Mexico Part 1

Day 1

January 28, 2010. 4:30am. The adventure begins.

Destination: Cabos San Lucas, Mexico

We unfortunately did not have a direct to Los Cabos, so we killed a few hours in the Calgary Airport.

Mid-afternoon we finally touched down in Cabos. We were greeted with a hot temperatures and the sun shining. Our first task was to find a cab driver to take us to our resort. We found transportation to our resort - free transportation, but it required us to listen to a time share presentation for 90 min. They also threw in 3 free whale watching tickets and $100 US cash. Sweet deal. We had been in Mexico only 30 minutes and we were already scoring deals thanks to Kristen. 

Our resort was approximately an hour away by cab, so we ended up saving $85 to and from the airport each way. That in itself made listening to the time share presentation worth it. On the way to the resort we needed to pick up some basic groceries (as we were not staying at an all-inclusive resort), so the cab driver kindly waited for us while we picked up a few things. It was interesting browsing through the Walmart in town - most of the groceries are the same EXCEPT the butter. Do not buy margarine down in Mexico. It was by far the most disgusting thing I have ever put on a piece of toast. It tastes more like chemicals than actual margarine. Just so you know.

Gareth & Kristen outside of the Mexican Walmart.

Next stop: Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Spa and Resort. When we pulled up we were completely awestruck at the beauty of our new digs for the next week. We scored big time. 

This view is from the lobby looking up at half of the resort. There is still another half that is below the lobby. The grandeur of it was incredible.

View from the lobby looking out over the ocean.

View from our balcony overlooking a good chunk of the resort and the ocean. All of the rooms at this particular resort had a balcony that faced the ocean. I thought that was pretty cool. 

By the time 7:30pm rolled around, we were all pretty exhausted from a long day of travel. We thought it best to head to order some food up from the Bistro and head to bed early so that we could wake up at a reasonable time in the morning. 

Our Room:

DAY 2

Gareth and Kristen had agreed the day before to take in another time share presentation at our resort in exchange for $150 credit for food/drink at our resort. Again, it seemed like a no brainer. While they were doing that, I took the opportunity to do some exploring on my own. I wandered the resort and headed down to the beach, which was unfortunately not a swimming beach due to the high tide, the undertow and the huge waves.

The Main Pool

A view from the beach looking up at our entire resort. At this point I was still in awe at the size of this place.

I love this girl. She made traveling a lot of fun!

Gareth was pretty fun too!

For the remainder of the day we hung out by our pool, soaked up some sun and enjoyed every bit of Happy Hour. 

Our first time ordering, we had a little bit of a mix up with our drinks. You see, happy hour included buy one get one free drinks. Kristen and I thought that was a great deal, so we were each going to have a drink. Well, Omar (our wonderful bartender) took that as meaning we each wanted a buy one get one free Cactus Slam. So, in the end, instead of each getting one drink, we enjoyed 2 each. There could be worse ways to start your vacation :)

It was yummy - especially the Mango Daiquiri

Day 3

Day 3 involved yet another time share presentation that all 3 of us attended at another resort. We enjoyed a yummy brunch  followed by a rather intense sales pitch. In the end we walked away with no time share (which was exactly what we were wanting - we were just in it for the free stuff. What can I say, we are mennonites). Apparently I just had to say that I still lived with my parents and the sales people back right off. Sweet.

For those of you who know Kristen, know that she is incredibly organized and likes to have things very clean. Her house is immaculate in terms of cleanliness.

Please note the pictures above and below. This was Kristen's portion of the room with her stuff. Note the unfolded clothes and the disarray. You might also want to note that this picture was taken on day 3. Yup folks, that right. Day 3. Three days had passed and Kristen had not folded any item of clothing. I was so proud of her.

Promptly after taking these pictures, Kristen proceeded to hang up her clothes and put things in drawers. It was lovely to see that Kristen too, can be messy. Love you Kristen!

The rest of the day, again, involved sitting by the pool and taking part in more happy hour. Because we were not staying at an all inclusive, we had the privilege of trying out different restaurants. There is a bunch of Pueblo Bonito resorts in Cabos and when you stay at one, you can go to all of the other ones and eat at their restaurants. Saturday night we thought it might be kind of fun to head over the Rosé Resort for supper. Supposedly they had more of a nightlife and younger scene than our resort (our resort was pretty quiet - definitely an older crowd, but it made relaxing and napping very easy).

