Happy Tuesday and swim at your own risk

Another sign found on one of our Florida vacays.

Really? Doesn’t sound like much of a swimming area, does it?

Playing along with Comedy Plus and Happy Tuesday and Peabea’s Pictorial Tuesday.

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Seas the Day!

Some of you know our family went on vacay to Cancun, Mexico in early December. It was long overdue since the last few years have been a struggle with Entrepreneur’s brain surgery, recovery and chemo schedule. A 90-day reprieve from chemo allowed him to enjoy the holidays and this much-needed getaway with those he loves most.

While I, personally, took gigabytes of photos, we contacted the photographers that took our family photos in 2015. Surprisingly, they remembered us and we spent more than two hours on the beach capturing family memories.

Of course, we had many obligatory, formal poses of everyone and individual family units.

Once those were finished, well…..the “adult children” had a little fun with the photographers. And, judging by the laughter while shooting the photos, I think the photographers had a lot of fun with them. Hope these make you giggle a bit. All of these were spontaneous poses with no pre-planning what so ever.

Who is Daddy’s favorite?

Appropriate or Inappropriate?
These engaged lovebirds can play to the camera better than anyone I know……

…..and this sequence with the newlyweds made everyone laugh. First we have a lovely shot and very “appropriate.”

Then, it goes downhill from there….literally.

As you can tell, there is no shortage of entertainment when we get together. I’m linking up with Thankful Thursday over at Brian’s Home today because words cannot capture how thankful and grateful I am Entrepreneur was able to eat and drink his way through Cancun for a week. I’m grateful we were able to all be together to relax and decompress from life’s stress. And, I’m thankful we’ve been able to financially make this happen. No one knows the future. We may all be together for another updated photo in a few years….or not. This year could be a banner year for us…or it might hold devastating events.

But, whatever 2019 holds, these memories will live forever in my heart, and a few on the walls of our home!

 

Our month in pictures-February

Our February held a mixed bag of events and experiences. Twix officially turned two years old and is a non-stop tornado force of nature whirlwind every waking minute of the day. She literally cannot be left alone for one minute before getting into something. Her latest love is ripping paper. It’s so exciting to hear rrriiippppppp….for both her and us since we never know if it’s a scrap piece of paper, a magazine or some important document she’s gotten off the desk.

The annual winter run-away from winter happened to Los Cabos, Mexico and was a fun-filled week with sand, surf and sun. We spent a lot of time at the “kiddie” pool with our friend, Hector, who kept us supplied with Happy Hour drinks regardless of the time of day.

Bookending the vacay was head colds and a sinus infection, so February swung between wonderful “highs” and miserable “lows.” But the weather started to break toward the end of the month so, perhaps, spring will arrive on time this year. 🙂 Even though we didn’t really get the winter snowstorm I so often long for, these old bones are ready for warmer temps and the muse is ready for spring blossoms.

Playing along with others at Mona’s Picturesque for The Month in Pictures game.

Random 5 Friday Returns!

I was thrilled to come back from vacay to find out Nancy, at A Rural Journal, has returned to the blogosphere and has revived her Random 5 Fridays. I love her subtle wit and missed her while she was taking a break.

So, here’s my Random 5:

1. Seems like I’ve been sick for.ev.er. It started with the stomach flue a couple days before our vacay to Mexico. Who has stomach issues BEFORE going to Mexico?! Add to that a cold passed to me by Entrepreneur and The Investigator that is still hanging on…and on…and on……

2. Even with the above issues, vacay was a welcome break in our middle Missouri winter. It’s amazing how a little sun, surf, sand and pina coladas can ease most every ailment. Here’s a peek into our week HERE and HERE.

3. I’m nursing a bruised rib….that I received on vacay. Yes, you heard correctly. No, it wasn’t the result of too many pina coladas. It was the result of a crib brought to our suite for Twix that didn’t have a drop side. It was about four feet off the ground with a mattress that was literally 30 inches below the top of the rail. And when you’re only 5’3″ and leaning over said crib, trying NOT to drop a sleeping baby to the mattress below, something has to give…..or pop as the case was. The Investigator and I fixed the mattress problem with pillows, as you can see in the photo. But, I’m here to tell ya, a bruised rib hurts for a long, long time.

