Cozumel Day 5

We started our day by preparing for a trip to the Chankanaab Natural Park here on Cozumel. They had some good snorkeling and diving locations, swimming with the dolphins, Iguanas, feeding the fish, and some botanical gardens.

We started out by watching our guide feed the iguanas and the fish. We then proceeded to the beach area where we rented some snorkeling equipment and got a locker for our stuff. Wanda had never snorkeled before and had never been in the ocean before so this was a bit new to her. However, she did great. She enjoyed watching the fish and divers below us. After a while she decided she wanted to go in so I kept going and explored a bit more. Once done with the snorkeling we went and had lunch. After lunch, we went and explored the botanical gardens and watched the dolphins from a distance. We then sat around for a couple hours waiting for our ride back to the resort. We had fun although we thought the trip was a bit too long. They used to have more things at the park such as stingrays and sea lions but due to some of the recent hurricanes they do not have those items there anymore.

When we got back to the resort, we cooled off a bit in our room before heading to the pool. We sat in the pool for the next 2.5 hours. I love sitting at the pool. I order my drink, they deliver it, I take it in the pool with me and just relax. After swimming for a bit, we decided to come back to the room and get dressed up for our nice dinner at the Italian Restaurant (the fanciest of the 4).

At the italian restaurant I ordered the Lasagna and Wanda ordered the Chicken parmesean (although it had a different name). I have to say that the Lasagna was some of the best I have ever had. It was a very nice dinner. After dinner we went and sat by the poolside waiting for the evening events. 4 Couples competed for the title of Mr and Mrs Palace (for the week). One couple who was celebrating their 5th anniversary today won the competition.

It was a great anniversary and we had a lot of fun. 1.5 more days here and we are not looking forward to going home! Wanda even asked me if I could extend the vacation a few more days.

Photos from day 5

10 Years

It has been 10 years since I married my beautiful wife. She is a wonderful woman and I am very thankful for her. I am thankful that I get to spend this anniversary out in Mexico on a week's vacation. You are wonderful wanda. I Love You!

It all began in the summer of 97 when I moved to my parents house for the summer. I was offered 2 jobs, one at a resort and one in the grocery store as an Evening General Manager (aka glorified stockboy). I took the grocery store job and it was there that I met Wanda. We went on some "dates" while I was living there but didn't officially start dating till I went back to college. In the winter of 98/99 we got engaged at our favorite restaurant in Alexandria. We decided to get married in July of 99. This was between my Junior and Senior year of college.

While we have had some rough times in our marriage, I would say we have had a lot more good times. It has been a wonderful 10 years of marriage. Thank you God for bringing Wanda into my life.

Happy Anniversary Wanda. I Love You and am looking forward to the next 10 years!

Cozumel Day 4

Today started out very early. We woke up at 5:15am, ordered some breakfast, and got ready for the day. After eating breakfast, we went downstairs to meet our group in the lobby. Today, we were going to Coba, one of the Mayan Ruins on the mainland. View info on Coba

We first had to take a taxi to the ferry and then take the ferry to the main land. Once there we met up at another Palace resort near the pier where we got on a bus for a 1.5 hour bus ride over to Coba. The Mexican government requires that you stop at this particular location in order help support the Mayans. Kinda odd, but we had to make the 40 minute delay since we were a "tour".

When we got to Coba we were going to end up walking about 3.5 miles. We started out walking and he started talking to us about various aspects of the mayan history and the ruins history. We saw a small pyramid first, then a couple ballgame areas (not your typical ballgame for sure) before we got to the main attraction, the tallest Pyramid in Mexico. We were allowed to climb to the top of this one which was very cool. There were 120 stairs to get to the very top. Once up there, it was well worth it. The view was great and you could see for a very long ways. I took some photos looking up as well as some looking down. After that we had to walk all the way back to the bus.

It was now about 1:30pm and lunch was to be served at the same spot where were required to stop on the way to Coba. They had a buffet line for us and then some slight entertainment while we ate. About 45 minutes later we were on our way back to the resort in Playa Del Carmen. Needless to say, most people took a siesta on the way back. From here we decided to do a little window shopping since we had an hour till we needed to board the ferry. The ferry ride back was packed full with 450 passengers and the AC wasn't that great.

