Mexico!

Jared & I had an incredible getaway just the two of us to celebrate our 10th anniversary. It was absolutely perfect. I missed the kids SO much but definitely took advantage of no responsibilities. We stayed at an adults-only, all-inclusive just north of Tulum. It was genius to go to an adults-only if I must say so myself. Perfectly quiet and relaxing.

We were tucked in the jungle just up against the gorgeous white sand beaches. This is the view from our balcony. I took many naps in the hammock on the balcony.

I also sat in my robe a lot eating and drinking Mexican goodies. Such gluttony.

This was our beach on a windy evening--normally the water was totally calm. Perfect swimming ocean.

 Lots and lots of reading

 Lunch next to the pool

 We took too many pictures of the wildlife for the kids--which they loved. We saw a lot of animals which I cannot remember the names.

We went swimming, snorkeling and sea kayaking off our beach

I obviously don't know how to use non-digital cameras. I kept putting my finger in front of the lens. Oops.

We spent one day at an adventure park--Xplor doing zip-lining, driving a jeep through rivers and caves and paddling rafts & swimming in underground rivers. The swimming was cold but by far my favorite. It was eerily awesome! There were bats flying in there with us and little fish swimming around. We came out of the cave in a big waterfall. AWESOME!

Before starting our day

We went into Playa del Carmen for an afternoon & evening to pick up some souvenirs for the kids. The sandcastles built on the beach were incredible. And we got ripped off on our fuel--sometimes I hate being the tourist.

When Jared got fried, we decided to take a day off the beach/pool and visit the ruins at Coba. It is fascinating and you walk or bike a few miles to see the various ruins. Of course my sandal broke at the farthest point and I had to walk barefoot on hot, painful rocks back until we could get a bike taxi. :)

 This was SO STEEP!!

Another day we went to Akumal Bay to snorkel with the sea turtles. They were really cute, but I am spoiled from growing up snorkeling in the red sea. Everything else is kind of pathetic. There were some pretty fish, but everything is just so bland. We went really far out to the reef and pretty much swam the whole bay looking for something more exciting... I did like swimming with the cute tortugas though!

Sissies Reunited

Thanks to my wonderful husband for taking over for 4 days (with a sick Elise I might add) so I could spend time in Portland with my sister, adorable niece and awesome cop brother-in-law. Minus a few meltdowns from worry/panic over Elise, it was WONDERFUL! I am thinking a road trip next summer with the kids is in order...

Friday started with a jog on a beautiful yet windy morning then peeking in the windows of Heather & Jason's first home they will close on in the next few weeks

My first Trader Joe's shopping trip (and learning brussel sprouts come on a stalk)

Dinner at Cartlandia -- a land of food carts -- I got the reuben crepe and Heather got a spaghetti & meatball sub

Lastly the absolutely best night of my life!! My ride-along with Cop Joey--I wore my gold cop badge and I made him laugh when I showed up at the station. Before we even shut the doors on the cop car to leave, we heard a couple insanely loud booms. We slammed the doors and he took off-crazy fast-as I was trying to buckle up and ended up buckling into his seatbelt. There was a bad car accident at a large intersection nearby and we pulled up as a man was crawling out the window of one of the smashed cars. Some guy had been high or drunk and ran a red light going almost double the speed limit--ran into multiple cars and was unconscious. It was AWESOME! And I only say that because no one innocent got hurt. :) After that we went searching for a 15 yr old drunk girl who wandered off from a party with an older guy then a few traffic stops and a noise complaint. We then saw a guy driving drunk and I got to see the entire process from the traffic stop through his booking and put in a cell then taken off to the station downtown. The booking room was very interesting and very busy on a Friday night--unfortunately a lot of drunk drivers including a 16 year old boy. Lastly we picked up a suicidal woman at her home and took her to the hospital. It was an extremely eventful night. I have even more respect and gratitude for police officers and the things they do to protect us from this other world. They truly keep us safe and protected as they put their own lives and safety on the line. Oh and I am afraid to go anywhere at night now with everyone drunk...

Even though I was going on 5 hours of sleep, we headed out first thing to see the gorgeous Portland temple

Wandered the PSU Farmer's Market then the Portland Market downtown

Finally a little salted caramel chocolate ice cream that I may have fed to Allie

Oh and a stop at Voodoo Donuts before heading back for naps

Why yes, that is a Maple Bacon Bar

Sunday we drove out to the coast to spend the day and oh was it stunning! We went to Seaside first where we ate lunch and then I accidentally fell asleep. We then walked a bit at Cannon Beach. Must return next summer for sure!

Monday before my flight we went to Multnomah Falls. It was freezing so we made it super fast. I think the beautiful pictures speak for themselves.

Missing you already P, Joey & Allie.