We went to Dallas for Jamir's graduation! He now has a Masters in public administration! Way to go Jamir. We are very proud of him. We flew down for his ceremony Friday, and then went to a 12 Days of Christmas exhibit at some beautiful gardens. We also spent Saturday there to visit the aquarium and see downtown. It was a fun trip to see a new culture and city. Danny didn't sleep at night though so we were all a little tired. Traveling is hard with little kids.
Then on Sunday we arrived in Cancun to visit the abuelos. We went to Cozumel (an island off of Playa del Carmen) for some beach time the first day. We walked down 5th avenue for some sights and seafood dinner. Then on Tuesday we got haircuts, ran through the rain downtown, enjoyed the hotel and were able to leave our kids and do Xplor fuego for our anniversary!
It was the highlight of the trip! I didn't take any pictures, but it had ziplines, underground rivers, canoes, 4x4 trucks to drive through the mud, and all you can eat buffet. It was so fun to be just us and do things at a faster speed. The park was basically empty because it had rained and was a Tuesday night, so we did the zipline circuit twice with no lines. We were wet, but it felt wonderful and we weren't cold at all, surprisingly. We finished the night with some abuelita hot chocolate, conchas and tamales next to a fire and cenote pool. And in true Jamir and Amy fashion, we took a taxi to the wrong XOXO (minimart) so we ended up walking an hour back to the hotel. Oops. But it wasn't so bad in the end and it was in a safe gated community.
On Wednesday we played in the pool, did yoga on the grass, took pictures, ate more tacos, and played in the plaza/beach area.
Thursday we left for home (or rather Camas, for a day). We were all ready to be home. The boys had little sleep and Ben had more than one meltdown. I wish they were better travelers, but they do so much better with routine and their own beds (us too). I'm glad we went, but our home is still our favorite place.
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| Playground in airport |
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| excited to fly |
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| seeing the sun set at we land in Dallas |
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| ready for graduation |
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| can you spot Jamir? |
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| we had to step out for the last half hour. Some security guard got really mad that we touched the ornaments. |
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| cold windy day! |
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| easting BBQ and mac n' cheese! |
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| Arlington was a cute little college city with brick buildings. |
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| driving around Dallas downtown |
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| checking out the temple. It's huge! |
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| at the arboretum 12 days of Christmas |
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| each display was very elaborate. |
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| we saw someone proposing! (this isn't the picture of them) |
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| Benji loved the displays. |
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| Waffle house in the morning (so much grease!) but it was pretty good food. |
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| eel at the aquarium |
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| friendly stingray |
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| eel! gross! |
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| gators! |
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| getting some Chik fil A at the park. There was some Gondi celebration going on |
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| on the plane again. |
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| Ben really liked the bus ride to Playa del Carmen. |
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| Danny enjoyed his nap |
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| tacos the first night |
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| Danny is a bottomless pit |
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| resident cat at hotel |
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| Danny had to sleep in all sorts of positions this trip |
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| renting at car. Ben and his coconut |
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| on the ferry |
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| feeding Danny on the beach |
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| Ben was so tired. |
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| Plaza at Cozumel. It was so pretty as the sun set. |
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| the ride back on the ferry. It was stormy! |
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| the hotel had a cool hacienda style |
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| always tired while traveling |
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| The BEST part of the trip. |
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| breakfast by the pool |
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| playground in the plaza |
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| it was fun to see nativities all over |
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| Danny now hates sand because the first time he touched it a wave splashed in his face. He doesn't even like the sandbox at home. |
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| soooo tired. Tacos the last night |
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| Danny does this cute thing with his hand...I love it when he reaches for things he wants |
Pictures on lawn at hotel:
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| last morning |
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| After the grandparents left we had a few hours to walk around ourselves before our flight left. We ate fried quesadillas, bought a hammock and a wooden lizard (gecko as Ben call it). |
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| we stayed one day in Camas, WA to help Choco and Maren with some house projects and were able to have lunch together for our anniversary. We went to DQ for an ice cream and the lady gave us pecans and whipped cream as a gift. It was cute. |
