Chad and I had a wonderful winter vacation last week when we flew to Puerta Vallarta for a business/pleasure getaway.
Leaving is always hard, but this year it was both harder and easier than usual.
It was easier because I only have one job. Prepping one office for my leave seemed simple after experiencing the chaos of prepping two before our last several trips!
It was harder because Mataya is so little. I had never even left her for 6 hours prior to this trip. I almost told Chad we could not go - however, these trips are such a great investment in our marriage. My husband needs to know he comes first sometimes. Plus, how silly is it to give up a trip somewhere warm in the middle of a ND winter!?!
Thankfully, we have an incredible bunch of family that fills all the mommy gaps when I am away. Mataya, along with all the other kids, was so well loved while we were gone. My parents spent evenings, the weekend, and overnights here. Krissy spent the days with Mataya. Since I knew Mataya would always have one of her favorite people (her sisters!) close at hand, I knew she would do OK when I was away. I am so very thankful for the incredible bond my big girls share with this tiny one. It is such a gift.
I'm not sure why but watching the sunrise from my window seat on the plane was really moving. It was like God himself encouraging me to slow down, breath deep, and watch closely for the works of His hands in the week to come.
We all relax in different ways. While I alternately napped, gazed out my window, and read a book; Chad played Angry Birds on the flight! He and I certainly choose different ways to unwind!
It has been an extra cold and dry winter, so walking out of the airport and soaking in both sunshine and humidity was such a treat. Our resort was in Riviera Nayarit, just a short ride from the airport.
Chad and I are normally economy travelers, but when we go on these Chief trips they book the nicest resorts around. We were greeted with cold washcloths, cold drinks, and bellboys that personally walked us to our rooms explaining the resort on the way. Not quite the Super 8!
Our room was very nice. It had some high tech features that we had never seen before. In order to make all the lights work, you needed to insert the room key into a slot right inside of the door.
The bathroom was spectacular, although I did not take any pictures. It had a big jetted tub. It also had a beautiful steam shower.
But our favorite feature of the room was the outdoor balcony. It had both a chair and a bed! From the bed you could view the ocean in shaded privacy. It was lovely and so cozy.
The view from our balcony.
The ocean in PV was loud. . . we felt it to be louder than anywhere else we have been! I love the sound of the waves crashing, so being able to hear them all night long was really relaxing.
My very favorite part of an ocean vacation is running on the beach. I ran for miles every day we were gone. Since I am lucky if my schedule allows me to run 3 times a week at home, it really awesome to have time each day to run! Running is where my brain rests best.
The first day we were there I ran a bit longer than I had planned when I ran past our resort and got a bit lost! Only I would get so busy watching the ocean that I forget where "home" is. My short run turned into a long one that day!
The distractions certainly are beautiful!
This resort had the best food. Truly, THE BEST! At this resort, "all-inclusive" included room service, mini-bar, all regular hotel restaurants and bars, and their 4-Diamond restaurants. While I would have ordered room service every morning, Chad loved the buffet best! We did compromise and order room service one morning though.
We have never been anywhere that had the incredibly high level of service that this resort had. The staff was like spies! When I ordered a glass of red wine one evening before dinner at the lobby bar, the word was out that I liked wine. The next day when we sat down at a pool-side restaurant the waiter arrived with a glass of wine for me because he knew I liked it! In all honesty, I would have preferred something else with my chips and guac, but I was so moved by the attention to detail that I drank that glass of wine like I was royalty!
And the guac. . . it was life-altering!
As was the food at the 4-Diamond restaurants. Seriously, the food was amazing. It was beautifully presented. (I have never seen food as beautiful.) Even better, it was so delicious. I have no idea what half of the things I ate were - but every one of them was incredible.
Can you tell I adore being waited on? Pretty? And delicious?
We had very limited internet. Pictures rarely went through, however Sierra managed to send me a few snaps. I was so thankful. I missed my kids (all of them) more than I have ever missed them.
We have been blessed to be in several tropical locations over the last 10 years. Keeping that in mind, although Puerta Vallarta was pretty, it was not the most beautiful place we have traveled. However, the weather may have been the best we have experienced on a winter vacation. It was 80-85*, humid but not too humid, and just a bit breezy. It was truly perfect.
I do not think I have ever needed rest as much as I did on this trip. While my life has been more stressful during other seasons, I have never had this little sleep. Between Mataya getting me up overnight and the teens chatting late into the evening/morning - I do not sleep much. Being able to sleep all night long AND nap during the day was amazing. I had totally forgotten what it felt like to be rested. My contacts were not even scratchy once the bags under my eyes receded a bit!
The resort had a series of infinity pools. They were beautiful. They were also warm! I typically do not like pools. Cool water is not my favorite - but these pools were so pleasant even I spent time in them!
We also swam in the ocean. Chad is always shocked because his non-water-loving wife insists on jumping in the waves of the ocean at least once every trip. The ocean at PV was quite warm and not as salty as some places we have been. It would be a fun place to play with Joshua and Mataya.
We were in Puerta Vallarta for 5 days. We spent 4 of those days laying on the beach during the day, and at business dinners in the evening. We did NO shopping - seriously, we brought home NOTHING, not even gifts for the kids. We did not explore the town. We rested. We soaked in sunshine, talked a lot of shop (Chad always uses these trips to look at our business from a bigger picture stance. When we are away from the day to day "emergencies," it is easier to dream dreams and make big picture goals.), and listened to each other without being interrupted. While it was not the most adventurous vacation we have had, it was exactly what we needed.
We did have one grand adventure. . . zip lining. . . which I will post about soon!
