our honeymoon

ever since i first proposed to diana we had been busy planning the wedding. it was a lot of work (from many other people too, thanks mom!), but everything went really well. it was, to be honest, one of the greatest days of my life. everything went well and it was certainly a blessed day. i wrote a bunch about it, which you can read all about here.
well, logic would dictate that after a wedding comes the honeymoon! diana and i soon headed out to mexico to enjoy the beautiful riviera maya! i must recommend it, when ever you have one of the best days of your life, i would certainly suggest following that up with one of the best weeks ever! check out all the newly wed fun and sun here! we hope you enjoy reading about it, because we certainly enjoyed living it! even thought the honeymoon is over, we look forward to the honeymoon continuing through out the rest of our lives!

bye bye mexico!

with everything packed and everything ready to go, we head down to the bus stop and wait for our bus to bring us to the airport. we didn't have to wait long, and the bus trip to the airport was only about 15 minutes, so we were actually ahead of schedule!
when we got to the airport we checked our bags and headed up to the security check in. all went well and we looked through the duty free stuff, diana wanted a new perfume. thats when diana realized that she forgot to put her watch back on after the security check! oops! we went back to the checkpoint and they were actually quite easygoing about it and we werent suspected of being terrorists or anything! we grabbed a bite to eat in the airport (having learned on the flight over that the plane doesnt serve free food and the stuff they do offer is way too expensive). the flight was a bit bumpy, enough so that diana and i had our barf bags ready just in case. fortunately we didn't need them, and we arrived safely and on time in chicago!
we found our car in the parking lot all safe and sound. after we picked up poco, our dog, from diana's old house, it was time to head home. time to start our lives together as a married couple!
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in memoriam

its always hard to say goodbye to a loved one. unfortunately i had to do just that when we left mexico. i have had this pair of sandals for many many years. i have many fond memories of them. they have been with me to many many places. i remember i first got them when i was hoping to go to mexico over the summer for course credit after my freshman year of college. i needed something to wear down in the hot weather that would be comfy but also cool on my feet. i've warn them every summer since, usually i would wear them exclusively- work shoes and tennis shoes would be banished to the closet, only taken out for emergencies like mowing the lawn. the years had been rough on these wonderful sandals, and their looks soon faded. last summer diana had had enough of them, she felt they were too disgusting to continue wearing, i disagreed saying that they had a lot of 'character' (which was code for 'i know they are disgusting, but they are comfy!').
at the end of the summer diana had told me i had to throw them away, but i refused. i held on to them even when i knew they had long since been past their prime. when we had been making plans for our mexico honeymoon i was hoping to take these sandals out again for a new summer of fun. diana shot that idea down. we came to an agreement: i would get to bring the hideous sandals with on the trip to mexico, but i would not be able to bring them back. it was a hard decision to make, one that still haunts me to this day, but i said yes. i did it. all week i wore them with pride, enjoying every single comfortable step. at the end of the week the dreaded deadline was upon us. it was time to say goodbye. i found a nice place for them, where they could see the sunrise and the beautiful beach. i put a dollar in the heal of one of them and said goodbye. where are they now? probably walking the beaches of cancun waiting for me to return. i hear that if you stay on the beach after sundown you can hear the faint footsteps of these magnificent sandals as they forever wait for their owner to come back.
shakespeare was right: its better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all. i miss you sandals... we had eleven years together, and they were some of the best in my life.
1998-2009

may you rest in peace.

packing up

it always comes too quickly, huh? it felt like we had only just arrived, and now it was time to pack up and go! our flight didn't leave until 11:00am or so, so we got to get a good nights sleep and take our time getting everything packed. we both had a great time and were sad to say goodbye to such an awesome week!
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moon palace: lobby

when we first got to the moon palace we were pretty impressed- the place looked so great! the lobby itself is really beautiful and inviting. once we walked in to the lobby of the resort we knew we were going to be in for a good week!
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room with a view

our room was so amazing! we spent a bit of time there and each morning when we would wake up i couldn't help but step out on to the deck just to see that beautiful view of the ocean- you couldn't take your eyes off of it! the only thing more amazing than that view is looking at my beautiful wife (there, that should earn me a few brownie points!)
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moon palace: pools