We got back and decided to vegitate in our room for a while where the AC actually works. After a while I ventured to the pool for about 30 minutes before coming back to the room to order some room service. We decided to just relax in the room the rest of the evening.

Photos from day 4

Cozumel Day 3

Today we slept in a bit and ordered some room service for breakfast. We had to be at the pier at 10am to start the glass bottom boat tour which included snorkeling. There was a part of the boat that is clear so you can see under the water. After going a ways, we got to our first snorkelling destination.

The first destination was about 20 feet deep. We saw a very large school of fish swimming at the bottom along with a barracuda swimming a little ways behind it. Very cool to see. We stayed at this destination for about 30 minutes. We then proceeded to the second destination which was about 40 feet deep. The guide was feeding some of the fish which drew a large number of fish right around us. The coral wasn't nearly as nice as I was expecting, but it was still a lot of fun. The whole trip took about 2 hours.

After we got back, we made reservations for our trips tomorrow and friday and then sat down in the resort lobby to eat lunch. We needed to get some hats and a bag for our trip tomorrow so we walked down to the local Target (aka Mega in Mexico). When we got back, I decided to take a nap in the hammock on our deck while Wanda watched a musical/movie on TV.

For dinner we decided to eat at the oriental restaurant here at the resort. They brought out 4 types of Sushi along with a couple pieces of Satey. Wanda shocked me and ate all 4 of the Sushi (I am not a big fan). We shared the 2 Satey. We ordered the satey for our appetizer and then I ordered the Sechuan Chicken and Wanda ordered the Teriyaki beef. Both meals were very good and it was a very nice dinner. I must say that Wanda looked absolutely wonderful.

After dinner we went and took some photos around the hotel before going to the Mexican Fiesta show at 8:30. We ended up sitting in the front row which was fun. However, Wanda got pulled up on stage and got to entertain everyone. I got it all on video but will only be allowed to show it to a few priveledged people. It was fun to see the Mexican entertainment though.

Cozumel Day 3 Photos

Drink Recommendations

I am not much of a drinker but I am not opposed to trying some new drinks. So I am turning to you to inform me as to what drink you think I should try. Keep in mind, I don't really like the taste of too much alcohol. All drinks are at no extra cost to me so now is a great time for me to be able to try them. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Cozumel Day 2

This morning I woke up before Wanda and decided to take a dip in the pool around 8:30. I returned to the room and suprised Wanda with a Frappachino. We did not have any plans for today aside from relaxing and enjoying ourselves. We took a brief walk into town, bought some sun-glasses, avoided annoying vendors offering you free stuff just so they can talk your ear off and sell you over priced items. I have found the best way to do that is to say "no thanks" and keep walking.

We found a Starbucks (to Wanda's delight) and the smallest Hard Rock Cafe I have ever seen (I have seen quite a few). We then came back to the hotel and decided to lay by the pool and read some books. They actually have some of the chairs laying on a ledge in the pool so you can put your feet down and have them in the water. We then ordered some lunch and ate inside the lobby where it was air conditioned. We returned to our room to get out of the sun and take a nap. A couple hours later we decided to go back down to the pool. I checked out a snorkel, goggles, and some fins to check out the local fish while Wanda took a nap in the sun.

We came back to the room for a while before the Fire Show which started at 8pm. The Fire Show was poolside and it was very cool. I took some videos of the show below. After the fire show, we enjoyed eating some steak and salmon next to the pool along with some desert afterwards.

Day 2 was a very relaxing day and we are looking forward to day 3.

View today's photos

Cozumel Day 1

The day started early at around 3:30am. We got up and got the last items packed. Dan showed up at 4:45 to pick us up and we made it to the airport right around 5:15. We got checked in and got down to the gate and waited for the flight which was leaving at 7:10am. All went well and we got to Dallas right on time.

There were some storms in Dallas which caused some delays. We sat down to eat lunch and a guy sat next to us and told us that his plane got hit by lightning. Thankfully no one was on the plane but it did cause damage to the plane and thus he was waiting for the airline to find another plane to transport them all in. Our plane was delayed by just over 1 hour. Once on the plane, all went well and we were on our way out of the country.

