Firstly, Mexico was about...2/3 amazing and 1/3 horrible. We woke up around 2.30 am and left by about 3.30, so we got to the airport around 4.30. Bad idea, we should have gotten there earlier because EVERYONE was already there getting their seats and such. So Dad despises airports & started sweating bullets when we got there, snapping at everyone to keep up, pestering honestly, EVERY 3 minutes if we had our passports and tickets. It just kept getting worse and worse, him picking fights, plus we had a flight change where we were supposed to stop in Calgary...so our tickets were a little screwed up. So he started bitching at the airline ladies...BAD idea. They respect you if you respect them, & he wasn't. So they were being quite rude back & stuck us by the bathroom lol. Oh well. It finally reached a low point when he started yelling at us to "SHUT UP" to our faces...and I just kinda walked off with Michael & Kristian and unfortunately I let him get to me and I started crying. He was being such an incredible ASSHOLE jerkwad to all of us, no respect or anything. So we got on the plane and started the 7 hour flight to the resort.

We finally got there late, as we had a bad bus lol, they drive CRAZY down there, doing U-turns in the highway and everything. We got there about 7.30 pm (they are 1 hour ahead) and it turns out they fucked up our rooms..my dad paid a LOT for ocean-front view for him & my mom, and really nice views for us, but it turns out we were put in the wing of the resort where CONSTRUCTION was going on; they had the bottom 2 floors built and were finishing the top floor, so everytime we walked by there was a TON of noise and the Mexican workers would look us over and make comments in Spanish & such...creepy. So the next day we had our rooms changed and we had much better ones. We saw the whole place for the 1st time in light, and wow, what a beautiful resort. The pool & ocean & staff was magnificent. They would treat you like royalty, always saying "senorita" or some staff even joked about me & my sister being celebrities when we dressed up one night for dinner. We layed by the pool a lot, I attempted to get a tan which didn't work out to begin with. I tried different drinks, like a Cosmopolitan & Electric Lemonade...I found out I don't really like the taste of alcohol, so I mostly drank drinks where they put less in, or where I couldn't taste it. No getting drunk for me.

We went into town a lot of the days to find presents for the spoiled friends back home...I shouldn't have wasted so much time looking for unique presents for them but oh well. Playa del Carmen, where we shopped, was a really pretty town where you could see snatches of the ocean here & there. The shopowners were very pushy, but that was to be expected. You could mostly here them yelling out "Hey, now ees MY turn" or "Hey, Charlie's Angels!" or "Hey buddy, you lucky gigalow, you got TWO girlfriends" (when my brother walked into town with me & my sister one time). And the funniest of all towards the end, yet most true "Hey, come see my JUNK!" The second last day I got a henna tattoo of a rose, it was quite pretty. Things were often overpriced, so haggling was a must but usually the shops I went into they were a fixed price (for little touristy things).

We would go out for dinner every night, they had a lot of nice restaurants. "Asiana" was of course, asian food like sushi and such, and there was the CUTEST waiter there, he was probably in his 40's but he had this little smile on his face and the cutest little laugh like "hee heee hee" and he would tease me as being the little senorita. There was "Pelicanos" which was right on the beach and we had our lobster dinner there the last night we were there. "Spice" was our ritual morning buffet breakfast; AMAZING food, omelets and doughnuts and waffles and fruit and such in the morning. "Maria Marie" was a French restaurant that was pretty good, I had lamb for the first time. We also went across the road to the sister hotel where we were allowed to eat as well for an Italian dinner one night. I love getting dressed up; it makes me feel really classy & like I deserve the best, which people think of you when they see you take the time to put yourself together really nicely. They pay attention to your needs a little more.

The ocean was so amazing, often I would put on my goggles and leave my contacts in and just dive underneath the water. There wasn't much to see in the area they had us swimming in (deemed "safe") but it was really beautiful and warm and salty as usual. We actually got pictures of us in it this time. There was a neat little 24 hour bar inside of the resort you could go at anytime and play pool, ping pong, or just sit and relax. There was every kind of alcohol imagineable, and no one there to monitor you. Some snacks as well, and a beautiful stone balcony to walk out onto and feel the night breeze.

