Babymoon- Turks & Caicos

If you follow me on instagram you know that I took my babymoon quite a while ago.  Yes I have been very behind at posting on here. To be honest with the holidays, getting sick, my babymoon, and then giving birth one after another I have been distracted with more important things.  I do want to talk about my babymoon though because this place was gorgeous. 

We ended up taking our babymoon with my entire family, adults only trip, to the Turks & Caicos Islands.  Turks & Caicos isn't a very popular destination, most people don't know where it is or that it was a place. I also feel like its the new up and coming destination as well.  There are many small islands but the two main islands are broken up as the Turks & the Caicos. Many people have heard of the Turks since a cruise destination is the Grand Turks, the island that we visited was the main island on the Caicos and its called Providenciales.  

If you are looking for more of relaxing vacation, laying around on the beach, good eating and drinking, gorgeous beaches and some of the best snorkeling then this is the destination for you. If you are more about site seeing and historical travel this isn't the location for you.  The beaches were the best beaches I have ever seen or felt, they honestly felt like baby powder between my toes. The water was an amazing light blue.

When you go to visit be prepared to spend money on food, the food here isn't cheap and either are groceries.  We rented a villa and stocked up on plenty of groceries to eat breakfast and lunch at the villa but most of our dinners were spent dining out. A favorite of ours was Al's Burger joint, we went there twice and I wish we would have gone at least once more.  The service was really good and the employees were so friendly and the burgers were so tender, they melted in your mouth.  The atmosphere was fun as well.  The men on the island are very friendly and helpful but you will notice that the women aren't that way. They aren't friendly, they don't care to help or serve you, and they almost go out of their way to be rude. I don't think they are big fans of the tourists.

Well enough talking about the island and lets show you some pictures of how gorgeous this place really is.  It started out a little overcast and as you can see turned out to be a gorgeous day.

4th of July

It has become tradition to spend the 4th of July at my parents cabin.  Every year we go to a potluck dinner over at our friends house thats right on a lake. It is always fun to see all the other families and catch up with everyone.  Afterwards we always head back to our cabin and watch the fireworks from our patio. It always amazes me at how long people are lighting off fireworks for.  People are easily lighting them off until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m.  This year my brother went a little crazy and we had quite the show at our own dock. Here are a few pictures from the night:

My niece with her sparkler making designs. 

One of our fireworks off the dock.

Our friends firework show across the bay from us. This easily went on straight for 8+ minutes.

Seattle Food

Like I mentioned in the pervious post, we shopped and ate a lot.  I thought I needed to dedicate a separate post to the food alone. Don't judge me, I love to snack and eat good food.  Our continuous spot was Lola's though and what kept bringing us back was their donuts. Yes these lovely small donuts below. Sorry the photo was taken after I ate most of the plate.

Our first night we got in pretty late after checking in and everything. I was starving and I think my sister could sense the hungry Michelle coming out.  She dragged me down to the hotel bar called Oliver's Lounge to see if they were serving any late night snacks.  All that was on the menu was a cheese plater but I was quite pleased. The fruit, cheese, and crackers/breads were quite tasteful and ripe along with tons of different options. It was exactly what I didn't know I wanted. The atmosphere was quite charming at Oliver's Lounge and we stopped in here several times throughout the trip. During afternoon hours they have a light appetizer complimentary for the guests as well.

The first morning we ate at Andaluca Restaurant which was attached to our hotel. My mother and I shared the Italian Eggs Benedict making hers a veggie. It was huge and it's a good thing we did share. It was really good, the ham was large slices, almost too much for my liking though. My sister got the Almond stuffed Brioche French toast. She liked it so much she got it 2 days later when we ate breakfast here again. My mother and I decided to split the pancakes and again good choice in doing since the portions are so large. It was perfect to get 2 meals for 3 girls and we just took bites of everyones.

We had dessert here one night as well, we got the liquid chocolate cake, coconut pot de creme, and meyer lemon cake. I think the liquid chocolate cake was the best by far.

For dinner we asked the front desk for some recommendations.  They mentioned a place down the street called Assaggio Ristorante which was Italian.  My mom and sister liked their meals but didn't love it, where I LOVED my meal and they all tried mine and said mine was the best by far.  I went out of my comfort zone with this one since I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms but I am a huge fan of the flavor and cream sauces. I ordered the Boscaiola and have seriously been craving it since I've been home, which honestly has been several months now. They sell a recipe book online and I have been debating ordering it just in hopes that this dish might be inside. While walking home we discovered a place that served breakfast right next door to this restaurant called Lola which we decided we would try in the morning.

So we walked to Lola's for breakfast and that was when we discovered the donuts.  I am a huge eggs benedict fan so I ordered it for breakfast here as well.  I am not going to lie, I wasn't a huge fan.  But the donuts kept us coming back for more. I think maybe a total of 3-4 times hehe. The donuts are hand shaken in a bag at the table to get the sugar spread and they are still hot. The donuts come with a seasonal jam along with vanilla mascarpone.

