Passion Island, Mexico

  The only true excursion we did on our Carnival cruise was an all inclusive day trip to Passion Island, off the coast of Cozumel, with our family. This island is rated as #8 on 'Things to do in Cozumel' on Trip Advisor.  It's fairly inexpensive coming from Mainland. I've seen it online for around $45 pp & I'm sure you could get it way cheaper in person. As a Carnival Excursion, we paid around $70 pp but it was still worth it & going a different way wasn't really an option for us. I'm so happy that we decided to go. It was such a great time! After docking in Cozumel, we herded off the boat with the rest of the passengers, all heading out own ways. We & headed to another small boat        ^My mom & grandma holding Little Sophie's hand.    Sophie's realllly excited. ;)    We had a few glimpses of the Cozumel shore, as we headed down the dock to a speed boat that would take us to Passion Island.      The boat ride over was a little under an hour & quite enjoyable. We sat up front so we had a nice breeze & view out the front windows. The captain of the ship explained the rules for once we got there, told us what the day would look like, had us fill out waivers & told some jokes, too. 

Once we got to the island, we were greeted with these beautiful views above! From the dock this was the view to our right & left. It was gorgeous! We were pretty excited to spend the day there.

  The family walking down the dock. (I, of course ran ahead, being the first person on our boat to make a "touch down" on the idyllic island ;) & to get photos. )   Sophie girl looks good doing the "Island Life," doesn't she? She had such a great time playing in the sand!   Right away she spotted a crab! It was adorable watching her inspect it.   ^The grands-Paw & Mimi. :) ^Momma Cita & Sophie   The Island only had a few standing structures-a few shops, bathrooms, a kitchen with and open dining room & this little church for ceremonies.   It had few structures but LOTS of palm trees.   Sophie immediately found a little playground & got to playing! There was a sweet lady that worked the playground, watched her play & helped her climb around. Sophie felt instantly comfortable with her. With in minutes, she was reaching up for her to help her on to the next play set. Though, we saw she was in good hands, we found a table next to the play area & watched her play.   Instead of hitting the food or beach, Zachary & I sat on a little adventure first, as the Mosby style requires. We did make sure to stop by the bar for our free drinks & took some margaritas with us as we walked the island. We found a gorgeous, still lake that perfectly reflected the sky off of it. Truthfully, I wanted to jump in this water over the ocean. It was just so idyllic!   We made our way back to the beach side & found the lovely palms all lined up, begging for us to take pictures of them.   Zachary carved our names in a palm, leaving our mark on the island, even if it only lasts a few days. :) Z+H in a heart, were there!   After our walk, we set out for the food! We grabbed a few more drinks & loaded up our plates with chips & guac, Mexican rice & fish & chicken tacos. The excursion included an unlimited buffet & unlimited drinks, though they did cut off my sister-in-law. haha. You never know about quality when it comes to 'All Inclusive' food & drinks but the food was delicious & the drinks were strong. We saw them making the food through the kitchen windows & were pleased with the quality.   Somehow the chair Zachary was in broke while he was sitting in it! Poor guy flew backward & had to catch himself from falling. I made sure to force him to freeze in spot to take a picture, as good bloggers do. As good blogger husband's do, he obliged & even posed for it. :)
  After we ate, we finally headed down to the beach where Sophie was digging in the sand.   ^Jacob & Lauren hugging in the surf. (My brother & sister in law)   Momma Cita lounging in the sun.   ^Can you see my grandma out there by the hammocks? These hammocks were pretty awesome. There were a few hammock stations spread out among the water. It was lovely to swim out a little way & lay in one. It was so relaxing having the water flow past you & small waves crash into you. I could have stayed out there forever.      Overall, we had a fabulous time! I could have stayed there all day but the 3 hour excursion time on island wasn't so bad. We were worried that since we were going on a cruise excursion it would be super crowded but it actually wasn't. It was a good amount of people but not enough to take away from the experience.      TRAVEL TIP: Take tips! Tipping in Mexico is customary, though not required. While it's not required, you'll still want to tip all the wonderful employees you come across, i.e. your waiters & waitresses, the lady who watches your kids, the bar tender, the boat crew, the tour guide, etc. A few dollars here & there will suffice & will be much appreciated by those serving you. Change is difficult so make sure you take tips in $1 & $5 bills.   Also, at least for the Carnival excursion, the "tour guide" & the "boat operators for the catamaran" work for separate companies. The  tour guide, that works for Carnival, can not accept tips once back on the catamaran & off the Island. He very comically explained this to us & told us that the tips would be split between him & a few other carnival employees that helped on the tour, as we waited in line to get back onto the catamaran, leaving the Island.  He made it clear that we didn't have to tip him but we could if we wanted to. So, if we had money (which most of us didn't because we hadn't thought about tips!), we tipped him on our way off the Island. Once we got onto the catamaran, a few minutes into our trip back, the same tour guide encouraged us to tip the captain & crew of the catamaran, since they worked for a separate company. He also suggested we give their company an honest review, good or bad, on Trip Advisor.  I felt like the catamaran crew was a little shafted in the Tip Department. If you had money leaving the Island & listened to the tour guides' spiel about tips, you would have given your remaining tip money to him, thinking that the boat crew was included. Not that he gave that impression, he just didn't mention them.  By the time he encouraged us to tip the catamaran crew, you would have no money because you already handed it out. So, not surprisingly, the boat crew received few tips. I didn't get the impression that this was intentional by our tour guide but I do think he should have explained this to us a little better BEFORE we gave him the rest of our tips. 

