Day 242: Vera

Say goodbye to my ugly black backpack and hello to my new Vera! I have had the same old Jansport backpack since 8th grade and it was time for a change. Today was the first day I used my new Vera Bradley bag and I LOVED it! I am usually lugging around my giant purse and a loaded backpack.... so this is like 2 in 1! It seems like everyone at school has at least something with a Vera Bradley tag on it, even Shannon has a backpack and a lunch box! This is the new design Very Berry Paisley and it makes me so happy! The entire day I was in such a great mood... and I am going to give most of the credit to my new Vera! :)  

Day 241: Things I Need

Q: What do you want out of your life?
A: I want to make a difference in someone else's life.

This morning I went to big church with Taylor. Patrick Kelley's sermon blew me away. He talked about the difference between success and significance. If you are seeking success in life, then you are looking for ways to better yourself. If you are seeking significance in life, then you are looking for ways to help the people around you. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." -Colossians 3:23

He urged us to give our life away through service and reach out to other people. God is going to give us plenty of people in life to help, but we must greet them willingly and with open arms. His talk was inspiring and incredibly eye opening. I am so thankful Taylor came with me this morning! In the afternoon, I got a ton of things done at the house and then I went over to Katy's house to swim with Taylor and Collin! Today was the first time I swam since I was in Cancun... WOW! We had a ton of fun and I loved spending my Sunday afternoon with these crazy kids!! My family finally came home from Austin tonight... this house has been way too lonely!

Day 240: If I Die Young

I've always thought I would be one of those people that would die young. I figured I would make a difference while I was young. It's an odd feeling and it may scare some people, but it doesn't scare me. If anything it pumps me up! I don't want to waste a single moment that I am given. No one knows the exact moment of their death and no one is promised another day. I pray that I will be reading this blog entry 20 years from now and realize that I am not one of those people that died young. But if I am, don’t worry…because I know I will be in heaven! Today a million thoughts have crossed my mind, because I heard the song If I Die Young by The Band Perry. I've probably listened to it at least 30 times today.
"If I die young bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song.

--

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls."

On another note, my family continues to go out of town and leave me home alone. This weekend they are at Lake Travis with the Colbornes... so today the house was exceptionally quiet. I worked on some college applications, went grocery shopping and a few other things on my mom's 'Honey-Do List'. Tonight I babysat for the sweet Singleton family! It was a birthday present for Maggie and Alan and the kids and I had a blast! This is a picture from our pajama party! :) Afterwards, I went over to Katy's house with some friends. It was fun goofing off and just being with everyone again! Oh how I love weekends!

Day 239: Hopeful.

Tonight was the first football game of the season! All of the senior girls ordered shirts that say, "We Love Austin Football Boys"! And on the back they say, "Hopeful"! Last season we went 0-10- it was rough. I don't think many people can say that there high school football team went an entire season without winning a single game! This year we have a brand new head coach and everyone is pumped about the start of a new season! We all wore our new spirit shirts to school and to the game today! The game was all the way out in Cy-Fair, about a 45 minute drive! Melinda drove me and a few other people. We stopped at Chic-fil-a for dinner and got a little lost on the way there. It didn't help that most of the drivers around us were incredibly rude and unhelpful! The first game was a very interesting experience from the start. This stadium was brand new and it cost $8 for a student ticket. That is almost as much as a movie ticket! We were then searched with a metal detector- keep in mind this is a high school football game! Austin didn't have too many fans there, but the students that were there went nuts! We had our ups and downs throughout the night and the boys played well, but sadly we lost 21-19! The fans still have high hopes for this season though!

Our AMAZING Band!

Day 238: It Just Comes Natural...

