Tuesday, June 24, 2008

unBELIZEable-the rest of the story


So I kind of feel like I left Belize just hanging in the wind. It's been over a month and I haven't completed the adventure so here goes:

day 3:
1. morning at the pool
2. afternoon snorkel trip-which was awesome. We had these great guides-Eddie and Oscar. They
were hilarious. they took us out to the reef but we weren't allowed to cross it-had to stay on our side. but we saw a TON of stuff: turtles, baracudas, lots of fish, rays, sharks, etc.. oscar would tell you to put your face in the water and then he'd put food right in front of your face. The fish literally would kiss your face getting the food. It was awesome. a few guests from the wedding party were with our group and we went to shark-ray alley, the boys wouldn't get out of the boat. wusses. the place was crawling with nurse sharks and gigantic rays. One of the boy's girlfriends even held the shark. anyway--we thought it was funny that the boys were the ones scared to get in the water. Molly has these pics so I'll have to get them from her and put them up.
3.dinner at Blue Water Grill. This really isn't that notable except for the desserts. We got a flourless chocolate cake that I've been craving ever since and a key lime pie that were delicious.
4. we wandered about town for a little bit and ended up at Fido's again-big surprise.
5. cards at the table to call it a night. We also tried to see if we could unwrap starburts in our mouth.

day4:
1. we spent the majority of the day at the beach and at the pool
2. we decided to go on an excursion the next day so we spent quite a while with Eli getting it planned. there was some major difficulty getting it figured out but finally all was set. As we were leaving the dive shop--the wedding on the beach was just getting started. we had seen them setting it up most of the day and it was so pretty. We couldn't help but stand there and watch--I kind of felt like a voyeur but we just had to. Later we heard the wedding party reveling the majority of the evening. we learned that the entire wedding party including the bride and groom jumped in the pool.
3. dinner in town. we decided to skip a restaurant and go to the food stands at "central park" It was awesome. We got some pretty good burritos
and a fanta for about $3. can't beat that price. the people watching was awesome as well--it seemed as if the whole town was there. i loved it. before we went out we had a little visitor in our room. We had to come up with a gecko extraction plan. He started out on the ceiling and through some wrangling skills from Kim, he made it to the floor. Jocelyn was convinced that tapping the floor with a hanger would keep him from coming to her side, molly grabbed the camera and kim and i were on a mission. it's pretty ridiculous what girls will do to get rid of a ittybitty lizard. (the video is in two parts at the bottom)
4. we all fell asleep in the living room

day 5:
1. jocelyn, molly, kim and i signed up for an excursion back on the mainland. we jumped on another plane and went back to belize city. Roland came and picked us up and took us out to Jaguar National Park. We first did a zipline tour going from platform to platform which was pretty dang cool. Elder and Edgar were our guides and they were great. Jocelyn was a little nervous to do the final rappel (please see video at the bottom) but it did make for some good laughs. We then went over to the river where we picked up a headlamp and tube and then took of on a little hike. After about 45 minutes of hiking, we jumped in the river and floated down through caves. It got a little chilly toward the end but was a pretty relaxing little stroll down the river. On the way back to the
airport, all of us could notice Roland in the rear-view mirror falling asleep. We were getting pretty nervous and I started to offer him things from the cooler. He assured us he was fine. riiiiight.
2. we flew in and out of a municipal airport in belize city--not the international one. when we landed i seriously thought we had landed in the water because looking out the window that was all i could see. the runway was parallel to the shore with about a foot to spare. what? when we went to the end and turned around to take off, the back wheel was in the ocean. i'm sure of it. we also used boarding passes that were laminated card stock. "blue boarding passes to gate A--all blue boarding passes to gate A"
3. we got back and found ashley. she had stayed behind and found the church. we ran into the missionaries earlier in the week and they told us
how to get there. so she enjoyed some time with the local members. We got spiffed up and went and met our water taxi for our "last dinner" One of the gals we met at the resort told us about this great little place at the other end of the island that she goes to every year. so we jumped on the "kylie" and off we went. we sped past the whole shore of the island just as the sun was going down--it was awesome. apparently the high-end places are on the opposite end of the island but I liked the local flavor better where we were. We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed the boat ride back. It was a little unsettling going SO fast pitch black but it was pretty fun. We chatted for a while and then started to pack and get ready to leave. boo.

day 6:
Joc & Ash headed out early to go scuba diving. They had been waiting all week to go and the wind had been so bad that their trip got cancelled every day. So luckily, this day they were good to go. Molly, Kim and I walked about 10 minutes down the beach to another resort for massages. It was heaven. After we left the little office we walked toward the beach where three ladies in stark white outfits all stood by three perfeclty spaced tables next to each other under a canopy of palm trees. The next hour was awesome--probably one of the best massages of my life. The wind was calmly blowing through the trees and we could hear the real waves of the ocean--it wasn't just a cd :) Kim and I had to stop in the hammock for a second and we were so relaxed it proved a difficult task to get out of it :) and no, kim isn't an indian. she just appears to be. We scooted back to the resort and enjoyed our last afternoon at the pool with chips and salsa and pina coladas. Before we knew it, Raymond was taking us back to the gravel pit for our flight home. We picked up a few souvenirs at the aiport and said goodbye. Thanks Belize--we'll see ya next time.






































































