It looks like it's shaping up to be another extremely wet and cold spring here in Oregon. Last year's spring was a tough one; and this one may be just as dreary. Despite the weather, there is much to be grateful for in this busy, joyful life!
The grey skies make me even more grateful for the Spring break trip we were able to take this year at the end of March. It's always a lot of work to prepare for leaving for a trip-knowing I wont have access to a washing machines! 17 pairs of boys underwear-one for each day and one extra-seems daunting to me because three pairs are still being used daily right up to our departure! That's a lot of little boy undies to keep track of! No matter how meticulously I pack, I always manage to run out of clothes for the boys on our family trips. This one was no different, as I had the boys carefully rationing shirts right down to the final hour. Unplanned spills and sweat sessions always have me regretting that I did't pack more liberally.
Evelyn takes care of herself, although as we analyzed her summer clothing options, we realized that she has now outgrown much of her shorts and swimsuits from last year! This had us scrambling around the day before searching for the right fit, which really came down to "small" in the women's section.
Our flight left ridiculously early on a Monday. With a quick lay over in California and then an almost 6 hour non stop to Cancun, plus a two hour time change, we landed late in the evening in balmy Mexico. The kids were thrilled to see the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean ocean as we landed. Truly this part of the world is magical.
We waited at the airport until my parents arrive from Chicago. A joyful reunion ensued, and we quickly entered our shuttle which would drive us the 1.5 hours to the all inclusive resort. Pulling up, even in the dark, the resort was stunning.
Some uplighting techniques highlighted the Mayan ruins which stood at the end of the long runway from the entrance to the beach.
It was quite a magnificent sight. Wild monkeys played in the tree tops; iguanas stared at us from craggy pathways. The first morning James and I were amused by the strange sounding birds outside our window.
One of the things I loved the most about the "all inclusive experience" was the choice each person had regarding what they ate, when they ate and how much they ate. The feeding of everyone is always daunting when we take family vacations. James and Levi had a big chocolate donut every morning and ice cream after every meal. Most of their meals were carbs.
Evelyn enjoyed the options the most out of everyone. She indulged heavily on non-alcoholic Pina coladas and the pasta bar. I loved all the seafood!
Another great part of this resort were the adventure parks. Each park had fantastic activities, such as zip lining. I had never been zip lining before, but I have to admit, climbing to the first launch pad was intimidating as we were higher than the tree tops!
We had to strongly convince our boys to take the leap of faith. Often times an adult (or Evie) had to be strapped in tandem to one of them because of weight issues. Even so, one time as Caleb and Evelyn came wizzing down the line, they paused suddenly, unable to create the momentum they needed to make it to the end. Luckily, the strong, youthful attendant was able to hang upside down, monkey-like and shimmy his way over to rescue them.
On the other hand, my Dad and John zipped on in with extra gusto.
James was convinced he was going to die. But after we all survived the day, it made him a little braver and confident.
Another exciting activity was swimming in underground caves. This adventure was one that I dreaded with each each step I took to the starting line. I knew the water was going to be frigid, and sure enough, it was so cold it took my breath away. It was dark, except for some incredible "up lighting" in the cave to create an exciting effect as it highlighted all the stalagmites and stalactites. The three boys were terrified, and even though we all had life preservers on, the three of them clung for dear life to John. Levi also shrieked now and then that a fish swam up his shorts. When we finally swam to the finish line and exited via an intense waterfall, we all were all relieved. That journey was the most challenging one for me personally.
Throughout our days at the adventure parks, we experienced things that were once in a lifetime kind of things: Zipling through waterfalls; "flying" head first, like a bird; climbing a ropes course that looked a lot more intimidating from above than from below ( and we only did level 1...out of 4!)
We also partook in a white water rafting simulation and enjoyed an exciting jet boat ride. One of the final activities was a monster truck course. Evie pleaded to be partners with me because admittedly, we had not teamed up the entire vacation. On this particular activity, I felt extremely nervous and unqualified right from the start. I had to drive over ridges and rocky cliffs that looked impassable.
I am a mini van driving soccer mom in suburbia, driving to school car pool line and the occasional McDonald's drive through. This type of driving was not in my repertoire. I should have swallowed my pride and surrendered from the beginning like my instincts told me to; but, I pressed on, slowly climbing the hills and trekking through the paths....until I came to a rocky hill that took my breath away. It was so intimidating; and as I slowly made my bumpy descent, my right wheel hit a boulder and in an instant, my entire car tipped over and fell to the side. Evie and I hung from our seat belts and I screamed for the attendant to untrap us. I had never been in a car accident before; I had a small taste of how out of control and scary a situation like that can be.
Immediately we had people by our side, unstrapping us and leading us to an emergency vehicle. They had to shut down that section of the course, and my family didn't know until afterwards that it was ME who was in the accident. We left the rolled over monster truck on its side. Suddenly, John and James pulled up the hill behind us; they just stared in shock at the commotion surrounding us.
Luckily, we weren't physically hurt, but just badly scared.
I bet Evie regretted being partners with me after all. 😟
Alls well that ends well, and that final night at the resort was magical. We enjoyed our final dinner together and enjoyed sitting outside in the perfect temperature.
I truly feel blessed that we were able to take such a magical vacation and include my parents in it as well.
It already feels like a distant memory, yet when I close my eyes, I can still feel the warm breeze and hear those exotic birds through my window.
