• Home
  • About
    • Personal Posts
  • Privacy
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Checkout
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Sawdust Girl®

Sawdust Girl®

Renovation, cabinet building and woodworking plans and tutorials. Build like a Girl®

  • My Home
    • Clinton TN House
      • Clinton TN House in Progress
    • Maryville TN House
      • Maryville TN House Tour – Completed Rooms
      • Maryville TN House in Progress
        • Basement
        • Basement Storage Closet
        • Bedroom Office
        • Craft Room
        • Dining Room
        • Entry
        • Garage
        • Guest Bedroom
        • Hallway
        • Jack and Jill Bathroom
        • Kitchen
        • Kitchen Entry
        • Laundry Room
        • Library
        • Living Room
        • Loft
        • Madison’s Room
        • Master Bedroom
        • Master Closet
        • Pantry
        • Porch
        • Powder Room
        • Wes’ Office
    • Illinois House
    • Calderwood Cottage
  • My Workshop
    • Clinton Workshop
  • Build & Breakfast
  • Cabinet Making 101
    • Cabinets
    • Doors
    • Drawers
  • Projects and Plans
    • Countertops
    • Beds
    • Benches
    • Bookshelves
    • Desks
    • Gift Ideas
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
    • Home Accessories
    • Kids
    • Kitchen Cabinets
    • Lockers
    • Nightstands
    • Organization accessories
    • Recipes
    • Sewing
    • Tables
    • Vanities
    • Wardrobes
    • Woodworking
      • Wood Finishing
    • Workshop
    • Workshop Storage and Organization
  • Remodeling 101
    • Baseboard and Trim
    • crown molding
    • Demolition
    • Door and Window Casings
    • Door Installation
    • Drywall
    • Electrical work
    • Flooring
    • Home Maintenance
    • Painting
    • Plumbing
    • Resources
    • Safety
    • Tile
    • Wall and Ceiling Treatments
  • The Sawdust Diaries
    • Andrea
    • Ava D.
    • Beckie F.
    • Cara C.
    • Courtney B
    • Fawn T.
    • Jenn D.
    • Kelly C.
    • Kristy K.
    • Lara T.
    • Malisa B.
    • Marnie D.
    • Robin C.
    • Val F.
  • Tools
    • Products
    • Tool Reviews & Overviews
    • Inspiration & Ideas

Cancun 2012

All Posts

We’re back from a relaxing vacation in Cancun.  It was very hot and humid.  It rained almost every night and was overcast for lots of the time…and that was GREAT by us.  Who likes the sun ALWAYS beating down on them?  🙂

We stayed at Moon Palace.  It had like 15 restaurants and 9 pools but we stayed in our little area for the most part.  We only ate at 4 different restaurants and swam in the same pool every time.  (We’re such creatures of habit.)

 

The beach down our way always had a ton of seaweed at the water’s edge but the water was WARM and the sand was so soft!

 

None of us play tennis but Madison thought it sounded fun.  It was like 90 degrees and 15000% humidity.  After about 15 minutes we ran to retreive our balls for the thousandth time and saw this guy on the court next to ours.  We decided that he might wander onto our court and get hurt and we’d better leave him be in his “natural habitat”.    We’re all much better at lounging at the pool than tennis anyway!

 

We actually saw tons of interesting animals:  lemurs, raccoon type things (I can’t remember what they’re called) that steal your food, and huge iguanas.

That was cool!
And then there was the snorkeling.  We took an excursion to explore the Mayan Reef.  We took a boat out.  It was only a 5 minute ride but that did it for me.  The rocking and swaying while they repeated the instructions “Not to take off your life vest and touch the reef OR ELSE…”  I was ready to hurl before I got off the boat.  But I got off the boat as fast as I could to stop the rocking and swaying!  I got about 5 minutes of looking down into the water while the waves gently rocked me into complete and utter “Get me on land before I lose it” status!

 

So, one guide took me back while the other stayed with the rest of the group.

…

We payed for a FULL DAY of snorkeling!

yahoo

To be fair, it was SUPER COOL to look down and see the reef and the fish.  It was awesome.  For 5 minutes.

 

Maddie went on the second excursion of the day but stayed with me after lunch.  She kept getting water in her snorkel and had had enough.

 

 

Wes went out for the third and final tour.  What a trooper!

 

We hung out at the pool a lot.

Took a cab to Playa Del Carmen to shop for trinkets.  (One of Maddie’s favorite reason for traveling.)

 

We spent one day visiting some Mayan ruins at Tulum.  I’m always awed by centuries old structures that are still standing.  (Even if they have been “repaired”.)

Thousands of years ago, people walked this path through this same entrance.  It’s just cool!  Madison observed that people must have been a lot shorter back then.
 

Then we went to Xel-Ha’ and tried snorkeling again.  This is me swimming back to the dock after 10 minutes.  While it lasted, I saw some beautiful fish!

I’m definitely not a water baby.  Or a sun baby for that matter.

I kept myself slathered with sunscreen (oil free, biodegradable for the reef and Xel-Ha’ but so many people disregard that “rule” that the water was murky from all the oil.  Sad.)

I lounged under a palapa in the shade most of the time.

 

But I still got a little tiny bit of a tan.

…but it’ll be gone in 2 seconds so I’m no more excited about shorts and tank weather than I was 3 seconds ago.  Who cares about being tan anyway?

