Where We Stayed & Played in Playa, Akumal, & Vallodolid

I thought I'd write a post just on our Mexico lodgings because they deserve it.

The hotel prices in the nice areas of the eastern Mexican coast are exorbitant, around $450 for places on the beach. It didn't matter, though, because we didn't want to stay in a resort anyway. We wanted to enjoy a more intimate, local vibe that made us feel like we were actually experiencing Mexico.

We have rented lodging many times before through vrbo but this time we decided to give the much talked about Airbnb a try. Contrary to what people think, there are many small hotels listed, not only people's apartments. It's a convenient, cost-effective way for these small establishments to get business without running a webpage/booking site of their own.

After sorting through hundreds of options, we finally settled on our favorites and booked our stays. The booking process didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. One place that we had tried to book was being sketchy so we cancelled and weeks later they were still trying to get us to give them money. The other three places we actually did book were a thousand percent perfect, especially considering they only cost us around $100 per night! The owners couldn't have been more gracious and wonderful to work with before and during our time at their properties.

 

Our first night we stayed in Playa del Carmen. We decided we wanted to be out of the main hubbub touristy area so we booked a LOVELY boutique hotel a couple of minutes north.  It was situated in a very local neighborhood but right behind a 5-star resort. It was the best of both worlds since we got some local flavor but only had to walk a block to a beautiful, uncrowded beach.

There is a gospel church behind the hotel and so that evening we were serenaded with the craziest spanish gospel singing slash bawling. They were really feeling the spirit. It was awesome. Or disturbing. I'm not sure which. We recorded the audio from our back patio.

The neighborhood itself was a little out of our comfort zone. However, we really enjoyed taking it all in.

But once you walked through the large wooden gate into the courtyard, we felt so relaxed. After a day of travel and getting our bearings, we needed some serenity and this place delivered!

If I could live this minimally in my own home, I'd be a happy camper.

Our personal patio.

The rooftop was incredible. And, please. I'm NOT wearing a fanny pack. It's a travel pack. And my did it come in handy so no making fun!

For the next two nights, we drove south and stayed in a beach apartment in Akumal. Getting to the house was an adventure. The potholed dirt roads are something else! Click video to view.



It was literally 25 steps to this gorgeous view!!

 

The grounds were beautiful.

Wall of Coconuts

And the room was very comfortable.

Our last night we went inland to Valladolid and stayed in the center of town at a GORGEOUS bed and breakfast. It was actually more like a high-end boutique hotel.

Again, you walk off the noisy streets

And into serenity.

Everything about this place was perfect and spotless...which ended up being highly important since I ended up being sick all night long (not from their food). Since I couldn't make it to breakfast in the morning, they brought it to me.

We had such a good experience with our lodgings through Airbnb that we will definitely use it again and again, I'm sure.

Mayan Yoga

I'm hesitant to post these because who likes to post pics of themselves in a swimsuit? Well, I don't. But...every time I told people I was going to Mexico they always told me to post pictures of me doing yoga on the beach. So here I am, as white as the white sand beach! The funny thing is that this is AFTER applying self-tanner all week!

Forearm Stand / Pincha Mayurasana / Feathered Peacock Pose was a little tricky because my elbows would slowly sink into the sand, throwing off my balance.

Here I'm just relaxing underneath a palm tree. I was going to have Rob photoshop out the three people in the background staring at me but the guy in the white speedo is just too awesome.

Then it just felt natural to do a chest opener on a mayan temple because, well, you know...

Anyway, there you have it. Mayan Yoga.

The Copywriting on the Wall

Almost a year ago I started looking for a job. I wanted to keep my resume from getting stagnant and I had the intent of saving my paychecks exclusively for travel. Shortly thereafter I became an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) copywriter.

I was hired by an SEO company to write webpages for one of their clients, a nationwide company with hundreds of branches, each with their own webpage.

Each page had to be unique, which was quite a challenge at times.

Over the course of 10 months, I wrote:

• 325 search engine optimized pages
• Each page was 250+ words 
• About topics ranging from color printing to trade show materials to postcards and others
• 53 different pages about manual and booklet printing. Seriously. Can you imagine?? 

There were many days when I didn't know how I would be able to write any more of these pages! However, the thought of vacation kept me going.

Now I'm still writing a few webpages but I'm focusing a little more on writing 500+ word blog posts for various companies. I'm considered a freelancer so I work with whomever wants to hire me to write content for their webpages.

I do 6-10 hours of work a week at home on my own schedule. Because of the low hours, I don't get paid a ton but it has gotten us two vacations so far (which was my goal). However, as much as I like vacations, there's something even more important that this work has given me. It has stretched my brain and expanded my skills. It's given me something "professional" to do as I've missed working the last 5 years. I've enjoyed it a lot.

It's the perfect job for me right now and I'm very grateful to have it.

