Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Six months ago we started planning a trip to Lake Powell with the Badger's, but when we found out only ten days before that there had been a mix up over who had the timeshare on the houseboat for that specific week, we found ourselves with no where to go!!  Nick already had a plane ticket out to AZ, and TJ and Michelle were already planning on driving down to go to the lake, so we decided we needed to do something on the west coast.  No one was excited about the idea of staying in Arizona or going to California so after hearing many good things around Puerto Penasco, Mexico (or Rocky Point as everyone in Arizona calls it) we decided to go there for our first time.  Rocky Point is only a 4 hour drive from Phoenix (3 hours to the border and then one hour drive through Mexico until you hit the ocean).  It is on the Sea of Cortez and faces Baja California.  For awhile it was not advised to travel down there due to all the craziness at the US/Mexico border, but after talking to many police officer friends and people who had been down there recently, everyone said it was totally safe.  So we thought we would be brave and go, and somehow TJ scrambled to get himself and their baby a passport in 3 days!!!!  We stayed down there a Monday-Friday (August 12th-16th) so with schools already started and it not a weekend it felt like we had the resort to ourselves. We had such a great time!  Being that it was Mexico everything was so inexpensive, the sun was shining, and the ocean was warm.

The drive was so easy down.  We stopped at the outlets on the way out of Phoenix and then before the border to get our Mexican car insurance!

Talk about a lot of luggage (I swear half of it was for the baby).  When we stopped at the outlets, TJ bought himself and Nick matching hats.  Haha, I don't think we have ever been on a vacation where they are not always trying to be the ultimate matchy matchy tourists.

A few friends had recommended the resort, Las Palomas, and when we got there we all knew why. It was beautiful and the view was stunning.  This resort is all condos where about half of them are privately owned.  I found this unit on vacation rental by owner.com and was so impressed with how nice it was.  I would definitely say it was luxurious and the price was right!  I would absolutely stay there again.  The resort had 9 swimming pools, 4 hot tubs, two lazy rivers, cabanas on the beach, and amazing ocean views.

View of the resort from the beach

By the time we got there and got settled this little girl was tired of being stuck in a car seat!  Scarlett was so good the entire trip, not to mention she got an adorable passport photo out of it.

After arriving, food was the first thing we all had on our mind!  We found a delicious taco shop where we all stuffed ourselves of homemade tortillas, carne asada, limes, and guacamole.  Either we were starving or it was my favorite meal of the trip.  So good!!  We hit up the equivalent of Wal-mart afterwards to do a little grocery shopping, and we thought we would try some mexican pastries to take back for dessert.  By far we do sweets much better in the US.

The next morning we slept in and made our way down to the pool.  It was perfect weather and made for a great day of being absolutely lazy.

We parked ourselves in the same spot each day poolside

Everyone loved the lazy river, even Scarlett.  She loved it so much she fell asleep.

When we needed a change of scenery we left the pool for the beach

Tj and Nick played lots of football

I didn't mind snuggling this little girl throughout the day

Here are those matching hats again!

In a nutshell, the first day involved a lot of this:

 That night we got showered, go ready, and went to dinner at Pollo Lucas (a few friends recommended this place).  They serve rotisserie chickens and you eat it with the most delicious tortillas, rice, beans, cabbage, and salsa your tastebuds can imagine.  We got two whole chickens and I'm pretty sure Nick at one just himself!  It was so hot and humid and the chicken was spicy we couldn't stop laughing over how much Nick was sweating trying to finish off the chicken.   He sure does love food.

 We went down to the port after dinner where all the little shop venders are located.  Of course every person tried to sell us all kinds of crap, but we were lucky to be down there just in time for sunset.

 Love him 

 Nick and Tj tried on some leather gun holsters and almost started a fight when Nick told the shop owner his stuff was cheap quality.  Note to self don't tell a Mexican his stuff is cheap.  hah.

 Every time we would walk to the next place I said, "wait, look at the sunset now"  Nick got so tired of taking pictures.  I love the water in this one.

Wednesday morning the boys got up and went golfing.  They took TJ's go-pro camera and had some fun with that.  

 Next up was lunch which meant another taco/burrito shop.  These boys really did get burritos as big as their heads!  See that baby girl in the back--she literally was so good just like that almost the whole trip!

