tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78297278798380784072024-02-21T00:48:03.622-07:00hans and kristinKristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-38540278547905201992015-08-06T00:10:00.000-06:002015-08-06T01:07:48.580-06:00Paris!I can't believe it's already been a month since our amazing trip to Paris. I'm so happy that I got to go back to my favorite city and show it all off to my favorite person :) Overall, it was truly magical. The only downside was the HEAT. There were only a couple of days, towards the end of the trip, that it wasn't above 90 degrees, but by that time, I had been constantly hot for so long that it just didn't feel like I could ever cool down. But besides that, I really had an amazing time. And I think Hans did too :) [Disclaimer: this post isn't nearly as detailed as I could make it, but it's still going to be pretty long. Hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway :) ]<br />
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June 27-29: Travel! I never used to understand what people meant when they said they were exhausted from travelling, because, hello, you're just sitting there...but I get it now. We started our adventure with a 7 hour drive down to Vegas. We then spent the night (which, by itself was amazing...most comfortable bed EVER and some seriously delicious pizza and wings delivered to our room), and flew out the next afternoon. The flight out was 10 hours, but because of the time difference, we left at 1pm and got in at 7am. I did not sleep more than 20 minutes, unfortunately. This ruined me for jetlag for the rest of the trip. IF YOU'RE GOING TO EUROPE, PLEASE SLEEP ON THE PLANE. Anyways, we didn't actually fly in to Paris, so after the transatlantic flight, we had a 9 hour layover in Manchester, which was the WORST AIRPORT EVER. Seriously, going between gates felt like we were trespassing in secret backalleys of the airport. And we were originally planning on going out into the city, but didn't realize it was too late until we were through security again and couldn't go back. It was okay, though, because we were talking to another couple who said that everything in town was closed for some reason.... So anyway, we got to Paris around 9pm, had a tiny snafu with buying bus tickets, and FINALLY got to our apartment around 10:30. Thankfully, our host, Coraline, was patiently waiting for us, and was very understanding about our late arrival. Unfortuately, I'm not as good of a sleeper as Hans is, so for about 7/10 days that we were there, we ended up going to bed very late, I wouldn't sleep very well and then I'd wake up insanely early, we'd go out, then come back in the afternoon for a quick nap and end up sleeping until it was too late to go out again. But ah well, c'est la vie! (This is why I emphasize to sleep on the plane...it will help you beat your jetlag!!)<br />
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June 30: Our first day, we just wandered. I was just so happy to be in Paris, and wanted to soak it all in. We walked down towards the Louvre and then over towards Les Halles. We ate lunch at a little cafe and then went to St. Eustache, the church at Les Halles. Then we got gelato at my favorite little gelato shop, where I used to go all the time on my study abroad. We walked down past the Centre Pompidou, LDS Institute Building, and Hôtel de Ville to Notre Dame. The line was OUTRAGEOUS (see my previous post), so instead, we went down to the Crypte Archéologique, which is right in front of Notre Dame, underground. It's a museum about ancient Gallo-Roman Paris, complete with old ruins! Pretty cool. After that, we meandered back to our apartment and just relaxed for the rest of the day.<br />
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July 1: We got up early and went to Notre Dame. Luckily, no line this time (probably because we were up before anything else was open). After that, we went to the catacombs. We walked for AN HOUR, only to find out that there was a monstrous line to get in. So we waited...for 2.5 hours...to see some old bones. No but it was pretty cool. I'd been down there before, but Hans wanted to see it, and I think he thought that it was worth it (for the most part). And that made it more worth it for me, because I really just wanted Hans to think Paris is as awesome as I think it is :)<br />
So after the catacombs, we walked back to our apartment. This walk almost killed me. It was over 100 degrees, we didn't have enough water, and I was wearing terrible shoes and very hot pants. I can't tell you why we didn't just take the metro. But we didn't. Lesson learned: next time it's unbearably hot and my feet are going to fall off, I will take convenient transportation instead of walking. My bad.<br />
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July 2: We walked through Place de la Vendôme (unfortunately, the pillar was being refurbished, and so was covered) to the Grand and Petit Palais. However, I guess we were too early because I don't think either was open. So we walked over to Les Invalides, which was another one on Hans's list. Les Invalides is the military museum. There is a LOT of cool stuff in there, I definitely recommend it! Hans very much enjoyed looking at all the old weapons and such. Part of Les Invalides is also Napoleon's tomb. This was one of my FAVORITE things that we saw. It. Is. GORGEOUS. It compares with any of the cathedrals you will see in Paris. Completely stunning. See it. Seriously.<br />
