Wanderlust in the Soul: 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Cancun!

Cancun Blog

Confession time…

So I think it is time for the truth to come out… I may have this slight obsession. Tacos, margaritas and the beach are probably all my favorite things... in the world. And what equals all of those things combined? (Ding ding ding) Mexico (!!!)

I think you know what that means.

In the wise words of Kenny Chesney, there aint no better time than now for Mexico, no shoes, no shirt, no problem. I mean Kenny pretty much sums up my whole trip in just on song. Need I go on?

I guess I’ll tell you a little more about my trip.

After a long day of traveling, my dad ad I arrived in Cancun. (Also that day I gained a great appreciation of nonstop flights.)

We stayed at a resort called Royalton Riviera that was located just outside of Cancun. And let me tell you, it was amazing! I wish I‘d taken pictures of the resort to post on here because it was beautiful. I would have looked like a total tourist but oh well haha

Oh but I do have a picture of my coffee from the cute coffee shop we had in site of the resort (surprise surprise), that’s something though right?

Our first day there was relax/ chill day. Yet somehow I still ended up at the gym… Thanks to my father. Lets just say this was also the only time I was seen in the gym this trip.

But if any of you have experienced the greatness of all inclusive resorts, you know that you could probably be perfectly fine not leaving the resort the entire trip it’s that great.

And as this was mostly true for me, we still decided to venture out.

One place I’ve always wanted to go is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. Although Chichen Itza was far from our resort (aka 5 hours), it was still hard for me to pass up that kind of opportunity. I mean you never know when you’ll get the chance to see of a wonder of the world so why pass that up?!

I would say that it was definitely worth the 5 hours.

Oh my gosh can I just tell you how much the Mayans amaze me?

At the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, during the spring and fall equinoxes, the great pyramid of Kukulcán serves as a visual symbol of the day and night as the sun of the late afternoon creates the illusion of a snake creeping slowly down the northern staircase. After the snake appears it then slowly makes its way to a cenote down the way. Cool right?

And if we had visited a week later we actually could have been there for the equinox celebration to see the snake. Bummer right?!

Tuesday was a recovery day from the long and so very hard, day we had ;)

Our resort had hobie cats and paddleboards that we could use at any time so we took advantage of that. Hobie cats are so fun! Even though it’s just a tiny sailboat it still felt nice to be out on the water. There’s always something renewing about being on a boat in the middle of the ocean.

And can I just say how hard paddle boarding was (!!!) I’ve paddled boarded in the ocean before but it seemed extra hard here. I also think it could have been because it was windy there were definitely some waves going on out there.

Our last day in Mexico we went snorkeling because you cant go to Mexico and not snorkel in those crystal clear waters. It was really convenient because the boat picked us up literally at the beach of our resort. We went about 20 minutes to this coral reef and mostly just explored the reef. To be honest I’ve seen some cooler things snorkeling but it was still really fun and were saw quite a few Piranha’s. So that was cool.

And just like that our tip was over! I feel like vacations like that never feel long enough. That’s why every time I go to Mexico I consider running away so I will never have to leave. (sorry mom)

Just kidding, as much as I love my trips it’s always a good feeling going home and sleeping in your own bed. Oh and I guess seeing my best friends and boyfriend too.

But anyways… So our flight left Cancun at 7am so I pretty much didn’t sleep the last night because the shuttle picked us up at 4… in the morning. Needless to say I was passed out that whole day of traveling. Which goes back to the appreciation of nonstop flights. Which we did not have.

I had so much fun on this trip; it was definitely a well-needed vacation! Now back to my last few months of class. Wow it’s going by so fast!

Until my next travels,

~ Brooke

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Beaver Creek, Colorado

Did someone say family vacation? Well hello Colorado. State of breathtaking nature, the rocky mountains, and home of people that are just high on life. (lol)

This year, my aunt, uncle, and two cousins were nice enough to invite my mom and I on their ski trip to Beaver Creek.

I always love traveling with my family because there is never a dull moment, to say the least.

For those of you that haven't heard of Beaver Creek, it is a mountain town about 30 minutes outside of Vail with an elevation of 8,100 ft.

Lucky for us, we all were able to get on a seasonal flight that flew straight into Vail, opposed to having to fly into Denver and drive 2 hours.

We then arrived in Beaver Creek, ready to take over the Westin.

Our condo room had the prettiest view. Which excites me because morning coffee with a view?? Yes please(!!!)

I have been to Colorado to ski many times, but this is the first time I have had the chance to visit Beaver Creek. And let me tell you, I was impressed(!!!)

I do have to say though, the only thing I didn't like about Beaver Creek was that they made you wear helmets when you were skiing. (I hate helmets so much)

After a nice day of traveling and relaxing (two of my favorite things), we were ready to hit the slopes. Our hotel was really convenient because it had a gondola that took us straight to the slopes. Which was nice not having to load up a car with all our equipment and drive there and back.

We all started off easy (aka the greens) because its been a while for all of us.

I quickly learned that Beaver Creek mountain is huge. Im not one to really plan out exactly which slopes I want to go down, I just kinda go. Which in my case, got me in trouble a few times. Im not gonna lie, I went into skiing this trip pretty confident. Should I have been? Probably not.

I'll admit to it, I lead my mom and I down a few black diamonds. And it was one of those moments where you have to sit and really think about how you are going to handle the situation in the moment, in the midst of freaking out on the inside but trying to stay calm on the outside. In my moms case, she took off her skis and slid down on her butt. In my case, I just took 15 minutes to get down this slope that took other people about 30 seconds to get down. (lol)

Also, I learned that you can be hot and sweaty even in 15 degree weather. Which I really never thought could happen.

All in all skiing day one was really fun. Exhausting, but still fun.

Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention the part where my whole family skied to the complete wrong side of the mountain and had to take a 15 minute shuttle just to get back to our gondola. This goes back to how big beaver creek mountain is, and the importance of a map.

Skiing day two was a little easier because we kinda got a better feel of the slopes. This was nice because we could take our time and enjoy the mountains more.

My favorite part about skiing is the view from the top. Half the time I think I would be perfectly content just sitting at the top taking in the view even more than skiing. To me, I think one of the most tranquil things a person can do is sit on the top of a mountain, breath in the fresh crisp air, and take in the world.

I have always loved the mountains but I think I have found an even greater love for them this trip. Although I don't know how I would feel actually living in the cold for that long. I think it takes a special type of person to be able to live in the cold like that.

On our last day, my mom and I rented a car and drive to the Denver airport because I had to catch a flight back to California (yay school). Even though the drive took a couple hours, it was actually really cool getting to drive through the mountains. But I also do appreciate a good car ride with an even better view.

I had such a great time with my family and I am so grateful that I was able to be apart of this trip with them.

Until next time,

Brooke

Friday, January 1, 2016

2016 (!!!)

Happy New Year friends!

What a great night spent celebrating the new year with my friends and family while back home in Texas. As we all wake up the next morning with feelings of a clean slate and a fresh start to the new year, I began to reflect on my past year. Through all of my accomplishments, and failures, I wouldn't have changed anything, because those experiences are what made me who I am today.

But I am getting a little off topic. This morning, I grabbed my laptop and began to look at photos from this past year. I don't think I've ever traveled this much in one year before! I am beyond blessed to have been able to see and experience all of the places that I did this year.

Here are some pictures from all of my crazy adventures in 2015!!