Back in the fall, my friend Carolyn M. asked if I would like to join her, Sue Ann, and Laura V on a girls trip. Wow! First I was super excited just to be asked, and yes I hoped I could go. I wasnt sure what Mark would think of the idea. He was all for it and supportive, and I was happy to go! Laura was unable to go so in the end, Kathy H was invited to go along. Four nights in Cozumel, Mexico was a fantastic vacation. What a fun group to go with. Carolyn is super sweet and funny and has been a long time friend. We met when I joined a bible study women's group at Cornerstone that Carolyn was teaching. She invited me one day to lunch at her home and we realized we were both at ISU at the same time in the same dorm and possibly the same dorm floor! Crazy. We had a lot in common and similar personality types and became really good friends. Our kids are almost the exact ages, but her oldest is a boy and has two girls. Sue Ann is also a good friend of Carolyn's that I got to know through Carolyn. She is super funny and makes you laugh almost continually. She also has 3 kids similar in age, boy, girl, boy in age. Kathy, I knew from church, but not real well. All three are Cornerstone church ladies.
The Friday night before we flew out, I stayed with Carolyn after having pizza in Ames with Mark and the boys. I stayed because we were leaving for the airport from her house at 4AM. Our flight was at 6 and we arrived to a large line backed up to the doors for check in. Eventually we made it through security only to have Sue Ann stopped for a thorough pat down and inspection. Carolyn and Kathy had gone onto the plane. I waited for Sue Ann and soon I heard the speaker calling our names. We were both getting very nervous we were going to miss our flight. Security wiped Sue Ann's hands, and searched through all her bags. I heard the second call for our name and Sue Ann told me to go. I ran to our gate to find the whole plane was boarded. I asked the boarding pass checker if they would wait for my friend. She smiled and said she had 5 more minutes. I boarded the plane with every passenger looking up at me. It was as if they were all waiting on us. I saw Carolyn and Kathy and told them they still had Sue Ann in Security! We all sat in our seats and began to pray. We didn't know what would happen if she missed the first flight. We only had an hour to connect in Houston to our next flight. After we prayed, Sue Ann briskly came aboard, found her seat, frazzled, quickly sat down. That could have gone smoother. Airports and travelling are so stressful. We made our connecting flight in Houston and made our way through customs. We noticed a handful of people wearing masks on their face to protect them from the new virus. We thought it was strange and weird. We finally made it to our resort, Occidental.
It was late afternoon and we had no more than a wafer on the airplane. We were ready for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one meal. It was so good to finally sit down and eat. Our hotel was an all-inclusive. This was a first time experience for me and I loved it! The food! The food was amazing. They had a daily buffet with a wide range of choices. The breakfast was wonderful with a mound of rolls and pastries, a omelet chef, fresh fruits of every kind including papaya. I made sure to have fresh pineapple and melon every morning. There was also the line with your typical breakfast foods, pancake, bacon, eggs, french toast, along with re fried beans, guacamole, salsas, etc. There was unlimited drinks and espresso machines. Each morning I filled my plate, mainly because it was all so good.
Lunch was the same, a variety of Mexican choices along with salads that varied each day. There were also rolls and breads stacked on display. My favorite was the desserts, They were always very small, 1 inch by 2 inch or so. That way you could try them all! I loved all the desserts and was impressed with the baker! I could tell I was going to gain some weight before getting back home.
Sunday, day two, we spent the entire day at the beach. We found four lawn chairs together, started in the sun, moved to the shade and back to the sun. In between, we ate, drank our yummy smoothies, and stood in the ocean. It was lovely! There was a lot of laughter with Sue Ann and Carolyn. One funny moment was when I opened my new tinted sun bronzer. Carolyn borrowed it and her legs went from pure white to bronze and tan before she even saw any sun. The breeze was a little strong and the clouds would come and go, but it was warm enough to sun bathe, it was perfect. We could walk up at any time and get an ice cold smoothie with alcohol or without. Either way, they were delicious! I know they were loaded with sugar, because they were sweet and oh so tasty. My favorite was Mango Tango. You could order anything and they made it in a matter of seconds right in front of you. The staff at the resort was so kind, smiley, and friendly. They said, hola, or buenos dias, every time they passed by you. I tried to use my Spanish as much as possible, but still am so limited. I loved the white sandy beach, looking out onto the ocean and drinking my smoothie. Life was good.