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July 3: Another one of my favorites: Sainte-Chapelle. This was one of the places that I didn't get to on my study abroad, but promised myself I would go to this time. It is seriously breathtaking. The main part of the cathedral is on the upper level, so you go up some stairs and as soon as you walk in, it's just...I just don't even have the words to describe it. The whole thing is stained glass and it is just amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. If you go here, try to go on a sunny day. But definitely go. I could have stayed in there for hours.<br />
So after that, we went to the Musée de Cluny, which is the medieval museum (stopping for crêpes on the way, of course). Then, we wandered around the Quartier Latin looking for kebabs for Hans. And we found ALL the kebabs. So Hans was very excited. To be honest, kebabs were his main goal on this trip.<br />
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July 4: We walked to Sacré Cœur. It was about a 45 minute walk, but it was through Montmartre, which is such an amazing neighborhood. It's like the artsy neighborhood (it's also the one with the Moulin Rouge). And Sacré Cœur is just my favorite. This is where we locked our love lock. The Pont des Arts no longer holds any locks, due to the fact that a part of it collapsed from the weight. And they're starting a campaign to stop the locks from being locked on any bridge. So we locked ours on a part of the fence in the little park by Sacré Cœur, hidden in some ivy.<br />
Afterwards, we decided to walk to the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, which is a way cool way on the east side of town. It's got cliffs and a lake and (apparently) waterfalls (although we didn't know that when we went, so didn't look for them). Anyway, apparently you have to walk through a not-so-great part of town to get there, so about halfway there, I got a little nervous and we hopped on the metro. Probably not a bad choice. After that, we took the metro out to the Place de la Bastille, which is basically just a monument (Hans was kind of disappointed), and then walked to the Musée Carnavalet, which is like a museum about the history of the city. On the way over there, we stopped and got lunch (kebabs) and went into the chuch of St. Paul-St. Louis. Then we walked home through the Marais, which is also a very interesting neighborhood. Lots of cool shops and such :)<br />
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July 5: Free museum day! We started out at the Rodin Museum. GORGEOUS. It's an old hotel and the gardens are just beautiful. I think this was a day or two after I found out that it was Paris Couture Week. Well, as we were walking around the gardens, there was this big, long, white tent that they were setting up. I saw inside, and there were some mirrors, and I said to myself (and Hans), that HAS to be for fashion week. Then we walked around the other side and saw this big, artsy structure that was VERY obviously for fashion week. If I'd thought about it, I should've known what show it was for, because I think they always do their show there (or they did last time, at least), but I didn't figure it out until we were eating lunch in the gardens, and I looked up and saw the impression of the name under the black plastic: Dior. This was a major spaz moment for me. I LOVE Dior. I spent the rest of the time trying to see in to the structure and just generally freaking out. And then, as we were leaving, you could totally see the models rehearsing inside. It was just awesome. Just really, really awesome.<br />
So after that, we walked over to the Musée d'Orsay. Well, since it was free museum day, the line was just ridiculous. So, unfortunately, we did not get to go in. Next time. Instead, we went to the Musée de l'Orangerie, which is in the bottom corner of the Louvre gardens, and has Monet's waterlily paintings, along with some other cool art. Then we walked over towards the Madeleine, and it started raining. So, of course, we kissed IN THE RAIN IN PARIS. Life goal: accomplished. Then we got some indescribably delicious pastries from Ladurée (if you go here, get something rose-flavored. I promise you won't regret it) and walked home. BUT. This was the first day that we actually went out again later. We walked down to the Arc de Triomphe and went up on top and watched the sunset :) Ah, romance.<br />
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July 6: Pretty chill day. Started with a kebab on the way to the Police Museum (which wasn't super impressive. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are just insanely fascinated by police history). Oh, we also stopped for some VERY fancy éclairs. I would even go so far as to say gourmet. So after the police museum, we walked back past Notre Dame and the Hotel de Ville, back to our apartment. On the way back, I stopped to check out the Parisian Forever 21 (because, duh). It was mostly the same but somehow much, much better than American Forever 21. Then, later that evening, we walked down to the Tuileries and got some gelato, then just sat and relaxed in the gardens.<br />
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July 7: This was the day of the Chanel Haute Couture show. My amazing husband came and stood with me at the Grand Palais while I paparazzi'd the crap out of semi-famous people I didn't know. It was amazing. I know that probably doesn't sound like fun to most of you, but I LOVE fashion and taking pictures is basically my life, so it was just perfect. After all that excitement, we went across the street to the Petit Palais. There is actually a pretty cool museum inside of the Petit Palais. There was a lot of neat, old stuff, including some old pottery, etc., from around 500 BC! Then, we took the metro over to Les Halles to try Nabab Kebab, which is a kebab chain. Hans said that this was the best kebab (although apparently French kebabs aren't as good as German kebabs). After that, we walked back home, passing through the Passage Choiseul, the covered passageway that our apartment overlooked.<br />
