Belize...

it's taken me almost a week to get these pictures together, so i'm just going to leave this post pretty short. the week before school started the whole family (and our friends the Czarneckys) flew down to Belize for a much needed beach vacation. last year we all went to Grayton Beach, but this year we opted for a little more adventure. if you're wondering how we chose Belize, well, it's simple...1. The Husband and i went there 3 years ago for our 10th anniversary trip and fell in love with the place 2. it's only a 2 1/2 hour direct flight from DFW and 3. the country speaks primarily English and the water is ok to drink. Belize is a very tiny country with absolutely no fast food restaurants or shopping centers. if you want to stay off the grid, this is the place to do it. although, if you have some picky eaters in your group, they might get a little hungry. the kids found the local market to be a mecca of interesting items. they pretty much lived off Pineapple Fanta the entire week we were there. for me, being pregnant had some other food disadvantages...i didn't drink the milk (it smelled and tasted very wrong), i couldn't eat the "raw" seafood, and they didn't have sweet tea, but other than that the food is absolutely amazing.

our adventure on the trip included a Jungle Tour with this crazy local named Percy, who, when we went diving for lobster, just stripped down to his "manties" and jumped overboard with a giant stick with a hook on it. Percy was an interesting character, but extremely friendly and he even took us to his momma's place to eat lunch (stewed chicken and coleslaw - pretty sure that's a Belizean staple). we spent a couple days at a pool down the street, which was amazing and completely deserted (most of the time we were the only ones there and it was a giant resort pool - very strange). we drove up into the jungle and went zip lining, and yes, pregnant momma went too. the last day we took a boat out to Laughing Bird Caye, which is the southernmost island of the Belize Barrier Reef. since none of us are PADI certified to dive, we all stuck to snorkeling around the island. when we stepped off the boat it was seriously like Gilligan's Island there. you could see from one end to the other and walk across the entire island from east to west in less than 20 steps. being in the water was like swimming in a giant aquarium. after our week long adventure it was time to say goodbye to Belize and head back home, just in time for school to start...

school's out for summer...

our kids didn't even hear the last bell at school this year. we pulled them out a couple days early and headed out of town quick like. our kids desperately needed a break (ok, so maybe we all needed it) from the day to day business around home. we packed up the truck and drove on to New Orleans. this has turned into a yearly thing for us. the drive home to Florida is only 12 hours, but we like to break it up and make a stop in NOLA for a night. the kids love it and it gives us a chance to explore a very interesting culture. this year we took the boys on a swamp tour, which meant a couple of hours hanging around on a very slow moving pontoon boat, but we did get to see some alligators.

i didn't do a great job of taking pictures this time around. we made it to the beach 4 days out of the 6 we were home, but never once broke out the camera. i would like to call this a successful vacation, because i'm pretty sure i only put my watch on once the entire week and i can bet that i never even wore a bra the entire time we were gone. yep, pretty good vacation. 

our last day we spent lunching with my sis and my dad at this very interesting little spot called Tucker Duke's Lunch Box (they don't have a website) in Valparaiso, FL. talk about an eclectic menu...maple bacon popcorn? pimento cheese grits? a double cheeseburger stuffed between two grilled cheese sandwiches? yes, they have all that and more, but just don't order a sweet tea, they use instant crap (why bother?). the rest of the day we spent on the boat pulling the boys on the tube. i'm pretty sure this was the first time they've ever attempted it, but they held on pretty good.

and after enjoying our nice relaxing week "off", it was time to head home...

Purgatory...

you probably thought this post was going to be about something totally different, didn't you? well, i guess it depends on how many pseudo Catholics out there happened upon this blog based solely on the today's title. well, folks, Purgatory isn't just a place for temporary punishment before being allowed into Heaven, but now i get why this quaint little ski resort is called Purgatory. 

after months of planning (and saving! skiing = $$$) we packed up the gear and flew out to Colorado. we were lucky enough to be staying with friends that allowed us to crash at their house for the week, but even with the cost of lodging out of the way, taking the family skiing is a wallet buster! Whoa! taking the family skiing has got to be one of the most expensive vacations you can take. on top of the usual stuff you're paying for (flight, hotel, and food) there's the gear and the rentals. and with 5 of us, that's A LOT of gear!

