Time For This Rain To Go Away

I'm not supposed to be blogging on vacation - I told myself that I was going to take a break from all of the electronics - but you know that's really hard to do!!  I have to check the business email daily and after I found out I had wi fi right in the room, it was tough to not blog - because after all, why WRITE something down on a piece of paper when you can type it - right???

We slept great again - and as you can tell from the top picture, the beach is pretty empty - but check out those storm clouds - yes they were around most of the day once again!!

Breakfast was delivered to our patio this morning but unfortunately we didn't get to eat it outside - the wind was so bad that we had to bring the little table inside and eat from there!!  Once again breakfast was delicious - and then the rain started in again............But I did catch some awesome pictures before then!

We just hung out while it rained and then decided we might as well go into Tulum and get the rental car exchanged for our jeep while the weather was bad.  The rental car agency was right as we went into town and you know how you get those feelings that it's not going to go good when you get there?  Yeah, well I had that feeling and sure enough I was right - we walked in with our paperwork, explained to the guy what was going on and that we were there to pick up an SUV and he just shook his head and said he knew nothing about it and did NOT have an SUV - figures............

But we talked awhile and then he said he would be glad to call his boss and see what could be done and 15 minutes later, he told us they were bringing us a JEEP from Playa Del Carmen and to come back in an hour!!  HOORAY - things were going to work out well anyway!!

So we parked in downtown Tulum, had some delicious chicken and rice for lunch, ice cream for dessert and then headed back to pick up the jeep - filthy inside but we didn't care - we knew it would get us where we wanted to go!!

By this time the sun was out so we raced back to the beach and threw on our swimsuits and hit the beach!!

The sun felt so good and although it didn't last too long, it was long enough to get nice and warm, play in the beautiful water and drink a pina colada!!!

Our room was being cleaned when we walked up so we hung out on our balcony for a while.

We took a nice walk on the beach before the sun went down but somehow the pitures didn't get posted so I'll start with them tomorrow!   Dinner that evening was at Zamas but it was kind of disappointing - we had went there with Teri and Jay years ago and had a great pizza but this time, not so good!!

And guess what we fell asleep to??  That's right - rain, rain and more rain.....................

I Never Tire of the Tulum Beaches.........

Coffee on the beach for Glenn!!  Yes, we had to go search some out as our breakfast place wasn't even open yet!!

Sleep was good - except for the fact that my pillow was a foot high it seemed!!  I did walk over to reception (no phones or TV's of course) and ask about getting a flatter pillow but the housekeeping closet was all locked up so I couldn't get another one that time of night!!  I made do with a beach towel as I knew my neck would not appreciate that tall pillow!!  It rained and rained and rained during the night............

We woke up to a stormy looking ocean and the crashing waves were something else!  But who cares - we're on vacation!!!  Continental breakfast was included in our nightly rate and it was served at Banana Casa Restaurant - or you could have it delivered to your room.  We went on over to the place and had an excellent breakfast of watermelon juice, coffee, a plate full of fruit, banana bread and a freshly baked loaf of bread with the best jelly over - truly delicious!!

We checked out the beach of course and soon it started to rain..............

Not a problem for me!!  I grabbed my book and headed for our covered balcony for the next couple of hours!

Check out our fancy bed we had - because it was the palapa styled roof, we did use the netting nightly just in case but only found one mosquito!

 

The tall roofs on these building always amaze me!!  This covering for the bed was really nice and even had a ceiling fan inside of the netting - kept us nice and cool!

The bathroom area was extremely nice and I only took this picture to show you our 2 showers!!  Yes, besides the regular one, you could stand out on this little balcony and take a shower outside!!  Only we did discover it was only COLD water - no thanks!!!

The views from our balcony were amazing - even though we had rain off and on most of the day, it was still fun to sit out and watch it rain

We had 2 huge coconut trees right in front of our place!

We drove into the little village area to have lunch at Mateo's - remember this place Cindy and Rene?  The food was just as good as last time and the chicken tacos on flour tortillas and guacamole went down great with my strawberry, pineapple, banana smoothie!!

Glenn was excited there was a tv going with the football game so he ended up taking me back to read on the balcony and he went back to watch the game - we were both happy that way!  I headed to the beach for about 1/2 hour when the sun peeked out but it didn't last for long!

We decided to head into town for dinner that night and found a cute place to eat - the waiter was very nice and was making paper roses for all the women in the restaurant!

One of the reasons I picked this restaurant is because it had garlic shrimp - wow - 10 butterflied garlic shrimp with all the trimmings - what a treat!