Here is the entire PALs class for 2010-2011. We performed the student handbook presentation to the sophomores this morning. Katy & I were acting like complete idiots back stage… singing “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard…”! Oh those PALs, what are we going to do with them? The sophomores were a tough crowd, unlike the freshmen yesterday! I didn't mind at all, I still loved speaking up on stage to their entire class. Public speaking is one of those things that just comes natural to me and I truly enjoy it. I am beginning to realize that every day during the school year is not going to be spontaneous and exciting like in the summer. I am going to have to think outside the box for my Project 365 and get my creative and inspiring ideas flowing again! Today was one of those long ol' days- filled with school, student teaching, homework and work at 9ners! I am so thankful tomorrow is finally Friday!

Day 237: Inspire

Today we had our first FCA officer meeting of the school year. I am very excited for a brand new start and I know that FCA is going to impact countless lives! During 3rd period the PALs presented the student handbook to the freshmen. We explained to them all of the rules and performed a few skits. I was in charge of dress code and we had a PALs Do & Don't Fashion Show. Katie Payne was dressed like a straight thug and Ashkahn borrowed my short shorts and a hot pink tank top. The freshmen were dying laughing! Everything went smoothly and I finally met the new principal, Mrs. Edge! This afternoon was my first experience student teaching with Michelle Sebesta! She was my 3rd grade teacher and she is the reason that I am passionate about teaching. When I was 8 years old I promised her that if I ever had the opportunity to come back and teach with her... I would! I followed through with my promise and here I stand today! I will be at the elementary school three afternoons per week. It is all volunteer based and I couldn't think of a more rewarding way to spend my week! Some of her students are not very good listeners, at all. She would repeat herself at least 50 times and no one would follow her directions. She walked over to me and whispered, "And this is the reason teachers are the first ones at Happy Hour!" She will always be the person that inspired me to be a teacher. I believe this is going to be one of those opportunities that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Day 236: Rockin' Chicken Roll

Today was a MUCH better day! At school I got my schedule adjusted and now I have 6th and 7th period off, allowing me to student teach in the afternoons! I left school at 12:40 pm and it was the best feeling ever! It was like I had the whole day in front of me! I watched Bachelor Pad with Jason and went to Lifetime to work out! While I was hitting up the exercise machines, a terrible rainstorm blew in (again)! All of the power went out at Lifetime and it was such a weird experience! All of the lights were off and everyone was forced to evacuate the upper floor... so I figured it was a sign that my workout was officially over! Once I was home, Chef Jason was cooking dinner and I was his assistant! He is such a goof ball and this is the Rockin' Chicken Roll that we made together! I love having free time to spend with my family! :)

Day 235: Last First Day!

Today was my last first day of high school and Shannon's last first day of elementary school... but more importantly- it was our last first day of school together! My schedule was messed up, but I have friends in all of my classes and in my lunch! Our advisory classes were divided alphabetically from freshmen to seniors- that was VERY interesting! I saw a ton of familiar faces, quite a few lost freshmen and a handful of papers that needed to be signed! Overall, it was a great day at school! After school, I visited my Mom at SMS and I picked up Shannon from her school. At 4 pm I worked at 9ners with Taylor. There was a gigantic rain storm that knocked out all of the power around the neighborhood- except for 9ners. This was not a blessing. Everyone and their brother came to eat there tonight. It was the most overwhelming and tiring experience ever. The customers were SO rude and the line was out the door. We didn't leave 9ners until after 10:30 pm. Taylor & I were exhausted. We had an incredibly rough night, but we got through it together! The ultimate working duo! I'll never forget my last first day of high school. An exciting and scattered day at school combined with a hectic and insane day at work. I already miss summer.

Day 234: Our Deepest Fear.

This morning I went to serve in the Kindergarten ministry at my church and I went to the high school service. I haven't been in such a long time! They played a clip from the movie Coach Carter about our deepest fear and I thought their quote suited my senior year perfectly. Here we go...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

This year is going to be one of the most memorable years of my life. This summer has been amazing, but I am ready for senior year to begin! I will have fears and worries, doubts and disappoints, joys and triumphs, laughs and tears and an incredible family and group of friends that will stick by my side throughout it all. Seniors class of 2011... Let’s rock this!

