Parent's Visit

Bobby, the girls and I were lucky to have my parents come for several days last weekend. All in all, it was a great weekend together...the time spent was awesome. We got to catch a Cubs spring training game at the facility near where we live (against the Padres). It was fun to go there, see some of the big names (although not as many as I thought there would be playing!) and see the facility. The downside was Mr. Ineverstoptalking sitting behind us. It actually was interesting after you got over the annoyance factor, listening to what he talked about - CONSTANTLY. From pregnancy to his girlfriends hair color to tattoos....wow! We heard it all! =) Anyway, the Cubbies lost...figures! But it was a good day with my parents.

Also, I finallly got up to a mountain to hike...my Dad had been a couple times before, and we all went with him this time to Thunderbird Mountains. There are tons of trails, ranging from flat trails to steep climbs. It was a blast. Dad, Mom, and I went on another day to a harder segment of the mountains and trails...and those were difficult! It was some steep climbing over rocks! And then on the way down it was pretty rocky with gravel...going on a significant downhill slope with loose gravel was a bit scary sometimes...I slipped a few times, but luckily caught myself in time! Sure got my heartbeat going though!

I am so excited to go more! In fact, Bobby and I took the girls with us yesterday to do one of the milder trails. We all had a great time then too! The entire family (sister, bro-in-law, two girls and Dad and Mom) comes at the end of April, so can't wait to try some trails with them as well. Here are a couple shots from the the first day's climb!

It looks a lot higher in person!
Dad, me, and Mom midpoint

Me, Bobby, and Mom midpoint

Another good shot from the top

The Honeymoon - Riviera Maya

Hello! Sorry I haven't posted yet about our honeymoon. Just when I thought things would settle down for us after the wedding, they seem to have sped up instead! I am just getting around to posting pics for our honeymoon. I will post a couple here directly and then include a public link to my Facebook photo album too.

Bobby and I had a blast on the trip...the flights to Cancun were great, so we were definitely grateful for that! Our resort was 30 mins south of Cancun along the Mayan Riviera. We stayed at The Grand Mayan, a gift from my parents - thanks Dad and Mom! =) The pools were INCREDIBLE there...I can't say that enough. We spent the first day at the pool and met a couple from New York that were fun to hang out with and it was a great day at the pool. The next day, Bobby and I found our way down to Tulum (Mayan Ruins about an hour south of our resort) by taking a bus from Playa Del Carmen (about 15 minutes south of our resort). Luckily, my man speaks fluent Spanish, so it was an easy and cheap trip! Tulum is a great site in terms of Mayan Ruins because one side of them is the coast/beach/ocean. You will see that in some of the posted pictures....it just makes it gorgeous! Plus, since the site isn't enormous and they are fairly compact, it's a great spot just to spend 1-2 hours looking around. After Tulum, we took the bus back north into Playa. It started raining right when we got to Playa...so we actually were complete dorky tourists (laughing at ourselves the entire time) and bough rain ponchos and walked up and down 5th Avenue (the popular street in Playa with tons of shopping and eating) with them on. I think there is a picture of us with them on too in the bunch...we had to capture how dorky we looked! Luckily, the rain let up some and we could walk without them on...we found a great restaurant called La Parilla where we experienced some amazing food! The best tacos I have ever had there....and the guacamole was awesome too! Yes mom, I kind of like quacamole now, believe it or not! We just spent the day walking and looking around, buying the girls some souvenirs and then headed back to the resort.

The next day was going to be a pool day....except it was cloudy and rainy. =( So...we ordered room services, waited for the sun to shine, and read as we waited. If we kept waiting in the room for the sun to shine...or even a little blue sky to show, we would've been waiting until that Friday afternoon (it was Tuesday at this point). Yep...that's right, it rained about 70% of our trip...the first and last days were the only ones that were truly not raining and sunny. We got over it after the first day and decided we would just make the best of it and still go to the beach, pool, etc. like it was sunny. So we did...wasn't QUITE as enjoyable...but we really did have a great time regardless of the cloudy, rainy weather. I even had to wear a sweatshirt at the beach during the day when we were reading and spending time there...but it was still nice to have the ocean waves, wind, sand in your toes, etc. We were going to go to Xel-Ha mid-week (an eco-water park with snorkling, cliff diving, dolphins, swimming, etc.), but we just felt it would be a waste of money, so we nixed that from our "to do's." By Friday, it was rumored to get a little sunny, so we were set we were set to get out to the pool. It was nice to just (finally) have a day at the pool and just relax and enjoy a nice(r) day. It was still cloudy and really windy...but it was 100% improvement on our last 3-4 days, so we were loving it! It was our last full day there, so it was a perfect ending. We did get a little more sun the next morning, since our flight didn't leave until 4pm.

