Moving On to Playa Del Carmen :)

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Family . We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. ~

Are you guys still reading these blogs? If so, put down your laptop and call 911 or I don't know, but go get help for your boredom. OK, well if you don't get any help, I'll still be here writing 😊

Today we pick up the family at the Cancun Airport, and Jaime our wonderful driver will meet Al & I at the Isla ferry at 10:30 am. It will be fun to be at the airport seeing the kids get off the plane. Then it's off to Villa La Vida Loca; the beautiful custom-built 5 bedroom/5 bath with private pool we've rented in Playa del Carmen. It will be hard to say goodbye to Casa Marchon, but we will be making a return visit for sure. I am going kicking and screaming silently, with a pasted smile on my face. This has been AMAZING.

Yesterday Al & I were lazy and I didn't get up till around 7:30. The master bedroom has dark curtains to close because once the sun rise it can be light up the room. But with the curtains pulled, well, ahhhh. Relaxing. Al slept in a bit later and he awoke to the smell of fresh coffee. We enjoyed some toast & jam by the pool, watching a little local cat try and catch birds. She watches us warily, as if to say, "I usually stay at this house, and who the heck are you two"?

After breakfast as you probably can imagine, we floated in the pool, relaxed and finally decided to take a tour. We went down the island, to a few spots we wanted to capture pictures against the cliffs and the jagged rocks that are so spectacular. It was hot. How hot was it? Well..ahem, I refuse to do another hot joke because it's against my religion. OK, it's not against my religion. Are you ready?

It was SO hot that I bought a loaf of bread & when I got it home it was toast. No word of a lie, Al put jam on it... Clearly I loved Johnny Carson because he had the BEST "how hot is it jokes" (some I cannot put in a blog).

After cruising around the cliffs, and the ocean, we went to the cutest oceanfront bar that had that sign, "Beer so cold it will make your teeth hurt". It was so beautiful, relaxing and we settled in for a margarita. Well lo and behold, the server Estaban, comes out with these amazing carved margarita cups made out of coconuts. Now I will say, the margaritas had an off taste; apparently they add "mango" to the margarita. HUH? But what they do right is they bring these rolled up cold cloths to cool you off. Well, they had me at HELLO. Wow, what a nice welcome gesture. I think at our next dinner party I will do that. Well, maybe not, sounds like work for 10 people :>

This beach club sits atop the jagged cliffs I've been describing and it's so quiet. You can go take your drink and sit on a lounger on a cliff...overlooking the beautiful ocean, and they have done so much to make this place original. Sea shells and stones built into the tables, hanging coconuts, coconuts on the doors, and the bathroom has a palm tree built into it.

After we left there, we went down to Mango Cafe; renowned on the island & voted #1 on T.Advisor for Isla dining. They are a small cafe, only open for breakfast & lunch. We ordered chicken chipotle quesadilla with cheese, caramelized onions, poblano, corn and the creamy chipotle sauce had me saying an hallelujah. Al had a steak burrito stuffed with lettuce, minced jalapenos, caramelized onions and cheese, rice & beans. We also had a fresh salad with roasted almonds, jicima, blue cheese, pineapple & cherry tomatoes with a raspberry dressing that had a slight kick.

We got take-out so we could dine by our pool on the patio. The food was quite fresh, tasty, hearty and the price was very reasonable. After we just floated all day, happy to be spending our last day quietly together, just relaxing. And what always follows a holiday is the packing up, and of course we did a once over the casa to ensure we left it as good as we found it, which was spotless.

So this is the end of the 'couple' trip and being alone, but we're looking forward to sharing adventures with the family for the next few weeks. I think a true test of marriage is to go on holiday and see if you have fun together. Some couples don't do well alone, and travel in packs. You'd think your marriage would flourish on vacation with no stresses of your every day life, but I suppose if you're butting heads at home, you'll do it anywhere.

Marriage is not for the faint of heart,nor for the selfish, or the weak or the "keeping score" types of people. Even if you find the best mate you can ever find, it isn't always roses & romance. Life and marriage is like a ferris wheel ride. Sometimes you're on the top, inevitably sometimes you're gonna hit the bottom & without the lows we can't appreciate the highs.

Life catches up with everyone, whether it's kids, work, financial stresses, and trying to keep one person (your spouse) happy the rest of your life is really hard work and a big commitment.

There are so many books out there on marriage and so much of ii is a bunch of psycho-babble stuff. If marriage advice could be put in layman's terms I think couples could understand it more, like useful stuff that we can all relate to...matter of fact and to the point.

Laughter; laughter is key in marriage. I try to make Al laugh, and he makes me laugh, and boy that buys you a lot of gas for the marriage tank. (funny does not sag - other things will sag, but funny is non-saggy).

Be nice. I have realized too, that sometimes we speak harshly to those we love the most; we wouldn't do that to a co-worker or boss, so best to lay off the harsh talk (ideally go find a stranger on the street, let it all out & them, then run like hell!)

Fighting. Never go to bed angry - if it ain't solved by 1 am, then it ain't going to be solved. Just go to bed & rest up so you can win the fight tomorrow ;>

Decision making. Don't sweat the small stuff for gods sake; sweat the big stuff like which restaurant or movie to go to (heheh)

Compromise. Try walking in your wive's shoes for a change. (Just don't get caught in her high heels, that may be verrry hard to explain when she catches you).

Stress. Reduce your stress; less stress makes for a better marriage. Now I'm not saying take a shot or two of whiskey each day cause that might be bad...well I guess that's what I'm exactly saying...(or a margarita or two like us on holiday)

Milestones. They say the best way for a man to remember his wife's birthday is to forget it ONCE. Don't forget birthdays (hell to pay).

And guys, remember your wife is always right. Be the bigger person cause when she realizes she's wrong, she'll go on a major guilt trip and you'll have been the bigger person. (winning 😉

No matter what a woman says, she always appreciates a gift and even though she says, "oh it's the thought that counts". No gift, no thought. No thought means you are dubba. (losing)

Directions. And ladies, be realistic, he's not going to ask for directions no matter how many times you tell him. He can barely follow the woman's voice on the GPS telling him where to go. Moses only wandered the desert for 40 years because he would not ask for directions.

Errands. Do not call your husband to add one more grocery item on. Write him a list or text him outlining exactly what you want; otherwise he'll forget the first 3 items and bring home fireworks.

And well I'll end these tips on marriage with... No man was ever shot doing dishes. And no woman ever lost an argument wearing lingerie 😊

Off on more adventures. Livin' La Vida Loca here we come! Looking so forward to seeing Ray & Pat too, it's been over a year & their grandchildren miss them. PS one more time with enthusiasm - loads and loads of pictures below & onto 2 pages of the shoreline, dining, food, me, Al, me...

Funny marriage quote (not about you Al 😊

"I never knew what true happiness was till I got married and by then, it was too late". Max Coulman

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Comments

[zully]

You look great you!
You, Sally, don't age like most do. You are looking great. Great photo of you here. You and Al are having such a blast. ;-)

[Playagal]

You look great!
Oh Zully, you have to say that, you're my friend!! A VERY good friend indeed! Thanks for the compliment!!