Hello from Yakima

Update on our life in Yakima

2012-01-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Well we got through the holidays and enjoyed time with our family this year. 2012 is here and we are both working at our jobs and waiting to hear that our condo in Mazatlan has sold!! This will bring a huge relief when it does sell. In the meantime, we have 2 weddings to look forward to this year. My son, Joel & Joyce, will marry in Las Vegas on March 3rd and Greg's daughter, Melanie and Ken, will marry this fall. So happy for both couples.

We are planning another pool party this summer, in August, for all the kids. Really looking forward to that. Not sure if we'll be taking any trips. If our condo sells, though, we'll be headed to Mazatlan to finalize everything.

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you all have a happy, healthy, properous new year.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Back from Mazatlan

2011-11-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

We arrived back home today from a week, over Thanksgiving, in Mazatlan. Sure is cold but good to be home. Now we can start thinking about Christmas and all the fun of the season. Enjoy the next few weeks as Christmas approaches. Remember the reason for the season and the less fortunate.

In just a few days this is where you will find the listing for our condo.

2011-11-23T10:07:00.001-07:00

http://www.walfre.com.mx/walfre/venta/english.html

It's official!!

2011-11-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our condo in Mazatlan, Mexico is officially on the market. Anyone interested in a 3 bedroom/2 1/2 bath, fully furnished condo on the beach in Mazatlan?

Anyone looking for a beautiful condo on the beach in Mazatlan, Mexico?

2011-10-03T20:03:00.005-06:00

We have a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, fully furnished, condo on the beach in Mazatlan, Mexico for sale. It has stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Tile floors and air conditioning. Beautiful terrace with panoramic view of the ocean and islands. Infinity swimming pool and underground tunnel to the beach. Great location. On the malecon, between old Mazatlan and the Gold Zone.

If interested, please email us at gsbeachbums@yahoo.com.

October 2011 update

2011-10-03T19:49:00.001-06:00

Since my last posting in June, I've found a job. I started my new job with an investment firm in September. I'm really enjoying it and grateful that I was able to find a job in this economy. My husband, has gone back to work too. Been on his new job for 6 months now. Also, just purchased a new car. 2011 Camry XLE. Beautiful "Blue Ribbon" color with every feature I could want or need.

We will be headed to Mazatlan in November and sadly will be putting our condo on the market. We are grateful we had the experience of living in another country. We realize not everyone gets that opportunity in their lifetime. We were able to fulfill our dream of living in Mazatlan. Now, it's on to whatever life brings our way.

Update on our life

2011-06-29T19:27:00.001-06:00

Well we're into summer now here in Yakima. Some hot days but still alot of wind. Sure hoping it stops soon and we have consistent summertime weather.

Still struggling with the need to work in this down economy. I still haven't found a job and my prospects are not looking good. Actually quite discouraged as of this date. Greg is not really happy with his job either. Just don't know where all of this is headed but our lives are a bit in turmoil. You just never know where the road of life will take you but I still believe everything happens for a reason. So we'll see what happens.

Jordyn & Jenna Mae

2011-02-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Recent visit with my Uncle Dick and Willie

2011-02-04T08:53:00.001-07:00

January 2011 about over......

2011-01-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yep, Christmas is over and it's already the end of January. How time flies.

Greg and I are making plans for a 2 week vacation to Mazatlan in April. Actually, April 2 - 17. We are going to be staying at our timeshare, Torres Mazatlan. We will be looking into trying to sell our condo while we are there. Not sure how hard that will be but we are expecting it to take some time as the economy isn't good in Mexico right now. We are looking forward to seeing our Mazatlan friends, especially Dick and Jan, and our friends at Torres. Oh and the wonderful tropical weather down there. We have enjoyed the winter wonderland and all the snow here in Yakima this year but do miss the nice warm temps in Maz. It's been wonderful to be here for the arrival of our three new granddaughters last year and the visits we've had with all of them.

Greg and I have been working part time jobs but are looking for full time positions with evenings and weekends off and hopefully medical benefits.

Our posts are certainly not as interesting as they were from Mazatlan. Lots of adventures down there, some good some bad. Anyway, hope all is going well in your lives and you are healthy and happy.

Visit with our new granddaughter Kaylyn Renee

2011-01-24T12:28:00.023-07:00

I just had a wonderful visit with Kaylyn and her mommy and daddy last weekend. We just hung out and had some quality time together on Saturday and went out to dinner that evening and Kaylyn took Grandma to the Hobby Lobby craft store. Just loved it! Then, on Sunday went to church with them. I had alot of time to just play and get to know Kaylyn better. She is just such a pretty little girl and warms your heart everytime she smiles at you. Her mommy and daddy are great parents and doing a wonderful job working as a team in raising Kaylyn. So proud of them.

Christmas Day at home

2010-12-25T17:46:00.019-07:00

Christmas with the kids and grandkids

2010-12-12T14:57:00.001-07:00

Visit with Jake, Jackie & Kaylyn

2010-11-07T17:09:00.009-07:00

Visit with Josh, Kristi, Lucas & Marissa

2010-10-17T17:06:00.000-06:00

Kaylyn Renee has arrived!!

2010-10-13T09:09:00.009-06:00

The third of our granddaughters to be born this year arrived on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 5:14 am. She was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 1/4 inches long. She was born in Richland, Washington. We were soooooo happy when Kaylyn arrived. She is such a beautiful baby with a ton of dark hair. She was so strong - holding her head up right away. Here are a few pictures of before her birth as we waiting with Jake and Jackie and just after Kaylyn arrived. She is our 9th grandchild and 6th granddaughter. We are so happy for Jake and Jackie and once again couldn't be more proud or happy to be grandparents for the 9th time, the 3rd time this year.

A couple interesting facts about Kaylyn's name. She is named after both myself and Jake's Mom, Janice. Our middle names are Kay. And, Jackie's step-mother, Dawna's middle name is Lynn. So that's very special and I feel so honored to be included in the naming of Kaylyn. Also, Kaylyn was born on Jackie's oldest brother, Jeremy Lee's birthday. He would have been 40 years old on October 13, 2010.

So enjoy these pictures of the hours just before Kaylyn arrived.

Marissa Charlotte has arrived!

2010-10-04T02:41:00.002-06:00

Marissa Charlotte arrived Monday, October 4th at 2:41 am in Renton, Washington. She was 9.4 pounds and 19 1/2 inches long. She is sooooo pretty from the pictures we've seen on Facebook.

It turned out we didn't make it for the birth of Marissa and we're extremely sad about that. We traveled to Renton on the Friday before, thinking Kristi would be induced either Friday or Saturday. The birth center didn't have a bed available so they were put off until Sunday around noon. We had to go back home on Saturday because Greg had to work on Sunday. It was sooooo disappointing not to be there for her birth but we had no idea when she would arrive at that point.

This is our 8th grandchild and 5th granddaughter. We couldn't be happier or more proud. Marissa is the daughter of Josh and Kristi and sister to Lucas. We're so happy for all of them and they're doing just great. What a sweet little family.

