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My Photo Blog.......

 

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Happy New Year.....12.31.13

 

NYE

 

NYE

 

We tried to tell Marly not to hit the champagne too hard.

 

NYE

 

She never listens......

 

NYE

 

 

Christmas at Home.....12.28.13

 

xmas

 

Abby did a lot of our decorating this year - specifically the tree.

 

xmas

 

xmas

 

xmas

 

xmas

 

 

Wishing for a Tropical Vacation

 

vacation

 

Sometimes dreams do come true

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

Our favorite pool

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

punta cana

 

 

Fun with PS

 

globe

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

 

Getting ready for Christmas

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

Something new for a change of pace

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

Union Terminal

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

Our own Winter Wonderland

 

christmas

 

christmas

 

 

My first attempt at shooting snowflakes

 

I never would have imagined what snowflakes looked like if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes.

 

snowflakes

 

snowflakes

 

snowflakes

 

snowflakes

 

snowflakes

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

thanksgiving

 

 

A Cool Crisp Ohio Morning

 

snow

 

 

Fall or Winter in YS?

 

Who can tell?

 

snow

 

 

My visit to the Mansfield Correctional Institute

 

One of my favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption

 

prison

 

prison

 

prison

 

prison

 

prison

 

 

MUD GUTS & GLORY

 

Challenging & Exciting

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

mgg

 

We finally finished

 

mgg

 

Nice shot, Tony!

 

mgg

 

 

Fall in Sutton Cove

 

It's so beautiful here.

 

sutton

 

sutton

 

Enjoying shooting the fog

 

fog

 

 

Pike Lake in the Fall

 

I just discovered this place a few years ago. My dad used to hunt here years ago, and he took us here to see the fall colors and the beauty of the lake. WOW! It was mostly overcast, but we did get a few glimpses of the sun and I was able to catch this awesome reflection. LOVE IT!

 

pike lake

 

 

Life in the Springs

 

Still working on shooting in the fog. We've had plenty of foggy mornings. You'd think I'd be good at it by now, but by the time it starts to get light, we have just enough time to get Abby to school and me to the gym.

 

fog

 

Glad I remembered to grab the camera this day. Love shooting this horse farm. It reminds me of a smaller version of 'Dallas'.

 

sunrise

 

This farm is just down the street also.

 

 

Beautiful Southeastern Ohio

 

Fun day shooting with Robin and her daughter Nancy. Where's the sun?

 

rose lake

 

Lots of tree where already changing colors at Rose Lake. Even though it was a bright and completely sunny day back home, we had completely overcast skies and no fabulous reflections.

 

tall trees

 

Very tall trees of Hocking Hills

 

moonville tunnel

 

Moonville Tunnel.....somewhere in the hills of southeastern Ohio.....

 

ghost of moonville tunnel

 

Legend has it that the Moonville Tunnel is haunted.......well it must be true because we found a ghost there. No PhotoShop here.

 

bridge refection

 

Finally just a little glimmer of sunshine.

 

 

Wegerzyn Gardens

 

Fun family day. Where's Steph?

 

family football fun

 

It's not that I've abandoned the Giants.......but, I've been cheering for my #2 team (whoever Peyton Manning plays for - Denver at this time) and I've pulled out my #3 team shirt. No one in my family appreciates my ranking system.

 

trick or treat pirate

 

All dressed up and ready for Trick or Treat.....that was easy (last years's dance costume).

 

fall model

 

FUN FALL FOTOS.......When we left home, it was almost completely cloudy and somehow we had super bright sunshine to deal with. Oh well, what a beautiful day:) Sometimes my little Abby is a great model......and sometimes, well......

 

purple flower

 

Beautiful flowers everywhere

 

white flower

 

So much to see. You could stay for hours and just soak in the beauty of fall.

 

how cool

 

Beauty is in the eye of the.......photographer.

 

Wegerzyn Gardens

 

Wegerzyn Gardens is so pretty this time of year.

