A Hospital is no place to be sick. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

Day 10
   Last night after we got back from our final family dinner... was awful!!! Matt said he wasn't feeling good... told me that his whole stomach was in extreme pain.  I asked how bad and he told me that if we were home he'd ask me to take him to the ER. I know some of you don't know my husband well... so let me explain. He doesn't like to go to the Dr. and he is not one to just take medicine to see if it makes him feel better... so me getting him tums and pepto were a no go... It was about 10:30pm or so and I decided I was going to call my mom (who is a RN) - she was a bit worried but Matt being Matt refused to let her come to the room to check on him.  She said he shouldn't drink or eat anything thru out the night... After a night of hell for my husband who was up dry heaving (this will come up again later in this post - pun not intended), moaning in pain, and unable to sleep (he tried every position imaginable!) morning finally came.  I called mom again and she came over (I didn't ask permission this time... I was really worried!) she came in and asked Matt where he was hurting and he said that most of the pain was coming from just below the center of his rib cage.  She said she was going to go back to her to get some dramamine... in the mean time I was getting Makenzie ready for the day and was packing while Matt laid in bed. Then mom called, told me that she really thinks Matt needs to see the resort Dr. and that the Dr. would be in touch shortly.  I told Matt and he agreed... HE AGREED! Now I was getting really worried.
    A few minutes later the Dr. called the room and I explained what was going on and he said he would come to see Matt. A few minutes later the Dr. and his nurse came in and talked with Matt, he pushed in his tummy in lots of different spots and Matt kept wincing in pain.  My sweet husband was hurting so bad!!! Matt explained to the Dr (who is Mexican mind you) that he had been dry heaving and the Dr. said ""dry hips" what is this "dry hips"" ... oh no... Matt then had to explain that nothing would come up with he would vomit. Dr. said he had never heard of "dry hips".  Dr. then tells us that Matt needs to go to the ER... oh shit. All I could picture in my head was an ambulance (shout out to my paramedics!) screaming to the resort, I imagined a gurney, and commotion.  NOPE. The Dr. told us it would be faster for him to take us in his car.
   So we walked down to Dr's SUV and got in... Now remember when I've talked about the pulmanias - you know the little golf cart taxis that drive soooo hectic and fast all over town... well they didn't hold a candle to Matt's Dr's driving... oh no not even a match (get it... not a candle, not a match) The guy drove like a bat out of hell... and then I was SUPER worried... why would the Dr. drive like this if he wasn't worried too!!!
   When we got to the hospital we were immediately put into a room (which was nothing but a curtained off area) and was told that they would be taking Matt's blood and giving him an ultrasound.  So when the guy came to draw blood and couldn't speak a lick of English I was a little concerned... but we were in a hospital so everything would be ok and safe... right?  So the blood draw guy brings over a little tray filled with vials to collect blood and cotton balls - he tourniquets Matt's arm sticks a needle in... all with out gloves mind you... and out pours Matt's blood... I mean really pouring out... there was nothing to catch it.  They didn't have those vial things that stop the blood in between vials.. nope that's what a good ol' fashioned un-gloved forefinger is for... it seemed like blood was everywhere. oh my god. Blood had dripped off the his arms and down the bed and onto the floor, all over the blood draw guy's hands and it was also all over Matt's shirt. When they finally had taken enough blood to run tests with they simply stuck in the iv... which was filled with an oddly bright yellow liquid... saline? who knows it could have been cat pee for all we know. The blood guy wiped his hands on some cotton ball and called it good. Do you feel woozy or is it just me?
   While we waited for the ultrasound we could hear the two Americans in the next curtained off area... one was telling the other that he had been diagnosed with some sort of parasite and the other guy had been diagnosed with appendicitis. They both stated that they think that the Drs here just tell you something... just to be able to diagnose you. OH MY GOD! OK now I am freaking out! I tell Matt unless it's life threatening we are NOT letting these people operate.  We will get on our plane that is leaving in a few short hours and fly our asses across the border to the land of western medicine; where they understand blood born pathogens!
    Soon we were being taken to a room about the size of my master closet where the ultrasound was... it also happened to be some sort of passage way between one portion of the hospital and the ER... because people were coming thru our room at a pretty steady rate. lovely. The Ultrasound tech comes in, squeezes some goop on Matt's stomach and starts waving a wand looking at his organs, as he is doing so, he is telling us each organ and that it looks perfectly normal.  Thank God... no appendicitis and no bad gallbladder wheww.... He does tell us Matt's intestines look swollen as does his liver but no worries he tells us... it's from too much drinking hardy har har har. He tells us that the Dr. will see us soon and will tell us what needs to happen from here.  
   We head back to the curtained room just in time to see the blood draw guy "changing the sheets on the bed" which apparently in Mexico means... putting another sheet over the blood stained one. I am going to passout. Seriously! this is how to clean up a bloody sheet? simply hide it! Yup that's the answer! While we are waiting for the Dr. to come talk to us I call the resort... we are supposed to leave the resort for the airport in 40 minutes. I am freaking out that we are going to miss our plane! I hadn't even finished packing!!! Mom tells us not to worry that if we need to get another flight tomorrow we can (mom and dad were staying another week!) but in the mean time until they hear from us they will pack our things for us...
   We wait another 15-20 minutes before the Dr. comes back (I was watching the clock more then I do when I am at work!).  The Dr. tells us that he thinks something Matt has eaten has not set well with his system... He tells us it could be cheese. The cheese in Mazatlan is all goat cheese. Between the bacteria in whatever he ate and the beer was causing the problems.  He gives Matt like 4 prescriptions and tells us his nurse is on her way to pick us up to take us back to the resort! While we are waiting for her, I pay the bill out of pocket... I decided I did not want to mess with insurance until I got back to the states and the land of ENGLISH! The bill... $8200 pesos... $820 American. Good thing good ol' Visa and I are buddies.
    After our nurse drops us off at the resort we rush to the room and make sure everything is in order (Makenzie was well taken care of by my folks while we were gone) to get on the plane and head home... We exchange our pesos for American, pay the happy hour bills from the week and get on the shuttle to go to the airport! 
    There were no problems at the Mazatlan airport and made it to LA in a couple hours... Matt was still hurting pretty bad and was taking some pretty heavy duty pain killers.  We had to go thru customs which if you have had to do... sucks! It takes forever... especially when you do your paperwork in red ink... apparently they don't like that and make you get out of line to fill out all the proper forms in a blue or black ink pen and get back in line.... oh and you really should have the signature that matches the head of household name.... which means we had to again get out of line and do the paperwork again....all the while entertaining a 15 month old bored baby girl... where the hell is my blood pressure medicine?
    We had a few hour lay over in LA... as did Greg's family and Jeff's... so we grabbed some Burger King... Matt opted to avoid food at all costs. and wait.  We said our goodbyes to my brothers and their beautiful families and boarded our plane to Medford.  All three of us slept most of the way... We finally arrived in Medford at about midnight... 12 hours after leaving our resort. We got a cab (which was took about 20 minutes) to take us across the street to our hotel... tomorrow... tomorrow we get to go home! HOME!!!

Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation ~ unknown

Day 9
   Today is the last full day in Mazatlan! BOOO!!! We could totally use a few more days of the sunshine... we were just getting on a schedule!
   We woke up to news there was a 8.9 earthquake in Japan - which means tsunami warnings for us! We got a notice on our door that we could expect 6 foot waves and to be cautious on the beach.  The lifeguards put up posts along the shore line to track if the ocean is receeding... kinda scary.  We aren't too worried because of where Mazatlan sits... you can't see it but there is a penisula out there protecting us! Matt being Matt made sure we had a plan if a tsunami came... he directed me to grab any child (especially my own) and run to the furthest building and run up the stairs... he too would grab as many kids as he could fit under his arms and would meet us at the penthouse... kinda scary but glad we had a plan... just in case.
   We layed by the pool all day trying to soak up as much warmth as we could! Trying to milk every last minute in the pool with our little one! When it was time to put Kenzie down for a nap I started packing to leave tomorrow.  It's bitter sweet.  I am ready to see our Sunny Moo but NOT ready to head back to snow.
       That night we all got dressed up and went to our last family meal at a restaurant called Chili Peppers... it over looks the ocean... It was super fun, they had people walking around doing character drawings, selling roses, magic (dad got in on that one!) and of course a mariachi band (insert La Cucaracha here)  Matt bought Kenzie a drawing which turned out pretty good - they made her look like a mermaid with a heart thought bubble that says daddy loves mommy. Pretty cute! We all made our way out to the dance floor - which really was an alley in between two restaurants, but that didn't matter to us - we boogied!!! Matt wasn't feeling too good but he was being such a trooper!!! I love that man.

