Some Love

This year Valentine's Day was filled of tender hearts and love. Thanks to Challey, I got some time to be creative making yummy sugar cookies. Watson got a little "friend" to push around. We had plenty of sweets around here. Sweet Scott brought me flowers and my favorite chocolates, See's toffee. We enjoyed a quiet night with our little family, eating dinner together and playing games. I love Valentine's Day and the moments we have to openly express our love for each other.

One of The Best

We were so lucky to plan a little vacation with our best friends, Bill and Sadie Pierce. Last July we made a plan to take a trip together in January 2013. This plan led us to Cancun, Mexico. The Pierce's generously shared a little condo with us and we had so much fun! The day we got there we checked into the Mayan Palace Resort in Playa del Carmen. We explored the area a little and ended up at a local hangout called Cheesters. The rolls and pasta and salad were phenomenal. The best part was talking to the owner, a certified diver, and getting tips for the best places to snorkel. It was a great spot to start our adventure. We then loaded up on breakfast and groceries at the nearby Chedraui. We were ready!

 Scott and Bill couldn't wait to get in the water in Playa del Carmen. They snorkeled with a school of tuna and "almost got killed" by dive bombing pelicans fishing.

Day 2: We spent the day snorkeling at Yal-Ku. We saw all kinds of fish, a couple of giant tortoise and lots of colorful coral. We also shopped a little in Akumal and ended with a delicious dinner at La Buena Vida. It was fantastic to relax and enjoy the beauty of Mexico.

 Day 3: We decided a good Sunday activity was touring Chichin-itza. We did attempt to attend sacrament meeting, but missed the beginning and middle. On our drive out to the famous Mayan ruin we saw little shacks and ate a roadside snack. We had a wonderful tour guide at the Ruins. He explained so much about the lost people and their possible daily activities. It was amazing to consider the science they accessed in spite of no current technology. After leaving Chichin-itza we found the little restaurant our tour guide recommended in Piste. The buffet was interesting and definitely authentic. 

Day 4: We wanted to experience some culture of the area so opted to visit Xcaret. It was amazing. We swam in underground rivers, bought Mexican pottery and jewelery, saw different animals and enjoyed a fantastic celebration dinner and show. It was a fun place to be for the day.

Day 5: Our adventures had worn us out a bit and our Resort was beautiful. We decided to spend some time poolside in a lovely Palapa. We read, napped, got massages and pedicures and ate lunch. It was so relaxing. No pressures, no kids, no obligations. It was  wonderful. Later we explored Playa del Carmen again and tried some 'cowhead' tacos. We finished with dinner at El Fogon...so good we ate there one other time this trip!

 Day 6: Bill and Sadie suggested we visit the ruins in Coba. These pyramids were open to the public for climbing and exploring. Again, I was amazed at the ability the ancient people had to construct these massive structures. Their history definitely seemed to be in line with the Lamanites. It was very interesting. We also visited amazing cenotes. These are cave like openings you climb down to with fresh water from underground rivers. The water is clear and deep and cool. The coral is beautiful. Many of them were just scattered around and you paid a small fee to the lone man monitoring the lighting of the cave. One cenote had little diving platforms, one at 15 feet and another at 35 feet. I braved the 15 footer, Scott, of course, the 35 footer. It was amazing! We wore ourselves out sufficiently and ended the night with yummy dinner, again at El Fogon.

Day 7: On the advice of the Cheester's owner, we took a little ferry out to Las Isla Mujeres. It was a cute little island. Unfortunately, our good luck with sunny weather ended and it rained most of the time we were there. We made the best of it by touring the island with a golf cart and laughing as we off roaded unintentionally. We ended the night back in Playa del Carmen with Smoothies and Ribs, and salads from Cheester's. 

Day 8: We ended our sweet vacation with lunch at a little street cafe and parted ways at the airport. 

The best part of our vacation was spending time with Bill and Sadie. We love them. They are such good people. We are so grateful to know them and look forward to spending time with them again. 

It was so fun to get away and enjoy time together, especially after the challenges of the previous year. Thankfully, Watson had just as good as time as us with Natalie, my mom, and my siblings. We are so blessed.