 We went back to the beach for the afternoon and I found myself quite comfortable under this cabana.  Literally, there was hardly anyone there-it was great

 A few friends told me I had to buy a mango on the beach.  I'm not a huge mango fan but I thought I would see what all the craze was about.  It was DELISH!  They peel it and cut it fresh, sprinkle chili powder, and fresh squeezed lime over the top---oh my!!

 For dinner that night we sent the boys on a wild chase to order pizza and bring it back to the resort.  It was much better than expected.  Everyone kept asking us where we got the pizza.  So we enjoyed pizza and a sunset for the evening.

 After dark we headed back up to the room and splurged on room service desserts.  They did not disappoint.

Thursday morning was started off at the gym.  Somehow TJ and Nick convinced me to go with them and after all the yummy food we had been eating I decided it would be a wise decision.  I was proud of my sweat angel if you can't tell.

 More time at the pool with yummy pineapple drinks

Michelle had wanted to try paddleboarding.  It was only $20 to rent the equipment so she and I took turns.  Let me just say, it would be a lot easier if there were no waves!  It was a lot of fun.

When we came back from paddleboarding Nick had an ASU trident to show off!  Somehow a beach vacation always calls for a henna tattoo.  We loved teasing him about that the rest of the trip.  Ps-notice the book in his lap, he read almost the entire time we were there.

 After all that paddleboarding we earned another mango treat.  Yes, they were that good

 We went to a "fancier" restaurant by Mexican standards for dinner that night and enjoyed the yummy fried ice cream.

 Photo shoot!  j/k but really how was it already the last night!

Sadly, we woke up and it was Friday!  I think we all agreed we could have stayed one more day at least.  On the way out of town they made me hop out and take a picture of this billboard that we drove past everyday.  Hah.