Tequila. Straight. There's a real polite drink. You keep drinking until you finally take one more and it just won't go down. Then you know you've reached your limit. ~ Lee Marvin

Day 8
   Mom and Dad babysat Makenzie while Matt and I went to to the Old Market - I HAD to show him the full sized pig heads for sale!!! The market is in old town Mazatlan and it's part grocery (if you call mayonnaise in big vats swarmed by flies and pig parts groceries) it also has little booths with touristy stuff for sale.  We walked thru the first time pretty quickly just to get our bearings straight and come up with a game plan.  The second time we walked thru we took our time - we were looking for cigars for Matt's co-workers and little gifts for Matt's family and presents for Megan (our dog sitter).
   We couldn't find the cigars so we took a palmania and went to the Golden Zone.  While we were in the GZ we stopped by a tequila distillery (mmmm tequila!) Here we tasted 3 different kinds - two of which were made from mangoes - sounds delicious doesn't it - it was NOT! It was awful and tasted like gasoline!!! YUCK!!
   When we came back to the resort we again laid out by the pool and caught some rays (my tan and all)  That night I made fajitas and enchiladas and daddy made delicious Kahlua and milk!!! mmmm!!!! Then we played "screw your neighbor" - one of our family traditions is when someone gets out we all sing "TURN OUT THE LIGHTS THE PARTY'S OVER!" It's loud, it's obnoxious and irritating when you are the one that lost... but none the less we do it!

   Little sad tomorrow is the last full day...
This photo is for the benefit of Stacy... speedos and cowboy hats. nice.

“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.~ Bo Derek

Day 7
   Today I got up pretty early (on my own - and not because the little one woke me up - amazing!).  I grabbed some change (pesos) the laundry bag and headed down to the washers/dryers on the property.  I was soooo shocked to see that the washers/dryers wouldn't take the coins and that I would have to buy tokens... and at FIVE DOLLARS a load I was not a happy camper - seriously five dollars? in Mexico?! I had to borrow some cash from Jeff (Jeff and his family and my parents all had a ground floor room and our was on the fifth floor - so it was much easier to borrow and not risk waking Matt and Makenzie).  I hate doing chores on vacation (but seemed to do lots of them) but the lack of clean panties drove me to do the laundry.  We purposely packed light (well not Makenzie - I had enough clothes and swimsuits to outfit every tiny 15 month old in Mexico for a month) so we could avoid the fee for going over the 50lb limit for a suitcase.

   After the laundry all of us, with the exception of Matt, went to town.  Greg's family had to find a optometrist to replace Jake's glasses and the rest of us went shopping in the Golden Zone (this is a series of little shops several blocks long).  There I bought an authentic fake Ralph Lauren purse and matching wallet for only $400 pesos (about $36 American). Mom, Jodee and I were also given silver bracelets just for listening to the jewelry store sales guy!
  We met up with Greg's family for lunch where while sitting on my lap, Kenzie pee'd alllllll over me! We didn't bring enough diapers for the trip (we think it's because we were constantly taking her out of a regular diaper and putting her in swim diapers) so I had to buy Mexico diapers - and believe me they do not have the standards that our beloved Pampers have!  I think I upset Jeff and Jodee by refusing to take a family photo of me in my urinated on clothes and my half naked daughter (I forgot a spare outfit!) and sans my husband.
    While we were out and a bout Matt stayed behind to catch up on some sleep - he also swept and mopped our rooms (see I'm not the only one that does chores on vacation).
    When we got back to the resort I put Makenzie down for a much needed nap and I settled into a lounge chair on the deck to read and soak up some sun (have I mentioned how tan I am!).  when Kenzie woke up we went down to the pool side where all the little kidlets at the resort took turns smashing a pinata - when in Mexico do as the Mexicans! 

