lovely week

I had the most wonderful week - a road trip from Austin to New Orleans to Panama City Beach to Dothan and all back again. It was a whirlwind, and I think I'm a bit run down, as a cold is taking hold of me. My parents' friends had a party for us in Dothan, which was so nice. I got to see old and new friends and catch up with some wonderful people. A longer post to follow...it's of course craaazy at work, so I am still here working at 7:47 p.m.....but here are a few photos to make up for the lack of words -

"three little birds, each by my doorstep:"

peacefulness:

on the drive to Dothan, my Mom's favorite piece of land:

makes me happy - my parents' screened in porch:

my friend, Hillary's boys at their Big Daddy and GiGi's house in Dothan:

my friend, Sarah, and her twins (her son had an incident with the night stand in the middle of the night, thus the shiner!) at her parents' house:

Sarah's 6-month old...a happy little girl!:

Chris and I enjoying a BEAUTIFUL DAY:

Mama and I enjoying the same beautiful day, in the exact same spot:

Me and my Dad, getting some shore fishing in:

my precious and hilarious nephews, stowing away in the back of our car for the ride back to Texas:

Paraiso!

Honeymoon Search Complete!

Chris and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico's Yucatan Penninsula, and that we wanted to be somewhat secluded, but not far from a more populated place, so that we are not TOO secluded. After a small obsession with TripAdvisor.com and tons of research, we found the perfect place! First, let me tell you our parameters:

1) as mentioned above, we wanted semi-seclusion. Basically, not on any sort of "Resort Row." I always have dreamed of just seeing ocean and beach, not resort after resort
2) we wanted all-inclusive so we wouldn't have to worry with what/when/where to eat and money to eat with
3) on that same note, we didn't want to be wearing wristbands and feel like we were on a cruise!
4) wanted to be near Playa del Carmen, and not too far from the Cancun airport.

Well, we found the perfect place, Ceiba del Mar!! It is located outside of Puerto Morelos (mo-RAY-lows), halfway between Playa and Cancun….only about 20 minutes from each! Puerto Morelos itself is a small fishing village, largely unaffected from the "cruise ship tourism" that plagues so many other towns. It had a few quaint restaurants that are recommended for actual eating (!), and a Mexican crafts market.

Ceiba del Mar has only 88 rooms and is secluded on a beautiful beach. It has a luxury gourmet all-inclusive plan, which means all of our meals and beverages at their restaurants are included, just not room service or mini bar.

We are so fortunate that our family is taking care of the wedding and honeymoon for us - my parents have been amazing and excited with all the actual wedding support and details, and Chris' Mom is treating us to this fantastic honeymoon. I know how very blessed we are to have our families make our wedding and honeymoon so much more special and stress-less!

We will be renting a jeep (of course) for the week, so we can get ourselves to Cancun (to a Wal Mart for bottled water, soft drinks and American snacks), to Playa del Carmen (have a cool artist community), to the ferry to Cozumel (island off the coast), and to the ruins, eco parks - all the fun things we want to do!

Anyway, I am just SO excited that I wanted to share! Here is Ceiba del Mar's web site, so you can see for yourself: http://www.ceibadelmar.com/english/
And next time you plan a trip, consult Trip Advisor. They have user reviews, and every place has good and bad reviews, but they are helpful just the same. But my favorite feature is the Traveler Photos section. You can see users' real photos, not just perfect doctored ones on a resort's site. Once you decide on a place, there are amazing city guides and advice pages. It has been a lifesaver - thanks to Rachel for introducing me to its extreme helpfulness!!! Here is the TripAdvisor link to Ceiba del Mar: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g240327-d223086-Reviews-Ceiba_del_Mar_Spa_Resort-Puerto_Morelos_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Oh, and last but not least! We got a GREAT deal on Orbitz and spent $500 less than we were expecting, which allows us to rent the jeep for the week!! We got a king junior suite, because we keep reading in those fantastic Trip Advisor reviews that free upgrades are common. If we get one, great, but we are happy with the Junior Suite regardless!

Wonderful Trip

Had a great, great trip home and to the beach. Got to see my dear friends, sweet family (most notably, baby Sam - who I hadn't seen in 11 months. He's grown quite a bit!).


Here's a pic of my nephews:

It was just too quick of a trip. It's funny how life is...we work, work, work, and cram in the important things, like spending time with our loved ones into "vacation time." I wish we were more like Europeans in that aspect...taking things slow, enjoying life, not rushing through it and work being what often dictates our schedules and time. I know we have to work to survive, and I'm all for work ethic, but it just seems wrong sometimes.