You may have noticed Vanessa has been busy blogging the past few weeks while I’ve been absent. That’s because Martin and I were in Playa del Carmen for two weeks.
It was the first “real” vacation we have taken. Sure, we’ve gone camping for a few days and we’ve visited each of our ‘home’ cities, but this was the first time we were heading out of country together.
I have to admit, I was slightly concerned. With Martin’s work schedule, he and I haven’t spent more than 10 days together since we met two years ago – now we were looking at three weeks together, two of them in Mexico. Just him and me – no distractions – only each other. Add to this, Martin has a stronger than average need for solitude given his introverted nature. How were we going to manage?
Turns out, we managed very well. We got through airport madness, resort construction, street vendors, getting lost when we tried to find Walmart, and COVID tests intact. We fell into a routine where he’d get up before me and get our lounge chairs for the day. He had a couple of hours to himself before I joined him. We’d have breakfast together and then go to our loungers where he’d read stock market news and I’d read a book or play “Plants vs. Zombies” on my iPad. I’d go to the gym (he joined me a couple of times) or join in on water volleyball and water aerobics classes while he suntanned. Sometimes, we’d snorkel in front of the resort. Then, we’d relax on our room’s deck and have dinner together. Some evenings, we’d walk into the city or watch the evening entertainment. Other nights, we’d go back to our room to relax.
It was a perfect vacation. Our goal was to get somewhere warm, near the ocean, and relax. We didn’t book any excursions, though we did go over to Cozumel for a day. We’d be in bed by 10:00 Calgary time, and sleep soundly through the night. We didn’t realize how exhausting it was to do so little!
It was a wonderful way to end 2021. With everything that happened throughout the year, getting a chance to spend so much quality time with him was exactly what I needed. I think it was what he needed, too. He hadn’t had time off since March of 2020.
As I said good-bye when I dropped him off at the airport last night, he gave me a big hug and said “I’m actually going to miss you.” I laughed. I knew what he meant. I’ll miss him, too.