Disneyland with Cousins

We went to Disneyland in September with Rob's family and we had an absolutely amazing time. We already posted our beach time but we haven't posted on the Disneyland portion of our trip until now.

We overnighted in Las Vegas on the way down and back and got into a few little predicaments...

Ouch! Don't touch your bums to the cactus!!

 

I walked out of the stall to see this.

On every trip we take Caroline gets a goose egg on her forehead.   Every. Trip.

One thing we didn't get a picture of was when Ben hit his head at the hotel and had to be glued back up at the emergency room!

We usually stop in Barstow for lunch on the way down and back but let me tell you, stop in Victorville instead. It's so much less crowded and there are so many better dining options!

This trip we rented a house together a mile or two from Disneyland and either shuttled each other or took Uber back and forth. The house had a pool which was fun to come back to after the park and it was really nice to buy groceries for a lot of our meals. On a couple of the days we picked up food on the way back from the beach or the park and ate together at home (the park closed at 8pm most nights). It was so much easier than trying to control all the kids inside a restaurant or spending top dollar on Disney dining.

We went during the Disney Diamond Celebration so they had a new light parade and World of Color show for the event. Rob and I can't even express how blown away we were by the spectacles. FANTASTIC! Our theory is that you get so hot and tired playing all day and wonder if it was all worth it but the night ends so spectacularly so that the parents forget about the cost and stuff and realize just how worth it it all is!

Here things got a little crazy while waiting for the daytime parade.

Did I mention it was H.O.T.? It was right around 100 degrees most of the time while there. We knew this would be the case and were as prepared as we could be with spray water bottles, cooling towels, lightweight clothes, cold treats etc. but we were all dying at times. Of course, we still had much fun.

A few randoms.

Our last night in Anaheim we took advantage of the house and parental units by taking the kids back home early, feeding them and getting them in bed, and then Rob and I snuck back out to enjoy a date at Disney. It was so nice to be together in the happiest place on earth.

I do need to document one aspect of my trip that was quite less than ideal. As you remember I got a tendinitis and bursitis flare up a week or two before we left and wasn't able to walk well. In fact, I was in a lot of pain from my feet and hips. My doctor gave me a steroid pack and special insoles to get me through and I barely did. I was hobbling slowly and putting my weight on the stroller and gingerly stepping into and out of rides. I must admit, it was pretty rough. However, I refused to let it ruin our vacation so I kept smiling, made sure my kids didn't know how tough all the standing and walking was on me, and had fun anyway! 

We had a great time with these people and are so glad we got to vacation with them!

Thanks for the memories!!

...And a Happy New Year!

I never really enjoyed New Year's Eve, mostly just because I'm not a partier (shocking, I know) and what else is there to do? Plus, I usually have bad luck that day, such as:

• When I was 16 I was closing at Hogi Yogi and right before my fellow employees and I were about to leave (maybe 10:45pm?) the owner walked in mad and told us it wasn't clean enough to leave. She proceeded to give me a mopping lesson which I still remember but don't ever do myself (4x4 area, then rinse, then repeat) and the other employees lessons of their own. We had to stay until she was happy, at 11:45pm. What good is that on New Year's Eve?? 
• I'll tell you what good that is! That same night I drove downtown to meet some friends before heading to a party. Being newly licensed, I figured no one would care if I parked wherever I darn well please. Sign? What sign? So I parked at Chevron and headed to a party. When I came back after a couple of hours my car had been impounded. Another day and $200 later, I got my dusty rose Chevy Caravelle back. 
• There have been 2 New Year's Eves that Rob and I just bounced crying babies. That's always fun, but even more so on holidays.
• I get annoyed by all the past year's reflections on tv and online. Who cares? It's over. Move on.
• I feel guilty over all the things I can list as resolutions and usually don't resolve to do anything just so I don't fall into the pit of despair when I ultimately fail at everything.
• Have I mentioned I don't like parties? But there's nothing else to do on New Year's Eve so I'm either stuck going to a party or stuck home, bored, pretending it's just another one of the 364 nights of the year. Really, it's a lose/lose situation for me.

Enter this year:

I decided to take the kids to Noon Year's Eve at Boondocks. It was fun, but ultimately disappointing for the cost. Rob got off work late and arrived home at 7pm. We headed to dinner. I had free coupons! But, oops, that restaurant no longer exists. Option 2? Closed. Uh, oh. Was this going to be another epic New Year's Eve fail??

Restaurant option 3? Culver's was open. Phew! At least we'd get frozen custard!

Next stop was back home. I had quickly pulled together an idea for a family activity. On Pinterest, I had seen a list of traditional New Year's ...uh...traditions... from around the world.  Who knows if any of them are actually true but for my purposes they are factual.

