2013 - Jan 04-Day 1-Travel to Huatulco, Mexico

The first time I typed this, the #@&%%@ laptop hung up and I lost it. If it does it again, you'll just have to imagine what a great time we're having here.

Yesterday afternoon, we checked into the Marriott Inn St. Louis Airport to take advantage of their Park & Ride program. We had dinner and a couple of cocktails before setting the alarm for 5:45AM and turning in early. I woke up at 4:00 and snoozed till 5:00 when I got up and jumped into the shower. Marsha was watching TV when I finished my shower, so she jumped in (after I got out).

We were in the lobby at 6:20, just in time to catch the shuttle to the airport for our 9:05 flight. Five minutes later, we were in line at the ticket counter with a bunch of other bleary-eyed people headed for Mexico. We were through security and looking for breakfast by 7:00. After a leisurely breakfast, we walked the two miles (not really) to our gate where, after a short wait, we boarded the plane bound for Huatulco.

In a short four hours, we had landed and were stopping in front of the only airport terminal I've ever seen that had a thatched roof! The whole terminal complex looked like a village made up of a bunch of over-sized thatched-root huts with open air walls. We exited the plane into 90 degree heat with 90 percent humidity and walked down the stairway that they had rolled up to the side of the plane. We don't need no stinking jetway! Of course, I was still wearing my jeans and heavy long sleeved shirt, so I was REAL comfy!

I don't think they know about carbon or NCR paper here because we had to fill out the same two customs forms twice! Luckily, unlike some other passengers, we escaped to the parking lot without having our luggage ransacked by the immigration authorities. On the way to the bus, I found a nice lady selling beer. A lifesaver!

After a thirty minute bus ride, we arrived at Secrets Resort and Spa. We saw our luggage after we arrived, but when I tried to take it, the guy said he'd handle it, so we headed for a restaurant and ate lunch. It took us close to an hour to eat lunch and we and still arrived in our room about an hour before our luggage, so I took some pictures of the room and our view of the Pacific Ocean from the balcony. After the luggage arrived, I took a nap and Marsha read her book for a while then went for an exploratory walk to the pools and the beach.

We went to dinner at the Oceana Restaurant. Marsha had salmon and I had the surf & turf. Both were excellent. After dinner, we walked around following the echoes of the live music. It took a while to find it and get to it, but we made it. After a cocktail and listening to the band, two clarinets, two trumpets, a trombone, a baritone horn, a sousaphone, a snare drummer and a base drummer, play the same song repeatedly for an hour, we took a more direct route back to the room and walked in at exactly 10:00PM.

So Marsha is in bed and I'm typing this blog entry for the second time. Enjoy the pictures!

2012 - Dec 29 Our Christmas with the Kids

We had to wait until December 29th to get together for our Christmas with the kids. It was easier for us to travel to their house, so we loaded the presents into the back of the car and hit the road.

We got to the house about 11:00 and left for Cody's Road House Restaurant shortly thereafter. Marsha and I treated for lunch, after which we headed back to the house to open presents.

The pictures tell the story. Merry Christmas!

2012 - Dec 01 Adi's Gymnastics Meet in Salem, IL

It took us about two and a half hours to get there, but it was worth the trip. Adi got first place in her normal (intermediate) class on the double-mini trampoline.

Because she won the national championship in the intermediate class last year on standard trampoline, she was required to move up to the sub-advanced class this year. The routine requirements and the judging are much more difficult in the sub-advanced class than in intermediate. That, coupled with the facts that she just completed her routine correctly for the fist time three days before, it was her first competition in sub-advanced, and her coach told her not to expect high scores, gave here severe jitters to the point that, at the last minute, she told Faith she didn't want to compete in the event.

After reassurance from her mom, she sucked it up and competed. She got SECOND place out of eleven competitors!!

On Sunday, she got third place in floor tumbling, but we weren't there to get a picture.

All in all, it was a good meet. Needless to say, we are very proud and Adi was ecstatic!

2012 - Nov 25 Our Thanksgiving with the Kids

We had a sort of nontraditional "Thanksgiving" today. Since the real Thanksgiving has passed and most had eaten their fill of the traditional fare, we had chicken and cheese enchiladas. We did, however, have a traditional desert of Marsha's Homemade pumpkin pie. Deeelicious!

It's always nice to have our family together. We had a good time.