Later that night was our "night out"...a dinner cruise with Bateaux Mouches! We took the metro over to Trocadero to try and check out the Eiffel Tower, but it was super crowded and it took a little longer than I thought, so we had to leave pretty much right when we got there. We walked down to the river (and totally got caught in a rain storm), and boarded our cruise. This was most definitely one of the most romantic experiences of my life. It was a two-hour cruise down and back up the Seine, passing all the best-known monuments, and including hors-d'œuvres, and appetizer, main course, and dessert, all of which were delicious. It was a covered boat, with windows all the way around, and a violin player and piano player. There was also a deck that you could go up to and be all romantic and stuff :) I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening with my amazing Hans.<br />
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July 8: Last day. We tried the Louvre, but the line was atrocious (noticing a theme?), so we walked over to the Eiffel Tower instead. This was the only day that wasn't swelteringly hot. It was actually very cool and overcast, and a little rainy. But perfect. So we didn't actually go up the Eiffel Tower because lines (don'tgotoParisinJulyplease), but we walked under it and back towards the Quartier Latin. We just kind of meandered through the neighborhood. We got one last crêpe/kebab and then walked back to our apartment. A little later, I went back out, just down the street to the Opéra to take some more paparazzi pictures outside the Alexis Mabille show (HIGHLIGHT: SAW MISS J. ALEXANDER FROM ANTM!!!). Then, I went back and got Hans, and we had dinner at the little cafe next to our apartment.<br />
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July 9: We didn't actually go to sleep the last night. Our shuttle was supposed to come at 2:30am. It didn't actually come until 3:30am. Annoying. Our flight out was at about 6:40am. Few hours layover in Frankfurt (amazing airport. WAY better than Manchester). Then we left Frankfurt around 11 am-ish...and got back to Las Vegas at like 2:30pm...Weird, because it was a 12 hour flight. It was honestly horrendous. I never want to be on a plane that long again. And that's not even the worst of it, because then we had to drive 7 hours back to Elko. When we finally got home, I think I had been awake for about 40 hours and I don't think I've never been more tired in my life. Plus side: I did not have any jet lag on the way back, because I slept like a baby that night (even though we didn't get back until 1am).<br />
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So that's it! I won't lie, I was so stressed about this trip before we went. Part of it was that I was worried that Hans wouldn't like it, but he did. And I am SO proud of him...he actually learned AND USED some French! I have never been so impressed with him than when we were boarding our dinner cruise and he asked IN FRENCH if the lady spoke English. It was ridiculously attractive :) There's no one that I would have rather shared this experience with, and I can't wait for our next adventure!<br />
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If you want to see more pictures, they are up on my facebook page!<br />
If you want to see my fashion week paparazzi pictures, click <a href="http://kristinaileenphotography.blogspot.com/2015/07/paris-couture-week-fallwinter-20152016.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="http://kristinaileenphotography.blogspot.com/2015/07/paris-couture-week-fallwinter-20152016_13.html" target="_blank">HERE.</a>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-70482963129595683702015-08-05T22:13:00.000-06:002015-08-28T20:19:22.653-06:00Paris Tips & TricksHi friends! So now that it's been a month since we were in Paris...I'm finally going to write about it! But first, I have some tips for you if you're planning your own amazing vacation :)<br />
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1. AIRFARE: I used SkyScanner to find our airfare. I have it as an app on my phone, but they also have a website. Basically, you just tell it where and when you're going, and it tells you airfares from all the different airlines. I checked airfares for almost a year before we actually went, so that I could make sure that I got a good price! Going along with that, being open to flying out of different airports can actually save you a ton of money. For example, by flying out of Las Vegas instead of SLC, we saved almost a thousand dollars on our flight! So, even with the extra gas money and staying in a hotel the night before, we were still better off (side note: if you do end up doing this, do your research on hotels; there are lots of them that will let you keep your car there for free so that you don't have to pay for airport parking!)<br />
