Christmas and Mexico

It is hard to believe that Christmas Break is over and that we are back to work tomorrow. It was fabulous having two weeks off; something I never get tired of as a teacher. I did spend my first few days of Christmas Break planning for the first school days in January and doing a mountain of correcting. It felt good to get it all finished. Having time off before Christmas also allowed for some time to get ready for my family coming and time with friends. I finished Christmas shopping, wrapping the gifts (all in wrap that coordinated with the Christmas tree that led to much harassment), and cleaning the house. We had a playdate with Sophie so that Jaret, Kirra, and Sophie could exchange gifts and we got together with Tysdal's so that Jaret, Kirra, McKinley, and Everett could exchange their gifts. Jaret and McKinley were pretty adorable in their new superhero capes and masks. I thought Jaret was going to sleep in his that night he loved it so much. We usually enjoy an evening out with Mark and Shea before Christmas as a means to celebrate together, however, it had to be postphoned this year due to Mark, Shea, and I all being sick. Hopefully we can get together in the new year. We did enjoy supper out to Redwater Rustic Grille one evening with Mike and Monica while Lexi babysat.
My family arrived on December 23rd. We didn't do much but sit around and visit - and I wasn't feeling 100% so really took it easy. We celebrated Christmas with a a traditional turkey dinner on Christmas Eve Day, attended the Christmas Eve service at Foothills, and returned home to open gifts. At this point, Justine and Ayden still had no idea that we were leaving early the next morning for Mexico as Mom and Dad had planned it as a surprise for the grandchildren. Kirra was oblivious, given her age, and Jaret knew from conversations he overheard Terry and I having. However, he didn't once give the surprise away for Justine and Ayden. Mom and Dad had the kids open envelopes with pictures of Spanish dancers and pinatas. Then a gift of sunscreen was opened and the real pinata came out as Mom and Dad told us that we would be on our way to Puerto Vallarta the next morning. Justine didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I think that is the first time any of us have seen her speechless. The kids were all so very excited about jetting off to Mexico the next morning. As we had a very early flight, we called it an early night.
We were at the airport by 4am the next morning for our 6am flight. The kids all traveled well. Once we got to Puerto Vallarta, we boarded a bus that drove us to the all inclusive resort - Palladium. The poverty you see and how run down many homes are is a stark contrast to the resorts that provide tourism for many who travel to Mexico.
We were at the Palladium near Punta de Mita for one week. It was an all inclusive so we enjoyed eating from the various restaurants in the resort, enjoying drinks, and relaxing by the pool and on the beach. There were many activities each day from sand castle building, to aquasize, to bingo by the pool. Kirra especially enjoyed the constant music that played by the pool each day and you could see her constantly dancing. A couple of the afternoons she was so tired that she even napped on a lounge chair right poolside. Each night there were shows to enjoy, although with the kids, we made it to very few but the others enjoyed staying out to watch the evening shows. It was relaxing waking each day to know that we would spend the day in our swimsuits hanging by the pool or at the beach.
One morning Terry, the kids, and I took a Mexican bus to the nearby village of Punta de Mita to check out the markets. It was an experience. The bus ran but I wondered how. It was old and filthy. The doors were kept open most of the trip to the village. In fact, at one point the bus slowed down but didn't even come to a complete stop as one of the Mexican just jumped off at his destination. Once we got to Punta de Mita we walked down toward the beach and found two small stores that were apparently referred to as their market. There were many restaurants but none that we would have felt comfortable eating at. It was disappointing to travel all that way to simply find a store that didn't offer much. A few nights at our resort their was a market far better than what the village we visited offered.
New Year's was celebrated with a meal in the main restaurant, champagne, music and dancing, and fireworks on the beach. Jaret, Kirra, and I actually went up to bed for a couple of hours before Terry woke us to ring in the new year. The kids and I went down to the lanai (in our pj's) with Terry to do our own countdown and then watch the fireworks. It was a fun way to see in the new year.
It was a great trip! Thank you Mom and Dad. And Jaret's favourite question that he asked Grandma and Grandpa every day on the trip, "How did you wrap this Christmas gift anyway?"