mazatlan with friends

tuesday:
arrival in mazatlan about 1pm, and we had the whole top floor of a double decker bus to take us to the resort. it was a very informative trip, thanks to a lovely lady, Kyky (kiki), who met us at the airport and was both an escort and tour guide on our way there. the kids had a blast sitting at the very front and had an up close view of where we had ended up.

ahhhhhhhh hotel. this was our tiny deck off our room, overlooking the pool, snack bar and a somewhat ocean view. we could hear the waves crashing on the beach at night, and i had a hard time getting to sleep at night when we got home - it was too quiet!



wednesday:
el patio -this was our favorite spot for breakfast. it was on the land side of the resort, across the street. we were able to order breakfast a la carte, and it was just fantastic. the guys that looked after us over there were amazing - pictures of them later. it was a quiet little restaurant, and we were surprised there weren't any more people over there. most of the time it was less than half full, and we only missed breakfast there 2 of our 10 days.

this was one of the coolest things at one of the pools - a cliff to jump off of! the kids had a ball with it, and if we had to ever guess where they were, this was it.




city tour- we had agreed to attend the dreaded timeshare presentation in exchange for a city tour on a trolley bus, as well as credits towards an island tour. we had a fantastic tour guide who told us about all we saw. we opted to go on wednesday afternoon at 4:30 as we didn't have any dinner plans at that point, and the weather was a bit cool that day.

in picture - ds2, dh, friends j & l.

along the malacon there are alot of different pieces of artwork representing various aspects of mazatlan culture and history. this is a pulmonia, an open air taxi that tourists quite often opt to use instead of a traditional taxi or bus. they come equipped with LOUD stereos, and their horns make all sorts of crazy noises.

as the sun goes down fairly early (5:30-ish) we hit the sunset as we were on our tour. these dolphins were part of a larger statue, representing the cycle of life.

this guy is one of the divers that entertains the tourists - for a tip. (tips are a HUGE thing LOL- tipped to death i tell ya!) he jumps off a natural store tower to the side of this square.




pretty amazing stuff - and rather enterprising if nothing else. the depth of the water is only about 12 feet where he goes it.


this is the highest accessible point in mazatlan, and a restaurant over looks the city. its a rather interesting view, and gives you a better sense of just how large mazatlan is.

thursday:
ah yes, the timeshare presentation. we did get to see some show suites with fantastic views of the ocean and beach. the rest of our day was spent by the pool and the beach, as it was sunny and hot.

friday:
we decided to take a trip to old mazatlan and the downtown quarter. the easiest, cheapest and most fun way of getting there was these trucks. the back end of small pick ups are converted to people movers, and 10 of us fit very comfortably. they are covered, and come equipped with driver operated stereos. we did hear some rather odd stuff on this one! for 80 pesos (about $8 canadian) one way, we had our transportation.

a quick stop along our walk, we had a drink at one of the sidewalk restaurants. pacifico beer for 120 pesos ($1.20) and lemonade for 150 pesos.

the circus was in town (apparently - we didn't go) and we saw the animals go by down the street, with a police escort and loudspeakers advertising the show.

the old market - ok, a little gross, but i spoke to one of the butchers and asked what is done with a pigs head. it is used to make posole - a type of corn soup. it sounded good, but i don't know if i could actually handle the pig's head myself!

this is one of mazatlan's landmarks - the cathedral in the historic part of town. when it was being built, the church had run out of money, so the jewish people helped by contributing the remainder of the money for construction. interesting to note that because of that, the stained glass windows at the very top had the star of david imbedded in them. it was absolutely beautiful and quiet inside.

the main square across from the cathedral, where open air concerts are held on friday nights (didn't get there either LOL)

we thought this was just hilarious!!! our best guess without a translator is that people need to pick up after their dogs!!

walking towards the ocean, this street takes the sidewalk almost a storey up over road level. it made for an interesting perspective.

saturday:
b was not feeling well, so i stayed behind with him while the rest of the crew went to el cid marina to check it out. apparently you can't fish there...

another pool with cliffs to jump off of... i bet the kids were itching to do just that!

looking out to the ocean...

the little bit of beach at that resort, but no ocean access...

pool view from the hotel side...

wouldn't you just love to have flowers like these at home??

luxury golf cart transportation...