4. Twix recognizes the text notification sound on my phone…and reaches for it when she hears the tone. Not sure how I feel about that.

5. Entrepreneur received results from the second set of scans. No change. Good news as it means the spots on his lungs and thyroid have not grown or increased. If the next two follow up scans are the same, they may decide the kidney cancer has not spread, give him a clean bill of health and this nightmare can be over. But, in the meantime, we’ll live with tentative optimism for 6 more months. A huge thank you to all who are keeping our family in your prayers. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to us.

So there, my random five for the week. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Random 5 Friday

 

One part fun; two parts silly

Our recent vacay couldn’t have come at a better time. With the recent challenges of Entrepreneur’s diagnosis and surgery, we all were on the short side of sanity. Add to that the daily grind of work, the incessant paper blizzard from school, homework, at-home nightly reading, parental disciplining (which. Is. Exhausting) and….oh yeah….an attention demanding, soon-to-be toddler, it’s not hard to see how fun ends up being waaaay down on the list of priorities. Entrepreneur does his fair share of silly at home, but, understandably, he’s been feeling the stress of life these days.

So when we arrived in Cancun, The Golfer/Godmom rose to the occasion and provided some much-needed comic relief! Focusing mainly on Peanut’s need for some silliness, she and KW seemed happy to take the reigns.

If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done. ~Ludwig Wittgenstein

Silliness makes your soul smile ~Doe Zantamata

No one looks stupid when they’re having fun. ~Amy Poehler

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. ~Dr. Seuss

Put something silly in the world that ain’t been there before.  ~Shel Silverstein

Even The Investigator let down her guard and enjoyed a bit of silly.

There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do. ~Amy Poehler

Mark Twain once wrote, The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. I believe he hit the nail square on the head. Laughter and silliness has miraculous healing powers. It lightens the heart and mind, and can help smooth out those bumps in life that cause us to stumble emotionally and psychologically. Laughter is like a piercing light in the darkness that can relieve tension and combat depression. I’m sure it’s a scientific fact somewhere that you simply cannot be depressed or anxious while laughing and being silly. Choosing to laugh and be silly releases endorphins, the anti-stress hormone that can help keep us healthy. It connects people and builds relationships…family, friends and even acquaintances.

Silly is you in a natural state,
and serious is something you have to do
until you can get silly again.
~Mike Myers

So keep your therapy, yoga and meditation. Maybe all we really need is a good dose of silly?

Linking up with LTTL

 

 

 

 

 

Winter runaway main event

Yesterday, I shared our very challenging travel day for our winter vacay. Today, we’ll focus more on the destination than the details.

First, I have to say Peanut and Twix acted like seasoned travelers. We turned their schedules upside-down and backwards…and they seemed to take it in stride for the most part. It did help that the main mode of travel was by air….so Twix didn’t have to endure the dreaded carseat for hours on end. Three of the four connection flights went flawlessly. Only one….the last one from Atlanta to St. Louis….was a bit sketchy.

But back to paradise found. Upon arrival, we paid to upgrade to a one-bedroom suite so we could have a gathering room when needed, and Twix could sleep undisturbed in the bedroom while we hung out together in the evenings. The suite came with one of the most stunning balcony views we’ve ever had. As many times as we’ve been to the Caribbean, the color of the water always takes my breath away.

And, as many places as we’ve stayed, we’ve never had a balcony quite like this one. Yes, there’s even a hot tub! The resort is a bit on the older side, and we did find a bug the size of a small mouse in the room….but that was temporary and no other critters were seen inside the rest of the week.

The Park Royal is an all-inclusive resort. It had both good and not-so-good aspects. Good in the fact that we didn’t need to pack up a baby and travel off-property for meals….but not-so-good in that we soon tired of the same buffet food all week long.

But, the one thing we never tired of was the stunning views. Completely out of character, I found myself up and awake for some spectacular sunrise shots. Here is one taken from the balcony. Okay, technically, I didn’t see the sun actually come up over the horizon most days, but I’m counting this anyway.

