June 16, 2012

June Birchbox

Oh man, I have to say this is the best one yet (it also helps when you get retweeted by ModCloth – thanks!!!) Self-tanner, a cool face masque AND this sassy retro headband courtesy of ModCloth?! I’m in heaven. There’s also some sunscreen – perfect for traveling and some lip and cheek tint which didn’t tint my lips very well. I haven’t given up though…..we’ll see how it works on my face……

I’m excited to co-host one of my best friend’s baby showers this weekend. I can’t wait to show you all of the fun DIY creations I have up my sleeve. Pinterest has been a saint, per usual, guiding me through recipes and decor for our mod, ‘not too baby’ baby shower. This is baby shower No. 3 for this lucky gal so we’ve got to finish it off right! Pics and a play by play to come!

June 14, 2012

Be Playa, playa

Mexico, Playa del Carmen

Rooftop pool – a storm’s a-brewin’

Be Playa Hotel – Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Hotel lobby

Streetside

5th Ave. – where all of the action happens

ie. harassing vendors, over-priced drinks and LOTS of tourists

The beaches of Playa del Carmen – Tulum spoiled us 🙁

Just a few pics of Playa del Carmen….not as much to see since this was a bigger city full of tourists and we had gotten most of our sight seeing out of the way already. Plus, the weather wasn’t nearly as good here – womp, womp. The afternoons were usually filled with rain and thunderstorms. BUT we did have a killer rooftop pool, which we enjoyed quite a bit and our room came with a flat screen TV and AC (perfect for chillin’ during the downpours).

We were very spoiled in Tulum and if I could do it all again, I would have stayed down there for the entire time. It was more our vibe/scene. Oh well – next time.

June 14, 2012

Ruins Part 2 (hipster style)

Mexico, Ruins, Tulum

Tulum Ruins

Me – doin’ the ruins

Palm trees and ruins – this group knew how to pick a location!

206 doin’ the ruins

There’s a iguana up there….

Beachside ruins

‘Get your worship on’ ruins

Face time


Ruins beach

Oh man, if we had only had more time at the Tulum Ruins……I’m way bummed that we maybe had 45 minutes at this place. Arg. A good excuse to go back though! These ruins were 5 minutes north of town and sit right on the ocean. This tribe knew what was up – what a location! The site is HUGE and very well preserved and although you can’t climb any temples, you can really get a good sense as to what the town was like. Someone pointed out to me that these structures have withstood hundreds of years of hurricanes and that stuck me as super extra impressive. I guess the big thing to do here is bring a lunch, explore everything then swim at the beach making it a leisurely afternoon. Yeah, that didn’t happen for us. We frantically ran around the property, snapped a few pics then rushed outta town to return the rental car. Darn rental cars ruining my trip to the ruins……

June 13, 2012

Grand Cenote

Grand Cenote, Mexico, Tulum

El Grand Cenote

Snorkel gear ready

Viney

The view from above

While exploring the Yucatan Peninsula, one must visit a cenote, a deep, natural sinkhole with crystal clear water and little fishes. So visit we did after an exhausting trip to the Coba Ruins. It was refreshing to get out of the piercing sun and into this shaded, cool oasis – our sunburned skin was quite thankful! There are many of these around Tulum, all family owned, so we tried to find the best one, and according to Trip Advisor, this was it!

The water felt great and there were plenty of animals above and below the surface, but I have to admit, it was very, very creepy. Like so creepy that someone should make a horror movie in one of these things. Come on….Mayan ruins, jungles, human sacrifices, bugs, cenotes….I see the start of an epic horror movie people!

Cenotes connect to many other underground water caves and people acutally scuba dive in these things for fun. WTF? In no way did that appeal to me! We made a quick snorkeling loop then hopped on out, both admitting to each other that we were freaked out. An experience none the less, but I think I’ll stick to snorkeling in the ocean thanks.

June 11, 2012