recap: the honeymoon

First of all, thank you so so much for all the wonderful comments about the wedding. I am so glad you all enjoyed reading about it!

The day we left for our honeymoon was the morning after the wedding. We had a 4 a.m. wakeup call (meaning only about 1 hour of sleep) to catch our 6:30 a.m. plane. To be perfectly honest with you, I really can hardly remember that morning because I was just SOOO tired. I do remember, however, being really mad that there was no food/coffee in the terminal we were in. Really, O'Hare? Get that checked out ASAP.

We both crashed slept (crashed just seemed ominous, didn't it?) on the plane due to exhaustion. By the time we arrived in Cancun, we were so hungry it was unbelievable. We hadn't eaten since the night before, if you count our 3 bites of dinner even eating! Before we went through customs, we spent about $20 on trail mix and nuts - yup, when you're hungry, you'll buy anything!!!

Our resort was amazing - we stayed at Secrets Capri in Riveria Maya, Mexico. It was beautiful. It was quiet (no kids allowed), relaxing, and I couldn't have asked for anything more!

 Because we got there about 3 hours before check in, our room wasn't quite ready. I didn't mind though! The husband and I went and grabbed some lunch and then we laid by the pool for a bit. Traveling tip: when you are going to arrive before your check in time, pack your swim suits in your carry on. This way, you can hit up the pool as soon as you arrive!

After about an hour or so, our room was ready, so we packed up our stuff and headed up there. We were surprised with this on our door:

it says "honeymoon"!

 This was on our bed:

This was left for us on our table:

they must have gotten word that i like apples!

 Lunch didn't hold me over for very long - hey! give me a break, a girl's gotta eat! So, I did what any foodie would do in an all inclusive resort. I ordered room service!

I said to myself, "hmm... I could reallly go for some fruit right now!"

and voila! It appeared!

i have a slight obsession with fresh papaya now - anyone else?

The first day there was absolutely glorious. We both wanted to get a massage while we were there, and when we talked to the reservation desk, they reccomended we go the first or second day as we wouldn't be sunburnt yet. I am so glad he told us to do it that first day. After no sleep and being so busy the day before (and dancing for 3 hours straight), we definitely needed it. We were at the spa for almost 3 hours! Our session started with a one hour hydrotherapy session. Hydrotherapy is the use of water to restore and maintain health and to relieve the body of toxins. We went through different showers, pools, and steam/sauna rooms at different temperatures to relax our body. After that session, we went to our 80 minute deep tissue couple's massage. I am pretty sure we both fell asleep during it, but that lady sure knew how to work our kinks! After our massage, the room we were in had a jacuzzi for our use for another half hour. When we left, we were relaxed, but ready to eat again!

The resort had a total of five restaurants. The first night we went to Portofino, the Italian restaurant. I was really nervous about what I could and couldn't eat, and to perfectly honest with you, it was hard. Being a vegetarian is one thing, being a gluten free, corn free, dairy free vegetarian is another. So for the majority of the week, I had to suck it up and eat seafood or else I probably would have starved.

I ordered a tomato and avocado salad to start with, and I was really excited.... until it came out.

Two bites and it was GONE!! I'm all about presentation, but honestly... this girl is hungry! I was disappointed to say the least, and ready for my salmon (kind of)....

grilled salmon, cauliflower "foam", and grilled veggies

This was really good, and pretty filling. The meat tasted weird in my mouth, and weird going all the way down, but I was hungry. At that point, I would have eaten anything!

Unfortunately, that dinner didn't fill us up. Confession: we restaurant hopped. Yes, we did go to two restaurants in one night! Laugh if you must, but we had some serious catching up in eating to do. One of the restaurants had a create your own appetizer bar, so we went there to finish up for the night.

We were exhausted that first night, and we went to bed at 9 p.m.! We didnt' wake up until 8 a.m. the next morning when our breakfast in bed arrived! We both said we don't remember the last time we slept for 11 hours straight without waking up. I guess our bodies needed it!

We wanted to take advantage of our room service, so we did ourder our breakfast in bed which was included in the honeymoon package. However, this turned out to be more of a breakfast appetizer, as I only could eat fruit off the menu!

breakfast for two

we were highly cheesy that morning

 I also took a picture of myself eating breakfast, but the husband and I agreed that morning photos are not my best. :)

We went downstairs for our second breakfast, and it was DELICIOUS!

tomatos and guac, potatoes, fruit, hard boiled egg (yuck - it was gross), and an unpictured justin's peanut butter packet

 They had a great selection of fresh fruit juices as well. We loved trying each one of them that first morning. I think we were at breakfast for over an hour!

left to right: green melon, celery and spinach (MY FAV), canteloupe, watermelon

 I could eat breakfast like that every day! After breakfast, we headed out to the pool for some more relaxation time.

lobby area

book cart by the pool!

i love when resorts have floats!

 After a couple of hours, we were hungry again and ready to eat! I took advantage of their small salad bar for lunch.

:sigh: i'm sorry little shrimp - i know i ate too many of you.

beans, potato, grilled tomato (which was delicious)

our lizard friend

 That night, the husband and I made reservations at the Japanese restaurant for some hibachi cooking! Below is the beginning and ending of my modeling career:

don't judge me.

