Mexico: Late Honeymoon

Sean and I took a mini-moon after our wedding last March.  We spent a couple of days in Galena which were very nice and perfect for the timing/money we had at the time.  In December, we booked what would be our "official" honeymoon in the Riviera Maya.  We left bright and early Monday morning on June 9th.  My dad was kind enough to drive us to (and from) the airport.  The line to check in was very long but once we got through it we breezed through to our gate.  Luckily we got there 2 hours early because we boarded the plane about 10 minutes after getting to our gate and were in the air 15 minutes early!  ((*** I am sorry for the poor quality of the photos- I did not bring my camera with me so we only had our phones!)

On the plane!

We stayed at Iberostar Paraiso Maya Lindo.  The resort was all-inclusive.  It had 24 hours room service, multiple bars (all drinks free!), ice cream bar, a dance club, shopping center, sports and gym, ocean 50 feet away, snack bars, and multiple restaurants.

When we arrived we went through customs, got our baggage, and were taken to our pre-booked transportation.  We were so excited! The ride to the resort was only about 30 minutes long.  We arrived at the resort, our baggage was taken, and we went to check-in.  They had drinks waiting for us that we were able to sip on while checking in.  We were amazed at our resort! We had never been to anything like it! It was breathtaking! Our room wasn't ready so we headed to the buffet for some lunch! The first thing I noticed was the bread and dessert table! YUMMY!!!  The resort was beyond beautiful. The walk-ways were all outdoors and surrounded by beautiful water features! After lunch, we were taken by golf cart to our room and our baggage was brought to us.  Our room was very nice, and right by the main pool! We unpacked and then went to walk around and see the whole place.  Afterwards, we got out suits on and spent some time by the pool! We then showered and got ready for dinner at the buffet.  The resort provided shows every night so we decided to check one out.  Monday night was "Musical Night" where they performed numbers from Grease, Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia, Lion King, Chicago, and a few others.  After the show we walked down to the beach.  It was so peaceful and gorgeous at night.  We then headed back to our room, ordered room service, ate, and went to sleep!

Tuesday,  I went to the shopping center to get some souvenirs while Sean went to the gym.  We designated Tuesday as our pool day!  We spent all day by the pool, soaking up the sun while layering on 70 SPF. We went in the wave pool, took a free scuba diving lesson around the pool, took pictures (that we did not buy because they were $20 per picture!) with an adorable monkey, and had many delicious fruity drinks!  When we were all pooled out, we headed to the tennis courts! It was extremely hot, but very fun! We saw two animals fighting and falling out of the tree, a giant crab, a few lizards, peacocks, flamingos, and a lot of deer! Sometimes you forget you are in the jungle but we were quickly reminded of that! We had dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant, dressed up, and headed out.  Sean tried wine for the first time and actually liked it!  Later, we had a second dinner at the buffet (fatties, I know!).  We then went to the sports bar to watch the end of the NBA Finals. 

 
Wednesday was the day of our Coba Maya Adventure.  We were picked up at 7:20 by our driver and tour guide, Captain Snake.  He was hilarious.   He had the best accent, told the stupidest jokes, and played music from club, to reggae, to Marilyn Manson. We picked up a few others from different resorts (One very strange lady came with diaper cream covering her entire face) and headed to Coba.  We walked through the jungle quite a bit (This was huge for me as I was terrified of seeing snakes!).  We did 2 separate zip lines which were not at all scary as I expected! It was actually very relaxing and gave a welcome break and breeze!  After some more trekking through the jungle, we came upon the cenote .  We repelled into the cenote (about 65 feet down).  It was dark, creepy, and beautiful.  The water was an amazing temperature.  Sean did the Indian Jones ladder climb back up while I opted for the lazy route and was pulled back up (no effort on my part whatsoever).  After leaving the cenote, a Shaman did a Mayan purification ceremony and then we headed to the canoes. We canoed across a lake and then enjoyed a traditional Mayan meal (which was delicious!).  After the meal we headed to the Coba Mayan Ruins!   Unfortunately, we have no pictures from the first part of our adventure.  Camera and phones weren't allowed.  They did have a photographer but it was going to be a lot of money for not a lot of pictures so we opted out!

The ruins were beautiful! Most we were able to just look at but we walked about 2 miles to the tallest Mayan pyramid (134 feet) which we were able to climb! The 134 foot climb in 95+ degree weather was difficult but so worth it! The view of the jungle was breathtaking! The breeze was wonderful up there as well! Heading down was easier, scary, and exciting as an iguana crawled right past me!  We made the long and hot walk back and treated ourselves to some icecream!

After getting back to the resort we showered.  Since our reservations we not until 8:30 we had first dinner at the buffet.  Later, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Steakhouse.  We ended the night at the Galaxy Dance Club.  Drinks were still included in our all-inclusive stay, the music was loud and awesome, and the club was oddly Star Wars themed! It was a blast though!

