We set up this excursion for our third day there thinking that since we had been having gloomy weather it would give us something to do besides staring at the rain an eating. But to our surprise we woke up to a gorgeous day. We couldn't believe it, although it was a good thing because today's excursion also included swimming.
We got picked up bright and early and we made our way to Tulum. First on the list was a tour of the Tulum Mayan Ruins. Is funny because while in school History was never an interest for me. Although it was indeed interesting, to me it was beyond boring. Now that I'm an adult though I love learning about early civilizations and historical sites so this was pretty neat to experience. At first I didn't care much for checking out the ruins, I was interested in seeing Xichen Itza instead but that was out of the list this time around, however once there things got interesting. Our tour guide was super funny and he explained everything so well. He walked us around and told us about the ruins and then we had an hour to walk around, take pictures, and enjoy the area. I loved that we got there super early so we were part of the early crowd. On our way out that placed was jammed packed. There were so many tourists. Apparently it is the third most visited archeological site in Mexico (I read that in a google search). It rained a little but the sun was still out so it was somewhat refreshing.
From there we went to the location where we would be rappelling, cave snorkeling, and zip lining. I wish I could remember the name of the place but I honestly can't recall it at all. All I remember is that it was fun!
We had to leave everything in our bus and just bring walking/water shoes and our bathing suits. They provided everything else from towels, to water, and even the pictures. I was a little annoyed by that but it was honestly a great investment.
We started rappelling into the cave. Let me just note that I'm the biggest scary cat ever yet somehow I manage to put myself in situations that I would have never even dreamed of. They set you all up with "rappelling gear" and give you a few minutes talk on how it's done and then they ask who wants to go first. I was terrified but you do it in couples so that was nice. You also go at your own speed since you control it with your left hand and then towards the bottom you just let go completely to make a splash into the water and so the picture has a dramatic effect. It was pretty cool. We swam through the cave till we reached our first zip lining area. I believe there were 5. Or maybe 7. I remember 2 being at the end, after lunch.
The zip lining was pretty cool too. I had tried zip lining in Costa Rica back in 2010 and somewhere else too but I don't recall where. I was terrified and there's actually a video where you see the tour guide messing with me and just as he lets me go he says "oh wait wait" but I'm already going so my heart drops to my bottom and all I hear is laughter. Not cool, not cool. It was funny to have that on video.
From there we ended up in a underwater cave where we got snorkeling gears and got to swim through to the other side. That was the coolest experience ever! So I just Google searched it to see if I find this place and it's actually called Cenote Sac Actun. Guys, I totally recommend you checking out this Cenote if you are ever in Mexico. I can't swim. Well not too good anyways and the whole time I stayed next to the tour guide and my hubby because let me tell you, the view into the water was beyond breathtaking yet at the same time I was pooping myself. Specially when it got dark. I remember at one point I panicked and hubby must have noticed because he got next to me and told me to relax. To stop and take deep breaths. How can I explain this. I honestly don't think I can. This is the longest underwater cave in Mexico, I remember hubby pointing out a sign about it being on National Geographic. They had that sign on site. This experience was just too amazing to ever put into words. Is one of those things were you just have to experience it for yourself. And we didn't even get pictures of that part of the excursion. So it is definitely something that I will forever be thankful to have had experienced.
More zip lining and then lunch. This food was authentic Mayan food and it was AMAZING! hubby and I repeated servings twice. Oh and the Tamarindo juice, Dios Que Riqueza! It was really good.
After lunch we had some free time to check out souvenirs on site and the tour guide gave us the option to finish the zip lining or walk it back but of course we all chose to zip line. We then stopped for margaritas and to "shop" for our photos. I have to say that I was impressed with their system. They really persuaded you well for giving in to buying the pictures. Not like you had a choice since you didn't have a camera of your own. Nonetheless it was worth it.
We made it to back to the resort. Showered, dinner, show, and bed.