We're now planning a trip over to see them real soon. Can't wait to meet Marissa Charlotte and get to hold her and enjoy the interaction I'm sure Lucas is having with her.

Here are a few pics of Saturday, when we all gathered at Joel's house waiting to hear when a bed would be available for Kristi. Also, a pic of Marissa that we received via email.

Kristi, Josh & Lucas

Marissa Charlotte just 5 days old.

Grandpa, Lucas, Jordyn, Grandma & Jenna

Visit with Joel, Joyce, Jordyn & Jenna

2010-10-03T16:45:00.001-06:00

Jenna Mae has arrived!!

2010-05-31T09:06:00.013-06:00

Jenna Mae arrived Saturday, May 29th at 6:08 am in Renton, Washington. She was 7 pounds and 15 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and looks a little like Jordyn when she was born. You can definetly see Joyce and Joel in her though. Everyone is sooooo happy for them and they are all doing great. We didn't quite make it for Jenna Mae's birth but we were there within hours of her arrival. Such a happy day!!! This is our 7th grandchild/4th granddaughter. We couldn't be happier or more proud.

The other kids were up camping at Kachess Lake for the Memorial Day weekend when Jenna arrived. Jordyn was camping with them and when they got the news they drove back to the hospital. So the pics below Jenna's birth, were taken at the Kachess Camp Ground, below the Snoqualmie Summit, about a 45 minute drive from Renton. We stopped in to see them on our drive home on Sunday. Enjoy!!

My new car......

2010-05-24T16:08:00.004-06:00

After 4 years with just 1 car, we finally purchased a second one. It's a used car but feels so great to have my own wheels.

It's a 2002 Chrysler 300 M. My last car, a 2001 Chrysler Sebring was a convertible. This one is not the convertible I would have loved to have but it does have a sunroof so I'm happy about that. It has alot of the same features that the Sebring had, i.e. leather seats, etc. but a few extras that it didn't have, like heated seats which will be really nice in the winter here in Yakima.

Our condo community's "1st Annual Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff"

2010-05-24T14:33:00.009-06:00

Our condo community, Granwood Estates, held its "1st Annual Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff" last weekend. There were 5 entries and Greg prepared his "Enhanced Prego Spaghetti Sauce" and won!! All five of the sauces were delicious. Here are a few photos taken during the taste testing dinner.

Here is Greg checking his sauce.

Making sure his sauce is just the right temperture.

Condo owners, Al & Shannon

Owners, Laurie & Tim help prepare the pasta and bread.

Owner, Mick (association president) and his girlfriend.

Owners, Dot, Mary Shannon & Al visit while waiting for the taste testing to begin.

Barbara & Laurie

Barbara, Sharon & Laurie

Dot, Tim & Mary

Let the taste testing begin......

Mick has the bowl idea for taste testing.

Del, decides just to dig in and skip the bowls.

Dot trying the bowl idea for taste testing.

Someone comes up with this idea for separating the sauces.

There were 13 owners in attendance and we enjoyed a fun taste testing dinner together.

The votes are in and tallied and the winner is.......

Greg Smith is the winner of the "Granwood Estates 1st Annual Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff"!!

He was named "Getty Guru" and given this certificate. His name will also be engraved on a plaque with room for future winners that will be displayed in the clubhouse

The event was so much fun and we hope it will be an annual event for Granwood Estates owners.

Visits from the kids and grandkids....

2010-05-06T21:54:00.015-06:00

We're Back!!

2010-04-22T20:49:00.000-06:00

We arrived back in Yakima last, Sunday, April 18th. About 1 month earlier than we had planned. As I explained a few posts ago, we left Mazatlan due to the increased cartel violence. We hope one day we can feel comfortable enough to return and enjoy the laid back beachbum lifestyle we came to love so much.

We will really miss the warm tropical climate with it's warm sandy beaches, sultry ocean breezes, the sound of the waves kissing the shore, the pelicans soaring by, the incredibly beautiful sunsets, the great mexican food and margaritas and the many friends, both gringo and mexican we have made over the past few years. We will really miss the girls at the FloreSer girls home. We hope and pray they will continue to realize and appreciate what the senoras are doing for them to keep them safe and well.

In the meantime, we plan to settle in and enjoy all that the Yakima Valley has to offer and look forward to spending more time with our families. As I mentioned in a previous post, we will be blessed with 3 more grandchildren this year. This will make a total of 9 of these little cherished blessings.

Please check back soon, I will have pictures posted of our trip back to Washington.

Trip Maz to Yak. April 2010 - Days 1 and 2

2010-04-22T19:02:00.018-06:00

Trip Maz to Yak, April 2010 - Days 3, 4 and 5

2010-04-22T17:52:00.001-06:00

Home Sweet Home!!

Mini vacation at Torres April 2010

2010-04-06T19:14:00.010-06:00

We spent the week of Sunday, April 5 - Sunday April 11 at our timeshare, Torres Mazatlan. This was Moto Week in Mazatlan and is a very congested, noisey week along the malecon where we live. We chose to get away from the noise and enjoy this peaceful, relaxing resort. Enjoy our pictures from our mini vacation.

Good Friday (Semana Santa/Holy Week) Mazatlan 2010

2010-04-02T15:50:00.008-07:00

El Faro Lighthouse

2010-03-30T10:30:00.005-07:00

This morning, about 7:30, Greg hiked to the El Faro Lighthouse here in Mazatlan.

El Faro was built in 1879 and is the best known lighthouse in Mexico. Famous for it's spectacular views and is one of the highest lighthouses in the world. It's 500 feet above sea level and has incredible views of Mazatlan.

It took Greg 20 minutes to climb to the top. He said in the beginning the path was challenging with gravel and lots of ruts but then turned, about half way up, to stairs. He mentioned he didn't run into any banditos but lots of tourists, since this is Easter week here in Mazatlan.

Enjoy the pics he took from the top of El Faro. In case you don't know, Faro is lighthouse in spanish.

Looking north from the lighthouse.

Road to the path, Pacifico Brewrey in the distance and Old Mazatlan.

Port of Mazatlan where the cruise ships dock.

Looking south to Stone Island and Estrella del Mar.

El Faro Lighthouse. 500 feet above sea level.

Easter Week (Semana Santa or Holy Week)

2010-03-27T16:51:00.005-07:00

As we make our plans to leave Mazatlan the week of April 12th, we find ourselves in the middle of Semana Santa (Holy Week) or Easter week.

This is a popular time for families from all over Mexico to take a beach vacation. Mazatlan is getting very crowded right now and there are live bands along the Malecon and a general party atmosphere. They figure an additional 40,000 people will be in the city this week. There are many umbrellas starting to go up on the beaches, as families enjoy the ocean.

With the violence that has recently hit Mazatlan, many had thought families wouldn't come this year, but it's looking like they're coming anyway. The government has sent in additional military, ie Army, Navy, Municipal Police, Federal Police, lifeguards and other entities to help keep the city safe. However, we continue to hear of incidents on a daily basis.

We just hope and pray the families will be safe this week and be able to enjoy their beach vacation.