It was pouring rain when we got back to the cabana - and once again hard to drive in the rain and the darkness!  Luckily I had remembered to bring us each a small flashlight to use and they were put to good use each night!  The maid had remembered to bring me a different pillow which was still fluffier than what I'm used to but it did work OK for the night!

And yes, we fell asleep to the rain once again................

Travel Day to Tulum, Mexico

Does anybody really like travel day?   It's always exciting to plan a trip and the anticipation of going on that trip is part of the fun, but the actual travel to get there is not always that great!!

Because our flight didn't leave till 10:50am, we just left our house by 6:00am - I allowed plenty of time for construction because the highway outside of Co. Springs has been a real bear to get through!  But we arrived in plenty of time, parked the car and rode the shuttle to the airport.  It was 10 degrees when we left the house so the thought of some 80 degree weather at the end of the day was enticing!

We had plenty of time before take off so we actually had a nice sit down breakfast and Caribou Coffee (what a great way to start the day!!) before we went through security!  With a sandwich in tow for the flight, we boarded and were all set to take off when the captain announced one of the engines wouldn't start.............and we would have to go back to the gate...................and my thoughts of reaching Tulum before dark were starting to whither................but luckily the engine started without having to call the mechanics in and soon we were on our way!!

Because we were seated in row 12, (purchased seats of course) we knew we would get through customs faster and sure enough, it was one of the fastest trips through customs in Cancun that we've ever had!!  Before long it was time for the dreaded trip outside where you are virtually bombarded by everyone you can imagine trying to get your attention!!  After asking a couple of people we found the guy who was to take us to the rental car agency - and did I mention it was pouring rain???  Our luggage was soaked when we picked it up from the carousel!

Mexico has its' own time frame - we waited at least 15 minutes for our ride to the rental car agency and once it arrived we waited another 15 minutes before we left!  I really do try to be patient but I wanted the process to go fast as I knew we were fighting daylight hours! 

Things didn't go well at the rental car place  -  I had booked a Jeep Liberty (2 weeks ago online) as we needed a high clearance vehicle to go to our second place to stay  and after MUCH waiting and asking, the guy finally admitted they didn't have a jeep - I was livid!!!  All they had were small economy cars and we knew that wouldn't get us where we were going as the road is dirt and it has rained for a month!!

After raising my voice and letting them know how unhappy we were, I demanded a trip back to the airport where the other rental car agencies were - at that time, the travel agent from the other side asked us what was going on and she kind of took charge.  We ended up renting an economy car until Monday and then would exchange it in Tulum where they had another office for an SUV, the next best thing.  FINALLY after all of this hassle we were on our way in a manual vehicle.

BY this time it was 4:30 and by 5:15 it would be completely dark!!  Traffic wasn't too bad but about the time it got dark, it started raining some so the humidity was very high and the darn defrost didn't work well at all!!  I felt sorry for Glenn driving and we finally figured out that if we put the defrost on HOT, it worked better - so we rode with the windows down and the hot air pouring out so we could see out of the windshield!!

The beach road along the side of Tulum is very narrow and VERY dark - no streetlights at all and it's all candlelight, solar and generator powered.  Extremely romantic - but if you have never been there and you arrive at dark, it's kind of a nightmare trying to find your place!!  We knew where we were going and kept an eye out till we saw the restaurant across from our place to stay - but where to park??  After turning in the wrong spot, Glenn pulled in by the restaurant and I went to the reception to find out!!  Turns out a guy opened large gates and we parked across the street from where we were staying.

Only in Mexico would you have a guy deliver your luggage in a wheelbarrow to your cabana!!  The little paths were lit with solar lights and it's tough to get your bearings but we could hear the ocean immediately and then were showed our place!!  All I can say is WOW - rustic elegance at its' best!!

I had booked us an upper unit as I wanted the view and the place was lovely!!  We checked the place out and then walked over to the restaurant for dinner.  The Banana Casa Restaurant had certainly changed since we were there with Teri and Jay years ago!!  Same candlelight and palm trees and ambiance but the prices had probably tripled!!!

My pina colada tasted awesome, as did Glenn's beer and we toasted to the fact we were FINALLY in Tulum, staying at a place we had checked out years ago and told ourselves that one day we would be back - and now we were!!

I ordered a chicken dish cooked in white wine with mushrooms and potatoes - it was excellent - and Glenn ordered an Argentine beef steak which was also excellent - but for $80.00, it should have been!!

