The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Mexico Edition (and pictures!)

Ever since we got back from Mexico, Chris and I have greeted each other every morning with frowny faces, with the mutual understanding that coming back to reality, simply put, sucks. Mexico was AMAZING to say the least. So amazing, in fact, that I'm already plotting ways to earn money so that we can go back someday. While the overall trip was amazing, there were also some not-so-amazing parts, like with every trip. And what better way to tell you about our trip than in list form?! (What can I say, I'm a lazy blogger)

 So without further adieu, Mexico! 

the good:

::Drinks! drinks! and more drinks! Pina coladas, mango coladas, mango-pina coladas, mango tangos (all virgin, of course)--you name it, we drank it. Several times... a meal, or in between meals, or just whenever a drink tickled our fancy. There were times that I swear the drinks would just appear out of thin air, and of course, we would drink them without question. So yummy, and so not healthy for you in any kind of way despite the excuses we tried to make for ourselves.  I bet they aren't too bad... they use real fruit in them, right?!

 ::The upgrade in our rooms. Footsteps away from the beach and pool. Complete with a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom! (Thanks mama and papa Gourley!)

::Getting to know my in-laws even better. The conversations get a lot more interesting when there are no kids present ;)

::Mexican night! Nothin' better than those street tacos and fresh pico.

::TOUCHING A SEA TURTLE. Hands down my favorite part of the trip.

::Pass the pigs! Oh goodness, just play with the Gourley family and you'll understand why I love it so much.

::Chris winning the ping pong tournament at the resort! He even got a medal for it.

::Casino night! I understand now how people get hooked. You really do believe that you are special and there's no way you're going to lose this time.

::The photoshoot Chris won at casino night. HA! A photoshoot. The last thing Chris would like to win is a photoshoot. I'm so grateful he did though, because they actually turned out pretty good! I like that we got to bring home a souvenir from Mexico that we can keep forever. Chris was such a good sport throughout the photoshoot, too. What a keeper.

Behold:

You like, no?

the bad:

::My abrupt kiss with a pool boy! Just kidding. It was the water aerobics instructor, but he really did kiss me. The little trickster indicated with his index finger that I should kiss him on the cheek, so as soon as I puckered up and went in for the cheek, he turned his head! Did I mention that this was in front of a huge circle of strangers? Did I also mention that we had to kiss everyone in our circle on the cheek at the end? All I wanted to do was enjoy some family-friendly water aerobics with my mother-in-law! ...What happens in Mexico?

::Sushi. 'nuff said.

::My bargaining skills. Just don't take me to a Mexican street market. Unless you like to be stared at with a "What the hell should I say?!" look. Also, I don't know how to say no. 

::Mosquito bites and then more mosquito bites. At least they were tan mosquito bites, right?

::The fact that there was one couple missing from our trip. We missed Jason and Deanna! 

the ugly:

::Humidity. More specifically, doing Zumba in the humidity. At first I thought I would be lookin' all hot like the girl in Step Up 2, you know, when she's dancing in the rain? Yeah, no. Just hot and sweaty. Exercise and humidity is not a good look for Shayli.

::The aftermath of Mexico. I'm STILL making constant trips to the bathroom (TMI? Probably) and suffering from what I can only assume are pina-colada withdrawal headaches.

And there you have it! The good, the bad, and the ugly of our Mexican experience! I'm sure there's a lot more I could add to the good list, but like I said, I'm a lazy blogger. 

Cue picture dump!

 never again.

 Pure joy.

 Proof that Chris can make friends no matter where he goes... Thanks Pablo for letting us pet the turtles!

 "salad"

 It never gets old.

El Fin.

Half Marathoning.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I ran my half marathon this past weekend. What you may not have noticed is the fact that Chris got up at 4 in the morning (you read that right, FOUR!) to drive me to American Fork High School to catch the bus--I think it's safe to say that's the first and last time that'll ever happen ha. Wanted: running partners. Now accepting all applications! 

But seriously, if you run, we should be friends. I'll promise to remember to put on deodorant and brush my teeth before our runs! and keep my loud breathing and passing of gas while I'm running to a bare minimum. Promise!

Anyway, moving on to better things! Like the half marathon! This was probably one of my favorite races I've ever ran (I like to act like I have ran a lot of races and know what I'm talking about when it comes to running, when really, I've only ran 3 other races. Hashtag running a marathon problems). The race was so beautiful! It didn't hurt that it was practically all downhill either. Although my  back might disagree with that statement.

I think what I enjoyed most about this race was that it really opened my eyes to the world of cancer. At the beginning I felt like such a running-for-cancer impostor because no one in my family is suffering, or has suffered from cancer, but then I thought of the few people in my life that are suffering from other illnesses. It's just devastating. Not only for the sufferer, but for all the family and loved ones that have to witness it. I was just filled with gratitude the whole way down the canyon, and I got to learn first-hand how hard it is to run underwater--I was in tears the whole time! 

Even if you run 13.1 miles... you're still on mother duty.

I love knowing that no matter what kind of trial I'm going through, whether it be a life-threatening illness or shoot, even something as simple as a bad hair day, I have one of the best support groups ever. 

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the best things in life aren't things

cheers June, cheers.