Day 233: Ellie!

Since Katy, Brittany and I stayed up so late last night, I was exhausted today! Shannon and I went to babysit the Watts family all day. I met them through church and their kids, Cassidy and Blake, are precious. I am SO glad Shannon was there to help me out, because she had 100% more energy than I did. Afterwards, we went to Ellie's 2nd birthday party! I can't believe she is already two years old... it blows my mind! I have been the Singleton's babysitter since before my freshman year and way before Ellie was born! They are growing up so fast! I loved catching up with Kaitlyn Brooks, the entire Woods family and of course the Singletons! This is Ellie's birthday cake, which Maggie made. That lady is too talented! After the party, Shannon and I went to Fish City Grill with Katy! There was no wait time, we got to visit Brittany at work, and our food was excellent- three positives! Taylor came over to hang out after dinner, even though it was 8:30pm and I was already in my pajamas. We watched Click and I fell asleep... that is one way to spend your last summer night!   

Day 232: The Originals

This weekend the entire family is in Las Vegas for Lauren's 21st birthday- except for me and Shannon! We ate lunch at Chic-fil-a, took Mom to the airport and went to Shannon's volleyball game. Afterwards, I had one last hangout at the Engle Casa for the summer! A bunch of my friends came over and we had a blast! I've had people over quite a bit this summer and I have loved every second of it. I am so thankful for all of my friends and all of the bonding that we’ve had this summer! Mark informed me of how our entire senior class is divided and I am apart of 'The Originals'! Haha :) After everyone left my little get together, Katy and Brittany spent the night! Those of two of my very best friends and I love acting crazy with them! We sang karaoke, danced around the house, went for a late swim and had a 4 am Ab workout session. We talked about our upcoming year, the summer we've had together and how far our friendships have come. It doesn't matter what we're doing or talking about... we always find a way to make each other laugh! It's hard to believe that summer is officially coming to an end and my senior year of high school is about to begin!!

Day 231: Always Something...

I always find myself thinking... 'I wonder what it's like to have NOTHING to do!' Today I left my house at 7:50 am to go to breakfast with my love Nina! It was my first time to go to La Madeline for breakfast and it was so good! I really enjoyed exchanging summer stories and catching up on each other’s lives! I went straight to work at 9ners from 10-4pm. I trained Taylor today- so at least I had him to keep me company! After work, I went straight to the high school to help Lolly set up her classroom. I found out that I have several errors in my schedule, so next week should be interesting!! At 6 pm I left to go babysit the Hartzog family and I didn't return home until 10:15pm. It was such a long day out and about, with so many things to do. Now you can see why I always wonder what it's like to have NOTHING to do! My life is fast paced, always active, never perfect, sometimes stressful... but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Day 230: To-Do List

Today was right back to the good ol' to-do lists! I have so many little things that I need to accomplish before school starts... so today I started checking them off! Originally I was supposed to have a dentist appointment this morning, but the dentist called in sick. I can't say that I was too disappointed. From designing a FLO/SAIL t-shirt to hanging things up in my bedroom- I did it all today! Shannon and I even grabbed lunch at Lupe Tortilla (which is one of my favorites) and stopped by WSE to verify my student teaching position for the upcoming year! This is a picture of one of the newest additions to my bedroom. I hung it up this afternoon and I am planning to write myself little memos or encouraging quotes to lighten my mood and make me smile throughout the week.
Let your light shine.

Be a source of strength and courage.

Share your wisdom.

Radiate love.
That is the current quote and I absolutely love it!!

Later this afternoon I helped my mom with a few things for her class, like creating the syllabus and some signs on the computer. She's not the quickest with the computer, so I know the little things that I do for her would otherwise take her hours! After a long day of running around, I got a chance to hit up the gym! I saw Jiji and Amanda Glassholf- two beautiful girls that I haven't seen ALL summer! I loved catching up with them and coming home to my cheerful big brother, Jason. Speaking of Big Brother, we all gathered around the television to watch it tonight and it certainly didn't disappoint! Overall, it was a productive day!