sunday:
was spent on the beach/pool. no pictures to post from that day
monday:
back over to the marina for our day out to stone island. this pelican was quite funny to watch. a fellow had some fish sitting on the dock, and she was quite adamant that she would get some! she was also quite pretty, with bright feathers on her head.


out at sea! we took our tour on a trimaran. j was not quite the sea man he thought - he has his mother's tummy and did not get his sea legs!

this little outcropping in the water (a good km or 2 off shore) was a great place for these sealions to hang out and sun themselves. one of them even waved! HA!

this was NOT the boat i would have chosen to go anywhere on... especially with that name! LOL

one of the places that could be rented on stone island - with a beautiful garden and the ocean across the street.

coconut grove - we couldn't see where it ended!

off for a horseback ride!

view of the beach from the restaurant/base where we spent our time there.

j & s kayaking - they went almost all the way out to the island in the background!

j - on our way back

dinner!! this was the mexican restaurant, and we had a super dinner! amazing homemade tortillas made to order as quesedillas or tacos.

j being silly - he wanted the lampshade for a hat LOL

just one of the silly signs we saw that something was lost in translation...
tuesday: another day on the beach or by the pool. no pics to share!

wednesday:
view of the snack bar in the morning...

off we went on another red truck to the aquarium. the white castle looking thing in the background is valentino's - the "cootchie cootchie" bar that is hopping on the weekends.

a view out over the roof of the truck.

our driver that morning...

our visit to the aquarium was probably the most expensive thing we did on the whole trip - just over $30 for the 4 of us to go to. it was very well kept and maintained. we also found it interesting that the majority of the people working there were handicapped in some way. alot of down's syndrome or other issues, but they were all very pleasant and helpful and looked super smart in their uniforms.
there were a number of exhibits that were very interesting. everything from birds to crocodiles! check out those teeth!
sea turtles
everyone taking a look
frogs
rays
sharks
sea tortoises
toucans! i loved these guys!
parrots in the open exhibit - we were able to go into a huge enclosure and wander around with the bird.
funky chicken

sea lion show - this was very cool!
sea lion fishy breath kisses LOL


outside the aquarium
doing the macarena on the red truck home - we laughed and laughed - and attracted alot of attention!! there was also the chicken dance too LOL
a picture perfect view...
tequila volleyball in the pool
our last night, as we went over the bridge to the sushi restaurant...

senor frogs was also at the bottom of our hotel.
thursday morning:
time to go home, and one last breakfast at el patio. the green juice is cactus juice, a pleasant discovery that ricardo started feeding us a couple days before we left (to lose the extra weight we gained on the trip!! LOL) the cook was also awesome and gave us some well wishes on our cheesecake... (it says nice trip)

our awesome chef that made our yummy breakfasts in the morning - ricardo called her the "fat lady" and dh called him on it - "she doesn't speak english, does she??" LOL

ricardo (left) and ramon, our awesome servers who made our the start of our days just amazing.

ricardo giving dh a little loving...


these two were such hams - they made us laugh and were the best of the trip.

the tide was super high most mornings, coming all the way up to the beach loungers...

dh & ds1 enjoying the view...


rested, relaxed and tanned... and very reluctant about taking off the bathing suit in exchange for jeans and a sweatshirt!

an over the shoulder shot of everyone in the van on our trip to the airport.


ROFL - this guy looked like he was taking a piddle!

the company that dh works for has an outlet in mazatlan.... hmmmm... maybe he should be asking for a transfer??


the end!! thanks for taking a look!

home again!

fantastic 10 days away from home, spent on the gold coast in mexico. mazatlan was a pleasant surprise! it is a sprawling city that is well suited to exploring. we went on a couple of tours, the best being a city tour, with a great commentary by the guide. it gave us an idea of what else we wanted to see more of, and where to go that was tourist friendly. being there were 10 of us all together, it was a great way to find out what we could do at a reasonable cost.

more on that to come! i'll need to download pics to blogger, and we all know how long that can take. and since there are more than 400 that i pulled off my camera tonight, i have to do some selective weeding. i do have to say there are even more pictures than we usually take, and that is something i'm impressed with!

but here's a good funny for you - we arrived back in calgary close to midnight, and having pre-arranged our pick up time with the cab company in strathmore, we weren't too concerned about having a ride home. we zipped through customs (amazing!! 15 minutes and we were through!) and proceeded to the waiting area. after a short time, i suggested to dh that perhaps he call to find out how long they would be as we were through customs so quickly.

they hadn't left strathmore yet as they had written down our arrival time to be the same time as when we had left.

urgh.

so buddy hustled his butt and was out to the airport in less than half an hour (a feat in itself, he said he was doing a buck 45 down the back road!!!)

arriving back to town, we dropped our friends off at their house first, and then had a bit of a panic when we got to the house and found that our front porch was gone.

with no stairs to the front door.

oh yes, the contractor had been by and taken down the porch. and we had no back door key with us.