Happy Easter to you all.

Change of plans

2010-03-14T17:14:00.003-07:00

We're headed back to the states earlier than we had planned. With the rise in crime and violence here in Mazatlan, we've decided we'll leave very soon. My sister and her husband have cancelled their trip to see us in May which allows us to leave sooner. We're very sad we won't get to see them and feel so bad this changes their vacation plans too. Maybe in the future, when the troubles in Mexico improve, and we feel safe to return to Mazatlan, they'll plan another trip to see us.

We don't plan to return next year. We have rented our condo out the months of November through February of next year. We'll miss Mazatlan but this will actually be a very good thing, as we have 3 more grandbabies on the way this year, making a total of 9 grandchildren. It will be wonderful to be able to spend more time with them.

Our family just keeps growing.....

2010-03-04T08:49:00.004-07:00

We've had some very exciting news this past month. We're going to be grandparents again this year, but 3 more times!!

We found out at the end of last year that Joel and Joyce are expecting a baby girl, Jenna Mae, May 26th. Jordyn is getting a baby sister, how exciting for her.

We just heard Josh and Kristi are expecting September 30th. This is wonderful news - Lucas is going to have a brother or sister. They won't find out until May.

We, also, had a confirmation just this week that Jackie and Jake are expecting a baby, October 17th. They had an ultrasound done on Monday, March 1st and Jackie is 7 1/2 weeks along and due October 17th. They heard a very strong heartbeat and we are so happy for them.

We couldn't be more excited at this news and happy we will be back in Washington when all of these blessed events happen. This will make 9 grandchildren for us. So as you can see, our family just keeps growing. How fun Christmas will be this year!!!!

Update on FloreSer

2010-03-03T13:50:00.004-07:00

We've also kept our days busy over the past 3 months here in Maz with visits to FloreSer. In case you don't remember, this is the teenage girl's home here in Mazatlan. Please click on this link for a little info on the purpose of the home.
http://www.orphanagefunds.org/pdf/09/FloreSer.pdf

We've been spending time helping them with their English. They're like little sponges, so eager to learn. They do take some English classes in school but not one-on-one. So they have an opportunity with us to ask questions on what they really want to know in English. Like for instance, today, they wanted to know if boys were beautiful. Of course, we said they were not. We explained the word in English was handsome or guapo in Spanish. So it's been very interesting working with them and so rewarding too. We've even been learning some Spanish ourselves. Also, today, Greg put up a volleyball net for them. The home, they moved into recently, has a tennis court in the backyard but they had expressed they'd like to play volleyball. After quite a search, Greg found a sporting goods store that did have a net and ball. They were very surprised and happy when Greg put it up for them today.

This is a recent picture of the girls in their new home.

From left, Jenifer, Lupita (0ldest), Azucena, Sra Lucina, Alexa (youngest) and Rosario.

3 months in Mazatlan

2010-02-23T13:56:00.006-07:00

We've been here in Mazatlan for 3 months now. Many of you may be wondering what we do with our time down here. Sometimes, as we reflect on our days, we too wonder what we do with our time. Our days seem to fly by with always something interesting, fun and rewarding to do.

This year, we have had some concerns however with the drug cartel problem in Mexico. In fact, there have been more drug related shootings in Mazatlan than ever before. The violence has made it's way to Mazatlan and we now feel a little less secure than we have in the past. We do hope and pray the situation will turn around someday but we don't really feel like that will be any time soon. We're careful where we spend our time in Maz and haven't ventured out into the small villages outside Maz this year. We are staying pretty close to home and try not to be out after dark.

Of course, our days are spent enjoying the beautiful weather. Mazatlan is just 15 miles south of the Tropic of Cancer and on the same latitude as Hawaii and the southern Bahamas. We enjoy the pleasant semi-tropical conditions with dry moderate winters. The average temperature is 77 F. We only stay through May. With the high humidity in the summer, the weather can be rather uncomfortable, at least for us. During the months of Dec - May, which is when we are down here, the weather is just about perfect.

We love the relaxed rhythm of life here, the great Mexican food and drinks and the cultural activities the city offers. Even though many of these activities, at times, involve loud, obnoxious music, it's all part of the Mexican culture which makes Mazatlan, Mexico unique. We enjoy performances at the Angela Peralta Theater, spending evenings in the Plazeula Machado for dinner or just enjoying the ambiance of this magical place in Old Mazatlan, scouting out new restaurants and places to watch the sunset. And, of course, the many events, such as, the Marathon, Carnaval, Triathlon, etc. Some of the events that occur during the time we are here we don't enjoy so much. Such as, Motocycle week. We'll be headed to our timeshare, Torres, during that week in April.

This year we have been concentrating on getting more exercise. We have been trying to do some form of exercise at least 6 days a week. We walk the malecon, workout in our gym, Greg climbs the 14 flights of stairs and I take Yoga and Zumba classes. We've been trying to consume more of the great variety of fish available here in Maz too.

We'll be headed back to Yakima, Washington the end of May after my sister, Martha, her husband John and their children, Kyle and Ali visit. They will just be here a few days but we are excited to see them. They have to leave on May 10th. We're hoping to make it home for the birth of of Joel and Joyce's baby girl, Jenna Mae, due May 26th.

Friend from Curves visits Mazatlan

2010-02-20T21:35:00.003-07:00

It was so great to see my friend, Bonnie, from Curves in Selah, Washington. She came to Mazatlan with her husband, brother and sister-in-law for a week vacation here in Mazatlan. We spent a fun day together touring the city and ended the day at a Mexican fiesta at the resort where they were staying, Costa Bonita/Emerald Bay. It was a fabulous time.

Bonnie enjoying a margarita at the Las Brasas Restaurant/Plazuela Machado in El Centro (Old Mazatlan)

We had a great lunch together. From left, Bonnie's brother and sister-in-law, Bonnie, her husband, Me and Greg.

Bonnie enjoyed the great dinner at the Mexican fiesta at Emerald Bay.

Sunset the last night of Carnaval 2010

2010-02-17T16:52:00.004-07:00

Mazatlan Carnaval Parade 2010

2010-02-17T08:29:00.016-07:00

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

2010-02-15T15:18:00.003-07:00

We spent our 13th Wedding Anniversary this year at our timeshare, Torres Mazatlan. These pictures were taken from the terrace of our condo there at sunset Valentine's Day which is our anniversary too. We were married here on the beach and stayed in this same building 13 years ago. Torres holds a very special place in our hearts. We had a wonderful time.

This year our anniversary/Valentine's Day coincided with Carnaval. After a wonderful dinner in the La Palapa Restaurant at Torres they put on a fiesta outside to celebrate Carnaval. There was lots of festive mexican music and dancing. They gave each of us a Carnaval mask to wear too.

Carnaval 2010/Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T14:55:00.005-07:00

Well Carnaval has arrived once again here in Mazatlan. It started last Thursday, February 11 and runs through Tuesday, February 16 (Fat Tuesday) the day before Lent starts.

