Woh, Mexico, it sounds so simple, I just got to go.

Wait! Before you say anything let me explain my absence -- I've been out of town like crazy these days AND I maxed out the memory on my computer so I had no way of uploading pictures. My computer is from the Ice Age so it's no surprise that I managed to fill all 40 gigabytes of memory. (And don't even think about harassing me because your iPod has like 67 times more memory than my pathetic computer. Don't you think I know that already?) Moving on ...

VIVA MEXICO!!

A few weeks ago I went on a girls' cruise to Mexico with Scott's mom (Sharon), two sisters (Becca and Kate), his brother's wife (Nikell), one sister's friend (Ally), and a partridge in a pear tree. And boy was it fabulous!

(Nikell, Me, Becca, Kate, Ally, and Sharon)

Here are some of the highlights:

Parasailing in Cabo San Lucas.
We decided to go three at a time so I went with Becca and Sharon. How awesome is it that the guy on the boat asked us our weight and decided that the heavy one (ME!) had to be in the middle and there's my skinny mother-in-law and sister-in-law evening me out?


Eating, eating, and more eating! Our food was, for the most part, fabulous! I think I honestly gained five pounds on this trip (and worth every calorie if you ask me!).

Bunking with Nikell. It was so fun to spend some quality time with her as we only get to seem them a few times a year and our crazy children never really give us a chance to talk. So now we know each other's life stories because of our late night pillow talks. Well, realistically, it's more like she knows mine and I know some of hers (I talked more than she did -- shocker, right?). But I love her unexpected, dry humor -- she would have me cracking up in our room. I think most nights the crazy young moms were the last to go to sleep and subsequently, the last to get up in the morning. It was glorious!
Formal Nights (beautifully modeled above by Nikell and Becca). I love dressing up -- I mean, seriously! How often do we get to do that as moms? At home, my idea of dressing up is wearing a white shirt because you know THAT doesn't happen often!

Laying on the Beach. We had beautiful weather after parasailing so we took full advantage and had lunch on the beach and then spent the afternoon working on our skin cancer. It's the simple pleasures in life, really, that just get me excited. Like guesstimating how many times I can badly burn my face before being diagnosed with skin cancer. Ahhh ... feel those rays!

(our ship in the background)

Kate's Humor. Seriously, Kate is the craziest girl sometimes. After asking their room attendant, Percy, where he was from (she was unaware it was proudly displayed on his name tag), he replies, "India," and she gives him the "air gun" action and drawls out, "Excellent," and then walks away.

Gettin' my Groove On. I love cruising with the ladies because we went dancing. I didn't dance on our last cruise because Scott would never go and I just couldn't get into it (maybe it was because I was there with a former drill team member and two former cheerleaders who actually knew how to move their bodies in a non-Elaine fashion). Becca and Kate's styles are much like my own -- crazy and totally unrepentant of how we may look.

All the Love the Single Ladies got. Exhibit A:

This was about the most any of them got. Who knew Pinocchio could be such a good time?

La Noria. Our tour guide, Marco, took us out to this small, country town about 45 minutes outside of Mazatlan called La Noria. We got to see a few different shops and the way things traditional things like leather sandals, belts, saddles, and tortillas are made. It was really cool to see a "real" Mexican town. What I like most about this next picture is NOT the fancy new saddle but how Becca looks like she's about to attack Marco from behind. Don't worry, Marco, I got your back.
Speaking of...

Marco. He was definitely a highlight. He was the one who told us he's "kind of married," a "family man on a bad day," and also said he had some soda, water, and "pouquito beer" for us in the cooler, and most importantly, that he "checks ID ... most of the time." Wow, thanks for instilling a lot of trust in you.

Cute little guy. This darling little guy followed us all around La Noria giving us tiny little flowers. I wanted to think it was because we were so gorgeous he just couldn't help himself but we knew his real intent. So Becca threw him a bone and gave him a stick of gum. She's got such a big heart, that girl.
Phillip. Becca and Ally met this cute, dedicated Christian young man in the hot tub one night (like I said earlier, there was no funny business to be had by any of our super cute, available, boyfriend-seeking, single ladies ... now that I put it that way -- what was their problem?!?! Oh, was it that every guy their age was drunk every night up in the Viking Crown Lounge dirty dancing with all the drunk, skanky girls? Oh, that might explain a thing or two...)

Anyhoo, back to Phillip. He told the girls he was a singer so they convinced him to do karaoke (for his first time) and he blew us all away! The crowd was so into him! He sang Bryan Adams and honestly, I don't think I can ever listen to another Bryan Adams song the same way. My Bryan Adams' heart now belongs to 19 year-old Phillip from Turlock, CA.
Ally can be seen above sporting Phillip's friend's, lens-less glasses, to which she most "seriously" asked upon first seeing him in them, "Hey Mark, are those prescription?"

The Zip Line in Mazatlan.

Green tank top and white shorts: 45 dollars
Petzl Harness: 75 dollars
Petzl Helmet: 100 dollars

This picture of Ally: PRICELESS!

Kate, showin' us how it's done:
She's got style, she's got grace, she's a winner.
She's a Lady. Whoa whoa whoa, she's a Lady.
Sharon, demonstrating the lady-like way to zip line. Go girl!

Hey!?!? Why didn't anyone tell me Elton John was in our group?!?!
Buh-buh-buh-Becca and the jets!
Cobblestone Streets of Puerto Vallarta (or Puerto "Why-arta" as our Norwegian boat captain called it).


Puerto Vallarta 's "boardwalk" was filled with weird modern sculptures.
Watching the Mexican kids trying to catch the pigeons. They were so into it! One little boy finally caught one and all I can say is, I felt really sorry for that pigeon.

And finally, our waiters! We loved our waiters! Mekjimo was from India and Francisco was from Chile and we wanted to bring them home. (I definitely miss Mekjimo, particularly this week because Scott's out of town and I feel like all I do is make and clean up meals for my kids. I never realize what a big help Scott is until he's gone! But I digress...) Oh Francisco, where are you to bring me Diet Coke after Diet Coke, followed by the best sourdough rolls I've ever had? Your English wasn't great but I feel like we really had something there ... was it just me? or was it just the sourdough rolls?


Well, thank you ladies for such a wonderful trip! We had so much fun and I look forward to making this a yearly event ... right ladies?!?!