 

 

 

Perfect Weather Saturday

 

fall tree

 

Great Saturday.....perfect weather for the Street Fair. We dropped Abby off so she could work with a friend, then walked home with the dogs - yes even our old Mandy girl was happy to make the long hike. Then we rode our bikes back to the Street Fair, had some Yummy lunch - Crazy Mango Korean tacos and The Real Deal catfish, then rode home and had a bon fire. Love outdoor days like this.

 

 

Day at the Track

 

Keeneland

 

We spent a beautiful day at Kenneland. It wasn't Hawaii, but......very pretty. We usually take an anniversary trip every year but just couldn't work it out this year. We still have an all-inclusive trip available if anyone can use it before the end of the year.

 

Keeneland

 

The grounds are very pretty and well kept.

 

Keeneland

 

So much going on for a Wednesday afternoon

 

Keeneland

 

both on and off the track.

 

Keeneland

 

You can't win if you don't play.

 

Keeneland

 

Hope to return in the spring. They race for 3 weeks in October and 3 weeks in April.

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary........to us!

 

20th Anniversary

 

Happy Anniversary to 'My Guy'! 21 years ago, 10.9.92, we had our first date and 20 years ago today we were married in Maui - right in front of a waterfall. We started our day swimming and snorkeling and ended our day at the beach - great memories.

 

In that one year, we got engaged, built a house, planned a wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii, I graduated from WSU and started a new career, and we named our first baby.....a little girl who we wouldn't meet for almost 2 years.

 

I can't believe how fast these years have flown by. Looking forward to the next 20+.

 

 

Lori & Jesse.......10.5.2013

 

We had the honor of shooting this beautiful wedding at the NCR Country Club.

 

Rings

 

Congratulations Jesse & Lori.....You guys look so happy and seem so much in love.

 

Bride

 

Lori was a beautiful bride.

 

Bride & Groom

 

Lori & Jesse are a fun couple who love to make each laugh. Best Wishes to the new couple.

 

Bride & Groom

 

Mother of the Bride

 

Debbie, my good friend and mother of the bride, did a great job hosting this huge event. I hope she gets to rest and relax a little now.

 

Lots more wedding pics on my timeline Facebook\Wedding Timeline

 

Some Wedding Extras Facebook\Wedding Extras

 

Cuties spotted at the Wedding Facebook\Cuties

 

Even more wedding pics at Facebook\At the Wedding

 

Wedding Party

 

Abby was a great help - shooting the 'behind the scenes' happenings.

 

See more of Abby's Photography Facebook\Art by Abby

 

 

Beavercreek Homecoming

 

YEAH! No rain for the game.

 

Homecoming

 

The Creekettes got to show off their Pom Competition Outfit

 

Homecoming

 

Homecoming

 

All the girls looked great on the field

 

Homecoming

 

and the band sounded great. Too bad the score wasn't so pretty.

 

See more of the Homecoming Game performance at Facebook\Homecoming Pre-Performance

 

See more of the Homecoming Game performance at Facebook\Homecoming Dance Performance

 

See more of the Homecoming Game performance at Facebook\Homecoming Fun Before the Performance

 

The rain moved out and the parade was great!

 

Homecoming

 

2013 - 2014 Beavercreek Creekettes

 

Homecoming

 

See more Homecoming at Facebook\Homecoming Parade

 

Sunflower Season

 

Love it when they're all bloomed - only wished they lasted longer.

 

Sunflowers

 

See more sunflowers at Facebook\Sunflowers

 

 

Washington Monument

 

If you haven't seen it lately, you might not recognize it.

 

Washington Monument

 

 

Life in the Springs

 

YS

 

 

Air Force Marathon

 

We were supposed to run the 5K on Friday night but it was cancelled due to rain. We, mom, dad, and Abby, volunteered in the baggage claim tent on Saturday. Our goal is the half marathon next year.

 

USAF Marathon

 

The winner finished in 2 hours and 35 minutes - WOW!

