Tuesday, October 15, 2013

This Year's Getaway

Back in September, Justin & I enjoyed a wonderful vacation to Punta Mita, Mexico.  With the kids in Mimi's capable hands, we set off to paradise!
As many of our vacations are, this one was booked using Starwood points, so we stayed at the St. Regis Punta Mita.  I have nothing but good things to say about this place - amazing!  Here's the view from the welcome lobby:
From the balcony of our room:
At home, J doesn't ever sit still very long, but we're GREAT at being beach bums!

Panoramic view from the balcony:
I had never heard of Punta Mita before we started looking into this resort, but it's about a 45 minute drive from Puerto Vallarta.  Punta Mita is much less crowded & slower paced than it's neighboring city, which is just what we prefer.
In addition to the natural beauty of the beach & ocean, the grounds were stunning.
So blessed to share it all with my love!
This panoramic shot was taken from a little cliff in front of the Four Seasons resort, which is near the St. Regis.  It was the perfect place to watch the sunset before dinner that evening.
Some of God's best work
Not much of a picture, I know, but I had to document our adventure after dinner that evening.  The Four Seasons isn't far from the St. Regis, but the beach there isn't well suited to walking long distances.  It's very rocky in places, with lots of little outcroppings to navigate around.  Despite that, we decided it would be fun to try to walk back to our resort instead of returning by car, as we had come.  With an iPhone flashlight as our guide, we wandered past some private residences, saw quite a few crabs skittering along the rocks, cut across a golf course & finally made it to our destination! The pic was taken from our golf course shortcut.
For our last night there, we ventured out to a local restaurant for some authentic Mexican food.  It did not disappoint!
Our ridiculously awesome room at the St. Regis...

The most luxurious detail of our trip was definitely the butler service, which comes with every room there.  Make your own morning coffee?  No, no, the butler would love to do that for you!  Unpack your own clothes?  They wouldn't hear of it!  The entire staff, but especially our butler, Luis, pampered us in every way. I can't say a hotel closet would look that perfect if I had done the unpacking.
More of paradise...
In my happy place - sun, sand & a good book.
I was very pleased that there were far fewer lizards in Punta Mita than in other places we've been, but the ones we did see were HUGE!!
What a great trip!  Thank you, Justin, for always making time for us a priority.  And thank you, Gary & Karen, for allowing us to enjoy five kid-free days.  We're immensely blessed!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Happy Birthday, Jake & Mallory!

 Each year, I note that time flies when raising kids, & I think I won't be surprised when the next year goes by quickly as well.  But the next year doesn't fly just as the past one has - it seems to pick up the pace even more.  It's hard to believe that my babies are five years old!

We began the morning of their actual birthday with a little surprise for each of them & some birthday donuts.  I think Jake liked his Mike toy!
This is classic Mallory, basking in the spotlight as we sing to her.
Her new Tinkerbell had to be laid aside for the hard work of blowing out candles.
After going to the movie theater to see Planes, the fun continued once Mimi, Pops & Gigi arrived.
They're now equipped to travel in style!
Sweet hugs for Gigi
I love this pic of us with our big 5-year-olds!
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When birthdays happen in August, it's hard to have an outdoor party unless it involves water.  Both kids like my suggestion of a splash park, & each of them picked a theme for party decor.  My Little Pony for Mal!
Star Wars for Jake!
It was a fun morning & actually turned out to be much cooler than I had expected so the adults didn't suffer in the heat while the kids played!
Happy birthday, Jake & Mallory!