For dinner the 2nd night we walked down to pike market area and decided upon Cafe Campagne- We were lucky enough to get squeezed in before some other parties reservation-we promised we would be quick. Quick to them was before 2 hours and we knew we would be out by then. I got the salade de asperge- which is asparagus with lemon-shallot vinaigrette topped with grilled bacon.  The portion sizes are seriously huge here I don't understand how anyone could eat this salad and get an entree afterwards. You must split the salad portion with your dinner date because I think all 3 of us could have eaten just my salad and gotten a light soup afterwards.  I did still get the creme brulee even though I had tons of salad left over. I can never pass up creme brulee and I was sadly disappointment.  I still ate it, don't get me wrong, I just have had WAY better at too many other places. It wasn't thick enough for my taste, spread out in a very shallow dish.

My sister had mentioned a place that her husband and her had eaten at several years before and mentioned the atmosphere was great along with the food being good as well.  Luckily she found it and it was called The Purple Cafe.  This restaurant has two stories that overlooks a huge wine tower that is the main focus of the restaurant.  The food and atmosphere were good and fun as well and it wasn't too long of a walk from our hotel.

The Pink Door- Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to stop at this place but we had heard about if from locals and was highly recommended.  There is no sign so it can be hard to find if your not aware of that.  Its located near Pike Market up one of the side streets and has a pink door, its two levels but the second level is actually below you so your looking into the place.  It has entertainment nightly along with good food.

Seattle

My mom wanted to do a mother daughter trip so we all finally settled on Seattle.  We actually got quite lucky with the timing.  When it finally came down to the week of our vacation the entire time called for rain. No surprise for Seattle right, but we got very lucky. It rained the first day and the day we were leaving, the rest of the time was sunny, but it was still windy and cold.

It's funny how trips often revolve around shopping & food, at least I feel like most of my trips tend to revolve around these 2 things no matter where I go.  We did do a few sight seeing, like walking down Pike Market a few times (luckily we were only staying a few blocks away from this) & we went to the Observatory building instead of the Space Needle.  It was taller and seemed less touristy to me which I also like to avoid the touristy spots at times.

I did make sure to hit up a goodwill while there. I am going to be honest and say I was a little disappointment with the prices though. It was priced a lot higher then the ones I am use to going to.  I did find a few things that I couldn't pass up though. If you also didn't know, Seattle is Nordstroms headquarters. Our hotel was right around the corner from an amazing Nordstroms as well as a huge Nordstroms Rack.  I contemplated getting these shoes at Nordstroms Rack and still regret not getting them. I am loving stripes lately and these had 2 details of stripes as well as being purple. What was I thinking. hehe

Arizona Weekend

My husband loves to golf and loves baseball. I love to shop and read in the sun.  So when my parents invited us to go visit in Arizona we jumped at the opportunity to leave snowstorms and hit up the sun.  Now call me crazy but I still choose this time of travel over when my husband wanted to leave.  We were driving to Arizona and it was a long trip ahead of us.  Wanting to get there as soon as possible I suggested we leave right after work.  He believed that we should sleep for a few hours and head out at 4 am.  Now this is how I look at it though, if we were to leave at 4 am we would have gotten to Arizona mid day.  We would have wasted a day of our vacation and would have missed the Cubs vs. White Sox's game.  So we hoped in the car and I tried hard to sleep so I could take over driving once he got too tired.  Was this a wise choice--probably not since I know I was exhausted when it was my turn to take over.  I am a very stubborn person as well and like to make points to my husband most of all.  He could tell that I was getting tired once I took over and offered to drive again but I had to prove to not only myself but to him that I was capable to make this drive.  I had gotten to that point in the night where your so tired that your wide awake, I was in a zone blaring music, eating junk food, and drinking caffeinated drinks. I love my husband and I know he loves me because he deals with me even when he knows I'm trying hard to prove him wrong or make a point.

Anyways we had arrived at 6:30 am our time and for some odd reason I got up 3 1/2 hours later and stayed awake til it was bedtime again.  I love after a long travel waking up, crawling into bed with my mom in the morning and just chatting about life and what has been going on since we last talked.  You see my dad is an early riser, my mom often is awake but just lays in bed (I am very similar to this), so I know that I can always find her awake and ready to catch up.

So the first day that we arrived my husband and I headed to the Cubs vs. White Sox's game.  It was packed since it was the last week of Spring Training.  They announced that was record breaking attendance that day, they average around 14,000 people. That day they had 215,000 people at the baseball game.  It was a gorgeous day and the game got very exciting towards the end.  The only disappointment, they weren't selling dippin dots ice cream or even cotton candy.  These are the 2 main reasons why I love going to baseball games with my husband but I still survived.

The following day my husband headed out to go golfing with my dad so my mom and I headed to some amazing stores.  I scored on this trip.  I found a DVF clutch that is normally $400 that I got for $30. Its authentic--its only missing the chain which I don't think I would have used anyways.  I love it more as a clutch.  I got 5 pairs of shoes that were all on sale as well.  The following day we headed to a few thrift stores.  I was a little disappointed with the goodwill though, it was really dirty compared to the ones I am use to and I found it to be over priced as well.  I did buy a few things still though.