 

ALS Walk

 

Abby and I once again joined Team Shiraz to help support ALS and honor our neighbor Roger.

 

ALS Walk

 

Roger's Team raised more than $7000!

 

See more at Facebook\ALS Walk

 

 

MUD GUTS & GLORY

 

Do you have what it takes?

 

MUD

 

Contact me to join our team or to get more info.

 

See more mud obstacles at Facebook\MGG

 

 

Abby's first 5K

 

She did a great job and plans to run more.

 

5K

 

Popcorn Festival

 

See more race day photos at Facebook\5K

 

 

2013 Fashion Show

 

On the Runway......

 

runway

 

runway

 

runway

 

 

Back to Florida

 

We toured the Gulf Beaches including Marco Island, Naples, Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, Captiva, Venice, Bonita, Siesta Key, Lido.....

 

florida

 

jet ski

 

Al dumped us in the bay within 5 minutes. We all laughed and on we went. How fun!!!

 

beach

 

Love relaxin' in paradise!

 

See more of our vacation pics at Facebook\Florida

 

 

Found in Put in Bay......

 

Sums up most of our family.......

 

Put in Bay

 

so true

 

 

Great Weekend in Put in Bay

 

Al told us at 12:45 that if we could find a sitter for the dogs, he had a weekend get-away for us. No problem. Steph and I ran to Lindsey's bank, had lunch, bought school books, picked Abby up, did laundry, packed and were ready to leave by 5:15.

 

Put in Bay

 

We cruised the island all day in our stylin' little golf cart. How cool was that!

 

sugar

 

cowboy hat

 

sunrise

 

sunrise

 

 

 

It's Derby Day Somewhere

 

derby girl

 

See more of our 'fun with the hat' at Facebook\Derby

 

 

Nikki & Ryan

 

wedding

 

wedding

 

 

Abby and I got tired of all of this Ohio rain, so we flew off to FLA

 

dolphins

 

How exciting to have these dolphins jumping along side our boat. They stayed so long, I got about 100 shots. Great start to our vacation.

 

disney

 

No rest for us......off to Disney.

 

seaworld

 

Lovin' SeaWorld

 

Check out more vaca pics at:

 

       Facebook\Birds of Fla

       Facebook\Shamu!

       Facebook\Lovin' the Dolphins

       Facebook\Beautiful Sea World

       Facebook\Land & Sea

       Facebook\Dolphin Tale

       Facebook\At the Castle

       Facebook\Disney's Electric Parade

       Facebook\Sunset by the Sea

       Facebook\My Disney Friends

       Facebook\Meet the Princesses

       Facebook\What Really Happens

       Facebook\You & Me in Siesta Key

       Facebook\Hangin' at the Pool

       Facebook\Fun at SeaWorld

       Facebook\Hat Store

 

 

Off to College......

 

college

 

 

4th of July......

 

fireworks

 

See more fireworks at Facebook\Fireworks

 

 

 

A Boy & His Toy

 

truck

 

 

OMG! Steph saved up her $$$ and bought a CAR!!!

 

new car

 

WOW! When did my little girl get so responsible?

 

 

Things to do on a Rainy Day.....

 

rainy day fun

 

Get more ideas of how to spend a rainy dat at Facebook\Rainy Day Fun

 

 

Summer Blooms

 

flowers

 

flowers

 

 

NEW BIKE!!!

 

new bike

 

 

Super Moon

 

super moon

 

 

 

Perfect Attendance Again

 

perfect Attendance Again

 

 

Class of 2014

 

2014

 

Attn: Seniors.....it's that time. Time to start thinking about senior pictures

 

See more seniors at Facebook\Class of 2014

 

 

 

2013 Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

Posters

 

 

Congratulations Stephanie.....We Love You

 

congrats

 

congrats

 

We are so proud of you!

 

 

CLASS of 2013

 

Congrats Steph

 

Grad

 

I can't believe my little girl is graduating.