After 4 days I was ready to go out and help the maintenance crew re-stucco a structure to get my DIY fix so I’m just glad to be home and ready to get back to work on this house.  Giddy-up!

 

p.s.  Just to clear up any and all confusion about my impending BIG birthday…I’m turning 35 again – of course! 😉

June 8, 2012 · 14 Comments

« Living Room Flooring
Patching Wood Floors »

Comments

  1. Andrea says

    June 8, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    The pictures of snorkeling made me sea sick. It must be an inherited thing. Dang it! Glad you had fun anyway!

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm

      It must be. Thankfully, Madison didn’t inherit it. Now I have a nice hot pink snorkeling set to work into my decor somewhere so I feel like I got my money’s worth. LOL

      Reply
  2. Stacy says

    June 8, 2012 at 4:19 pm

    We just got back from the Riviera Maya… stayed at Secrets of Maroma and didn’t leave the whole time (I was too sceered we’d get kidnapped) so thanks for sharing part of a vaca that I didn’t get to see! 🙂 It was SO beautiful!

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 11, 2012 at 6:03 pm

      That must be deeper into the jungle then? LOL We stayed pretty much in the big touristy areas, even when we did venture out so I never even thought about that. Goodness!

      Reply
  3. Erin @ Two Story Cottage says

    June 8, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    Fun! Y’all are adventurous in my opinion. Glad you had some fun, family time!

    We are heading to the beach tomorrow where we will stay in the same beach house we always rent and eat in the same restaurants. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 11, 2012 at 6:04 pm

      That is so us Erin. We have gone to Cabo San Lucas like 5 times and always go to the same places. This was us Venturing into something new. Yeah us! LOL

      Reply
  4. Wendy says

    June 9, 2012 at 1:53 am

    Wow! Loved the pictures! Totally jealous! We have too many animals to leave on such a long vacation, so I’m totally jealous! I know what it’s like to want to get back to your projects though and can’t wait to see how things progress. 🙂

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 11, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      We were really worried about leaving Brody. We looked into 2 different “kenneling” options and one Dog sitter that comes to the house but didn’t want him spending so much time alone. We were able to have him go spend the week at a friends house and they took him in as their own. It was still hard and we all missed him tons.

      Reply
  5. kristin says

    June 9, 2012 at 8:23 am

    It is great you got out for some fun with your family and it sounds like you were a trooper. I have to say I am the same way–too hot, then the migraines for me, and I would get antsy thinking of my (sewing) projects! Enjoy your time home–yeah! I look forward to your next project and ka talents!

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 11, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      Why is it so hard to just leave it all behind and enjoy doing nothing? LOL I guess we must like our “work”. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Julia Andersen says

    June 9, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    What a FUN trip! I loved the picture of you and Maddie. I loved that you wanted to help them stucco! I always rearrange condo / hotel rooms when we get to them. My mom has even rehung pictures! In someones personal condo at Park City, UT! I am so glad you went. Family, swimming and food are always a great combination!

    Reply
  7. Bruce says

    June 9, 2012 at 10:32 pm

    We LOVE Moon Palace, we stayed in the Golf Villas and loved it. (The racoonlike creatures are Coatis.) Glad you had a good time, but now I’m really jealous.

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 11, 2012 at 5:59 pm

      Ah, Coatis. The animals were pretty cool. We had a great time at Moon Palace. I’d like a cleaner beach but…you can’t have it all I suppose. Loved how secluded it was.

      Reply
  8. Dawn says

    June 30, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    My parents have a membership at the Palace Resorts and we have been several times over the years. We’ve stayed at Moon twice, Aventura Spa/Cove (my second favorite) twice, and Xpu Ha (my favorite, but not the same anymore) once. We are headed to Moon again this Thanksgiving. If you liked the Palace but want a great beach and close to Playa del Carmen, try Playacar next time. It is a little too “hotely” for me, but I love the pool (heated the last time we visited) and the beach is amazing. Beach Palace, on the strip, is also nice and has a great beach. Sun is for adults only, but also a great beach. I loved the tour of Tulum, but Chichen Itza was more interesting. When we went you could still climb the pyramid. Xcaret is a terrific day trip, be sure to stay for the night show.

    I am not much of a salewoman, but if you would like to go to a Palace Resort (with member benefits) contact me and I will put you in touch with my parents. They can get you a great deal.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

New Post email notification signup

You Subscribed!

Legal Stuff

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Disclosure

Recent Posts

  • Building and Installing a Giant Faux Beam on the Ceiling
  • White Wash Pine Wood Ceiling
  • Lodge and Life Update
  • How to Choose Which Track Saw to Buy in 2021
  • How to Choose a Paint Sprayer to Buy in 2021

Disclaimer:

Although it is my intention to provide accurate plans and clear instructions, not all plans have been tried and tested. Using plans or information found on SawdustGirl.com indicates that you agree with the Terms of Use policy and will accept full responsibility for the process and outcome of any project you attempt. All plans are for private use only. Plans and information published on SawdustGirl.com may not be reproduced, republished or distributed in any manner without written permission from Sandra Powell, Sawdust Girl. Actual projects built using Sawdust Girl plans may be published on your own site without instructions or "tutorial" as long as you provide a link to my original post with full post title or "SawdustGirl.com" as link title.

Copyright © 2022 · anchored theme by <a target="_blank"