Day 229: Never Ending

Today has just been one of those days! My alarm went off at 6 AM to get ready to go to breakfast and the DPS with Shannon Colborne! My Mom came in and informed me that I had a flat tire. That is always the greatest news! My Dad ended up putting the spare tire on while I was out this morning… thankfully! Shannon and I ate bagels at Panera Bread and then got to the DPS at 7:30 AM. The DPS was so crowded and swarms of people were standing in line. Keep in mind it opens at 8! We both had to get our licenses renewed, so we decided to wait it out! We stood in line for nearly 3 HOURS! It was insane and extremely frustrating- it didn't help that the workers there are NEVER friendly. Two positives from the morning: I did enjoy catching up with Shannon before she heads off to Texas A&M this fall and I don't have to get my license renewed until 2016. That seems so far away! It's so crazy, because that year little Shannon will be getting her license for the first time! The scariest part is... it will be here before we know it!! After the never ending trip to the DPS, I headed over to the Singleton's to babysit! I just love my little munchkins and all of the fun games we play together. I have been officially babysitting them for 3 years now! It seems like just yesterday they were in moving boxes and brand new to the Texas heat! :) After babysitting, I had to pick up my parking permit at the school and then get my flat tire fixed at Wal-Mart. The afternoon drug on and on, and I was so busy! When it finally ended... I had work at 9ners from 6-10pm. Katy and Amber visited me early on in my shift and Brittany and Mark visited me when I was closing! I am SO thankful to have such awesome friends! Honestly, they can make even the LONGEST days seem somewhat enjoyable!!!

Day 228: Serve

Today my eyes were opened to the idea of service and what it means to truly serve others. I wasn't volunteering for any organization, I wasn't trying to impress any one, I wasn't required to be anywhere, I wasn't getting service hours for anything... I was just serving, because I felt compelled to. I am not going to share what I did, because I don't want any sort of recognition for it. Christ served others with a loving and pure heart, not seeking acknowledgment for his work. The second I expect recognition or reward for my service, I am no longer a servant of the Lord. This morning I realized that God works in mysterious ways and he calls us to do random things at random times. It was a great reminder for me as I prepare for the upcoming school year and all of the service opportunities that await me! Society will never fully understand the lives they can impact through their acts of service. Serve enthusiastically, always.

Day 227: Dear God...

This was my letter to God today and I am sure it is the same words a million other people would say.

Dear God,

I am doing the best I can.

Love, Kaitlyn

Day 226: Worker Bee

Today is Lauren's 21st Birthday! She is the most amazing sister and I am so thankful that God placed her in my life. I am beyond blessed. She is beautiful, smart, funny, inspiring, loving, hard working, dedicated and the best big sister anyone could ask for. I hope she had an amazing 21st birthday and even though I am sad that I couldn't see her... I know she had a GREAT day! I love her SO much! :) Lately it seems like all I do is spend my days working at 9ners and spend my nights babysitting. Today I trained Erica at 9ners- which was exciting, because it was the first time I ever trained anyone! It was surprisingly busy, which meant I worked hard for a solid 6 hours! Whew! And tonight I babysat for a new family! They had a 4 year old girl named Emma and two boys, who were 8 and 10. We played hide n go seek, UNO, baked brownies, painted nails, and a few other little things. Emma was incredibly sweet and loving. And the boys were exceptionally helpful and a lot of fun! I seriously babysit for the best families around this town- their kids all have terrific manners, love to have fun and try new things and never give me any trouble! Babysitting really is the greatest job ever. You know what they say- If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life! What can I say… I love kids!