 

Check out Steph's graduation and party Facebook\Grad

 

 

Congratulations Stephanie & Connor

 

congrats

 

congrats

 

Seniors at Last

 

 

Happy Birthday to ME & MY GUY!!!

 

happy birthday

 

Celebrated our birthdays at Osaka with good food and great friends and family. Great Time!!!

 

 

 

Finally some Senior Pics from My Girl!!!

 

senior pics

 

senior pics

 

senior pics

 

senior pics

 

 

Graduation is right around the corner.

 

See more of Steph's Senior Pics at Facebook\Steph's Senior Pics

 

 

Gotcha Day

 

8 years ago today, we met an amazing little girl.......we call her Abby!

 

abby

 

Every year we celebrate Abby's Gotcha Day - the day we met and adopted her - May 29, 2005.

 

This year Abby wanted to celebrate at Osaka with sushi, fried rice, and cheesecake. YUM!!!

 

 

gotcha

 

 

gotcha

 

 

gotcha

 

 

gotcha

 

We're so glad we have you

 

 

'Little House' day at school

 

laura ingalls

 

laura ingalls

 

Both of my girls love the Laura Ingalls character.

 

 

 

The Zoo.....Always A Good Time

 

zoo bird

 

 

World's Toughest Rodeo

 

rodeo

 

Catch more Rodeo Excitement at Facebook\Rodeo

 

 

Happy 18th Birthday Steph

 

Who can beleive my little girl is turning 18????

 

18

 

Have a Great Day Sweetie!!!

 

 

Beavercreek Dance Competition

 

The official dance times for the World Famous Minis has been posted:

 

Minis Jazz: 9:45am     Minis Pom: 10:30      Combined Variety: 11:45am

Times are always subject to change, so don't cut it too close.

Program Ad

This is a great competition to see all 3 routines in a short amount of time, plus a short drive. Don't forget.....Al, Stephanie, and I will be shooting all day, but can probably spare a few minutes for a quick 'HI'.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

I spent all afternoon making these gourmet cupcakes for my girls.....well I may have had a little help from my buddy down the road - Sam.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

This is why I will never be thin again. I think my husband is secretly a chubby chaser. Oh well, I guess I'll keep him.

 

 

Beavercreek Dance Competition

 

Want to see the World Famous Beavercreek Minis?

 

They'll be competing right here in Beavercreek. Watch my Photo Blog for details as I get them.

 

Beavercreek Dance Team

 

Abby's home dance competition is this weekend (Sunday) at Beavercreek HS. She is the Pom captain. It looks like she will be competing Pom and Jazz in the morning and performing in a variety pirate routine in the afternoon. More definite times won't be announced until probably Thursday, but if you're interested in seeing some great dancers, mark your calendar NOW!

 

Al, Stephanie, and I will be shooting pictures for the entire day, so heads up, we will be unavailable for entertaining or intriguing conversation. Be sure to check out my display table in the lobby/cafeteria.

 

First Sign of Spring!

 

Sign of Spring

 

I love the snow but not the cold. While I'm still hoping for a BIG snowstorm, I am looking forward to spring.

 

 

Great Hockey in Dayton!

 

Night at the Game

 

Support the Dayton Demonz Professional Hockey Team.

They were an expansion team in Fall of 2012 and are now in first place in the FHL League and are headed to the playoffs. They play at Hara Arena and have a few regular season games left. Check them out. It is great family fun.

 

 

Mahfouz

 

Our favorite player......#19 Mahfouz

He's full of energy and has lots of team spirit! We love it!!!

 

 

Tabisz

 

Our favorite goalie......#1 Tony Tabisz.

.....and he's from DAYTON!

 

 

Fans

 

Come out and see the Demonz play. It's a fun time. Help support the team and keep them in Dayton.

 

Check out more action pictures on my EVENTS page.

 

Follow the Demonz on Facebook

 

Get Schedule Updates Here

 

 

Lucky Day???

