Florida Adventures: Family, Disney Christmas, and the End of Our Journey

Florida Florida Florida!

I hate when I fall behind on blogging because then there is way too much to catch up on. So this one is going to stay simple. A few words… and a lot of pictures.

Friday Night

The night we arrived, after dinner with family, we headed to the dog track.

It was actually Shane’s first time ever going to one, so of course he had to place a bet. Watching the races was pretty fun, and it was a great way to kick off our Florida visit.

After the track we went to see my friend Kaity. It is always so good catching up with my girlfriends when I’m back in town.

One of my younger brothers!

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Saturday

Saturday was extra special because I finally got to spend time with my beautiful new niece. One of the most wonderful women I know welcomed her gorgeous daughter four months ago, and I had been waiting forever to meet her.

Her name is Alexie Charlotte, and I already can’t get enough of her.

The beautiful mother of my niece! ( '', ) So Happy to see my girls!

Later that night we headed out to celebrate my youngest brother Joey’s 21st birthday at a country bar.

Happy Birthday Joey!

The night included plenty of pool, cold drinks, and line dancing. I didn’t manage to capture all of it in photos, but it was definitely a fun night with lots of good memories.

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Sunday

Sunday morning I slipped out early to spend more time with Kim and baby Alexie. I had been dying to take some pictures of her, so we ended up having our own little baby photo shoot.

I used Kim’s camera, and I realized something during that shoot… I absolutely love taking baby pictures. I might need to invest in a nice camera someday.

We had so much fun doing the baby shoot that we later went back out for a family photo session as well.

That evening was also really special. Since Shane and I missed Thanksgiving, my wonderful mom actually waited to celebrate until we arrived so we could all have dinner together.

The food was amazing, and it meant a lot to be able to spend that time with my family.

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Monday

Monday was a bit of a blur.

Shane and I took a drive along the beach during the day, then spent time hanging out with my oldest brother Sam. Later that night we grabbed dinner and drinks at Applebee’s with my good friend Billy.

Just a nice relaxed day.

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Tuesday

Tuesday was a big adventure day.

We drove up to Orlando early in the morning to meet one of my oldest friends, Elena, and spend the day at SeaWorld.

The park was a lot of fun. We saw the sea lion show, the Shamu family show, and wandered through all kinds of exhibits. It ended up being a really great day.

After SeaWorld we headed over to Disney for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Disney during Christmas is one of my favorite things ever. The castle is lit up, there is fake snow falling on Main Street, and they hand out unlimited cookies and hot cocoa.

What more could you ask for?

One of the best parts was that they only sell a limited number of tickets for the event, so there were almost no lines anywhere. We could just walk onto rides and enjoy everything.

My favorite part of the night was definitely the fireworks show. I absolutely love fireworks.

It was a perfect way to end the day.

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Wednesday

Wednesday was a bit less magical.

We drove home from Orlando, and Shane ended up running a fever most of the day. I actually considered changing our flight because I was worried about putting him on a plane, but we had already been away from home for so long that we decided to push through.

He rested most of the day while I made the rounds saying goodbye to everyone.

Saying goodbye to family is never easy, especially to my sweet little niece and my mom.

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Thursday

Thursday morning Shane was still running a fever, but we managed to make it onto our flight back to Tucson.

His mom already had a doctor’s appointment set up for him when we got back, and it turns out he had an ear infection, so he was able to start antibiotics right away.

The best part of getting home was finally seeing our sweet cat Chewbacca again. We both missed him like crazy.

Now we are home safe after an incredible trip. Vacation may be over, but we truly had the time of our lives.

And honestly, if anyone asks about the trip, I might just send them to this blog… because I’m pretty sure I covered everything.

Adios!

Adiós Cancun: Leaving Mexico and Heading to Florida

Adiós Cancun

Adiós Cancun! You have been an incredible adventure that I would happily repeat over and over again.

Before leaving, we made sure to sign the guest book at our “Cozy Studio Condo” to let the owners know how much we enjoyed staying there. It was the perfect little home base for our month in Mexico.

Goodbye tiny room that we somehow managed to keep messy the entire time.

Goodbye awesome little rental car.
You were tiny too, but that actually came in handy more than once when squeezing through traffic.

And of course, goodbye to the beautiful beaches. Those bright blue waters and soft sand will definitely be missed.

We boarded our plane and left Cancun on Friday with a layover in Miami. I have to say, I am not a huge fan of going through customs there when you still have another flight to catch.

By the time we made it through customs, picked up our luggage, waited in line just to walk out of the baggage area, checked our bags back in, stood in another line for security, boarded a shuttle, and then walked halfway across the airport, we finally arrived at our gate… and everyone was already on the plane.

They really don’t leave you much wiggle room.

Thankfully the final flight was only about 45 minutes to Tampa, where my brother picked us up at the airport.

Since arriving in Florida things have been nonstop. I am so happy to be spending time with friends and family again.

More pictures from our time here will be coming soon!

Final Days in Cancun: Relaxing, Xplor Adventures, and Saying Goodbye

11/25 – 11/27

Unfortunately my phone, which I used for about 95% of my photos, has officially died. At some point during the trip it must have gotten wet, and now it’s completely useless.

Since these days were more relaxed anyway, I didn’t miss too many photo opportunities. The only picture I managed to get was one poolside shot with my underwater camera.