At the other resort there were many statues. This one particularly caught my attention. It was a naked man, so naturally I had to pose with it. 

Gareth has this thing where he poses as a mermaid when they are on trips. I'm not entirely sure about the history of this or why it first started, but it was amusing. I went with it and snapped a few mermaid poses of him throughout our trip. This was a side of Gareth I had never experienced before and it was fun. 

The supposed "Night Life" at the Rosé Resort was much to be desired. The lack of night life and activity (ie - volleyball games, poker games, ping pong tournaments, etc) could definitely be improved upon. That was a little disappointing, but not the end of the world. We were still in Mexico in 30 degree weather, so we couldn't really complain. 

Stay tuned for Part 2...

Stop. Breathe.

I have lost track at how many times I have started this post. Seriously. I keep trying to sum up life over the past few weeks and everything I write doesn't seem to sound right or convey what I want it to. Not only that, I have found myself with very little time to actually sit down at the computer for any length of time and write a post. When I got up this morning, I found myself immediately anxious with the list of "To Do's" for the day. I needed to collect my thoughts, take some deep breaths and reflect. So here goes nothing.

January has felt like a whirlwind of activity. I think I can count on one hand how many evenings I actually spent at home, relaxing, nourishing me. I am not one who thrives off of constant activity and rushing around. That is not how I choose to do life. Needless to say, I am feeling tired and worn out. I am beyond exhaustion. The hard part is that the things that have kept me on my feet day after day are all wonderful and great things. I really can't complain because 9/10 of the time these things bring me a great deal of joy. What has definitely kept me going day after day is the fact that in 2 days, at this exact time, I will be sitting on a plane, en route to Cabos San Lucas, Mexico with 2 wonderful people for a week of relaxing, laughing, eating and sunbathing (well, maybe not exactly sunbathing seeing as I probably won't change color from the time I leave to the time I come back, but I can always dream right???). I am anticipating nothing but good things for the week ahead. I can't wait to get there.

At the beginning of the new year I stated that I wanted to want more of Jesus. I wanted to experience him being enough for me. It has been one month in and already, January has been a month of learning I guess you might say, of letting the Holy Spirit lead. I have found myself in a place where I wake up craving the presence of God. I am practicing silence before God rather than spewing off words, in hopes of being attentive to the Spirit's voice, so that when and if I do hear something, that I might also act. Initially this sounds all very good and it is. However, this is a vulnerable and sometimes scary place to be. What if I hear something that I don't want to hear? Can I be bold enough to respond to the leading of the Spirit even if it puts me in uncomfortable and unfamiliar territory? These are some huge questions I am struggling with. I want to think that I would respond with boldness and obedience, but let's face it, I am human and I sin. In the meantime, I have made a list of obstacles/hindrances that might prevent me from not only acting but also hearing from the Holy Spirit. In doing so, I am hoping that when and if I do hear something, I would go through this list and then ask myself if any of these things are preventing me from responding. Even though there is an element of fear in all of this, I must admit there is also a great deal of excitement that fills me. Who knows where God will lead me, but I know that whatever and wherever it is, it promises to be an incredible journey. Then I have to ask myself, how can I not follow?

Well, the coffee pot is beeping, informing me that my coffee is ready. I am going to sit and enjoy my cup for a couple more minutes and then continue onward with the day ahead.

8 Days Left!!!!!

Eeek.

The Countdown Continues

I realized that after I changed the style and layout of my blog, my ticker went away and I forgot to re-add it again. So just in case you were all wondering what the count down to Mexico is, it is,

20 DAYS!!!!!

Yes, in 20 short days Kristen, Gareth and I will be found sipping drinks with umbrellas and laying by the pool. In these next few weeks I still have to find a bathing suit - something I am not looking forward to.

Just Plain Cute

These 2 characters are just too cute for words. I found Norah sitting in her doll crib on New Years Eve. Who says doll cribs are just for dolls.

Hayley loves Norah. I'm sure she can hardly wait until she can do everything that Norah does.

Showing off her dance moves.

This auntie loves her girls!

Cheers to a New Year!

-46 seems like a dreadful way to ring in a new year, however, that also means a day of sweatpants, no showers/getting ready, movie watching, puzzle making and new years cookies. All these great delights make up for the frigid temperatures and make for a lovely way to spend ringing in the new year. Low key. Cheers to that!

