Mexico!!!

Okay, I'm finally getting around to the recap of Mexico!  This is going to be a bit long so I don't plan on editing this post, I'll probably just type it up and hit publish.  We stayed at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya (which deceivingly is actually in Playa Del Carmen).  It was a great location!  Very close to Playa, right on the beach and close to the ferry that takes you to Cozumel!  The resort itself is an all inclusive which was great.  The food was hit or miss at the buffets for breakfast/lunch but the dinners were always superb in my opinion. 

The swim up bar is the best for obvious reasons.  You're in the water AND drinking!  :) 

The bartenders were always nice and prompt and would make you ANYTHING you asked for.  We drank countless amounts of pina coladas, miami vices, mudslides, margaritas, etc.  And they would whip up their own concoctions once you got bored of the above!  I think I lived the entire vacation in a constant haze of a buzz.  :)

We flew out there Sunday, March 18th, took a cab ride to the resort (about a 45 min drive from the Cancun airport) and immediately hit the beach.  Kyle lost his sunglasses 2 seconds after entering the ocean.  The waves were intense and I'm not sure we were prepared for that but we were drunk from our flight and van ride (the drivers will stop at the gas station and let you pick up beer if you ask and we totally asked) so we didn't care and jumped right in!

That night we had dinner at the resort's Japanese restaurant.  The sushi was just so-so but the shrimp tempura and chicken teriyaki I had was wonderful!  We ended up calling it an early night since it started raining and we were all a bit bushed from our flights in.

Monday was beach/pool day!  The bars don't open until 10:00 am (gasp!) so the ladies lounged around on the beach soaking up the scenery and reading as the boys waded in the ocean.  Once 10:00 came we hit the pool bar!  We were in there the ENTIRE day.  Water logged, drunk and pruney, we eventually got out to clean up for dinner.  We ate at the resort's Brazilian steakhouse that night.  The best way to explain this place is to compare it to Fogo De Chow.  Endless meats on sticks coming at you (that's what she said).  Again, very tasty!  We enjoyed some of the resort's night time entertainment (80's night!) and went to bed fairly early again that night.  We were exhausted since we'd been drinking since 10 am and, who are we kidding, we aren't kids anymore.  Day drinking is great but it rarely leads to all night drinking anymore!  :)

Tuesday Wade and I met up with our friends, Bob and Amy, who just happened to be staying at a resort down the beach from us at the same time.  We took the ferry over to Cozumel and rented mopeds for the day!  SO fun!  Bob and Amy are Cozumel veterans and knew all the good places to stop so we circled the island, which is fairly small, only 9 miles by 12 miles, and made several pit stops. 

Cozumel

Rasta bar

The best place by far was the Rasta Bar.  The view from there was unbelievable, the drinks the tastiest and the fish tacos were the best I'd had.  We stayed there for quite a while before heading off to a couple more stops. 

The scooter gang

By the end of our loop I was feeling pretty dang good (they do not hold back on the drinks they make on the island!) and I got off our moped only to stagger backwards and fall into Bob and Amy's.  Um, yeah, ow.  Mega burn from the pipe is now on the back of my right calf.  Hurts like hell.  But, I was in Mexico and wasn't feeling the pain at that point so oh well! 

We finally made it back to our resort but not in time to join the rest of our group for dinner so Wade and I just hit up the buffet.  I should mention the guacamole and pico here were un-freaking-believable!  I think I ate my weight in that alone.  Could be the reason I came back 2-3 pounds heavier.  Well, that combined w/ a massive amount of drinking.  Ha!

This evening we decided to take a walk down to one of the other Riu resorts in the area, since we had access to all of them with our wrist bands, and go to their disco-tech.  We watched a bit of their evening entertainment before entering the club and then wore out our dancing shoes!  So fun!  We finally made it back to our resort around 2:00 am so we proved we weren't always lame early nighters!

That's a lot of alcohol.

Wednesday we decided to walk into Playa to do some shopping and eat lunch.  Of course being the typical tourists we ate at Senor Frogs.  However, only because we got a coupon for buy 1 round of drinks, get your 2nd round free!  This would be the end of me!  We ordered our drinks and were surprised to see they ended up being yards!  I had ordered a sex on the beach so by the time we started in on the 2nd one I was toast.  We walked the beach back to our resort where I ended up taking a much needed siesta.  One could say I passed out, however I like to say I fell asleep for a bit. 

Dinner Wednesday night was at the resort's steakhouse and we all ordered their surf and turf.  The turf was wonderful however my surf was a bit chewy.  Although everyone else's seemed to be good.  We ordered champagne to toast our last night there and the wait staff was very nice to promptly bring it out.  We chugged that down and then hit the entertainment area for the night which just happened to be a compilation of Michael Jackson songs.  AWESOME.  :)  We danced and drank and drank and danced.  So. Much. Fun.