Our relaxing trip has begun - and we fell asleep to the gentle sound of rain all night long.

Pumpkin Fun

Can you guess what we did last weekend with the grand kids???  What fun we had watching the kids carve their pumpkins and the priceless expressions on their faces!!

Rayna did an excellent job carving her pumpkin - it's nice that she's old enough to do it all by herself!

I stood by and took pictures but Papa  got right into it with the kids!  We even listened to Monster Mash to get us all in the mood!

Kylan was so proud of his pumpkin - his smile is priceless with those 2 missing teeth!

The finished projects with the lights on.................

And with the lights off!

The guys' special day had finally arrived - they were headed to the Broncos game against the Washington Redskins!!  It was a gorgeous day out and they all had a great time, especially with a Broncos' win!!

We headed to the park early afternoon - the leaves in Denver are still beautiful and we all had fun playing in them!

Our action picture of the day - thanks Jessi for catching it with the camera!

Parker got ahead of me as we were walking back from the park - it sure made for a cute picture!!

I took all of the kids to Dairy Queen for their Halloween treat - Parker gobbled his ice cream in a bowl rather quickly and when he finished, started shaking!  I think he just got so cold since he ate it so fast and he just couldn't stop shaking!!  All in all it was pretty funny but Jaime ended up taking him out in the sun so he would stop!

What a fun weekend spending some special time with the grand kids!

Ft Collins Pumpkin Patch

For Robby and Jill's 10th anniversary, we gave them the choice of a nights' stay in a hotel or a granite vanity - they chose the vanity!!

 

When Jill was down the last time, she had picked out the stone she wanted and since it's so far up there, we decided to go ahead and do both bathrooms with the stone - they really turned out nice and we loaded up the new pickup with both pieces and headed to Ft. Collins last weekend!

 

It was fun to ride in the new truck and try out all the gadgets - it took me a while to figure out the programming on the Sirrus radio but I finally did!!

 

Since Robby had a computer job to do on Saturday morning, the rest of us headed to the Pumpkin Patch - I guess we should have checked the weather a little better as we just wore jackets and when we got out there, we realized we really DID need another layer and some hats and mittens - it was DARN cold out!!

 

The pumpkin patch was held at a local farm and the best part about it was that it was FREE!!  I loved all the fall colors with the pumpkins, gourds and fall bounty!!

With coffee in hand, we decided to go ahead and do the hayride as one of our first things since there was NO line and it was only $1.00 apiece to ride - the wagons circled around the corn field and it was actually quite a long ride!

There was a cute hay maze for the kids and they loved running between the bales!

Huge farm tires made for a cute photo!

There were wagons available for you to take to the fields if you wanted to pick out your own pumpkin or pick some of the vegetables!  We didn't need it but Aleah and Parker had fun pulling it around for a while!

I LOVE these huge sunflowers!!

Nothing says fall better than a box full of gourds!!!  Doesn't Aleah look cute sitting with them?

They also had a small area with some farm animals and some play things for the kids to play on - by this time the sun had come out so we decided to sit at their picnic tables and eat our lunch that we had brought - food always tastes better outside!!

This wagon was all set up for pictures!!

After we arrived back at the house, the kids went down for naps and Glenn and Robby started in on the granite - they installed one Saturday afternoon and the other one on Sunday morning.  They had thought they would do tile back splash but then decided on granite back splash so now we must try and find some to match and get it fabricated for them!!

Football was on that evening so after an excellent turkey dinner, Jill and I headed to the basement to watch a movie that we both cried at!!

Jill and the kids and I did church Sunday morning while the guys worked and then during nap time, slipped away to do a little shopping.  We went to Maurice's at the mall to find some jeans for Jill - I have never been SO impressed with a store!!!  After holding what jeans we wanted to try on, a nice gal came over and asked our names and then said she would put our stuff in dressing rooms for us.   And when we were ready to try on, we went over to the rooms and our names were written on cute chalkboards on the doors to our dressing rooms!!  But that wasn't the best part!  After we had tried on and really didn't find the right fit, the sales gal came over and asked us what we needed and proceeded to bring us jeans after jeans to try on - it was wonderful!!!  She also suggested sizes and brands we probably would have never tried on and that's what we ended up buying - a great experience jean shopping and I will definitely go back there again!!

We left at the Broncos half time to head home and luckily traffic wasn't too bad so we made good time!!  Thanks Robby and Jill for a great weekend!!!

Our First Step Towards Retirement!!