LOL it was a bit of a heft to get up the 3-ish feet to the door, and haul the luggage up as well (there is still alot of snow around the side of the house, so that was not a great option at 2:30 in the morning!)

so this is what the front yard looks like today:
and i've just now noticed that my christmas wreath is still hanging on the front door!! OMG that is just not good!! i'll have to take that down tomorrow!

and here's a teaser for you - an actual PICTURE of ME!!!

these were both taken on the catamaran that we went out touring on. it was a beautiful day to be out on the water!


more to come... stay tuned!

whine and moan

well, i'm there. i've lost just over 40 pounds since september. and i've made my goal. i am sticking to my weight loss plan for the next couple of weeks yet, as best i can, while we're on holidays. (not because i want to lose more, but because the plan i'm on has a 6 week stabilization part to it that will be better to start once i get back) does it feel good? oh yes. but that good feeling makes it hard for packing as very little of what i own for summer clothing fits anymore. and i know i shouldn't whine about the whole thing, but it is rather disheartening to put on something you liked, and made you look good before, and now it just hangs like a bad set of curtains.

so that has left me with 1 dress that i happened to find as a "one off" on sale between christmas and new years. shorts that are large, but i can get away with as long as i don't make any sudden movements for them to fall down. 2 pairs of capris that have a baggy bum. there is nowhere to purchase shorts at this time of year! i even had my eye on a pair of sandals from sears, called them, (this was last weekend) and they told me it would be well toward the end of the month before they arrive. huh?? the new catalog just came out!!

i have managed to find some tank tops and 3 super cute roxy t's found their way into my shopping bag yesterday.

and another lady i know that lost a good amount (more than 70!!! lbs for her) is throwing a bag of goodies my way to borrow for holidays. i'll be picking those up today.

so hopefully i won't look too pathetic for the 10 days we're away. at least i have bathing suits that fit!

(yes, it is a shameful whine, and i'm sure some of you are thinking some nasty thoughts, and i totally appreciate that. i just never thought in my life that i could actually do this! EVER.)

we're less than 48 hours to boarding our plane for our getaway. the kids are packed (i'm usually scrambling around the night before), dh has got his act together, i'm the only one left.

things to do:
change our bed
clean the carpets (i know this sounds ridiculous, but then my housekeeper can get some other much needed things done when we're away)
write notes to the schools re: the kids absence
last minute laundry
make sure i leave a cheque and list for my housekeeper
drop the dogs at the kennel tomorrow after work
lock the doors (we're really really bad for that!!)

the cab arrives at 3:45 am on tuesday for us to take off!

have a great sunday!

feeling a bit ill

because i can't find one of my work file folders. the last time i know i had it in hand was on thursday. what that means is that a bunch of work stuff i got done in the last few weeks is MIA. ugh. and i have due dates this friday. if i don't find it in the next 24 hours, i'll have to redo what i did before then. feeling just a bit like the universe is working against me, this is the second "lost" thing in the last couple weeks. (the other being my photoshop disk)

on a nice, happy note - dh and i went for pedicures tonight. what a lovely couple hours! our tootsies are polished and buffed and scrubbed and flip-flop worthy.

1 more week...

so here is dh loving the massage chair... pic(s) of the day

pics of the day...

ok, nothing fancy, just don't feel like doing much of anything to these yet. the good news is that they are taken and posted. i'll give you a little recap though:

January 5...
came home to find the cookie plate had been ransacked by the dog. apparently the chocolate ones were not to his liking. his loss... note the dog hair all over the table. he must have sat up there enjoying his goodies!! (i did find a snickerdoodle buried in the living room curtains. maybe that was his stash for later!!)

January 6...
here's a sneak peek of me!! LOL i thought it would be kind of neat to capture my "new" shadow, against some pristine snow. i couldn't find a great patch anywhere *sigh* and the sun was getting kind of low - so my shadow is very warped lengthwise. *and* it looks like someone is poking me with a stick, even though i was very much alone!!