The whole gang

Ang, Kyle, Andrea and Matt left early the next morning.  Luckily Wade and I's flight was later in the afternoon so we got to sleep in a bit b/c for the first time of the whole trip I was hung over.  We had laughed earlier that we didn't think it was possible to be hung over in Mexico since we were all waking up fine, however I proved that wrong on the last day!  I think it just meant it was time to head home.  I missed my little peanut and was so anxious to see her!

Modeling her new Mexican shirt!

My parents were nice enough to come up to our house to watch her for our entire trip and my dad picked us up from the airport while my mom kept Charlie up so she could see us when we got home.  Her face when she first saw me was priceless!  I loved it!  A complete look of surprise/shock/happiness!  She squealed and ran over to me and then followed me around the rest of the night before she finally went to bed.  I missed that girl so freaking much!  Mexico was/is awesome but nothing compares to my little peanut!

But we did decide that an annual (or at least every other year) trip is needed.  It doesn't always need to be Mexico, but it does need to be somewhere warm where the drinks are readily available.  Those are my only 2 requirements.  I'm easy like that.

Sorry for the long winded recap!  I want to be able to look back on this trip and remember it since so much of it is hazy from constant alcohol consumption.   It was so much freaking fun.  I also decided we have some of the greatest friends ever.  I love you bitches.  :)  xoxo

Kel

A post to hold me over...

We just got back from Mexico Thursday night and I haven't had time to get caught back up on life yet so until then, here are some adorable pics of Charlie.  She had a fabulous time with Omi and Paps while Wade and I were away.  And Wade and I had a fabulous time w/ our friends enjoying the beach, pool and unlimited food and drink.  I'm currently going through detox!  :)

Tickle time!

Showing me her "guns"!

Playing w/ one of the maracas I bought her in Mexico

Trying to climb up the slide

Omi helping Charlie go down the slide

Mommy & Charlie going down!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

We just got back from a trip down to Galesburg to visit the in-laws.  It's always great to get to see them!  Unfortunately Charlie seems to have impeccable timing when it comes to our trips and has now given us all the flu twice while down there!  So we extended our trip by a day so we could fully recover from the bug.  It was awful.  Seriously, getting the stomach flu twice in less than 2 months hella sucks (but I guess if you want to look on the positive side I am now at my goal weight and ready for Mexico).  Ha!

Regardless, before we all got hit with the flu from hell we had a lot of fun!  And luckily Charlie is pretty chill so while she was feeling better from the flu and we were all still immobile she just sat back and hung out!  Thank goodness for Disney movies and cartoons! 

LOVE this adorable outfit I scored for 1/2 off at Target - Harajuku Girls

I swear she's addicted to crackers

We all look pretty good for just puking our brains out.

Anyway, Wade and I are getting pretty stoked b/c in 12 days we leave for Mexico!  Even though our winter up here has been remarkably mild and the temps are now getting into the 50's we are ready for some sun, sand and drinks!  We are lucky that my parents are able to come up here to watch Charlie for the 5 days we will be there and we can fully sit back and relax knowing she is in good hands!  We are in need of a good vacation.  Charlie is the bomb diggity but to be able to get a break is always appreciated (especially when that break comes in the form of an all inclusive resort in beautiful weather w/ some great friends!!)  So needless to say, the only thing on my mind recently is packing and getting everything here at home ready for our trip.  There is a lot to plan once you have a kid to leave them with someone else!  Emergency phone numbers, medicine dosages, how to use the car seat, etc, etc.  I've got a long list of things to remember!

Well, not much else to update on.  I wish I had gotten some more good pics while we were down in Galesburg but I pretty much left the camera in my bag once we all started feeling ill.  Next time...

Later~
Kel

We are family!

Some pics from this last weekend.  My cousin Ben got hitched and we got to see a lot of our family.  It was a lot of fun and so good to see them all!  By the end of the night after drinking wine and beer I thought it would be a good idea to have a Crowne and ginger for some idiotic reason.  Um yeah, not my smartest moment.  This mama can't drink like she used to!  I had a hangover for the better part of Sunday!  Oh well.  It was still a superb night out!

Me & my sis - isn't she the cutest prego lady?

Aunts, Uncles and parents looking fly!

Cutie Langston and my mom

I wanted to eat him up!   Isn't he the cutest?

My cheeseball parents :)

Playing w/ the fish eye lense on my camera - big head, small body!

Kara & Mom

We've got good genes.  :)

Preview...

Just a little "taste" of what's to come. We had a WONDERFUL, fun weekend. I have a gazillion photos to download and edit. I hope to get the post up early this week but until then here is a little tidbit from our weekend. :)
xoxo~
Kellie

Bittersweet

This last weekend we took a long drive down south to Arkansas. In the drive down I saw more mullets than I had in the past year of my life. We also referenced the movie "Deliverance" on more than a dozen occasions. Basically we were in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by inbreds. Could be quite scary at times. But we were down there for a good reason. (And I apologize in advance for anyone who lives down there but you've got to admit, about 75% of the people down there are quite the sight.)