Day 225: Time

My Dad brought home all of these ancient school pictures from his office today. He had each kids face shot up on his wall. Whenever he got a new picture of us, he simply placed it in front of the other one. Needless to say, they have stacked up over the years! It's crazy to see how all of the Engle kids have changed so much over time! Every day it seems like there are simply not enough hours to accomplish everything on my to-do list and some days seem like they’re never going to end... but somehow the years pass so quickly! Think about it, everything in your life revolves around time: What time is it? How much time do I have left? Am I on time? Is it lunch time? Is it time for it to end? What time does it start? Don’t take time for granted and don't let it define how you live your life.

"Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. " — Denis Waitley

Day 224: KK

This morning I worked at 9ners and then went back to school shopping with my Mom! And tonight I got to see my beautiful best friend, Katy Lowery! Katy and I drove together to Buffalo Wild Wings for a PALs dinner. I can't explain how great it was to hang out with KK again- I stinkin’ love that girl! I enjoyed seeing some old and new faces at dinner! There were some unexpected surprise guests and it was great catching up with them as well! After dinner, we took Lolly home- because she has a broken foot and then headed over to Tyler's house. We hung out with a bunch of FBBA people and a few other random people before they head off to college! It was fun chilling at his rockin' house and joking with all of them! Around this time so many people are going their separate ways... I hope they have a great upcoming year and always remember the memories they've made and the lives they've impacted in the Land of Sugar!

Day 223: Quack! Quack!

This morning I woke up to a phone call from a desperate father looking for a babysitter. His wife is 7 months pregnant and was really sick this morning. They have a one year old boy and a three year old girl and the dad needed to go to work, so I jumped out of bed and got to their house as quickly as I could. First, I took the kids to the park. They liked the slides and the swings, but they LOVED chasing the ducks more than anything. They would sprint up to them screaming "Quack! Quack!" and scare them all away. They got a solid hour of entertainment out of that! I guess that's kids for ya! We headed to the library and then to Chick-fil-a. These kids are very adventurous and definitively gave me a run for my money in the restaurant. I probably looked like a fool chasing them around in Chick-fil-a similar to how they looked with the ducks! This afternoon I volunteered at the high school, watched Bachelor Pad (which is amazing) and then I worked at 9ners later tonight. Taylor came to visit me and apply for a job... and then Taylor and Brittany came over to hang out after I got off work. I haven’t seen Brittany in over 15 days and I have missed her so much! It was great to finally be reunited with her, since we had TONS of catching up to do- even though we both have blogs! :)

Day 222: Recovery Day!

Today was filled with pictures, blogging, laundry and RECOVERY! I hand wrote all of my blogs while I was in Cancun- these are the papers that I carried with me all week! This morning I got caught up on the past 9 days of the blog- pictures, typing and editing! Then I burned all 670 pictures from the trip on CDs for Melinda! I uploaded and tagged 3 albums worth of pictures on Facebook and I am officially pictured out. This morning my Mom's car didn't work, so she had to make a few calls. Our fridge and pantry was completely empty when we got home- but there is just something about sleeping in your own bed that makes home the best place in the world! Taylor and Collin came over in the afternoon! It was really good to see some familiar faces- that weren't apart of the Cancun Crew! I gave Collin a maraca with his name engraved in it and a little blue bracelet from Mexico- I hope he liked it! We ran around for awhile and played Mario Party... Taylor beat all of us really badly. At dinner my family devoured the fresh fruits and vegetables...  since it was a change from our typical Cancun eating habits! It's back to reality, but I am so thankful I had a day of recovery!