Our chef was super cute and tried so hard. I think he was new, but I couldn't tell. All I know is he didn't speak English, and no one could very well. I was trying to describe my allergies to them, but I don't think they understood me very well. They ended up cooking me rice, veggies, and meat (which I didn't eat) in the back separately.

We ate lots of sushi with some new friends! We met a great couple from Texas and another one from Louisiana. The thing I love about hibachi is you get to sit with people you don't know. It was fun getting to know one another - both couples were there for their 1 year anniversary!

okay, you caught me... i am now addicted to sushi. no fish next time though. it started to make me nauseous.

The next morning we were ready to hit up the breakfast bufet again! I am pretty sure I ate guacamole every meal for a good week. It was just so delicious.

raisins, papaya, potatoes (sooo good), tomatoes and guac, unpictured banana on the side

 The first morning I was a little disappointed because they didn't have soy milk for me. I usually drink almond milk, but soy is easier to get when you're traveling. The manager of the restaurant felt bad he couldn't accomodate me, so the next morning when we showed up, I had soy milk!

He actually went out after work, went to the store, and brought it to work the next morning just for me. If that isn't servce, I don't know what is! I was so excited they were able to accomodate me!

That day, the husband and I went on an excursion to an outdoor park called Xplor. It was really fun! They had zip lining, 4 wheeling, swimming, and river rafting. It was exhausting. We also go to wear these really cool helmets (insert sarcasm here) all day.

They had a great nutritious buffet for lunch, which I wish I had pictures of, but since we were getting wet all day, my camera was in a locker. Sorry guys - all I have to say is it was better than Sweet Tomatoes (or Soupplantation). That is saying a lot!

We ended up taking naps in hammocks that afternoon that they had all over the park. It felt so good to sleep in the sun.

Dinner that night was a steakhouse for the husband! He is obsessed with spicy salsa, so he requested the "good stuff" from our waiter. Apparently this is the salsa all of the employees eat on their lunch breaks, but they don't serve it to guests because it is too spicy.

My mouth was on FIRE! I tried just a little dab of it from my finger and I was dying!

nice and tan

 One afternoon we also went to the market in downtown Playa del Carmen. It was a lot of fun - the husband had a great time trying to haggle with all of the merchants. He got a cowboy hat for $10 when the man originally told him $30! The merchant actually chased the husband down the street when he was walking away.

While walking down the street, I was excited to see this:

Honestly, you can't go wrong with Starbuck's - I was pumped! Of course, the husband and I had to stop in there to get some drinks. His line is, "whatever makes you happy" - and YES! Starbuck's does make me happy!

iced coffee for her, caramel frap for him

tasted just like home!

 We walked around for a good two hours before our legs were ready to go!

i had never seen coconuts that looked like this before

 That evening at our resort, they had a "Carribean" night with a full buffet and show!

do you see my new shell earrings?

 This buffet was AWESOME! They had a ton of vegetarian options and I was so excited. My favorite was the fruit salad and bean salad. The grilled veggies were awesome as well, but they were cooked in a lot of butter. My stomach did not like all the butter I ate while I was there.

imagine this... x 3

The following morning was our last full day there. It started downpouring after breakfast, but it was done raining in about 20 minutes. The skies were clear for the rest of the day! We took full advantage of lounging by the pool that day.

We took a break to go sailing as well - the husband is a really good sailor! He also tried windsurfing, which we discovered wasn't really his thing. It was funny to watch him though!

The next day we had a 6 a.m. wake up call to get ready, pack up, check out, and eat breakfast. We were sad to go, but both of us agreed it was the perfect amount of time to get away.

mr. and mrs.!

I got a Starbuck's at the airport, which wasn't very good. I was upset, but giggling on the inside because of my new name:

Shelsey! :)

Goodbye Mexico! We had a great time and it was surely relaxing. I can't wait to go back! I am glad I kind of let go for the week and relaxed. One thing I realized when I got home was I didn't really feel as good as I normally do. It was probably due to the meat and butter I had been eating. Did I die? No. Was I uncomfortable? A little. Am I glad to be getting back to my life? Definitely.

Question: What was the best vacation you went on?

recap: the wedding

Hello lovies!!!! I am back home and a Mrs. for sure now! I promise I will get back to the regular blogging over the next couple of days, but I want to give you what you've all been waiting for: wedding pictures!!


The morning of the wedding, I was surprisingly calm. REALLY calm... so calm my bridesmaids were nervous for me. I kept telling them "it's okay, when you know... you know!"

I started my morning the way any good morning should start: with overnight oats. I mosied around for a bit, packed up all of my stuff for the day and for the honeymoon, and headed to my parents' house. We figured this was the best place to get ready as my mom used to do hair and we have a salon in the basement. Hair and makeup came to us!! I felt like some sort of celebrity. We didn't have to start until about 11 in the morning - which is almost unheard of in wedding world.

getting my hair done

 I think the most special part about my hair for the day was the extensions. My hair used to be all the way down my back, but I have donated it many times to Locks of Love in honor of my dad (who has leukemia). The husband (ooo I love that!) loooves my long hair, so I thought I would surprise him.

you can't even tell they're extensions!

