Cozumel

My sister Aon, M, C & I took a trip snorkeling to Cozumel. (B wasn't feeling good so Aon took her spot.) We had a great time. I can easily see how this is some of the best coral reefs in the world. Unfortunately most of our underwater pics didn't turn out very well but I'll probably do a post of some of the fish and fauna just off the resorts beach then multiply that by 1,000 and you get the amazing amounts and varieties of fish, coral formations, plants, shells etc. I would highly recommend it to anyone who ever gets a chance to go. It is SOO worth the money.





M enjoying the ride to the south end of the island where we were diving / snorkeling. In the distance you can see one of the 4 monster cruise ships that were docked in Cozumel.

Aon enjoying the sun. (In the background you see how the weather was just starting to change. It was overcast and sprinkled on us for 20 seconds in the morning. In the afternoon, it was fabulous.)

As you can see, the company and area were one of the best. (They were voted a few years ago in the top 10 best dive resorts in the world.) This Iberostar resort where we had lunch and got our gear at is a sister resort to the one we stayed at and the same dive company (dressel) operates out of both. Most of their employees speak at least English and Spanish. Most are from Europe and are fluent in several others. (Our friend, Helena from the Netherlands, spoke 5 languages.)

Cozumel Light House.

Ferry terminal at Playa del Carmen which is just about 10 minutes North where our resort was. I loved the whole idea of an arched entrance. So pretty and quaint.

Jet Lag

I was hoping to spend the day getting some projects done around the house, go to church, box up some stuff that needs to be shipped, rant at the airlines, get unpacked, unwind and blog a little. But I feel really yucky again today. I've been battling an inner ear infection for the past couple days and it has really come at me today. I feel seasick and the world keeps spinning at odd times. So I haven't done much at all - did a little grocery shopping and tried to find some boxes but both endeavors were not met with much success. I'll have to see if I can get into Kasier on my lunch hour for an appointment to get some meds and get the boxes at work tomorrow so I can ship my project. Rats! I really don't like this feeling and had such high hopes for today.
Double and triple rats!!

Bocci Ball Anyone?

We learned how to play bocchi ball. It was a lot of fun....and I'm not just saying that because I won either. (that definitely helped since I come from a very competitive family) I also want to note that we were playing against several other people.




I'm throwing one of my killer "right over the yellow ball for 3 points thank you very much" throws.













C went for the rocket strategy...Just blast it down there and see what happens.












B was all about finese and strategy. She made a lot of good moves blocking the other teams from scoring.

Fun in the Sun

Here's just a few of the activities we enjoyed at the resort.

Free scuba lessons in the pool. We all loved it and had a blast. We were too busy to get certified, but it'll definitely be on my list of things to do in my life. (Guess it's only fair since I got to cross off a three of them during this trip.)








B and C playing in the tide pools and exposed reef area of the beach. They did this for hours. They found lots of critters - snails in shells, crabs, sea urchins, fish, star fish etc.












Arturo and Cesar lead water aerobics every day in the main pool. The kids all did it several times. I was on vacation, so I admired their dedication from my lounger with a frosty drink in my hand.












B with the cool shell she found. The beach was littered with them. I also loved the limestone. I wish I would have taken a picture of the bathroom walls in the airport. There were so many fossilized shells, fish and plants in the big slabs of "tile". It was very cool.














C enjoying the dragon slide.














The kids and I enjoying the warm tropical waters.















M enjoying some snorkeling. Later she borrowed and rented better gear.













C found another treasure of the beach.

The resort had a lot of activities for the kids. This is Artruro - aka Flash and Cesar as Superman. They were rounding up the kids so that they could start the Water Olympics.

Resort

Here's some pictures of our resort.
We got upgraded from the Barcelo Maya Colonial to the Barcelo Maya Palace. It was so beautiful. This section of the hotel resort just opened this year. It was absolutely gorgeous.

This is a picture of our resort from our beach.

The kids on one of the bridges that spanned one of the 5+ pools.

Our room ....8728.

The courtyard out side our room in the Oaxaca section of the Palace.

The kids water park. I loved the water dragon slide because of the water shooting out of it's nostrils.

Since it was all inclusive. We could order anything from the bars (well kids had virgin drinks) But they definitely because addicted to strawberry dacquiri's while there. B is ordering one. The swim up bar had the best service. I really liked their "dirty monkeys' but the main bar in the lobby had the best mojitos I've ever had. They were fabulous.

