A Few Extra Photos From Our Trip

      Here are a few extra photos from our vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  Beautiful sunsets; rainbows above the resort following a rain storm; dinner on 5th Avenue with my parents; night on the town with my husband and our new friends, Shawna & Rob, who we met at our resort.  It was a great trip!

Xplor Adventure Park

      Xplor Park was definitely something that Spencer and I wanted to do as soon as we learned about it.  It offered so much adventure and was worth every penny.  It was so much fun!!! 

 

Here is a list of the park's attractions:

 

Go through two circuits of 7 zip-lines each.

Swim along 430 yards in a Stalactite River.

Drive along 6.2 miles through two circuits with Amphibious Vehicles.

Explore caves with stalactites and stalagmites.

Enjoy an unlimited buffet and beverages.

Tulum & Coba Mayan Ruins

Tulum Ruins:

      Tulum was beautiful!!!  It is the only Mayan city built on the coast and was literally built on a cliff, overlooking the Caribbean sea.  Our tour guide told stories of a civilization from the 13th to 15th century who perfectly matched the description of another civilization I have read about since I was a little girl in the Book of Mormon.  Everything he said felt familiar to me and it only strengthened my testimony.  I loved it! 

 Coba Ruins:

 

      The Mayans flourished in the city of Coba between 400 and 1100 A.D.  It being one of the largest Mayan cities during this time period was home to some 50,000 inhabitants.  Coba is also home to the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula standing at 130 feet.  It is the only Mayan Ruin left that visitors are allowed to climb.  Spencer and I of course had to climb it, and while I am glad I did, I was scared out of my mind once I reached the top!!  I literally had an anxiety attack and didn't know how I was going to get down.  The view from the top was worth it though.  Thick jungle as far as the eye could see.  Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died before we climbed the pyramid so the blurry photo was taken from my phone.   

Cenotes & Akumal Beach Tour

“Cenote” is pronounced, say-no-tay 

 

      A combination of various geological events and climate changes created an incredible and unique ecosystem in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. These caves and underground rivers were created naturally over 6,500 years ago. Over the past 20 years, experienced scuba divers have explored these caves discovering more than 300 miles of interconnected passageways and caves that make up this amazing one of a kind ecosystem. These cenotes, only found in this part of the world, offer a unique experience to snorkelers or divers who wish to venture through caverns full of crystal clear water, stalagmites and stalactites.

 

      I stole the above description off the internet because I had no idea how to explain a Cenote.   They were really cool though and during our stay we had the opportunity to visit and swim in two of them.  To be honest, I get really freaked out swimming in caves and deep water, but I made myself go in the below cave, and as long as you follow the red rope you won't get lost.  Inside the cave there were tons of stalacites.  There isn't a huge amount of fish living in this water because of it's mineral water, but mineral water makes for some pretty colors found all around.    



      Okay, every time I look at this picture I can't help but laugh!!!  When we arrived at our first Cenote, Monica told us the only way to see the bottom was to jump off the cliff (about a 20 ft. drop).  My Dad and Dianne were freaked out!  But they also wanted to see it so ultimately they took the plunge.  After swimming around for a while they noticed a family walking down a pathway that led from the top to the bottom where we were.  We had such a good laugh when Dianne realized she got conned into jumping off the cliff!  Hahahaha!!!!

Akumal Beach

 

      Monica took us to Akumal beach for snorkeling.  It's an area where fresh water percolating through ground limestone meets salt water and creates a nutrient-rich habitat for marine life.  It is also a habitat for endangered Green Sea Turtles, which was definitely the highlight!  Snorkeling was amazing here because we were able to swim with sea turtles and sting rays.

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

      In the beginning of May, Spencer and I had the opportunity to go to Mexico for a week with my Dad and Dianne, and by far one of the most popular questions I get asked is, "How do you afford to go on so many trips?"  I'm sure people assume we are going into major debt so we can vacation, but aren't, and we don't!  We fly using miles we earn.  Most of the time, such as this trip, our resort is through my parent's timeshare which doesn't cost us any money.  And when it comes to cruising we always book cruises last minute when they are discounted by 82%.  That is how we can afford to go!  It also helps when your luggage is lost and several of the items you would have bought as souvenirs anyway gets reimbursed to you.  That's a definite plus!  But there is stress involved in that one ;-)  I just don't want anyone to think that I am an advocate of going into debt for a vacation.

     Anyway, so in May we were invited by my parents to vacation 30 minutes south of Cancun in Playa Del Carmen.  I had never stayed on the Caribbean side of Mexico before so I was really excited.  I found there to be a huge difference between Cabo and Cancun.  Cabo, where we usually go, is sunny year round, and a desert.  Cancun, is opposite.  It's green jungle, very muggy, with occasional torrential rain clouds that pass by.  Now when I say jungle, I literally mean thick, you could get lost in jungle.  It was cool.  Both destinations are beautiful in their own right! 

      The resort we stayed at, The Grand Mayan in Riviera Maya, was gorgeous!  It was just outside of Playa Del Carmen and we shared a two bedroom condo with my parents.  One of the things I absolutely loved about our resort was the wildlife.  We saw iguanas everywhere, a moth almost the size of my hand, crocodiles, and flamingos.  Our room faced the jungle and a small lake and it was so relaxing just to sit on the deck and listen to the sounds of nature.  The other highlight was the pools.  The entire resort was surrounded by pools and they all connected.  The pools had built in chairs for sunbathing, and beds you could relax on if you wanted to be in the shade.  And then of course, you had the beautiful, vibrant Caribbean Sea right behind you.       