The woman who did makeup was amazing - she knocked out about 7 people in 5 hours. I was absolutely in love with my makeup, and I'm pretty sure I am going to hire someone to come live with me to do my hair and makeup every day for the rest of my lilfe.

bestie and me

 When the photographer and videographer showed up at 3, no one was near ready. It worked out okay, however, because the photographer had to take all of her detail shots which took almost 45 minutes. That gave us all time to finish up and get dressed.

At this point in the day, I really didn't feel like a bride yet. Weird, right? The dress, the veil, the hair... nope, it was all surreal. It really didn't hit me.

new sister and me

other bestie and me

 It rained for a good half hour while we were all getting dressed - the husband even called to see if I still wanted to do the ceremony outside. No, I didn't talk to him - he called my mom. My reply was it would stop and I was getting married out there!

Whoever said the woman is always right was probably a woman... because I was right.

The moment it hit me I was getting married was when I was left in the bridal suite all by myself. The girls were lining up outside, my dad was upstairs, and the DJ was testing the music out up in the reception hall. I overheard him playing the song the husband and I were dancing to together that night, and it took all the strength I had not to break down before the ceremony. They had mirrors everywhere in the bridal suite, and I kept saying to myself: "You're getting married", "yes, that's you - you're the bride". It is so surreal when you are actually the person getting married.

My dad and I walked the very long walk down the aisle, and I don't think I ever saw John smile so big in his life. He was my saving grace - every time my voice started to quiver or I began to cry, he knew to just change the look on his face to get me to smile. I guess it didn't help I started crying because it made everyone at the wedding cry as well.

lovely shot

I can remember the actual ceremony, but I really cannot wait for the video to see and hear everything once again. The husband's brother who married us encouraged us to use more contemporary vows using the phrase "I will" in place of "I do". I was a little wary of it at first, but it just makes so much more sense. My favorite line was when the husband said, "I will protect you"... uggh makes my heart melt.

The ceremony was pretty short and sweet - I think it only lasted about 25 minutes. We were on time and ahead of schedule, which was great for our photographer who had never shot so many formals in the time frame we had. We did in 1 hour what she usually does in 4 hours.

She got some great shots too - I have been saying over and over all week how I cannot wait to see our wedding pictures. We took these great pictures underneath some weeping willow tress (which I love) and am so excited to see how they turned out.

While we were taking pictures, our guests were enjoying a cocktail hour with drinks and passed hor'deurves. I didn't taste any, but everyone told me they were great!

I wish I had a good picture of the cake cutting - the husband, much to my dismay, decided to actually smash the cake into my face. I should have known that was going to happen. Yes, it was a crowd pleaser. No, I didn't enjoy finding dried icing behind my ear at 5 a.m. the next morning.

Dinner was delicious...and short. We only ate for about 3 minutes, which was until everyone else got served, for us to start walking around and greeting everyone since we didn't have a receiving line. We had a lot of people there, almost 200, so it was really important to us that we got around and thanked everyone for being there.

After dinner, the partying began. I knew our wedding would be fun, but I didn't know it would be THAT fun. I told the woman who did my hair to get those extensions in good because I was going to "tear it up on the dance floor" - and tear it up I did. I danced so hard my bustle on my dress broke!

For everyone (and I know there are some out there) who have commented before on how well I eat and how clean I eat all of the time, let it be known I am human as well. Gluten free cake WAS consumed (yes, it was delicious) and about 3 glasses of wine were drunk. I learned something that night. I learned that 3 glasses of wine are far too many for someone who does not drink... EVER. I may have just stopped at one, but I swear the husband's aunt kept feeding them to me. :)

There was stage dancing involved and TABLE dancing as well. I will keep those pictures at bay to spare some of my family's feelings however. The DJ warned us before the wedding if we started to see a "lull" in the dancing to let him know and he would switch it up. Fortunately for us, I have never seen so many people on a dance floor for so long. We danced from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. straight. I did not sit down once, and I am more than positive I can say that for the majority of my guests as well.

Apparently, my bestie caught the bouquet! Yes, it saddens me to say I only remember it due to our video the DJ shot on his "jam cam". In the video though, I sure was excited!!

When we left at 12:30, mommasita whisked us away to our hotel (which we stayed at for a mere 3 hours). 

Needless to say, you all were right. When it came down to it, the silly details that were happening the last week and up to the wedding were miniscule. The second I woke up on the day of the wedding, I was stress free. I am so grateful to my bridesmaids, and especially to my bestie, who made sure my day was absolutely perfect. I did not have to worry about a thing, and the day turned out perfect.

I have said time and time again throughout the wedding planning process that "when it comes down to it, at the end of the day, my wedding will be perfect because I will be married to the man of my dreams". It truly was perfect though.

The honeymoon is up next! I promise to have that up sometime in the next day or two - it was spectacular. For those of you who want more pictures, email me and I can set you up. There are a bunch more wafting around on the internet. :)

Question: What did I miss in your life in the last week? I do not have time to go back and read every post, but I want to hear the most exciting past of it!