January 7...
there had been alot of fog overnight and through the day, resulting in amazing hoarfrost both out where we live as well as in the city. this was the best pic i managed considering how overcast it was. this was down near the river in the city at a great park, but i didn't want to wander too far in a skirt, not to mention the wind was crazy cold. lots of people out with their cameras, it was breathtaking!


January 8...
so now that everyone in our house is on to the pic of the day, the camera is often on the kitchen table in the evening. and after dinner, dh took this one of ds1. isn't he a handsome guy??!

January 9...
this is the culprit that ate the cookies... looks comfortable up there, doesn't he?? just a little too much so for my liking!


January 10...
oh yes, some weather warm enough to venture outside without freezing body parts in seconds!! the boys were trying to build a snowman in the front yard, but it was just not the right consistency to get anywhere with it.


January 11...
happy birthday to the 4 year olds!! my niece and nephew turn 4 tomorrow, so we went for dinner at my sister's tonight for that. they'd had a great day - their party with their pals this morning, and the rest of us tonight... and there's some bonus photos as well... my sis playing with one of the puppets they got, great giggles on that one..!


that's it, that's all! a week in a nutshell...

have a great week!

i haven't forgotten

about my picture a day. i'm taking them, they're just not getting on my computer.

i've lost my photoshop disk. so i'm taking a break from hunting for it, its making me just that bit crazy. i used it in the not so distant past, but can't find it right now.

if you've seen it, i'm offering a reward....

monday

well, i am impressed, 5 days in, and i've taken a picture everyday. today is a toss up between 2 though, so i'm a bit torn as to which to post. maybe i need a poll LOL and did anyone catch my dating boo-boo?? i put both the 2nd and 3rd in as the 2nd - i need to change that...!

back to work today, and it was a good productive day although i didn't get in to as many stores as i was hoping to. the people i deal with were all in great moods, and extra chatty. along with an hour i spent talking to another sales rep from another company who happens to deal with some of our product in a back door sort of way. (but i'd rather have a rapport with him than argue with him, c'est la vie!!)

up a bit on the scale at my weigh in this morning (.4 of a pound... not much, but enough that it was up rather than down!!) but i'll keep plugging away. also made arrangements with the time i'll be away - i'll have an extra 4 weight loss weeks traded for maintenance weeks so that if i happen to gain a bit it won't be a huge deal, and i won't have to pay for more loss weeks when we're back if i do happen to gain a bit.

the weather has improved dramatically over the last 24 hours - tonight we made a quick wal*mart run, and i was able to go out in just a hoodie rather than the bundling we've been used to the last few weeks. we're hovering just below freezing, with the forecast for more of the same.
the bad news is that there is yet more snow arriving towards the end of the week.

and i'm happy to report that i finally have some music up and running again on my blog - boy have i missed that!! just some stuff that i like, hope you do too!

hope you're having a great day, wherever your travels lead you!

grumpy people

annoy me!! its seems like now that the christmas season is over, more people are just grumpier than ever. and pushy. and shovey. not sure why that is. even driving down the street earlier today, got to the corner and just about got smoked by the guy that lives a few doors down because he cut the corner turning onto our street. or the lady that comes zooming down the alley, only to be surprised that someone else is coming down the road. the dirty looks are amazing. or the pushy people at costco. couldn't even stop anywhere in there today for fear of being run into from behind by a cart. and when they stop dead in the middle of the aisle, with no room on either side to get by, there is a dirty look from them for trying passing them. bleh. grumps go home!! LOL

the boys and i had a good day today, and quite productive. dh had to work today because he let his guys take a break over the last 2 weeks, so he got stuck working today. he was able to come home early, however, and was back in the house by 3.

we went to costco in the city, got a few groceries to tide us over for the next couple weeks, the boys had a hot dog and fries, and we were back home by 1pm. then the kids went to dinosaur hill to toboggan for a while. the weather finally warmed to a balmy -6, enough for them to enjoy some time out there. i got the fridge cleaned out and diswasher emptied while they were gone, and then enjoyed a bit of quiet before all of them were back home. dh got dinner prepped, so all i had to do was cook it, so that was nice. a lovely chicken stirfry with brown rice.