This year the city isn't decorated as it usually is for Carnaval. The lighted masks that were put up earlier in the month have been taken down. We heard that the unusual rain storm we had a few weeks ago ruined them. We were sad to see them come down.

We have chose to spend Carnaval this year at our timeshare, Torres, which is north of Maz. We arrived at Torres yesterday, Friday and will stay until Monday. This way we get away from alot of the noise and traffic from Carnaval. However, we will still get to enjoy the fireworks on Monday night which are always spectacular and we can watch them right from our condo. The 2nd parade will go right by our condo but during the day on Tuesday, the last day of Carnaval.

We are enjoying our stay here at Torres and will be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary tomorrow here on Valentine's Day. For those of you who don't know, we were married on the beach here at Torres. So it holds a very special place in our hearts.

Well Happy Valentine's Day to all. Have a very "sweet" day with your loved ones.

Rainbow here in Mazatlan!

2010-02-03T09:43:00.005-07:00

We had a huge rainstrom yesterday starting about 5:00 pm. It rained heavy all through the night. Just like Seattle kind of rain. So strange and unusual for this time of year.

This is the rainbow we woke up to this morning. Just beautiful!!

6 more weeks of winter

2010-02-02T10:05:00.004-07:00

Looks like the groundhog saw his shadow today, indicating there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Not for us here in Mazatlan though. We are enjoying sunny, warm days with tempertures in the 80's. Just wonderful! But to all you folks up norte, hang in there, this too shall pass.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/weather/02/02/groundhog.day/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Full Moon, Friday, January 29, 2010

2010-01-30T13:05:00.014-07:00

We had an opportunity to view the first full moon of 2010 here in Mazatlan on Friday, January 29th. It was the biggest and brightest full moon of the year and we were even able to easily see features on the moon with our telescope. See our photos below.

This full moon is also known as the wolf moon, dating back to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. Each month brings another full moon name. Here are some interesting facts about our moon.

The moon is, on average, 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth - which causes it to go through all its phases once every 29.5 days - is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. One side of the orbit is 31,070 miles (50,000 km) closer than the other. So in each orbit, the moon reaches this closest point to us, called perigee. Once or twice a year, perigee coincides with a full moon, as it did last night, making the moon bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year. It was about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons of the year, according to Spaceweather.com.

As a bonus, we could even see Mars just to the left of the moon. With our eye it just looked like a bright star but with our telescope it was a reddish, star-like object.

Enjoy the pictures we took of the Moon rising over the Sierra Madre Mountains here in Mexico.

This is a zoomed in photo of the Moon rising.

As the moon rose higher in the east and the sun sat in the west, the sky began to turn shades of pink.

Photos of the moon taken through the lens of our telescope.

This is the sunset in the West as the Moon rose.

Photo of the lights for as far as you can see lining the malecon for Carnaval approaching Feb 11-16.

These photos were taken at 5:00 am this morning. They didn't turn out very good but you can get an idea of how bright the moon was, lighting up the ocean.

Thoughts to ponder......

2010-01-26T13:31:00.002-07:00

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Refreshing coconut water on our walk today

2010-01-16T14:55:00.009-07:00

This morning, Greg and I, went for a 4 1/2 mile walk along the malecon. At about 2 miles, we stopped at this little stand that was serving coconut water.

The gentleman cut off the top of the coconut and we drank the water right from it with a straw.

I had remembered coconut water to be more white and creamy. This was very clear and not very sweet but it was very refreshing, especially after walking for 2 miles in the hot sun.

When we finished drinking the water, the inside of the coconut was chopped up and served.

He asked if we would like salt and lime on it. We did try it and it was very good. Greg tried it with chili sauce/pepper too and he enjoyed it.

While we drank and ate the coconut, we watched surfers.

This is the beach we did a little exploring on. Loved how the sun made such a beautiful shadow of the palm on the sand.

Along the malecon is this university. It's the sciences of the sea.

As we walked back, we saw this mexican man fishing right off the malecon with just a line and a hook. He was just snagging the fish. We hadn't seen fishing done this way down here. If you look close, you can see the hook.

My first Zumba class

2010-01-13T18:03:00.004-07:00

Today, I went to my first ever Zumba class. I had been hearing about Zumba for a couple years now and really wanted to check into it. I found a lady from Minneapolis, Minnesota who is living here in Mazatlan and teaching Zumba classes out of her home.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Zumba, "it's a mix of body sculping movements with easy to follow dance steps like the merengue, salsa, cumbia, mambo, samba and flamenco, as well as, other dances from around the world including hip hop and belly dance. The dances are set to toe tapping, hip swiveling, arm swinging, high energy Latin music that just makes you want to get up and moooovve."

Check out this site for more information on Zumba Fitness. http://www.zumbacize.com/

I have to admit, it was a little challenging for me but I made it through my first class and plan to go again. I would like to try to take the 3-day a week classes (M W F) that this lady offers. The class was held on the back patio of her home and started at 8:30 am and lasted 1 hour. It was in the sun and 70 degrees so we got quite hot, lots of perspiring but it was a great cardio workout and so much fun. I'll keep you posted on how my Zumba class progresses. Oh and get this, the class here in Mazatlan was $30 pesos, that's about $2.70 US. Amazing, huh!

Teaching English......

2010-01-07T18:27:00.003-07:00

Today, Greg and I went to FloreSer (the teenage girl's home here in Mazatlan) to help teach them English. Out of the 6 girls, 3 of them participated. They were like little sponges, so eager to learn. The home mother's have been instilling in them the need to learn English to have a better future. 2 of the girls take English in their schools but the others do not receive it. Not sure exactly how the curriculum works at the different ages here in Mazatlan.

The opportunity to work with these girls is so rewarding and is helping us with our Spanish too. We just hope in some way we can help make their futures a little brighter.

Girls Rule!!!

2010-01-06T17:26:00.003-07:00

We just found out today, Joel and Joyce are expecting a "baby girl". They had the ultrasound and she looks just perfect - about 1 pound right now. Joel and Joyce couldn't be happier and I'm sure Jordyn is going to be estatic. Wish we could be there when they tell her. :)

Joyce is due May 26th. We are so hoping to make it back for the birth. This will make our 7th grandchild and it looks like the "Girls Rule"! We'll have 4 granddaughters and 3 grandsons. Can't wait to meet our next granddaughter.

"Dia de Reyes," Three Kings Day!

2010-01-06T16:59:00.005-07:00

Here in Mexico, January 6th is "Dia de Reyes" or Three Kings Day which marks the end of the Christmas season. Mexican children go to bed the evening of January 5th expecting to find gifts next to the Nativity Scene, or in some cases we have heard, in their shoes beneath their beds. This is the traditional sweet bread they eat with hot chocolate that morning after they open their gifts.

It's called Rosca de Reyes and you can buy it in grocery stores and bakeries all over town.

This is what it looks like. It's like a sweet coffee cake with fruit on top. Actually quite tasty.