As some of you may recall, my grandpa passed away a year ago in April. We had him cremated and per his request we were going to scatter his ashes over my grandma and uncle's graves down in Arkansas. However, last April I was very pregnant so we decided to wait until later this summer when Charlie was bigger to head down there and scatter his ashes.

We headed down to Des Moines last Thursday night to cut our long drive up a bit. From Des Moines to our destination it was about 9 hours, add on the 3 1/2 from Minneapolis to Des Moines and we've got one hell of a haul. We were nervous as to how well Charlie would handle being in the car for so long but luckily our nerves were unfounded. She did GREAT. We rented a 12 passenger van and all easily fit in there along w/ lots of toys and a portable DVD player so Charlie was always entertained.

Once we reached our destination we hit the pool for a bit, met up w/ my dad's cousin, Mike and his wife, Debbie and got some dinner before crashing early. What is it about long drives that totally wipe you out? I don't get it.

The next morning we headed to the cemetery w/ Pap's cremains. It was bittersweet. He was finally home with his wife and son. It felt good to do but also re-opened the feelings of loss. He was so close to getting to meet his 1st great grandchild. I know he would have loved Charlie.

Not all was sad though. We took a drive through Fairfield Bay which is where he lived for several decades and we talked about memories we had of him and being down there. We'd been driving down there to see him my whole life. That's a lot of memories! We finally ended up at Greer's Ferry Lake which is not only absolutely gorgeous but huge! We rented a pontoon boat, like we had so many other times w/ Paps and took it out on the lake for 3 hours. Charlie loved the boat and the weather was perfect for an afternoon out on the water.

It was a fun afternoon to celebrate Paps and our love for him.

We finally made it home last night and we are wiped. Charlie slept for 11 1/2 hours straight and Kobe was so tired I picked him up and he sagged like a rag doll, so no fireworks for us unfortunately. Besides the illegal ones we picked up in Hillbilly, Missouri on our drive home. :)

Charlie was not impressed w/ the gigantic sparkler. She was however impressed w/ Kara's sunglasses. Maybe next year... :)

Later~

Kellie

Nothing but happiness!

I've been behind on blogging! Kara and Todd's wedding reception was 2 weeks ago. They got married in Puerto Rico in January and then had a reception back home in Des Moines April 30th.

Isn't this picture gorg? Perfection!

Anyway, the reception was absolutely perfect! The ballroom was gorgeous, the beer and wine were flowing, the food was delicious and there was all kinds of dancing and fun! One thing is for sure, we have some great friends and family and we definitely know how to have a good time!

Charlie was the flower girl even though she didn't make it to the actual wedding in Puerto Rico and didn't do anything w/ flowers or anything else other than go to the reception. But wasn't she an absolute doll!?!? She looked so perfect! And she made it until about 9:00 at the reception before having a small meltdown. It all got a little overwhelming for her when she got tired. She got to meet so many people though and was a big hit! :) Other than that I'll let the pictures show the rest. We had an absolute blast and wish Kara and Todd nothing but the best in their promising future together. They are perfect together and I love my new brother in law!!!

My dad knows how to party - it's in the genes. 4 of the 5 bridesmaids - We rock. Continuing the party back in our hotel rooms. Just cause the party ended doesn't mean we stop! :)
The happy couple
Great family!
Getting warmed up on the dance floor
The greatest girlfriends on earth!

A GREAT evening!

*****************

In other news, Charlie's first tooth broke through the surface on Thursday! Her lower right tooth is the first to show it's top (although it isn't showing much yet) and she's been a trooper through it all! She's definitely drooling more than normal and chewing on EVERYTHING and is a little more clingy than usual but other than that you wouldn't even know she was teething! Such a good girl! I can't wait for it to come out more and see that cute little tooth. When it does I'll be sure to post some cute toothy grin pictures! :)

I totally suck. Help me NOT suck.

Team FMS 2010 (Charlie's in the fat belly)

Yikes! I've totally become a slacker this year! I'm participating in the MS Walk again and I've got less than 3 weeks to try to reach my fundraising goal for it. Please help if you can. Just think if ALL my readers contributed just $1.00 I could raise like $7.00! :) But seriously, any little bit helps and I appreciate it with all my heart. As does my friend Katie who I walk for. She's proof that positive things come from these fundraisers b/c thanks to the donations the MS Society raised she is on a new drug that has helped keep her MS symptoms away! Not a cure but getting closer and it's all thanks to donators like YOU! These scientists couldn't search for a cure without that moolah!


Charlie will be joining us this year for her first time doing the walk out of the womb. She went with us last year but she just doesn't know it. :) And of course little Kobe man will be joining us as well and will probably army crawl the entire way through the grass and make us be the last ones to finish. (Or maybe we're always the last ones to finish b/c we always start late??? Whatever.)


Also this year since I'm not pregnant I can enjoy my Arbor Mist in my water bottle again! Hooray!!! Keeping the world classy since 1979. (Yes, I'm old.)

So please consider making a small donation and if you do I will linky love back to you, just be sure to let me know your blog address.

My donations page

Thanks a million from me and everyone else out there affected by MS!