All in all, we had such an amazing time. We went to relax and do nothing and mission was accomplished! The resort, The Grand Mayan/Mayan Palace, was absolutely incredible. I have never been to a nicer place. Our room was amazing and HUGE. We had about 1400 sq. ft. of space! We felt almost guilty since we ended up not using one side of it altogether. But...oh well...it was our honeymoon! Oh...and another thing...we have never seen so many different creatures - birds, crocodiles, many, many iguanas - it was like we were at a zoo some of the time! Also, the restaurants at the resort were amazing as well...so many to choose from and just the best food all around - I will miss their steak tacos and real, fried chips and salsa! Bobby also had the most incredible prime rib ever too at one of their nicer restaurants. I can't say enough about the food there....it was wonderful.

I think that's about all to share for now. Bobby and I will be back in IL for this weekend...Bobby stays until Monday and then I am staying through until next Friday, Feb. 6th. Let me know if you have some time to catch up when I am back!

Just a small piece of the gorgeous pools at the resort

An everyday area that we walked by

Our room - living room

Our bedroom and yes, that's our own private pool out on our patio!

Our pool friends Lenny and Cheryl - they were a bunch of fun!

Bobby and I at a resort restaurant that had the best chips and salsa!

Tulum - Mayan Ruins

Tulum - Mayan Ruins - the perfect picture spot

Looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

At the top of the ruins

And the rain begins - the dorky poncho'd tourists on the streets of Playa del Carmen!

The best restaurant in Playa - La Parilla

This was a picture of Playa before we left for Tulum - hence, the sun!

Streets of Playa - at dusk

Yes, there was a fence he was behind! His mouth was open everyday though when we walked by the crocodiles!

The pier on the beach

A shot of the beach at the resort

One of the many pools at night...the pic doesn't do it justice!

One piece of the main pool - the biggest pool I have ever seen!

Click on the link for the full set of photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56939&l=34a6f&id=511058149

I'm back!!!!

Just a quick update...I'm back in Illinois for the week until next Friday. I'm here mainly for work next week, but got to come in a little early and sneak in some family/friends time this weekend. I'm very excited to be back home...except that Bobby isn't with me...and I have NO IDEA how we went for 16 months of our relationship this way! It's so much more difficult to leave my wonderful man now! So...I'm missing my man for sure...but ready to have a great week!!!!

New Kids on the Block...Let's Rock!

Oh yeah, that's right...I went to the New Kids concert last Monday. It was awesome. I love their new CD...as well as the old stuff (of course!). They are still great performers after all these years...it really was a fun night. Natasha Bedingfield opened for them ("Unwritten", "Pocket Full of Sunshine", and that song that goes..."I love you, I love you, I love you!"), and she was awesome as well. Poor Bobby went with me (was supposed to be a friend of ours that went...she actually was the one that asked me to go...but then accidentally booked a trip back to her home state on top of the New Kids concert date, so she had to give up her ticket...she was totally bummed too - she was a MAJOR fan like me, back in the day!)....anyway, Bobby had a fun time...he may not admit that to anyone but me, but he did...trust me! =) The fans were crazy though....screaming screaming screaming! Just like 18 years ago when I went before - no lie! It was definitely a little hard to hear after we left because of all the fans yelling and screaming for two hours. The average age was around my age - 25. Ha...I kid, I kid. Average age was 30-35 and some of them had their old school New Kids t-shirts, buttons, jean jackets, etc. on...it was great...loved it all. Bobby even bought me one of those big New Kids buttons, like I had 18 years ago (girls, you remember - they were almost the size of your head with the New Kids picture on it!). It is now proudly positioned on the entertainment center shelf! For those that couldn't make it, I am uploading some pictures and video for you...because I know...secretly inside yourself...you're jealous you didn't get to go!

Oh...and disregard the singing in the background! It was so loud in there I didn't think you would be able to hear it on the video! Sorry!!!!!

Bobby and I - pre-concert

The boys

The final bow - Danny, Donnie, Jordan, Joey, and Jon! Woohoo! =)



You got the right stuff...baby.......

"Single" - one of their newest songs

Another new song...they appeared in the middle of the audience with a spinning platform with a piano!

Step by Step - oldie but goodie!

It's been a LOOOOOONG time!

So, I know it's been FOREVER since I have posted anything...so I'll just do a review of the second half of September (can you believe it's already October?!).

First of all...Bobby and I got a note that Kyndall was getting a student of the month award at school...and we attended the assembly they had for the 7th and 8th grade awards. She ended up getting the student of the month for art, which is awesome...especially the first month of the school year! Here are a couple pics...didn't get the best shots though!

The next big deal in September was that my parents came out to Phoenix for a trip on September 19th. We, of course, had a great time together...a little pool time, a trip up north to Prescott (a cute little "midwestern" town that's just fun to explore and walk around), great food, and we celebrated both my Mom's and my birthdays that weekend. The pictures below are mostly from the Prescott trip, but we have a couple from my birthday as well.