 

77777

 

Just as I got home. It must be a sign.

 

 

New Moon

 

night moon

 

 

 

Snow Day

 

Snow Day

 

My idea of a fun winter day.

 

 

NOT!!!

 

My idea is to get out and live....experience the world.

 

I don't even like coffee......or reading. jk.......about at least one of those:)

 

Tips to help you enjoy the snow with your camera.......

 

Snow Day

 

Get out and do something different. Swing from a vine - with your camera.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Get the shot - whatever it takes. Watch out for slippery slopes!

 

 

Snow Day

 

Keep your camera handy. You never know when you'll need to make a quick click.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Stay warm and dry.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Be prepared. Bring an extra camera.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Look for something different.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Discover something from your past. I couldn't believe that we stumbled upon this old castle. I hadn't been here since I was Abby's age probably. I remembered climbing up the stairs to the top with my dad and looking through the windows with the bars down to my mom who was waiting outside. Funny how your memories can come back after so many years. Now the door is cemented shut. No one will ever climb those steps again.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Watch for a new perspective.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Make sure you get credit for your efforts on the journey......take a self-portrait.

 

 

Snow Day

 

Love and appreciate your children. They'll be all grown up too soon.

 

 

2013 Grad

 

Who can believe that this little girl is graduating?

 

 

What a great day to take snow pics. IT WAS SNOWING!!!

 

 

Click here to see more of our Snow Day fun

 

 

Fun at the Circus

 

Circus

 

I never saw a circus as a child, but now we love to take our girls. Stephanie has outgrown the fun of the circus, but Abby still laughs out loud!

 

 

Circus

 

We love the elephants! How cute are they?

 

 

Circus

 

Mine and Abby's favorite was the quick change magicians. They are always awesome!

 

 

Circus

 

Daddy's fav was the dancing, bike riding bears.

 

 

Circus

 

We didn't have good seats for shooting so I played with the settings to see what I might get.

 

 

Click here to check out more Circus Day Excitement

 

or go to facebook Facebook\Circus

 

 

 

St Jude Donation Update

 

St Jude

 

Thanks to everyone who has helped Abby reach her St Jude goal. We are so close.

 

Fun in the Snow

 

Snowman

 

Abby was sad when she realized that warmer temps and rain are headed our way and Snowman will soon melt away:(

 

Deer

 

Our daily yard guests. Sometimes we even have a few bucks.

 

Special Day.....1.28.13

 

Happy Birthday

 

CELEBRATE

 

 

Happy Birthday

 

Happy Birthday to Me!

 

 

Happy Birthday

 

Yeah! Just what I wanted.

 

 

Happy Birthday

 

I love my new spa!

 

 

Happy Birthday

 

My birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I wanted to sit on the saddle while everyone sang.

 

Night at the Salon

 

Salon Fun

 

Mani or Pedi Anyone?

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Salon Fun

 

Abby requested one of her dad's famously delicious pumpkin rolls instead of traditional birthday cake.

 

Salon Fun

 

The girls sang loudly and beautifully of course. Mandy went outside and Marly hid in my office.

 

 

Salon Fun

 

It was a night of something for everyone.......Abby had friends over for junk food and rowdiness; Stephanie and I watched a stupid funny movie; Al went to the hockey game; Our Golden Girls got lots of pets and hand shakes, and hopefully not too many snacks.

 

Uh-Oh! It's 7:10am and I already hear talking and giggling.

 

 

Another great competition weekend!

January 2013

 

Minis Pom

 

Another long but fun day! Once again Abby and I had to be on the road by 6am!!! The Minis competed early and they looked great. Abby and I stayed to take pictures all afternoon. Abby invited her good good friend Ashley to stay again too. Ashley was captain for Pom and Abby was captain for Jazz.

 

Minis Pom

 

 

Minis Pom

 

Minis Pom

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

Captain Abby

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

Minis Jazz

 

Click here to view all of Abby's dance photos

 

Happy Birthday Abby!