Soups to Make Now

Soup season is not over! Many of you still have a few months left of it but for us down in the South our days of chilly, soup weather are closing in fast. Don't let soup season pass without making these delicious soups! :)        Roasted Cauliflower & Aged Cheddar Soup This is one of my favorite soups. It's creamy, easy to prepare and tastes amazing served along side this beer bread. This was a staple meal for us during China's long winters.      Tom Yum Soup  We were taught this recipe in Thailand at the Siem Riep Cooking School. It's ridiculously good & actually super easy once you have the ingredients stocked. Serve it along side rice & enjoy this spicy deliciousness. 

Chicken Avocado Lime Soup //  Wonton Soup //  Asian Noodle Soup with Shrimp

This Chicken Avocado Lime Soup from Jaclyn over at Cooking Classy looks delicious. A soup for any season! I'm not going to lie. I'm a sucker for anything that pairs well with tortilla chips, cheese & avocado. Really just mention avocado & I'm sold.
We've been suckers for Wonton Soup lately. It's so light & easy on the stomach. This wonton soup by Chungah at Damn Delicious has some labor involved but creating those fragile dumplings are sure to make you feel good.  This Asian Noodle Soup by Andi at The Weary Chef only takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, start to finish, & as Andi mentions it's great for sore throats.

  Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup  // Roasted Tomato Basil Soup // French Onion Soup Another soon to be winter favorite from Damn Delicious, is this Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup. Chungah says the secret to this soup is roasting the bacon & squash together before you blend them up. I already know Zachary would love this one because, well, obviously, BACON!   This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is another delicious recipe from Jaclyn at Cooking Classy. I think where she really got me hooked with this soup is the grilled cheese croutons.  I've been dying to make French Onion Soup lately & this picture of Michele's french onion soup has me swooning. I must make this immediately. Immediately.  Do you have any soup recipes that you're dying to make? Any family favorites? Share in the comments below!

20 'The Bachelor' Limo Arrival Ideas

With the Bachelor Season 20, several episodes in, I've done a lot of thinking. I know we've all thought about it. What would it be like to actually be on The Bachelor? What if my husband was on the Bachelor 8 years ago & it was the first time we met, and we fell in love on T.V.? One thing is for sure, that limo arrival is super important! I mean, it is the first glimpse he gets of you & that glimpse better be good! AmIright?! ;) How's he going to remember you among the sea of his other 24 girlfriends? People have gotten creative in the past, so it may be hard to think up something clever. No need to fret, should you find yourself on the Bachelor Season 21 next year, I got ya covered. Here's 20 Bachelor Limo Arrivals that are sure to make your season's Bachelor swoon & insure you grow your Instagram following to 100k+, get free stuff & become a D-List celebrity when the show's all over.   