Monday, June 23, 2008

it's the broncs and the blood, the steers and the mud and they call the thing RODEO



i love the summer and all the activities that come along with it: barbecues, pool days, hikes, outdoor concerts, going to the lake, demolition derbies and of course, the rodeo. Rodeo season is upon us and my first one of the summer was this past weekend at the Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove. This was my fourth Strawberry Days and it hasn't disappointed yet: rodeo clowns, rodeo royalty, bulls, mutton bustin' (kids on sheep), wild cow milking, motocross entertainment and strawberries and cream for a $1. it was just some good, old-fashioned, small-town fun. the people watching was most excellent as well. and did you know that there is quite the money to be made as a cowboy. One guy was already at $100K + for the year. Forget investment bankers and doctors--give me a rodeo cowboy :) If that doesn't pan out, I guess I will try my hand at barrel racing.
PS-thanks Molly for catching me off guard!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

irony

one funny thing: I taught a little mini-class last night about emergency preparedness and ideas of things to keep on hand etc... this is funny because I am the girl who runs out of gas on the freeway (last week), doesn't own a flashlight and had to hike in the snow with Lesley's socks, a coworker's boots and the dog's blanket from the back of the car. But, if you need sweettarts or a swiss-army knife--I'm your girl. And here's the ironic part: I had a drawing for a nice first-aid kit and as I was cutting strips of paper for the drawing, I almost sliced the top of my thumb off. The blade got halfway across my nail but due to my cat-like reflexes, I stopped it from going all the way through. i'm kind of a disaster.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Belize day 2

So let me take you back to the world of Belize: day 2. We all slept in and then wandered down to the pool where we spent most of the day. We ordered chips and salsa and pina coladas and I'm pretty sure that life coulnd't have been any better. We continued to make friends with the wedding party and other guests at the Banyan Bay. We found our favorite grocer: Sam from Lebanon--we visited him every day for water and diet beverages. Later that night we watched a little of the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance and then went into town. We had dinner at Elvi's and then made our way over to Fidos. There was a live band playing and they were playing really great covers. We stayed for a while and listened and danced. We then made friends with a group from Virginia Tech. We talked with them for a while and then decided to call it a night. We actually played cards for a little while and then had to make fun of Kim for the repeated comments of "These mangoes taste funny" Upon closer examination we figured out why (look at the expiration date). Oh, Lupe.

Monday, June 16, 2008

good things to come

So I still owe you the rest of Belize and it's coming. I'm not sure why I've been so slow to post but...

I had a great weekend with my girlfriends down in St. George. It was super hot but we lived at the pool ALL weekend. Thank you Jocelyn for letting us come. Jocelyn Molly and I left on Thursday night: The plan was to pick them up at 6, grab dinner at Cafe Rio and be on our way. Well plans never really go they way you thought--the beauty for us is that it just didn't matter. We got to the Rio a little after 7--had a leisurely dinner, wandered around Target for a while, picked out a delicious Hostess product, filled up the tank and were finally on the road a little after 9. I will say I am pretty proud of the three of us because we made it door to door without a pitstop. That might be the first time I've ever made it to St. G without stopping.

Anyway, I rarely get cheesy and almost never get testimony-like, especially in print, but I would be remiss if I didn't say how grateul I am for the things that I have and the things that I know and for the amazing influence and example of my friends. I'm not quite sure how it happened but somewhere between Fillmore and Beaver, the three of us had an affirmation-like almost testimony meeting. We laughed and we cried--we felt a little silly but in the middle of it all, I know that all three of us felt an overwhelming sense of love from the Lord and at that moment I knew He was aware of us. I have a great life--a very full life. I'm pretty content with the way things are but obviously my life is not complete. I think it is easy to get complacent and think things are never going to change. I frequently have the mindset that this is my life, this is the way things are and for the most part that is fine with me. However, it was brought to my attention that things do change, things get better and we have the promise of good things to come. These are excerpts from a church talk that Molly sent my way, "Everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of "good things to come.....The Lord rebukes faithlessness and He deplores pessimism. He expects us to believe!....Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Jesus Christ comes to you in His "more excellent ministry" with a future of "better promises." So take it for what it's worth. Whether your life is fantastic, just fine, or not so good--Hold on. Keep Trying. There are good things to come.

