Mexico

Last week my family and I went on a vacation to Mexico! My Mom, Dad, Halverson Family, and Brown Family were all there. We missed the Shamo Family, Morris Family, and Brandon! Hopefully next time we will all be together. It was a lot of fun and I thought I would share some of the pictures I took on the trip.

For the first couple days we hung out on the boat. We ate lots of ice cream and pizza. On Wednesday we made it to Puerto Vallarta. Clint, Brigham, Dad, and I went on an outdoor adventure where we ziplined and repelled in the jungle. We did this a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. They added a few new lines and obstacles. We had a good time! I got eight bug bites on one of my legs. And those crazy Mexican mosquito bites itch like crazy!!

By the time we got back to the boat everyone was ready to go to the beach! This beach had big strong waves which the kids loved to body surf.


One of the main attractions on the boat was a huge waterslide for the older kids and a slash pad for all the little kiddos! Here are some pictures of the kids playing around on the ship.

The next day we were in Mazatlan! This was our big BEACH DAY!! We took a taxi to a hotel which had access to the main beach. They had chairs and an umbrella for us. The waves were not quite as impressive as the day before but we had a lot of fun in the sand.

Crazy Isaac loved to play in the sand and even put it all over his face. Josh was completely covered in sand except for his finger nails which wouldn't let the sand stick.

Here is the big hole and burying Isaac and Josh. Josh jumped right out after we were done. Isaac had to be pulled out by his dad.

Josh is such a cutie even when he is covered in sand.

After the beach we went SHOPPING! The girls bought some beautiful swim suit coverups. Kail got a T-shirt. I think the beach and shopping wore Grandpa out and he slept on the bench as we waited for everyone to make their purchases.

Here are some random pictures of us around the ship. Every night we would come back from dinner and find a towel animal on our beds. We had a lobster, frog, dog, and flower. And look at poor Alicia's burned back...ouch!!

Friday we went to Cabo San Lucas! We didn't go to the beach that day. Instead we just went walking around the docks and shopping at the flea market.

To get to Cabo we had to take a tender. Here are Greg, Lisa, Dad, and Mom on the tender.

Here are Grandma and Grandpa with most of the Grandkids at the flea market.

All of the Halverson boys bought Mexican wrestling masks. One night while I was watching the kids for Lisa and Clint we had a wrestling match. Alicia was the referee and called the match. It was hilarious! I probably shouldn't show these pictures because then Lisa and Clint will never let me watch their kids again.

On Carnival they had a kids program. It was a big hit and all the kids loved going to 'GROUP.' They would come home everyday with T-shirts, artwork, pens, hats, bags, or FACE PAINT. Here is Josh as a tiger and Isaac as a rock star!

This is the only picture I have of me on the trip. I had to include it to prove I was there. (Thanks for posing with me Brig!)

After Cabo we headed back to California. Because of all the crazy weather in Southern California last week the seas were a bit rough. This made the captain slow down quite a bit which made us a couple hours late getting into Long Beach. I had an 11:15 flight and was already going to be cutting it close before we were delayed. They didn't let anyone off the ship until 10:20 and I was booking it to the airport. I honestly felt like I was on the Amazing Race! I barely made it on the plane but everything went smoothly from there.

Brandon picked me up from the airport and I was so excited to see him. When I walked in the door I saw this huge bouquet of red roses on our kitchen table. Brandon is so sweet. It was a fun week but I was definitely happy to see my handsome hubby!

Thanks for the great vacation Dad! I'm so happy I was able to go and spend time with the family!

Luck of the draw!

I can't believe it but I won this ipod shuffle at a work meeting today! I NEVER win anything and was shocked when they picked my number for the raffle.

Looks like 2010 is going to be a lucky year!

We signed up...

...and we are 100% committed! Wish us luck as we train for the full marathon in June!

Brandon really is the inspiration for us running this race. He's been talking about running a marathon together ever since we got married. He's the one that signed us up and I couldn't be more excited. I need a race to look forward to and make me run. I honestly haven't run even one day in the past few months so this should be interesting. But it will be a lot of fun to train and run this race with my best friend.

The course looks amazing. We will run from Tukwila to Seattle along Lake Washington, Lake Union, and the Sound! At every mile along the course there is a different band playing. Then at the end of the race there is a huge concert for the runners. It should be a lot of fun! I just pray for a nice sunny day with no rain!

Christmas in Utah

We had a FABULOUS Christmas in Utah this year! It was packed full of fun activities and being with family and friends. To start off the week we went up to the Cannon cabin in Brighton. We had a little surprise when we arrived and found the water pipes had frozen. The kids loved to 'cook' snow for us to wash our hands and flush toilets. I think Brigham stood at the stove for hours on end boiling buckets and buckets of snow. He loved it for some reason! Monday we went skiing/snowboarding at Brighton. Brigham and Jacob are expert snowboarders and would cruise down the Explorer hill. Alicia had her first skiing lesson and loved the speed!
After skiing we came back to the cabin and went sledding before it got dark!
The next couple nights we made our way up to Kaysville to watch the BYU and Utah bowl games. This is Brigham's shirt he wore on Christmas day...I LOVE it!!
Christmas Eve we went over to my Grandma Cannon's house for food, a program, and a white elephant game.
Christmas morning we slept in and then opened presents until everyone got to my parents. My mom and dad gave us Rock Band which Brandon has been wanting for months. (Thanks again!)
When everyone arrived we opened more presents and had a delicious dinner.
Here's a picture of all the grandkids minus Wyatt and Owen (we sure missed you guys but were glad we could see you on Skype!)

The day after Christmas we went to a brunch with all my high school friends. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. I sure miss all you girls! Thanks again Katie for hosting!

We had a great time in Utah! We are so lucky to have these fun times with family and friends! The only thing that could have made this holiday season better would have been if we were able to spend some time with Brandon's family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!