during the week we spend a ton of time at the moon resort pools. now, here's the thing: i'm not much of a 'sit around and lay out in the sun' kind of guy. the first day we arrived in mexico it hit me what this was actually going to be like. the whole time we had been looking forward to this trip i had never really thought about the fact that i was going to have to spend a lot of time out in the sun! at first when it sunk in i was dreading it, but that quickly faded away. the first time we went down to the pool during the week i realized that this was going to be great- a chance to just sit and enjoy the weather, enjoy a good book, and enjoy my new wife. thats when i realized everything was going to turn out just fine!
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angry tummy

soon after our lunch it was time to head back to the moon palace! we hopped on the bus and found seats. the hour bus ride went by pretty quickly, mostly because both of us slept most of the way...
when we got back we went to the room and hung out for a bit. after a while it was time to take a walk around a bit, and find ourselves some dinner. realizing we had eaten at every place there by now, we went back to the place we went that first night- the mexican restaurant! it was a decision that we would both regret for the rest of the night...
right after we were done we walked over to the lobby bar to enjoy the live music. a couple minutes after we sat down i had a gurgling in my tummy and made a quick run for it! when i got back diana wasn't feeling very well either. we walked back to the room where diana laid down and tried to feel better. i walked back to the lobby to pick up some tums and other stomach stuff. she took some, but it didnt seem to help too much. for the rest of the night she stayed in bed feeling terrible. i tried my best to make her feel better, but there was no use, whatever it was needed to run its course, and that was going to take all night.
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oh, sombrero!

after enjoying the ocean sun, we were getting a bit hungry. it was lunch time so we headed over to the restaurant where our free food was awaiting. we loaded up our plates and found a place to sit. as we were enjoying our food and conversation we were suddenly surrounded by music! there was a group of mexican musicians who were going from table to table singing traditional mexican songs to each couple- they even put sombreros on our heads!
diana was very very embarrassed by it, but i thought it was great fun! she kept telling me to tip them quickly so that they would move on, but i took my time about it so we could enjoy this unusual and unique experience a bit longer!
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beach seats

after all the fun of snorkeling and parasailing, we decided to spend a bit of time just relaxing on the beach! it was such a beautiful view! diana pulled out her book and i pulled out mine. we sat and read for a while.
soon after, she got a bit warm and took a quick dip in the water. behind us, i soon realized, was where they kept the horses! one of the options at this resort place was to go for a horse ride on the beach. as we were enjoying our time lounging around, those who had gone for the horse ride were coming back.
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sail on, silvergirl

we finished up with the snorkeling and walked down the beach to find a nice place to sit out and enjoy the rest of our afternoon here at marina maroma. just as we get comfy diana happens to notice a couple parasailing. 'oh, that looks like sooo much fun!' she says. now, i may be new to this whole husband thing, but i had a pretty good idea by that point that we wouldnt be sitting at the beach for long. i tell her i will go and see what i can do and i head back to the front desk and ask if we can still sign up to go parasailing. we still have plenty of time, so i sign us up!
i went back to get diana and she was quite pleased about it! we walked to the dock and onto the boat that was going to be pulling us. they welcomed us aboard, wrapped life vests/ harnesses around us both and off we went! when we got out into the open water the started letting out the parachute. when it got full we went to the back of the boat and were clipped on. once we were both on, the boat speed up, and way we went! the boat quickly became very small and we were rushed higher and higher into the air! it was really fun to be up there with diana, and so peaceful!
(more pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, and a video!)

with the fishies

soon after we arrived we all piled on a big boat. we were handed a snorkel, mask, and flippers for our feet. we each found a seat on the front of the ship and rode out for a little bit to the edge of the reef. when we got to the area we wanted to snorkel in, the guide got up and informed us how to do everything we were going to be doing.
it was all making sense and i was doing well, right up until the time when we had to actually jump in the water! i had no fear of the actual snorkeling bit, i was actually quite looking forward to it. rather, it was the 12 foot jump off the edge of the boat to the water that had me terrified! once i got over that i jumped in and we were off! the dive itself was really cool, seeing all those fish and ocean life was really amazing. if you stayed close to the guide he would periodically feed the fish, so they were always nearby. diana had a great time, and later said that the snorkeling was the best part of the mexico experience. i had a good time too, but found out the hard way that underwater masks dont seal so well around the nose if you have a moustache... i spend the first 10 minutes coughing in salt water. finally i realized that it wasnt going to seal, so i just had to keep one hand at my mask plugging my nose the whole time i was down there. oh well, it was a really great time anyway!
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a day away