Friday, June 6, 2008

You betta BELIZE it! (Belize day 1)

Belize was awesome! Molly, Jocelyn, Ashley and I had been planning this trip since January/February and it seemed like forever away until May. THREE days before we left, I got a surprise phone call letting me know that Kim had decided to join our little party and I couldn't have been more thrilled. The trip just wouldn't have been the same without our little Lupe! The day before we left was CRAZY. After work, I had Melinda's birthday dinner (Happy 30th Mel!) and then was facing a very long night of laundry and cleaning and moving out of the house I had been housesitting for the previous three weeks. Earlier in the day I had met Kim--who volunteered to be my elf--to deliver beach towels I had gotten for each of the girls. I bought striped towels and had their names embroidered as well as Belize 08 in the opposite corner. And by the grace of God (I had a very spiritual moment in Target when I found towel #5) was able to get a last minute one done for Kim that was EXACTLY like the rest of ours (not from Target). I digress...I pulled into my house about 10:30 PM to find out the power was out and had been out for over 3 hours. Okay, I can do this. I can unload my car and repack for a week in the dark. no problem. Emergency preparedness tip #1: own a flashlight. To the rescue was my neighbor across the street who lent me his crank flashlight. Festivus miracle #2--the power came on tweny minutes after I got home. crisis averted. Molly and Joc came and picked me and Kim up about 12:30 AM and we headed back to their house. Over the course of the next three hours, we finished packing, caught about 1/2 hour sleep and were on our way. Thanks to Joc's dad for picking us up at 4 AM to take us to the airport. Belize here we come. We had a stop in Dallas where we enjoyed large diet beverages and the massage chair and then we were off. We landed in Belize about 3 PM and then jumped on a hopper flight to the beautiful island of San Pedro. Ashley got to be our co-pilot and the rest of us sat two by two in our shoebox-with-wings plane. 3 ft wide, 4 ft tall, 9 ft long. I think Les's subaru is bigger than this plane. And don't worry, the door handle was secured with napkins. We landed at the San Pedro airport which was a little more than a gravel pit. The resort sent Raymond to pick us up and soon we were at the Banyan Bay. We quickly dumped our stuff and headed to Rico's for dinner. We had a lovely seafood dinner by the ocean with Jarvis--our server. Later that evening our friends from across the hall (from Colorado) invited us to head to town to go to the "chicken drop". You put a scared chicken on a numbered grid and watch it run around until it leaves a surprise in one of the numbered squares. Whoever picked the right number square wins. That was entertaining for about ten minutes. We walked through town and found an ice cream shop with heavenly coconut ice cream. We knew this was gonna be a great vacation.













Wednesday, June 4, 2008

team building

Lake Powell was a blast again this year. I had just gotten home from Belize and the next day was at Costco loading up the 15 passenger van full of food for the company trip. Wendi was a great helper and we giggled about pushing two flat beds and a giant cart through the store. The checker volunteered to help us out and we both had to give the wth face and laugh when he chose to push the grocery cart leaving Wendi and I with the flat bed carts. Hello. We had a minor mishap with the tomatoes but other than that, we were off. Just a quick six hour drive (i was unconscious for most of it) and we pulled into Antelope Point Marina-got the houseboat loaded and hit the hay. I was actually feeling quite ill and was getting nervous--I had received a call earlier that day letting me know that both Matt and Les were up most of the night throwing up. I slept pretty well and after a little porcelain time of my own early in the morning, was feeling fine. We set sail with the houseboat scouting the perfect location. We anchored in a great little spot by the "cookie jar" and waited for the rest of the kids to arrive. We immediately jumped in one of the boats and headed out with the surfboard and wakeboard. The weather was perfect and the water felt great. The rest of the weekend was spent with great food, great people and great times. We hiked to Rainbow Bridge, tried fishing with our bare hands, played on the slide, explored a number of canyons, did more wakeboarding and tubing, played on the wii, played catch phrase and watched a couple oldie but goodie movies: fletch and karate kid--two of my personal favorites. One of the highlights was catch phrase with all 18 of us. Some people were throwing out some pretty funny clues but the best had to be the new guy with "intercourse attraction". the word was sex appeal. We had to stop the game as no one could stop laughing. One of the days, we were putting the slide into position (basically the slide comes out from the houseboat and there are metal bars that hold it in place--you can see in the pic) and I was ready to insert the middle piece and none of us were paying attention to the large bar that would soon fall on my foot. All four letter words escaped my mind and all I could say was "I need to go away for a minute". I ran into the houseboat as tears welled up in my eyes but none escaped--I wasn't going to be a wuss. My toe ring was virtually flattened around my toe but we managed to pry it off. It hit so deep that the bruise is just now coming to the surface. It doesn't hurt now but oh what a moment to have in front of everyone I work with. All in all--good times for sure. I'd go back in a heartbeat. We're considering going back in October.