Picture of our beach from the resort.

Our beach was absolutely gorgeous. I took this picture and it looks like it is out of a company brochure. The water was great. There was lots of sand. Amazing snorkeling with tons of fish on the reefs. There were even sea turtles that hung out there every day. The brown pelicans dive bombing for fish just feet away from the people was also fun to watch.

1220

1,220
That's the number of pictures I've taken in the last 8 days. (plus a couple of video clips) I'll try to post some of my favorites.

I know I've been a bad blogger, but for a good reason. I've been in Cancun, Mexico at my brother's wedding. M & S got married on at sunset on the beach on Thanksgiving Day. It was absolutely gorgeous and perfect ~ full of laughter, a couple of tears and breathtaking beauty (the scenery paled in comparison to the bride).

The kids and I left early Friday, November 21st and stayed until Saturday, November 29th. It was so much fun!!! It was jam packed with new experiences and adventures for us all. We did a couple things I've always wanted to do - visit a Mayan ruin and snorkeling somewhere beautiful. There was also "down time" at the resort - if you can call it that with all the activities we did.

Bad Blogger

It's been absolutely crazy this week. Since I'm not sure when I can write again- I'm just going to jot down my thoughts and grammar be damned.

I'm so happy football is over (at least for we concessionaires) - The team plays again Saturday night in some other town. Saturday, the kids and I worked there from 10am until 5pm - which makes for a long day. Luckily, it was sunny and absolutely gorgeous - perfect weather for a football game. The worst part for me was that we haven't had a really cold snap yet and so the yellow jackets were still out and onery. (one bit and stung me several times behind my right ear.) ouch!!

We have been cleaning house (Fall seasonal cleaning) and I'm trying to get organized. M is working several days after school cleaning out stalls at a local stable. She is liking it - especially since they're going to let her ride / excercise a couple of the horses. They were drooling over her beautiful posture.

I have to tell you....I know M is a pretty good athlete and a pretty fast runner. Today in PE, their class had to run a mile on the dike and be timed. She ran it in a little over 6 minutes. (WOW!!!) Then they sent her back to hurry up the slow pokes.

B entered some of her photos in the Longview Camera Club Photography contest a couple weeks ago. She didn't win anything. (There were some AMAZING pictures.) One of the guys from the camera club was there and discussed her photos with her and explained what she could do better and what the judges were looking for. She has fabulous composition in her photos. She just really needs to photoshop her work and get a better camera. (photo shop your work? It seems wrong - like cheating to me, but I guess it's the new standard.)

C has been having fun with scouts. Soon I'm sure he'll hit you up for one of their popular fundraisers....Christmas wreaths...so if you want one let him know. We'll ship it to you.
He's also discovered that he has muscles...and has been flexing his biceps a lot lately. He loves to play the wii. I love the fact that most of the time, my kids will reach for the remote to play wii instead of watch tv. (it is so heartening)

So far, I still have a job. They announced on the radio that the county has a $5.8million buget shortfall. They figure that at least 36 people will be laid off by the end of the year. Cross your fingers for me. It's going to be ugly. So on top of all that... Right now I'm really stressed at work. My coworker is on vacation and so I am the only one to do dockets. I'm having several different kinds of computer problems so I can't use or access several programs that are critical for me to do some of my work - like updated revenue projections for the remainder of 2008 and burning cds for some appeals. I'm trying to work on a couple of my interpreter cases. I won't know until Thursday about the status of this really big assault case with native Mayan interpreters (up to 6 interpreters may need to be used for this trial). The prosecutor is asking for it to be set over, the defense is objecting and so I wait....I have lined up the Spanish interpreters for the other trial going on Monday. I have an ASL (sign language) divorce / custody case set for Friday and sure hope the parties show up with their interpreters. This couple is infamous for it. I can't have any thing go "sideways" on me. I try to keep on top of all the interpreter cases, but I'm always afraid I'll miss one and then I'll be in deep kim chi. Just as I was getting ready to log off for the day - I got 3 emails requesting information / new projects that are rather large in scope and need my help ASAP. (budgetary matching monies for state programs and forms to be translated into Spanish. ) aahhh!