up and at 'em early, we were excited for our day away!
we got ready, had breakfast and were out the door by 7:30am, we went down to the expo center where we were going to get picked up, but we were early and diana had left her brush at the room, so we walked back and got it and then returned to the expo center.
by 8:00 the bus came and took us away to the adventure that awaited! after about an hour bus ride we arrived at the location. most of the time was spent on the highway, but about the last 15 minutes of the drive was slowly going through some pretty rough terrain, a two track road with huge fields of six foot tall weeds on both sides! finally we arrived, got out, and saw the beautiful sight of what awaited us: snorkeling!

cool down

we got back to the hotel room and hung out for a while. they had free wi-fi at the resort, so diana and i each took turns playing on the internet!
when we first got to this resort on our first day i mentioned to diana that we should take a little video of the room so that we could remember it and show it to everyone when we got back so they could have an idea of how cool this place is. she was all for it. the problem though is that i didn't to it right then, instead i waited and ended up doing it after we got back from the sun palace. by now diana was tired and didn't want to be filming a video... but i did it anyway. if you would like to see it, you may find it here.

bus stop

we packed up and left the sun palace for the last time, knowing the rest of our days here were going to be too full to stop here again. as we waited by the bus stop we just enjoyed the time together. i asked diana what she had been enjoying the most about the day. here is a video of her answer.

sun palace again

we had such a good time on wednesday that we decided to go back to the sun palace. thats the one thats just for adult couples, which means the pools are quite chilled out, a very welcome change.
we got there and once again headed to the beach. we got another umbrella for our chairs and sat down. we both enjoyed the lounging around on the beach and reading. periodically we would walk out into the water and get a face full of salt water, then head back onto the beach! we walked up and down the beach for a bit as well picking up some little seashells as a little souvenir of our time in mexico.
eventually we walked up to the pool again and lounged around there for a while. before we knew it it was already time for the bus to come and bring us back to our own resort.
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poolside lunch

we woke up at 9:20 without an alarm. we tried to get out of the grogginess of sleep in time for breakfast, which came about twenty minutes later. we ate and then chilled out for a while. i messed with the computer while diana read on the balcony. we didnt have any big plans for the day so we took it a bit easy (as apposed to...?) we went down by the pools for a bit and found our way to the seafood restaurant for lunch. while there we decided that we should go out to the sun palace again!
we quickly headed back to the room and packed up so we could make it in time for the bus to take us there.
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mexican italian

when we went down to the lobby to get some more money changed into one dollar bills for tips we also decided to sign up for the snorkeling trip. we were going to do the dinner cruise, but it was 80 bucks extra per person! yeesh, no thanks! we shopped around a bit at the lobby stores and we got a little box trinket to keep pennies in- got to have a souvenir, right? when we left the lobby we saw that there was a little market set up in the theater area so we wandered around there for a bit. as the day went on diana and i needed a little time to rest, so she sat back and watched tv for a bit in the room.
by 8:30 we were ready to go for dinner. we wanted to try somewhere new. the little brochure thingy told us that there was an italian restaurant, but we had been all over the beach resort and hadn't seen it! we pulled out the map of the place and soon discovered our oversight: along with the beach resort, they also had a golf resort on the premises! it was tucked away a bit from the beach, but there was also a huge place filled with people who must have been more interested in golfing than swimming! we saw that the only way to get to it was by bus, so we got on the bus and went to the golf resort. it was quite a maze, after the bus, then we hopped on an 8 person golf cart that whisked us away about a mile down the path. when we finally arrived at the place it was quite dark and we were really hungry! we put our name in on the list and were soon welcomed in to the nice looking italian restaurant, and the food was amazing. we took the cart back to the bus stop, but we figured we had eaten to much to take the bus, so we walked back the rest of the way. we got back to the room around 11:00. we were both exhausted, so we watched tv for a bit, diana read a magazine, and soon after we called it a night.
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hanging around

