Honeymoon

The day after the wedding was also a whirlwind as we had to bring everything back to the house, finish packing, and then head up to St. Louis to our hotel. Unfortunately that morning, I had a sore throat that moved down into my lungs as the day progressed, so by the end of Sunday I already had cold which stayed with me the rest of the week. It didn't keep me from doing anything, it was mostly just a nuisance. We were up and at 'em by about 3:00 Sunday morning so we could catch the shuttle to the airport to get on our flight. I have to say, the flights from St. Louis to Dallas/Ft. Worth, and then from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Cozumel were a couple of the worst flights we had ever been on. When we left St. Louis we were in a storm and when we got into Cozumel, we were dealing with Tropical Storm Arlene. Needless to say, there was a ridiculous amount of turbulence and we were both very happy to be back on solid ground!

Since we didn't get in until Monday afternoon, we just relaxed and hung out around the resort for the rest of the day and all of Tuesday. We did some swimming at the amazing pool they had, took some naps, and enjoyed the delicious food they offered.

This particular pool happened to have a lazy river, and was right by one of the outdoor restaurants, so we had drinks brought directly to us as we swam!

On Tuesday we had scheduled to go on a tour to Chichen Itza over on the mainland on Wednesday, but at about 10:00 Tuesday night they called and said that because of the weather they were going to have us go Thursday instead. So when we woke up on Wednesday we decided to go snorkeling. If we booked through our resort we got to go see three reefs. We were really excited because Mason had gone before and had spoke so highly of it. When we got out to the first reef we were probably about a mile off shore. Unfortunately, the water was still so rough from the tropical storm that when we got in the water it was very difficult to swim and really enjoy what we were doing. So I was that person that held on to the boogie board our guide had for anybody who got tired. Except I held on the entire time. Haha By the time we got back in the boat from the first reef, I was sea sick from the waves, and Mason had no intention of getting back in at the last two because of how rough the water was. Because of this, we ended up just lounging around the rest of the day.

On Thursday we were up and leaving our resort by 6:00 in the morning to head to downtown Cozumel to catch the 7:00 ferry. From Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen on the mainland it took roughly 30-40 minutes. Once we got there we found our driver and took the two and a half van ride down to Chichen Itza. It was definitely worth the long trip, and was probably one of the neatest places both of us had seen. The amount of history we learned about the Mayans was fantastic, and it was amazing to see a place that has been preserved so well for such a long period of time.

Our tour guide, Oscar, made it an exceptionally great experience. He had a quirky sense of humor and was incredibly knowledgeable about all parts of Chichen Itza.

After such a long day full of travel and exploration, we came back to the resort, ate dinner, and crashed. We were exhausted! Friday morning we woke up and decided to go swimming and lay out since it was one of the first days it was actually sunny! The whole week it was cooler in Mexico than it was in Missouri, in large part because of the tropical storm. They were in what the locals called the "tropical depression." So it wasn't overly hot or sunny the entire time we were there. Later on that afternoon, we went to have our hour-long full-body massages. Let me just say, they were AMAZING! It's definitely something we will be doing again at some point! After our massages we went back to our room, got ready, and ventured to downtown Cozumel to do some shopping. We ended up spending a lot more than we meant to, but we got some nice jewelry!

Unfortunately, this brings us to Saturday morning, the day we had to leave. Mason was ready to get headed back home, but I would have been content staying there another week! However, by the time we did get back, I have to say it was definitely nice to be back home. It was a fabulous vacation, and I'm thankful we were able to have that time together following our wedding!

Since the honeymoon we have stayed very busy traveling and getting odds and ends squared away from the wedding. We ventured up to St. Joseph to see Mason's mom and sister, and I spent about five days in Iowa. I went for Lindsey's (my best friend) bridal shower and bachelorette party and then spent some time with my family. We will be up in Iowa again the weekend of the 6th for Lindsey and Jake's wedding, so we are definitely looking forward to that. Other than traveling, Mason has been applying for several jobs so we are saying our prayers that something will come along soon! Any additional prayers would also be very appreciated! Otherwise, we're just trying to enjoy what's left of summer because school will be starting for both of us before we know it!