We took a real vacation this year. One where we did whatever we wanted and stayed in places that cost more than $15 a night! When did we grow up?!?

It was exactly what we needed to get a restart on our year!

We stayed in a couple different places in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and our favorite place by-far was Mayan Beach Garden in Mahahual, Mexico! https://www.facebook.com/MayanBeachGarden/

You guys would LOVE it!

Beautiful ocean views, relaxing rooms with plenty of ocean breeze, and the most delicious food! I didn't take as many pictures as I usually would have because I was SERIOUS about just relaxing and doing pretty much nothing but the hubs did get plenty of video though, so we should be able to share a travel video soon!

Back to Mayan Beach Gardens - I sat on this balcony A LOT and painted or rested in the hammocks while watching the ocean. It was perfect.

Working on my watercolor skills and enjoying the heck out of it!

We also took a day to visit a town that meant A LOT to us a long time ago. Akumal, Mexico. It is the place where we lived for a month working with sea turtles and where we got engaged about 7 years ago. Unfortunately, Akumal has changed and not really for the better. It is overrun with people now (which is awful for the reef and turtles) and you have to pay just to get to the beach. It is nothing like the place we left all that time ago. But I still photographed it because it will always have a special place in my heart.

Below is Canon Point in Akumal. The place where I said "YES!" to my at-the-time boyfriend. :)

Vacationing as entrepreneur is weird.

Your mind will wander back to your businesses often and you will feel guilty for taking time off. BUT if you never take time off, you get burnt out and want to quit. So even though it feels odd at first, take the time off. Just do it and don't look back. My mind has never felt so free, once I finally let it all go and relaxed for a few days in a row.

Not sure what to do with free time? Try learning something new, picking up an old forgotten hobby, or read! Personally, I enjoyed playing with watercolors, reading, yoga, walking on the beach searching for treasures and drawing.

I don't usually make art for myself or just because anymore, so I started an art journal and tried to make something in it each day. It wasn't something that would ever make me any money, and that is 100% ok. That is a mindset I am really trying to defeat this year. It is ok to have a hobby and it is ok for that hobby to be totally indulgent and not a money-making machine. Repeat that with me!

My husband spent a ton of time fly fishing (anyone surprised?) and we snorkeled a bit as well around a shipwreck near one of our bed and breakfasts. We explored several cenotes on the road and we also enjoyed delicious local food (hello tacos al pastor!!!) while exploring little pueblos that the tourists haven't found yet. ;)

We also did a bit of shopping in the smaller towns for some wooden animals for my husband's classroom - which you will see in the photos below. There is the most amazing little shop near Coba that has the more gorgeous brightly painted animals that Benjamin's mother has collected from for years. So it has become a bit of a tradition to make sure we pick one or two up from now on when we visit. This year we purchased a jaguar and a mask!

We finally ended our trip in Tulum (which has also changed and grown so much). We stayed near the beach one night but ended up moving back into the centro area of Tulum and enjoyed the local nightlife by watching a women's basketball game and what appeared to be a Semana Santa festival in the town square. The best experiences are always the more authentic ones! I challenge you to get off the beaten touristy path when you can!

All in all, we had an absolutely amazing time. It was such a rejuvenating trip!

So anywho - enough words for now. Enjoy the rest of our trip in pictures. <3