the S family experience
We recently came back from our family vacation in Mexico. As I’m writing this blog post, I want to be there, looking at the ocean, hearing the waves, soaking up the sun, drinking a BBC.
Ever since I was little, my family has been going on a family vacation every year. We usually pick a resort, all-inclusive and usually in Mexico (we tried Jamaica once and it just didn’t par with the experience in Mexico). There is an added bonus in Mexico that we speak the language 🙂 No boyfriends or friends are allowed, just the 5 of us so we can hang together, bring us back to the significance and importance of family. I LOVE that my parents have decided to have this tradition every year and grateful for them for that. Now mind you I get along with my sisters and parents, so this family trip is one we look forward to every year.
When we were little we had 3 rules to stick to when we went on vacation:
1. No crying
2. No getting sick
3. No fighting
That last one was usually the biggest one and got broken almost every trip. With three girls with very strong personalities, it’s difficult to keep this one under wraps. The getting sick one was also one that got broken from time to time. We went to Italy when I was in high school and got sick for a whole day, missed an entire city! This year, my dad finally broke that rule. It happens to the best of us.
This year, since we are older, my dad wanted to add another rule to the trips- no complaining. I don’t know how far that one is going to go…
Since we are a family of 5- mom, dad and 3 sisters, our household is dominated by women. My poor dad has adapted well to the sometimes hormonal and always crazy bunch my mom and sisters are. You can imagine his excitement when my husband was joining in on the fun this year (another man in the family, finally!).
Our trips usually go something like this: everyone brings a super large suitcase for 7 days (you need options right?), pray that the luggage arrives with you (we’ve had incidents where the suitcase gets lost and we are out of clothes for one or more days. We have stood in baggage claim time and time again with our fingers crossed), lounge around the hotel, visit the pool and the beach, take excursions, make fun of the entertainment, dress up and try all the restaurants. That’s usually how it goes.
It’s 7 days of pure bliss. This year we were in Riviera Maya and I have to say the excursions were probably the best I’ve taken. We went to Chichen Itza to visit the Mayan pyramids (one of the seven wonders of the world) and learned about Mayan culture. I’m not a history buff but I was hanging on to every word the tour guide said. We also went snorkeling and visited cenotes (underground watering hole). It was AMAZING. I got to experience an estuary, where fresh water and saltwater meet while we were snorkeling. I have never experienced such a picturesque and beautiful surrounding. I’m also not going to talk about the tornado we saw forming while in the water…
The rest of the time we just vegged out and hung out by the pool and beach. My dad did some sailing which he loves. We did water aerobics (our first workout of the trip on the day before we left. Water aerobiiiiiiiiics!), checked out the club at the hotel (shake it like a salt shaker), enjoyed the night entertainment shows (this resort loved magicians for some reason), and ended with a fantastic cuban salsa band in the lobby. I even got a nice tan, which NEVER happens.
I have to say, I love taking these trips. Now that we are all getting older and starting our own lives, these trips are becoming more and more sacred and important because it brings us together and we get to really sit and be with each other.
I’m grateful to have a family I love so much that I look forward to spending time with and sad when it comes to an end. I love my sisters and appreciate how close and crazy we are. I  love the big brother/little sister relationship that my sister Vanessa has with my husband. Lastly, I’m grateful to my mom for choosing the best resorts to spend time in, I raise my frozen cappuccino to you 🙂
Should we try the French restaurant tonight?