when we first got here to cancun diana really loved our room and everything, as time went on she complained only about one thing: our deck didn't have a hammock! she was so disappointed, almost all the other decks did, but ours didnt.
diana kept saying how she wanted to lay in a hammock and enjoy the sun. well, as we were walking back to our side of the resort we finally saw it: a hammock out by the pools for anyone to use! diana was totally pumped and hopped on it immediately!
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the other beach

the resort we were in was so big that we had only ever seen one of the three pool areas! we decided that we should change that, so we decided to check out the rest of the resort. there are buses that travel back and forth between the two lobbies every fifteen minutes, so we caught one of those and rode it to the other side. we must have gotten off at the wrong place because we went to the third lobby, which is all newly built stuff, in fact, not everything in that area is even built yet! we ended up going past a bunch of spots where construction was still going on.
we laid down at the pool and kicked it for about a half hour. diana looked up at me and announced that she was bored, so we walked down to the beach and could see the second set of pools just down the way. we decided to just walk over to them and see what it was all about.
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a slow start

we woke up about 9:30, just in time for breakfast (we thought), after a few minutes diana made the realization that they had never taken our breakfast order from off the door knob the night before, so we called and ordered some breakfast then. we bummed around for about a half hour, then when it came we ate up! after we finished the meal we still werent feeling 100% ready for the day, so we climbed back in bed.
with little effort, we were back asleep, finally rolling out of bed for the second time around noon! our original thought of going back to sun palace was not really going be be possible now, with us missing the bus time and all. so we got ready and decided to check out the other side of this resort.

a swingin' bar

we decided we would try out the steakhouse, but got distracted along the way at the swing bar. the swing bar is a bar that has actual swings to sit in! it was still a little early so diana and i actually got two of the seats/swings. we sat and enjoyed the view and the conversation. they had sushi there, and i was really craving it and ended up having three plates of it with diana! it was always so strange being there because everyone who works for the resort speaks spanish, but also knows english. i dont know much spanish myself, but diana and i both found ourselves thanking anyone who waited on us or did anything for us in spanish. gracias!
we stopped by the swing bar again on the way back from dinner, but by then the annoying and loud college drunks had taken over the place, so we headed back to the room for the night.
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fish and steak

tonight we went to the last restaurant in the part of the resort we were in. it was a little more fancy, we had to wear shoes and not have a wet bathing suit on. it was a steakhouse, which diana was very excited about. i'm not a huge fan of steak, so i actually did something unusual and got fish (i actually had fish almost every single meal we were down there...). it was really good and a great time at the restaurant.
one strange thing about the place- even though the resort it self was quite full and bustling most places, when we ate here we were actually the only ones in the whole place! kinda strange...
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a night out!

we had had such a great day, that we decided that we would go out that night and enjoy the nightlife at the resort! we went back to the room and got ready. diana picked out some clothes to wear. this was always a struggle for her because she would so quickly shift from warm to cold with just the blowing of the wind!
she was happy with what she picked out, and she looked cute (as always), so we were ready to go!
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sun palace

around 9:15 we awoke, getting a bit more used to this different time zone. about twenty minutes later breakfast arrives and we dig in. over breakfast we try and plan our day. yesterday we had heard from other vacationers that the best beach was at the Sun Palace, so we figured we would head over there on the noon bus. the rest of the morning was spent hanging out and getting ready. at about 11:30 we walked down to the bus station and saw a ton of people waiting in line with the same idea in mind to check out some of the other places. we got on the second bus and were on our way.

we got there and wandered around for a bit, we soon found a great spot on the beach, it was really beautiful! the wind was really kicking up though. i walked over and got an umbrella and a guy came over to dig a hole for us to put it in. we laid out for a bit then stepped in to the ocean for a cool down. it was really cool to be in the ocean, the waves were huge due to the high wind, which was really fun to play in, the undercurrent of the waves was really powerful and it took a lot of work to just stand up straight! i got a ways out there and diana went back to the chairs. i came back soon after and we chilled for a bit longer. i had to use the bathroom, so i wandered around the place a bit more and found a great pool and lunch spot. i went back down to get her and we both went up to the pool area. we had hamburgers for lunch and then hopped in the pool. the sun palace is an adults only place, so it was nice to have the pool be a bit calmer and not so loud. we even talked with a few people there and got some pointers of cool places to go outside of the resorts if we wanted. we tried a few of the local drinks, diana got a tequila sunrise which i thought was disgusting! i got a few different ones, the electric lemonade, and one crazy colored one called 'the reef'. it was about time for the bus to come and get us again so we packed up and checked out a couple of the shops inside. we waited for the bus and got on. when we returned to our resort we stopped and got a couple more drinks from the lobby bar.
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sushi, anyone?

