The Honeymooners

As Fall weather approaches, Bobby and I are reminded that just 4 months ago, we were laying in an infinity pool, sipping freshly made mojitos, eating all the "mexican snacks" we wanted and getting a fabulous tan. Needless to say, our honeymoon was relaxing. We only looked at the clock once a day, and that was to make sure we were on time for the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet in one of the resorts restaurants.
Yes, we spent most of our time laying around and relaxing, but we also did take some tours around beautiful Cozumel, Mexico! Our first "excursion" was to Tulum, an architectural site of the Mayan ruins. Just about an hour south (and a 30 minute ferry ride across the ocean) of Playa Del Carmel and the Rivera Maya, lay hundreds of ancient temples where the Mayan people habituated. Just over the cliff, these Mayan's enjoyed the most breathtaking waterfront view of all: overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Ocean. Later on that afternoon, we were able to go swimming. Although we had to walk down 48365 steep stairs to get there from the cliff, it was well worth it. The sand was like powdered sugar and the water was like a bath. Bobby was also quite busy looking for sharks... seeing as he didn't want to get eaten!

Another tour led us to a "National Park," Chankanaab, where we were left to botanical gardens, LOTS of iguanas, one of the worlds last remaining natural lagoons, and some of the most beautiful reefs in the world to snorkel! After a leisurely walk around the gardens, Bobby and I put on our goofy snorkel gear (I so wish I had a picture of this one...) and jumped right in. Bobby was still looking for sharks. There were so many beautiful fish, it was amazing to see God's creativity in each one of them!
Around Wednesday (half way through our trip), I began to notice a quite itchy rash on my arms, which was spreading rather quickly around my body. My new husband, being the eagle scout that he is, diagnosed it as contact dermatitis: a skin rash similar to the reaction of poison ivy. I was allergic to the hotel soap! He quickly ran down to the hotel store to get me some calamine lotion, and after trying to convince the bell boy that his new bride would not go for the bright pink lotion, he found a clear version instead. I sat crying on our cold marble floors and Bobby applied the lotion, but I quickly stopped when I learned that room service was included in our stay! We ordered in 3 times that day...
So, skin disease aside, our week long "siesta," along with three gourmet meals a day (if not more), sun bathing, clear ocean water, a hot tub in our room, and the most relaxing honeymoon anyone could dream of, we were ready to come home. Both of us slept on the plane on the way home and when we finally arrived at our new home, Bobby did indeed carry his new bride over the threshold. Welcome Home, Mr. and Mrs. Barrick!
Here are some honeymoon pictures for you to enjoy! I highly recommend Cozumel to anyone interested in vacationing somewhere tropical! It was just beautiful!

Our fabulous hotel room, complete with an ocean-view room (not shown) and hot tub!
The Mayan Ruins at Tulum. Just behind this temple was the Caribbean Ocean and a rather large cliff!


The rather large cliff!

Our last night... a beautiful Cozumel sunset, pool-side.