The weather was pretty decent on our last day in the resort. we hung out at the beach after breakfast for a few hours and wondered away from the resort on the beach side to see what else was around then we came back to the pool area. It was a very low key last day there. We talked bout how much we loved Mexico and we jut knew we would be returning within the year to bring our boys. we missed them so much! But it was a much needed getaway to rekindle our love :)
This is the first of several post on our vacation to Mexico back in 2016 and again on 2017.
On December 2016 we took a 5 days getaway to Mexico to celebrate Hubby's 30th birthday. We wanted to do something memorable and that we enjoyed. We love traveling and it was fitting that we decided on trips instead of big parties for our big transition into the third decade of our lives. We stayed at the beautiful Grand Sunset Princess Resort and although the weather wasn't what we had hoped for we made it work.
We landed in Cancun Airport and we were taken to enterprise were we had reserved a car for the next 5 days. After getting situated there we got in our rental and drove about 40 minutes to the resort. It was a smooth drive. I wasn't sure what to expect and I'm not going to lie I was somewhat scared since we did not know anything about Mexico but hubby's confidence had me a little more at ease. He's a truck driver so he's very good at getting around places plus there's just something about him that makes me feel protected. Could it be his size/appearance? who know. Bottom line, getting around The Riviera Maya was not difficult at all. It also helped that we knew the language but even if we wouldn't have I think it was fairly easy to get around.
The resort was beautiful and pretty big! There were 3 parts to it. At one point we got lost and ended up in the family resort which was also beautiful and looked very kid friendly. The food was amazing at every location and at any time of day but my favorite was the coffee. I don't know what kind of coffee they used but we drank cup after cup after cup. Hubby loved their liquor selection. He kept saying they had top shelf liquor, whatever that means. I like my wine, Corona, and Patron. One thing I did not like was the juices they used to mix drinks. Throughout our entire stay there was not one drink I repeated or enjoyed as much as hubby. I just couldn't get pass the after taste. It wasn't till our last day that I decided to drink wine (I didn't drink any before because wine and sun does not go well with me) but boy was their wine good :) Ooo and their burgers, OMG their burgers. I was hooked! Mexican burgers are way better than American burgers for sure or at least the burgers at this resort were. Night entertainment was really good. They had the best shows and live bands every night. That did not disappoint at all. The pool was good but again, the first couple of days it was hard to enjoy it because the weather was not as good so we did a lot of lounging and relaxing. The beach I did not like much. Very rocky. I only went in once and the next time we walked a couple of miles to the right of the resort and ended up at a beautiful beach which was good for swimming. We would definitely come again to this resort.
The weather on our second day was rainy and gloomy early in the morning so we decided to check out the excursions they had available. Since it was late morning already and the sun was coming out we opted for driving ourselves to Tulum and going to Xel-Ha Park. Actually the guy recommended it more than Xcaret since Xcaret was more kid friendly and it was only us two. We booked another excursion for the following day and drove to Tulum on our own. That drive took about 45-50mins from the resort and again it as a smooth drive. Only one turn and it was to get into the park itself. We loved it there. Everything there was pretty much water activities and food and drinks (even alcoholic beverages) were included in the entrance fee which I found it to be super cheap. We did the jungle trail by bike which led us to the river tour and snorkeling, cliff jump, zip-lining over the water, we checked out the garden, and the manatees cove. There was so much to do but we only had about 5 hours and the sun was beaming. It was the perfect day to be there for sure but our faces were burnt. I wonder if it was because we were on a different location. Again the food here was out of this world. They had lots of restaurants to choose from and we opted for authentic Mexican food. I can't even describe how good the food was. And the drinks... Hay Dios, Delicious! The Best Tamarind Margarita. This was something we agreed to do with the boys one day. They will both love it so much.
On our way back to the resort we stopped at La Quinta Ave. I had read about it on my search for things to do/places to visit in Playa del Carmen and it was also recommended by the guy who we booked our excursion with. He said that's something we must do and it was about ten minutes from the resort so it was convenient to make a stop on our way back from Tulum and so we did.