we made plans to go to the japanese place for dinner, called 'momonohana', and dressed up a bit for it. at the resort there were three types of places to eat: places that allowed you to eat there no matter what you were wearing, even if you had your wet bathing suit on, others that required shirts and shoes, and the last type required pants and a collared shirt. fortunately we had heard about this before we left, so i had packed accordingly! this particular japanese restaurant required pants and a collared shirt.
when we first sat down they brought us a tray of sushi- which was amazing! i ordered another serving of the sushi before we had our meals, it was so good! our food came and it was really good. the best part of the meal though, was that diana and i finally got to just relax and have some good in-depth discussions, something we hadn't really been able to do lately because all our energy and discussions were focused on the wedding. just being able to have all of that finished and now just a wonderful memory is so great!
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mall about town

the bus arrived at the mall and we got out to checked things out. it was a really nice mall, but that was part of the problem- it was a really really nice mall. nice as in fancy! we werent planning on spending too much money, and this place was filled with different high end stores, the kind that advertise in diana's high fashion magazines. we did find a few more reasonably priced places, and diana even found a really good looking red patterned dress and i found a good souvenir t-shirt.
we finished shopping and then we still had about an hour before the bus was going to get us, so we tried to kill time and putzed around checkin things out. we got out to wait for the bus early, but then got a bit scared that we would miss it, which ended up being no problem at all. on the bus ride back there were a few passengers (who had a bit too much to drink) and they were being pretty funny and asking us all about ourselves, when they found out we were newlyweds- then the howling began! eventually we got back to the resort. we stopped in the resort's shop to see if diana wanted the beach cover up she had her eye on. she passed, so we headed up to the room.
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pools and busses

8:15 we wake up from a full night of sleep, something i haven't had for well over a week! it was still a bit early for breakfast, we had ordered room service to arrive at 9:30. we walked down to the lobby to get change for a twenty so we would have some ones to use as tips through out the day.
the food came soon after we returned, so we had a seat and enjoyed our breakfast together. diana was chomping at the bit to get back out there in the sun and lay out by the pool, so we got our suits on and went down. this time i was thinking ahead and brought my book. we found a perfect spot that had two chairs, one in the sun, and one in the shade. after a quick sunblock lathering up, we had a seat and got to reading and enjoying the morning. we both hopped into the pool a time or two, even took an opportunity to swim up to the pools bar and enjoy a 'miami vice' drink. i went to the lobby to cancel our time share meeting while diana stayed out in the sun.
after about an hour and a half in the sun, diana called it quits, so we went back to the room. we were about to get ready for the day and shower when the power went out. we still got ready, but that made us sure we wanted to go somewhere else for the afternoon instead of stay around here! the two o'clock bus to the shopping center was what really caught diana's interest, so we grabbed a bite to eat at 'palapa fragata', the seafood restaurant down by the pool. finding where the bus left from, we walked down there and awaited its departure. the bus took us past the water park and past a couple different resorts that we can go to, next up was the shopping center where we were planning on going.
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room service!

we figured this place is all- inclusive, so we took advantage of that every morning! each afternoon the maids came and cleaned the room and they left a little door hanger that asked us what we would like for breakfast from room service. we would fill out the form and each morning we got a knock knock knock on the door- breakfast time! the food was really good, i got eggs and sausages each day, diana would very, sometimes getting eggs, other times opting for a fruit plate and toast.
it was certainly a pleasure to wake up each morning to a beautiful view of the ocean and a hot meal in our room!

