Memories of the 2011 Vacation to Mexico

50 Memories of my Extended Family's Vacation in Mexico (in no particular order)

1. Arriving at the Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts and being amazed at the size of it
2. Being served free fruity drinks everywhere
3. Swimming almost every day in the big, warm pools
4. Taking underwater photos in the pool 
5. Taking underwater photos of the fish in the Salt Pool (it was fun to snorkel there)
6. Playing on the beach and in the ocean
7. Enjoying the warm, humid air
8. Snorkeling in the warm Caribbean waters
9. Visiting the city of Cancun
10. Buying a really pretty sundress (blue with rainbow threaded patterns)
11. Unlimited food at the all-you-can-eat-buffet; that was fantastic. Having unlimited nutella and all sorts of other delicious food, begging to be eaten. At any time, all the time.
12. Taking full advantage of the free ice cream machines (free ice cream!!! Who knew?)
13. While in Cancun, being rained on as if the sky was crying waterfalls - buckets of rain were pouring down while my mom and I ate fajitas at a little local restaurant.
14. Watching this guy make these beautiful pictures by finger-painting (wish I had bought one...)
15. Eating at a certain Japanese restaurant while sitting down on the floor, with our legs crossed underneath the table. Not something I've done anywhere else.
16. Swimming up to the bar at the edge of the pool to get free fruity drinks (and sitting on the stools in the water while sipping them)
17. Going on late-night excursions to the beach with the girls - I miss that sooooo much. The ocean and the sky were so dark and mysterious, and being out there in the salty night air was just enchanting.
18. Being poured on while returning to our rooms from those excursions
19. Having crazy, frizzy hair all the time and not caring one bit
20. Running barefoot everywhere
21. Seeing interesting animals (mostly big lizards and such) on the sides of the roads, and also flamingos in a little pond
22. Attending a little dance performance that was based off of Disney movies, if I remember correctly - there were fun costumes and music and such.
23. Shooting with a bow and arrow at the little archery place
24. Wishing we (kids) could go to the spa
25. Swimming in a Cenote (underground pool - it was really, really cool)
26. Visiting Coba (a Mayan village)
27. Climbing the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula - it was in Coba, and hiking up the 118 steep steps was very exciting.
28. Touring the ruins of Tulum
29. Staying up late playing card games and talking (well, I didn't play cards much back then - but I began being taught how to play Oh Heck while we were there)
30. Having a hot tub in our hotel room
31. Being sung to and played instruments for by two guys while we were waiting for a table at one restaurant
32. Getting to ask someone at a restaurant, "¿Dónde está el baño?" (one of the few Spanish phrases I knew at the time)
33. Having a girls' night to paint nails and such
34. Bartering with people selling things
35. Walking around on the smooth marble walkways between the main buildings and pools
36. Intending to write in my journal every day about things that happened, but never getting around to it
37. Spending some time on rainy days lazing around in our room, playing Plants vs. Zombies (and beating it)
38. On the bus ride to the resort, taking pictures of each other's eyes (they're really quite interesting to study and compare)
39. Having a random dance party up on a stage somewhere in the resort
40. Burning our bare feet on the hot ground and then relieving them in the cool water of the pools
41. Passing crabs scuttling around the place when going to the beach
42. Riding around the resort in golf cart-type vehicles and mini trains
43. Being exposed to more poverty in that one trip than I have seen anywhere in America
44. Having a lesson together on Sunday about gifts (we made a long list of them)
45. Getting up whenever we wanted, eating whenever we wanted, swimming however much we wanted, eating as much ice cream as we wanted as long as we were willing to walk to machine to get it
46. Not bothering to try to look good - at all. Ever. I brushed my hair maybe once the whole week.
47. Soaking in the exotic smells, sights, and sounds - it was so damp and so GREEN there
48. Taking a big family photo of everyone - not looking our best, dressed in clashing colors, having done nothing with our hair or anything else whatsoever to better our appearance - but looking bright-eyed, relaxed, and happy to be together.
49. Half-wondering on occasion if the experience was real, or just a dream
50. Just being with each other in one big, happy family reunion

We love Mexico!

Underwater photo

Fruity drinks at the swim-up bar

Snorkeling in the pool (not much to see, but it's fun to swim with flippers and a mask)

This is the list of gifts we have that we made on Sunday.

Climbing the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula

Swimming!

Under one of the bridges spanning the pool

Another underwater picture

I wish I could eat as much as Dave can...

Fish in the Saltwater Pool

Flamingos

The random dance party up on stage

Dinner

One of the ruins in Coba

Our big family photo. :)