Nestled on the edge of a teal sea are the ruinous reminder of a people who thrived in the Mayan Post Classical period. 700 years ago, Tulum was a seaport, but now the bustle of the old trade town can only be imagined as one wanders through its remains.  A closer look provides the curious eye with mysterious symbols and godly images etched into the faded stone. 

Other delicacies of the day included churros and Peruvian food.
On the last night in Cancun, we visited a delicious restaurant where no guests were allowed to be shy! First, the waiter had me stand on a chair where I could barely reach the four fruit punches balancing on his head; second we were instructed to join some of the natives dancing in front of the whole crowd; third, our whole family held hands and engaged in the Mexican shocking game! We all screamed. After the girls dipped out, the boys kept playing, but eventually Adam's hand curled up involuntarily so he couldn't even grasp my dad's fingers anymore! 

Our animal-loving breakfast server who chatted with us every morning.

     After a long summer of working, nighttime walks and episodes of Jane the Virgin with Rachel, all good things must come to an end, as school starts in a few short hours. I feel very blessed to have had a boss who not only made me and my work feel appreciated, but who encouraged "having a life" and taking time off to be with family even when I was stressed about not working enough.
     This was a summer of healing.  There was a lot I had to learn or relearn: how to better love my body and treat it with care, trusting the signals it sends me. How to respect myself and take "me time" to help myself grow as a person. How to enjoy life. After so many months of sacrificing activities which I love in order to overwork myself to the breaking point, I instead spent the sunny season writing chapters and chapters worth of my novel. It has felt so amazing to have "me" back.
    I wasn't very brilliant when I booked my ticket to AZ: I missed my mom and brother's birthdays by  1-2 days, marking four years in a row of barely missing them.  But I was ecstatic nevertheless to be home. On my first day we attended a surprise party for Aunt Sheryl's 50th; we also spent some valuable time with my grandparents who are now 88 and 87.



   Now for the cute but slightly gory story: The morning after I got home, our pregnant dog Mia was panting and dripping green for several hours without much pushing, so rather being safe than sorry {given her sad history} we took her in for a C-section.  We watched as they sliced her open and then kept pulling out more and more and more of the long, two-horned uterus.  Then they cut open the uterus and handed puppy after puppy to us.  Along with my mom and I, there were three other vets/assistants, and we worked on clearing their lungs by roughly rubbing their ribcages, running our fingers along the inside of their tiny mouths, bulb-syringing their noses, or swinging if necessary, until their started crying.  There were seven total. We actually believed the first one to be dead, but despite being stained green and smelly, they were able to revive her after some time.