 We had such a great couple of days.  We stayed up late each night playing a dice game called Farkle, singing along to Pandora, watching Nick dance--all while not trying to wake a sleeping baby!  Such a great vacation.  I'm glad we got a little crazy and made the trip to Mexico last minute.  For the record, TJ said he was planning our trip for next year and I don't have to do it for once (must document that statement)!  Adios from Mexico!

~~~~~~

When we got back to AZ we had one last night out before the Badger's went back to Colorado.  We went to Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles where the boys showed us how to eat!  Hah, Seriously I don't know how they do it and drink the kool-aid on tap.

And just like that the Badger's were on their way back to Colorado  :(

Styer Family Reunion

Really Nick should be writing this post since I did not attend the reunion, but since that is not a realistic thought I will try my best at recording it.  The first thing is I don't actually think it was a Styer reunion.  I think it was a Jordan Family Reunion???  Either way, it's that side of the family.  The reunion was in Ohio on August 10-11th and Nick decided that since he was on the east coast and that it would be a short plane ride, it would probably the most feasible year to try to go.  He stayed with his Aunt Laura and Uncle Keith on their farm in Medina the first night.  Nick would spend the summers there as a kid and loved working on their farm.  Their house is practically a museum!!  I can't remember the exact year their house was built, but I think it is over a 100 years old!!  

Who doesn't love bingo at the reunion.  Nick's sister with 3 of her 4 kids.

David and Jo with the grandkids

Nick with his Dad, Aunt Laura, Aunt Leah, Stepmom Jo, sister Amanda, and kids

Nick had a good friend that he would hangout with those summers he spent in Medina, Ohio.  He and Devin met at the LDS church that his Aunt would take him to during his visits with them.  About the time Nick left to serve a two year church mission, Devin joined the Army.  Weeks after finishing basic training he went to Iraq, where just a few months later his convoy was struck by a roadside bombing and he died of injuries.  Every time Nick has been back to the Medina area he has gone and visited his friends grave site, and this time was no exception.  I wish I could have met his friend, Devin and grateful that Nick is the type of man that still honors his friend every chance he gets.

Not your typical day at the office

SKYDIVING

-Yes you read correctly-

When an email went out stating that for the end of the summer intern activity they were going to be skydiving and wanted to see if any full-time employees wanted to go, Nick was one of the first to reply saying he wanted his name on the list!  When he told me this of course, I told him he was crazy!  He reminded me that he has already done this before and why not go again if it is on the company's expense.  I never agreed, but I never said no.  I knew he was going to go, so what was the point in arguing the matter (see I have learned a few things in marriage after all)!

So Friday August 2nd they were off to the Wilmington Airport!

Time to get weighed to make sure Nick doesn't break the cord and/or parachute.

 "oh yay know, just signing my life away..."

 This is Nick's boss.  He is the Project Manager for the jobsite.

 The summer interns with a few employees

 He looks nervous if ya ask me

 Too bad he can hardly fit in the tiny plane

 Down the runway he goes

 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Domenic Styer!  haha

 I love his face in this picture!

 Coming in for the landing

Glad to see he is still smiling.  I just wish he would get these crazy ideas out of his head!  I think it is fair to say that Nick loves his job.

Washington DC Weekend

Don't get me wrong, DC is a fun place to visit, but that is not why we go.  It is great that both my brother and my sister live there.  Being that it is about 5 and 1/2 hour drive from Wilmington, we decided that we would go for a quick weekend trip to see everyone.  Normally we tend to lay low but this time around we were in full tourist mode!

First on the agenda was a free guided walking tour of the monuments that Katherine had heard was good.  It was so incredibly humid and hot that none of us were prepared for the 3 hour tour to turn into a 5 hour tour!  Regardless Nick, Katherine, Jeff (friend of my sister), and I very much enjoyed all the knowledge the guy had and just accepted the fact that we were disgusting by the end!

Sisters!!

The White House.  All the times I have been to DC, I have never seen this place.  It was okay--way too crowded with foreign tourists for my liking!

 Lincoln Memorial

 Sitting on the back steps of the Lincoln Memorial--such a pretty view of the river from here.

President

Abraham Lincoln himself

 The tour guide told us we had to take a picture like this.  These are the columns at the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background.

 Washington Monument in the distance from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Pretty neat to see the scaffolding on the Washington Monument that is up as they are trying to repair the damage done from the earthquake that happened a while back.

Vietnam Memorial

Korean War Memorial

 For lunch we met up with this cute little guy and then headed to the Portrait Gallery.  It was a full time job chasing this kid all over the place, but boy oh boy he is sure cute even if he is being naughty!

 Funny story, we were looking at the portrait of Joseph Smith and this big black lady comes walking up and stops and says to the guy she is with, "would ya look at that...it's Joseph freeeeaaaakkkking Smith". We all about died laughing and anytime I have heard his name since I hear this ladies voice in my head. Oh my, so funny!

We were all starving by the end of the day and ate dinner at We, the Pizza.  So delicious!  Nick's favorite food is pizza and he even said it was one of the best pies he has eaten.  This restaurant was right next to the capital so we drove around since we had never seen it before. 

But, what is a vacation with eating way too  much food.  It was onto ice cream next and this little boy could not get enough of it!  It was after 9pm (maybe even 10pm) and the restaurant was playing loud music so here we are all singing and dancing with Henrik as ice cream is pouring down his face and clothes.  I'm sure everyone was thinking that we all had way too much sugar at this point to be so crazy.  This kids certainly does not have to go anywhere to find attention.

 The next day we went to the Natural History Museum along with every other DC tourists---I mean that place was crazy.  None of us felt like fighting the massive crowds so we hit up all the things we wanted to see and were out of there.

 That evening we went to Arlington National Cemetery.  My Grandma Goodrich's brother (my great uncle) is buried there.  He was a pilot in WW2 and his plane was shot down, he survived, and was a POW for 2 years before he was released.   If you have a family member buried in the cemetery you can drive inside the gates to visit the grave.  It was very humbling to see all these 100's of thousands of headstones to remind you that freedom is not free.  

 Just love this little boy

 Planes kept flying over head and Henrik would wave up to the sky every time he saw one.  Too precious.

 And just like that our DC trip was over.  30 hours is not enough time in that place.  The highlight of the trip by far was not any sightseeing but playing Top 40 music charts with the family and Katherine's friend, Jeff, who had the come from behind win.  I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard.  Such a great trip, that there are rumors of us even going back in September....to be continued :)