There were critters wandering the resort. Carolyn and I had a coate that liked to wander our third floor balcony. He reminded me of a lee-mar. There were lizards and giant iguanas everywhere all shapes and sizes. We also got to know our maid, who didn't speak English all that well. He was teaching us a few Spanish terms and he taught us some Spanish. Carrying on a conversation is so much harder than just knowing a little Spanish. I so wish I could really speak it.
None of us are football fans, but the resort held a Super Bowl party, and they really outdid themselves! All throughout the day, they were working on setting up for the big event. It was so impressive! They went all out with decorations, setting a beach party, food on the beach, and the best was the football field of snacks and the yard lines covered in guacamole! We watched the half time show and 3rd quarter from the beach. We finished the 4th quarter in the room, which was in Spanish. Kansas City won 31-20. Like all football games, I watch the final 2-3 minutes and it is always the most exciting!
Monday we lined up a rental car with one of the hotel concierges. I was a little skeptical about the process, meeting outside the hotel on the street , having the concierge bring the car while he was off duty so we could save some money. Carolyn was confident in the whole process and once the rental car guy showed up in his business attire with the professional paper work, I was more at ease. We paid in cash and got the extra insurance. Sue Ann was voted as driver, since the cars were all manual. We pulled away to find we had no speedometer and a rough lightly built economy car. It was small and cozy with 4 of us. I was the speedometer, estimating our speed throughout the day. We had many laughs about the speed, speed bumps that felt like we hit an alligator, and Sue Ann grinding gears or peeling out. The island of Cozumel is small and you can drive around it in about an hour. We saw some pretty shoreline and areas along the way and some small towns within. We drove to a park where we planned our snorkeling for the day. Kathy had already planned to stay in her chair while the rest of us went out. She does not swim. Carolyn is the expert snorkeler and has a love for it. She even has a fish guide that she has marked all the fish she has seen in her snorkel excursions. Both Carolyn and Sue Ann brought their own personal snorkel gear and they had the newest full face mask set , which I had never seen before. Carolyn brought fins and a mask for me to use as well. The snorkel spot we chose, Carolyn and Sue Ann had been before. We had to swim out a great distance to the coral reefs, probably 500 yards. I have only snorkeled along the shore for very short amounts of time. I would not call myself an experienced snorkeler like Sue Ann and Carolyn, however I was confident I would do fine. It felt like a long swim out. I was ok as long as I took my mask off frequently and would slow swim or back float. We of course all wore a life jacket. Once we found the coral reefs, we meandered along parallel to the shore line for another 500 plus yards. It was a long swim when we finished. In comparing the fish to Hawaii, I think the coral didn't have much color and the fish weren't as brilliant colored. After awhile we got into an area following the coral reef where there were tons of fish. That was the coolest part of the swim. I attempted to use an older iphone I brought to video inside a special waterproof case. Turned out it wasn't so waterproof after all. They were so close just below you as you floated or swam. It felt like you could reach out and touch them. So many colors, shapes and sizes. One fish looked like it was outlined in neon colors. There were also these big purple fans along the coral, some type of underwater plant that would sway so pretty in the water. I really enjoyed the snorkeling, but was getting tired and knew shore was along ways, so I headed in a little ways before Sue Ann and Carolyn. The swim to shore was the hardest part of the day. The wind and waves had gotten a little stronger since the morning when we started out. I swam at a slight angle into the current so as to not keep getting farther away. I swam slow to conserve my energy and did a lot of back floating. It seemed like it took forever. Once at shore, we had to make a good long walk down the beach back to where we started. By the time we got back, I was tired, but not exhausted, hungry, and sunburned.
We spent as much time soaking in the sun as we could. I would delay my sunblock until I had been in the sun awhile and I was getting tanner by the day. The others lathered on the sunblock and didn't get much color. I got the most on snorkeling day, the beach and water area was supposed to be eco friendly, so they made us wash off our sunblock, even though Sue Ann had special eco friendly cream. My hair would do crazy things at the end of the day, I could have dreadlocks overnight if I wanted. We spent many hours in our beach chairs, sunning, talking, reading, and watching the sunset. It was so relaxing.
There were many entertaining moments and laughs. Carolyn and I shared a room, Kathy and Sue Ann had far away from us. Each evening around 10PM there was a loud music production that involved loud drums and bright lights. They would video message us so we could hear how loud it was. This was always about the time they were settling in to sleep for the night. One night a loud bird was making sounds in our building. We told them our bird was louder than their drums. One evening Carolyn and I walked to our third floor room to fin a Coate waiting on our balcony. He was so cute with his head hanging over the edge watching us.