hoping when i go in tomorrow to weigh in, i'll be down a bit more. hopefully only another week (or less!) before i can start my stabilization program, which means i'll have a bit more for food allowance once we go on holidays.

todays photo was taken by ds1 while we were driving on the highway to the city. check out that gorgeous blue sky!! and we could see the mountains as well. if you click the picture, you can enlarge it, and you can make out part of the downtown cityscape of calgary.

have a great night!

quiet saturday

the boys were planning on playing d&d today, so we really didn't have anything on the go. there were no major things to do today, so we went for a tan, and then hung out at home for the rest of the day. again, bitter cold with -40 windchills, makes life outside not pleasant. and that's ok. the boys are enjoying having downtime before they go back to school on monday.

chilly

didn't get too far today, just the necessary grocery run. paperwork day, expense reports, payroll, yada yada.

ds1 is house sitting until sunday - he has been entrusted the care of a lizard (yuck), a cat, and a goldfish. he had to battle a snowdrift that hit mid-leg height to get into the house today, so i shovelled a path in the freezing cold while he tended to the animals.

it is bitterly cold out there, a good -38C windchill. and the snow keeps coming. it sounds like we're in for a bit of a break in the weather by sunday or monday. until then, we'll just keep bundled up.

today's photo from my office looking out the front window...

a quiet start

to 2009

we went to a friend's house for an evening of cards and laughter, a toast at midnight and home around 2am. didn't sleep in too long, but got our projects out of the way mid-afternoon. took the tree down and got laundry folded. dinner out was the highlight of the day, there ended up being 10 of us for dinner at the super chinese food restaurant in town.

weather is miserable, its snowed most of the day, and the roads in town were nasty when we were out earlier.

i'm going to try to do the picture of the day starting with today, although it isn't really a picture, just a simple scan of our fortunes from the cookies tonight. note: if you add the "in bed" clause to our fortunes, dh's is the funniest of all!

happy new year!

its almost over

and quite glad that it is.

its been a fairly busy christmas season for us, and i'm not too sad to be heading back into the routine of everyday life once more. the kids are back to school on monday, and i'll return to a much more normal work life as well.

the weather here has just been something else over the last month. i don't remember having this much snow since i was a kid. and it just keeps on coming down. the streets in town are not in great shape, and i almost got myself stuck in our back alley this morning when i was just a bit too far over off the packed snow. i really need to take a picture to document this abnormal weather. it is just odd!

in other news, and another almost over topic... i am down to my final 3 pounds of my weight loss journey. even over christmas i lost 1.6lbs, which i was totally not expecting. i still had a few glasses of red wine, ate turkey, and had a few bites of holiday baking. no deprevation happened here! i think the big thing for me was that food was not a focus. because i've been eating so low-key for months now, it really wasn't a big deal to not stuff myself until i was uncomfortable. and i still enjoyed it. but i am enjoying my size 8 clothing far more!!

we also in the final countdown for our winter getaway. we're heading off to mazatlan in 20 days. i'm so looking forward to the sun and warmth, its not even funny. i've had a very hard time staying warm the last while... i guess its when i no longer have 37 pounds of fat on my rear end, there is no longer the polar bear effect! the kids are pumped, they only have 2 weeks back at school before we head south.

and, of course, the year is almost over. there have been good things for us the last year, and i hope that the good karma continues. both dh and i have jobs we both love, and that financially has put us in a good position. we should have our reno starting soon on our house. (oh no, that STILL hasn't begun!) the kids are happy and healthy. we're blessed to have great friends in our lives, as well as other positive people surrounding us.

so, to you and yours, a very happy new year, and thanks for taking a peek into my life (as sporadic as it may be). may you also be blessed in the new year.

64 cups, 2 hours and 1 doorknob

for a quiet wednesday, tonight was a good night.

the kids have curling each week, so after making cheese panini's for 3 hungry little boys, i dropped them off at the rink. j doesn't curl until 5:30, so he stayed home to get his homework done. b always brings his buddy from out of town to walk with him,and today there was an extra little boy, but given the weather, i thought a ride over was a good idea.

so anyways, after having wrestled with getting our back door open and closed all day today, i was getting frustrated. when dh wandered in the back after picking j up at 7pm, he closed the door and the knob came right off in his hand. oh yes, that doorknob has been giving us issue for months now. and we had an extra one we had found at a garage sale in the summer as well. it just hadn't been replaced yet.

now it has. after dh couldn't find it in the garage and had a bit of a meltdown (i think he was hungry!! and dinner was sitting on the table!) he replaced it. yay!

so there's the doorknob.