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2. LODGING: So, again, I was checking hotel prices for a long time before we actually booked anything. I wanted to be near the center of town, but I also wanted to be able to stick to our budget AND have a nice, clean place to stay. This seemed like it was asking a lot. Every time I found a hotel that was within our budget and relatively nice, it was too far away from the city center...but then when I found one that was relatively nice and in a good location, it was way out of our budget. You get the idea. Well, in talking with my friend, she suggested that we look on <a href="http://airbnb.com/" target="_blank">airbnb.com</a>. This is a website where people rent out their homes (or rooms or couches) to people who are looking for somewhere to stay. There are literally places ALL over the world! And it's not shady or anything...they website is very well-run and there are tons of reviews for each home AND for each guest. Seriously, CHECK IT OUT. It took me almost no time to find a nice, clean apartment that was right in the center of everything. It had great reviews, and was totally within our budget! If you want to check it out, <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3660504" target="_blank">HERE</a> it is. She's raised the price since we booked it; we only paid $81/night. It seriously was perfect. It was a couple minutes from the Opéra Garnier, 10-15 minutes from the Louvre, near several shops and restaurants but off on a quiet side street. The ONLY thing that wasn't great was the lack of air conditioning, which is very typical of European apartments, but does bring me to my next point...<br />
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3. SEASON: Obviously, we went to Paris in the summer. More specifically, the beginning of July. I WOULD NOT EVER DO THIS AGAIN. Not only was it sweltering hot (between 90-100 degrees and humid), but everyone and their mom and their cousin and their dog were on vacation at the same time. There were lines for EVERYTHING. And I don't just mean like, oh-this-line-isn't-that-bad-we'll-be-there-soon kind of lines. I mean, like, HOURS-LONG lines. For example, we waited 2.5 hours just to see the catacombs. If you don't know, the catacombs are basically an underground labyrinth filled with bones. The only reason we actually waited in the line was because we walked an hour to get there. So if the line for the catacombs was that long, I'm sure you can only imagine how long the lines were for things like the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower...none of which we actually went into because we had already waited several hours in the blistering heat for one attraction, and neither of us were keen on doing it again. So when, you ask, is a good time to go? Personally, I would recommend April or May. I went on a study abroad to Paris in the spring of 2009 and it was perfect. Not only was it way cooler, temperature-wise, but we didn't wait in line for ANYTHING. In fact, for a comparison, we walked straight into the catacombs without standing in line for a second. I've heard that fall is a similarly good time to go, but come on...Paris in spring? Isn't that the ideal? (Note: I would generally assume that all of Europe is pretty similar in July and August...especially because that's also when all of Europe ALSO goes on vacation.)<br />
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4. FASHION: Being someone who is somewhat obsessed with fashion, I overstressed about what I was going to wear. Consequently, I overpacked. And then I found out that it didn't matter as much as I thought it did. And here's why. First of all, you're not going to be the only tourist there. Chances are, there are definitely going to be some people there who are dressed much more touristy than you. Second of all, Parisian street fashion is much more relaxed than a lot of travel sites will tell you. For example, most websites will tell you to keep to neutral colors, ie-grey, black, beige, etc. While this is sometimes true (and probably more true in colder seasons), I saw TONS of color while I was there. Now I wouldn't recommend bringing your neon orange hoodie...but inserting a little color into your vacation wardrobe is not going to hurt anything. ALSO, I remember reading somewhere that under no circumstances should you EVER be caught dead in overalls in Paris. I just want to let you all know that I saw SEVERAL Parisian women wearing overalls. Granted, overalls are back in right now, but I just wanted you all to know that you shouldn't believe everything you read. So along with that, you can also probably dress more casually than you think. A lot of websites that I read said that Parisians don't wear shorts. I don't think this is true at all. I saw TONS of people wearing shorts. And jeans are fine. And t-shirts are fine. The only thing I would really avoid is sweats/athletic wear. But other than that, like I said, you really don't have to stress that much. That being said...remember your destination. Paris is the fashion capitol of the world, so you might want to use it as an excuse to dress amazingly. Just saying.<br />
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5. PLANNING: Before we left, we made a list of things that we wanted to see. My list was basically a list of leftovers that I didn't get to on my study abroad, along with the major tourist sites, since this was Hans's first time in Paris. Hans did some research, and found some things based on what interested him (ie-history, military, etc.). Try to make your list based on how much time you'll be there. You don't want to have a twenty-item list if you're only there for a weekend. Likewise, if this is the only time in your life that you're ever going to be in that city, make sure that you go see the big stuff. For example, you wouldn't want to go to Paris and at least SEE the Eiffel Tower. So, once we had our list, I went through and grouped things together by how close they were to each other. That way, we could plan our days a little better instead of just wandering around all over the city. Now, this definitely doesn't mean that we stuck to the plan. There were a few days when we only did one thing, then came back to our apartment because we were very possibly going to die of heat stroke (catacombs day...). But it gave us a good starting place. However, on the other side of this, you don't want to OVERplan your trip. Vacations are for relaxing, and you'll just stress yourself out if you're constantly going. Give yourself time to wander and explore. You'll see the coolest things that you were never expecting to see, and you'll have some down-time to unwind. And don't feel bad if you need to go back to your apartment/hotel/house and take a nap. Especially is you're suffering from jetlag. And also especially if it's hot. The last thing you want to do is make yourself sick on vacation!<br />