So what is La Quinta? You can say is like a boardwalk except that it runs parallel to the shore "Playa Del Carmen" and it has tons of restaurants, shopping stores, hotels, bars, and so on. We ended up buying all of our souvenirs here and a little tip, if you ever go to Mexico is better to buy things using their money. They give you better prices, as we were told by the locals. Something about them not getting good exchange rates when they change dollars to Mexican pesos so they charge more if you pay in dollars to make their profit. Walking around La Quinta was a little intimidating, especially because it was getting darker and later in the evening. There are lots of locals and some people walk right next to you and offer you weed, cigars "massages", etc but they don't disrespect and if you ignore them they leave you alone. Now if you start asking them question expect them to try to hustle you. Unfortunately we didn't get to walk it all. I think I read somewhere that the whole thing is 4 miles long and I think we walked a mile, if that. We were just tired from all the sun and swimming earlier. We had planned to return again and maybe eat lunch or a snack but with 4 full days total there was just no room to fit it in again. I would totally do it again though, I'd like to experience it and go to the actual beach. Maybe even go for a getaway and instead of staying in a resort staying in a hotel along La Quinta Ave. That would be fun!
We headed back to our resort, showered , had dinner and went to enjoy the live band for the night.
These were only two days into our trip and we were loving the culture. Next post will be on our Tulum group excursion and our last day in the resort.
So. It’s that season of life again where we talk about expanding the family. I have been itching for another baby for way over a year now but I just knew it was something that was near impossible to get started on with everything that was going on. Last year hubby and I had a serious talk about the matter at hand and we agreed that 2018 would be the year to make a baby.
Now, I know what you are all thinking. What about nursing school? Right? Well friends. I’m officially six months away from graduation, God willing. We are definitely not trying to make a baby at this exact time, we’re just starting the process.
I had my mirena removed yesterday. Which on another note, although I was aware that 2018 would be the year and I had decided on removing it around this time way back in the fall, now that it’s officially out I’m sort of freaking out which is a whole other subject. We are planning to hopefully conceive by summer time but my reason for wanting to remove the mirena now is that I want to regulate my menstrual cycle. I haven’t had a cycle in over three years and I want to have some control on when it all happens as well as have my body have a somewhat normal and well balanced hormones levels. Kind of just allowing my body to function as normal as possibly.
This is all so exciting y’all! Although I would love love love a little girl the idea of being a mom to three boys is not as dounting as I might have imagined several years ago. I’m sure that it’s going to be big deal around these parts since we’re the only ones with just boys at this time. But believe it or not I have come to peace with the idea of being a mom of boys and the Queen of the house.
We have so many goals and plans for 2018 and I pray they all work out according to plan and God’s will of course. The boys are super excited to have another sibling. AJ more so than Steven because Steven feels that we’re “going to forget about him” hahaha that child of ours doesn’t realize that he is as special as they come or how blessed we are to call him our firstborn. Although I’m a little sad that they will all have such big gaps in ages, I wish they would of been a little closer together but at last this is the way things turned out.
I think that the hardest part of all this is accepting that this could possibly be my last pregnancy. The last time my body will do this wonderful job of stretching and growing and nurturing another human being. That is sad to come term with but I’m not going to get ahead of myself. I don’t know what the future holds. I’m just praying for a healthy and happy pregnancy and baby.
I’m considered a high risk momma so my OB referred me to Maternal Fetal Medicine and I have an appointment there in two weeks to discuss “the plan” for this pregnancy. I would really appreciate prayers and healthy pregnancy and baby wishes because my mind is already racing😩. But I have to believe that God’s plan are better than mine and he knows what he’s doing.
Ok. So here we go, on to baby number 3!