 

Who can believe that our little sweet Abby is turning 9 already? For everyone who knew us back when we were waiting for her, I'm sure it seems like such a long time ago.

 

January 28, 2013

 

Abby 2005

 

Happy Birthday SweetPea!!!         January 28th

 

If you would like to make a donation to St Jude Children's Hospital in Abby's honor, please click below to help a Great organization.

 

Click here to make a donation

 

 

Young Artists at Work

Art by Stephanie & Abby

 

 

Minis first competition of the season!

January 2013

 

Minis Pom

 

What a long but fun day! Abby and I had to be on the road by 6am!!! The Minis were the first performers of the day. WOW! Were they cute. Most of the Minis left after the noon awards, but Abby wanted to stay and hang out with me while I took pictures. It was a bonus that a few other Minis were staying to compete their solos. Abby invited her good good friend Ashley to stay too. They seemed to have a great time. Ashley is a super sweet girl. We went out to dinner with her family at a Japanese Hibachi Grill and the dads got a special surprise - squirted right into their mouths - 'happy water'.

 

Minis Pom

 

Minis Pom

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

 

Minis Jazz

 

Minis Jazz

 

 

How exciting......Christmas in the tropics.

 

Just for the record, I was good with going to Cleveland for Christmas and spending time with family. I thought we could see our nephews play hockey, which we did on Saturday - Connor scored 2 goals YEAH!, see the Shen Yun show, which we also did on Saturday, then maybe go skiing, to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, who knows what else Cleveland has to offer. Al said 'that sounds like an expensive few days.' The very next day, he said 'let's go to Mexico for Christmas.' And the rest, as they say, is history.....

 

Nice job Connor! Looking forward to seeing you play next year Austin.

Hudson Hockey

 

 

Click here to see the rest of our vacation photos

 

12.30.12

Time to go home to the burrrr cold of Ohio. I think Abby is the saddest. Is that a word???? She tried to muster up a smile for me. Looking forward to opening the rest of our gifts and seeing what Santa brought makes leaving a little easier. Plus all of our Ohio friends are leaving today too.

Sad to go Home

 

We flew into Cleveland and I happened to have my camera handy. What a surprise. We were glad that parked in the garage since there was lots of new snow and we forgot to put an ice scraper in the car.

Sunset Over Cleveland

 

12.29.12

Today, it's off to Tulum. It's about a 30 minute drive south. I've always heard it's extra hot there and we find that to be true. After about a 30 minute long walk and some standing around, mostly in the sun.....this is what you get.........

Hot in Tulum

 

It is so neat to think about how the Mayans built these structures so long ago and how they knew to line everything up with the sun and moon on specific days (Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox). I wonder how this village looked waaaaaaay back then?????

Tulum

 

While the tour is interesting and our tour guide is nice, funny, and knowledgable, we are all thinking about how great the ocean is going to feel. I met some people at the resort, not from Ohio, who said to definitely wear a swim suite; otherwise we would be changing in the bushes like they did. The restrooms are all the way back at the front of the park......a long walk back plus we have no admission tickets. We entered with a group.

Tulum Beach

 

Back at the pool, we enjoyed another yummy lunch at the pool grill and then watched the girls swim and play all afternoon - some even into the evening.

Friends

 

Two guys were opening fresh-off-the-tree coconuts at the pool today. We drank a little of the coconut water then made an offering to the bushes, and proceeded to fill our coconut with pina colada - WOW! Big improvement.

Coconut

 

We could hardly get Abby to leave the pool knowing it would be the last night for swimming in the dark. She entertained us with her 'special' talents to gain a few extra minutes. Check out this girl's muscles!!!

Go BIG

 

The girls wanted to stay in and order room service, so Al and I hitched a ride to the Big Kid lobby (Spa side) for dinner for 2 at the No No Mo Hana Chinese restaurant. They have them in all the Palace resorts and they are always good - especially the fried ice cream with chocolate syrup. YUM! Abby and I went to the late show - a Brazilian dance thing.......