Plastic baby Jesus figurines are baked inside the bread. The person who finds a baby Jesus in their piece of bread has to make tamales for the fiesta de la Candelaria on February 2nd. This celebration is the last of the Christmas festivities. Below is a link to more information about this celebration.
http://www.inside-mexico.com/reyesoscar.htm

Greg found a baby Jesus in his piece of bread. So guess who's making tamales?

My "60th" Birthday!

2010-01-04T10:06:00.005-07:00

My "60th" birthday was very nice. Greg made it special by inviting a few of our close friends/condo owners here at Las Gavias. They showed up about sunset for margaritas, appetizers and birthday cake. Here are a few pictures of the evening. Not a wild and crazy "60th", just nice, relaxing conversation with nice people.

Greg got me a "Tres Leche" cake for my birthday from Panama Bakery. I know it doesn't look very appetizing but it is just delicious! Has 3 different types of milk. Just in case you are interested and haven't heard of this cake, here's a link to info about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_leches_cake

Ringing in the New Year!!

2010-01-01T13:49:00.011-07:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve at the Plazuela Machado in Old Mazatlan. We had a wonderful dinner at Las Brasas and enjoyed a bottle of Grafigna Malbec Red Wine. Dinner consisted of a delicious Salad with Red Fruits, Bombay Shrimp for Jan and I, and Rib Eye for the guys. We had Apple Strudel w/Vanilla Ice Cream & Crunchy Carmel Topping for dessert. It was a delicious dinner and great service.

This is a photo of the "Blue Moon" rising as we begin our New Year's Eve celebrations. I didn't realize what a "Blue Moon" was so I googled it and found the site below with a great explanation.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091230-blue-moon-new-years-eve.html

Our party favors were handed out and we were ready for the countdown.

Then, just before midnight, 12 grapes were passed out to each. The Spanish tradition is, as you eat each grape at midnight, you are to make a wish for prosperity in the New Year.
Dick is ready!

Jan toasts her 12 grapes to the New Year!

My first grape.......

Greg is wondering, do I really have to eat all 12? And his first wish was that the grapes don't make him sick.

Then, the noise begins at the stroke of midnight.

And more noise........

And more........

We had a great New Year's Eve! Prospero y Feliz ano Nuevo! (Prosperity in the New Year)

Lots of music and dancing.

And the clock strikes midnight........

Our 3rd day of walking the malecon!

2009-12-30T11:58:00.003-07:00

This morning is our 3rd day straight of walking the malecon. We walked to the Fisherman's Monument which is about 1 1/2 miles from our condo and back. It's a beautiful, sunny, blue skies, not a cloud, perfect breeze, 74 degrees day here in Maz. In the link below, the first image is Fishermen's Monument and a little bit about it. Very interesting I think. Mazatlan has many, many monuments and this one is one of the best known. Some of you who have been to Mazatlan will recognize the monument. It feels so great be back to getting in some exercise.

http://www.pacificpearl.com/monuments.htm

Let the New Year's Resolutions begin!

2009-12-29T08:31:00.004-07:00

This week we've started getting back into an exercise regimen.

Started out yesterday, Monday, December 28th, with a 1 mile walk to our favorite palapa restaurant, Lupe Locos, on the beach. Then, after a great breakfast walked back another mile to our condo gym for some weight training. It felt soooooo good. Greg is adding running the stairs in our building to his program. We have 17 flights so that's quite a workout. Our gym consists of weight stacks. Very different from the equipment at "Curves for Women", where I have been working as a Circuit Coach, September - November. I'm going to try to get used to them and workout consistently. I think walking, weights, yoga and water aerobics will be my exercise regimen for the next 5 months. Please wish us luck on our exercise New Year's Resolutions.

Good luck to everyone on your New Year's Resolutions too!
Remember the Buddhist Proverb, "If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."

Christmas Day dinner

2009-12-26T10:22:00.006-07:00

We enjoyed our Christmas Day dinner with Dick and Jan. Yes, you have seen lots of pictures of Dick and Jan this holiday season. They are very special friends of ours down here in Maz. They live in Gunnison, Colorado and spend 6 months in Maz too. They are like family to us.

We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings at their condo on Christmas Day.

Dick prepared a 15 pound turkey.

Jan was creative and made her own napkin holders. Aren't they festive!

She also created her own centerpiece. It's small Christmas balls with a lighted Christmas necklace coiled around a candle. Very very creative and beautiful.

Jan's beautiful Christmas dinner table is set!!

We had a great Christmas dinner with Dick and Jan.

My Christmas gift from Dick and Jan was a "Jelly Lens Kaleidoscope" for my camera lens. This is the effect I got when taking a picture of the centerpiece. What a beautiful effect! I think it would make a beautiful Christmas card.

Christmas Morning at Casa de Smith

2009-12-25T08:44:00.006-07:00

Below are pictures of our Christmas morning together. December 25th here in Mazatlan started at midnight with the ringing of church bells in the distance, the popping of fireworks and then at 3:00 am the infamous Banda music playing in the distance too. It's such a contrast of sounds but they are the sounds of Christmas in Mexico.

We got up about 7:00 am to 65 degrees, slight overcast skies, and a slight breeze. The street was very quite this morning, not much traffic and the malecon had just a few walkers/joggers/bicycles, etc. Very pleasant Christmas morning here in Maz.

Greg started Christmas Day with a cup of coffee with Baileys Irish Cream.
I started my Christmas Day with International Delight French Vanilla in my coffee.

Then, we began to open our gifts to one another.
Greg was happy to get an LL Bean Fly Fishing book for Christmas.

He was sooooo excited to get a new swim suit from Santa.

Santa was a little worried if he would like the swim suit. It fit him perfectly and he loved it.

Very happy with the pockets on each side.

How does my butt look??

Here's what Greg received for Christmas:

BBQ Tool set

Screw Driver set,

LL Bean Fly Fishing Book

Hand and band exercise tools

Banana-grams (word challenge book)

Sudoku To Go book

"Your Heart Belongs to Me" by Dean Koontz

Jar of his favorite mixed nuts

Swim Suit

Oven Mitt

Here's what I received:

4th in the series of Twilight books, "Breaking Dawn"

"Twilight" the movie

New Nicholas Sparks book, "The Last Song

3 pound hand weights

2 candles - Vanilla Bean and Pumpkin Spice

Santa Apron

Electrical plug for the Ipod

and Greg got us both new Santa hats.

And, last but not least, we're so happy to have each other this Christmas.

We do miss our families but will be with them next Christmas for sure.

We hope all your Christmas wishes came true and you had a wonderful Christmas together. Remember, "The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." Merry Christmas to all!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T20:41:00.004-07:00

We had a wonderful tamale dinner at our condo on Christmas Eve. Our good friends, Dick and Jan from Gunnison, Colorado joined us for the evening. They live in Mazatlan 6 months of the year too and are our neighbors here at Las Gavias Club Residencial.

After we see what Santa brings us tomorrow morning, we will be going to Dick and Jan's condo for Christmas dinner tomorrow evening. They are fixing Turkey with all the trimmings. Yummmmmmm.

Track Santa's Magical Journey

2009-12-24T09:27:00.002-07:00

Have fun and a very Merry Christmas to all! !

