Mexican Riveria 2010: Part 1 - Puerto Vallarta, March 23, 2010

Mom and I before heading to dinner on our 1st Formal Night.  This picture turned out almost as well as the professional one taken by the ship's photographer :)  This was the night before we arrived at our first port - Puerto Vallarta.  Our excursion left at 10am the next morning so it wasn't a late night for us :)

Mom and I headed out on our 1st excursion - it was in Puerto Vallarta.  It was called Yelapa & Majahuitas - we went to these two small fishing villages.  The first stop, Majahuitas, is a tiny, tiny village only accessible by boat.  In fact we didn't even go ashore.  It was just off their beach where we stopped to snorkel.  The fish were amazing.  So colorful.  And the water so warm.  There were eels and schools of fish everywhere.  We also enjoyed lunch on the catamaran here. 

This is Yelapa.  Here we had the option to hike to a waterfall and then back to the beach.  I was feeling a bit under the weather, so we opted to go directly to the beach.  We got a spot between the cafe and the water.  We had over an hour to just sit, relax, read, and enjoy the sun.  Mom ended up purchasing necklace from one of the locals here.  It is beautiful. 

This is more of Yelapa - the waterfall was just to the left edge of the photo (I thought I'd gotten a shot of the waterfall!)  Surprisingly there are a lot of Canadian flags flying on the homes.

 

This the beach we enjoyed.  The sand was very coarse and dense.  It made me miss the finer sand of SoCal - even the rocky shores of Capo or Dana I can deal with but this sand was extremely irrating in the sandals.  But the sounds of nothing but the waves & trees around us more than made up for it.

I just love the colors of the buildings and how they are just built into the hills & jungle canopy.  I was surprised at how the jungle just comes right down to the ocean.  It is so beautiful.  I think one of the "brochures" on this area talks about how it was the inspiration for Tennesse Williams "Night of the Iguana".  Having been a part of a production of the show, I can totally understand and really see the details the area impacts on a person. 

 This is our main tour guide - Giovanni - he was amazing.  He led the snorkeling & the hiking expedition to the waterfall. He also provided all the entertainment on the hour long ride back to Puerto Vallarta.  Here he was singing his version of "Sweet Home Alabama". 

This is most of the crew doing a version of "Greased Lightning", complete with a plastic 'greaser' wig worn by Giovanni.  They also did a Beach Boys number & "La Bamba" & "Summer Nights" - those included sometimes reluctant passengers.  Mom and I had so much fun watching these guys.  They alone were worth the price of the excursion.

On our way back to the ship, the catamaran suddenly turned off course - our captain had spotted a pod of Pacific dolphins.  In this picture you can see 2 of them in the upper left quadrant.  There were so many dolphins, they were everywhere.  Our captain was great & explained that the dolphins love to play in the wake of boats.  So he created some lovely wake behind us & the dolphins were surfing it & jumping through it.  It was amazing & beautiful.  What wonderful and playful creatures!  I wish I could've gotten some better pictures. 

This is the main beach of Puerto Vallarta.  Next time I'm on vacation - I'm going to try parasailing.  It looks like so much fun.  So much of this city is built into the hillside and the jungle.  The next time I have the opportunity to visit, I'd like to explore the city. 

Another shot of Puerto Vallarta - you can see one of the cathedrals in the middle.  Mom (the seasoned world traveler) says that a most of the Mexican towns have a main "our lady of..." church.  I would've liked to have seen it.  It looks quite lovely (at least from far away). 

One last shot of the city - it really shows the Sierra Madre in the distance.  Our table mates at dinner did the zipline adventure at this port & loved it - they said it was very green & wet - they rappeled next to a waterfall.  I think I could spend several days here exploring the city & enjoying the many excursion adventures!  It just gives me motivation to come back! 

Vacation - Stay tuned

Last week Mom and I sailed away on a Princess Cruise to the Mexican Riveria!  It was an awesome 7 days away from reality.  I will be uploading pics & stories & good stuff in the next day or so.  Stay tuned!!!

1986 Spring

I am 11 years old and getting ready to graduate from the Merrie Miss level at church.  I don't remember much about the gathering.  Obviously my parents got me a corsage & attended.  It was at the home of one of our leaders, the Bergers.  I'm sure people spoke and there were likely refreshments involved. 

Strangely enough, I remember more of an activity that took place at the Berger's somewhere around the same time.  Our leader at the time, Sister Reynolds was teaching us how to make & decorate a cake shaped like a bunny.  To this day, I remember how 2 rounds turned into a bunny!  There was also much jumping on the Berger's trampoline this day.  Which for me, was good fun because I didn't have one! 

Sadly, I do not remember all the girls in this photo - I do remember some of them.  Amazing how most of your friends from your youth gradually disappear from your life.  Thankfully, some remain - in however small a portion of your life.  It's nice to have someone in your life who remembers your awkward stage & your feathered hair & your awful fashion sense!

Random ramblings...

I missed the whole month of February - at least in the blogging sense. I was actually quite social for a change. But that is not why I'm here today. I'm writing today because I've had a lot on my mind - stress about work, about moving, about money, about (not) finding love, about life in general. So I turned on my ipod, pulled up a playlist I enjoy (mostly 80's stuff) and sat down to write. And as I wrote, so many of the lyrics just hit the nerve that always surfaces when I have impending life changes (something that I just figured out tonight - breakthrough!!)!

