Cruise - Part 1

Joey and I decided to take a vacation together and recharge our "parent batteries." :) Having children is wonderful, but it definitely cuts down on the one-on-one time between sweethearts! We took a Princess cruise out of LA to Mexico. We visited Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. There are lots of pics, but I'll start out with these and add more later...I don't have all night to blog...there's raspberry buckle to make!!

This was on the tender in Cabo, our last stop. On our way to Cabo, we got to sit on top, which was fab. On the way back to the ship, we had to sit inside the tender and I got seasick. But didn't throw up, thank goodness!

This was in Mazatlan! We loved Mazatlan! It felt more real than the other two stops. A little trashy, but hey, it reminded me of So Cal. :) And guess what I spotted as we were walking down the street...A Thrifty's ice cream parlor! I couldn't believe it. There are Thrifty's grocery stores in souther cali that have an ice cream counter. They sell my favorite kind of ice cream, which I haven't had in about 14 years since moving to Utah...Chocolate Malted Crunch! I was so excited!

This was in Puerto Vallarta at a cool restaurant overlooking the beach. Isn't he handsome?

The Sapphire Princess had a "gourmet" restaurant called Sabatini's. It was delicious!

I think this is one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. Let me start off by saying that Joe and I don't gamble or play group games regularly. But since we were on the boat and had heard from some family members (ahem, Julie and Jeff!) that Bingo is fun, we decided to play a round. WE WON $500!!! The biggest prize of the round! It was a hoot and a great memory. I don't think I'll ever play again, the first time was so awesome! How could we ever top it? They took our little Bingo card thinggy, which I was bummed about because I totally would have framed it!

Quote of the Day:
"One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a package of garden seeds." -Dan Bennett

song of the day, weezer, island in the sun

Big Bro

I love my brother Dennis so much! He is an awesome brother, Uncle, and friend. During my mom's last week, he came and stayed with us and we were so thankful to get to spend lots of time with him and Tawny, his girlfriend. We wish they lived closer! Here are some pics of the girls playing with Uncle D, or "that guy" as Gracie used to call him :)

I remember when Dennis used to do this with ME! I loved it just as much as Janie does now! He played with me a lot when I was little. One of my favorite games was when he'd sit at one end of his room and I'd have to get past him and touch the wall. I never could. I'd twist, scratch, jump and plow right into him, but I could never get past him. :) It was the perfect way to work out my little kid energy!

He even has "Play" tattoed on one hand. How can kids resist that? ;) They love him so much, too. It makes my heart full and happy.

Quote of the Day:
"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." -Marc Brown

song Rush, Tom Sawyer