Mexico!

We went to Mexico - it was perfect! We ended up being gone close to three weeks. Back in March, Aaron asked for my "blessing" to register for LT100. I requested he wait until after his 50 mile race in May, to make sure he felt like he could actually run 100 miles, and to make sure no serious injuries were sustained during the 50 mile run. (Plus, all these races are not cheap...the Boulder Tri Series alone was $400, the Ironman $675...I could go on and on). He (unfortunately) obliged. Three days later, however, he told me he didn't want to wait, and that he just wanted to register. He logged back on, only to find out the race registration was full. WHAT?!? Not fair. He was rightfully upset with me, and I felt terrible. I frantically searched for other ultras he could complete in during the remainder of the summer, but found nothing. He had mentioned at some point in our relationship that he would possibly like to attempt an Ironman. Whether or not he actually meant it, I didn't really know; at this point he had never even competed in a triathlon of any distance. I just knew that I needed to find an endurance event for him to compete in to make up for asking him to wait to register for Leadville. So, I began searching for Ironman events. Every single one in the U.S. was full! Again, not fair. I expanded my search, and found that the only remaining Ironman event that wasn't full for 2011 was Cozumel. Yes! I began registering him for it, and the more information I filled in, the more hysterically I laughed. Aaron was upstairs with Elias, not knowing what I was doing down on the computer, hence my hysterical/nervous/awkward/panicky laughter. Right before I hit submit, I decided I should consult Aaron on this before actually registering him to do a 2.4 mile ocean swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. When I went upstairs and told him about it, he thought it was a joke. I then brought him down to the computer and insisted he give me the okay before registering him for it. Afterwards, Aaron joined in on my hysterical/nervous/awkward/panicky laughter. Neither of us had a clue 1) how we would pull off a trip to Mexico in November, 2) if I would possibly be pregnant by then, 3) if Aaron could complete a tri, 4) if Aaron would enjoy road biking, and 5) WHAT!??! We're finally going to take a warm-weather vacation!??!

Anyways, we asked my family if they'd like to join us the week of Thanksgiving, they agreed. We spent the first week in Tulum with the Machs, the second week in Cozumel, and the last week in the Riviera Maya, thanks to Dan and Diana for sharing their timeshare.

We spent the first night in Cancun. It was fun, but definitely not a place either of us would like to go back to. Way too touristy. The resort we were at had a big trampoline - E thought it was the funniest thing since peekaboo.
Elias hated the sand and the ocean - he screamed any time we put him down, so we ended up holding him most of the time we were by the water.

We drove our rented car down to Tulum on day two. It rained the whole drive - perfect day for driving. We met up with Matt and Kev at the market in Tulum, then we drove to the rental house. This was our view on the drive:

Breathtaking! This little stretch in Tulum was awesome - full of locally-owned shops and restaurants. Definitely not a touristy place. Here are a couple pictures of the house we rented. It was right on the beach, very private.

The stairs out the side door

View of the deck from the top of the stairs

Our caretaker Jose's home

The house was solar powered, so we had to be careful to conserve energy. Headlamps and flashlights were a must at night. Here is a view of the beach from our house:

We spoke with Jose about the house - it was built by about 20 guys over six months. It was definitely an authentic Mexican home - grass roofs, plenty of space between the door frame and floor for lizards and large bugs to fit through. We really hope to go back in December 2012 - Kevin rented the house for 3 weeks. Anyways...our six days in Tulum were packed full of sightseeing, relaxing, and laying on the beach. Here are a few highlights:

Elias' reaction to waking up in the same bed as us, listening to the ocean

Relaxing in the hammock on the deck

One of our many lunches at Maeteo's

Visiting the Mayan Ruins

Snorkeling the Grand Cenotes

Difficult to see, but look closely for the Colorado license plate on the side

Dessert made especially for E

Elias made his own little tub out of one of the foot baths

Boogie boarding! We did this nearly every day.

The only time Aaron and I have been able to eat at an Italian restaurant in the last four years

Thanksgiving Day



Thanksgiving Day we drove the rental cars up to Playa, and hopped the ferry over to Cozumel.

We stayed at a resort full of other Ironman athletes, mostly Europeans. There were surprisingly few Americans competing in this particular event. Aaron spent most of Friday and Saturday preparing for the race and attending meetings, while Elias and I hung out at our resort. We also went further into the city of Cozumel and visited the rest of my family at their resort both days. 

Elias' Thanksgiving dinner - turkey!

Elias' first (and only) ponytail

The height of E's highchair for every meal

First time eating a whole banana





Sunday was spent watching the Ironman. Aaron was such an inspiration to watch. Monday we took the ferry back to Playa, then went to our final destination in Riviera Maya. Dan and Diana let us use their timeshare - it was an amazing resort, very nice. It was a little touristy for our taste, but we were both so tired (Aaron from his race, me from being pregnant - I had a lot of contractions the last week), that we spent a lot of time laying around in our room or out by the pool.

This is a Fisher Price doll from when I was little - Elias took it nearly everywhere with him in Mexico

Just before taking this picture, I heard Aaron say to E, "Don't, Elias. I was going to eat that piece." Really? He's one.

 Wednesday morning my parents took Elias home with them. It was a very difficult decision to have him go home early, and yes, I did cry after he left, but I'm glad we did it. Here are a few pictures we took right before he left.

The two of us spent the last few days of our trip doing as little activity as possible. It was wonderful to be able to relax and not chase Elias around, although we did talk about him non-stop. We were able to Skype with him, which made it easier on me. :)

Took a cab into Playa one afternoon and shopped

Check out the tan!

I asked Aaron to put sunscreen on me - this was the result

We were thrilled to reunite with Elias when we got home, which made actually going home much easier. We overheard others on the plane say they were ready for their vacation to be over. Not us! Hopefully we'll go back soon.