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6. TRANSPORTATION: Before you go anywhere, do some research on transportation within the city. For example, Paris has one of the best/most comprehensive metro systems in the world. It's a little complicated, but once you figure it out, you can get anywhere you want to go! They also have a bus system, which I've only used a couple of times, but it's the same idea. Hans also did some research and found some tour companies that allow you to buy a pass and then hop on and off whenever you want. Now, all of this is great, but if you're going somewhere like Paris, I would say just WALK. We only took the metro maybe 3 times while we were there, and they were all towards the end of our trip. Other than that, we walked EVERYWHERE. Of course, this isn't possible in every city (obviously), but Paris is so [relatively] compact that the longest we had to walk to an attraction was an hour. Most places were between 15-30 minutes. And, as mentioned, you see so much more of the city that way! Plus, you can burn off some of those delicious pastries ;)<br />
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7. FOOD: This is where renting an apartment instead of a hotel came in handy. Food can get expensive when you're on vacation. So to save some money, we went and got some basic foods at the grocery store: cereal, sandwich stuff, etc. AND WATER (always remember to stay hydrated!). And don't think that you're missing out on the food experience. You can still eat like a local. In fact, probably more so. In Paris, there are so many cute little grocery shops with fresh fruit, amazing baguettes, and local cheese that it's definitely worth it!<br />
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8. APPS: Before I left, I looked up useful travel apps on several websites. I downloaded a few, but the one that I found the most useful was <a href="http://www.ulmon.com/#get-the-app" target="_blank">Ulmon CityMaps2Go</a>. You can download a map of the city you are visiting and use it to navigate offline. That way, you won't have to use any expensive overseas data! The map includes tourist sites, restaurants, shops, etc., so you can find all kinds of places while you're out and about!<br />
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So those are my travel tips! Obviously, most of them pertain to Paris, but you can definitely apply most of them to any trip you're planning to take! If you have any other questions, please leave a comment and I'd be happy to get back to you :) Stay tuned for details about our trip!Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-41942895872331621542015-04-13T19:03:00.000-06:002015-04-13T19:03:58.866-06:00Les MisérablesHello! So I've posted a lot about this on Facebook, but we recently finished up our community production of Les Mis and it was AMAZING. I absolutely loved every second of it and every person involved. It was seriously the best thing I've done in a really long time. Anyway, I'm mainly writing this post so that I can upload this "music video" that Facebook wouldn't let me upload. DISCLAIMER: OBVIOUSLY I do not own "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."<br />
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Enjoy :)<br />
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<br />Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-10338497160676541572015-02-15T22:57:00.000-07:002015-02-15T22:57:16.636-07:00Valentine's Day AdventureHappy Valentine's Day! I know, a day late...but I had to work yesterday, so we celebrated today! We decided to go on a little adventure up Mountain City Highway. We didn't have a particular destination, but after a while, we drove past a sign for Tuscarora. I'd read about it briefly, and so we decided to check it out. Well, it was a LONG ways out, and there is not much there, but it was an interesting drive! And the history behind Tuscarora is pretty interesting too. It's basically a mining ghost town. You can read more about it <a href="http://silverstateghosttowns.com/tuscarora.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nv/tuscarora.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Anyways I took a few pictures there and on the drive back. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-22488636747778612932015-01-14T00:47:00.000-07:002015-01-14T00:52:19.646-07:00Gaul Family Vacation 2014-2015Hello! Long time no write...but I figured the event of the year was as good a reason as any to blog! This vacation was something I'd been looking forward to for a whole year, and it didn't disappoint! We flew the red-eye to Orlando the day after Christmas, and boarded the Carnival Sunshine out of Port Canaveral the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sail-off party</td></tr>
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The first day was Nassau, Bahamas. Hans and I went to Nassau on our honeymoon cruise as well, but we didn't get to do any excursions that time. This time, we got to go to Atlantis! It was so awesome! There were a bunch of cool slides and stuff, but my favorite part was the lazy river...except it wasn't really a lazy river, it was like a rapid river. There were little drops and fast parts and stuff, and then at one part, it took you right into a slide/water coaster type thing. I definitely recommend this resort to anyone who goes to Nassau :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantis</td></tr>