Remember when I said Glenn and I both went to the airport that snowy morning?  He was flying to Idaho to drive home our new 2013 Dodge 2500 Ram Truck!!  Take a peek - it is one pretty truck!!

 

Glenn and I have never owned a new vehicle since we've been married!  And we had decided that once we retired, we wanted a new truck to pull a 5th wheel and a boat - after talking to our tax lady, she suggested buying that truck now and leasing it to the company for a tax write off!!  What a perfect solution!!

So Glenn researched what he wanted and we did go truck shopping a couple times in Co. Springs but found that they weren't willing to lower their prices much so we ended up buying one from Idaho at a price lower than in Colorado!

The truck is a Laramie so has every option on it you can imagine - heated and cooled bucket leather seats with even heated seats in the back, a sun roof, large computer screen with navigation on it and the ability to program everything on that screen, a plug in for your computer while you're traveling, and the list goes on and on!!  2 things we did have  put on were the spray in bed liner and the step rails for me to climb on when I get into the truck!!  The stereo system is awesome and I can't wait to take my IPOD and use it when we travel!!

Glenn loves his new truck and he even looks good behind the wheel!

High Rise Shopping in Chicago

It's a good thing I take pictures on a trip or I would never remember what I did!!

 

We slept in Sunday morning and then rushed around to get out the door to take the subway to the other end of the Magnificent Mile!  The subway system still amazes me and I guess if you lived in the city and took it all the time, it would be easy - but it was confusing for me and I'm glad Teri could figure out how to buy the tickets and get where we're going!!

 

We got on the last car of the subway and noticed there was only one guy sitting there so thought it would be a great place to sit - NOT!!  As soon as we sat down, there in front of us on the seat and mostly on the floor is a pile of vomit - yikes - not a great way to start the morning!!

 

Breakfast was at an extremely popular and busy place - we chose to sit outside where we could get served faster and the meal was excellent!!  Then it was off to Sprinkles, a cupcake place where we picked out a couple of cupcakes to the tune of $3.50 apiece to take back to the room and later enjoy!  Who knew that cupcakes would become so popular????

 

Instead of coffee this morning, Teri took us to Ghiradelli's Chocolate where we all ordered a different type of cocoa and sat in the sun and enjoyed it!!  They had every type of chocolate imaginable in this place and I could have easily bought a LOT of chocolate there but I refrained!!

 

Next was just walking down the street and peeking into all of the fancy stores!!  We walked into a few like Saks and Tiffany's but actually felt quite out of place!!  Patty found a dress that sold for around $5700  and we would have looked further but a nice gentleman was standing there watching every move we made - kind of unnerving.............

One shop was American Made things and this wall of old sewing machines was something else!!  I've never seen so many in one place before!!

It was strange going into stores and knowing that instead of being all spread out on one level, the places were tall and skinny and went up!!  WAY UP!!  A lot of them had at least 12 floors!!

After all that walking, we needed something sweet so stopped and indulged in ice cream - yum!!

The old building below is one of the few remaining buildings that survived the Chicago fire - it's strange to see that against the modern skyscrapers.

We actually dressed up a little bit late afternoon and walked to the oldest Italian restaurant in Chicago - the atmosphere was delightful - the drinks were great (I had Sangria) - and the Italian food was yummy!  We toasted to Patty's upcoming birthday and we all shared tiramisu for dessert.

And then we were off to see The Book of Mormon - going to a Broadway musical is always fun and getting to see one in Chicago was really special!!  The singing and dancing was fantastic - language was a little rough at times - but all in all we thoroughly enjoyed the production!!  What a fun evening it was!!

After walking back to our hotel, we decided to have a drink in the bar - I think the copper on the bar was a little much for my camera, considering it was pretty dark in there!!

Tired but happy, we all slept great that night and woke up knowing that the suitcases had to be packed!!  We found a great little place for breakfast and then walked a couple more blocks to get some coffee before our last walk around the park!!

More cute art work - whoever thinks up these creative ideas??

Before we knew it, it was time to head to the subway station again where Patty and I said our goodbyes to Teri - she headed to take the train and Patty and I headed to the Chicago airport!

We arrived way earlier than what we needed to but enjoyed having some lunch and just visiting!  Patty's plane kept getting delayed every time we looked and by the time I boarded my plane for Denver, I thought she would be stuck there for another couple hours!!  But they did find another plane and she actually got home the same time as she expected to!!

What a great 4 day weekend with 2 of the best sisters ever!!!  Lots of memories to relive and more to look forward too!!