I decided on 10 traditions that would be silly and easy for the kids to do. I wrote down those countries on pieces of paper and put them in a bowl. Each kid took a turn picking out a country, finding it on the globe, and then they all acted out the tradition. Examples are:

China: They hide knives so that nobody cuts themselves, as it is thought that it will bring bad luck on the family for the coming year. We found butter knives in cereal bags, the cat food box, inside cups, etc for the next 2 days.
Philippines: They toss coins into a pan.
Japan: They ring bells 108 times.
Burma: They splashed water on each other in order to start the new year with a purified soul.
Russia: They write down a wish, burn it, throw it into their drink...then drink it (we didn't do that part).
Greece: They hang an onion from the front door.
Turkey: They sprinkle salt on their doorstep.
Ireland: They bang bread against the wall to ward off evil spirits (the kids LOVED this one!).
Puerto Rico: They throw a pail of water out the window to chase away evil spirits.
Peru: They have a good old-fashioned fist fight to settle differences and wipe the slate clean for the new year. Yep, we did this!

As you can imagine, the kids ADORED this activity. It didn't require any advanced preparation on my part and Rob and I had a blast watching the kids laugh so hard!

After this, we watched half of ET, all of Inside Out, and by then it was time for midnight. Madeleine found a bag of confetti in the party cupboard and we all threw up a handful at the end of our countdown.

Honestly, it was all slightly magical, I will admit. It's so much fun seeing the holiday in a whole new light through my children's eyes. Plus, my kids STILL talk about all the funny things they did to celebrate! Now that's a win/win!

Diagnoses: When Symptoms Collide

That title sounds like the next sci-fi blockbuster, doesn't it?

...In a world...when symptoms collide...

DIAGNOSES

Coming soon to an Imax 3D D-Box Dolby Atmos theatre near you

I digress...

As you've all read in The Worst Rube Goldberg Ever, I've had a mysterious illness for the last year and a half. I ended that post as I was crying and starting one last prescription, hoping it would cure me. Well, it didn't.

During the end of November it was getting really bad again. Then, at the beginning of December, I got sick again with a cold. It seems these colds are causing some major acid reflux/general awfulness flare ups. I was miserable. Completely. 

I'm pretty darn in tune with my body and quite sensitive when it comes to illness, fatigue, medication side effects, etcetera. During this time, my body felt like garbage. That's really the best way to describe it. Garbage. 

My thoughts kept going back to when I saw my orthopedist in September. I had visited because of tendonitis and as a side note he diagnosed me with BJHS (No, not some weird high school...) It stands for Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome. The "Benign" part is actually in contest with researchers right now since the syndrome can affect you negatively your whole life. Although, many people just have hypermobility without it becoming a "syndrome."

def. A connective tissue disorder. Too much laxity in the collagen of the joints and other soft tissues throughout the body.

There are some pros to the syndrome, such as being able to do things like this and this.

There are also some cons. They include:

• Significant stretch in pelvic floor and fascia during pregnancy. CHECK! Pregnancy was hard and painful for me. I had a hard time even walking after 4-5 months along.
• Hernia. Maybe CHECK?
• Vulnerable to strains, sprains, and bruising. CHECK!
• Stress on your bones and muscles from overworking since the soft tissues are too lax and not supportive enough. CHECK!
• Frequent headaches. CHECK!
• Excessive clicking of joints and hips. CHECK!
• Flat, pronated feet. CHECK!
• Fidgetiness. CHECK!
• Dizziness. CHECK!
• Chronic fatigue. CHECK!
• And many others. CHECK!

Okay, so it's usually not that big of a deal for me. Annoying at times, but generally I feel fine.

BUT...here's the clincher...I finally realized that my acid reflux symptoms did tend to get worse on a monthly cycle. So I did a little more research and read all about how hormones play a role in hypermobility. Further reading revealed problems with contraception and hypermobile females. Progesterone is well known for loosening collagen and soft body tissues such as, say, the esophagus. NOW we're getting somewhere! 

After 5 years, I was already scheduled to have my IUD replaced. This was during my time of heightened misery and kept feeling like getting my hormones and monthly cycle back on track, along with taking the foreign object out of my body, would truly help get the situation under control.

The morning of my appointment, my doctor had to cancel and reschedule for a month out because she was delivering a baby. I called her secretary back, with teary eyes and shaky voice, begging to see another doctor to get this thing out of me immediately! Thankfully, another doctor was able to fit me in that afternoon. 

I swear I felt so much lighter walking out of the doctor's office after the procedure and I don't think it was just in my head. The rest of the day I still felt very poor, but the next day I was a full 70% improved. 70%! That's huge! I know some of it was due to the medical side of things but I just as strongly know that fasting and prayer played a big role as well.

Since then, I'd been nervous for a relapse but it has now been a month and my symptoms have stayed in the 70-90% improved range. A true miracle.

Now, this isn't the end of the story but you'll have to wait for the sequel because this feature is getting too lengthy.

To Be Continued...