Ahhhh...the Caribbean. We had a nearly perfect vacation! All but one day was in the mid 80's, it was mostly sunny most of the time, and completely relaxing, romantic, and rejuvenating. Other than the actual traveling part (delays+long lines+red-eye flights=weary travelers) it was pure bliss.
This is a view from our hotel room. Not so bad, huh?
There is a little restaurant just blocks from our hotel (via beach or street) called Natura. We love to go there in the morning and get their 100% natural, made to order juice. One of my favorites is the hibiscus/orange blend. Have you ever had hibiscus juice? I never had until we were down there a couple of years ago. It's like drinking silk.
Me and my honey on the beach. I'm a bit wind blown.
These birds are crazy. You don't dare leave any food or drinks unattended or they'll have their way with it...and it'll all be gone by the time you can count to 3. Nevertheless, they're kind of cute.
Saturday the 26th was the 11th anniversary of our first date (the only reason we remember that is because it's the day before my birthday : ) We were Juniors in high school when we started dating and we celebrate every year because from that point on we were best friends and nearly inseparable. It's so fun to think back to that day. Between the two of us we remember just about every detail (I even remember I was wearing Bonne Bell Passion Fruit lip balm!...that's scary that I remember that). We hung out and watched "Rainman". I just can't believe it's been 11 years!
That night we went to a fancy sea food restaurant called Lorenzillo's. It's in the lagoon and very romantic. 
Gotta love the cuisine! Mike got the coconut shrimp, they had a nice presentation.
Us out and about one night.
This guy was super talented! He makes these amazing paintings using only spray paint and ordinary household objects. This is one of the planets/space. He used a variety of small plates, caps, and thimbles to get the shapes for the planets. Gosh, I have a hard time painting with brushes let alone having any sort of control over spray paint.
You can kind of see where he's going with it. Amazing.
It was about 10pm or so when we were out and there were still ladies out selling their wares with their little kids running around. My heart always breaks when I see the little 3 and 4 year olds out selling bracelets etc. Part of me wonders if it's all part of the game they play down there. They have a very different sales approach in (tourist) Mexico than in the states!
Mariachi band playing in a mall.
A muchacho whipping around his lasso.
There is a story about this ring. When we went down to Cancun last year I found this ring on la isla mujeres. It was early in our trip and I didn't want to get it in case I found something I liked better in the coming week. Big mistake. As soon as we left the island I couldn't stop thinking about it. The rest of that week I scoured shops in Cancun looking for another one. Since every shop literally has multiples of the same things (with a few exceptions) I thought it would be an easy ring to find. I was wrong. There was not a single ring like it in all of Cancun (ok, that's a little dramatic...but still). Through out this past year I'd turn to Mike and say something like, "remember that ring I found on isla mujeres that I didn't get. I should have bought that." With high hopes of finding it this trip the first thing we did when getting to the island was go to that same jewelry shop and look for it. It wasn't there and I wasn't surprised. However...I FOUND IT in a different shop on the island!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it among all those other rings! It had to be the same one from last year because it was the ONLY one I had seen like it last year AND this year combined. Since most of the shops are connected it's likely that it just got moved around. Happy day : ) Needless to say, I snatched it right up (of course feigning disinterest so that the shop owner would haggle with me). I got a fantastic deal. It was a win-win-win situation : ) Me being the winner of course.
Going to Caribbean Mexico is like dying and going to heaven, in many ways...beautiful scenery...fun stuff to do...and ALL THE SILVER JEWELRY! I am such a dork, I know. But every other shop down there is chock full of gorgeous jewelry. It's pure heaven for me (or any jewelry designer).
Mike gets Husband of the Universe award for patiently going into all of these shops with me to look around. What can I say, he gets me : ) He found himself a pretty cool ring too.
Scenery from la isla mujeres. It was cloudy and a little rainy that day, but still beautiful and tons of fun.We didn't take very many pictures this year. We captured more with the video camera this time. I am so glad because now we can go back when ever we want (via TV, that is). We were determined to make this trip the best yet and I'd say we succeeded. We are finally unpacked (well, Mike isn't...he had to turn around and drive across the state for some work training just hours after we got home...poor guy) and settled in. As much as I love vacation it's always good to be home. Now I just have to tackle my (looooong) "to do" list.
Later - Janell
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