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The next day was a sea day, and then we went to St. Thomas. St. Thomas is sooo beautiful! We had an excursion to Magen's Bay, which I guess is one of the top 10 beaches in the world, according to National Geographic. It was super pretty: white sand, clear water, palm trees. The only thing is, it rained and it was a little cold. But we had fun anyways :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magen's Bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2xKNhiRPWusdCxPv_o7IjSSIoifV8hyrinA68oWZkt3qgc3u4yqDxZnTJRYOhibNBGyX7BJSkg2zz-BWBez3fRo-aSw7vLCql1Di3SLRzQioGXGdpfg440JWn2Ofj2-ntYajBH8gad5F/s1600/IMG_0044+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2xKNhiRPWusdCxPv_o7IjSSIoifV8hyrinA68oWZkt3qgc3u4yqDxZnTJRYOhibNBGyX7BJSkg2zz-BWBez3fRo-aSw7vLCql1Di3SLRzQioGXGdpfg440JWn2Ofj2-ntYajBH8gad5F/s1600/IMG_0044+-+Version+2.JPG" height="273" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Magen's Bay from the top of the island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
After St. Thomas, we stopped in San Juan. I really loved San Juan; it felt very European, which I guess makes sense. We didn't have an excursion here, but we walked around town and visited the two forts: San Cristobal and El Morro. Both were really interesting and cool to see! I definitely hope I can make it back to San Juan again, it's such an interesting city!</div>
</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpNDSQJV-23Efn2kw6FBrJrlCS_-T95y_DfjgcJwg2sfbFGXnIkBBJ_AhKjZaH0NOlrQ86b-aqG92dn8eKAecDtuq04L-MOMAQO0SYFP4N4xI3NY1nlcquWhiJMTr1Sw6d7Q_jFfXHBqI/s1600/IMG_0895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpNDSQJV-23Efn2kw6FBrJrlCS_-T95y_DfjgcJwg2sfbFGXnIkBBJ_AhKjZaH0NOlrQ86b-aqG92dn8eKAecDtuq04L-MOMAQO0SYFP4N4xI3NY1nlcquWhiJMTr1Sw6d7Q_jFfXHBqI/s1600/IMG_0895.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved the cute, colorful buildings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8_Ayqk5E_9nEsd3bZHzQHUMAiFQy4SYNW0eHXeJz_ojHWKl-OGupwtXmtmZ7qi8VvRv9yaXcisgeDOM013_oMmLYTaXfkILbpW9pWV8I0RQNWpS-LXMTI_caNLz5rFL1nxA6650RZUDy/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8_Ayqk5E_9nEsd3bZHzQHUMAiFQy4SYNW0eHXeJz_ojHWKl-OGupwtXmtmZ7qi8VvRv9yaXcisgeDOM013_oMmLYTaXfkILbpW9pWV8I0RQNWpS-LXMTI_caNLz5rFL1nxA6650RZUDy/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Cristobal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLhZ8qoo1YY9ZUvMc2oyvveyB9HVjaRUYmaW7GHVKsRWCJDO_L860thkQ2SOjxy-ajfbDCG9MpgUFa-4nlSSDt14IY-IT7Rc4xy252CYbd_MTnm_Rk_bqJdhZJ8O7wjFaFZoko2Jj-BZi/s1600/IMG_0911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLhZ8qoo1YY9ZUvMc2oyvveyB9HVjaRUYmaW7GHVKsRWCJDO_L860thkQ2SOjxy-ajfbDCG9MpgUFa-4nlSSDt14IY-IT7Rc4xy252CYbd_MTnm_Rk_bqJdhZJ8O7wjFaFZoko2Jj-BZi/s1600/IMG_0911.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the city from San Cristobal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCVZsY7oCfeI-QrlwGYaubCFmqQQufWQQDZQiWlBgT9IvnRFU39qYi-4fzVZunE11bPHNF5AF-7TKI4gG7bxf63KWeHv5z7n6BobtfIVFFnANrxcdqWzrkhcavK0BEU9WbqZLENUwe8dX/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCVZsY7oCfeI-QrlwGYaubCFmqQQufWQQDZQiWlBgT9IvnRFU39qYi-4fzVZunE11bPHNF5AF-7TKI4gG7bxf63KWeHv5z7n6BobtfIVFFnANrxcdqWzrkhcavK0BEU9WbqZLENUwe8dX/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Morro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxv0mfC1FEJwMsFqlHtUJYkJAklsedDlUA7i8vgSm4F5fLKf35uWfg4iXIYWFi9XCvIPlSHrGJQjRwFrj7voX5frtgMQRC5edI0QS-gHXNO_7gIDyreAh4S89I5kq8c7xNUfm6EvdyUuw/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxv0mfC1FEJwMsFqlHtUJYkJAklsedDlUA7i8vgSm4F5fLKf35uWfg4iXIYWFi9XCvIPlSHrGJQjRwFrj7voX5frtgMQRC5edI0QS-gHXNO_7gIDyreAh4S89I5kq8c7xNUfm6EvdyUuw/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Morro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
That night was New Years'! I've never been to such a crazy New Years' party! The whole deck was PACKED with people. It was a lot of fun! And a good excuse to wear a sparkly dress :)</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ASi2iZhbkwtuGvTYcMS0AS6V81dhGauctbRw6rX6JfwTSSs9Tt2z_wG2nd2ElrxJCsXYLwOzr2tF3W1UnN-6YDAfh3ruhGCubMMgsEDS0oaZkmLqKeUdz03s7Ni6yfwruxu_EWJDPyF9/s1600/IMG_0104+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ASi2iZhbkwtuGvTYcMS0AS6V81dhGauctbRw6rX6JfwTSSs9Tt2z_wG2nd2ElrxJCsXYLwOzr2tF3W1UnN-6YDAfh3ruhGCubMMgsEDS0oaZkmLqKeUdz03s7Ni6yfwruxu_EWJDPyF9/s1600/IMG_0104+-+Version+2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Years' party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISdc-O4Syb9a-_nowr0d5mZ0sys6GmTJfrSMy-LGj21YE47joCOmLjQITWNE6Q1fo8ByoTOLybCuAMIg9Zk8oijm4PvepgSKdpj4MxwhVdCjQXqDvHKVtuNFpoZbG9lCmV7GByj73zbJj/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISdc-O4Syb9a-_nowr0d5mZ0sys6GmTJfrSMy-LGj21YE47joCOmLjQITWNE6Q1fo8ByoTOLybCuAMIg9Zk8oijm4PvepgSKdpj4MxwhVdCjQXqDvHKVtuNFpoZbG9lCmV7GByj73zbJj/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Years' party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
