If there is any one thing I hope to achieve in this life it is to live with grace! The definition of grace is: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification! Pictured in this blog entry is my daughter, Aleah and I, twenty-four hours after I was the sickest I can remember being, vomiting and diarrhea from 3:30am until evening time the following day. We are in Mexico at the Dreams Tulum resort. This is a trip we will always remember and honestly more good memories than anything! We traveled to for her Sr. Trip (that had already been rescheduled once because her passport didn’t arrive on time, due to an error I made when filling out the check🫤).. the second photo is us dolled up beachside today, on our last day in Tulum, Mexico!! This all took place after a challenging day of travel- having to catch a different flight, four hours later because we missed the mark by just minutes to check our suitcases in because they were too big to take as carry on. Traveling lightly has never been my strong suit!😜 We thought we would be here by 4pm on Monday.

We finally arrived at approximately 8pm after getting through the very chaotic airport and customs in Cancun. On an upside~ we sat next next to a really nice gentleman, Guy Macklevane who owns Rancho Corazon in New Mexico! We soaked up a lot of people watching while at the airport and going through immigration.

We got in some mother daughter time and worked on our patience and the whole “hurry up and wait” approach. I made a point from the very moment that the gal at the Wichita airport told us it was too late to check bags (5:20am.. had to be checked by 5:15am) that I was going to keep my composure and stay calm. The flight from Wichita to Dallas was fine and we managed to run across the Dallas airport, catch the train to the right terminal and board the flight from Dallas to Cancun just as we needed- with less than an hour between!

We ate very little during our day of travel. When we arrived at Dreams we were famished. The people here are very kind and helped us get checked into our room and then we rushed to get dinner at the buffet. It didn’t take much to cure our hunger! Yes, I did drink the water that night. 🤷‍♀️

I am not sure what caused the sickness that made me wake and spend an extended period of time in the bathroom. I am thankful the waste basket had a liner in it! I was able to tie it in a knot and put it on the back patio of our room. I showered and was able to sleep till 7ish am. The sickness continued. Aleah went to the pharmacy here at the resort and got anti-nausea medicine for me and then later went back for Pepto. I slowly got better. I guess it could be thought of as quickly getting better, by nightfall she convinced me to go see the beach! She doctored me up with Gatorade, sprite, saltines, chicken broth, hot tea, medicine and green apples- recommended by our travel agent.

After dinner we were exhausted and wanted to call it a night. While Aleah was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I opened what I thought was my suitcase to find men’s clothes. Wow- what can I say? I was too exhausted to even cry or be upset. I was just thankful to be in a comfy place. I luckily had on a lightweight pair of pants that are comfortable for traveling. I messaged our travel agent, Mary Johnson from McPherson, Ks. I asked her to help me contact the airlines and baggage claim and told her I would do the same. I learned a big lesson! Just because a suitcase looks just like yours and is right next to your daughters.. doesn’t mean it is yours! Check the tags and mark your bag! Anyhoo, that ended up being a big bump in the road. Luckily, by Wednesday (yesterday morning) I was able to go to the airport (about two hours there and two hours back) to get it! I was too sick all day Tues. By last night I found out from my husband that one taxi company charged us the same amount twice and the other company charged us $110 more than they told us it was going to be~ the same guys I flagged down to give them a tip!😔 I guess one way to learn is by experience. I have been warned about how the process of give and take and bartering works in other places. Another thing to work on! We truly did our best! I even messaged the head guy who gave us the ride and he never responded! We do have a photo with him too. Nonetheless, we are chalking that up to experience. We did get to the airport and back safe~ just with a hefty price tag.

By Wednesday morning I felt like a new person! I could drink coffee!! I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t drink coffee! I love it! Coffee makes me happy! They do have really good coffee here! Yesterday (Wednesday) felt really short after part of the day being spent going to the hotel and back to get my luggage.

Today is our one and only full day at the beach and enjoying the resort! We are doing just that! We rented a cabana and are soaking up the sun beachside! I have never been so happy to feel good and healthy!

I just learned through a text message from my husband that my dear friend just lost her sister.. who must be in her 60’s! This gal has been a great mentor to me and she has already lost her mom and husband in recent years. I brought three books she gifted me on our trip.. someday I will tell more about her and what I’ve learned from her!

I am thankful to know that Johnny and my brother, Preston got the heat working at our place! It was -7 degrees back home when my husband messaged me this morning.. and 56 degrees in our home. Good thing he realized something was wrong and called on my bro. to assist!

I am gonna leave all the hard parts behind me in this blog entry! I am going to squeeze all the good out of my experiences in Tulum, Mexico! There are so many good things to remember and celebrate! The food, the people, the love and excitement!!

I am excited to have this time with our daughter, to do my best to teach her grace and carry on our family’s values! I do believe in being a lady, modesty, being authentic, working hard, showing appreciation and that you can never be overdressed. I also believe there is a time and place for everything.. I guess when you are at the beach you can let your body (that the good Lord blessed you with) show! I also am a big believer in prayer and am praying to be home safely by Christmas! I know the weather has caused some delays with flights! If you are a prayer warrior~ please say one for us to get home safely!

I believe that living with serendipity and spontaneity is the best way to live!! Give ourselves and others grace, do our best, learn from our endeavors, share our knowledge, and be happy!! We are all perfectly imperfect and must embrace it! Love you peeps! 🤍🤟

Stay Rosy, Amber

#Halfwaythere #HalfwaytoAnywhereYouWantToBe