A shot down the street of Prescott from the town square.

Courthouse in Prescott in the town square

Cuties!

Look at that hot man! =)

Megan and Mimi spending some quality time together

Mimi-lovin'

Dad and Bobby eating some AMAZING carmel corn!

Kyndall finding some interesting stuff in an antique shop

Bobby's b-day cake that he made for me....YUM!

The girls and I on my birthday

Amazing Weekend

Vegas Baby!!!!

Okay...so Bobby and I started out the journey to Vegas on Friday afternoon...after about the first two hours is was a gorgeous drive (4-4.5 hrs total drive), including the Hoover Dam too - which was totally incredible. Here are some pics!

On the road...ready for Vegas!

Can't wait to get there!

Hoover Dam

Right before you crossed into Nevada, at the base of the Hoover Dam

Right after you crossed into Nevada

So...after we got there, we got freshened up and headed to the Hard Rock Hotel for the Jonny Lang concert. We found out that the concert got postponed for some reason...and Bobby and I were pretty disappointed about that. So...we walked around the Hard Rock a bit, ate some dinner...and I think were up by $10 when we left. =)

Before we headed out for the night

After we found out the concert was cancelled, we decided to go back to our favorite casino/hotel - The Riviera. We were there last year for my 30th birthday...and even though it's more of the "old school" casino/hotel....it's one of our favs! Well...not only was it a good thing that Jonny Lang decided to cancel...but it's a good thing we went to this casino! After playing a stupid little slot machine that I loved last year, titled, "Mad Money Martian"...(yes, that IS the name)...Bobby hit it big! His machine landed on a "10 times pay" icon, then the 7, then another "10 times pay" icon....so...that technically means he got a 7-7-7...times TEN, times TEN! It ended up being 5000 credits, or $1250 since it was a quarter machine. Needless to say, we were a big boggled at first, not sure if we should believe it or not! We had to get an attendant, it wouldn't pay out any other way even! We were giddy with excitement! Of course, I had to capture the moment with some pictures!

For some reason my site is not letting me upload any more pictures, dang it! I'll post them in the next few days hopefully instead. But, the picture at the top of the blog is Bobby and I after the big winning!

So...we had a pretty fabulous Friday night in the end! = ) Saturday morning we woke up and met his brother Ray and wife Brenda (that live in Phoenix) and they had his other brother, Kenny with them. We drove to the condo that Kenny had gotten for us...and it was a great spot. It was a few miles south of the strip...but it was right on Las Vegas Blvd. still....and it worked out really well in the end. After that, the rest of his family was supposed to be flying in late-afternoon, early-even....so the five of us ate some dinner and then headed to downton Vegas , Freemont St. to meet the rest of the family waiting there (by the way, don't ever take the Deuce bus from the Vegas strip to Freemont...it may only cost you $2, but it takes a good hour!) there I met his three sisters, their husbands, nephews and his mom! There were 16 of us total. We were introduced and talked for a bit and enjoyed the whole experience on Freemont St. (which was a lot cooler than I remembered it!). After that, we went back to Harrah's, which is where many of them were staying and hung around for a bit more and that was the night!

The next day, we met Bobby's mom and Erma and Eddie (sister and brother-in-law) for lunch and took them to Cafe Babareeba's. This is the restaurant that Bobby and I love from Chicago (and where we got engaged too!). The only other city with this restaurant is in Vegas and found that out the last time we were there, so we wanted to take his mom there this time around. We had a great lunch with a little sangria and tapas, and then headed to the Venetian and took his mom on a gondola ride. We had a pretty authentic "driver" who sang his mom "happy birthday" in Italian and some other wonderful songs as he steered the boat. Even though his mom is turning 75, she really kept up well with all the walking!

That night, we went to a restaurant in Harrah's for Bobby's mom's birthday dinner and everyone ate together there. After dinner, we all walked to the Bellagio and checked out the fountain show...after that...we all split and went our separate ways...so Bobby and I headed back to our old stomping grounds at The Riviera, just in case we had a little more luck left there! Actually, those silly martian slot games are just fun and a $20 bill can last an hour or so...which is what ended up happening....I think I was up by $100 at one point, but I had won money earlier, so I just kept going...and what do you know...I eventually lost it all! But, all in all, we had a couple more hours of fun and excitement.

Bobby and I left the next morning and made the four hour trip back. Bobby and I always have such a great time in Vegas...gambling or not...we just always have a blast with each other even just walking the strip. It's so nice that it is close to us...and pricelining hotels (since we don't really care where we stay there since we aren't in our rooms that much at all!) makes the stay pretty cheap too! Plus, this time around with meeting his family (finally!) I am so happy to know them and click with them a bit even. They are a fun family...there's always something happening with them. They really did make me feel welcome in the family...and I truly appreciate that!

I'll try and get the pics up as soon as my blog lets me!