2009 was a good year in all I think. It definitely wasn't the best year, but it wasn't awful either. There were wonderful memories and some not so great memories made.

This year I have celebrated with Andrew and Aimee as they welcomed little Hayley into their family, with Don and Lavonne as they welcomed little Teegan into theirs. Mourned and cried many tears with Ken & Sabrina as they said goodbye to Kate.

It's been a challenging and exhausting year in regards to my health - ranging from botox treatments, going off my meds (I think it's safe to say I will never try that again), experiencing some of the worst headaches I have ever had and adjusting to the idea of having this pain be apart of my life for the long haul. At times the lack of progress with my headaches has put a strain on my relationship with God, but I am hopeful that this next year brings with it a game plan so that there can be some peace within my head. I have to hope.

I was talking with my future sister-in-law the other night and we were discussing friends and how hard it is to find friends who will love you and support you no matter what and who accept you for the person you are. As I listened to her talk about friends who have come and gone, I couldn't help but reflect upon the friends in my life and be truly thankful. It makes me sad to think that not everybody has a good group of friends. I have the most incredible group of ladies in my life who are in so many ways more like sisters. They accept all of me - the good, the bad and the ugly. Just thinking about each of these girls makes me teary eyed because I cannot imagine life without them. A week of absence from each other and we experience withdrawal. These girls are amazing. Actually, amazing doesn't do these girls justice - I'm not sure there is any one word that can fully describe how much they mean to me. I could go through each of these women and list off the incredible qualities they possess, but that would take much longer then I have time for right now. Perhaps one day I will be able to sum these fine ladies up for you. I am just so incredibly blessed to have them in my life - to know I can ask them for anything and they will go above and beyond what I need. Kristy, Sabrina, Kristen & Aimee, thank you for being you!

Life with God this past year has been exciting, challenging, frustrating and incredible. When I began 2009 I set some pretty high goals. I desired the Incarnate God. Emmanuel. God with us. I wanted to crave His presence in every aspect of my life. Did I accomplish that? Somedays I did. Somedays I failed miserably. A full year has passed and I still find myself craving that nearness to God. I have so much yet to learn.
2010 will be another year of striving to make Jesus all I want - to have Him be truly enough for me. To be attentive to the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus and have those Christ-like qualities seep out from every pore in my body.

There are good things coming my way in 2010. It's exciting to think about. I am getting a sister-in-law on June 19. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Friesen baby #3 at the end of June/beginning of July. I am impatiently awaiting my trip to Mexico in 28 days. Just to name a few. I have no doubt that 2010 will hold delightful, life-giving moments and I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

So here's to a new year. New beginnings. New chapters and new life. Cheers!

Christmas Festivities

Christmas is officially over. It seems the season has ended just as quickly as it approached. Instead of stores neatly aligned with product, everything appearing to be "perfect", it now is a scene of chaos and disarray as people scramble for the last minute deals. Such a sudden shift.

It was a good Christmas. It was low key, relaxing and exactly what I needed. My family is learning to create new traditions and schedules as we welcome significant others into the mix. Christmas has become a lot quieter than I remember it, but I'm finding that refreshing.

Christmas morning family picture.

This was some of my loot - both from Christmas and Grand Forks. I got some great deals on clothes in the States. It was a very successful shopping trip in that regard. For Christmas I got some great puzzles (yes I am a dork and I love to do puzzles), awesome monkey mitts, an Ingrid Michealson Cd, Starbucks gift cards, an awesome purse, and this great bath scrub that Dominika made for me, my mom and Courtney. It smells amazing. I was very much spoiled this Christmas.

Our Christmas trip down to Minneapolis got slightly altered this year due to the unfortunate bad weather. On the 27th we left the house at 4am, still hoping that by the time we got to Grand Forks, the roads would be opened up. Unfortunately that was not the case. We decided that we were going to make the best of our time in Grand Forks (even though the caliber of shopping does not rank close to that of Minneapolis).
The Canad Inns had rooms available and even let us check in at 7:30am so that we could all get some much needed rest before hitting the stores. Let me just say that if you have not stayed at this particular hotel before in Grand Forks, it is definitely worth it. The beds were to die for - none of us has ever fallen asleep so quickly and the water park is spectacular.


This tube ride was the awesome to say the least. We had so much fun. It looks like it could be kind of boring when you initially examine it, but when you go down it is sooooo much better. It involves an initial deep drop in an enclosed tunnel so you can't see a thing, followed by getting shot out of the tunnel into a whirl pool at a pretty decent speed. Like I said, it rocked.

