I would like to preface this post with a disclaimer: If you have anything productive to accomplish within the new few minutes, this is not the time to view this post. It is incredibly picture-heavy, and will likely transport you to your happy place and a state of total relaxation and/or longing for a tropical paradise...
Now back to the purpose of this recap of our fabulous adventures del Mexico. Cody and I have had a whirlwind of a past few months. Between his work, his traveling for work and my never-ending to-do list both at work and home, we decided it was high-time to get out of dodge and escape to somewhere tropical where our only obligation was to sit our happy behinds in a lounge chair and sip tropical beverages in the sun all day. Plus, our third anniversary was coming up, so that just gave us one more reason to treat ourselves to one amazing vacation. We decided Cabo san Lucas, Mexico was just the destination we'd been dreaming of, and we invited our friends Ty and Lanna to join us for an extended weekend getaway. I was pretty excited at the prospect of not only getting to leave the country for the second time in my life, but to also attempt to speak Spanish, eat amazing seafood, get a spray tan and do a little pre-vacay shopping. (Priorities, people.) We departed the beautifully desolate city of El Paso on Thursday AM and arrived in Cabo that afternoon, where we were greeted by pina coladas for the cab ride to the grand Riu Palace resort. And now, I'll let the pictures tell the story...
First photo op on our balcony
These boys bleed maroon regardless of the location
Ty and Lanna's first photo op
Looking super fab in our pool ensembles
One of the days we were there, we assumed the challenge of an offshore fishing trip. I say challenge affectionately due to the fact that offshore fishing to this point has been just that for Cody and me. On our Costa Rican honeymoon, I became incredibly seasick and Cody somehow made it through the whole day without so much as one bite. Lucky for us, this trip proved very different-- I discovered that I could rock the boat without the slightest bout of nausea (yay!)and we saw more than 20 striped marlin, even hooking a couple. Sadly, we did not bring anything in, but I am confident that this is a guarantee that our next offshore trip will be a complete success. After all, good things come to those who wait, right? Perhaps the coolest part of the trip was the fact that a real, live sea lion rode the back of the boat all the way to the dock, showing us his big, toothy grin the entire couple of miles. I wanted to give him a hug, but decided against it due to the fact that he was on the edge of the boat and I didn't really want to fall in...
Ty, who was not the biggest fan of my paparazzi-style photography, insisted that every time a picture was taken of him a tiny bit of his soul was stolen, never to return. Dramatic much? :)
The Rui Palace Resort in all its glory. For about 5 minutes after our arrival, Lanna and I convinced ourselves that this was the setting of Carrie Bradshaw's faux honeymoon in the Sex and the City movie.
The most beautiful sight!
I know these pics are a bit out of order, but I had to include this precious image of the boys sharing a seat belt on the way to the resort. Can't you just see them as 10 year olds making the same cheesy faces?
My bud from 12 years old through the daycare era and beyond!
After a day of shopping bargaining, we made the obligatory visit to the ever-famous Cabo Wabo Cantina. I must admit, I was quite shocked at the cleanliness of the bathrooms. After all, would you expect one of the most famous bars in the Cabo strip to be well-kept on a weekend?
One of my favorite parts of our trip was the food (naturally). When you can walk into a buffet and one half of the banquet hall sized room is full of buffets dedicated solely to dessert, you've instantly won this girl over. Don't worry, I channeled my inner Marie Antoinette and sampled one of everything, though I didn't eat dessert first.
My favorite pic from the trip. Love these two!
Not a bad way to celebrate our third anniversary, don't ya think?
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the trip was Cody's appearance in the resort's "Mister Riu" macho man competition. Cody was an incredibly good sport, showing off some fantastic beer chugging skills and championship level lawn mower dance moves. All I can say is I am one. lucky. woman. Go ahead and swallow that PB&Jealousy sandwich now, folks.
On our last night in Cabo, we took the suggestion of Cody's sis and dined at the most wonderful restaurant. The Office featured tables on the beach, in the sand, so not only did we get to enjoy amazing lobster, sea bass, shrimp and more, but we got to feel the sand between our toes while doing it. It was a little chilly by the water, but this restaurant came fully prepared, draping authentic Mexican blankets on every chair so we could get nice and cozy while stuffing our faces. This was my favorite part of the trip, and I think it would be quite amazing to be able to go to dinner at a place like this every time I have a stressful day. (Can't a girl dream?)
When Sunday rolled around, it was time to pack up our things and head back to reality. We had so much fun with our friends on this trip, and will forever remember our first trip together to this tropical paradise.
Adios amigos!
