{{Cancun}}

I can't believe our vacation that we've been dreaming of for 7 months has already come and gone. It was so so so much fun and absolutely gorgeous. If you remember our honeymoon story (if you haven't read it...click here. It's a headache and a half) you're probably thinking, "No huge problems or setbacks?" or as >>James Rock<< so kindly said "No luggage issues or sickness this trip?...doesn't sound like and Anderson trip to me." Oh do not worry...we still have our traveling bad luck and definitely had out fair share of it on this trip too. (Just not as terrible...thank goodness.)

[Day 1]
Traveling and a flu bug. Nice combination.

I started the 10+ hours of traveling feeling good/anxious/giddy/excited...

::Notice the brand new, pretty, purple, paisley and brown leather suitcase that Nick is holding...it's mine and I got it the day we left. Remember it for later...::

but as soon as we boarded the plane from Charlotte to Mexico I started to get sick to my stomach. (I later found out that I, along with the rest of my family, caught a yucky flu bug from my nephew Lorenzo. Thanks bud.) I'll spare you the pretty details but let me just say, it went all down hill from there.

We finally landed in Mexico, I was feeling even worse, we totally got ripped of by the taxi driver, we could barely fit all 4 of us plus our luggage in the cab, but eventually pulled up to this gorgeous place...

Unfortunately, I was struggling just to even stay standing for more than 30 seconds so I couldn't really appreciate the beauty at the time. All I could think about was a big, comfy bed and a nap. Buuut our room wasn't going to be ready for another 4 hours. Of course. So we all changed into our swimsuits and went to the beach. I immediately passed out and woke up who knows how many hours later with a fever and feeling even worse than before. Our room was ready by now so we went straight up to the room where I conked out for another good amount of time.

I woke up feeling a little better but just about had a heart attack when I turned to my left and saw this...

A big, scary, bright, confusing, Mexican painting right next to my bed. Lovely.

The room was wonderful though. They even gave us a room with a balcony because we had to wait so long for our room.

[Day 2]

Recovered. The beach. Outback.

I woke up the next morning feeling a lot better, so we spent the day at the beach. {It. was. heavenly.} Clear blue water, white/soft sand, hot sun, cool breeze, best friends, and the man of my dreams. Absolutely perfect. :)

Then we rented this lovely thing...

And ventured out to find a grocery store. We got a little lost (which was scary) but the missionaries on the side of the road saved the day and gave us the right directions to get to the store and safely back to the hotel. Bless their hearts.

Later that night we were thinking burgers sounded good so we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse. Ummm, baaaad idea. Here's a tip -- if you're ever in Mexico eat Mexican food. Don't go for American food. ESPECIALLY if you're still trying to get over the flu.

We ended the night playing games, hanging out, laughing and eating treats in the Herman's room. (which was an every night occurance.) So, the night ended well. :)

[Day 3]

Adventure Day!

The next day we got on boat and headed to Isla Mujerles where we went snorkeling, zip lined over the clear blue water, and swam with dolphins! It was such a fun day and the most beautiful island I've ever seen. Paradise.

When we got back to the hotel we were worn out and didn't want to go out to eat anywhere so we thought ordering a pizza would be a good idea. Wrong again. They took forever to get to the hotel, it was WAY too over priced, they got out order wrong but didn't do anything to fix it, and it did not taste right. Let's just say we made the same, dumb mistake twice. >>The boys were not happy...

[Day 4]

Gringos in a flea market.

We were all burnt to a crisp from our long days in the sun so on Friday we tried to stay out of it as much as possible by going to the flea market. It was cRaZY but really fun and we all got some nice souvenirs. I bought some beautiful, hand-painted, Mexican dishes for chips and dip. (I'd show a picture but they're all wrapped up in newspapers ready for the move to Vegas) I absolutely love them.

We also found a delcious little restaurant called The Taco Factory. It was so good and had the best guacamole...my favorite. :)

When we got back to the hotel we were dying of heat so we finished the day swimming and making up games in our beautiful pool.

[Day 5]

Beach Day.

Exactly what it sounds like. Our burns were recovered enough so we slathered on the sun screen and hung out on the beach all day.

Then went out to dinner at La Destileria...another yummy Mexican restaurant.

[Day 6]

One year anniversary ♥

Nick was adorable and secretly set our alarm clock for 5:30 am so we could watch the sunrise on the beach. Very romantic. The only problem was that when we went out the sky was really cloudy and we couldn't see a thing, then it started raining. And eventually turned into a hurricane. No exaggeration...

So we spent the day inside- room service, walking around the hotel, watching tv/movies. It was a really nice and relaxing day. Oh and Nick gave me this....

Isn't it beautiful? I ♥ it. :)

We were planning on going out for dinner that night but Nick caught my flu bug and got pretty sick that night so we stayed in.

[Day 7]

Our last day.

It was still a hurricane--bummer--so we stayed inside again. We had fun though... hanging out with the Brent & Lauren, playing games, ordering room service, watching movies.. The weather even cleared up for a little bit and we got to walk to the gas station and get our new favorite chips! (Lays flavor that they only sell in Mexico).

[Day 8]

Traveling--we're cursed.

It was hard leave but we did. Got to the airport, had a little annoyance checking our bags in (nothing too big, just a super annoying empolyee), boarded a creepy mist filled plane headed for America, and sat on the runway and waited for an hour to take off. Apperantly, something was going on with the control tower and they delayed our take off for an hour while we just sat on the plane.

[[[Lauren and I found a way to ocupy ourselves during the long wait. We stared at the creepy mist pouring from the air vents and took pictures and laughed our heads off like little girls while everyone else pretended like it wasn't there.]]] Could you ignore this??...

Uhh, yeah. You can't tell but Nick is sitting across the aisle from me...that's how thick. Scary huh? Brent said it had something to do with the humidity outside the plane or somthing. Either way, I still can't get over it.

The plane eventually took off and we landed in North Carolina about 8pm, and because of the delay we missed our connecting flight to Las Vegas. The next one was leaving at 7:30 the next morning. --So we stayed the night in the airport.-- That's right, we laid out some stuff, ordered a couple pizzas and slept right there on the disgusting, hard, germy, airport floor. ew. NOT fun.

We FINALLY got to Vegas the next day and I was so ready to be home. We grabbed my super cute, super nice, super new suitcase from the conveyer belt and look what we find...

A huge gaping hole in my brand new bag. I was pretty livid. I tried to stay calm when my mom and I talked to the baggage claim guy... but when he said that they won't cover the damage because it's big enough that anything has fallen out I may have gotten an attitude and said some things I shouldn't have. Sorry about that, worker man. But they are ridiculous.

Over all it was a dream vacation...even with the tough stuff. We LOVED being with Brent & Lauren and miss them already. Cancun beaches are heavenly...can't wait to go back some day. :)