mehico

day 1: LA port

                                

meeting up with everyone @ LAX & we're off! exploring this colossal ship was a week long task. it was pretty phenomenal. our stateroom had a balcony on the very front of the ship & i don't wanna toot my own horn here but i did not get motion sick in the SLIGHTEST while on board the mariner of the seas. humongous relief, let me tells ya.
we're all such novice cruisers we starved the first day, not having a clue where to find free food & heaven forbid we spend a dime. haha- by dinner we were ravenous. turning my phone to airplane mode was the hardest part of day one.

{lil sis, me, mamacita, auntie camillie, & auntie kathy}

we had theme nights which really were a lot of fun with our lavender stone group. 'lavender & tiara night' & so it begins...

day 2: day @ sea

'black & white formal night'. stephanie woke up 3 times today. that's right. for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. haha this is the main reason we only have pictures from dinner. you know, when the picture hound herself was awake. ps-- between her & my mom i'm just shy of 700 pictures from this trip so... be patient.
it was a relaxing day of working out with marcus (YUM), reading, hot tubbing (which i haven't done in years!), & figuring out the archaic internet system on the ship.

day 3: cabo san lucas, mexico

welcome to mexico! such a fun day! we found this random glass bottom boat guy. yes, yes called the sex machine. don't know why. i thought it would be one of those touristy, gimmicky things but it was actually way impressive! the water reminded me of a blue otter pop. gorgeous! i like this mexico place. :)

the boat took us around to look at fishes & pelicans & crabs & then dropped us on a semi-secluded beach. & when i say dropped, they literally had us jump out waist deep in some pretty insano waves & holding our bags above our heads & trying to fight the undertow. MAJOR adventure.

we watched quite a few people get carried away by the waves & need a good rescuing by the handful of  tour guides. a couple of teeny tiny little kids even. i don't know who would throw their babies off the side of a rocky boat into a tumultuous sea but whatever. my mom & aunts & i hiked across the hottest sand ever to the pacific side of the peninsula while stephanie slept on the beach.

unbelievable waves!

we did a bit of shopping in an open market in cabo where steph just about started a riot, had some ice cream, & checked out a couple of lion cubs! back on the boat we had a jam sesh by the pool. yee, that's how we roll.

'earring night'. our waiters were the best in the whole dining hall. period.

day 4: mazatlan, mexico

i was super excited to go check out mazatlan & actually see some of mexican life. we took a tour around this beautiful city & enjoyed a lot of history & info about the culture & country from a native. very interesting. they have a university in mazatlan where you can actually graduate in tourism. who'da thunk?

i will try & not get on my soap box about this & simply say that some mexican boys wait around until they draw an american audience willing to pay & then jump off this nearly 45 foot tower into what they say is 9 feet of water. i will just say i did not take this picture.

we went into a cathedral in the city center & then drove out to lunch at this fabulous sea food place where a mariachi band played & the food was awesome. it was nestled on a picturesque beach with palm trees, white sand, & thatch-roofed huts. stephanie opted out of lunch to go, you guessed it, sleep on the beach. :)

'shoe night'!

day 5: puerto vallarta, mexico

come take a ride with us on a small motorboat into a charming neighborhood in puerto. next we'll take an exciting & scenic hour long ride in an old open army transport truck into the mexican forest. here you'll feel super tough & brave & cool.

get harnessed up for some fun!

you'll find you are quite the natural, zip lining across the canopies & hooting & hollering like a spider monkey. you'll brave dizzying heights & hike through unique landscapes; climb some difficult, long rope bridges & repel over 90 feet in the open air.

by this time you are feeling like such a stud.

until you realize you need to pump in a dilapidated bathroom in the mexican jungle & pop. your bubble is burst. :)

my back was quite literally seared from the 2nd day which we finally figured out was from photosensitivity with the antibiotic i was on. it just barely stopped bubbling & peeling. it was identical to a chemical burn. for almost 3 days i would wake up feeling like i was burning alive. NOT fun.

we enjoyed a lot of fun shows during our evenings on the boat but the ice show was by far the most impressive. when i can do aireal ballet while wearing ice skates, i will absolutely go join the circus. i still couldn't get over the fact that our boat had an ice. skating. rink. what the what??

day 6: day @ sea



chill day of sun bathing, eating, working out, reading, & 'formal hat night'. the ladies in our group were a crack up! 

day 7: last day >> take me home to my babies!!!

we partied (not really) & ate like kings (really) & sucked up some exquisite sunsets & explored some new places & had a blast with female kinfolk. SO glad i bucked up & went!