Well, I'm really tired. I'll try to post something tomorrow night if I'm not too busy. The next week or so, I'm going to be a REALLY bad blogger, but I promise I'll do more after all my 'family obligations' during Thanksgiving.

The is NEAR!!!!

Hurray!!!! Tomorrow is the last Castle Rock Football concession stand I have to work this year. The game starts at "Rocket Stadium" at 1pm and it is supposed to be a perfect day for a game. (Mostly sunny but not too hot or cold, so it'll be nice weather to stand outside and sell cheeseburgers for 4 hours.) We have to be there at 10:30 to set up and stay for the duration. (At least I'm getting credit for all 3 shifts for Megan and I so that will definitely help me out.) My mantra right now is "Money for Camp." It's fun and I really enjoy it, but definitely cuts into a lot of family time. So I'm glad it's coming to an end.

Since I'll be really busy tomorrow and won't get to watch much of the game....
Go Rockets! Hope you win and go all the way.

Improve Your Writing

I came across a really cool blog last week. I love the concept and have started doing it every day when I can. Cut and paste the link for the web address. (I'm just tired enough that I don't want to deal with creating a link just this minute. Sorry! I'll do it later this weekend.) It's well worth the extra little effort. Believe me! This site is becoming one of my all time favorites!! I'm trying to excercise as Hercule Periot puts it "my little gray cells." Try it! It's addicting!!!


oneminutewriter.blogspot.com

Happy Veternan's Day

Hurray!! It's Veteran's Day (aka Armistice Day). I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the veteran's and all those who've served in the armed forces through out the years. I appreciate your service and sacrifices you've made for our country and especially for the WWII vets and those currently serving now. (The 54th Medical Air Brigade out of Fort Lewis also has a special place in my heart.)

My hubby was in the National Guard for 12 years and luckily got out a year or so before the current wars started. His unit has been called up twice for active duty since then. (They're being redeployed again to Iraq. They left for 'training' in May so any day they should be shipping out for another very long 12-15 month tour.) I try to support the families who've been left behind while the Guardsmen have been deployed but in my mind it always seems inadequate. I always pray for their safe return and that their families find the strength and help they need until "Daddy" makes it home safely. So far none of my kids' friends have suffered any casualties and hope it remains so.

Speaking of inadequate.... I never truly understood until the past year or so, the absolutely horrific nature of the Pacific theater of WWII. (Where was Ken Burns and Flag of Our Fathers when I was growing up?) All my history books focused on the European front with a page or two saying the war was also going on in the Pacific Ocean and that the war slogged on for X number of months until the atom boms were dropped. Yes, today (11/11) is the anniversary of when the Japanes surrendered to the United States and officially ended that terrible war. (That's why Veteran's Day is not on a convenient Monday.) I hope it always stays on it. Again.... Thanks Veterans!!!!!

TSO Rocks!

This Sunday, the kids and I went to the TSO (Trans Siberian Orchestra) concert in Portland. We took my sister Aon, and met some of my friends. We actually had pretty good seats though they had one bank of lights aimed at our eyes so there were a couple songs I "watched" with my eyes closed, but was still blinded.

You ask, "So how was it?" It was a TSO concert - need I say more!!??!! (My good friend, M, and I have gone to the last 3 concerts, so I'm beginning to feel a bit of an expert. So here's some of my "expert" comments.) This year there was an excessive amount of special effects - not that that's bad or any thing! This is the perfect "rock" concert for kids to go see. It is G to PG rated and has all the trappings of a real rock concert. The first half of the show is dedicated to their Christmas story about an angel on Christmas Eve. The second half is usually just awesome rock concert jam session. It's pretty fun to watch them. I love the dueling pianos and violins and the color changing fireballs. (How DO they do that?)

Ususally the concert is in early December and it always puts me in a great mood for the season. I never can listen to Carol of the Bells or Beethoven's 5th the same way now. I really like their work, but this year was very different... It was a little disconcerting to be thinking about Christmas in early November. And really there was a very excessive amount of pyrotechnics, lasers and every kind of light display you could think of. But still very exciting and fun! My sister even liked it. (Well, we'll see how much by if we can convince her to go back with us next year....)