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Orfanatorio de Mazatlan visit

2009-12-23T18:02:00.006-07:00

Today we went to the Orfanatorio de Mazatlan to visit the children and bring them Christmas gifts.

Greg, concentrating on his drive through the streets of Mazatlan on our way to the orphanage.

The children were excited to see us and very curious about the big bag we brought in.

Diana, the orphanage mother, opens the Christmas present we brought for all the children. They seemed to be happy with the 4 DVDs "Mundo Animales" (World Animals).

I passed out the Christmas candy treat bags to each of the children. Diana allowed them only 1 piece. Good luck making sure that happens.

In the entry of the orphange is a beautiful tree, nativity scene, and stockings hanging for each of the children with their names.

Notice baby Jesus is not in the manager. He is not placed in the crib until Christmas Day, when he we born.

Diana explained to us that a "senora" had made these stockings for the children. Not sure who that was though.

They were beautiful stockings.

Tamales for Christmas Eve dinner

2009-12-23T09:32:00.003-07:00

Greg is picking up tamales at "Maz Tamales" in old Mazatlan. He picked up chicken, pork, and pineapple tamales. We've had them before and they are sooooo delicious!!

As is the tradition in many Mexican familes, we'll be having them for Christmas Eve dinner at our home with our good friends, Dick and Jan.

The ladies at "Maz Tamales" preparing the tamales.

FloreSer (Bloom to be)

2009-12-23T09:14:00.009-07:00

The girls shown in the picture below are currently living at FloreSer here in Mazatlan. This is a girl's home that was opened last February, 2009 as a place for troubled teens to take refuge. They now have 9 girls but 3 of them had gone back to their families for the holidays.

Pictured below are 6 of the girls with their home mothers, left, Brenda and, right, Alicia. The girls are from left, Azucena, Lupita, Jenifer, Karen, Alexa and front/floor Rosario. They range in age from 13-17. The home was very clean and comfortable and the girls seemed very happy. They understood more English than they could speak and when we asked what they might need in their home, they were able to get across they needed 2 more lamps. Our good friends, Dick and Jan are taking them the lamps this afternoon. We left them each a small Christmas present.

We went back today and took them some games. They have 2 weeks off from school and the home mother's explained they did not have any games and that would be nice to keep them busy. There were only 3 girls available for this picture and Alexa is holding the game Scattergories with Jenifer and home mother Alisha to her left and Azucena to her right. They seemed to be very excited about this game. The young girl to the right of me was visiting from Canada and was 17 years old. Quite an experience for her.

Below, is a link to information on the grand opening of the home in February 2009.
http://mazatlandreams.blogspot.com/2009/02/floreser-bloom-to-be-open-house.html

Coro de Camara Guillermo Zarabia at Las Gavias Club Residencial

2009-12-20T10:27:00.007-07:00

The choral group, singing in the video clip below is from the Municipal Center of the Arts here in Mazatlan. They performed in a free holiday concert for us at Las Gavias Club Residencial where we live. The group, Coro de Camara Guillermo Zarabia, are instructed at the school by Maestra Marta Felix who also makes her home at Las Gavias. Maestro Enrique Patron de Rueda, who is a very well known Orchestra/Conductor in Mexico and lives here in Mazatlan at Las Gavias, helped sponsor this concert. Below is a link to his website.

http://enriquepatron.com/enriquepatron/patron.swf

The group was just fabulous and such a treat for all of us during this Christmas season.

Enjoy this short video clip of one of the Christmas carols they sang for us.

Sorry but I'm having trouble with uploading the video clip. Check back later.

Gala de Broadway

2009-12-18T08:45:00.005-07:00

I went to a great Broadway performance at the Angela Peralta Theater here in Maz last evening. It was put on by "Dance, Inc." of Mazatlan. The group is instructed by the "Professional School of Contemporary Dance of Mazatlan."

http://www.culturamazatlan.com/cma-en.php?seccion=cma-esc-prof-danza-en

They performed dance/song clips of great Broadway performances such as: Chicago,

Hair Spray, A Chorus Line, Cabaret and Big Spender/Sweet Charity. It was very entertaining, amazing dancing and so professionally done.

I really enjoyed the evening with my friend Jan. Before the performance, we had dinner at the La Tramoya Restaurant in the Plazuela Machado where the theater is located.

Decorating our Maz condo for Christmas

2009-12-14T07:54:00.008-07:00

We still have a few Christmas decorations here at our condo in Mazatlan. Most of them we took back to our Yakima condo. So we thought we'd put up what we had. It was fun to help get us in the Christmas spirit. Enjoy!

We're so happy to have a few of our grandchildren's sweet faces to look at during Christmas this year. We miss all of them so much. This is Christmas gift given to us by our children just before we left for Mazatlan.

Just couldn't get the lighting right on this photo. But this is our terrace all lite up with Santa.

Greg enjoys making Santa Claus wave at all the children on the malecon and they always wave back.

There are poinsettias for sale everywhere in Maz. You know it is the flower of Mexico.

Another shot of our 8 foot Santa Claus.

These are the only snowflakes we'll be seeing this Christmas.

Aren't they sooooo beautiful!

Each and every snowflake is different. Just like these my sister Deannie and her husband Scott gave to us as a Christmas gift just before we left Yakima. They are so beautiful and it helps to have a little of home down here with us at Christmastime.

This is how they are displayed on our shelf. Much prettier than this photo shows.

This is the Christmas tree at the Gran Plaza Mall here in Mazatlan. Muy bonita!!

Christmas Chicken Dinner Fundraiser for the poor in Mazatlan

2009-12-13T16:03:00.010-07:00

This Christmas fundraiser breakfast for the poor was held on Saturday, December 12th in the arts and crafts building at the cruise ship docks here in Maz. It helped raise money to provide Christmas chicken dinners for 2,000 families. The dinners will be delivered to them on Christmas Eve morning.

The building was decorated with festive pinatas and Christmas music, some we even recognized.

Our good friends, Dick and Jan from Colorado, went with us. Dick and Greg are served breakfast.

The breakfast consisted of beef machaca, chilaquilles, soupy refried beans served with tortillas. We also enjoyed some yummy pastries.

A nice Mexican family sat at our table and the mother had a 4 month old baby boy named Joseph.

Mother and Joseph

Group photo.

Jan enjoying baby Joseph.

Rough translation of the message on the back of the shirts the wait staff were wearing was, "Share your Christmas with someone".

Front of shirts. Again, a rough translation is "learn to give back when one gives to you".

The lady in red is Yolanda. She and her family are the ones responsible for this event. Many years ago when her daughter was dying in the hospital and she spent many days/hours there, a generous family who cared enough to help out brought a chickend dinner to Yolanda's family. So she and her family, in memory of their daughter, have taken chicken dinners to families at Christmas time for 15 years now.

After breakfast there was a raffle held.

Our table wasn't showing to be very lucky so Dick had the idea of burning the tickets.

