Oh the Places You Have Been! part 2

Trip #3, Mexico 2009-

This was our BIG trip of the summer, one of those types of trips for which you have to break out the passports. We went with our good friends Byron and Letha to Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The trip made me a little apprehensive as this was just a few weeks after the swine flu had started to spread and it was all the American news stations talked about. However my doctor assured me that I (and Max) would be fine and I believed him, especially since his daughter was there on her honeymoon the week before us. We flew down and met our friends at our resort called the Mayan Palace. It was a busy trip and we split our time between diving (Curt and Byron) and snorkeling (all of us) and touring some of the amazing Mayan ruins in the area. Tourism was way down for that time of the year probably due to the flu scare, and that was fine with me. Still seemed like a lot of people in some areas, but I realize how much worse it could have been. It was also very hot! I never went far without a bottle of water or two with me. Overall the trip was a lot of fun and Max didn't slow me down too much, I was just careful to alternate strenuous days with relaxing pool days!

This is Chichen Itza, one of the ruins we visited. It seemed to me that there were a lot of tourists there on that day, but according to tour guides the numbers were way down. They don't let you climb the ruins anymore, which was FINE with me! The stairs are steep and the ledges on each step are tiny.
Our friends Byron and Letha posing in front of the Caribbean.
Here we are in front of Tulum which is another Mayan ruin. It sits in a cliff overlooking the Caribbean ocean.
Trying to stay cool and shady at Chichen Itza.

Trip #4, St. Maries, ID June-July 2009-

No rest for the weary! We were home from Mexico maybe three full days before heading back to Dallas and hopping on another plane and heading for Idaho. This was part of the overall scheme to get Curtis' whole family together as a surprise for his dad's birthday, and surprise them we did! We had not told anyone in his family about our pregnancy yet, that is just the sort of news you want to tell in person and this was the perfect opportunity. We had to divulge our secret right away because our first activity of the trip was... another amusement park! Aaack. This time it was Silverwood which is just outside of Coeur d'Alene. Again I watched as everyone else went on lots of fun rides and some others that would have made me vomit pregnant or not! My niece Anika and I eventually made it around to the lazy river and floated for a good part of the afternoon. That I enjoyed very much. The rest of the weekend was spent at Curt's house eating, playing games and setting off a ridiculous number of fireworks. The nephews were in heaven. It was a great trip, but I was ready to get home and stay put... if only for a short time!

Curtis and his dad throwing some horseshoes in the back yard. That do A LOT of that when we are home!
Our niece Emma playing "tea party" in her swimming pool. It was warm for the northerners that weekend, but it felt great to us, especially at night!
My niece Anika hanging out and watching the boys on the slip and slide. She spends a lot of time now texting and talking to her friends on the phone. She is a true teenager! Yikes, that means we are getting older too.

Grandpa with all of his grandkids (well the ones that have been born anyway!) We had delicious red velvet cake that night (my favorite) and played games after. I hope he had a wonderful, and surprising birthday!

Stay tuned for the conclusion of our travels!