TulumBrazillian Show

 

The girls even got a chance to learn the dance. All 3 are on dance teams - how cute is that?

Dance Girls

 

12.28.12

No sunrise again, but a beautifully sunny day. We had lots of pool time. Today was our spa day - massages, manicures, and pedicures. See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.

Fun at the Pool

 

After hours of enjoying the beautiful tropical weather, we went to a Mexican Fiesta, dinner show, and flea market.

Fiesta

 

People seem to enjoy the music and dancing but it's not really my 'thing'.

Show

 

12.27.12

After our long and exhausting day yesterday, we left our resort at 8 and returned at 6, I had to go to bed at 10 and now here I am up at 4. I had been sleeping until 5 every day. Maybe I’ll have a siesta at the beach later……I jinxed it....no sunrise today. Just lots of clouds. I couldn't even see Cozumel but we did have sun in the afternoon. Today was noticeably warmer and more humid - great for swimming. We went to Playa del Carmen for shopping and lunch.

Playa del Carmen

 

We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant - very tasty - under an umbrella on the street.

Lunch

 

And then it rained. We huddled under our umbrella until it ended and then the rest of the day was great.

Lunch in the Rain

 

Back to the pool for more swimming and games. We have discovered that Abby is a little 'ball challenged'. We met some new friends today....from West Chester, as in Ohio. I guess Buckeyes love Mexico! We do:)

Pool Fun

 

Off to dinner with our new friends. Steph wanted to order a 'dirty monkey' for me at dinner, but the waiter served it to her. I tried it and thought it was good, but she drank it and then ordered another. A few minutes after he brought the second drink he came back to tell us that it had alcohol in it, but a quarter of it was already gone. So we're guessing the first one had alcohol too. He and his buddies got a good laugh about it, as did we. Abby was wild during dinner. I asked if her drink had alcohol too. I don't even know what a dirty monkey is - something with banana??? Dessert at the Steak House was so yummy, I visited at least 3 times - lava cake with ice cream!

Pretty Girls

 

What a great Magic Show! This guy was terrific. You never expect to see this much talent at a resort dinner show.

Magic

 

12.26.12

Every day the sunrise seems to get better than the last. When will it end???? Every day seems to start out cloudy and then clear up by mid morning. Today, like the previous days, is cool - mid 60s with low humidity. Everything is so 'golden'.

Golden Sunrise

 

After an early breakfast, we left for a very cool park - Xplor.

Xplor

 

We had so much fun. We started out by paddling through a cave on a raft. What a shoulder and bicep workout. I took Abby on my raft, so I had a few extra pounds to maneuver through the cave.

Water Raft

 

Then it was off to the 4 wheelers. You had to be 18 to drive - better luck next time Steph. We drove through the jungle, through caves, even through rivers in caves. It was pretty cool. We even got sprayed along the way by sprinklers and had to drive through a few waterfalls.

4 Wheelers

 

We harnessed up for the ziplines......hopeful that all family members would participate. Since 3 of us had zipped before - up high, long distance, upside down, and even into the water, our only concern was Abby. But, she loved it. She was so brave! We did about 20 ziplines. The very first one was a chair hammock (no harness) that you just hook on the line and zip right down into the cave and land in the river. There were 2 of those and Abby couldn’t wait to get to the second one. WOW! On some of the lines, Abby and Steph had to go together due to distance or wind because alone they were not heavy enough to make it on their own. On a couple lines Steph had to go with me and Abby had to go with Dad.

Zip

 

Most of the ziplines were 60 to 90 feet high and hundreds of feet long. One of the lines was over 150 feet high and over 1000 feet long. Abby and I had to go together. We flew over a couple of Jaguars and over an alligator or crocodile pit. We walked across long rope bridges and even took a waterslide to get between platforms. The course covers over 2 miles, so lots of zipping and climbing.

