Sand and Saltwater

 My friend Audrey works for Jet Blue, and I was lucky enough several years ago to become part of a little group of friends now known as the Dirty Diet Cokes, who occasionally get a last-minute call to pack up and take off.  This time, Cancun.  It was Jen's first stamp in her passport!  Whoo hoo!!!
 We ended up leaving a day early, on a Wednesday night.  Can we just give a shoutout ot the husbands who shooed us out the door, especially Scott, who drove us to the airport.  Got to Cancun early the next day and were greeted by the Gulf of Mexico in all its splendor.  I think all of us have reached a point in our parenting where we can relax and not worry while we're gone.  The home crew has everything under control.

 We bussed downtown for lunch, where fresh guacamole was prepared at our table.  Ahhhh.

 Giant hot tub.  This is the life!

 Obligatory shot of my feet doing what they do while I stare at the ocean.  Araceli gave me this cute pedicure before I left.  The pink things are anchors.  Cute, huh?

 My model friends, Jen and Angela

 Pizza for dinner, friends, a good book and the beach.  This is my zen place.

 And then...magic!  A crowd was gathering to see and hold baby turtles.  The Marriott has a conservation program where they take turtle nests and relocate the eggs to a safe place.  When the babies hatch, they release them into the ocean after dark so the birds don't feast on them.  We each got to release one!  Mine was asleep, poor little dear.  Imagine the shock of being a 3-day-old sleeping baby, and suddenly someone says, "It's time to go fend for yourself in the vast, dangerous ocean!"  We imagined our sleepy baby turtles saying, "Oh man!  That's today!?  I was just taking a nap!"

 We were all wishing our kids were there to experience the magic.

 Excursion to Isla Mujeres the next day.  Our crew was fun!

 We snorkeled and then spent time on the island getting 10-minute massages, wading in the water, kayaking, and eating the lunch provided, which was tasty.

 Seriously, I think my body slowed down its metabolism.  I felt like Jen looks in this pic!

 Massage guy

 Our friend the popcorn vendor on the island

 Beautiful place, beautiful people.  Each of the people we met was genuinely open and loving, and fun.

 Loved our crew.  We each got a kiss on the cheek from the guy on the left, Mariano, as we left the boat.

 That night we were all sitting on the beach and a hotel employee walked up to us and whispered, "Do you like baby turtles?"  Angela thought he said, "Do you like scriptures?"  So she was surprised when some of us said, "Yes!!!"  Then he said, "Do you want to release some?"  Again, " we said "YES!!"  and Angela was baffled as we got up to go, thinking the guy had said, "Do you want to read some?"  Ha!  No, we weren't headed off the beach to read scriptures with this guy.  Tee hee.  In fact, he had two crates piled high with baby turtles!!  And there was nobody on the beach except us.  We each released probably close to a hundred.

 It was magical.  I was gathering up 4 or 5 at a time, whispering into their ears, "Vaya con Dios," (since we were in Mexico:)  and waiting for a wave to come so I could set them in the retreating water.  We had to watch for those that washed back, so we didn't step on them, and try again.  Two or three were sluggish and we knew they wouldn't make it out there.  Sadly, according to statistics, only about 2 or 3 of every thousand ever makes it to adulthood, which is 30 years.  Each one of the baby sea turtles seemed so precious, so complete and whole it its creation, so perfect.  They were beautiful.  Look at their faces.  They looked somehow stoic, wise, determined, yet playful.  It's incredible that they know what to do.

 Everyone sent pictures home to dads and kids.  We were wishing so much that our kids could hold these tiny creatures and take part in their life cycle.  Once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Unless you work at the Marriott in Cancun.  They release these little guys every night.

 This is the turtle egg nursery.

 Airport.  These guys were good!

 Jen's hot chocolate

 The way the flights looked, we opted to leave Mexico a day early and spend a night in New York.  I was thrilled.  Two trips in one!  I love New York.  I don't care what I'm doing, I just love to be there.  We got in late Saturday night and subway'd into Lower Manhattan the next morning.  We had a loose plan to do breakfast at a gluten-free place in the Financial District that Melanie looked up, then see the 9-11 Memorial.  It was a gorgeous New York day, with just a hint of fall in the air.

 Stock Exchange

 These unborn children on the memorial are what gets me every time.  I love how they did the memorial.  It's a perfectly chilling reminder of that day, and you can't help but relive it when you're there.  Four of us were pregnant on 9-11, or about to be.

 The church next to the towers that became a makeshift triage center during the crisis is still a monument to the fallen.

 Lower East side, Little Italy.  I love those neighborhoods.  We walked from Lower Manhattan through Chinatown, Canal Street, Little Italy, Nolita and the Lower East Side to a gelato place Audrey wanted to try, which happened to be right across the street from Katz's Deli.  It was the perfect itinerary for our day in the city.

 Next time, I'll try this place.  I bought a book on Kindle for the plane ride home, Russ and Daughters.  It's about a herring store that's been on the Lower East Side for a hundred years.  It's a fascinating history of the neighborhood.  Only Russ and Daughters, Yonah Schimmel and Katz's are original to the area, having survived through all the changes over the last century. Where I really want to go is the Lower East Side and the Bowery, but during the 1920's.

 To die for.  I still think Feldman's in Salt Lake is better, though.

 The gelato was so good, I still have regrets about not being able to eat more of it!

 We were totally pressed for time getting to the airport, because the city had us under its spell.  It was a lazy Sunday in New York, and we bought into it 100%.  Fortunately, we did make our flight and got home to see all the little faces who were waiting for us.

I brought Tziporah this cute little Mexican dress.  I'm so thankful to my friends, who accept me really without judgment, even after some deep conversations on the beach and some experiences that will, hand to God, stay in Mexico forever.  I'm so grateful to have Scott, who supports whatever I want to do, and all my sweet little kids who love me even if I leave them during the first week of school, as long as I bring presents.  There's a saying that "Travel isn't about finding yourself.  It's about discovering who you were all along."  It's so true.  There are so many layers of intensity in daily life, and especially in parenting.  It's nice once in awhile to remember, with the help of the sand in my toes and salt water in my hair, that I was once just a girl, before I became a lifeline to 7 little ones and a partner with Scott in creating a life that is safe and fulfilling for them.  Once, it was just me, and I'm still in there.