They also had shows & entertainment every night. We saw 2 shows, one of dancing, different dances with the men and women. My favourite would probably be the last dance by the boys; as was announced "This is for all the ladies in the lobby" and 4 young men came out in white pants (and that's all) with white top hats and white canes, and did a slow dance to a sexy number. We also watched one of the history of the Mayans in Mexico.

The best memory would have to be the trip to Senor Frog's in Playa. We went there the 1 time with dad but he made a scene but abruptly getting up & leaving once he saw the prices of the drinks (they come by "The Yard", huge drinks but amazingly good and a little pricey but we told him of that), and he embarassed us all so much. But we went back again without him and we had the best time. We ordered a plate of nachos and I had a Strawberry Daquiri while everyone else had  Pina Colada. Mmmm, so good. Even better was the staff. All they want to do is have fun, and make sure you have fun, so often they will scare the shit out of you blowing air horns, stealing your hats, or other playful fun. When my brother asked our waiter to take a picture of us, he did, but he also continued to take pictures of other staff members, random people, and finally us with all the staff crowded around us. One guy sat on my lap! And he took awhile to get off after the picture taking was over too lol. (Awkward) But we certainly left there with big smiles on our faces, and they as well, as we were about $100 lighter in our wallets.

Of course there was the down parts of the trip...mostly dad. We owe him for taking us to such a beautiful resort & spending so much money on us...but he made a lot of the time miserable. He would drink so much at the pool during the day, and drink still more at dinnertime that he was loud, obnoxious, rude, and just plain embarassing to be around with. Every night could be counted on for there to be a fight between Kristian & dad, or Michael & dad. Kristian ended up crying one night, I ended up glaring at dad, dad ended up being an asshole to mom, and mom said well why doesn't michelle the perfect quiet one say somethign to him then and I glared at her for that. So fun times all around. More than once were we completely humiliated by his actions, and we knew it would happen but we thought if we glared at him enough or stopped speaking to him he would get the point...well, he didn't. Anyway...

The last day was heartbreaking, as we got up in the morning and I tried to savour every last moment. I tried to imprint moments in my brain the whole time of course, but the last we got up, packed our things, brought it to mom and dad's room since they were staying another week, and did a few normal things. We sat on the swing bar and had a last Electric Lemonade...checked out, grabbed a few doughnuts from "Spice" for the airplane ride home, and took pictures. Waiting for the bus to take us, mom grabbed her sunglasses and so we knew the tears were on the way. She started crying before we left, and went to the bathroom to fix herself up. Then when the bus finally got there, she really started sobbing and man, I had to fight really hard to keep my tears back as well. I am the baby of the family, it can be expected. So I gave her a big big hug and went on the bus and wished I had my sunglasses at the time lol. We went back to the airport and had no problems...SO much less stressful with just Michael watching out for us. We got on the plane no problem, dropped off the passengers in Calgary, then landed in our city where there was a ton of snow. We stood waiting for our luggage like everyone else, and waited...and waited...and waited...until we were the last ones left and still no luggage & the lady comes up to see if we'd gotten any yet. Turns out some newb took off our luggage in Calgary. The ONLY ones...besides the captain & his crew. Goddamn it...of all the luggage on the plane. They told us we should get it by the next afternoon. So Kristian's friend drove us home and home sweet home...there was a sweet message left by Chris about him missing me...and a rather...strange message by Uncle Gary to phone him as soon as possible.

So on phoning him back the next day, it turns out Grandma had died on Thursday, the day before we got back. God...I got off the phone and starting crying a little, but mostly because I felt so terrible for Mom...she had been wanting a vacation for so long and now they were going to try to get ahold of her at the resort and tell her about it. So finally Kristian and Uncle Gary leave a message in their hotel room as they are out of their room...and she knows.

That week that mom & dad are gone are an interesting one. They have never left us alone for an extended amount of time before, and it was amazing. Chris drove me home Monday, and Tuesday as well as we went to the Hockey game that night. Unfortunately, that was a night to remember as well.

michelle xx