midnight lifeguards

after the michael jackson show we walked around the pools and down on the beach, having a seat in the lounge chairs and enjoying the beauty of the stars in the sky, the fresh wind from the ocean, and the rolling crash of the waves. diana noticed that there was a life guard tower near by, so we walked over to it and climbed up in it.
we watched the water for a while, then headed back to the room. we were completely exhausted and incoherent by this time of night, so we soon called it a night and went to sleep.
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mexican mexican

i was exhausted after all that travel and the strangeness of waking up in 30 degree weather and then laying out in the sun at a pool by the afternoon. so we headed back up to the room where i took a twenty minute crazy power nap (you ever have one of those naps where you have really crazy lucid dreams? thats what this one was!).
when i got up we were hungry, so we headed out to dinner at the mexican place, called 'bugambilias'. the food was amazing, and a guy even came over and made fresh guacamole right in front of us!
each night at the resort there were shows put on for anyone interested. one night they had a pirate show, one night they had a mexican dancing show. that particular night there was a show at 8:00, it was a michael jackson impersonator, so we walked around for a bit and then got to the show in time to see him do his thing- he was really good too!
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moon palace

we got our luggage and headed out to the van that took us to our hotel, the moon palace. when we arrived we were a bit confused, but found our bearings when we went up to the check in desk. they showed us to our room. it is amazing! wow, we are definitely spoiled here! there is a fridge full of soda, and a full bar that we can have as much of as we want, and its all included! we stepped out on our deck and were amazed by the outrageously beautiful view! our first order of business was to unpack and find a place for everything- diana did not want a cluttered mess. we were trying to figure out what to do next: walk around, find lunch, or take a shower. we found a solution by ordering room service, diana and i ate, then took showers- after the long trip we both were feeling pretty gross!
then we walked around and checked out the place- it was a amazing! we had changed into our bathing suits, so after a look around, diana picked out a lounging chair in the water. i went back to the room to grab a book to read, when i came back we both went in the pool for a quick dip. we swam up the the bar and got a fruity drink, it was good. we dried off and went back to the lobby to get some info on the place. they tried to con us onto going to a meeting to sign up for time share, but we decided against going to the meeting, reluctantly...
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mexico arrival

after a little shaky of a descent on the airplane, we landed. we were instructed to fill in some forms for arriving in mexico, but the airline ladies didn't do a very good job of explaining it, so i ended up needing new copies of both sheets because i messed up so bad...
finally we were in mexico! we had been looking forward to this moment ever since diana's mom and step dad offered to give us this trip as a wedding present (by the way, what an amazing gift, huh? diana and i are so blessed to have them in our lives!). we stepped out into the cancun heat and tried to get our feel of the place. we fairly easily found the bus we were supposed to get on to go to our resort. after a couple minute wait for anyone else who was on our flight going to the same place, we headed to our hotel: the moon palace!
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the honeymoon begins

monday morning it was an early wake up- dont want to be late for the honeymoon! sunny riviera maya, here we come!!!
we were up and at em by 3:00am. we got ready and packed up all the luggage in the car. by 3:30 we hit the road and headed out to o'hare airport, chowing down on our donuts on the way. by 4:30 we were in the parking area and ready to roll, we waited briefly for the bus in the cold, i forgot to take off my jacket in the car (dont really think i'll be needed a jacket in sunny mexico!), just as i was about to run back and put it in the car, the bus came so i was stuck with it!
after announcing what bus stops were coming next (so stop 5 is really the next one after 4?!? no way!),the bus brought us to the tram station. we hopped on and headed to the airport. we quickly checked in and got our tickets, passed through security, then found our terminal. we chilled out for a while there, i pulled out my computer and put all the photos from the day before onto it, diana started to read the book she brought, 'blue like jazz'. finally by seven we were on the plane and shuttling to our place on the runway.
we got in the air and even got an in flight movie! 'ghost town', it was pretty funny. you know how airlines used to give out peanuts? no more! i guess the airlines are really strapped for cash, because they no longer provide any food for travelers. we were starving so we bought a lunch box to share. it was very small and overly expensive, but it hit the spot. i didn't get any sleep on the trip, but i was too excited to care!
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the morning after

the morning after the wedding diana and i went over to my parents place for lunch and to open our wedding gifts. before we left the hotel we stopped in the pool area and said goodbye to tim, jill, and the kids (they were taking advantage of the huge pool play area for the day). we met up with diana's mom, step dad, sister and nick in the hotel lobby, then drove over to my parents place. jeffry lee joined us there as well. we all arrived at the house and talked about all the fun of the day before. diana and i dug into the huge pile of gifts and cards we had received! it was really amazing the amount of gifts we got- thank you to everyone who brought us something!
after the gifts we all enjoyed the food that my mom had put out for us, and continued to talk about the wedding. diana and i were very excited for the honeymoon ahead!
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