by Ester Harrison

It's bittersweet to think that a month ago I was returning from a fantastic vacation to Cozumel, Mexico. So much has occurred since then that I hardly had time to put away my swimsuits. What with celebrating my husband's birthday, my birthday, and the Independence Day, we've had some kind of celebration nearly every weekend. Which is wonderful- but sometimes you need a Netflix binge. Outside of personal stuff, work has been booming. I've recently started some administrative work for a fun new gastronomic venture in Dallas! All of this excitement means that alone time slowly fades away. But, I couldn't let another week go by without describing the beauty that was Cozumel.

Cozumel was a very welcome "no-stress" vacation. This was our second vacation to a resort, our first being our honeymoon to Puerto Rico. I love planning itineraries, reading about adventures off the beaten path, and finding those hole in the wall restaurants. However, this was not that type of trip. For once, my biggest endeavor was selecting what to pack. It was blissful. Luckily, we traveled with my brother and his family, who had been to Mexico several times before. I was happy to follow someone who knew what they were doing, drink in hand at (almost) all times.

Our resort made is very easy to never want to leave. They had nightly shows, several dining options, and beautiful beaches and pools. Also, even though we don't have kiddos, it was nice to see my nieces and nephew had kids activities. We were able to rent snorkeling gear, kayaks, a catamaran, and go clubbing all within the resort. As someone new to the resort concept, my mind was blown. And did I mention the unlimited food and drinks?!

My favorite activity by far was the day we were picked up from the resort to go snorkeling among the reefs. Reminiscent of our snorkeling adventure from our honeymoon, I was happy to be swimming among so many fish! No, that isn't an exaggeration. Cozumel is a huge snorkeling and scuba diving retreat especially because of this fact. We had no problem finding schools of fish and interesting reefs to swim through. We also saw several eels and a nurse shark, as well as an ocean floor littered with starfish and stingray. The colors down there were so bright, it was hard not to be happy!

Ahh, I'll be daydreaming of swimming amidst schools of fish all day long. Note to self: must learn how to scuba-dive and swim through more schools of fish. What's your favorite vacation spot?