Could I be so Lucky?

I was SO excited the day I met this boy: And even more excited when he came into my life to stay. It didn't hurt that he happened to treat me like I was the best thing to hit the planet since sliced bread. It's been one of the greatest privileges in my life to grow together with my sweetheart who's become an amazing man, husband and father. I'm so grateful for him and our sweet kids; it makes celebrating his birthday so much fun. I love you Sam.

How did our kids get so big?

The years have gone by so quickly but I know there's no one I'd rather celebrate each one with more than you!!


I love you. I love you because you're fun to be with, you make me (and most others) laugh, your a wonderful Dad, a great husband, you're honest, you have a different point of view than most and I think you use it well, you're kind, you honor your priesthood, you're adventurous, you're a hard worker, you know how to make me feel loved, you're interesting and smart, our kids adore you, you're handsome, and Oh, I love that you cook delicious food, especially since cooking's not my favorite. Happy Birthday Honey, You're amazing!!

Love Always,

Your BIGGEST fan, ever.

On Our Way

Wow, where to start?

We had a phenomenal trip to Guatemala and Belize. I want to take the time to journal about it more, but for now, I 'm just going to get started with some of our pictures and short explanations.

We got into Guatemala City at night and were able to swing by the temple. It wasn't lit up but the guard saw us trying to take pictures so he turned on the lights. Nice guy, he even opened the gates to let us in on the grounds.

We've been on reward trips before and I've got to say Sam's company tends to not disappoint. This time was no exception. Our first Hotel was so beautiful, all the large flower arrangements around the lobby were REAL and smelled amazing! Too bad we were only there one night!

Looking up from the reception desk

Before we headed out to a more remote location, we stopped by this pretty little spot for Breakfast in Flores. The colors were so bright and beautiful! The sun was also bright so they hung white, flowing fabric to shade us. Pinch me now if this was a dream! :)

I'm hoping anyone reading this will be able to get to the bottom! My photo program can only fit four collages into one post, so there's going to be several posts. We had such an amazing time learning and seeing new things and I love to feel like I can share it with my family and friends! Happy reading and you can click to collages to view closer. To see all the trip posts, you'll have to click the "older posts" at the bottom of the last one, for some reason all of them wouldn't show up on the main page. More pictures are also on facebook.

Welcome to the Jungle

First stop, La Lancha. It's one of three resorts owned by the same owner (Francis Ford Coppola) and is outside of Peten, Guatemala. It sits above a large natural lake about the size of Lake Coeurd'Alene. Can't beat a hammock outside your front door.

Our first day out was to Yaxha. A famous Mayan site that was occupied from 600 BC (that's right, I said BC) to 900 AD. The site has more than 500 structures. We were absolutely blown away by the huge scale of these buildings and the amazing achievement of the Mayan people to build something so lasting.

Here we were feeling like we were at the top of the world! Imagine how the Mayans felt so long ago, it's no wonder they thought they were pretty amazing stuff. I decided I'd flex, to show my toughness, since I was at the top of the jungle and all. :) There was a monkey must've been curious and decided to swing in the tree parallel to us. Everything in this place seemed like it was straight out of the movies. Just incredible.



Howler Monkeys and Spider Monkeys were pretty common to see. When we first started heading into the jungle on the trail, we heard a group of howler monkeys fighting over something. Our guide said it was most likely just a spat over territory. The sound is so intimidating, they really do sound fierce. I'm bummed, because I have video and couldn't get it to load to the blog... I'll keep trying, the sound really is amazing.

I was so surprised to see this sprite in a bottle. It brought back memories of my Grandma's homemade rootbeer. She would save old glass bottles and use them again and again. Our guide had a couple of local guys carry up big heavy coolers to the top of one of the towers for us. It was funny because all of us were out of breath from climbing to the top but then got spoiled with drinks and cold rags. Meanwhile, these two locals did the climb with a relative piano on their backs; but no drinks for them. Looking back I should've offered them mine. This was just my first experience noticing the inequality that I soon became very aware of on this trip. It didn't seem fair, and I guess lots of things never will be. I haven't figured out what to do about it yet, but I do know that I feel very thankful for my blessings and feel motivated to help out where I can.

