Wedding Reception

Amy was pooped and was taking a rest on the couch by the pool until the music came on. Then she jumped up, ran to the dance floor and danced long into the night. Jr. definitely got the award for best moves. He was awesome. Shy, but awesome.

Beach Days

After the wedding, it was time to relax! Monday and Tuesday we went to the beach. Once we sat down and listened to the waves and felt the warm sun, all the travel stress disappeared and we swore we would do it all again next year.

Countless vendors would come up and try to sell their wares from jewelry to food to tablecloths. Our favorites were the sticks of shrimp and mahi-mahi and the candy cart full of gumdrops and goey treats.

Boogie Boarding

For about $3 each, we rented a few boogie boards and everyone got at least one good wave. Monday was the best day for the boards. Tuesday the waves were a little meaner.

Wednesday

Elise recommended that if we wanted to do a fun excursion, reserving a boat for the day would be a good choice. While Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed some quiet time together, the rest of us took her advice. Early Wednesday morning, we headed into town to catch the taxis to take us to the boat.

The boat was called "Chica Locca". Crazy Lady. Let's get on this Crazy Lady!

A Day with Chica Locca

It was a perfect day for the boat ride. The crew served a breakfast of fresh fruit and muffins and unlimited juice and smoothies. Then on the way back, we had huge sandwiches and pasta salads. Mmm. We saw dolphins and schools of tuna and relaxed in the sun.

Yelapa

One reason for renting the boat was to take us to Yelapa, the village where Ivan grew up. First we stopped on the beach for some lunch. Then Ivan and Gregory went parasailing behind a boat. During Gregory's turn, the boat broke down and Gregory slowly dropped from the sky into the ocean. Brandy wasn't freaking out at all. I thought she was just being paranoid when she started yelling "Gregory is falling! Why is Gregory falling?!" But, he really was. Riley was all strapped up ready for his turn until he saw the mishap. No parasailing for Riley. Then we walked through the village on our way to see a neat waterfall. The water was pretty cold and only the brave dared enter.

Then we headed back to the beach to catch the boat back. The waves on this beach are a lot smaller, but they are mean. They knocked Adam right off his feat and left pebbles in his trunks.

Take us Home Chica Locca!

Here we are heading back to Sayulita. My pants got soaked while I was hopping into the boat taxi, so they came off.

Brandy didn't feel well on either boat ride and just had to focus in the horizon. No fun being sick!

As soon as the music came on, Elli and Amy got to dance again, this time on the boat deck. Luckily they didn't get sick even though they were spinning AND bobbing up and down.

Good Night Mexican Sun. I love you!

Esto Es Mexico!

After 2 days at the beach, the kids were pooped. All they wanted to do Thursday day was relax at the house and play in the pool. Riley and I went into town for a few hours during the day, then at night, we walked around with Jr. and the kids looking for some souveniers. Adam bought a Nacho Libre mask and found this wrestling painting on the side of a building. Then we met everyone at the Plaza, a brightly colored park in the middle of the town, before deciding on where to eat dinner.

Thanksgiving Dinner

We decided that we would all go out to eat together at least once and it ended up being Thanksgiving night. Many of the restaurants were offering a traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, but that's not what we came to Mexico for! We wanted enchiladas and chicken mole! We chose Mexican food instead and it was so good. There's nothing like refried beans in Mexico. Must try to duplicate! So there was no turkey or pumpkin pie this year, but Elise shared some pie that she bought from the Pie Lady in Yelapa and her cheese pie more than made up for it!

On To Dessert!!

The streets come alive after dark and even though we were full from the delicious dinner, we couldn't resist the homemade Mexican treats. There was ice cream more flavorful than ever, churros made right on the street, and a friendly couple who sold their baked goods right out of the back of their car! Since it was our last night, of course we tried them ALL! My favorite part was watching the churro man squeeze the batter out of his gun.

Last Day at the House

The taxis were scheduled to come at 11:30, so we had plenty of time to relax and pack up all our stuff. It was nice to take our time and enjoy each other's company a bit longer. It was a great week, but we were a little anxious to get started on our journey home.

End of the Season 1/2 Marathon

This last summer, I was able to run in the mornings with these fine ladies, Jess, Kristi, and Christina. (Codi too, but she couldn't make the race.) We would run everyday except Sundays most weeks. We got faster and went farther. Once Seminary started, I had to stop the early morning runs and just didn't run as much. I was done for the year until Crazy Christina talked us all into a half marathon in November. I thought I could do it easily. After all, we ran 12 miles one morning this summer just because. But, I have found out that running is not like riding a bike. You cannot pick up where you left off. Needless to say, it was a tough race. My goal was to finish under 2 hours. My first 1/2 marathon was 2:02. This time, I was over by 1 minute! I was so frustrated, but I could not get my legs to go any faster. This year's time was 2:01. Guess I'll have to keep trying until I can get under 2.

The race was beautiful though. Couldn't have asked for a better day. It was through Amish country on a double loop course. The hills were rolling and long in places, but we all did great. We all finished about 4-5 minutes apart from each other. What a fun weekend.
The trip was not without it's troubles though. The night before the race, we all drove down together and stayed in a hotel. After picking up our race packets, we were driving the course to familiarize ourselves with it. All of a sudden, my car made some kind of clunking noises and I thought one of the tires had shredded like the ones you see on the side of the highway. I pulled over and the tire was loosing air fast. After a friendly farmer helped get the donut on, we were on our way and got it checked out after the race. THIS is what they pulled out of my tire. Some kind of mean metal something had gone completely inside my tire. Nice. We made it home on the donut though and Riley got a new one that afternoon. It was a little scary, but I felt safe having Christina around. She has got some mad tire changing skills and even if the farmer hadn't come along, I think she could have gotten us home.

Halloween 2011

Amy started with a white, vampire bride look, then switched to a black witch. Cute.
Elli started as a witch, then switched to a man. No man in particular, just a man. Funny.
Adam declared this to be the year he stopped trick-or-treating. So, I declared him the door answerer. He would switch hats with each ding dong. Weird.

His reward was that he got to keep the leftover candy. When the girls got home, the trading began. Everyone was happy.

Swollen Sandy

Before we could take Sandy to the doggie daycare for our trip, we had to update her shots. A couple hours after we got home, her face started to swell up. It was only on one side. I think she had an allergic reaction to one of the shots. It was kind of funny, but it went away the next day.

Amy vs Ribs

Riley has been experimenting a little this year with the dutch oven. This time he tried ribs. The kids love ribs. Amy dove right in and got sauce everywhere.

Amazingly though, she didn't get any on her clothes or in her hair!

Mmm. Dad is a good rib cooker!

First Day of School

Adam started middle school this year and his bus comes an hour earlier than the elementary bus. So, I did not remember to take his picture. But, here are Elli and Amy on the very rainy first day of school.

Elli is in fourth grade now!

Amy started second grade! (this happens to be the same outfit Elli wore on her first day of second grade!)

Boulder Field

Adam needed to pass off some requirements for scouts, so we went camping with some family friends. On the way out of the park, we had to stop at Boulder Field. It was pretty cool! This huge field of rocks was left by glaciers that would pick up the rocks as they shifted and then dropped them here over time. The kids found several pits to duck into. Think of all the fun pretending!
Adam ran around the whole field like a squirrel on a wire, while I got dizzy trying to find my balance. This was not a place for the indecisive foot. You just have to GO! I am getting dizzy just thinking about it.