  That night we grilled hamburgers and then went to watch Karaoke at the bar's lounge.
  

And that's the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind. ~Dave Berry

Day 6
   Today Matt and I went back into town - just the two of us - while mom watched Makenzie.  We had to get this traveler's check fiasco straightened out.  We had hoped to just cash all of them and be done with it, but alas the bank had other ideas - we were only able to cash $450 at a time. oy. But on a positive note at least we had money... which means we could go shopping!

    We didn't stay long but long enough for me to buy a couple fire fighter shirt that support the local volunteer department (the first day in Mazatlan I got to see a fire truck in action... it looks exactly like our ol' yellow in KF - that is not safe to operate because it has open air seats... but in this poverty stricken country, I am sure they are just happy to have a fire truck at all!)  I bought one shirt for myself and one to auction off at our Employee Appreciation Dinner next February.  Always planning. do you (15) remember that blog post?  we also stopped so matt could get my picture next to an ambulance... but you can't tell it's an ambulance in the photo. oh well. I know what it is!
   When we got back to the resort we layed by the pool for a while, until Hannah came running up to us to let us know that Jacob (12) had lost his glasses in the ocean. OH NO!!! We all raced out to see if we could help find them... mostly we just spread out hoping the surf would bring them to shore. no luck. I felt so terrible for Jake, but fortunatly he and I have pretty much the same exact prescription so I let him use my glasses while I wore my prescription sunglasses.  Marie (jake's mom) spent quite a bit of time on the phone with the insurance company and eye Dr in the states trying to figure out what to do.
   That night daddy made shrimp and carne asada - another family vacation tradition! soooo yummy!!! we went to bed pretty early - between the sun filled days, playing hard and being woken early each morning by Makenzie it is totally understandable and has nothing to do with us getting old. mmm kay?

If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found. ~Author Unknown

Day 5

  Today we actually slept til 8 am! small miracles. When we got up we put on our suits and headed to the pool.  I got to close my eyes and catch some rays (no zzz) while Matt and the rest of my family tended Makenzie.  It was WONDERFUL!!! (have I mentioned I'm really tan!?)
     While Matt took Makenzie up to attempt to give her a nap I headed out the the surf with Jake and Hannah.  I played photographer while the kids played.  Jake was skipping rocks into the ocean and reached down to pick up a rock and instead brought up a set of keys! They were pretty rusted from being in the salt water but we could tell they were someone's car keys! it makes me wonder who they belonged to... did they lose them strolling on the beach? Diving in the ocean? Parasailing? Did that person have a spare set? Or did they have to figure out what to do once they got home from vacation to a car they couldn't get into.

  I called it quits and went up to check on my little family to find 2 very hungry people and not taking a nap like they were supposed to! So we loaded up and went to mom's room to make lunch.  Once our tummys were full we came back to our room to again put Kenz down for a nap.  I hung out on the deck and read while Matt went to hang out by the pool.
   A couple hours later we decided we better go find that bank to get the traveler's checks figured out.  Matt, Makenzie and I headed into town with a promise to meet the rest of my family at the bank, and they we would all go to the big cathedral downtown.  We took one of the palmanias while the other 10 took the city bus.  We got to the bank and they said they couldn't help us until tomorrow before 1 pm. great. freaking great.
   We waited outside the bank for about 45 minutes before we decided that the rest of the family probably couldn't find our bank and that they would end up at the cathedral like we had planned. So we hopped on a city bus and traveled thru parts of Mazatlan I've never seen, and certainly would not go in the dark by myself.  All of a sudden the bus pulls up to the bus depot and the driver tell us to get off. OH MY GOD! where are we? There is no cathedral here! He points to another bus on the side of the road... ok... are we suppossed to get on that bus now? We walk to the driver and I try to communicate to him where we want to go.  He just looks at us with that deer in the headlight look.  I then show him by pretending to pray (although there was real praying going on in my head that he is not an axe murderer. He nods and we are off... again we go thru some pretty shady parts of town and then up ahead I see it! there is the cathedral!!! we have arrived! we get off the bus and immediatly start looking for my family - they can't be hard to spot - there are ten of them!
   After of about an hour of walking around the cathedral (and buying Makenzie pink rosary beads - I was raised catholic and it is important to me that Kenzie has a part of my background) we still couldn't find them.  We decided to hop on a palmania (there was no way I was getting back on a bus!) and we asked the driver to take us to where we had all planned on having dinner later that evening.  We decided that we would sit and have pina coladas until my family arrived.
   As we were making our way to the restaurant we had our eyes peeled just in case we saw my family...then out of nowhere I here my name being shouted.  I look over to see my mom and Jodee in a pulmania on the other side of the busy street!  Our driver seeing our excitement and panic pulls right over.  Mom and Jodee and their pulmania pulls in behind us.While we were out trying to find them, they had gone to every possible National Bank of Mexico - apparently there are several of them all over the city!

