Mexico-- there we go-ed

Richard and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary in Mexico this year in early May. This was our first trip together, alone, since Anna was born. We were both so giddy...we could stay up late, eat a restaurants without taking a diaper bag...in fact, we didn't have a diaper bag AT ALL. Wow. It was like we were dating again-- with a few extra perks we didn't have when we were dating.
We decided on Puerto Vallarta, and have decided to make that our new winter/summer/all season home...as soon as we can afford it. It is THE BEST place to go in Mexico. Fairly inexpensive and beautiful, and unlike Cancun, you actually feel like you are in Mexico.

and probably the thing we were most excited about, besides being in a sunny place on the ocean without a child for 5 days, was the food. We took as many pictures of our food as we did the scenery. I have chosen only a couple to highlight our culinary delight!

And the thing I never forget to do on any vacation...is exercise. And I always make do with what is available. On our first morning in Puerto Vallarta, I got to have my own personal Zumba lesson (I was the only one who showed up). Not only did I keep up with my instructor, but later that day some of the hotel patrons stopped me to ask me how I had picked up the dancing so quickly (Apparently I had become somewhat of the morning entertainment for those guests lounging by the pool).
There is an absolutely wretched movie entitled "The Night of the Iguana" that was made in the 1960's that was filmed in Puerto Vallarta. We tried to watch it prior to coming out here, but it was so lame that we had to turn it off. A much better movie to watch is "Predator" with Arnold Swarzenegger, which was filmed about 3 miles from where we were staying!

One of our favorite things to do was watch the Sunset at night by the beach. This was the thing Richard was most looking forward to. That, and an endless supply of Pina Coladas! I know it is not a foodie thing to say, but we love all inclusive resorts! This was our first time staying at one, and we are both converted. On our honeymoon to Maui, we brought food with us in our suitcase-- dried pasta, oatmeal packets, some beans, and we tried to save money by doing about half of our meals in our hotel room. And all of our vacations have been that way. Until now...
Our hotel was nestled right in this cove, so you couldn't see any other hotels and you could just enjoy the beautiful landscape and really feel like you were isolated at the end of the world somewhere!

one of our excursions was to a little fishing village a boatride away.
we look awesome!
I looked EXTRA awesome, so I got an extra picture!
the obligatory "take it yourself" picture that happens on all vacations! I am pretty darn good at them I think.
between the two of us, I am the much better barterer. Probably because I don't speak Spanish, so I can pretend to just not hear them and be a stubborn American, but mostly for my general apathy toward merchandise in general. I didn't need anything, and I certainly didn't need two of anything, so unless they offered me an awesome deal, I could just walk away.
Richard's weak point was Anna. He could barter great...until someone offered us something pink and cute and fit for a little girl, then Richard couldn't bear to say no. And to his credit, the dress he bought for WAY too much has become Anna's favorite dress and she wears it EVERY day.
Happy four years to us. This is hte restaurant AT our hotel. Pretty awesome that we got a great view of the sunset while we had our romantic dinner.
We felt very sophisticated and grown up. I guess when you are 30 you should feel that every once in awhile.
Richard loved this place.
The staff at the hotel was awesome. Everyone was so accomodating and nice. They made us this special dessert for our anniversary. ONe of the things I love about all-inclusive resorts...I got to order as many desserts as I wanted...at the same meal. So if I had a hard time choosing which one I wanted, I just got both, or all.
This photo of me on the horse was the last picture that we took on our vacation. Because Richard dropped the camera into the river at this point. Luckily, despite some trauma, it survived.
We knew we needed to take a vacation like this NOW, because you never know what life will bring, and after a long busy season, and rainy season, and child raising season, we both needed a break. Mexico gave us the fresh air and perspective we needed to come back and tackle real life again. But mostly, it reminded us that we love to spend time together-- a good thing to remember, especially when you are married!