"If you leave, don't look back"
"Always something there to remind me"
"Funny how time flies"
"For worse or for better, we belong"
"Standing on broken dreams, never losing sight"
"I'll be guiding you"
"Only in dreams can it be this way"
"Someday love will find you, break these chains that bind you"
"Perhaps I should leave here, go far away"
"All that we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see"
"I remember how we used play, simply waste the day away"
"Only the lonely can play"
"Give me something to believe in"

A friend commented to my post on Facebook that "music rocks" with "It's medicine for the soul and fuel for the drive". That is so exactly what I am feeling! It's healing & thought provoking & kind & generous & an open window to feeling. Even the 80's pop songs! Crazy, I know!! ;-) Who'd have thought?

But my mind kept working. I ended up writing (with pen & paper - the old fashioned way) a page and a half long rambling about the past and faith and God. I won't go into the details. On paper, it all seems so simple & easy & straightforward. It should be something I can just apply to my life. But I struggle. I struggle immensely. And I know it's something I must do for myself. This is not a struggle that anyone can help me with in this life. It's something I must figure out on my own. Personal struggles suck! And they suck even more because they always surface when life is at it's most chaotic. I don't think I could talk to anyone about this. Just sending it out in the universe via words on a screen is so much easier, much safer. I can hit "send" and then forget about it (or at least attempt to).

I can see how depression can overwhelm a person. Thankfully in all of this, I can see the good. I can recognize the love around me. It doesn't heal or solve the struggle but it helps me to continue through the struggle. I still get up every day; I go to work; I call/visit my family; I see my friends (mostly).

First playlist just ended. Debated on listening to it again but decided to move on to the "Monster Madness/Ballads" playlist. I do love my 80's hair bands! :) Cheesy goodness hidden in guitar solos & big hair.

But back to the ramblings. I debate on journaling my thoughts. I mean really, will future generations really care about my ideas on faith & life. I'm not a deep thinker or profound or realize human race changing ideas. A small part of me hopes but knows it's just the individual longing for immortality. And yes this piece of me will live on whether anybody reads it or not. Though if nobody reads it, is it really immortal or just an illusion? And if they do read it, are they just going to think it's just the silly ramblings of a sad woman? But regardless, writing is supposed to be good for the soul. So I write. Not often enough or long enough but I write. And I hope that some good comes of it - for me especially. So here's to hoping. Here's to the struggle. Here's to having faith in something. Here's to the dream of love. Here's to living, every day.

Now, I'm going to go & listen to my tough guys with heart sing & play while I escape for a while in a chick lit book!! :)

Snow day in the mountains

So a couple of weekends ago, Karen & the boys invited me to join in a day of sledding in the snow. This was the first time the boys had ever seen, let alone played in the snow. We got up bright & early and set off in my car. Just after we left the house, it was discovered Shane had left his gloves at the house. So after a quick stop at the Target at the base of the mountain (where I bought a better pair of gloves myself) we were back on the road. Weather & conditions were great. We made it up the mountain in pretty decent time. However, we drove right past the sledding place - Big Bear Snow Play (http://www.bigbearsnowplay.com/) - without even realizing it. Once we were headed back out of Big Bear Village we figured it out & turned around. This time we did see it & pulled in just after 11:00am.

We ate a quick lunch in the car before heading in. This place is great. The price of admission includes a tube rental. They have a "lift" of sorts to take you to the top of the hill. The wait for a turn was about 20-30 minutes but we treated it like a day at Disneyland and waiting in line. The boys had a great time. We went down the hill several times. Then we played in the snow at the bottom of the hill. The boys made snow angels. Brandon made a small snowman. Shane, with the help of his mom, built a snowball sculpture. I think their first experience in snow was a fun, positive one. We look forward to going back in the future.


Waiting for our turn on the sledding hill!



Cozy in the tube!



Shane's snow angel







Brandon's snow angel












Watching the fun!


The family that plays together, gets wet hands from the snow together!




Enjoying the day in the snow & the tube!





The snowman is watching TV (Spongebob Squarepants) with a cup of water at his side. He is also spitting water from his mouth because of his laughter! [as told by Brandon, age 7]



Snowball sculpture!

New Year's Eve 2009 - What a Night!

This year Karen & I decided to be pro-active and head out into the singles scene on New Year's Eve. Our local area LDS singles was throwing a multi-stake dance with a Hollywood theme. It was suggested formal attire. So we thought we'd doll ourselves up & check it out. Silly us, we were by far the youngest people in attendance. Since it was still early we thought we would stick around in case others our age would show up a bit later. In the mean time, we were hounded by a 55 year old gentleman from North Afghanistan who wanted to be platonic friends but cook us cuisine at his apartment in Costa Mesa. For 30 minutes we were told his life story, a brief history of the Middle East, and a story about a previous girlfriend. All this while the music was loud & people dancing around us.

As soon as we were free of him, we bolted to an adjoining room where they were serving dinner & live music was playing. After another 10 minutes of nothing we decided to try the dance area one more time. We walked in to more leering gazes from older men & left almost immediately. In the hallway on our way out, a guy stopped us & asked a question. He was closer to our age so we started chatting. He asked us why we were here rather than at the "mid-singles" dance in Huntington Beach.

Karen & I were stunned. Why hadn't anyone told us about that dance - why had we been told only about this particular one. Mid-singles (30-ish) would be our exact age group. Mid-singles would be where we belong. Mid-singles were there & not where we were. After chatting for another few minutes, we got out of there. Of course, it was now too late to head to HB, by the time we would have gotten there, the New Year would have been minutes away.

So we left, she to her place, I to mine. I got home, changed into jammies, washed my face, & rang in the New Year by myself - sitting at the computer and listening to the nearby fireworks at Disneyland. It was quite the way to end 2009! Here's to hoping for better luck in 2010!