  We all (13 of us- back together again!) went out to dinner and as the sun was setting they wait stay rang a bell when the sun dipped below the ocean.  When dinner was over we had to again stop and pick up more Pacifico... cases numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8!  by the time we got home we were all exhausted from our cat and mouse chase across town and went to bed!

Dolphins. They think they're so cute. Oh, look at me, I'm a flippy little dolphin, let me flip for you.~ Finding Nemo

Day 4

Makenzie woke us up at about 6am - which isn't surprising since Mazatlan is one  hour ahead of home.  We got up and dressed for the day and decided to go to breakfast at the resort - but the restaurant wasn't open yet so we decided to walk along the beach. While walking I noticed a bunch of birds in the water... what were they doing? Oh my goodness they were playing with dolphins! two of them!!! They were only about 50 yards from the shore line and they were heading in the same direction we were! It was such a treat! We walked quite a bit of the way down the beach picking up sea shells.  Makenzie HATES the sand so we had to carry her the whole way there and back... an extra 20 lbs in our arms walking in the soft sand.  it's no wonder our calves burned for days after! by the time we made it back to the resort the restaurant was open and I was so excited to have Huevos Rancheros - the best breakfast ever - while sitting in outside looking for our slick grey friends in the water.

  Mom, Dad, Jodee and I all went to the grocery store after we had finished breakfast... It was crazy! Things that are staples to us were extremely hard to find... like peanut butter - which only came in about 6 oz!! We ended up getting 2 shopping carts full... partly because we needed to buy more Pacifico! Our total bill came to about $3,000!!! Pesos of course. which is about $300 american.  We were a little worried the groceries wouldn't fit in the pulmania on the way home (Pulmanias are mexican taxis - which look like a golf cart!)
   While we were gone grocery shopping Matt tried to exchange our traveler's checks... but was unable to... why you (14!) ask? Because the teller back here in good ol' Klamity Flats had me sign them on the wrong line (insert several curse words)!!! What were we going to do!?! All of the money we have saved for year was tied up in those checks!!! I called the traveler's check company and they told me that I had to go to a specific bank there in Mazatlan to get them cashed (remember this... it will come up later in another post).  I also called my bank and told them what happened.  I asked that when we return to the states if they would please reimburse me the phone call expense ($3 a minute!) as well as the fee associated with the bank we would have to cash them at (per the traveler's check company).  They told me no. NO?! oh no you didn't!!! I will be going into my bank when we get back home with all the bills in hand... and if they don't reimburse me the expense I will switch banks.  I should NOT have to pay for THEIR mistake!!
   Once we were back at the resort we played in the pool a while and then it was time for Makenzie's nap... so while she slept I sat on the deck overlooking the ocean... Mom came up to join me... and we watched Matt and Jeff go parasailing! Matt shot up like a sling shot!!!
   After Kenzie woke, I dressed her in yet another swimming suit and we went back down to play.  I also stopped off at Aurora (a beach vendor that we have gone to the last 2 times we had been there) and she remembered me... not just... hey she looks familiar... NO! She remembered my circumstances... that the first time we went I was dating someone (jackass) and not dating him the second time. She remembered details! that woman is amazing... and has some pretty awesome jewelry.  I was defiantly eying some pieces that would be a nice addition to my collection. But because of the traveler's check fiasco I was unable to commit to at that time. 
  That night everyone came to our room for tacos and margaritas. i love margaritas. Jacob (12) had found a conch earlier that day inthe surf and bellowed into it as the sun sat... it was magical.