A couple evenings we had dinner reservations at our resort, it was part of the all-inclusive. We dressed up in our dresses for the nicest meal.
When we returned from our trip, Carolyn introduced me to an app called Marco Polo where we could send video chats. We continue to send videos and make each other laugh talking about funny things such as how to make homemade Mango Tango's, having an addiction to guacamole, silly pictures from our trip, and talking in Spanish. Oh the laughs we had! Such a fun group of ladies and a trip I will never forget. I am so thankful that they chose me to go along!
The Friday night before we flew out, I stayed with Carolyn after having pizza in Ames with Mark and the boys. I stayed because we were leaving for the airport from her house at 4AM. Our flight was at 6 and we arrived to a large line backed up to the doors for check in. Eventually we made it through security only to have Sue Ann stopped for a thorough pat down and inspection. Carolyn and Kathy had gone onto the plane. I waited for Sue Ann and soon I heard the speaker calling our names. We were both getting very nervous we were going to miss our flight. Security wiped Sue Ann's hands, and searched through all her bags. I heard the second call for our name and Sue Ann told me to go. I ran to our gate to find the whole plane was boarded. I asked the boarding pass checker if they would wait for my friend. She smiled and said she had 5 more minutes. I boarded the plane with every passenger looking up at me. It was as if they were all waiting on us. I saw Carolyn and Kathy and told them they still had Sue Ann in Security! We all sat in our seats and began to pray. We didn't know what would happen if she missed the first flight. We only had an hour to connect in Houston to our next flight. After we prayed, Sue Ann briskly came aboard, found her seat, frazzled, quickly sat down. That could have gone smoother. Airports and travelling are so stressful. We made our connecting flight in Houston and made our way through customs. We noticed a handful of people wearing masks on their face to protect them from the new virus. We thought it was strange and weird. We finally made it to our resort, Occidental.
It was late afternoon and we had no more than a wafer on the airplane. We were ready for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one meal. It was so good to finally sit down and eat. Our hotel was an all-inclusive. This was a first time experience for me and I loved it! The food! The food was amazing. They had a daily buffet with a wide range of choices. The breakfast was wonderful with a mound of rolls and pastries, a omelet chef, fresh fruits of every kind including papaya. I made sure to have fresh pineapple and melon every morning. There was also the line with your typical breakfast foods, pancake, bacon, eggs, french toast, along with re fried beans, guacamole, salsas, etc. There was unlimited drinks and espresso machines. Each morning I filled my plate, mainly because it was all so good.Lunch was the same, a variety of Mexican choices along with salads that varied each day. There were also rolls and breads stacked on display. My favorite was the desserts, They were always very small, 1 inch by 2 inch or so. That way you could try them all! I loved all the desserts and was impressed with the baker! I could tell I was going to gain some weight before getting back home.
Sunday, day two, we spent the entire day at the beach. We found four lawn chairs together, started in the sun, moved to the shade and back to the sun. In between, we ate, drank our yummy smoothies, and stood in the ocean. It was lovely! There was a lot of laughter with Sue Ann and Carolyn. One funny moment was when I opened my new tinted sun bronzer. Carolyn borrowed it and her legs went from pure white to bronze and tan before she even saw any sun. The breeze was a little strong and the clouds would come and go, but it was warm enough to sun bathe, it was perfect. We could walk up at any time and get an ice cold smoothie with alcohol or without. Either way, they were delicious! I know they were loaded with sugar, because they were sweet and oh so tasty. My favorite was Mango Tango. You could order anything and they made it in a matter of seconds right in front of you. The staff at the resort was so kind, smiley, and friendly. They said, hola, or buenos dias, every time they passed by you. I tried to use my Spanish as much as possible, but still am so limited. I loved the white sandy beach, looking out onto the ocean and drinking my smoothie. Life was good.
There were critters wandering the resort. Carolyn and I had a coate that liked to wander our third floor balcony. He reminded me of a lee-mar. There were lizards and giant iguanas everywhere all shapes and sizes. We also got to know our maid, who didn't speak English all that well. He was teaching us a few Spanish terms and he taught us some Spanish. Carrying on a conversation is so much harder than just knowing a little Spanish. I so wish I could really speak it.
None of us are football fans, but the resort held a Super Bowl party, and they really outdid themselves! All throughout the day, they were working on setting up for the big event. It was so impressive! They went all out with decorations, setting a beach party, food on the beach, and the best was the football field of snacks and the yard lines covered in guacamole! We watched the half time show and 3rd quarter from the beach. We finished the 4th quarter in the room, which was in Spanish. Kansas City won 31-20. Like all football games, I watch the final 2-3 minutes and it is always the most exciting!