(They had lots of new band members, so some of my favorites were performed differently and the real exciting performer of the show - the lead guitarist, shattered his knee and blew out his ACL during a concert a couple days prior, so he wasn't energetically running and jumping around the stage and the coleseum like usual. )

You've probably seen this video (one of my kids' all time favorites) but this Christmas Light Show is set to TSO's "Wizard's of Winter". (Just to give you a flavor of the music.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks

Afterwards, we went out and ate Thai food at one of Aon's neighborhood restaurants. Yum!! It was sooo good! We got 4 or 5 different dishes and shared. Then we got 3 different desserts which the five of us also shared. A great night and A GREAT TIME!!!! If you get the chance, I encourage you to get tickets and go enjoy a TSO concert - especially if you have kids. They' love the green lasers, the fireworks, the fireballs and the snow and of course the music. - Just don't forget the earplugs!!!!

Election Fraud

I am truly excited to hear the results of the election - not just the results of the candidates and the issues at hand, but the amazing turn out precentages. I remember when the United States was ridiculed by countries and citizens who would give anything for the rights we squandered by our dismal election results. Sometimes, I remember watching the news late at night (back when they had the courtesy to wait until the polls closed on the West Coast before calling the election), it would only be 30% of the registered voters who would cast a ballot on election day. An amazing election was if you could get turn out in the mid to upper 40's. I am so excited to hear that the turn out was the highest it's ever been. One report I heard from one of the Portland TV stations, was that 82% of the voters turned out in Oregon. 82%!!! I am truly in awe!! That is just so amazing!!

In Washington, 'vote by mail' is allowed. In Cowlitz County, I'm sad to say: it's our only voting option. I know that it's a cost savings not to have polling places open and supposedly it makes it easier for people to vote, and definitely makes the Auditor's job easier in the counting of the ballots. But....
I hate it!!!! I feel so cheated. It feels fraudulant to me, and I long for the good old days.... I truly LOVED going down to my local precinct and voting in the little partitioned booth. There's just something so patriotic about sliding that secret ballot (with the little chads ticked out) into that big metal ballot box. I miss taking my kids with me and givng them a civics lesson while we stood in line. I miss showing them (leading by example) what it means to be a citizen of the United States and the duties and responsibilities that come with all the privileges and freedoms we enjoy. I voted today at my kitchen table and quickly dropped off my ballot in a curbside dropbox on the way to the girls' concert. It just doesn't elicit the same patriotic feelings (more like paying the water bill). I feel "progress" has cheated me out of one of my simple joys in life.
I may have to start a petition to bring back the beloved polls, because I want to vote the good old fashioned way!!!! Anyone else feel the same?

Costumes

Here are the kids with one of B's friends who came trick-or-treating with us. Due to tight timing, his parents dropped him off at our house and the poor guy had to endure the onslaught of the flash bulb (nearly blinded him) and admire Queenie's outfit (several times - she insisted). The other kids who trick or treated with us met us in town in front of City Hall.

M is a glamorous beauty queen. (Wow!)





B is a wood fairy (very pretty)






C is Darth Vadar (I just love that cheesy grin!)

Howl-o-ween Pictures

B's dog, Queenie, LOVES her little princess outfit. She was so proud of herself and was preening prancing all over the place. It was pretty funny to see. As soon as I started taking pictures of the kids, the Queenster would go sit by them and pose. I couldn't get her out of most of the pictures. (So I have a lot of pix from the waist up.)







The kids thought it was really funny.
You can actually see her smile here.
She is so proud and wants to show off.
















Finally, I relented and took a picture with her pretty princess outfit. Ahh so cute.

Card Shark Alert

So I just couldn't figure out how my 11 year old daughter was kicking my butt in a game of gin rummy. She won 7 hands in a row! B is a still beginner - just recently learned how to really knock effectively. Now I'm a pretty good gin player unless the 'rubber railroad rules' are in play. (Railroad enigeers and conductors have their own rules that bend to fit the occasion, so beware if you find yourself in a game with them!!) B also beat my sister Aon by over 400 points. (Aon is also no slouch when it comes to gin.) After the 7th game, I wanted to see where the card was that I had been waiting for most of the game, so I went through the remaining deck. It wasn't there! I then checked the whole deck. No seven of hearts!! I counted the whole deck and there were only 48 cards!! No wonder!!! Mystery solved. My is gin rummy reputation restored.
So that glorious winning streak, will be like Barry Bonds' home run and have a big * next to it in the gin rummy hall of fame.