CLOSE TO MY HEART ORDERS

I am a Close to My Heart consultant in my spare time. I use the word "spare" very loosely. The CTMH constant compaign for December is "Plenty for Twenty". If you place an order on MyCTMH website (marilynjuen.myctmh.com) for $20 or more (before tax & shipping and handling), you will receive one retired D-size stamp set absolutely FREE! We will send one automatically out to them with each qualifying order without any additional shipping, handling, or tax charges.

Pictures from Iberostar Resort, Cozumel

Cozumel Mexico, October 17-22, 2010

Bill and I took our family (4 grown children plus 2 daughter-in-laws to Cozumel Mexico on a family vacation. We had a ball. We stayed at the Iberostar Resort (all-inclusive) at the south end of the island. I loved how this resort was carved out of a jungle with little thatch-roofed buildings throughout the complex. Each building had 8 rooms with porches or decks with chairs and hammocks. Our room was on the upper floor. This complex gave the feel of a Mexican village with cement paths that lead to the pool area. Just off the pool was the ocean with a nice sandy beach. The sunsets were amazing. We lived in the pool during the day where the swim-up bar became the hangout. There were lots of activities that we could join; volley ball, water polo, dancing, water arobics, yoga, etc. There was food and drink available constantly.

We spent one day touring around the island with Roger, our taxi driver. We went to Faro Celarain (light house). We climed up to the top where the view was spectacular. The Carribean water is so beautiful. We saw a Mayan ruin along the way that was probably 600-1000 years old. We stopped to see the crocodiles in their reserve at the south end of the island. From there we had beverages at Bob Marley's, stopped at one of the beautiful beaches and had lunch at Coconut's. Coconuts is known for the bras and panties/thongs hanging from the rafters and for the topless pictures taken here. We climbed to the top where the view was breathtaking. Everyone in our party kept their shirts ON. Food was excellent, especially the guaquamole - nummmmm! From there we went to the Hacienda Antiqua where we learned the history of tequila making and, of course, sampled a few flavors. We bought a small bottle of the Cava Antiqua Anejo to drink at our family gathering at Easter. By the end of this day, we were all very tired.

Being that all our kids were with us, we hired the wedding photographer from the resort to take some family photos on the beach at sunset. It rained during the day so I thought the pictures would not be too great. The sky had rain clouds but we still got some amazing shots. I was dreading trying to narrow down to 1-2 shots to take home with us out of the 59 she took. At dinner that night, the kids present us with a CD of all the family photos taken. I was stunned. Now I didn't have to choose just 1-2 but had them all to take home and scrapbook. This was the highlight of the trip for me. It was so special of them to do this for us.

The entertainers were fun. Each night there was a show at 9:45 PM. There was a different theme each night - music, dancing, game show, etc. We were able to make friends with this entire group. Another way to make guests feel at home.

The buffets were full of choices at each meal. Some good, some not to my liking. The desserts were beautiful - especially the chocolate flavored ones.