Overall the trip was a success, we escaped snowy weather for sunshine, my husband golfed twice as well as his spring training baseball game, I bought a lot of stuff, we both got to read, swim & escape life even just for a weekend.

Remember how one of my New Years Resolutions was to take back my weekends.  I think I am doing pretty good so far.

Moon Palace All-inclusive Experience

I had never done an all-inclusive resort before and my husband had never left the country. What better time and excuse to try one out.   You see I LOVE to travel.  I feel like I learn something new about myself every time I go and explore somewhere new.  My husband promised me that he would travel the world with me once we got married yet he had already passed up going to Honduras and had me go with my friend and her family instead.  I am totally ok with this but I also wanted to experience some of these things with my best friend and life partner.  I figured I needed to plan an amazing vacation where my husband felt comfortable enough to tag along.

Once we saw this view we knew we booked our vacation correctly.

I had never been to Cancun so I started planning away.  I stumbled upon this amazing vacation package on a vacation rental website and the girl (Justine) had really good reviews.  When I started asking around for advice about places to stay the Moon Palace was highly recommended among friends and since it was the same place the good reviews were from I booked it.  I honestly loved Justine, she answered all my questions quickly, she gave advice about places and things to do, she was truly concerned about my vacation and wanted to make sure I had an amazing time.  Not only were we considered VIP since we booked with her membership, we got a free mani, pedi, and 25 minute back massage each.  We had $1500 resort credit that we used on a couples massage, swimming with the dolphins, and once we left they gave us a gift card with the remainder that we didn't use for the future visit (which there will be one).

The staff truly made this place unbelievable. They all loved their jobs and you could tell they really worked hard. They always had smiles on their faces.  They all went out of their way to speak english and communicate with the tourist.  They encouraged eating and drinking.  "Oh you are leaving the bar to walk to the beach, you will need a to-go drink for the walk.  Your not driving anywhere tonight, why not drink more and enjoy your vacation."  They recommended things and they all were amazing.  My husband and I were so pleased with the service and honestly wanted to tip everyone which we did.  Now you don't have to tip but when you see how hard they work to make your vacation amazing you will want to.

One of the beach waiters made me this grasshopper and dropped it off with my drink. 

At the Brazilian restaurant the waiter entertained us with making after dinner drinks for the table next to us. He was amazing and totally played to the crowd.

I honestly highly recommend booking through Justine and also just visiting Moon Palace. They have a handful of resorts that line the Cancun and Playa del Carmen coastline that you can eat and drink at all day long for free as well.

The soup at one of the mexican restaurants. The presentation was always lovely.

Rivera Mayan drink that the waiter recommended. So yummy and everyone asked about this.

Eating dinner outside next to the water in a private cabana.

A gorgeous plant wall outside our hotel.

A day at the spa getting my mani, pedi, and 25 minute massage. Gorgeous spa!

Being entertained outside by the pools at their nightly entertainment.

Mariachi band at the mexican restaurant.

hideous picture but a spa morning at a different spa at the golf course. Couples massage, yes please!

Out on the beach. We didn't even go into the pool, why would you with the beach and ocean right next to us. You would be surprised by how many people just stayed by the pool. Better for us though.

Gorgeous bar in our lobby. We spent most nights and afternoons here. The bar staff was AMAZING.

Xplor Day Mexico

I have completely neglected the blog.  I am sorry. I have been more busy then I planned to be. I am still not done talking about our Cancun, Mexico trip. I have always wanted to do a zipline. I am afraid of heights, not like deathly afraid but I get anxiety and stress, but once I am doing it or up high and feeling the rush I am loving it.  So for my husbands birthday we decided to do the Xplor excursion while in Mexico.  It is an all day event, you leave around 8:30 from your hotel and get back around 6:30. Once you are in the park drinks and food are free, its all inclusive. There isn't any alcoholic drinks while in the park though, do you blame them, they don't want people drowning or getting heat stroke, falling off a zip line or driving the ATV's off the tracks and crashing. Overall my husband and I are glad we did it but once is enough for us.

I have always wanted to do a zip-line but something that many people don't know about me is I'm terrified of heights. I get a thrill once I am up and about doing something but I get really stressed before the event.  My husband has never seen me in this situation before and he was shocked.  I was breathing heavy and talking a lot to people in line.  We had dated for almost 7 1/2 years and been married for a year and a half and we are still learning things about each other.

Anyways I thought the day was pretty good and a fun way to celebrate turning 30.  We went to the zip-line first to avoid the huge crowds, glad we did, when we went around to the 2nd line the wait time was huge to start the zip-line, then we grabbed some lunch, headed over to the atvs. We ended the day with swimming the caves and I am so glad there were 2 options, when we got in the water it was freezing. So we took the 5 minute swimming option rather then the 30 minute option. Anyways... here are the photos from our day.

When you first enter the park you walk through these caves and get a locker key. It was gorgeous.

Zip-line into the water and caves. 

Waterfalls were everywhere.

 The view from one of the zip-line towers. You can see the ocean as well.

Swimming through the caves.