Happy Holidays Video Blog : A Big Thank You (and Holiday Wishes!)

Thank You! I want to take a moment to thank all of our friends and family who helped make this journey possible. Your love and support for our sometimes off-the-wall ideas truly means the world to us. We are so lucky to have people in our lives who encourage us to chase adventures and try new things. This trip was something we will never forget, and we’re so grateful for everyone who cheered us on along the way. We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! To share a little more of the adventure, here are some video clips from our trip. We hope they help spread a little of the fun and memories we made along the way.

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. 

Houston Layover

It has already been a fun trip and we have not even made it to Mexico yet.

We had a four hour layover in Houston, and my good friend Caitlin, who lives here, was able to pick us up so we could grab lunch together. It was so nice getting to see her, even if it was only for a short visit.

I am kicking myself a little for not taking a picture with her.

Now we are back at the airport with a little over an hour left before our next flight. After that, we will finally be on our way to Cancun.

I will post another update once we get settled into our condo.

Bye Bye Arizona

Well, today is the day. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go.

Bye Bye Arizona!

I am definitely going to miss my cat like crazy while we are gone, but he is in good hands while we are away. Saying goodbye is never easy, even when you know everything will be fine.

Next stop is Texas for a four hour layover, and then we are finally off to Cancun.

The adventure officially begins now.

Booked and Ready for the Trip

Today was a long day, but we finally got almost everything done that we needed before the trip.

Trip Checklist

✔ Tickets
There was a small change in our plans. Since we booked the tickets a little later than expected, prices and routes had shifted. We will now be flying from Tucson to Cancun and leaving on the 30th.

✔ Rental Car
We booked a rental car for the month. It is a tiny little car, but it will definitely get the job done.

✔ Random Shopping List

We also picked up a few things we wanted for the trip:

• Water shoes. Yes please.

• Waterproof video camera with a cute little mini stand

• Biodegradable sunscreen

Florida Friends and Family

After our time in Mexico, we will be making a quick stop in Florida.

We arrive in Tampa on November 30th and will be leaving on December 6th. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone while we are there.

Everything is finally starting to come together, and the trip is feeling very real.

Exciting News for Our Cancun Trip

Today I have some exciting news to share.

There is a chance that a few of our friends might come visit us while we are in Cancun. Nothing is officially planned yet, but the idea alone makes me really happy. It would be amazing to share part of this adventure with friends.

If any of you are reading this, I just want to say one thing.

DO IT!

Seriously, it would be so much fun to have some familiar faces join us in Cancun.

More Travel Prep

In other news, tomorrow Shane will be able to request the cash from his 401k. It will be nice to have that taken care of so we can focus on the rest of our trip planning.

The next few weeks are going to fly by.

Only 23 days and counting until our adventure begins.