Keeping up with the Joneses: August 2012

Wondering where I've disappeared to lately? Well, I have a good excuse:

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!!

Disclaimer: This is a long post with lots of really pretty pictures that will make you wish you were in Cabo right now. Get ready. I am not responsible for any money spent booking a trip!

We just returned from a glorious 6.5 days in paradise with friends.

We enjoyed a great view from our room each evening. It was truly therapeutic!

We lounged daily by the pool, from this one...

...or this one...

...or this one!

We stayed at Esperanza, a pretty fancy schmancy place!

Each day was sunny. Literally, not a single drop of rain fell on our full week of fun!

We enjoyed footprints in the sand...

...and the sound of crashing waves.

The views never grew old.

The details at Esperanza were beautiful in every way.

I loved the light fixture in the entry of our spacious villa.

The critters loved the area, too.

And the critters loved my husband. Only Keith would enjoy this so much!

The koi were beautiful...

...and the flowers!

Beauty was all around us.

We enjoyed sunrises...

...and sunsets!

I also enjoyed many a tasty cocktail on this vacation!

Esperanza's signature drink - the Cabo Green Margarita, with cilantro and cucumber. Easily one of the best drinks I've ever had!

A Cantaloupe Mojito - yum!

A Cilantro Mojito - another yum!

Hacienda's Pepino Mojito

Keith with a bloody mary, made by his loving wife :)

And me, with a delicious guava and vodka, soaking in our balcony hot tub!

A crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the balcony of our villa. Perfect after a little sunburn!

I also enjoyed a very healthy spa beverage at Esperanza's top-rated Spa (named #1 in Latin America by Travel + Leisure magazine!), mine was the Basil-Lime on the right designed to improve digestion and boost energy. Yum!

Needless to say, the food was fabulous, too. I didn't take too many pictures of my dishes as it was usually dark when we ate. I become used to all the guac and pico each day!

Jose, our personal butler, preparing some guac for us in our villa! So spoiled...

I consumed ceviche at almost every opportunity I had. They were always different and delicious!

But, our favorite dining spot was in our own villa. We loved to cook or order in. It was the best table in Cabo!

Especially when you can stay in your swimsuit as long as possible and eat dinner in your Esperanza robe :)

But, all of that scenery, food and drink is just no fun without great people to spend it with. So, here are some pics of us enjoying all of that stuff!!

Here's the whole gang! Lee, John and Keith in the back with Anna, Lauren and I in front.

The six of us enjoying dinner on the patio.

The gals in the pool

The boys in another pool

The boys at lunch

The girls with Jose, our favorite Cabo-ian!

The Godwins and Lee, at a wonderful dinner at Hacienda on the beach

Popsicles in the pool

But, this trip would not be possible without Lauren and Lee! They were kind enough to invite us along to enjoy their stay at the villa - they have a special connection, so were all pretty lucky to take this trip! And, we had a blast!!

Lauren and I have been the best of friends for 10 years! I love how our friendship has grown over the years, how our husbands have become close friends, too, and how many memories we make and have yet to make together!

Another fun tidbit? They are expecting baby Strother! Due in February, and we just can't wait to love on that sweet little nugget.

I loved all of our girl talk and quality catch up time. I already miss them!

In addition to all of the fun we had as a group, Keith and I really needed this vacation together. If you haven't noticed, I have been pretty quiet on the blog this summer. Work has picked up to a more-insane-than-normal pace and I haven't had the hours to spare on cooking or blogging, and honestly, Keith and I haven't had much quality time together either! So, we loved being together for a whole week straight. I was sad to separate this morning to go to work!

Excited to be getting some rays!

Enjoying a walk

Another day in paradise

Ready for a night out

Yes, Keith is much more tan than I am. I accepted this fact long ago!

A delicious meal at Sunset Da Mona Lisa - the best view in Cabo!

After a nice sunburn on my back - and I was pretty good about sunscreen - Keith made me wear this shirt to protect me...

...while he just opted to cover up with a towel :)

Enjoying the beaches and rocky cliffs at Lover's Beach.

A beautiful boat ride

Our favorite activity of the whole trip was deep sea fishing! Keith was so excited!

We had to be out of our villa by 6:00 am - that's too early while on vacation! But, seeing the sun rise was well worth it.

We chartered a private boat with a captain, first mate and deck hand (The Ziggy, in case you every go to Cabo). It was nice to have all of that help and attention with one goal in mind: for us to catch fish!

Reeling them in could be tough!

Alex, the first mate, with one of our many Yellowfin Tuna catches - I lost count!!

Keith was in his element!

I sat and watched and reeled in the occasional fish and really enjoyed it!

Dolphins were EVERYWHERE!

I never got tired of watching them swim and play around us.

There were literally packs of hundreds at times, it seemed.

The sun was shining and we were loving the ocean breeze!

But, then we changed bait and waited and waited and waited for a BIG fish.

Then, WHAM, before you know it, things got real....errr reel.

Did I just make a fishing joke? Lame!

I reeled in this Dorado!! I thought it was big until Keith made his catch of a lifetime minutes later!

Keith worked really hard on reeling this one in!!

A 61", 63-70 lb Dorado fish - bright blue and green, even though you can't tell in this pic. It was HUGE to me! It was SO EXCITING!!

Keith was a very happy boy after that fish was on board!! See his tail sticking out of the cooler? He didn't even fit!

We knew it was a good catch when the crew was happy saying, "Ohhh yah, beeeg fish, senor!"

As we pulled into the marina after our long, and victorious morning of fishing, the crew strung up the flags for all the fish we caught. It was so fun to see them flying, and lots of other folks were cheering for us! :)

Check out that catch!!! It's amazing how much his color was lost in the hours after Keith caught him. When he was first pulled into the boat, he was practically neon!

It is one odd lookin' creature to say the least!

As we parked the boat, this sea lion was there to greet us - hoping for extra bait! He practically begged like a dog would beside the dinner table. Too funny.

For dinner that night, the guys cooked up some of that Yellowfin Tuna - pretty tasty!! Talk about fresh!

All in all, it was a truly memorable vacation that was more than needed. We spent our days in paradise, laughing and having fun with friends. It doesn't get much better than that!!