Our Family Bucket List Vacation

It can be very challenging trying to talk someone else into creating a bucket list. You certainly don’t have to be dying to think about it, in fact it’s better to start working on it when you’re not! It does take on more meaning though when you or someone you know is face to face with mortality. Two years ago my dad Gary Keller had a close call with heart failure & as a result he agreed with my mom Connie, to sell their home & move in with James & I so they could retire. Last summer after the move was complete, I became obsessed with what might be on his bucket list. I asked, “Is there anywhere you’d like to go Dad? New York? Washington DC? New Orleans again?” He shot down all of my suggestions with a sad resigned tone, “No not really… take your mom somewhere. I can stay here & take care of the animals.” I let it go, not wanting to admit yet that he may not get many more chances to travel. I also understood he needed time to adjust to some new limitations.

Some of our best plans are made around the fire pit!

Then one warm night we were all up late drinking cocktails around our fire pit in the backyard when James started reminiscing about previous vacations in Mexico. He told dad, “The time share resorts are great! You relax all day by the pool with whatever you want to drink or walk barefoot in the sand along the ocean shoreline smoking cigars… no cares in the world! It’s warm like this all year & you sleep with the doors open then wake up to the sounds of exotic birds & the waves rolling on the beach.” All of a sudden my dad was interested!

James & I pay for a time share in Vegas which we then exchange for vacations with RCI & we had saved up extra points. I told dad we could take them PLUS four other people if he wanted to do a family vacation. “Can we take my two brothers & sister?” he asked.

“And my brother too?” mom piped in. We were shocked they wanted to go so of course we said yes!. We then all agreed to book our vacation in Ixtapa near Zihuatanejo Mexico. My original plan for a bucket list vacation for dad was on!

Dad’s sister Janice, had just retired from 42 years at Jensen Byrd & was all in for her first adventure in Mexico. His brother Tim unfortunately already had plans for vacation in Florida & declined but his brother Dennis asked to bring a guest in Tim’s place & was ready to book their flight! My mom’s brother Todd had to say no due to health & back issues which left one last spot open. James had always wanted to fish in Mexico so we invited his brother Pat & the plans for a bucket list fishing trip started to hatch! Best of all… we had our eight people confirmed for our first Keller/True family vacation!

We landed in Mexico on March 27th, 2019. Dad had never been anywhere tropical so it was a joy to witness his excitement. We were also excited for Janice & Pat who hadn’t traveled to any place like this either. There’s a great joy in having even a small part in creating a fun adventure in someone else’s life & we were all very happy to be there spending time together.

Our week long adventure started immediately at the airport getting transportation to the resort. We negotiated with one guy, thought we secured it but stepped outside where somebody else guided us to their vehicle & charged more (this happened to be a reoccurring theme all week LOL). We were all together & overly excited so we just went with the flow. Only a few of us know any spanish but none of us can really speak it. We put a lot of faith in being kept safe as visiting tourists. It IS shocking when you drive past a check point heavily guarded by soldiers with automatic weapons. It’s no joke that some areas are very dangerous & thankfully we had no issues our entire stay.

We spent most of our time inside the Park Royal Resort. We had two separate units so Pat & Janice shared ours while mom & dad stayed in the other with Dennis & Sharon one floor up. Each unit had two separate rooms, two bathrooms as well as two balconies with gorgeous views! We unpacked our bags, freshened up & then immediately headed down to find the bar!

We met up with everyone (minus Janice who wanted to rest before dinner) by the elevators where the search began for the tequila. It was a blast seeing our family’s excitement & awe of how big & beautiful everything was. I tried to capture some of the fun we had at the resort in this six minute video:

It really was all I had hoped to share with my dad - the vacation of a lifetime! He relaxed at the pool with Pina Coladas while zealously celebrating life with his family. He ventured out on excursions… including one on Ixtapa Island where we all hung out with & got to know my cousin Laura’s husband Gerardo - who lives & works in Zihuatanejo! Dad really enjoyed everything about Mexico, he said, “The people here are so kind, helpful & friendly. It sure is beautiful here”. He spent some one on one time with Gerardo who shared the culture with him, & we all joined Gerardo on a guided tour through the Zihuatanejo markets. Dad also had a very memorable day golfing with Dennis along with their hired caddy… ask him about it if you ever get the chance!

Last but not least, dad checked off an adrenaline rush item he put on his own bucket list - PARASAILING! It was on the last full day of our vacation & we were all just hanging out on the beach when he took a shot of tequila, stood up with his courage & marched down across the hot sand to do it. James & I both grabbed cameras to follow & capture the inspiring moment !

The memories made with family on a group vacation are priceless. Hosting it admittedly, is somewhat chaotic! There where many times I teased everyone telling them as they showed up one by one 15 minutes apart, “Keeping you all together & on time is like trying to herd cats!”

“Keeping you all together & on time is like trying to herd cats!”

Over the course of one week we laughed often, over indulged frequently, bitched over drama occasionally & helped whoever’s turn it was to be ill or injured. That reminds me, be sure to wear flip flops when walking in hot sand! We didn’t know it could happen but Janice burnt the bottoms of her feet the first day & almost half of each foot blistered!!! She is one tough cookie though & just taped on some bandages & walked through the pain!

Stay tuned for our next blog with more videos of our adventures in Mexico. We will also talk more about Gerardo, his wife Laura Keller Andrade & their beautiful little girl Mila! Be sure to “subscribe” to our email list so you don’t miss it! We will also dedicate an upcoming blog to the bucket list fishing adventure James & I went on Pat True. Until then work on your own list! Writing your ideas down, you’ll find that your list constantly changes with the priorities of your heart’s desires. Make a plans whether for the weekend, next year or five years down the road! GO DO IT! #JACTVentures