In retirement, every day is Employee Appreciation Day. ~Anonymous

Day Three:

    Today we did a tour of the grounds of Pueblo Bonita.  It was gorgeous... it was a long hike to go see all the rooms, the several pools and pink flamingos (I took a video to show you they are real and not the tacky plastic ones you would find! - I don't know how to turn the video - so just turn your head!).  Why did we tour this resort you (14!) ask? Because by spending 2 hours touring the property we got a free breakfast, $400 worth of gift certificates, and the taxi fare back and forth from the airport valued at $104 for 7 of us and a trip for 4 to the local island.  In order to get all these free goodies we had to sit thru a presentation where they tried to sell us a vacation... there was lots of pressure, but we knew this resort wasn't for us - the actual rooms were very far from the amenities like the pools and the beach.  Besides we don't want to commit to this company.  We can get some pretty killer deals by going thru the military...

        Everyone all day were coming up to us to tell us how beautiful she is and that she is the best dressed baby around (not surprising considering I packed all her very best... including 9 bathing suits!)

    Mom, Dad, Jeff and his family all came today.  They had some problems with their flights (sound familiar?) so they got in much much later then we had expected. So while we waited for them we played in the pool and sun bathed (have I mentioned how tan i am?).  When they finally got to the resort we went our for our celebratory first meal as a family - we were celebrating that both my parents have retired.  Mom in December and Dad on March 1st.  Congratulations were in order and the live mariachi band did not disappoint.  Dad's signature Mexican song is "La Cucaracha" and they sang this specifically for him! Kenzie loves music and today was no different! She danced the night away!!!

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.~ Henry Ford

Time to get up, drink my diet coke, get Makenzie a sippy of milk, dress the family in outfits that work for both the chilly Oregon morning and the hot Mexican afternoon. We get to the airport and stand in line to check in.  Makenzie is good to go. Matt's good to go. Then the woman asks me what my last name is. I tell her Probst. She tells me that my passport says Meithof. OH MY GOD! I totally forgot to update my passport with my married name! I panic. I tell her I have ID with my maiden name... and oh wait... I also have a certified copy of my marriage license in my purse! (WHO DOES THAT?) She tells me she will let me proceed further to the waiting area but that she was going to have to talk to her manager to find out what to do... after all there would be 2 more airports on the way that I will have to check in at and 2 including the grueling customs in LA on the way home. We hoped all would be fine.  Then over the loud speakers of the airport "KIM PROBST REPORT TO THE COUNTER". oh no. They tell me that they are working on the problem, but that we cannot board the plane until it's fixed... all the while they are boarding everyone.  The terminal is now empty with the exception of the three of us. Matt and I agree that if we cannot go to Mexico then we will still go to LA and go to Disney.  Good a plan is in place.  Again they call me to the counter - this time there was no need to announce my name over the intercom - nobody but us to hear it. They tell me that in order to get past customs my tickets must match my passport.  They change all my tickets to Meithof - not Probst. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Meithof (I was one once you know) but now I'm a PROBST! I agree to let them go ahead with the change but I felt so disconnected from my own little family.  They instruct me to only show my passport as ID at all check ins. We board the plane.


   Makenzie did fabulous and slept most of the flight! Makenzie was dressed in her jammies until we got closer to LA - and then I changed her into one of the many cute outfits I packed (thank you Sarah!!).  I was a nervous wreck when it came time to re-board the next plane.  After all LA is wayyyy more strict then lil' ol Medford Oregon.  What if they find out I am lying about my last name?  liar. Luckily we had no problems, and we board the plane with my brother Greg and his family.  When we arrived in Mazatlan (after another awesome flight with Makenzie!) we are checking in to the country - yes you have to check in to Mexico!  I'm nervous... here we go again.... Once again I have to show my passport... my Meithof passport. My  brother being the shit that he is blurts out "hey Kim Pro... I mean Meithof... how's it going" as I am standing there trying to act all nonchalant. damn you Greg.  Good thing the man behind the counter (I am sure he was hiding an uzi back there) did not understand what was happening and let us enter his country.
   On the way to the resort we stopped at a few places looking for cases of Pacifico (a family tradition) - it was sooooo weird to sit in the van next to my daughter - sans a car seat.  Once we got to our resort (which is gorgeous - we had the top floor over looking the ocean - our room was dripping in gorgeous marble and lush furnishings - 2 decks and a blessed king size bed.   We unpacked and went to dinner at the resort's restaurant.  Once we were full on our $58 dollar (not peso) meal we got in our suits and went swimming.  Kenzie loved swimming and was able to walk in and out of the kiddie pool all by herself! We were all so exhausted from the traveling, delicious food, and soak in the pools that we all were asleep by 8pm!!!