      Another really cool part of our trip was having our very own personal taxi driver/tour guide.  Her name was Monica and we just loved her!  We met Monica on our second day of vacation when we got in her taxi to go into town.  After we told her some of the things we wanted to do during our stay, she offered to be our personal tour guide and for a flat fee she would take us on tours to all the must-see sites.  It sounded like a great deal and so we booked a tour for the following morning.  Her tour was amazing, so we booked two more with her.  She even went as far as giving us her personal cell number and anytime of the day or night she would pick us up and take us where ever we wanted.  She even picked Spencer and I up at Midnight after hitting the town.  She was AMAZING!!!  There was nothing Monica wouldn't do for us. 

           

    

Our Easter Weekend

      I invited my Mom & Bill to come down and spend Easter weekend with us and they accepted the offer.  It was a busy weekend though!  Friday was the Mindy Gledhill concert so I bought an extra ticket and brought my Mom with me.  We ate at Sunshine Pizza before the concert and afterwards we stopped at Yo Place for a yummy treat.

      Saturday morning was Megan's endowment session at the temple.  Spencer had to work so I invited my Mom to join me in that session.  It was really nice seeing so many familiar faces at the temple that morning.  Visiting the temple is truly a great way to start the day!  While we were gone the kids hitched a ride with their CrossFit teacher, Ali, to a gym sponsored Easter Egg hunt.  They even won free t-shirts!

      The Ridgeway's Annual Easter Egg Hunt was that afternoon, so after leaving the temple we hightailed it back to town.  The turnout is always great for this big event, I only wish the weather would have been nicer.  Following the egg hunt the guys grilled some hamburgers and we had a nice potluck meal.  There is always plenty to do out at the Ridgeway's.  Both Ryan & Spencer had their 4-wheelers out and let the kids take turns riding around.   

      Easter Sunday was really nice.  Church was great, and Spencer made us a really nice salmon dinner with garlic mashed potatoes, salad, rolls and dessert.  I am definitely spoiled by the fact that he enjoys cooking and is SO good at it!  My parents left after our big meal, which was mid afternoon, so we borrowed Ken's classic Buick and went on a family drive.   

Mindy Gledhill Concert

      I honestly can't believe I have seen Mindy Gledhill in concert three times now!  You'd think I was a die hard fan, but it just comes down to luck.  The first time I saw her I had no idea who she was but it sounded like a super fun time with my friends so I went.  I really did enjoy her music after hearing it though.  The second time I saw her was at a garden party I attended in California.  It was definitely more of a personal setting seeing her this time and her performance was just wonderful! So after two concerts I really had no expectation of seeing her again, so I was very surprised when my friend, Jenn, announced that she had invited Mindy to come and play in our small hometown, to which she replied yes!  Way to go, Jenn!!  This time seeing Mindy Gledhill in concert was different from all of the rest though because she had a full band with her, an opening act, and together they all sounded so good.  The only thing missing was our friend, Shannon! :-(  Other than that, it was a great night!  

Middle School Track & Field

      All 6th graders were invited to join the middle school track program and when I asked Austin if he was interested I thought for sure he would decline.  But he surprised me and said he wanted to, and I was really happy he chose to do it!  The events he chose to compete in included the 4X100 meter relay, 4X400 meter relay, long jump, and high jump.  He didn't quite learn the technique for high jump so he dropped that and picked up a spot in the 100 meter dash after the first meet.  The season consisted of 5 track meets, two of which were at home.  Austin rode the bus with his fellow teammates to each meet and I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw him board that first bus to Banks, OR.  I had a moment of anxiety thinking, is my son ready for this!???  It was a weird, new feeling watching him go off on his own.  This new adventure didn't seem to phase him at all though, which is exactly what I'd hope for him.  I was able to attend all but one meet and really enjoyed watching him work hard!  He really enjoyed the season and almost made districts in the long jump.  It will be interesting to see if he'll continue this next year. 

Cameron's Wild & Crazy Birthday Party

      Cameron convinced me this year that he should have a birthday party at our house, so I gave him the okay.  What started out as 6 invites somehow turned into 8, and then when you add in my three boys, I'm sure you can imagine how wild & crazy this party really was!  The noise in my house during those 2.5 hours was unreal.  One of the parents even commented that he could hear us from the street. The kids had a ton of fun though and that's all that matters. 

      The favorite activity of the night was a game where the kids had to roll 2 dice and if they rolled doubles of any number they could take a turn trying to open a wrapped present.  The catch was they had to put on a hat, ski gloves, and use kitchen spatulas to try and open the very well wrapped present.  Meanwhile the dice keeps going around the circle.  The boys had such a blast!  They also had a relay race involving M&M's and straws.  And to finish the party they had a good old fashioned stick pull competition.  Boys love competitions for sure!  It was one crazy evening but Cameron was so happy and very grateful, which made it all worth it!

  

Astoria & Seaside

      Another activity we did during Spring Break included a day trip to Astoria & Seaside with Caylin, and the Cottrell's.  In Astoria we spent a few hours at the Aquatic Center, which is a really nice facility.  The kids had a great time going down the slides while us ladies sat in the heated kids pool most of the time because it just felt SO good. 

       Afterwards we drove to Seaside and had lunch then walked to the beach.  Unfortunately the wind was not in our favor that day so we opted to skip playing in the sand.  We didn't stay too terribly long, but long enough to eat ice cream, wander through some shops, and let the kids ride the carousel.  It really is awesome to live so close to the beach and be able to make a quick day trip!