Family Bliss

Restored and refreshed, we're all back from our trip to the Mexican Riviera. I had the best time being with my two boys for a solid week where our biggest chore everyday was getting dressed up for dinner. PJO and I were able to really enjoy being with Timmy and watching him explore and admire everything around him.

Timmy made friends with much of the staff on the ship. For some reason, he really loved running in the hallway outside our cabin, so he would squeal with delight every time we opened the door. Upon hearing that (loud) sound, all the suite attendants would pop their heads out of the rooms they were cleaning and say "Hi, Timmy" with a big smile.

PJO and I took advantage of the cruise babysitting service a few times (2 hour blocks each time), which let us sit out by the pool with drinks, go out for some wine tasting and play at the arcade. It was just enough time to fully relax and enjoy our trip toddler-free without giving up the family aspect of the vacation.

At night, Timmy slept on the pull-out couch in our room and we would often enjoy a drink and conversation on the balcony, somewhat drowned out by the sound of the waves below us. The night of our anniversary, we sailed from Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta. Once Timmy had fallen asleep, we shared a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries while looking out on an amazing lightening storm over the ocean.

While there were several shore excursions I would have loved to do, many were not toddler friendly (swimming with the dolphins, scuba diving, zip lining), so we ended up picking pretty low-key things to do in each place...hanging out at the beach in Cabo, at a resort on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. My favorite was "Salsa, Salsa, Margarita" in Mazatlan. At a beautiful hotel on the beach, we learned how to make several types of margaritas, guacamole and six kinds of salsa. Then we learned how to salsa dance. After the lessons, we lounged at the pool and beach and watched fat American tourists zip down the water slide. Eating guacamole and drinking margaritas were pretty much my only goals for my time in Mexico and I certainly accomplished them.

It was also nice to practice my Spanish a little bit. I haven't really spoken or listened to the language since I lived in Madrid 6 years ago (!), but I was amazed at how much came right back to me when I was trying to ask directions or negotiate for souvenirs.







I guess I'm happy to be back home and getting back to real life. I swore that I would detox from alcohol a bit when I returned from vacation, but then it just so happened that all of my favorite seasonal beer (pumpkin!) was fully stocked at the grocery store. And a 6 pack of Harvest Moon was $8.99 while a 12 pack was only $10.99, so of course it only made sense to buy the 12 pack. At least winter seasonal ale is usually disgusting.