Day 221: You're Gonna Miss This

Today was our last day in Mexico! I woke up at 6:45 AM from a really bad dream. I dreamt I got a text from someone in Sugar Land that said one of my friends passed away in a car accident, while I was on vacation. I got on the 1st flight out of Cancun and was speaking at the funeral. I woke up bawling and I knew I wasn’t going to sleep after that nightmare! I decided to go and work out on the beach- to get my mind off of it! That was very relaxing and I really enjoyed my last morning at Barceló! After my workout, I was sitting on the beach and thought… ‘The next song that comes on will sum up CANCUN 2010’- and then the song You’re Gonna Miss This came on. Holy cow! I swear… my iPod is psychic! We all went shopping at the Plaza Mexican Mercado and bought souvenirs for people back home! In Mexico I feel like everyone is trying to rip me off since I am an American- and this morning’s shopping experience was no exception! We spent some time out in the sun and grabbed some lunch, before our ride to the airport! Once we got to the airport in Cancun, Melinda and I were determined to find Wi-Fi. We have been phone-less and internet-less for way too long! We went into T.G.I Fridays and ordered a double chocolate brownie with ice cream- just so they would give us the Wi-Fi password! We got full signal and then discovered it could not connect to their internet server! We were completely bummed. The waitor told us that we might get better signal if we move to a different location in the restaurant- so we moved and still had no luck! They ended up giving us our dessert for free and a few other things… almost a $40 bill all for free! We had so much fun talking to them and killing time before we boarded the plane! It was a great end to a great vacation! I am so thankful I got to spend the week in paradise with my family and Melinda- but I wish Lauren could have come! We missed her so much… it just wasn’t the same without the whole Engle Clan! All in all… I am glad to be home, because 9 days is a long time!

Day 220: Sleepy Sunday

Today I finally caught up on some sleep! We slept in, skipped breakfast and headed straight to lunch! After eating at the grill, Melinda and I grabbed our floats and headed out into the ocean! The waves were crazy big today! We went out super far, floated the waves and talked for almost 2 hours! When we got back to shore, we felt a tad sea sick! In the meantime, Jason and Mom built a giant sand castle and wrote Texas A&M in the sand!  We relaxed on the beach, listening to some Taylor Swift and Colbie Caillat! It didn’t take long for me to fall right asleep for a long afternoon nap! I slept by the ocean for almost 3 hours and was awakened by the rain! Once the quick shower ended, I migrated to a hammock to continue napping. I may have slept a lot today, while the other participated in various activities… but it was by far the most relaxing day yet! For dinner we ate at the Italian restaurant, with Jay and his family! It was VERY good- just like every other dinner this week! I feel like I’ve eaten enough food to hold me over for the rest of the year… it’s going to be time to lose some Cancun weight when I get home! It was a fantastic last night in Cancun- I’ve packed up my bag and discovered I have many unworn outfits and swimsuits… I guess that means I need to stay a little bit longer… :)

