30 Things #1: Go on a Cruise!

What a FUN way to start my year of 30 things! Technically I completed this thing before the big day but, because it was a birthday present, it totally counts :)

My mom wanted to do something special for this big birthday so she was so great in pulling this thing together for our very own girls trip! I had never been on a cruise, so I really had no idea what to expect. What a fascinating culture and experience it was. Get ready for lots of pics...I tried to condense.

We had limited vacation days, so we decided on a 4 night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. This meant 2 days cruising at sea with a day off the boat in between. I have decided that a cruise is essentially living on a moving huge hotel and resort. Even being on a smaller ship, there were still amenities you'd never think you'd find on a boat...

Rock wall and mini golf!

Outdoor pools, bars, lounging, live music, you name it

Indoor pools, whirlpools so there is relaxation regardless of weather

Middle of the ship has a main stage and
open area so everyone can look down and enjoy
the live music or other events

Gym at the very top overlooking the open sea! I'd work out like this all the time... :)

Not pictured included endless buffets, theaters, shopping, spa areas, art gallery, game rooms, fancy piano bars and cinema, the list goes on! Not to mention, there are so many activity options that you could spend your whole vacation doing as much or as little as you wanted. 

Mom was generous enough to get a room with a balcony and we both decided that this is WORTH it. It was so nice to have our own little space to enjoy the view as we rode along and we made sure to utilize this. 

enjoying our little bottles of wine on our first night

eating my birthday cupcake and contemplating life. or something

Mom had made that cupcake special for me...but it fell before we could take a picture and it was real funny...whoops!

Aside from the chance to relax and just be on vacation, one of the best parts was probably the people watching opportunities. People are from all over the US and with everyone being on vacation, were friendly and ready to chat and swap stories about previous cruises. I had no idea that there are people who literally spend retirement on cruises. And...people. are. FASCINATING. Just so many opportunities to be entertained. That's all I can say.

Something I did NOT expect was how international this experience was! The crew serving on the cruise was from, literally, ALL OVER THE THE WORLD. So cool to talk to various crew members, hear about their experiences and countries! Next mission trip anyone?

So after a day or two at sea, we made it to Mexico and joined many other cruise ships at the dock to get ready for a day of playing :)

We almost had gone on the ship on the left...it is massive compared to ours!!

woohoo, we're here!

Again, since it was our first time, we decided to do an excursion with the cruise line to a place called Xel-Ha, a huge "natural aquarium" and water park. Here you can go snorkeling, zip-lining, jump off cliffs, tube through a natural inlet area, and includes several all-you-can eat restaurants with both local and Western food. It was beautiful!

ahhh the water was so clear!! such pretty fish too :)

who wouldn't want to sit here all day?

While we could have spent tons of time there, we were limited so it was back to the boat before sunset...which turned out to be just beautiful...

it's just an all-around pretty time of day...things are quiet and settling down for the night

The last night mom and I had a special meal for my birthday (as if this wasn't ALREADY tons of celebrating) at one of the specialty restaurants on the boat...Asian yummy-ness complete with mimosas, spring rolls, sushi, make-your-own-meat-skewers-on-hot-stones with fried rice. YUM.

"Get in my mouth sushi!" You'd be thinking this too if you knew how good it was

YES paying to cook our own food was worth it--so fun!

Favorite part of the whole trip was dinner with this woman :)

Of course, birthday meal was complete with a surprise treat and singing...

Vacation is ALWAYS hard to leave. Doesn't matter what it is, it's always sad to see it end and have to go home to normal life. BUT this experience was different, enjoyable, entertaining, relaxing, refreshing, and deepening of our relationship. I'd call that a great success :)

isn't she cute?

So let me just brag on this woman for a minute...my mom is one of the most thoughtful people that I know. She was so generous, loving and made sure even little things were done to make me feel special on this trip. Not just planning it in the first place, but down to our room, getting me A MASSAGE (that get's it's own post), special meals with drinks and treats and cards and little fun memory gifts...just SO MUCH to say that she loved me, wanted to celebrate me and make me feel special. She was just really great and having that time with her is a wonderful memory that I will be able to treasure always. THANK YOU MOM for this gift! I hope I am half the woman you are one day. I loved that we got to do this--what a way to go out of my 20s with a bang and enter my 30s with joy! So, bucket list #1 = CHECK!

goodbye cruise, until next time!