The Investigator and Peanut spent many mornings shelling on the beach at sunrise. The Golfer and KW also hit the beach early a few days to take in the glow of the morning in paradise. They live by the beach anyway, but I’m pretty sure this trumps Florida’s sunrises.

Sunrise. Breakfast. Pool/Beach/Nap. Lunch. Pool/Beach/Nap. Dinner. Our grueling schedule for a week. Of course we did manage to sprinkle a few other activities in along the way (aka: shopping). But for the most part, this was an R&R vacay to offset a year of struggles, sheer exhaustion and the stress that accompanies life’s unexpected turn of events. It was a vacay to reconnect with those we love most and strengthen the ties that bind us together as a family.

Next time, one part play…two parts silly!

Winter runaway prequel

Let me begin by just sayin’ there is nothing quite like the stomach flu to help you lose those last, pesky four pre-vacay pounds.

Yes, the stomach flu hit our house just days before we were scheduled to leave for Mexico. Entrepreneur announced on Tuesday he thought he had a touch of food poisoning. Denial, I’m sure.

I assured him 24 hours later that it was definitely not food poisoning and then I spent the next two days living on Theraflu. Friday dawned and I was able to keep down a slice of toast. A major accomplishment.

Originally, we were leaving at 3am Saturday for St. Louis to catch a 6am flight. But, we now need to leave that afternoon because ice and snow are forecasted. And the last place one wants to be during an ice storm is on I-70…especially when there’s a chance you’ll miss your flight to St. Somewhere!

Tucked away in an airport hotel for the night, we arrive via shuttle at the terminal at 5am. So far, so good. With Twix in the Peanut Shell, we breezed through check-in and security. TSA didn’t look twice at us. We found out the airport brought in their staff and put them up in nearby hotels to ensure they could make it in on time for the first flights.

Now parked by the boarding gate, we breathed a sigh of relief. Step one complete.

  

Settled on the plane, our fingers and toes are crossed because this is what’s going on outside. Oh, please, just get this plane in the air and out of middle Missouri!!

Twice de-iced, and we’re in the air headed for Atlanta. Home free.

But t’was not to be. After a two-hour layover in Atlanta, we’re on the plane, seat belts fastened securely, luggage stowed and tray tables in their upright position. Then, the pilot announces there will be a short delay while they fix some part that is broken. Okay, for sure….fix the broken part. Twenty minutes later, the pilot announces again that they fixed the part, but it didn’t work. So, they’re going to call the repair crew back and get another part from the hangar. It should only take about 30 more minutes. Okay, better safe than sorry flying over the ocean. We’re all good.

Thirty minutes later, the pilot drew the short straw again and told us we all had to deplane. Evidently the “fix” is more extensive than originally anticipated. No, we can’t stay on the plane with a sleeping baby. Everyone off.

We repark ourselves by the boarding gate and wait….and wait….and wait….and wait.

At 1:45pm (the time we should be landing in Cancun), we begin re-boarding the plane in Atlanta for the two and a half hour flight. Now keep in mind The Golfer and her KW are already in Cancun, expecting us to arrive any minute so we can all check into the resort. The shuttle service is also waiting. And we have no way to contact them.

And it gets better.

Hallelujah. We finally land and do the cattle-herding thing in customs and come out the other side to……no shuttle. They got tired of waiting and left. Found someone who contacted them again and we wait until they show up. Load up and head out. Finally home free.

Not.

If you’ve been to Mexico, you know the bus, taxi and shuttle drivers all drive crazy fast. But we have the slowest Mexican driver in town. Entrepreneur asks him if there is a problem. He says he’s waiting for someone to meet him to give him gas money because he’s almost out of gas! So, we’re parked on the side of the road….waiting for gas money. All we can do at this point in the day is laugh. Although we really don’t feel like laughing. We’ve been up since 3:30am, we’re cranky and frustrated…and hungry. And did I mention we have two kids?

But eventually we arrive at the resort and meet up with The Golfer and her KW. It’s now about 7pm.

Someone owes me a half day of vacation.