Sunset view from the top of Temple 219 in Yaxha

Local's Special

It was so awesome each night when we'd come back from our adventures, candles lit up every path, every stairway, every room. So pretty. Here's where they made our tortillas for dinner each night. Lastly, this oatmeal raisin thing in a pepper was "dessert". Sugar is much more of a rarity in Guatemalan cuisine. It left us all willing to barter and trade, maybe even pay big bucks for a Snickers or Milky way!

Sam and Cory laughing by the pool

This one I'd like to label: Yikes!!... What the??...... HELP!!!

Giant Cieba trees, turkeys and vines. Oh, and me.

I was amazed while driving from place to place. I wanted so badly to be able to get out of the car and just walk through the streets taking pictures of all the people and places I was seeing. We traveled in a group, so these shots I had to get while driving. The homes in Guatemala were so very humble. The ones pictured here were actually some of the nicest I saw. Most were a single room board shack with a tin roof and a dirt floor; often with kids outside in the dirt, missing pants or being bathed in the yard.

It was a very humbling experience to see. We're all the same and yet can come from such different circumstances. Our guide was telling us that the people will have big families so the older children can work for the parents, they will work their whole lives to hopefully someday help put their younger siblings through school. They farm their own corn and beans and eat corn tortillas with beans 364 days a year.

Ruins, Ruins, and More Ruins

This is one of the most famous towers in Tikal. It was one of two in a large open courtyard that was so strangely peaceful and serene. This day was both Sam's and my favorite. The structures were simply stunning.

The way these towers stick up above the skyline is what they said would happen to NYC in a couple thousand years if we didn't keep living there. These civilizations didn't have trees covering them when they were inhabited. The trees came after many, many years.

There are so many structures yet to be uncovered. They know where many of them are it's just a matter of funding and man-power to get them uncovered. Archaeological work continues today.

Another highlight was having to find our way out of the jungle by flashlights. This posed a certain fear because they told us the jaguars are most active at night.... um, yikes! Even the little furry coatimundi knew enough to get the heck out!

This was also one amazing sight and this particular sight was after we'd crossed over from Guatemala into Belize. It's called Xunantunich ( ShU-nan-too-nitch!) We had a blast saying that one over and over throughout the week. There were parrots in the trees and Iguanas on the steps. It was a very beautiful place.

Of course every good husband has his limits. Sam found his limit on the number of pictures he was willing to let me take of him this day, at this sight. You can see in the collage I'm making good use of a stray string on his shorts to lasso him back for "one more picture"

Absolutely breathtaking

Xunantunich!

In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle

In this collage, you can see a river and a man with a crank, among other amazing animals and Flowers. The bird is a Toucan, Belize's national bird. Anyway, this man's job was to hand crank the barge across the river. We all piled on it and even put our car on it! Can you imagine how strong his arms must be?

This is Caracol (means the snail) It is the largest archaeological site in Belize. It covers 80 square miles and has 30,000 structures

So, for those times when you've been listening to a tour guide for a couple of hours... why not get a manly activity going on top of the ruins? Sam and our good friend Cory were so funny this entire trip. Cory would endlessly say, " I bet you can't jump this high, I bet I can beat you, who do you think is stronger? etc... They had a lot of fun together and were of course always entertaining to watch.

In case you're wondering about the guy with the gun, we had to have military escorts to go into some areas of the forest. There was a robbery several years ago and now the country insists on Military escorts through some areas.Speaking of that competitive side, Sam wasn't the only one who got into it....

Of course Sam and Cory felt the need to jump off these rocks. I did too, just not as high as they went. You see that little yellow speck? That would be Sam in his canary shorts, jumping from who knows how high.

Absolute paradise!

More Adventure and Tiny Planes

Some of these pictures are from Caracol, cont... and we continued to pass the time while also listening to our guide

Here's a jeep that had a bad ending. We had to take this picture just for Reese. The whole thing screamed Indiana Jones. This is inside the Rio Frio Caves. SO cool.

When we were done with the ruins, it was off on our (extremely tiny) plane to the coast. I wasn't sure it was ok for something that small to be up so high, and by the way, who let the 12 year old be the pilot??

Ahhhh, the Turtle Inn at Placencia in Belize. This place was amazing. So beautiful and the staff would do anything for you. I asked for an iron in my room and within 30 minutes there was a brand new one in a box on our front steps.

I'm already wondering when I can go back...