Monday we lined up a rental car with one of the hotel concierges. I was a little skeptical about the process, meeting outside the hotel on the street , having the concierge bring the car while he was off duty so we could save some money. Carolyn was confident in the whole process and once the rental car guy showed up in his business attire with the professional paper work, I was more at ease. We paid in cash and got the extra insurance. Sue Ann was voted as driver, since the cars were all manual. We pulled away to find we had no speedometer and a rough lightly built economy car. It was small and cozy with 4 of us. I was the speedometer, estimating our speed throughout the day. We had many laughs about the speed, speed bumps that felt like we hit an alligator, and Sue Ann grinding gears or peeling out. The island of Cozumel is small and you can drive around it in about an hour. We saw some pretty shoreline and areas along the way and some small towns within. We drove to a park where we planned our snorkeling for the day. Kathy had already planned to stay in her chair while the rest of us went out. She does not swim. Carolyn is the expert snorkeler and has a love for it. She even has a fish guide that she has marked all the fish she has seen in her snorkel excursions. Both Carolyn and Sue Ann brought their own personal snorkel gear and they had the newest full face mask set , which I had never seen before. Carolyn brought fins and a mask for me to use as well. The snorkel spot we chose, Carolyn and Sue Ann had been before. We had to swim out a great distance to the coral reefs, probably 500 yards. I have only snorkeled along the shore for very short amounts of time. I would not call myself an experienced snorkeler like Sue Ann and Carolyn, however I was confident I would do fine. It felt like a long swim out. I was ok as long as I took my mask off frequently and would slow swim or back float. We of course all wore a life jacket. Once we found the coral reefs, we meandered along parallel to the shore line for another 500 plus yards. It was a long swim when we finished. In comparing the fish to Hawaii, I think the coral didn't have much color and the fish weren't as brilliant colored. After awhile we got into an area following the coral reef where there were tons of fish. That was the coolest part of the swim. I attempted to use an older iphone I brought to video inside a special waterproof case. Turned out it wasn't so waterproof after all. They were so close just below you as you floated or swam. It felt like you could reach out and touch them. So many colors, shapes and sizes. One fish looked like it was outlined in neon colors. There were also these big purple fans along the coral, some type of underwater plant that would sway so pretty in the water. I really enjoyed the snorkeling, but was getting tired and knew shore was along ways, so I headed in a little ways before Sue Ann and Carolyn. The swim to shore was the hardest part of the day. The wind and waves had gotten a little stronger since the morning when we started out. I swam at a slight angle into the current so as to not keep getting farther away. I swam slow to conserve my energy and did a lot of back floating. It seemed like it took forever. Once at shore, we had to make a good long walk down the beach back to where we started. By the time we got back, I was tired, but not exhausted, hungry, and sunburned.
We spent as much time soaking in the sun as we could. I would delay my sunblock until I had been in the sun awhile and I was getting tanner by the day. The others lathered on the sunblock and didn't get much color. I got the most on snorkeling day, the beach and water area was supposed to be eco friendly, so they made us wash off our sunblock, even though Sue Ann had special eco friendly cream. My hair would do crazy things at the end of the day, I could have dreadlocks overnight if I wanted. We spent many hours in our beach chairs, sunning, talking, reading, and watching the sunset. It was so relaxing.
There were many entertaining moments and laughs. Carolyn and I shared a room, Kathy and Sue Ann had far away from us. Each evening around 10PM there was a loud music production that involved loud drums and bright lights. They would video message us so we could hear how loud it was. This was always about the time they were settling in to sleep for the night. One night a loud bird was making sounds in our building. We told them our bird was louder than their drums. One evening Carolyn and I walked to our third floor room to fin a Coate waiting on our balcony. He was so cute with his head hanging over the edge watching us.
A couple evenings we had dinner reservations at our resort, it was part of the all-inclusive. We dressed up in our dresses for the nicest meal.When we returned from our trip, Carolyn introduced me to an app called Marco Polo where we could send video chats. We continue to send videos and make each other laugh talking about funny things such as how to make homemade Mango Tango's, having an addiction to guacamole, silly pictures from our trip, and talking in Spanish. Oh the laughs we had! Such a fun group of ladies and a trip I will never forget. I am so thankful that they chose me to go along!
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