Sunlit Evenings

These sunlit evenings are such a gift! Laughter echos outside as the children soak up the last rays of the day. They come inside rosy cheeked with an extra bit of sparkle in their eyes. These are the moments that fill our souls and hearts to the brim.

As I folded clothes on my bed and listened to the distant laughter, I noticed the sunlight pouring through my window and couldn’t help but think of how the light always dispels darkness.

“As we intensify our faith in Christ, we receive light in intensifying measure until it dispels all darkness that might gather around us”. ~ Timothy J. Dyches

Sunrise on the Beach

This morning we set our alarm to watch the sunrise! We threw on some clothes and walked sleepily down to the beach to catch the first rays of the morning. There was only one or two others who had the same idea. We all sat in silence and awe as the sun slowly graced us with her presence. I love a good sunrise anywhere, but I think my favorite place to watch the sunrise is definitely on a beach!

When we had finally had our fill of beauty, we made our way along the beach to book an afternoon sail! We were told the day before that we had to line up first thing in the morning to secure a spot, so we made sure to get there early enough as they have limited availability each day and it fills up fast because it's free.

After securing our spot, we made our way back to the buffet for some breakfast and then headed up to our room to get our swim stuff on for the day!

We wandered around for the morning and afternoon and checked out the other hotels and pools. We ate lunch at a different buffet and enjoyed a nap by the pool!

We wandered down to the sail boats when it was close to our time. We had a nice guide take us out and back and enjoyed the view of the shoreline from the ocean. It was so quiet and fun out there!

After sailing, we made our way back to our hotel to change for dinner. The restaurants have dress codes and formal attire is required. We enjoyed the French restaurant this evening eating delicacies such as escargot (which looked like a pile of dog poo in tomato sauce). The food was good, but different. I think my favorite part was the pudding I had for dessert!

The evening was once again filled with delicious drinks and entertainment. We hit up the "Las Vegas" show at the theater where we enjoyed Elvis, and ABBA and a few other acts. We finished up the night on the patio of our hotel listening to live music and sipping pina coladas. 

 

A Day to Relax

Today I am feeling extremely grateful for this time away to rest and re-energize. I had no idea how needed this would be when we booked it a few months back. The sound of rushing waves, the salty air, the sand between my toes, and my best friend by my side. It is always hard for me to leave the littles, but I know that I will be able to come home with an increased measure of peace and strength to jump back in again!

We spent much of our morning leisurely walking along the beach, collecting treasures and enjoying the sound of the ocean! 

We walked all the way to the end of our resort, and checked out the hotels furthest away. The farther we got down the beach, the more rocks and tide pools we found! Every time we spotted children and families we talked about how fun it would be to bring our kids here someday to show them the warm water and palm trees!

We had a good time relaxing by the pools and checking out the different buffet and food options. 

We enjoyed a huge plate of food for lunch and then found an empty hammock to have a quick snooze!

Even in the shade, the temperature was perfect! 

After we had our fill of swimming and snoozing, we made our way to our room to change for dinner. We made reservations at the Japanese restaurant and were looking forward to trying new things. I am not a sushi lover AT ALL, so it was a bit of a stretch for me, but the experience as a whole was fun! Mike had to finish my appetizer for me as raw fish is so not my jam.

The salad was yummy though!

While we were enjoying our appetizer and salad, the chef put on a very good show! He cooked up the different types of meat ordered for the main course at our table, as well as the veggies and rice. 

It was all so yummy!

We caught the bus to the theater to save time and enjoyed another performance!

 

The Riviera Maya

This morning we slept in as long as we could, which turned out to be 8:30am, and that was after I had already woken up a few times. It was nice to feel rested after a long travel day and a late night!

The sun was already shining bright and after a quick peek out our balcony, we couldn't wait to spend the day relaxing on the beach!

We made our way down to the buffet and filled our plates with yummy food! We decided to sit outside and enjoy the view and the morning breeze while we ate. 

We spent much of the day hanging out at the beach! The sun felt so warm and nice after a few months of Winter. 

We waded into the ocean, careful to watch out for the sting rays scooting around the ocean floor, and soaked up the sunshine! At this point, I think we face timed the kids to see how they were doing and show them where we were.

We spent the late morning relaxing and napping and enjoying an unlimited supply of mocktails! I lost count of how many pina coladas I drank! 

There were a few different high end restaurants at our particular hotel, but you needed to book a reservation to eat there. The first night we arrived, we made sure to book all of our dinners for the week! Our first night was at the Mexican restaurant, and the food was incredible!

We enjoyed a delicious three course meal with soup, tacos and steak! Dessert also didn't disappoint (but I forgot to grab a picture of it).

After dinner we walked down to the theater and watched a "broadway" show. They did a mash up of a bunch of different broadway musicals, finishing with The Lion King. It was pretty well done and provided good entertainment. 

On our walk back to the hotel, it was dark and the way the light was reflecting off the ocean was magic. I enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing to the shore and the crickets. 

We finished off the night with more fun drinks and the hotel entertainment on the patio, and then tucked into bed very late!