1. Walk out with your dog, hamster, tarantula, cat. Really any form of household pet. Then say how much you love your pet of choice & if he really wants to know you, he has to get to know your pet, too. You always know what kind of husband a man will be by how he treats your chicken.


2. Get out of the limo with a group of your closet friends while carrying a boom box on your shoulder singing Spice Girls', "If you wanna be my lover, Gotta Get With My Friends." Then have them ask to join the show, too. There's already 25 girls. Why not 5 more?
 

3. Flash Mob your limo exit. No explanation needed. Why has no one done this?


4. Walk past him while staring him down & run into the mansion, then say, "I was so enchanted by your beauty that I ran into that wall over there. So I am going to need your name and number for insurance purposes." That'll get a good laugh & he'll know that you're a fun, kindda gal.
 

5.  Carry a beaker & bunsen burner & say, "Is there a science room nearby? Because I'm sensing some chemistry."



6. Walk out naked. No one's done that yet. Basics people.



7. Wear a mermaid tail & do the worm from the limo to his feet. And say, "There's tons of fish in the sea but I'm the only mermaid for you." It doesn't even matter if it doesn't make sense. He'll be super impressed by the worm.



8. Dress like a monkey. Or tiger. Or lamb. Just dress like some kind of animal. But not a cupcake because that was so 2015.



 9. Give him a box of Lucky Charms & say it's because he looks "magically delicious." Again, making sense is not that important.



10. Intentionally trip over his foot as you walk to the mansion, then turn around & say, "I'm falling over you!" Nothing's more attractive than staged tripping. Also, if you twist your ankle, no worries! You'll get an on camera trip to the emergency room & he'll visit you later. It's instant alone time, a much needed commodity in the Bachelor mansion. 



11. Tell him you want to read his palm & write on it in red permanent marker. Then say, "There, your palm is red." What a laugh! He'll love it. Bonus, write your name with the marker. He'll never forget it.



12. Are you a gymnast? Do some flips on top of the limo in your heels. Just climb on up there & show him what you're made of. If you fall, again, emergency room. See benefits above.



13. Tattoo his face on your back, then wear a plunging back line dress to show it off. It's a great message to send the other girls in the house, too. The man's face is yours, fo-evah.



14. Give him some Icy Hot & say, "These are for your legs. They must be sore from running through my dreams all night." Make sure to say it more cutesy then seductively or he'll get the wrong idea about what kind of dreams you were having.



15. Give him a print out of ring styles that you like. Check out the Neil Lane website to get some ideas. It's important he knows from the beginning that you're in this for the right reasons.



16. Make a scrapbook with your heads & future children's heads photo shopped on varies vacation photos, circa How To Loose A Guy in 10 Days. This website's really helpful for accomplishing this.
 
 

17. Give him a folder of all the research you've done on him. Include pictures of the front of his house & Kleenex from his trash can. This will really show him how you're here for him only.



18. Handcuff yourself to him & refuse to leave for the rest of the limo exits. He'll really appreciate you being so close by. Who wants to do all those awkward intros alone?

 

19. Dress like a clown & juggle. Who forgets clowns? No one. They're in your dreams for years to come. Any Bachelor would surely swoon.


20. Choose to forego the limo ride & instead roll up in a hearse. Say some line about how you'll love him 'till death do us part.' He'll love that.

      With these introductions, you're sure to win his heart! If you were every apprehensive about trying out for The Bachelor in the past because of that dreaded intro/awkward 20 foot walk from a limo, across uneven stone pavement, in heels, towards a guy you've never met, on TV, don't be! Girl, I got you! Feel free to use any of the above ideas.