Week in Mexico

We made it back home. No problems. No one tried to cut our heads off or shoot us and that's a good thing.  Never felt any danger.

Just Fun in the Sun!!

The weather was about 85 degrees all week and no moisture after the 1st day. We love this resort! They have tons of staff.  I guess that is because they don't have to pay them much.

At the beginning of the week they always have a welcome breakfast, introduce some of the staff and concierges and talk about the activities for the week and tours that are offered.  Since we had done several of the tours and activities in the past we decided to make a trip in to town one day and the rest of the time spend around the resort, reading a book, yoga, water aerobics, laying in the hammocks, ping pong, & eat.

The next day a Mexican Fiesta was planned with free drinks, guacamole, salsa, chip  & dancers entertaining.

Yoga on the beach

 

Hot tub soaking

Water aerobics

In the shade reading a book

We watched them play volleyball

Don's enjoying the free beer & the dancing!

Salsa & Guacamole station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Hacienda Tour

Front Desk

 

 

 

 

Inside Bar

Restaurant on the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had lunch with Olaf. He was hoping we would buy another timeshare. Didn't work!!!!

We loved the hammocks to read books and take naps in. They were a lot more comfortable than the lounge chairs on my back.

 

 

We rode the shuttle to town on Thursday to eat and shop. Our concierge told us about a great restaurant called the Monkey Cave. She said breakfast was terrific.  After walking for a while we accidentally found it.

Delicious fruit drink

Great chocolate shop, we bought brownies and Mexican vanilla

Don's mouth was burning after eating some hot salsa.

We had a great week and will be back next year!!!

Royal Hacienda in Playa del Carmen

Don & I flew to Cancun yesterday for a week in Playa del Carmen at the Royal Hacienda. We came last year and really enjoyed it and have already scheduled another week next January.

Ricki took us to the airport yesterday and is keeping sweet Abby so she doesn't have to go to the kennel.  I hope she doesn't cause any trouble to Ricki, John and Chris so she can stay again when we leave.  Be good Abby.

It was raining when we arrived last evening about 6:00 & was cloudy & misty this morning for a while but we got up for the resort briefing on things to do and where to go along with a continental breakfast.  We met our host, Olaf and personnel conciege, Melissa, who will help us plan our week.  Walked around the resort to reacquaint ourselves to the place. It is huge & beautiful.  Took a walk from the resort to main road and saw an iguana but didn't have the camera.  When we returned it was time for the Welcome Party at 12:00 with all the beer, rum & cokes, and cokes you could drink.

This was Don after 4 beers.  It was too cool for us in swimsuits but there were a lot out by the pools and beach.

This is the view from our room & our balcony.

We took a walk down the beach and sat under the palapas.

Gotta rest up for another hard day tomorrow!!

January is for Organizing

I have been a little lazy at blogging the last week. Last week as I was taking down the Christmas tree I decided to take pictures of all the ornaments that I use that were made by mother, Ricki and I.  I thought I needed a record for someone. Who? I don't know. For me I guess. LOL

These were made by Mom through the years.

These were made by Ricki, mostly when we were doing craft shows together from about 1980-1990

These were made by me.

These were the first ones I made.  I took a tole painting class while I was going to college.

These I made while vacationing at Big Lake. I cut all the pieces before I went and did all the hand sewing while I fished.

All of these above were made to sell at the craft shows and I also made them at school.

This was how mother wrote about the little snowman ornament. 

On the movie film, I captured one of our sweetest family memories that happened the year we lived in Sentinel.  We were late getting our live Christmas tree and it was scrawny and tacky but we put it up in the corner of the kid’s room.  I thought Kenna and Mac were old enough to help put the glass ornaments on the tree.  They were fragile and easily broken.  I would hand the bigger children an ornament and they would fasten it on the tree.  Vicky was a year and a half old and she was standing in line for an ornament and I said,  “Vicky, you are too little to put the Christmas ornaments on the tree”----and all the tears in the world began to flow; she was broken hearted because she could not help.  She did not cry aloud, she sobbed silently not making a sound except a sniff from her broken heart.  I explained that the glass ornaments would break if you dropped them but she was inconsolable.  I tried to comfort her but nothing stopped the tears.  It was very clear to me that she wanted to decorate the tree.

I had a bag of cotton balls lying on the bed and I grabbed a few of those and said, “Let’s make you a snowman for the tree.  We don’t have a snowman”.  My thinking was that he would not break if she did drop him.  We worked on him for several minutes, her sobbing stopped and she was happy with her snowman.  She had to kiss on him for a while before she was ready to let him be used on the Christmas tree.  I put a string around his neck and a tree hanger at the top and she proceeded to put him down low where she could love on him every day.  She goes by the Christmas tree and reaches over and kisses him or gives him a squeeze hug as she passes. 

After Christmas, we put the snowman away with the rest of the ornaments. By the next Christmas, she thought she was very important when we began to speak of Vicky’s snowman. Every year since 1953, Vicky’s snowman was put on the tree with a celebration each year. I finally gave it to her and she has him in her keepsake house that Ken fixed for her memory box.

He’s not a white snowman anymore, he is a dingy color of old yellow cotton, flattened out from the years of being packed away but he still has his black eyes and mouth that we put on him in 1953.  We know he was loved by Vicky and the whole family for a life time of Christmas’ and as we pack away our memories into boxes and bags. We still remember the little blond headed baby girl that we made so happy with a cotton ball snowman at Christmas in 1953.