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~ Earl Wilson

Day One
  I had originally planned to work half a day on Thursday before we headed over the hill to the airport, but with so much to do I decided to extend my vacation by one day.  Thursday I got up and went to the bank to get traveler's checks, went to the salon and got a pedi (thanks stephie) and went tanning one last time.  I also stopped by work to print out our boarding passes... but alas they would not print.  A sign of what was to come.
   By the time we got home it was time to load the truck and drive the 1.5 hours to the hotel we had reserved for the night considering we needed to be at the airport at 5 am!  The drive over was nice and it was nice to just catch up with Matt a little before our big trip.  We got to the hotel and unloaded our stuff so we could go to pizza for dinner... it was by far the best pizza I have ever had - partly because I have been dieting (down 14lbs!) so it was my first indulgence in over a month! (if you ever are in Medford Oregon you must check out Kalidescope pizza!).
   We stopped by a mini mart to get my beloved diet coke and milk for Makenzie for that night and the morning.  before we knew it, it was time to get kenzie all snuggled down for the night.  Easier said then done.  She is not used to having roommates and was not interested in sleeping while mommy and daddy were awake! so we ended up putting the pack and play in the bathroom (insert gasps from all the mommies), turned out the lights and shut the door so she would finally go to sleep - tomorrow was going to be a big day!!! It worked like a charm and the little one was asleep in no time.  I was pretty amped up (as matt called it "pinging") and checked the alarms we set (3 of them!) four times before I felt my eye lids getting heavy. After much tossing and turning.

  Not even 30 minutes later (at about 11:30) both Matt's and my  phones were frantically beeping signalling text messages.  I kinda opened one eye as Matt was saying several curse words (i will spare you).  The text messages were from our night time dog sitter (we had two sitters!) letting us know he could not find our key to our house we had left him. The night time sitter was suppossed to be picking Sunny up from our house to take her to his for the night.  Poor Sunny would be spending her first night all alone. Between my mother in law and our day time sitter the key situation would be taken care of in the morning.  (special thank you to you guys!)
   We both finally fell asleep at like 2am... to be woken by the three alarms only 2 hours later.....

Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all ~Bruce Beresford

Hi reader!! (12!)
  Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone? I am sorry I didn't tell you that I would be MIA for awhile, it's not the 12 of you I worry about knowing we were out of town/state/country it's the other 30+ blog stalkers that haven't jumped on the band wagon and publically follow my blog.
                 I thought about you a lot while I was gone... so much that I made a point to write in a paper journal (paper! what is this the dark ages?) so that I could remember all the details of our trip! so where did we go you ask? to Mexico! 13 of my immediate family went to Mazatlan! It is my family's tradition to head to our neighbors of the south every 4 years and spend some quality time together! Here's the low down on who all went: Papa (my dad), Grandma (my mom), Greg (my brother who is 7 years my senior), his wife: Marie and their two children: Jacob (12) and Hannah (8), Jeff (my other brother who is 3 years older then me), his wife: Jodee and their two children: Carter (4) and Sydnee (2.5), Matt (my husband), Makenzie (15 months) and myself! It was Carter's, Sydnee's and Makenzie's first time traveling internationally!
            I will be blogging every day re-visiting our trip... so please stay tuned for lots of fun and drama... here's a little insight to what you can expect: dolphins, sun, a tsunami warning, a trip to the ER, and lots and lots of pina coladas!!!