2 hours - the time it took dh to complete a normally 35 minute drive to work in the city. i'm quite glad i stayed put today. the wind and blowing snow were just a bit much for me this morning going to the dr's office, let alone taking on the highway and the treacherous city streets. something like 360 accidents reported between 7pm last night and 10 am this morning. craziness!

after a phone call last week from the school about supplying some treats for the bake sale tomorrow while the christmas concert is going on, i did up a few plates of goodies from my slowing growing stash of baking. i ended up baking off the refrigerator ginger cookies i had put together last weekend as well. and then i thought i should make some caramel popcorn.

now i must say, this is my downfall. and i've been putting it off until now for that reason. i love love love sweet salty food. caramel. oh my. and now that i am so close to my goal, i didn't want to have that temptation in the house.

so i made it. 64 cups of ooey gooey luscious carmelly goodness. and i was good. i only had a taste. ok, maybe 10 single pieces. but that's all. no more for me. some will go to school tomorrow, some for the neighbour, and the rest will end up as snacking goodness over the next week.

but that 64 cups will not end up on my a$$...

i've worked to hard for that!

randomness

oh yes, again, its been a while. so, to update, here are the points of interest in no particular order:

- its freaking freezing outside. gotta love alberta in the winter, although it is far earlier for a winter storm and wind chills of -45C than normal. brrrrr!!

- i am nowhere near started OR finished Christmas shopping with only 12 days to go. i am never this late getting at it!

- a personal journey started about 3 1/2 months ago, i'm working on losing the 40lbs that has been hanging off my a** for the last 13 years. i'm so close, but seeming rather stuck the last couple weeks. down 2 up 1, repeat. less than 10 to go, but its a bit frustrating.

- christmas related, with work, christmas was SO over for me by the beginning of november. i've been working on superbowl and family day weekends for the last month. really. that's probably what half my shopping problem is. i'm already in the future. my sense of time is somewhat warped!!

- 36 days until we head to mazatlan for 10 days. so looking forward to it. we'll be going with the kids, another couple and another mom and her 3 girls. it'll be a fun trip!! we've been talking about another family vacation to mexico, maybe in the summer again. we had such a great time in cancun, and my mom would also like to go there again too...

- my parents are off to puerto penasco for 6 weeks at the beginning of january to officially kick off my mom's retirement. they're driving down, taking grandma, and their molly dog is going as well (oh yes, a 5 day trip with a 160lb rottie will be FUN!)no, she's really a great traveller (the dog) and i'm sure it will be just fine.

- our next non-family trip i'd like to go to either huatulco or acapulco. just that little bit further south. although the beaches in the mayan riviera are far better. and the water's warmer. dream a bit with me!

- i won! really! $500 smackers in a work "contest". for a display. i never win anything, so it was a BIG shocker to me. just in time to buy ridiculously outrageous new bathing suits. like really - $100 for a little piece of material?? drives me crazy. its not cash, but for a gift certificate. i chose the mall. gotta love it.

- still loving work. its going well, and i think our company will ride out whatever recessionary issues there are with few problems. everyone has to buy groceries, and the little food luxuries are things people don't tend to skimp until things are really bad.

- oh yes, the battery died in my beast today. despite all the coddling we've given it up until now, this cold snap was its demise. so dh will bring one home for me tomorrow. oh happy day!! then all the crazy lights won't flash at me in inopportune times any more!

- 3 christmas parties in one week last week. need i say more? diet havoc. cleanse starting tomorrow. come on 10 pounds!!! go away!! LOL

- the boys both had bits to do in the last community theatre project. j had a great part, and b did the lighting. it was really cute, a production of "father knows best" or for the newer generations, the original of the movie "cheaper by the dozen". well done, well attended. and it was a family affair in all - dh and numerous rounded up friends help build the set, and i became part of the costuming crew, sewing one of the girl's outfits. (i *DON"T* sew!)

- attended a family reunion/birthday party for one of my aunts the beginning of november. my dad's side of the family is huge, so lots of visiting with various relatives.

- my parents went to egypt in november. trip of a lifetime. its on my list.

ok, i think that's it in a nutshell...

and once again, i really need to get on this again. life prevails...