The last stop on the cruise was Grand Turk. Grand Turk is the most BEAUTIFUL place I've ever been to....possibly tied with Coco Cay. The water was an absolutely gorgeous, clear, turquoise blue, the sand was white....it was exactly like you'd imagine an island paradise. I wish we could've seen more of the island, but I'm pretty sure we were just docked at a little beach owned by Carnival, because it was just shops, a pool, a Margaritaville, and the beach. If you wanted to get anywhere else, you had to take a taxi or a bus. But still, I loved being there. I would totally live in a place like that if I could (maybe minus the hurricanes...).</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGJNRlbdX-2PasY6x5Tm-LuFROqx0BKssHu8fMBXlMIJcw491DPBfZoTj9mciSm8zlPzGtOqEKeZIXQr6RwSHqCvAKDFxf-gTrXqD436qt5RkY7yX5I6rtRbHDDs7KRmK1BEg4cWqCrlE/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGJNRlbdX-2PasY6x5Tm-LuFROqx0BKssHu8fMBXlMIJcw491DPBfZoTj9mciSm8zlPzGtOqEKeZIXQr6RwSHqCvAKDFxf-gTrXqD436qt5RkY7yX5I6rtRbHDDs7KRmK1BEg4cWqCrlE/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Turk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsYDRQr0DJkK7QFawlwEIVOqOUD7O39WtBb7LFSycgU_rRiyfLM5NRWRiWCfw7kGRVZ1R2WGhUKAjKFt5NZ2FqU0VgJ3U7F9xg-VPMNNgYWdRZ_5kM7pBkaLBzo2Dw6rM5ddHjAQC8G0z/s1600/IMG_1011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsYDRQr0DJkK7QFawlwEIVOqOUD7O39WtBb7LFSycgU_rRiyfLM5NRWRiWCfw7kGRVZ1R2WGhUKAjKFt5NZ2FqU0VgJ3U7F9xg-VPMNNgYWdRZ_5kM7pBkaLBzo2Dw6rM5ddHjAQC8G0z/s1600/IMG_1011.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Turk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The last day was a sea day, and then we docked again in Port Canaveral. A guy that my mother-in-law works with was kind enough to let us stay at his time share in Orlando. It was a Wyndham resort, literally right down the road from Downtown Disney, and it was SO nice. We got to stay there for 3 nights. Unfortunately, Hans had to go home the day we got back into port, but it was probably for the best...he hates theme parks, and I'm sure he would've hated the insane crowds at Disney and Universal! But the rest of us got to go to the Magic Kingdom that Sunday! I love Disney World. It's really just a nostaglia thing, but I seriously had so much fun! And it was cool to see the new part of the park as well! Disney really does such an amazing job with their theming...which they should for how much you pay for those tickets. But anywho, we rode all the good rides (the best ones we rode multiple times), bought some ears, and ate some delicious food (nutella and fruit waffle sandwich?? Yes please!). Overall, an awesome day!</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U_Qs3jTDN9R0fr3XJJUkuxCq1ia_umCSQ_fX956pidRXxfdW83QBiAyxDsQEDD_o-qfIAOmgqqxQ1v_FwtTa-xN6i5aoNSzCeZLWCe9T_Rho744E5y_IrRyHAxS6r6l41ev_w195Ecr0/s1600/IMG_1101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U_Qs3jTDN9R0fr3XJJUkuxCq1ia_umCSQ_fX956pidRXxfdW83QBiAyxDsQEDD_o-qfIAOmgqqxQ1v_FwtTa-xN6i5aoNSzCeZLWCe9T_Rho744E5y_IrRyHAxS6r6l41ev_w195Ecr0/s1600/IMG_1101.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Disney with Hans, Rachel, and Sophie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JlY4pJTyZyYAa78buN6H8ebLBIGEvgcZ6CQ03qNM9T91XYcABLsz9Ti4jx1PS6pKXlLrA0rHLGhDvGi_18f3sNXZ14L7FWlJMwAiEEqPt5aa9wrDwSahQM601PWcFGl572aVpSKRDQiT/s1600/IMG_1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JlY4pJTyZyYAa78buN6H8ebLBIGEvgcZ6CQ03qNM9T91XYcABLsz9Ti4jx1PS6pKXlLrA0rHLGhDvGi_18f3sNXZ14L7FWlJMwAiEEqPt5aa9wrDwSahQM601PWcFGl572aVpSKRDQiT/s1600/IMG_1102.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Disney with Hans, Rachel, and Sophie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKu5iYeAvaR4dDxqCr6wS8W2bRqMM1xVZQg6j1QCky7cgDyVy-lhOUIYro8Lwp7uMTfy1PXIbhHWMx43Qxg9aBzRIoImhAWqVSpKpwGVefD2BeMk7uESLBkdzoUrV_gPV3lO4T_7UL0Acg/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKu5iYeAvaR4dDxqCr6wS8W2bRqMM1xVZQg6j1QCky7cgDyVy-lhOUIYro8Lwp7uMTfy1PXIbhHWMx43Qxg9aBzRIoImhAWqVSpKpwGVefD2BeMk7uESLBkdzoUrV_gPV3lO4T_7UL0Acg/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic Kingdom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjit9zZhTBjc9GkTjQASsWuElm9gU0MioexJMA3dnS8FJTMK_im85r2KsEsSlAxJ0f41WQ7Ua7nNrMgirLmpD3mi7EnZu9nS6W4lgTGWWLSD7fEfXtvolYyhnVLyYIfgdBUvuN_G1COoI0u/s1600/IMG_1203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjit9zZhTBjc9GkTjQASsWuElm9gU0MioexJMA3dnS8FJTMK_im85r2KsEsSlAxJ0f41WQ7Ua7nNrMgirLmpD3mi7EnZu9nS6W4lgTGWWLSD7fEfXtvolYyhnVLyYIfgdBUvuN_G1COoI0u/s1600/IMG_1203.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beast's castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi6VFRdot241o68ZOSr4p7fypqF4elkLQTMsWDkQzKdukfXAvI7VZhN3LJHxi1CVhm5jhWPZrwyne9YvhRdALc_OEFSZgcGr8mwOGJe-GtfILGQq1cb2ioHWbL-oOUikLd8VmKxC9l31l/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi6VFRdot241o68ZOSr4p7fypqF4elkLQTMsWDkQzKdukfXAvI7VZhN3LJHxi1CVhm5jhWPZrwyne9YvhRdALc_OEFSZgcGr8mwOGJe-GtfILGQq1cb2ioHWbL-oOUikLd8VmKxC9l31l/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric's castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmGlgdkD1ElLyTqaNwS2DS-qrreFDyqzbcYfmnCWyxDbIG2FmUiAnHeZ-gN4IHuv72oW5PQTdLf4arD_Ie0uHWbbPrblHKcO57ay7L4THKfs-KCZrUWIFbLDgGPc55IicDNGiYPbBtIl1/s1600/IMG_0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmGlgdkD1ElLyTqaNwS2DS-qrreFDyqzbcYfmnCWyxDbIG2FmUiAnHeZ-gN4IHuv72oW5PQTdLf4arD_Ie0uHWbbPrblHKcO57ay7L4THKfs-KCZrUWIFbLDgGPc55IicDNGiYPbBtIl1/s1600/IMG_0110.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinderella's castle, all lit up and icy for Christmas!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtayL0ZbSZYXif_i09YAoIV1PWVpHU7HTqNdZiEjEQOC0TrKVgvu1UxgqBJ74cBF6BC7z-4VIO7t-rXFbiREnxO5afhgko_XFra2LjfYHuisWaEDVwQNQFY1Oy0YvgAH7gqX7QQDmJu5Yh/s1600/IMG_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtayL0ZbSZYXif_i09YAoIV1PWVpHU7HTqNdZiEjEQOC0TrKVgvu1UxgqBJ74cBF6BC7z-4VIO7t-rXFbiREnxO5afhgko_XFra2LjfYHuisWaEDVwQNQFY1Oy0YvgAH7gqX7QQDmJu5Yh/s1600/IMG_0123.