Most of these days were spent just enjoying the slower side of the trip. We relaxed in the sun, wandered around the city for meals, and took things easy for a few days.

One highlight was Bingo by the pool. Shane ended up winning a bag, a headband, and a cup. Woot woot! Not exactly life-changing prizes, but still pretty exciting.

Other than that, it was just a few peaceful days soaking up the last bits of sunshine.

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11/28

Just south of Playa del Carmen there is an incredible natural adventure park called Xplor.

The park is built around a huge cave system, and all of the activities are designed to let people experience the caves while still preserving the natural environment. The whole place is really impressive.

There were several different activities to try throughout the park, including zip lines, amphibious jeep trails through the jungle and caves, underground river floating, and rafting through cave systems.

It was easily one of the most fun and adventurous days of the entire trip.

The zip lines were amazing. Some of them were incredibly high, and a few even sent you flying straight over the jungle canopy before dipping down toward caves and water.

We also drove through the jungle and cave system in these little amphibious vehicles. As usual, I let Shane do the driving while I focused on enjoying the scenery.

One of my favorite parts was floating through the underground rivers. Before getting in they guide you through a waterfall, which was absolutely freezing, but once you get used to the water it’s a really cool experience drifting through the caves.

The park photographers take pictures of you throughout the day at different activities. They turned out great, but they charge an arm and a leg. Since I’d prefer to keep all of my limbs attached, I might have to pass on buying them.

Thankfully we still managed to capture plenty of our own photos and videos during the day.

Little cavemen explaining our adventure

Walking up up up to our next zip line!

Long way down!!!!

Here we go! (I have so many great videos from this day, but will have to wait until I get home to do anything with them! The video camera on this works great)

On our way through a cave in a Jeep

I always let Shane drive. I prefer to enjoy the scenery.. 

Helmets on at all times!

Getting ready for some river floating. First they prep you with a waterfall.. colddd waterfall!!

11/29

Today is our last full day in Cancun.

It’s hard to believe how fast this month has flown by.

Today will mostly be spent packing up our things and enjoying one last night in this beautiful place.

I’m definitely going to miss it here, but I’m also really excited for the next part of our trip. Tomorrow we head to Florida to visit my family.

More adventures ahead. 

Thanksgiving in Bacalar, Snorkeling Xel-Ha, and One More Night in Tulum

11/22

Happy Thanksgiving… Missing America today!

We decided to take a drive down to Bacalar to see the famous Lake of Seven Colors. Unfortunately Shane had a bit of a cold and wasn’t feeling great all day, so it probably wasn’t the best timing for a long day trip.

Even so, we made the most of it.

Once we arrived, we took a boat ride around the lake and out over a very deep cenote that connects to the lagoon. The water really does live up to its name. Different shades of blue stretch across the lake depending on the depth, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Along the edges of the cenote there were trees that had fallen into the water, their roots and branches stretching down into the deep blue. It made the whole place feel really peaceful and untouched.

After the boat ride we grabbed some lunch, wandered around a bit, and then headed back to Tulum so Shane could get some rest.

Even though it was a shorter day than we expected, the boat ride alone made the trip worth it.

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11/23

We checked out of Hotel Latino early in the morning and decided to take one last quick look at the beach before heading out for the day. Our plan was to visit Xel-Ha and then drive back to Cancun afterwards.

Well… that plan changed a little.

While walking along the beach we ended up stopping at CoCo Tulum, and before we knew it we had booked a room in one of the beach towers for the night.

Oops.

Honestly though, it felt like the right decision. One more night in Tulum, especially right on the beach, seemed too good to pass up.

Since it was still early and we couldn’t check in yet, we left our bags and headed to Xel-Ha Aquatic Park for the day.

Xel-Ha is basically a giant natural aquarium. We spent most of the day snorkeling through the lagoon, watching all kinds of colorful fish swim around us. At one point we even spotted a stingray gliding along the bottom.

The snorkeling there is incredible. Everywhere you turn there are schools of bright tropical fish, and the water is so clear you can see everything.

One of the coolest moments of the day was spotting a manatee. I kept wanting to call him Snooty the whole time.

We also swam through a small cave and around the mangroves. While exploring near the mangrove roots we stumbled across a pretty intimidating fish with some seriously nasty teeth. I called Shane over to look at it, and right as we were watching it chomp down on another fish. That was enough for both of us. We swam away very quickly.

After a full day in the water we headed back to CoCo Tulum. By the time we arrived it was already dark, so we grabbed some coffee and took a quiet walk along the beach before heading up to our room. 

The room was incredible.

We left the doors open all night and could hear the waves crashing right outside. At one point during the night I woke up and honestly thought I might be dreaming. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean was absolutely perfect.

2012

They reminded me of Dory and Marlin.. hehe

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11/24

We woke up to an amazing view from our room overlooking the beach.

We started the morning with a quick swim in the ocean and spent some time relaxing on the balcony. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, but we still managed to enjoy the beach for a bit and soak up what sunshine we could.

Most of the morning was spent just sitting out on the balcony, taking in the view and enjoying the sound of the waves before it was time to check out.

Eventually we packed up and made the drive back to Cancun, where we’ll spend the last few days of our trip.

Hard to believe this adventure is already starting to wind down.