I made a new friend while out for dinner one night. He was rather charming.

The girls indulged at Coldstone Creamery. I had the Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Ice Cream. It was divine.

So, that was Christmas and our trip in a nutshell. I hope everyone had a great Christmas season!

What kind of luck is this???

Christmas was wonderful. It was a low key 2 days of lots of eating and spending time with my family. Part of our family Christmas tradition is driving down to Minneapolis on boxing day for a few days to do some shopping and also just to spend time together as a family. I packed my bags on Christmas Eve, eagerly anticipating walking through the Mall of America perusing the mall, a Starbucks in hand, of course.

I don't know if there is something about my family and travelling together, but it never seems to go as planned. My dad kindly informed us on Christmas morning that the I-29 from the border to Fargo was closed due to blizzard conditions and slippery roads. As the day progressed, highways being closed due to the bad weather stretched farther and farther south. Currently highways are closed from the border to South Dakota. Seriously???? The plan was to leave early this morning at 5:30am, but as it stands right now, the earliest we can possibly leave is the 27th first thing (only if the highways open).

I'm not sure what it is with our luck, but we can't seem to travel together. Christmas Day brought many people bringing to our attention that this was a repeat of our failed trip to Hawaii from last year. Let me tell you, no one had to bring that to the front of our minds.

So, today is a waiting kind of day. Hopefully we'll play some games and watch some good movies. I'm really hoping that we eventually make it out of this country so we can venture on down south of the border for some good times shopping. People wanted snow for Christmas, but this seems a tad excessive. But I guess this is Manitoba after all.

Stay tuned....

MRI Update

My Christmas holidays began today, promptly at 12 noon. I am on holidays for 12 days in a row and I couldn't be more in need of some time to relax and nourish me. The first thing on my holiday agenda was to meet with the neurologist regarding my MRI results from a few weeks ago. Nothing screams good times like going to see my neurologist.

I have been trying to prepare myself over the past few weeks to go into this appointment with low expectations. I needed to prepare myself that I most likely will hear that there is nothing wrong with me. And that was exactly what I heard. As much as I thought I was prepared to hear that there would be nothing wrong with me, I think deep down I really thought there would be. Something would show up on my MRI. Every brain scan I have had, every test that has been done (with the exception of 1) has returned normal. You may be thinking, but isn't that good news?? The answer is yes and no.

I am thrilled and relieved that there is no tumor growing in my brain, that there is no auto-immune disorder attacking my body. However, there is still no explanation for my intense headaches. It's a frustrating place to be as I crave to be free of these headaches. But as my neurologist very unsympathetically pointed out to me today, there is nothing else that can be done for me - there are no more exploratory tests to be conducted. This is the end of the line so to speak. So what's next?? Not much. The neurologist gave me some more medication (just in case I didn't have enough already) and told me that there was no need to come back and see him. The meds can be monitored through my GP. Fabulous (please note the sarcasm). I'm exploring alternative medicine options such as a chiropractor, who also is not totally convinced he can help me, but we'll see what happens when I meet with him again in the new year. It is a possible reality that these headaches are something I will have to live with for years to come.

The Christmas holidays have begun. The results of today's appointment were not what I was hoping for, but it's not the end of the world. I am relatively healthy and I am thankful for that. These holidays are going to be focused on living incarnationlly with Christ and using the time to doing things to nourish me such as drinking lovely coffees, wandering the Mall of America, exploring Ikea, spending time with some favorite little friends (ie-Gavin and Norah) and did I mention wandering the Mall of America???

Thank you to all of you who prayed for my appointment today. Your prayers have been so appreciated. It means an awful lot.

Well, I'm headed to bed. It's been a long day and I get to sleep for as long as my heart desires tomorrow, so I am anxious to put my head on that pillow.

Sharks and T-Rexes, Oh My!

Yesterday Cole and I went glo-in-the-dark mini golfing. It was pretty cool if I do say so myself. We explored underwater worlds filled with sharks and awesome looking fish and wandered the jungles of extinct dinosaurs all while trying to golf. It was quite the challenge, but we managed to make it through.

Unfortunately, the day ended with us both being eaten by a T-Rex. It was worth it though, because I got to spend the afternoon with Cole and nothing beats that!