Oh, Mexico

Thanks to the babysitting services of the most excellent grandparents, we were able to take a winter break and escape to Riviera Maya, Mexico with Laura, Ryan, Julie and Jason. The trip was not without adventure...and it was mostly before we even arrived at the hotel.

Everyone stayed at our house the night before as we had a very early flight. We scheduled a taxi to pick us up at 4:30am. Just as we realized the taxi was not showing up, Laura also realized that she couldn't find her phone (which had the taxi number saved in it). With no other choice, we piled in Julie & Jason's Durango. If you're looking for a car with lots of space, we crammed in six pretty good sized adults + luggage for 5 days. We made it to O'Hare, and with some confusion about where to park, we were pressed for time to say the least. We got a lecture from the gate attendants about our timing, sprinted to our flight, and were the last ones to board.

Phew, right? I said at the time, "if THAT was the thing that was going to go wrong, cool. It's over and we're on the plane." Following an uneventful flight, we arrive to the Cancun airport and make our way through customs...well...most of us.

Laura's passport was stored in their basement and had a little water damage. It was completely legible, no one questioned it in the U.S., and it had the same amount of damage when the went last year. However, it was not going to fly this time. They pulled she and Ryan into a little room and they were told it was not a valid travel document and she would have to return to the U.S. directly. She was understandably upset. For about 30 minutes that seemed like hours, they sat in the little room, fate unknown. The only thing the customs officers kept telling them was that it was not a valid document, and she would not be allowed into the country. After many conversations among them, and begging and pleading from Ryan and Laura, they seemed to have a change of heart. She was in. Seriously...do they really have a problem with midwestern girls trying to sneak in to Mexico illegaly under the guise of escaping their two small children for a few days?

PHEW. Finally! We were on our way to the hotel. A bucket of beers in the taxi was definitely called for. And then, we arrived....




The hotel and the grounds were beautiful! (Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, if anyone is looking for an awesome vacation). There were several restaurants to choose from and the pool and the beach and the bars were absolutely perfect. We also couldn't have asked for a better group to share our vacation with.

Ah, the pool bar. We spent one slightly overcast day getting to know our bartender Lionel, quite well. Fun fun fun!

We ventured out and went snorkeling, and the boys played some horeshoes and pool games. But, for the most part, we swam, we strolled, we lounged, we ate, we drank, we relaxed. It was lovely.

Hopefully, if the kids are cute and well behaved enough over the next 12 months, we can convince the grandparents that we need to go again next year :-)