Thursday was our last full day in Mexico.  We ate breakfast and headed right for the ocean.  Playa del Carmen was about 50 feet away, had an abundance of seating, a bar, and snack bar as well!.  The sun was shining and hot! The water felt incredible! The waves were about 7 feet high and so fun! I was tossed around like a rag doll which gave Sean a lot of laughs! I left with a scraped leg after a wave tossed me into a rock! The majority of the beach was sandy but occasionally you'd hit a rocky patch in the water.  We took a lunch break and spent some time in the pool to get a break from the salt water and waves.  Sean played some beach volleyball with a bunch of people while I sipped my Miami Vice.  We layed on chairs on the beach and both took lovely naps.  The waves and overall atmosphere of the beach were so relaxing!  We headed into the ocean one last time and then went back to our room to shower.  We relaxed and enjoyed Mexico for a bit and then headed to our reservation at the Gourmet restaurant.  The restaurant was very fancy, you were required to dress up, and it was a new experience! Sean and I had to keep reminding each other to keep our elbows off the table. Naturally, we had our 2nd dinner at the buffet a little later.  We went to the show they were playing which was fun.  We headed back to pack and then went to sleep.

 

Thursday we finished packing, ate breakfast, and checked out.  Our car service had us at the airport 3 hours early so we had a lot of time to kill! We ate at Johnny Rockets, talked, read, and enjoyed the cheers of the whole airport everytime Mexico made a goal in the world cup!  We finally boarded the plane and headed home.  Our trip was amazing and better then I even imagined.  Being disconnected from technology was so nice.  It was so wonderful to just be with each other and enjoy the trip! I wish I had more pictures but do not really regret not bringing my camera.  I wanted to just be there and not worry about capturing everything!  I think we were there for the perfect length of time, we got semi-tan (tan for us!) and just had a blast!!! 

I know most of you probably did not read all of this and it was a very long post but I wrote it mostly for myself.  I wanted it here so I could look back on it and remember all the details of our trip!  If you did read it all- Kudos to you!!! 

We are on to our next adventure soon as we head to VA to enjoy time with the McNamaras!

Courtney's Baby Shower

My sister's baby shower was a couple weeks ago.  That last week before the shower was very busy/stressful! I was packing up my classroom, preparing for a substitute, getting ready for Mexico, and doing last minute preparations for the shower at the same time! Now that it is all over, I am very happy and I think everything turned out great!

 


The morning of the shower I woke up very early, made some last minute decor, picked up the cupcakes, and headed over to my parents to help clean and decorate. At about 11:30, I realized guests would be arriving in about 30 minutes and rushed home to change, pick up balloons, and get my butt back to my parents! Thankfully, I made it back before anyone arrived to an empty house...

cookies, oversize licorice, m&ms, cupcakes, puppy chow, and homemade Preggatinis. 

As guests arrived, we had a lot of appetizers for people to snack on.  Everyone arrived pretty much on time which was nice.   I had the guests who are moms fill out an "Advice for the Mommy-To-Be" sheet while everyone else had a celebrity baby name matching game.  Courtney won that game but graciously allowed the 2nd place winner to get the prize! ;)

 



We ate shortly after- we had Jimmy John's subs, fruit salad, pasta salad, and taco dorito salad (whoa we had a lot of salads!) As everyone finished eating they gathered around for the "Price is Right: Baby Edition."  I had bought various items and the guests had to guess who much each item cost.  The guest with the closest total won a prize!

Once the game was finished Courtney opened her presents.  As she opened her presents everyone filled out baby prediction cards.

  

We took pictures with the guests and then spend a few hours relaxing outside! The weather was gorgeous and rain held off until everyone went home!

 



The shower went without a hitch and I think everyone had a wonderful time! My sister looked beautiful for the shower and I know she really enjoyed it! She got so many wonderful gifts and people were so generous! Everyone is so excited for this baby boy's arrival!

F I V E on Friday

Well, this Friday is particularly wonderful as it is the start of my summer!  I celebrated by grabbing myself a Caramel Coolata from Dunkin Donuts after work.  It was delicious!

O N E
Speaking of the end of the school year... I really loved my class this year.  I loved teaching first grade so it does make me sad to leave them! One of my room parents made me a scrapbook with pictures from all our class parties and field trips.  All my students were in it.  There was a also a super sweet note and gift card included.  It was such a thoughtful gift.  I love that I will have it as a great reminder of my first, first grade class!   Today was field day, I am drained from being in the sun but it was a really great day.  Summer is here and I am beyond excited!

T W O
Tomorrow is my sister's baby shower.  I feel like I have been going non-stop getting stuff ready for it! I have realized that Pinterest creates very unrealistic expectations about what kind of party you can throw on a budget! But, I think my mom and I managed to put together a really nice shower and I know my sister will love it.

T H R E E
Mexico!!! We leave in a few days for Mexico and I cannot wait! We booked this trip what feels like forever ago and it is finally here! We have everything we need (including SPF 70 sunscreen) and are ready to go! I am hoping for great weather but truthfully I am just excited to get away with Sean.  We have never done anything like this and it is sure to be an adventure! I will do a post on Mexico at some point as well!

F O U R
Wedding city! My dresses are getting taken in right now, my shoes are ready to go, and the checks are written out! We leave for VA a few days after getting back from Mexico! I am really excited to see family and spend a really good amount of time with them! The wedding should be a blast! I can't wait! I am just hoping my sister doesn't go into labor while I am 12 hours away!!  Come July 12th, wedding number 2! I am so excited to see my friend get married.  I am not going to lie though, the speech I have to make gives me no small amount of anxiety...

F I V E
Did I mention my nephew could be born at any time? Yeah, my sister is 35, almost 36 weeks! Whoo Hoo! Sometime (hopefully in July when I am officially home) I will have a nephew! Can't wait to get my baby fix!!

Well, that is all I have for you! When I get back from all my vacations I will do some posts on all these exciting events! I have to say, I am an extremely blessed girl to have such wonderful things to look forward to!!