Sunset Cruise

Al and I had been pumped for our sunset cruise ever since we booked it well before our trip. We're a little embarrassed to admit this, but we were both under the impression that we'd be boarding a Carnival-style cruise ship and eating a romantic, candlelit dinner out at sea.

Not so much. Al and I arrived on this stormy day doubting whether we'd even be able to go on our cruise. We waiting under a tent-like setup with a bunch of other tourists to hear whether or not we'd be able to go. During this time, a ruffian couple threw a giant fit (cursing included) about getting  a refund. Little did we know at that moment where the night would lead us...

We boarded our catamaran (yup, catamaran) terribly confused. Where were the tables and chairs? Where was the romantic music? No tables, no chairs. And only a strange mix of outdated hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s blasting from the sound system. With a shrug of our shoulders, we boarded the boat and made the best of it.

Thank goodness for adult beverages. This was a wild ride! We barely left the shore the entire ride and the other guests got a little restless. Tequila shots were had, sex jokes were made (and pictures taken)-not by us!, and Al and I just had to laugh! It was not what we were expecting! At least the ruffian couple offered to take our picture so that we could remember this strange evening. It actually turned out to be an awesome story.

After docking, we headed back to the beach for our romantic dinner. It looked lovely! Each couple had a private table on the sand sectioned off by sheer, gauzy fabric. The food, served by the resort we were on, was amazing too!

However, one huge problem (or several, rather) arose immediately: mosquitos. Tons of them. Now, for anyone who isn't aware, I have horrible reactions to bug bites. They swell up ridiculously huge and I get itchy all over. Yeah, this kind of ruined our dining experience. At one point, the waiter actually stood me up and sprayed me down, head to toe, with bug spray. Al got the same treatment, although I think he just did so to ease my embarrassment. He's a good husband like that!

Even in my extreme discomfort, our dinner was salvaged by one singular experience. Our table was located behind the ruffian couple and we got quite a show. That resulted in enough hilarity to (kind of) take my mind off being eaten alive.

Happy moon, indeed.

Lounging on the Beach

Today, Al spent the day resting and I spent the day lounging in the sun. I started my morning with breakfast from CoCo's Cafe:

What a tiny coffee! Oh well, I probably couldn't have handled a giant hot coffee in this heat, anyway. :)

I walked down to the pool and enjoyed Jen Lancaster's Pretty in Plaid and this amazing view for the next few hours.

After a while, I decided to go up to the room and check on my husband who had been promising to come down and meet me...he was still sleeping! At least on my way up to the room, I made a new friend in the hallway...

After I realized that Al would definitely not be joining me in my lounge day outside, I headed down to the beach for more funny book and more of the beautiful view.

All in all, it was a very relaxing, quiet day. :)

Last Night with the Deppas

Tonight, Al and I met up with Ryan and Kim for dinner at Spice to celebrate their last night in Mexico and send them home in style!

The sushi was delicious, per usual, but the shenanigans started pretty early. There were shots of tequila almost immediately:

Once again, yikes. That was just the beginning of the evening, though. After dinner, we checked out the outdoor market set up on the resort for the evening. Al and I were able to score two awesome serving dishes, and I had my first haggling experience! I was so proud!

Afterwards, Al decided to purchase a couple celebratory cigars and we went to visit Al's best friend, Darius. Now, Darius was the Lithuanian bartender of the outdoor bar, whom all the guys fell in love with early on in the trip. He hooked us up with some more tasty beverages and Al and I had a relaxing cigar smoke, as well as a late night walk on the beach with the Deppas.

Inevitably, we ended the night at SCORES, which essentially was our Mexican version of Guido's, and that was okay with me. It was an incredible night and my only complaint was that it had to end!

Ick.

Upon returning to the resort from our evening on the town, Al and I immediately engaged in bad decision-making and had another shot of tequila (maybe two?) Even when he's poisoning me, he's still so darn cute!