High Zip

 

Some were platform to platform, some were water landings in the cave, and one was even a long twisty waterslide.

Waterslide

 

Most of the park is inside the cave. The center of the cave had a giant red heart, with a pulsating heartbeat. This was where you returned after each activity before going to the next. You walk through long passages to move from one activity to another. Even the check-in, photo kiosk, and gift shop are in the cave.

Cave

 

We didn't realize until after we bought our pictures that we were supposed to pose with this sign instead of standing around looking lost. They had cameras mounted all around the park. We found out later that the helmets had chips in them and were triggered by infared technology and linked to the numbers on them. They had big screen tv's placed around the park and when you stand in front of one, it reads your helmet and pulls up your photos so far for the day. How cool is that? So at the end of the day, it took about 3 minutes to find all of our pictures for the day. All great things come with a price - $130 for 60 images. As my wonderful husband would say…..’it’s just money; we’ll make more tomorrow.’ The pictures did come on a cute little red heart USB. How cute. Meanwhile our cameras (all 4 of them) sat in a locker.

Oooops

 

They had a giant outdoor buffet and even a natural pool with hammocks all around. After all the walking, climbing, paddling, zipping.......all day, we had just a few minutes to rest in the hammocks. When we got back to the hotel, Abby and Dad went to the pool and swam for over an hour in the dark. Everyone was tired enough to agree on room service for dinner.

Hammocks

 

12.25.12

........Christmas Morning. It doesn't even feel like it. I went out for sunrise again - even more beautiful than yesterday. Then we opened our presents. Both girls got new cameras and NY Giants jammies.

Christmas Morning

 

Mornings are warm enough for breakfast outside. How AWESOME!

Christmas Breakfast

 

A rare photo opp. What a pretty pretty girl:)

Pretty Girl

 

A cool drink on a warm Christmas day.

drinks

 

A great night - nice way to end a great day!

Night at the Pool

 

12.24.12

.....Christmas Eve. I woke up early and went out walking for sunrise - beautiful! We actually have longer days here than at home. YEAH! Sunrise is at 6:20 and sunset at 5:15. Good thing I'm a morning person.

Sunrise at the Cove

 

Our room is nice, but a little tight for 4 people and our Christmas gifts. We left a note for Santa to visit us at home. We have a hammock on our balcony, which the girls love - especially Steph.

Aventura Cove Palace Building 3

 

Our girls went to breakfast in their PJs and then Abby got wild in the pool.

Wild before 8am

 

This is the pool/bar/grill/play area where we like to hang out. It has a swim up bar and crystal clear sparkling water. This picture was taken 2 hours after sunrise and everything is still golden.

Cove Pool

 

Abby met some new friends today - how funny - they're from Columbus, as in Ohio. Ella is 8 and her sister Callie is 11. They love playing together.

Friends

 

......and kayaking.

Friends Kayak

 

......and doing aerobics.

aerobics

 

......in and out of the water.

water aerobics

 

They met a new friend. He seems pretty harmless but isn't very talkative.

Iguana

 

Steph and I went on a monkey tour hoping to see the little guys swinging from the trees, and we did. We saw 5 or 6 including 1 baby. There are about 60 living on the resort property.

Iguana

 

The pastry chef made a big Christmas display out of chocolate, bread, gingerbread, icing......

Chocolate Village

 

....and then we got to eat it.

Lots of Chocolate

 

Our entertainment was a circus - complete with acrobats and cute little dogs.....

Iguana

 

12.23.12

We arrived today - a warm and sunny afternoon. Our resort is beautiful.....So many pretty flowers and so much blue water.

Riviera Maya

 

For our first vacation dinner, the girls and I decided to order Dad a Mayan coffee. They make it tableside and add a few 'extra' ingredients. It smells very strong.

Mayan Coffee

 

Al seemed to like it.

Al drinking Mayan Coffee

 

Steph.........not so much.

Steph drinking Mayan Coffee