Playagal

How inappropriate to call this planet earth when it is quite clearly Ocean. Anyone that has spent any time at the ocean seems to have the same feeling I do about it - they love it. The ocean is calming, healing, soothing, invigorating and draws you back time after time. (I now have ocean sounds on my iPod to fall asleep to and let me say, it actually works.) For all that the ocean gives, she sure takes a beating from humans. In my daily walks along the beach in Playa del Carmen (MX), specifically first thing in the morning I would watch the beach workers rake up and thoroughly clean the beach from the day & night before. It's a grandiose effort when you think of the miles of beach in Playa. One of the ... read more

"Home is where your heart is, but happiness is where your family and friends are". Truer words were never spoken. Glad to be home & hear the voices of friends and family after being away. Back to the familiar comforts of home. Do you remember that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true".. Well Rory & Ava kept wishing to get their hair braided & it's not cheap & it's tedious & takes a long time to get done. We finally relented, and in the end, they both looked so cute but they also ended up with a sunburn on their scalp. Ouch. While we really enjoyed our extra days in Playa "Be careful for what you wish for" was on my mind too. It was FABULOUS, but our last ... read more

"Me mind on fire, me soul on fire, feeling hot hot hot" Who doesn't love that song? It's the the appropriate day here in Playa to be singing that song. Mother nature is in a great mood. Another sunny hot day with clear skies and the ocean is so calm that even the locals can't believe how serene it is. We woke startled early this morning by Ava who said "mom we've got to get our towels down to the pool so we get the best loungers". Lounge chair wars; get your towel out on a day bed or you are sweet out of luck chuck. We have a nice day bed with a mattress and cover and the pool server brought us an umbrella. Umbrellas are like gold around here. I really do enjoy kids ... read more

It's hard to believe how fast 2 weeks fly by when you're having fun. Yet though I say that, we enjoyed each and every one of those days with a peaceful laid-back feeling. (finally a serious blog right; none of my antics here, you'll have to read my other blogs for that) Our accommodations were great being oceanfront with a pool. And the staff helped to make it one of our best holidays ever. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean, shell collecting, reading by the pool, eating delicious food, sipping pina colodas & margs, and sunrises and sunsets. Nights were fun on bustling 5th avenue or on the beach listening to music. Vacationing with a big group can be tricky; however, everyone was very respectful of each other, and we all agree we had a fabulous ... read more

The fellow who says he'll meet you halfway usually thinks he's standing on the dividing line. Other than the rude awakening yesterday morning by that loud family in another condo, we had a nice day. I'm starting to think maybe this family is here because all their neighbors got together and pooled their money to get rid of them! (our neighbors would never do that...right? Deb, Jacques...anyone??? With Al off diving, off we gals went shopping. We went way off 5th and got some great bargains. I don't like to "bargain" too much with the locals; they need every last Peso. However, we knew their starting point was much higher than what the item was worth. I bought a really nice pair of sunglasses. They are "Oakley's" (yeah right) but regardless, they are the best sunglasses ... read more