Come On Get Happy

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Hello world, there's a song that we're singin',
Come on and get happy.
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringing,
We'll make you happy!"

Yep if you guessed the Partridge Family "Come on Get Happy" song, you just won yourself 50 pesos. Now you just have to make your way to Playa to collect it.

How is everyone? Did Ottawa get a snowfall? We got hmm, around 20-25 cms of NOTHING. Heh heh heh. (Isn't it great I can amuse myself?)

I almost hesitate to write because I really don't have any great adventure to tell. Al would if he started to tell you about his diving expeditions! Wow...

It's 7:00 am and I'm sitting here on my cozy balcony sipping my coffee all by my lonesome watching the beach slowly come alive. The beach workers are raking the beach, making it soft and clean for walking. They really work hard here to keep the property, walkways and beach looking great. The staff at Luna cannot be beat nor the municipal staff.

The sun's shining, and the beach server is getting the loungers and umbrellas set up for the day. Another perk of condo living. You walk steps out of your condo and you're at the pool and on the beach. You never have to deal with lounge chair wars & there's always a seat reserved just for you. And everything is just at your finger tips without walking miles to get to your destination.

Early morning. The best time to take stalk of life, and have a few introspective moments to yourself to look around and marvel at what's beneath your nose. It's generally quiet and you can hear your inner voice speaking better! (Even if your inner voice doesn't say what you want it to say like "Wow Sally you're looking great today"!)

Ahhhh life is such a rat race and even if you win the race, you're still a rat. Run run run, especially moms. Dealing with lunches, appointments and the constant ticking of the clock always tellin' you that you need to be somewhere at some point all day long. Cells phones, texting, Facebook, blogs (guilty as charged but at least I'm trying to entertain!), and computers rule our world, and there's little time to take a deep breath, and appreciate the small things, the things that matter most that aren't always clear to us when life is so hectic.

Being surrounded by this tropical beauty is heaven. Watching the sunrise, the ebb and flow of the ocean, hearing the birds singing and feeling the warm breeze on your skin, and the glorious sun that kisses your face. Paradise. Every morning is a fresh new beginning that brings new hope and new blessings. (Now if I was at home digging out from snow, this would be an entirely different blog & I'm not sure I'd be counting any blessings!).

Yesterday was a very laid back day. We were lazier than an iguana on a hot day. I woke to see the sunrise and it wasn't as nice as others. I made coffee, and slowly a few tossled heads joined me on the balcony. I was concerned mom might have a touch of the flu as she had a sore throat, and a few aches and pains. But someone VERY intelligent thought to bring a heating pad, and before long mom was having her coffee with the heat on her back and she was feeling much better in no time. (Do I really have to tell you who that intelligent person was???)

After toast and coffee and cereal, we had the beach server set up our loungers, and by 9ish we were down relaxing on them. The sun was playing games a bit with us; one minute out in full force, the next playing hide and seek behind the clouds. The most we put on our agenda was that Al, Lara, Martha and mom would go for one of the fantastic massages. These massages are not as cheap as the beach ones, but they are far superior. They begin the massage with an aromatherapy oil scent under your nose and then a warm cloth over your eyes. Marth and mom even had heated bean bags placed on their backs and legs which totally relaxes the muscles. Extremely therapeutic, especially for mom and it seemed to ease the aches and pains she was having.

Al and I did some boot scootin' boogie all around Playa listening to the music, having a margarita, window shopping and just enjoying the international vibe of Playa. There's so many specialty shops to wander around in, along with our usual stop at Nike to see what items are on sale. There's always so much more to see every time we visit. And of course, so many wonderful people we have gotten to know who always seem to be giving us free drinks and/or food on the house on a regular basis. I LOVE IT!!! The nicest people in the world...

We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Aldea Corazon; such a beautiful restaurant with charming servers. The courtyard of the restaurant is absolutely stunning at night, with torchers, soft lights, candles with palm trees nestled midst a jungle feel all while being in the heart of Playa. Lara & I shared a chicken stuffed with cheese and squash flowers in a creamy wine sauce. It was mouth watering. Al had ribs (which he said were so tender), and the girls and Marth had beef tacos and chicken quesadillas. As usual, they gave us a comped bill which is always welcomed and appreciated. The owner Alex is a wonderful guy.

Al is off for another dive today. I had wanted to go to another private beach club for the day but he won't be back till later, so Martha and I are going on a walking tour.

Tomorrow is THE big day. We are going canopy jungle zip lining. We'll be doing a 12 circuit zipline over the jungle, followed by a zipline into the emerald green waters of a cenote. If we're lucky while we're ziplining we might see some wild animals. Hot diggitty dog! (I booked this tour knowing it may not be for me but hey the things you do for your kids!)

The tour includes round trip transportation, a tour of the jungle, the zip line, the cenote swim, and a lovely lunch after our tour. Out of hundreds of things to do, this is voted #1 on Trip Advisor. They are extremely professional and all the guides are highly trained. Mom & Marth have elected to stay by the pool.

Well off for a morning walk to dig my little feet into the soft sand. As for those of you shoveling snow, I really wish there was an "app" for that!
*The doorbell just rang and it is the private Chef Mireya that we had years ago at the villa we rented. She brought me the most beautiful lilies. We are hoping to have her cook us a meal on Sunday. She makes every type of food imaginable. And she's the most lovely woman who lost her husband a year before we met her and had to support 6 children. Needless to say we heavily tipped her. (And I snuck something into her pocket today for her lovely gesture.)

See you later alligator,
In an hour sunflower.
Toodle-loo kangaroo,
Hasta manana, Iguana!

Sal and "The Rockettes" (Al has one set of legs on him...ha ha ha!)

PS pics of our day attached. I'm quite fond of the pic I took through the palm tree 😊

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Comments

[zully]

You are blessed indeed :-)
Family and Turquoise beaches..It does not get better than that.. (Picture #1 = AWESOME!) Sending you hugs and smiles. xoxo :-)

[Shawn Foran]

Currency Exchange Question
Sal, looks like you guys are having a great time. Thought I would ask a question on what you recommend for obtaining Pesos. We usually exchange a little money to local currency when we travel, just to get us in to our destination and then we would withdraw from ABM once we get to Playa. For most of our expenses we just use credit card but just thought I would ask what your usual practice is, as you travel so often to Playa. Thanks, in advance, and enjoy another fantastic day away from the snow and cold :-)

[Playagal]

Currency Exchange
Hi Shawn, I'll send you the info personally via email! You are in for a wonderful trip! xo