Out on the town!

Tonight, Al and I went out with the Deppas in Cancun. Al and I had been craving an outing in the city of Cancun and wanted to see what real Mexican life is like. After doing a little investigating (with our cab driver on the way off the resort), we decided to check out a little restaurant in the city for dinner.

The food was delicious (I had surf 'n turf fajitas! Yum!) but the atmosphere was even better!

Kim and I ventured to the restroom at one point, only to find some very interesting signs:

After returning to our table, Al peer pressured me into doing a tequila shot, after which I consumed an entire glass of Cancun's finest tap water, for which I was berated by my husband and Kim.

Yikes.

After my throat quit burning, we walked out onto the streets of Cancun to do some exploring. Al immediately found a taco cart he had to sample from. (He has this Anthony Bourdain-induced obsession with street food.) I have to admit, it was good, even after we'd stuffed ourselves at dinner! During this stop, there was a police car parked by the taco stand and some officers "patrolling". One lady cop was seriously dressed like a police officer from Reno 911, cleavage and all! Aye aye aye!

After scarfing down tacos, I was approached by a very sweet (but possibly diseased) canine friend. I felt so bad for the darn doggie and kept thinking about how it probably was never pet or rubbed behind its ears, so I decided to give it a little pat on the head. Kim quickly stopped that nonsense and I decided to dip into a nearby bar to wash my hands, just to be safe. I just couldn't get over how bad I felt for that poor dog (and the other stray dogs we saw roaming the city on our trip-they were everywhere!), and it kind of put me in a sad mood for a little while. I just hate to see animals who aren't cared for properly, or who have been abandoned entirely. It's so awful.

Kim wasn't feeling great at this point, so we decided to call it a night and go back to the resort. Though shortlived, excluding my sad experience with that poor perro, our Cancun adventure was spectacular!

Dolphinaris

Humberto and I went on our second excursion today-swimming with dolphins. We were still dealing with some overcast weather, but our day was significantly brightened by this awesome experience!

Swimsuit-clad, we hopped in the excursion van to get out to the Dolphinaris outdoor facility. After our brief tutorial of dos and don'ts, we were in the water mingling with our marine mammal friends. First, we learned a little about the dolphin and watched it underwater. Check out my sweet snorkel gear and our serious learning faces.

Before we knew it, we were getting a little lovin'...

Then, we took a ride...

At this point, I had a stunning realization-I'd lost my drawers! I've not had the best luck keeping my swimsuit on during this trip... Once again, the videographer did a nice job keeping this out of the video and everyone in our group said they didn't see a thing, but I think they were just being nice; good thing I don't get embarrassed easily!

Luckily, our new buddy was still willing to associate with me after this.

So much fun!

Progressive Dinner

To celebrate Jeff and Holly's last night in paradise, the Nukus, Deppas and Melbys got together for a progressive dinner, Jade style.

We started the evening out on the patio at the Asian restaurant, Spice. The sushi, appetizers, and drinks were delish!

Photo courtesy of Holly Melby

Next, we moved on to CinCin for their spectacular soups! (If I'm being totally honest, I ordered an entree to pick at, too.)

We had a great time sitting around and chatting with amazing friends and family and enjoying the fantastic food.

Side note: During this portion of our evening, I came to believe the woman who crept on my husband (on our wedding night while he was smoking cigars with his buddies outside SCORES), so I got a little feisty. I just about caused a scene, wifey style, but was talked down by my group. That's right little lady-THIS IS MY HOUSE! (Side side note: It turned out not to be her. Heh.)

On our way out, we just had to get pictures on the lips couch and in front of the flamenco dancer painting.

Photo courtesy of Holly Melby

After this, we attempted to get seated at the Italian restaurant, Capers for dessert, to no avail. We were given a buzzer, which didn't go off until we were being served dessert at Mercure already.

Photo courtesy of Holly Melby

Too bad, so sad. I was stuffed by then, anyway!