Day 219: Tulum in Ruins

Today Melinda, Mom and I decided to retry our trip to Tulum. The tour guide told us yesterday that we could hop on his 8 AM bus, since he left us at Xel-Ha yesterday! We never gave him a definite answer and decided to just wing it- which was mistake #1. We waited and waited, but ALL of the tour buses were full! We finally came to an agreement to rent a taxi instead, but we didn’t have enough cash. Melinda and I decided to go back to the room and get Melinda’s wallet (which was locked in a safe). She got the code wrong, so it locked us out for 20 minutes! That was mistake #2. Shannon decided to join the Tulum gang (and we let her) - which was mistake #3. We didn’t have time to wait for the safe, because we had to catch the taxi! Once we got to Tulum, we found out that they ONLY accept pesos (and we had none). All the girls went to the Mercado and I took Shannon to get a smoothie for breakfast! I attempted to use the free Wi-Fi to get on Facebook, but it locked my account since I was in an unknown location. Just my luck! When we left the smoothie place to find Mom and Melinda, a Mexican salesman told us he knew where they were. Oh great- so we followed him down the furthest path in the market (mistake #4). I knew instantly this guy was trying to rip us off! We finally found the girls and they were shopping for souvenirs. The man told them that in order to use their credit card for a boat excursion, they had to buy things in their store. Of course gullible Mom believed them! When she finally found the things that she wanted for her history classroom, they said they had to charge 10% of their purchase for using the credit card. Holy cow… the scheming never ended. So instead of using the credit card, they sent Shannon and I to the closet ATM machine. It has a $5 service fee for every transaction and I thought it was in American dollars- oh boy was I wrong! The first try I took out 200 pesos, but that won’t get you very far around here! So I had to use the stupid Mexican ATM machine AGAIN- I was extremely frustrated at this point. That was big mistake #5. They even convinced my mom to buy $20 insect repellant, by showing her unbelievably HUGE dead mosquitoes (Mistake #6- there we zero bugs).We FINALLY decided it was time to see some Mayan ruins and then it started to pour down rain. Take a deep breath, the day only gets better… once the rain cleared we walked a mile to the Tulum entrance. We wandered around aimlessly starring at a bunch of rocks. We don’t know Mayan history and we didn’t know the significance of each ruin… and we didn’t pay for a tour guide- that was mistake #7. We attempted to eves drop on our tour groups and I did learn that the Mayans never declared the world would end in 2012. It’s simply the realignment of some planets in space- it was their way of keeping track of time. Hollywood has a completely different interpretation of the year 2012! Then it started to pour- we were drenched from head to toe along with all of our belongings. We tried to huddle together under a tree, but that didn’t work. When we were exiting the ruins, Shannon turns to me and said, “But I haven’t seen any Mayans yet!” It was too cute and it definitely lightened the mood! We began a 2 mile walk to Playa Maya- where we were supposed to meet for our ‘Boat Tour’. We trekked through tons of sand and when we finally got there- we saw a yellow fishing boat. When you take the weather conditions into consideration, we knew the rocky waves were going to rock us and all of our belongings right in the ocean. We said, “No Thank You!” and grabbed a taxi to go get a refund! Finally the first smart decision we made on this trip! All the girls finally got back to Barceló and ate lunch at the grill! I am thinking the rain storms were following us, because then it POURED here! Melinda and I were exhausted, so we came back to the room, took a warm shower and relaxed in our warm robes! Tonight was yellow night- dedicated to Ali-The Bachelorette! We were all coordinated and took many pictures! For dinner, Jason, Melinda, Dad and I ate at the French restaurant- while Shannon and Mom went to the Mini Disco! It was a bummer they missed this meal, because it was the best dinner we’ve had so far! Afterwards, we went to the show Fuego Latino! It was entertaining and the women had very interesting wardrobe choices… Jason loved it! Needless to say today has been quite the adventure! Tulum might have been in ruins, but the evening turned out perfectly!

Day 218: X-Rated in Xel-Ha

Today we had a 7 AM wakeup call- in order to go to Xel-Ha! This place is the world’s largest natural aquarium! Considering we were out so late last night and I got 3 hours of unrestful sleep, it was a very early morning! But since Joe and Tyler’s families were returning to Pittsburg this morning at 8 AM, we got to see them one last time at breakfast! When we finally got to Xel-Ha fresh water springs and underground river currents surrounded us! We snorkeled close to hundreds of fish in the Mexican Caribbean, floated the river, jumped off the Cliff of Courage, watched dolphins perform tricks, and walked on the Floating Bridge. When Jason jumped off of the cliff, he mooned everyone. Let’s just say it was X-Rated in Xel-Ha! Bus 49 was scheduled to pick us up at 2:30 PM to take us on a tour of Tulum. However, this is definitely an all day type of place and Mom wished we could stay! We arrived at the bus stop at 2:30, and there was no bus in sight! They left at 2:28 PM and we were stranded at Xel-Ha… Mom got her wish! We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the shade on hammocks, riding bicycles on the jungle trail and Dad and Shan took on the challenge of the 300ft walking rope! I attempted to take pictures of the pictures we were supposed to buy, some of them turned out alright! Even though we really wanted to see Tulum, we had an unbelievable day at Xel-Ha and we planned to reschedule the Tulum trip! Tonight we got the opportunity to take a few pictures by the beach and eat at Kyoto (our favorite Japanese restaurant)! They cook right in front of you and it is very entertaining! I had Tempura Shrimp, Fried Rice and Helado Tempura…. YUM! Everything was amazing, but it was an early night for me- I needed to catch up on some sleep!!