I feel the need to confess my love for this month of June because man, it has just been so daggum good to us Gourleys! It's not even half way through and it's got me writing love letters to it. So, what does June mean to me? Let me tell you (in bullet form!).   

June means:

+Discovering the ultimate mix of frozen fruit from Costco (there is pineapple AND mango in it, people! winning.) and making a smoothie every.single.day. maybe even twice a day. Since you're all dying to know what the secret ingredient is in my smoothie, it's just an expired (expiration dates mean nothing to Chris, and I mean n o t h i n g--the kid made an egg salad sandwich with expired mayonnaise) bottle of pina colada mix that we got as a gift from our wedding... ya know, seven months ago. No worries! The smoothies are worth any food borne illness we may acquire from them.

+My sister turning 20 years old! And me attempting to be crafty... what?! I don't know what's more shocking... the fact that my little sister is not a teenager anymore, or that I actually MADE her gift this year? Don't worry Shelbs, I bought you some sandals to go with your homemade gift ha.

+Almost sinking a pontoon boat up at Strawberry. If you ever want to hear Chris swear, just sink a pontoon boat, and make sure he is in the front when all the lake water starts gushing in. Other than our boat almost sinking, camping was really fun with our friends up in Fruitland. And by camping, I mean staying in a cabin. We weren't even there for 24 hours and the truck was filled to the brim with all our stuff--food was definitely a priority (as it should be). 

+I'm running another half marathon! Except this time I won't be dressed up as what was supposed to be a zombie, but ended up just looking like a more homely, tired, just-rolled-out-of-bed Shayli. Actually, I'm sure that's exactly what I'll look like. Yay for 4:00am bus rides!

+Lunch dates with Lauren, and discovering the greatest tacos known to mankind. These tacos left me speechless. That last sentence was a lie. I can't and still won't shut up about these tacos. I just want to fist bump the creator of the carnitas tacos so hard! So just go to the Blue Poblano on center street in Provo, okay? Truth: I went there TWICE within a 72 hour span.

+Spring semester is coming to an end! Which really means my sweaty backpack lines are coming to an end! Not even my 8-10 page final paper can bring me down. 

+Strawberry Days! aka the only time of the year I eat strawberries, and that's only because they're drowning in cream. I live for the crappy burgers and excuse to wear cowgirl attire (rodeos are the only acceptable setting in which a full grown woman is allowed to wear her hair in pigtail braids, le duh) that comes from the Strawberry Days Rodeo.

+MEXICO! MEXICO! MEXICO! I better say it one more time for good measure.  MEXICO! In less than two weeks me and all the Gourley fam will be in sunny Cancun. Words can't even express how excited me and Chris are to go. Truth: We were late to church on Sunday because we spent so much time looking at the virtual tour (http://www.valentinmaya.com/phototour.htm) of the resort we're staying at. Is that horrible? Probably. That's why I am not Relief Society president. You best believe I've already got my spot at the pool picked out. Chris has also informed me that this will be my first real vacation with TomG (my father in- law), because apparently vacationing is a little different with him. I've already gotten a little taste of it with my perfectly laminated travel tag to put on my luggage--Tom is efficient, to say the least. I kind of love it. I'm anxious to see what else comes along with traveling with the Gourley gang! I know it's going to be magical laying out on the beach, with a strawberry daiquiri in each hand (I have a feeling Cancun is a bad idea for the thighs). Ah, MEXICO! Please come sooner.

cheers June, cheers.

Memorial Day Weekend-St. George Style

Chris and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to St. George for Memorial Day Weekend! And by spontaneous, I really mean that we decided a week and half before that we were going, only after my brother and his wife invited us to stay at their condo with them. So, I guess that just cancelled out any spontaneity I just mentioned...Unless you want to count the spontaneous stop at Wendy's 2 minutes into our drive?

I like to pretend that I'm one of those adventurous, care-free, go-with-the-flow type of gals, ya know... like so many of those bloggers that just seem to be living the dream life, ya know? Did you really just spontaneously decide to fly to Hawaii with your husband for two weeks? Was your husband really just flyin' by the seat of his pants when he bought  you that brand new Range Rover for your birthday? Was your makeup and curled hair really fully intact when you decided to go on a hike "last minute" at six in the morning? 

Reeeeeaaaally??

Quick tangent: This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and being on vacation this past weekend and trying to capture those perfect, "candid moments" just made me realize how deceiving blogs, or any social media for that matter, can be. My weekend could have been so much more enjoyable if I wouldn't have been so focused on getting the "right" picture (with my crappy phone camera...really?! Oh, Shay.) so I could put it on my blog/instagram. Plus, I probably wouldn't have had to endure the groans and mutterings of "good h e l l" from Chris after each failed attempt. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope I never put a false image of what my life is on my blog.

Okay, now that I'm off my soapbox... Here's a buttload of pictures from this past weekend! Feel free to scroll.

Oh, the custard! I could sing praises to the custard!

I've almost come to terms with the fact that my sister got the looks and I got... the weird laugh??...almost.

Chris's idea of "fun"...good thing I love that punk!

Memorial day weekend was so much fun! Bummin' around the pool + food + Chris + my family...winning!