Cancun

Ahhh . . . after so much anticipation, I can't believe the trip is over. Maybe that's why I haven't written anything on it - b/c I am in denial! (Haha) There isn't much to write about as we did a whole lot of nothing. And it was wonderful! 4 full days of lying on the beach, relaxing, enjoying a cocktail or two ;) and enjoying time with my sister, BIL and wonderful husband. Luckily, Hurricane Ida passed through before we arrived and we had gorgeous weather everyday. 80's and sunny, doesn't get much better than that!

Our hotel - the Oasis Viva Beach

The view from our room

Volleyball anyone?

(This is right before Brook lost his wedding ring in the pool.)

"My kid is going to be smarter than your kid."

Don't mess with us!

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters . . . "

Awwwww

Sigh

Making friends out on the town

They kept the bartender busy!

"Adios & vaya con Dios"

As I eagerly anticipated our Cancun trip, I've had that "Toes" song from the Zac Brown Band in my head. "Got my toes in the water, _____ in the sand. Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today." Ahh, yes it is! The trip is here! We leave tomorrow and are super-excited! (Even more excited that Hurricane Ida is long gone.) See you next week!

A Visit from Friends

Sunday we didn't have plans to do much, except maybe a little yard work. Imagine our suprise (and delight) when Cory called and asked if it would be ok to come up for a visit! What could we say, "No, umm sorry, we have yard work to do." Haha, yeah right. So, later that afternoon, Cory, Melissa and Brody arrived. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went down to the pier to see the water. The visit was much too short, as they had a 2+ hour drive ahead of them to get home, but we were so grateful for the visit!

What a great autumn day to go out on the pier!

This picture is so cute!

The (Not-So-Lucky) Irish

Brook and I met Wes and Jaime down in South Bend on Friday to see Notre Dame "kick Navy's butt." Welllll . . . that's what I was telling my co-workers, at least. Please note that about 1/2 of my co-workers at the Zeeland plant were in the Navy. The razzing on Monday was not near as bad as I expected (and deserved!) Though it would've been great to see an Irish win, we still had a fun day. The campus holds a special place in our hearts, as this is where Brook and I met just 2 years ago. And, of course, who could forget the weather?? It was a beautiful day for a football game!

"Touchdown Jesus"

Great View!

(Except I think this is right before he threw an interception)

The Grotto where we light a candle & pray for next year's season

(Just kidding!)

Fun, Fun, Fun

What a fun Halloween we had! We went down to Concord to spend time with my family and see the kids in their costumes. We had a very full day (there never seems like there is enough time to see everyone we want to see), but a good one. I needed the visit. As much as I love living in Grand Haven, I still miss my family a ton. After dinner at Applebees with everyone, we were saying our good-byes and Maria looks up at me and says, "I miss you Aunt Chrystal." Ugh, talk about breaking my heart!

Later that night, we went out with the Parrotts to a Halloween party. We haven't seen them in ages and I really enjoyed our time together! We all dressed up (wish I had pictures!) . . . Cory as a studly police officer, Melissa a mermaid, Brook as the Thing (I think that's what it was) and myself as a flapper. This is the third time (not in a row) I have worn the flapper outfit. Many, many good memories have accompanied me in that costume! Why ruin a good thing! =)

So precious!

Tinkerbell and Notre Dame Linebacker

Little JuJu

I Freaked Out

I did. And I am not proud of it. I am not the person who runs to the doctor for a prescription at the sign of sickness. I am normally a healthy person and prefer to treat illnesses with natural remedies. That said, the Internet is the devil. Plain and simple. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve self-diagnosed myself off of WebMD and was sure I had cancer or some other terrible disease!

Well, it wasn’t WebMD this time, it was cnn.com. I was doing my typical morning scan of the news stories and came across a woman who was pregnant and had a sore throat. She didn’t think it was a big deal and let it go for awhile. Eventually, it turned into a fever and by the time she got to the hospital, she was having seizures and was put into a medical-induced coma (due to H1N1). The rest of the story . . . well, it’s not pretty and I won’t share it, b/c I don’t want to freak anyone else out.

I freaked out, b/c I have had a nagging sore throat for a few months. It hasn’t been bad until last week, so I let it go. After reading that story, along with the fact that we leave for Mexico in 2 weeks and are thinking of trying to get pregnant in the near future, I got panicky. I don’t have a doctor here, so I called my dr in Jackson for a recommendation. Long story short, he didn’t have one for me and I ended up at Urgent Care. Blah. (After, of course, I asked Brook to scope it out for me to make sure it wasn’t packed. I didn’t want all the sickies to make me sick if I really wasn’t sick!)

I got right in and it was a good experience. The NP who saw me was super-nice and a good listener. After checking me over and doing a strep test, the verdict was . . . seasonal allergies! LOL! Oh well, a $25 co-pay is worth my peace of mind. She even managed to talk me into getting the flu shot, which I have never gotten before, by saying “Your unborn baby depends on you.” (The unborn baby that I am not pregnant with, mind you.) Ugh, so I got it. This morning, I woke up with a terrible cold and feel like crud. I am out of it, but at least I know it’s not the Swine Flu!

Birthday Wishes

This is a tad belated, but over the weekend, my SIL April celebrated her 29+1 birthday. We celebrated last Sunday with her and the rest of the Bisonets. I am blessed to have 2 wonderful sister-in-laws (or is it sisters-in-law? I'm not sure.) April quickly became a friend, b/c she gets me and my OCD ways. For example, last week, I told her I had finished addressing almost all of my Christmas cards. Yes folks, you read right, I said Christmas cards! She told me I was even more OCD than she was and I took it as a compliment. Haha! I have found that we are a lot alike . . . and that is probably why I get along with her so well. I miss my Concord sisters terribly and am grateful that I have her nearby. I know that if I ever need anything, she is just a phone call or e-mail away. So, here's to you April - I hope this next year of your life is filled with many, many blessings!