The Husband and I have been skiing before (it's been 9 years since the dreaded skiing accident), but it had been so long since we actually spent so much time on the slopes that my nerves were shot. i spent the entire morning the first day sick to my stomach and sweating with anticipation for what was about to be quite a pleasant experience. we put the boys in ski school and took off. of course, NoNo was not having any part of ski school and we could hear him crying half way up the mountain. i don't blame him, the boots are painful, it's cold, and falling down is scary. at least he didn't have to ride the lift to the backside of the mountain with the wind blowing so hard that you were afraid you might fall off. yep, i was the one clenching the back of the seat and closing my eyes for the dreaded ride up the mountain. 

after 5 days of hitting the slopes hard, my body was done. let me tell you, no amount of working out can prepare your body for skiing. even after spending the last month "preparing" for the ski trip, i was still completely in pain, exhausted, and beat down. maybe it's just my age, because the kids are already asking when we can go back, and i'm glad ski trips are only once a year! i actually brought the big camera out, so enjoy the pictures...

12 years ago...

12 years ago i said, "I DO", and sealed it with a kiss...and in that 12 years we've moved 7 times, bought 4 houses (and thankfully have sold 3 of them), and had 3 kids. it's been a pretty busy 12 years. after having such a great time on vacation this past summer, we decided to start planning our "anniversary trip" way in advance. so, some time in June or July we decided that we should return to the city where it all started. back in May of 1999, just a few weeks after graduating from college, i went on a little vacation with my family out to San Francisco, California. one afternoon my mom insisted on stopping for lunch at this cute little place on the wharf. i was extremely reluctant on going in (seeing as i was an extremely broke college graduate) but with a persistent Mom, Nana, and younger sister, i shuffled my way in and proceeded to sit and pout in the booth. probably about 10 minutes late a "waiter" arrived with a tray of waters, cocktails, and sparkly diamond ring! that handsome waiter just happened to be my then very sneaky boyfriend (who flew all the way out there without me knowing it!). lodi dodi...a few months later we got hitched and here we are.

back to the point of the story...we decided to go back to San Francisco for our 12th anniversary. IT WAS FABULOUS! this time around it was so much more enjoyable. probably because we could actually afford to buy the wine we tasted in Napa. since we took this trip alone, we thought it only fair to bring along our Flat Boys to see the sights. i must say the "boys" had a great time visiting Napa, Muir Woods, Golden Gate, and riding the trolley cars. just let me say that taking a vacation with Flat Kids is so much cheaper and it's okay to leave them in your purse when you feel like having dinner alone. 

back up, back up...i almost forgot...the trip was not 100% fabulous. on the day we went to the Cliff House we had a little bit of a traveler's heartache. when we finished up a most delicious lunch, we walked back to the car to find the back window smashed in and my brand new camera bag snatched right out! luckily for us, i had the camera around my neck and my driver's license was in The Husband's pocket. it was easy enough to cancel all the credit cards, but i still lost my big lens, wallet, and cute camera bag.  thieves are just plain stupid, that's all i have to say.

anyway, we made it home just fine and here's a couple shots from out trip...

Beach Week...

every August we pack up the truck full of useless things (like clean clothes and shoes) and make the 12 hour drive to the beach. for us, the beach is "home". it's where we grew up and it's where the grandparents still reside, so it makes deciding on where to vacation pretty darn easy. this year we tricked persuaded some friends to come along with us. and wouldn't you know it, The Husband just happened to have a business trip planned at the same exact time (this has happened a couple of times now). what this means for me, i'm stuck driving all 3 kids down to Florida by myself while he gets to fly in alone. not that i'm bitter or anything...anyway, we had a great time. we spent the entire week on the beach, even when it rained and rained and rained. you would think we've learned our lesson about going to the beach in August (it rains every year we go), but the discounted rates for rentals keeps us coming back again and again.

i'm not going to post much more. i was lucky enough to come home to a sickness that has left me feeling like i've been trampled by a week's worth of sandy feet. i've been in bed for the 2 days we've been home. coming home from a vacation with a terrible cold is like a slap in the face. it's just plain wrong. enough whining, it's time for the pictures...