Cheers to 20 years!

It feels weird to say, but here we are...celebrating 20 years of marriage!  Man, marriage is not for the faint of heart.  It is not all rainbows and sunshine.  It requires learning to love someone else more than yourself and giving up things.  BUT, God.  God uses all those moments to teach you unconditional love together.  Through those moments, you learn to forgive and love deeper than you ever thought possible.  The 20 year old versions of ourselves had no idea what we were getting in to.  We could never have dreamed of a love story like ours.  I am so honored to say that our story is my favorite and one I will forever be grateful for it.  I love you Charles and cannot wait to see what the next few decades bring.  SHMILY! 

Grampee's BD and Father's Day!

Even though both of these special holidays were a few days ago, we celebrated today since the last few days were filled with airplanes back to the US and travels home.  We celebrated with dinner and goodies at Mel's Country diner and it was nice to be back together after being gone so long.  I will never find the right words to describe how much Grampee and Charles mean to our family.  Grampee is a firm foundation in the times of storms, our fixer upper, and the one we call anytime we are lost.  He is a tell it like it is and brutally honest character to the core.  I can always count on a hug and sound advice.  For my Charles, I could never have imagined how much more I would fall in love with him watching him become a Dad.  From the day Cade was born, he has been the hands on Father that ever woman and child hopes for.  He never shys away from doing the hard things, and loves our kids fiercely.  Caelin still crawls in his lap and Cade still looks up to him...even if he is almost at eye level now.  I am so grateful that God gave me Charles as my partner, he is truly the best Dad for our kids. To my Daddy in Heaven, you are with me every day.  Because you were so great, my heart will always be with you.  I truly do not think a single day has passed these 9 years without me thinking of you.  Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, and sometimes I sit silent smiling.  Thank you for making me who I am. Thank you for the tough talks, wiping my tears away, holding me still to remind me to enjoy the small moments, cheering me on with my crazy ideas, and for the most comforting hugs I have ever felt on this Earth.  I love you Daddy.  Happy Father's Day to the best 3 Dad's and a special birthday blessing to Grampee!

Cancun

Hyatt Ziva Cancun will never be the same after our crew.  We were able to create so many memories in such a short amount of time!  Here is a recap of the week...

Tuesday- We drove in to Round Rock last night knowing we would have early flights from Austin to Cancun this morning. The 4:30am alarm was rough, but no one complained as we were all so excited. It was a long day of travel as we dropped off cars, made it through 2 airports, TSA security, 9 peices of checked luggage, and more. We did not have any delays or problems with the exception of an hour wait for our bags to come out once we got off the plane in Cancun. Of course, arriving at the Hyatt Ziva was beautiful and we got cold scented towels to refresh us as we arrived. The rooms were big and spacious and the ocean view from our rooms were breathtaking. We had a few hours to unpack and explore the resort before we headed to the nightly show which was Pirate themed. Us girls had a Mai Tai in Daddy's honor during the show. It was a perfect way to end the long travel day. We cannot wait for the rest of this weeks adventures! 

Wednesday- The girls woke up early to do Sunrise Yoga by the ocean, while the boys worked out in the gym. Charles participated in an obstacle course and won first place with a full day spa package! Around lunchtime, we grabbed Nana for lunch at Habeneros on the beach and spent the afternoon walking the beach and playing in the pool. For dinner, we treated ourselves to the nicer steak restaurant called Tradewinds and it was delicious! The Ribye steaks were the best! We were stuffed, but managed to swing by the candy shop, ha! It was a nice relaxing day!

Thursday- Today we slept in, but Charles, Chris, Mac, and I did TRX at 9am. It was a tough workout, but hearing the ocean while we worked out made everything better. After the workout, we grabbed the rest of the fam and briefly explored the area around our hotel so we could get some souvenirs. The amount of cars and watching them driving were a bit scary as they drive so close together, lol. Once back at the resort, we spent the afternoon poolside reading out books and watching Charles, Chris, and kids playing water Volleyball and water polo. For dinner, we tried a new itallian restaurant called Lorenzos. The kids loved the pizzas and Mendy/I loved the mushroom risotto. We scurried out in time to make the nightly show which was the "Mexican Show". The dancing was beautiful and Charles was even pulled up to dance at the end. Dont worry all, he still has his moves! The poolside was filled with little shops and treats and they smoked 3 pigs poolside all day, but we were so stuffed that only Charles tried those. It was a beautiful night in Mexico!

Friday- Charles and I slept in and grabbed some coffee at the coffee shop before heading out for a day at the beach with the fam. We explored the little beach area by hotel, went kayaking, and just relaxed. The kids favorite part was getting real coconuts to drink with straw. It was good, but I dont think anyone is gonna order coconut juice off a menu. Ha! After you drink the juice, they can cut open the coconut so you can eat the meat. No one seemed to enjoy the coconut meat too much except Caelin who ate the most. It was pretty slimmy and dense. For dinner, we tried Tres Cervezas before heading to the breakdancing show.

Saturday- Today was a big day! After the breakfast buffet at El Mercado, Nana surprised the grandkids with a Dolphin adventure! Everyone was very excited and got to learn more about dolphins, touch, rub, kiss, and ride the dolphins. When it came time to ride alongside the dolphins, the trainer told Nana he would make accommodations and she could do it along the bank. We were so elated when Nana did it! I cried tears of Joy watching her hang on and ride a dolphin at the age of 75. It was the highlight of my whole trip! The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at the pool/beach before dinner. The kids wanted to return to Lorenzo's restaurant and adults patroned Tradewinds again for steaks. Everyone met up for ice cream and treats afterward before heading back to rooms for packing. The week sure did pass quickly. 

Sunday- We were a bit sad to wake up today knowing we would be heading home. We all ate the breakfast buffet at Chevy's before returning to pack up the last of our luggage. The rest of the day was filled with shuttles, airports, and a whole lotta driving. We arrived home around 10:30pm and could not wait to crawl into our own beds. Thank you Nana for a beautiful trip and blessing us with time together. We are forever grateful for the core memories we made. 

Now for the family favorites:

Cade enjoyed trying all the different types of food. His favorite food was the fettuccine frutti di mare from Lorenzo's with octopus, muscles, and shrimp. His favorite drink was the "Pink Panther" poolside which was a frozen fruity drink. Caelin's favorite memory was swimming with the dolphins while she held on to the fin. She also loved swimming in the pools and playing water polo. Charles looked forward to relaxing by the pool each day with the margaritas. Mom loved all the nightly themed shows, especially the Mexican night. Finally, I will never forget watching Mom swim with the dolphins. It will forever be a highlight. I also enjoyed listening to the sounds of the ocean and reading on the beach. There is just something about the ocean that reminds me that God is so much greater than we can ever imagine.