On a typical schedule, we work 2,000 hours per year. That’s 40 hours every week for nearly 50 weeks. Plus, if you’re a part of the side-gig generation, you’re working well over that. If you’ve got a traditional 9-5 where you report to the office, then you likely reserve whatever additional time your nights and weekends allow for to do things like pay bills, run errands, etc. If we’re putting all of this into perspective, you really don’t have much time to do the kind of living you deserve for the amount of work you exhibit. As the old saying goes, “Life’s just not fair.” However, I believe that life is what you make it. You can adhere to whatever style of living you imagine. Keyword, imagine. Drop the routines and go with the flow of enjoying the hours of your life.
The past two year’s of my marriage were also the last two of my twenty-somethings, and as a result, I set a standard that I’d use them wisely living wild and free, but also straightlaced and strategically towards the ideal life that I imagined with my husband, Mr.Sweet. Therefore, the two of us upped our “normal ante” and started working multiple jobs, but also making sure that we still enjoyed life! We’re busy, but that’s no excuse for remembering to live!
Date nights are our thing but sometimes can go unscheduled as we generally have visitors every other weekend or obligations that pull us away from our quality time together. Let’s face it. We live in Nashville. It’s a famous city with a lot going on! While we’ve learned how to squeeze in “us” time where we can, whether in passing in the morning before work or late at night when we’ve both sink into our living room couch; we’ve noticed that traveling together gives us the most time and quality memories together. Thereof, the birth of our Annual Honeymoon.
From the first couple of paragraphs of this blog, you know that time is SPENT! Not just for Mr.Sweet and I, but for all of you working fulltime jobs, raising your kids, being spouses, and making time to put God first! Whew! So, whether it’s an Annual Honeymoon or a weekend getaway with your girls or a road trip to see your parents, make the most of your travels!
Our first time going to Cancun was for our honeymoon in 2017. It was Alex’s first time out of the country. We learned how to look out for each other on the experience. We did a couple of things to conquer some fears like jumping off of a cliff into a cenote and swimming in a 200-foot deep cave, and zip lining through the clear skies the light the Yucatan Forest. Year one of marriage, we took a trip to Atlanta for the weekend where we explored the city. Year two of marriage, we decided to go back to Cancun, but this time, our mission was to forgo the daredevil activities and simply relax! After all, the two of us have worked tirelessly on our finances and careers over the past couple of years. We even bought a house 6 months ago!
For our second year of marriage and Annual Honeymoon, we made Haven Resorts our home away from home. The newly built property was absolutely beautiful. If paradise consists of perfect landscaping, the ocean breeze, breathtaking sunrises, and sunsets, then I think we got the chance to experience it first hand. As soon as we pulled up to the property, we were greeted with the best hospitality. We were handed refreshing cold towels to wipe the sweat from the Mexican heat. We were brought revitalizing drinks and serviced as if we were a king and queen at the concierge desks. Our guards were immediately brought down, and we sank right into the Haven experience. This is what vacation is supposed to feel like.
We toured the property, which consists of numerous gourmet restaurants, a coffee bar, and the most beautiful pool views I’d ever seen. Our room was on the fourth floor of building three. The coolest thing about this resort is the room design because you can experience the sunrise on the balcony and the sunset on the other balcony of your room. The claustrophobic nature of typical hotels or resorts can’t be found at Haven. It’s as if everyone has a front row seat! Our room was plush with its spacious bathroom, king size bed, and living room space. When you’re traveling, you want to stretch out and make the place your home away, and that’s precisely what you get in this space.
Moreover, every balcony at the property had a hot tub. Mr.Sweet and I spent our last few moments of each night soaking under the stars and reflecting on our life together! It was dreamy, to say the least. We’d say how did we go from college to this?! Where did the time go? All the living we’ve done?!
At most all-inclusive hotels and resorts, the food may be mediocre, but not at Haven. Each meal is chef curated and fresh! Each morning, I enjoyed french toast, green juice, and eggs as I gazed out at the beach and listened to the bird’s sing.
For lunch, there were snack bars with every food selection one could think of. It almost made me feel like Richie Rich! Ha! For dinner, we visited each of the resort’s restaurants. Even trying new foods together with your spouse is an adventure worth having!
- Agua Bendita: Mexican Delights
- Olios: Mediterranean Cuisine
- Satsu: Asian Cousine
The coffee bar, Mocaccino was full of my guilty pleasures: the sweetest pastries and my favorite coffee drink – Caramel frappucino! I stopped by each night for a late night treat on our way back to the room.
As much as I love to relax, I’m also a busy body. Mr.Sweet is too! We’d wake up in the morning and go for a run on the beach, and then spend our day at the pool. We met so many people from all across the world at this resort. We went on vacation to relax and came home with a new group of friends from New York, Atlanta, Russia, Detroit, Iran, Ireland, Canada, and more. We’d meet up at the pool or at the bar and have the most in-depth conversations as if we’d known each other for our whole lives. One day, we all had lunch together in the Detroit friend’s presidential suite! The place was absolutely astonishing, and the company was even better. To date, we’re all keeping in touch!
Something else amazing about Haven Resort is the shows! They’re excellent performances of the most talented cast. Our new friends and we would meet up each night at 9 pm for the showing at Moon’s Caberet.
Vacation is never complete without a trip to the Spa! Determined to relax every fiber of our beings, Mr.Sweet and I enjoyed two days of hydrotherapy. If you’ve never done it, you should totally give it a try. It’s a water therapy that does the complete job of a masseuse. Here are a few points that we were able to experience to get our muscles to chill.
- Sauna
- High-density aroma steam room
- Hamman style steam room with Herbarium
- Sensation shower
- Ice fountain
- Cold mist shower
- Pressure shower for chromotherapy
- Cold water plunge pool
- Giant Whirlpool
Taking a moment out of life to honestly go on vacation is necessary! There are so many aspects of travel that heal the soul. Each year that we take our Annual Honeymoon, we seek to reconnect, broaden our horizons, create memories, collect our peace, and increase our gratitude. I could honestly write a book on how beneficial even the shortest dinner conversations are to your relationship with your spouse. Better yet, how spiritual an experience under the stars is. Lastly, over the past year, my husband and I have done lavish travels and not such lavish trips like a night at a lake property in the middle of nowhere. Either way, taking a moment out from the 2000+ hours that we work each year to enjoy each other is priceless. We danced, we laughed, we lived!
Having an annual honeymoon is a great idea to incorporate to keep connected with your spouse. I’m still a single gal but definitely look forward to taking on a tradition like this whenever I get married. Thank you for sharing.