear, but involves some sort of "allusion" to something or other. Bethenny ends up going to lunch with RaRa instead since they can’t stop tiffing. The pair discusses the problems Bethenny and Jason are having and how cruel they are being to each other.

After some protracted upstairs/downstairs drama, Jason comes down to lunch and they try to have lunch sans Bryn or Veronica. It's tough watching Jason and Bethenny, who are clearly so exhausted of fighting, feel unable to help themselves or each other. They want to change everything about each other's personalities that's leading to this constant infighting, but how? How can you leave all that's past in the past? But they've committed to try, which is good because Mexico (and the rest of their lives) waits for no one.

And what better way to move on from the drama than with an overly sexual three person massage?

I just hope they tipped her well.

Then Jason presents Bethenny with her birthday present -- the amazing "sharp tongue" necklace from last week's episode. It seems like Jason really nailed it this year by creating a small little moment for the family, so kudos to him.

And then, as promised, the mariachi band arrives (along with the rest of the Skinnygirl Team!) to dance, celebrate, and generally enjoy the night away.

Next week the Mexi-celebration continues, but is Jason hiding a big secret? Leave your guesses for what it might be in the comments!