It's no secret that I am a lover of everything women. I believe that us women are amazing! we juggle so much within our home, family, career, social, and personal life etc and our bodies are just beyond amazing to say the least. The simple fact that we can grow another human life within us, stretch our bodies to its full capacity, birth an infant, and better yet contract our uterus from the size of a watermelon down to the size of a plum. I don't know about you but that's just fascinating! :) not to mention that if we so desire we can provide a well balanced diet (through our breast milk) to that tiny human for the first year of it's life. I mean come on now, God knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to give us women this type of responsibility hehehe. No offence to any men out there, of course that you are a vital part of this process too, your support is greatly appreciated ;)
Now back to the subject at hand.
I have always been interested in women's health. That's the reason why I started my journey in the medical field and ever since then I have looked forward to this rotation like you would not believe.
On the first day of class I arrived about an hour early. I walked in the classroom and this overwhelming happiness covered my whole body. I honestly can't even begin to describe it, is like when you know it's meant to be. I kid you not, ask my professors, every day during class I had a smile from ear to ear. I'm not even exaggerating, I promise you. By the end of class my cheeks were sore, I truly enjoyed every minute of this rotation.
I have no complaints on my clinical experience. Every week had it's own excitement and I was able to experience and learn something new.
Week Two: I was put on triage. I was a bit bored at first mainly because it felt like the time was dragging but it didn't take long before things began to change. So much so that I ended my day in an emergency C-section. My very first C-section! I was wowed. I was amazed. I was in love. This same week I went to the perinatal center for high risk expectant moms. Not too much excitement there which is a good thing. I had also previously worked in a perinatal center a couple of years ago and had seen some pretty cool yet unfortunate things.
Week Three: I spent the day with a visiting nurse. This experience was special for me because I had been on this program when I was pregnant with my first baby and it was that nurse who inspired me to pursue a career in nursing. I remember telling myself, one day I am going to do her job. My second clinical day this week I was assigned to a patient in the delivering unit who was in labor with her first baby. She was a champ! Although I had seen multiple vaginal deliveries in the past, I had never seen a vacuum assisted delivery and boy was that interesting. This time around instead of following the nurse after the baby was delivered, I stood around by the doctor's side to wait for the delivery of the placenta and the repair that needed to be done. Again, our bodies are just out of this world!
Week Four: I had my clinical experience in the NICU. I had already been to the NICU in my Peds rotation and had a much better experience that time around but I still did find that extra tiny humans were my thing. So much so that I am considering doing my preceptorship in the NICU. This week I had the pleasure of attending the SNAP Convention (Student Nurse Association of Pennsylvania) that was held in Poconos, PA. We were there three days and everything was awesome. I had attended the 2016 convention n Lancaster, PA and it to was a great experience. I'm glad I had the opportunity to attend this event.
Week Five: No clinical due to Thanksgiving break.
Week Six & Seven: I was assigned to the postpartum side of the unit and was paired with a nurse to care for both moms and babies after the delivery. That was an interesting experience all on its own. Thankfully there were no major complications with any of our moms but I did get to watch several babies get circumcised. Yikes! Traumatizing a bit :-/ overall it was an amazing experience.
Early in the semester I had met with the program coordinator and we talked about my future goals in using and what my area of interest was. I mentioned how much I loved OB and how excited I was for the rotation but that I was curious to see whether I would love it as much as I thought I did or if I would have a change of heart. Well my friends I'm happy to inform you that not only do I still love OB but I think that I love it even more after that rotation.
I look forward on starting my career in something that I feel so passionate about. My goal is to grow within this specialty. There are so many different areas that I am interest in that it'll be be interesting to see where I actually end up and the course that this journey will take me on. At this moment my biggest issue is deciding whether I want to start in OB right after graduation or if I should dedicate a couple of years to Med/Surg nursing before specializing. I don't think I can go wrong with either choice but I do want the best possible nursing experience throughout my nursing career. More than anything I want to be the best possible nurse that I can be and offer my patients the best possible care.
:)
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