Then, suddenly, Jan's number was called. But, alas, they took her prize to another table. :( Oh well, it was a 6 pack of Tonical (Tonic Water). So she wasn't too disappointed.

Dick won a prize. It was a platter of a few interesting prizes.

Besides a plastic appetizer platter, a Christmas manger scene decoration, a leather wallet and Modelo Beer tee shirt.

This is baby Joseph's older brother, Antonio. Dick put the ribbon on him and told him in Spanish he was the gift. He was proud of that.

Our table got even luckier. Right at the end Greg's number was called.

He won a beautiful coffee table book of a famous artist here in Mazatlan. Armando Nava. Here's a link to his work. Really wonderful work. http://www.saii.com.mx/janava/en/inicio.asp

We really enjoyed this event and it was for such a worthy cause. So wonderful to be part of something like this at Christmastime - giving back to those less fortunate.

Curves for Women in Mazatlan

2009-12-12T18:07:00.004-07:00

As many of you know, while living in the states this past fall I worked as a Circuit Coach at the Curves near my hometown of Yakima, Washington. The Curves here in Mazatlan is a little different. The one I work at in Selah is much nicer and bigger. As you will see in these pictures, they really need a larger space and are moving soon. They do not have Curves Smart and only have 9 machines. Really makes me appreciate our Curves in Selah.

We can do the hip hop......

2009-12-09T09:04:00.001-07:00

Just a little holiday fun. Enjoy!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/NCLf5BdsSormelhB?cmpid=ey_fb_self

Link to site where we live in Mazatlan

2009-12-08T13:55:00.003-07:00

The name of our home in Maz is Las Gavias Club Residencial. Just click on the link below and it will come up. We have a 3 bedroom/2 1/2 bath condo on the 3rd floor.

http://www.lasgavias.com/english.htm

Let's have cafe together......

2009-12-08T08:51:00.005-07:00

Come join me! It's a beautiful morning here in Maz. A few whispy clouds, slight ocean breeze, 73 degrees here at 8:30. Just perfecto!! Wish you were here.

This is our aloe vera plant. It was half this size 6 months ago when we left. Totally amazed how much it has grown and even survived Tropical Storm Rick that hit in October.

Our palm didn't survive the storm too well but it, too, grew so much. Totally surprised at it's height.

Well this is our 5th day back in paradise and the weather has been just perfect. Lovin it so much. We now have our internet/Vonage phone set up, however, still a few issues with the VOI on the phone, a real bad delay. Got our dish network connection going. So we just about have all those issues resolved and ready to get on with our 6 months in Mazatlan. :)

Gran Pacifico Maraton/Mazatlan Dec 6 2009

2009-12-07T12:02:00.008-07:00

Saturday night before the race on Sunday morning, the crowds lined up along the malecon to watch the hot air balloons fill up and the fireworks/light show a little later in the evening. Just a spectacular site to watch these balloons fill up and the fireworks were awesome.

Sunday morning about 8:00 the runners begin passing our building. At this point, they're more than 1/2 way through the 46K, or 26 mile race. The participants from Kenya lead the pack.

Not sure where this lady was from but she was the first of the ladies to pass by. She must have been important as she had escorts ahead and behind her.

Is this bystander's warm up suit pink enough??

The Kenyans are leading the pack on the homeward stretch too.

The skies were overcast for the race but by afternnoon this is what it looked like.

Just a gorgeous day!!

Gran Pacifico Maraton/Mazatlan Dec 5 2009

2009-12-06T16:19:00.008-07:00

Our first weekend back in Mazatlan the annual Gran Pacifico Maraton was scheduled. On Saturday, December 5 was the 10 mile run, preliminary to the 26 mile run on Sunday. Enjoy the pictures I took from our terrace.

The race started with the wheel chairs.

Then came the runners. As, has been in previous years, the
participants from Kenya lead the pack.

More Kenyans......

We even saw participants on crutches. Amazing....

More runners......

Not sure who this guy was supposed to be but he was interesting.

Even saw a guy getting into the holiday spirit wearing a santa hat.

And this guy, well guess he wanted to make sure to carry his

cerveza.

And this lady was amazing, running in a dress and sandles.

She looked like maybe she was in her native indian dress.

This yacht was anchored offshore. We found out it was from

the Netherlands and it was named Ostar. 170 foot long, built

in 1998, 1-owner cabin with crew quarters, accommodate 11

guests, holds 26,000 gallons fuel and 8,000 gallons of water.

Just amazing!!

Here is the sunset that ended the first day of the Maraton.

We also enjoyed a parade at sunset, huge hot air balloons

were blown up all along the malecon, and fireworks, all of

which we enjoyed from our terrace. We were told that a

"baby turtle" release happened down the beach but we

didn't get a chance to see it. Sorry to have missed that.

It was a great evening though.

Sunset in Maz last night

2009-12-04T16:25:00.003-07:00

We were welcomed back to Mazatlan with this beautiful sunset last night. Just spectacular! So great to be back to sunny skies, tropical breezes, sounds of the ocean and sand between our toes. The sultry air is just right. Temperature today at 4:30 is 81 degrees. Just perfecto!!

6th and final day of our journey to Maz! :)

2009-12-03T08:24:00.005-07:00

Today we will arrive in Mazatlan at approximately 3:00 pm. We are so excited to see the beach and hear the waves and feel the sand between our toes. Really looking forward to watching the sunset from our terrace this evening. I'll post a picture of our sunset, so check back later today or tomorrow morning. I'll post depending on how many margaritas we have tonight. :)

Adios!!

Day Five

2009-12-02T19:40:00.009-07:00

We made it through customs at the border in Nogales, AZ today. Didn't have any problems getting through. We'll be in Mazatlan tomorrow. So looking forward to seeing the sand and sea.

We are staying in the Hacienda Cazadores tonight our 5th and last night on the road. It's a really old mexican hacienda here in Navojoa, Mexico. It even has a fireplace with real wood. It's kind of cold this evening in our room so it feels real nice as we enjoy the fire with Christmas music playing. So relaxing after a long day of driving in Mexico. Actually, Greg has been doing all the driving. :) Enjoy the photos. It really was a beautiful hacienda.

Day Four

2009-12-01T19:32:00.009-07:00

Today we started out in Lake Havasu City with this view from our suite at the London Bridge Resort. Beautiful sunny morning about 51 degrees.

We had breakfast at the Metro Cafe near the resort. We started the day in capris/shorts and flip flops. Getting warmer each day we get closer to Mazatlan. It's been consistently in the 70's.

The highway for most of the trip was 2 lane and lots of traffic but just as we were traveling through the Tucson area we saw this mission and checked it out. It's called San Xavier Mission founded in 1692. The current church was built in 1783. Very interesting history and just beautiful. Enjoy the pictures.

We had dinner in Green Valley at a Mexican restaurant near our hotel.

Our last margarita in the USA. Tomorrow we cross the border at

Nogales and just two more days until we are in Mazatlan. Salud!!!

