Mexico-Day 3

On the third day in Mexico, Grant & I took a three-location snorkel trip. We were one of 6 couples, all from different resorts. Our first location was an open-sea area. It was a sea turtle habitat, but unfortuantely the turtles stayed away that day. We weren't totally dissapointed though!
Grant, exploring the deep blue sea.

Notice anything at the bottom? I think this made Grant's day.

Our sencond location was an underground river. Where are underground rivers? In CAVES. Very chilly caves. Grant & I were the first to plunge in. I will admit, swimming in dark water with all kinds of nooks and crannies made me a bit nervous but it was also beautiful. We met a couple from California on the trip who had a digital underwater camera. (Had no idea those even existed!) Hopefully they'll be sending us some pictures because our disposable camera did not work in the cave. :(

After a lunch of grilled chicken in the middle of the jungle, we hit our third location. An open cenote, complete with zip-line and 20-foot platform for jumping.

This is Grant, jumping off the platform.

Me on the zipline. The downward end of the zipline was attached to a dock so you had to remember to let go or face smacking into the dock face-first.

View from the platform.

The final cave that our tour-guide took us to. We weren't allowed to swim in this one. We could only stand on the platform and look at the "no diving" signs, complete with skull and crossbones. Wonder what goes on down there...

After we returned from the snorkel trip, we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the resort at the beach. Grant got me to do a little kyacking. He promised I could just relax and he'd paddle if I went with him. Poor guy...he got quite a work-out.

Mexico-Day 1 & 2

Grant & I just returned from Mexico last Thursday and had an amazing time. There weren't enough cameras to capture the beauty and fun that we experienced while south of the border. But as you can tell from the amount of pictures, I tried!

Our flight was early on Saturday, February 14th, out of DFW airport. While Grant & I waited at our terminal, a "Thank our Troops" volunteer came by and told us that U.S. troops were returning from Iraq and that we could help welcome them home. Grant & I hurried to the area where a large crowd had gathered and then came the troops. It truly was one of the coolest moments in my 26-year history. They all looked so thankful to be home, amongst Americans who were clapping and cheering them on. I was too busy crying out of sheer gratitude to even pick up the camera to capture the incredible sight.

Our flight was a little delayed in getting to Cancun. For me, as an uneasy flier, this was no fun. I was put in the dreaded middle seat and forced to keep my wiggles to a minimum. To make matters worse, upon landing we found oursevles in an hour-long line for customs. I did mention to Grant that it could be worse, we could be in line at customs in South Asia. I had to give props to Emily who I'm SURE had to deal with worse in her three-year stint on another continent. But when you're ready to begin your vacation, it's not easy to endure an hour of lines in a stinky room that resembles a basement. To solidify our traveling fun, our shuttle driver was pulled over by "la policia" literally about three minutes from our resort. It was a 20-minute ordeal but thankfully we made it to our resort: Catalonia Puerto Aventura. As the following pictures show, our crazy travels were TOTALLY worth it.

Our suite:

My favorite part of our suite:

The walk from our suite to the beach:
As it was Valentine's Day, we found Cupid making his way up the beach. He shot his arrow at Grant & made the happy couple kiss.

The resort lobby:
A Valentine's Day treat from the resort, waiting for us when we got back:

That night after dinner and a visit with the local vendors, we did some more sight-seeing of the resort. We found this gorgeous spa pool:Sunday morning we found even more gorgeous sights:
After a day spent on the beach where we lounged and snorkeled, it was time for another dinner. (Embarassing note: I had cake with every meal on this trip.) We met some friendly Canadians and shared some drinks.
The end of a perfect Day 2:

Pat Green!

I love those rare days that start off so ordinary but have a surprise up their sleeve. A day that is just waiting to make you say, "Wow...what a GREAT day!". I had one of those last week. I was finishing up with work when Grant called me.

"Hey, can you come downtown around 3 or 4?" (Grant, conveniently, works downtown.)

I sighed heavily, not wanting to fight the Friday rush-hour traffic to downtown Austin. Austin may be an amazing place to live, but its traffic is not listed in the "perks" column.

"There's a free concert down here this afternoon", Grant said, throwing out the bait.

"Well, where is it?", I asked.

"Aren't you even going to ask who's playing?", Grant prompted.

"Who's playing?"

"Pat Green."

And that is all it took for me to rush home, try to look as presentable as possible, and fly out the door into the dreaded traffic.

In college, I was introduced to Pat Green and instantly loved him. For those who know him before he hit it big in Nashville, he was a Texas-born singer/song-writer. Pat Green's country music is dedicated to the Lonestar State and has a cult following in the college crowd. Some of my favorite college memories include seeing Pat at Jitterbugs Dancehall in Nacogdoches, the Houston rodeo, and the Texas State Fair. Where Pat went, we followed. That's probably why getting to see him again last week was so exciting for me. It brought memories of college and fun with some of my very best friends. To those who screamed Pat Green's name with me at the front of the stage at Jitterbugs and sang at the top of their lungs to "Southbound '35" in the rain at the Texas State Fair...this one's for you. ;)

Grant's first half marathon...

On Sunday, January 25th, Grant ran his first-ever half marathon. HALF MARATHON. 13.1 miles. I don't enjoy driving 13.1 miles, I can't imagine lumbering down the road for that distance. But Grant did it and did it well! I could not be more proud! Running a half marathon is an accomplishment that I know Grant is very proud of and I celebrate his big race.

Grant's best friends, John & Anthony, came down from DFW to run the race with him. I got plenty of pictures and videos the night before the race and the day of. Grant's big race has been well-document so that he can re-live it any time he wants.

Here is John doing some pre-race stretching the night before. I found it more than a little funny.


Grant showed us his fail-proof technique for staying warm.



Grant on Sunday morning (ridiculously early, I might mention) with his Austin Fit running group.

Grant with Anthony, John, and our neighbor Marco. They are EXTREMELY peppy for 5:45am.

The start of the race!


There goes Grant!

And here he comes! He did it! He literally ran from where we live in North Austin, to downtown South Austin near the UT stadium. Incredible!

Good job, runners! We are all proud of you!