Upon entering mexico the weather was about 85 degrees and we got to exit the plane outside, not inside like in the US. Upon leaving the airport you are approached by a bunch of people. One guy gladly "helped us" by leading us to someone who would tell us our options for transport. This guy tried to sell us on renting a car. Thankfully, I said no and we just took the basic transportation. After paying and heading to the transport, a ton of people try to sell you timeshares. Thankfully, I knew about this and didn't even look at any of them.

We shared a shuttle with about 10 other people. They drive a bit crazy down here so I am glad I didn't rent a car. I did notice that the gasoline lite was on in the dash of the shuttle and that the needle was past the empty mark. This didn't give me much confidence. Thankfully, we were the second stop. We arrived at the resort to start checking in. They got our name/reservation and told us to go relax on the couch and then they came over and told us all about the resort and our reservation. While sitting there, they brought us some Mojitos (just for you Lauren) which were pretty good. They got us checked into the room, snapped some photos, and then went down and explored the rest of the resort.

After exploring and talking with the information desk about some options on what to do and what is included with our package, we walked over to the Mexican restaurant in the resort and enjoyed some dinner. We had some beef chalupas for an appetizer, fajitas, and a pulled pork sandwhich. All was very good but we couldn't make room for dessert. Shortly after dinner, they were having some entertainment down by the pool so we went and watched that for a while. It was very nice and relaxing as it cooled down pretty good with the breeze.

We came back to the room and relaxed in the jacuzzi for a while and are looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow and possibly doing some shopping here in the main town.

FYI - This resort is an all-inclusive so we will be doing most of our eating and drinking here at the hotel.

You can view a bunch of our photos from today in my Picasa Web Album. Look for more in the next day or two.

Lots of updates coming soon

While on my vacation to Mexico I plan on posting some updates with links to photos that we take. Check back throughout the week to see some updates.

Uncertainty

This week is going to be another stressful one at work. I will see a large number of my co-workers let go (and possibly myself). The MN Attorney General (AG) filed a law suit against the National Arbitration Forum which is a main part of our business. On Friday they decided to settle by getting rid of all Consumer Arbitration. This means that a large part of our business is going away and thus the need to get reduce the staff.

Please pray for me and my co-workers as well as the upper management as they make some very tough decisions. I am thankful that I have a God that I put my trust in to take care of me and provide for me. For that reason, my stress and anxiety is reduced and I am thankful for that.

Personal Note - There are numerous items in the lawsuit that I believe are not true. Unfortunatly we are not able to fight this due to the enormous cost of fighting these lawsuits. Upon hearing the facts of how the ownership is made up in regards to the private equity firm investments, I do not believe that our company has done anything wrong. Unfortunatly, the AG didn't look at all the facts (or chose to ignore them) and now the damage has been done. She has successfully made a political move that will likely help her in many ways. Also, unfortunatly the media is not interested in the truth...despite it being offered to them. Makes me trust our media less and less.

They look ...

While looking at our wedding photos last night Jacquelin saw a photo of Wanda and I and turned to her mom and said "They look new". Needless to say, that got us all laughing. The question is, what does that say about how we look now? :)

Happy Birthday Wanda!!!

The summer of 97 was between my freshmen and sophmore year of college. I went up to Alexandria to live with my parents for the summer. I applied for a few jobs. I was offered 2 jobs. One was working at a resort mowing lawn, preparing the docks, and general maintenance. The other was working at a grocery store as an "Evening General Manager". Since my major was Business Management I figured the grocery store option would look better on a resume. Little did I know, taking the job at the grocery store would end up affecting my life in a major way. It was at that store that I met my beautiful and loving wife.

I have known her for 12 years now and have accumulated all sorts of memories during that time. We had a couple people over last night for dinner and some good ole DQ ice cream cake to celebrate her birthday. It was a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Wanda! I love you!

Uncle Dustin

My brother and his wife gave birth to a baby boy last night. I am very excited for them and can't wait to be able to meet him. She is still recovering from the c-section so please pray for her. Congratulations you two!