Our stay at Lake Havasu, AZ (Day Three)

2009-12-01T08:07:00.007-07:00

The 3rd day of our trip we arrived in Lake Havasu, AZ at 3:30. We stayed at the London Bridge Resort. Really nice suite with a view and separate bedroom. Here are a few pics of our suite and the lakefront walk we took. Really festive with all the Christmas lights and music. Went back to our suite and put on some Christmas music and addressed our Christmas cards.

Trip to Mexico

2009-11-30T20:58:00.007-07:00

After spending Thanksgiving with our children in the Seattle area, we're at the end of our 3rd day traveling to Mexico. Tonight we're staying in Lake Havasu, Arizona at the London Bridge Resort. It's been a great trip so far. Haven't seen rain since we were in Seattle, no snow, no fog -just haven't been any weather issues at all.

We will travel to Green Valley tomorrow, then cross the border on Wednesday, stay the night in Navajoa, Mexico and arrive in Mazatlan on Thursday. The weather is getting warmer and warmer as we head south. It was 71 when we arrived in Lake Havasu today. Just feels so wonderful!! We've heard it rained in Mazatlan today so maybe that will bring the temps down a little.

For those of you viewing our blog for the first time, please click on Las Gavias Club Residencial under Links at the bottom right. Enjoy!

As we get closer to Maz, I will post more about our trip. Adios!

Thanksgiving/Pre-Christmas with the kids

2009-11-28T21:07:00.003-07:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Josh and Kristi's home in Renton and a Pre-Christmas gathering at Jessica and Jordan's home. Was soooo much fun.

Change of plans

2009-11-23T09:05:00.003-07:00

We're now going to head south on Saturday, November 28th. After Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas with my kids in Renton, we will head south from there instead of coming back home first. This way, if the pass isn't good, we won't have to go over it twice. Spending today, Monday, with Mom and Al and tomorrow evening with Deannie and Scott and then we'll be off to Renton on Thanksgiving morning. Dinner is at 1:00 so going to need to leave early. Have three days, two of which I work, to finish my Christmas letter, Christmas cards and get them in the mail as the mail service in Mexico isn't very fast, would really like family and friends to receive our card "this Christmas". Also, last minute packing and remembering all we need to do to leave our place here in Yakima for 6 months. Well gotta get busy.

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving and stay tuned for posts of our adventures along our way to Mexico next week. Have a great "Gobble Day"!!!

Pre-holiday visit from the kids

2009-11-22T12:17:00.005-07:00

The kids table is set for our dinner with everyone.

The adult table is set too.

Natalie and her mom, Laura, enjoying a little coloring while they wait for dinner.

Andrew watching tv while he waits.

And dinner is served. We had baked ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls and pumpkin and apple pies with cool whip for dessert.

Then the grandkids opened their Christmas presents from us.

Andrew was so happy with his K'nex airplane and helicopter.

Brian, Andrew's daddy, helps him put his airplane together.

Grandpa and Melanie, Justin's mommy, help him put his K'nex spider together.

Laura and Natalie getting to know each other with the "Mom and Me" book.

Andrew's finished K'nex airplane.

Brian and Andrew

Melanie and Justin

Another project for Andrew and his daddy.

We woke up to about an inch of snow. Natalie making snowballs.

Natalie and cousin Justin.

Andrew's finished helicopter.

Natalie getting warmed up after playing in the snow.

And enjoying a cup of hot cocoa.

Just a few more days......

2009-11-18T11:30:00.004-07:00

Si!! Just a few more days and we'll be headed to Mazatlan. We are hoping to leave on Sunday, November 30th after trying to fit in many visits with family and friends before we head south. We will miss everyone during the holidays but hope to be with them next year.

We are looking forward to some nice warm temps and our beautiful view and sunsets from our condo terrace and, of course, a few margaritas here and there. So stay tuned for lots of photos of our 2010 adventures in Maz. Adios!

Yakima Granwood Estates condo progressive dinner

2009-11-08T12:54:00.010-07:00

On Saturday, November 7th we participated in the first progressive dinner at our condo here in Yakim. We enjoyed an evening of delicious food, drink and socializing with 10 of our neighbors. It was really fun and we would love to do it again next year. Here are some pics of our great evening.

We started out at Tim and Laurie's condo for hors D'oeuvres. They prepared BBQ Pork, Shrimp Cocktail, ham wrapped pickled asparagus w/cream cheese and apples w/carmel cream cheese. They were really delicious.
From left, Cheryl, Laurie (our hostess for hors D'oeuvres), Barb and Katie.

From left, Tim, Marilyn and Greg.

Me and our hostess, Laurie

Then we were off to Wayne and Carol's for salad. They prepared a great green salad and cole slaw. This is Carol, our salad hostess.

Greg and Tim enjoying Carol's delicious salad.

From left, Laurie, Mick, Susan and Cheryl.

Then we were off to Cheryl's condo, middle, for our main course. Katie on the right.

The main course was ham, potatoes and green bean casserole.

From left, Susan, Marilyn, Laurie, Barb and Katie.

From left, Tim, Mick, Carol, Greg and Cheryl.

Del & Barb's condo was our last stop for dessert. Barb prepared a yummy strawberry tiramisu and a decadent chocolate turtle cake.

Barb sending some dessert home with Carol.

Barb serving the decadent chocolate turtle cake.

Barb and Laurie

Tim and Laurie

Mick and Susan

And guess who? :)

Our Grandchildren at Halloween

2009-11-07T14:23:00.010-07:00

We didn't get a chance to be with them for Halloween but got pictures from their parents and heard about their fun Halloween

Serena, age 9, was a mean but pretty Pirate.

Jordyn, 6 years old, was a very pretty little devil.
She and her cousin, Serena, had a fun Halloween together.

Lucas, 1 year old, was a sweet little dino.

Jordyn isn't too sure about this guy.

Halloween

2009-11-07T14:12:00.004-07:00

We dressed up for Halloween at Curves where I work as a Circuit Coach. It was a really fun time and we even had trick-or-treaters.

My sister, Deannie, handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

One of our members came in a bat costume.

Another as Zorro.

And my sister, Deannie and another one of our team, Kathy, were Flappers. I came dressed as a Jane Fonda, wanna-be.

Only 4 more weeks.....

2009-11-03T11:32:00.002-07:00

Well just 4 more weeks and we'll once again be headed south for the winter. We're planning on driving down just after Thanksgiving. We're looking forward to seeing all our friends in Maz and enjoying some nice warm temps. We'll miss our families here in Washington at Christmas this year but will return in June to enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest summer.

We hope all had a scary, fun Halloween, now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas. :)

Tropical Storm Rick Update

2009-10-22T10:37:00.002-06:00

We talked to a neighbor of ours today after the storm past and all was okay. Didn't get as much rain as had been predicted, so besides a few trees and signs down, all is okay.
Thank goodness!! :)

Tropical Storm Rick

2009-10-21T09:43:00.004-06:00

As we wait to head south to Mazatlan this fall, there is a tropical storm that just hit Mazatlan. We still haven't heard what damage it may have caused for our condo/building. We are hoping all that rain doesn't cause too much trouble for the people of Mazatlan.