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fireworks show while we were riding the Seven Dwarves' Mine Train</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On Monday, we went to Universal. I was so happy, some really nice person at my sister's church paid for her to come with me! Yay! So we ended up splitting for this one. Rachel and I went to Universal Studios, while everyone else went to Islands of Adventure. I've been so excited to go to Universal Studios since they built Diagon Alley...and I was NOT disappointed. It. Is. AWESOME. They set it up like a London street, and then you go through one of the buildings, and there you are in Diagon Alley! It looks exactly like it did in the movie, and they even have the dragon on top of Gringotts....and it breathes fire! Way sweet! So we checked out the shops, got some butter beer treats (frozen butterbeer for me, and butterbeer ice cream for Rachel...OMG SO DELICIOUS), and then we went on the Gringotts ride. It was SO fun!! I enjoyed it a lot more than the Hogwarts ride in Islands of Adventure. I think they fixed all the little bugs and smoothed it out. It was basically the same type of ride (4-D), but it was more of a rollercoaster as well. Very much worth it. So besides Diagon Alley, we hit all the older rides, and then checked out the new Simpsons part of the park, which was also very cool! I got a delicious pink donut (mmmmm, donuts), and we checked out Moe's bar. Everything looked just like the show! I'm really glad we got to do Universal, it's one of my favorite parks :) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrToCeLyAjvMrcNF6f1NmHliJ53VFY6Fw3O3NFhztP_8J59DftPaitTTw6D2PC-BbDwUOAkDfZUFuGd95x_W6wQQTI6oWX4OnRqolZHSgAiy9X3qahLGMYcS6VngX_0Hh8lz1IRseeB1SG/s1600/IMG_1364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrToCeLyAjvMrcNF6f1NmHliJ53VFY6Fw3O3NFhztP_8J59DftPaitTTw6D2PC-BbDwUOAkDfZUFuGd95x_W6wQQTI6oWX4OnRqolZHSgAiy9X3qahLGMYcS6VngX_0Hh8lz1IRseeB1SG/s1600/IMG_1364.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front of Diagon Alley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIewvZ19SGJz2us7n-FUad2IJhIOLHKhd3fniHpIrC8E4LoCAS4JYqGAVVqi0G8O8-67c3RH_GIlXzh1o3JY215a1ozlKPzqnxIJxwd6CEGbIDEnm92qU0tQBd5zawAJpYNQQMY0Imw1mx/s1600/IMG_1368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIewvZ19SGJz2us7n-FUad2IJhIOLHKhd3fniHpIrC8E4LoCAS4JYqGAVVqi0G8O8-67c3RH_GIlXzh1o3JY215a1ozlKPzqnxIJxwd6CEGbIDEnm92qU0tQBd5zawAJpYNQQMY0Imw1mx/s1600/IMG_1368.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Diagon Alley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ru4BWmle_2OrFCcYPJXYYTAxkfDrdAiYtT0aWqFhtBEbY8JnWxfAtMoYNIEjdNOlHR4y8BYd2sVjGoFSieIzHJu0YMNj5ag5IpEFHh_B4bRlkOJg10hgk7kBxYp-m2dyLPLoYvNnHlHz/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ru4BWmle_2OrFCcYPJXYYTAxkfDrdAiYtT0aWqFhtBEbY8JnWxfAtMoYNIEjdNOlHR4y8BYd2sVjGoFSieIzHJu0YMNj5ag5IpEFHh_B4bRlkOJg10hgk7kBxYp-m2dyLPLoYvNnHlHz/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagon Alley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbM6MYhZIrFl4Ts86xhELi_TWQyrRxmfLvIM_zzsj3UHqWs6oxarB-PEp7xjiQjS48jqpD-QdeFAH2kuX-sTYedZ50hPzQz_O3e4qcr2aor-KrcSrinMr36N4zDN0HZo1XSnFU49fITiu/s1600/IMG_1421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbM6MYhZIrFl4Ts86xhELi_TWQyrRxmfLvIM_zzsj3UHqWs6oxarB-PEp7xjiQjS48jqpD-QdeFAH2kuX-sTYedZ50hPzQz_O3e4qcr2aor-KrcSrinMr36N4zDN0HZo1XSnFU49fITiu/s1600/IMG_1421.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dragon breathing fire</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hDBdd-FkR7-MaCnGuNMxTsQ55PVnSuyVykAEpkqN1iTeWjdzg4YVxuB2xQZDdeUOT2ziMgluIWcve_L5n50LWygaMFhuk6Erp-EgM-OjA77CBNDvigvBvrqj6XtAjZkHDWXV2f_r6dOF/s1600/IMG_1388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hDBdd-FkR7-MaCnGuNMxTsQ55PVnSuyVykAEpkqN1iTeWjdzg4YVxuB2xQZDdeUOT2ziMgluIWcve_L5n50LWygaMFhuk6Erp-EgM-OjA77CBNDvigvBvrqj6XtAjZkHDWXV2f_r6dOF/s1600/IMG_1388.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Gringotts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gDglWl954URPwBD-u02ByPjK9hn2tuEWN_5RptIC3pDbW3nNmyPVR3Aec2oJy_k2_-7LwSnGqlfie0U_TSsVEopq4YE6hpCK9BQUu4XCcDs-Uwgqg19HCw2AUbwu4jBMAuhHFXtwOQ2r/s1600/IMG_1428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gDglWl954URPwBD-u02ByPjK9hn2tuEWN_5RptIC3pDbW3nNmyPVR3Aec2oJy_k2_-7LwSnGqlfie0U_TSsVEopq4YE6hpCK9BQUu4XCcDs-Uwgqg19HCw2AUbwu4jBMAuhHFXtwOQ2r/s1600/IMG_1428.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterbeer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMNymwYdgZ2nlBnzZHgUdBZPD_571kduEtHTQA76aSVGiJ6PbOzYK6FRwnHFp12srvYop8Bg4IizcpK7k8oRvW_hNjgPxXYQFHabaQRZGkEm6qNXXhbJ3CyMpJBdOTVyASpkUXTgUGZpP/s1600/IMG_1430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMNymwYdgZ2nlBnzZHgUdBZPD_571kduEtHTQA76aSVGiJ6PbOzYK6FRwnHFp12srvYop8Bg4IizcpK7k8oRvW_hNjgPxXYQFHabaQRZGkEm6qNXXhbJ3CyMpJBdOTVyASpkUXTgUGZpP/s1600/IMG_1430.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Knight Bus and Stan Shunpike! That creepy head actually talked too. Like, as in had conversations. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bD41kRRNUhM8GVP6dkQN_xklD9min92zQcNxSNk2D8Zt9zoIBtJ4TBodgMLIB9N2lX38hLygB2axDcg8cOHniKqDhLy-sE-LUpJeTCz1_IGRajTu2S00UEHgixQ24gd2o1joMmw-7oba/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bD41kRRNUhM8GVP6dkQN_xklD9min92zQcNxSNk2D8Zt9zoIBtJ4TBodgMLIB9N2lX38hLygB2axDcg8cOHniKqDhLy-sE-LUpJeTCz1_IGRajTu2S00UEHgixQ24gd2o1joMmw-7oba/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duff Man!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDKZlXxrftinqmxxO6JN5Opt600GCf7TtJSTmDMAbSv21XwdESw8lf1lYudY2Or0WDsMTwrXvVZ5V5UyIRqb0Qxri90A6TeOs0gxSn29BjkIBEexvjY1UdgIdnT-naUD2e1VudVm73Qxc/s1600/IMG_1448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDKZlXxrftinqmxxO6JN5Opt600GCf7TtJSTmDMAbSv21XwdESw8lf1lYudY2Or0WDsMTwrXvVZ5V5UyIRqb0Qxri90A6TeOs0gxSn29BjkIBEexvjY1UdgIdnT-naUD2e1VudVm73Qxc/s1600/IMG_1448.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Moe's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNrOaEYMDIYOCU5z00kxfy9xl3ai3VveP25gsRGmBKVGiTeZiuKVg7zLYBUwkQksqtUlFWWpSF5O9DLbGGMxIDZ1E6MinFamcBlMlGcGKP-XcvQlRNYip2fR_N95eVLMYIW_KYlNTSwo8/s1600/IMG_1460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNrOaEYMDIYOCU5z00kxfy9xl3ai3VveP25gsRGmBKVGiTeZiuKVg7zLYBUwkQksqtUlFWWpSF5O9DLbGGMxIDZ1E6MinFamcBlMlGcGKP-XcvQlRNYip2fR_N95eVLMYIW_KYlNTSwo8/s1600/IMG_1460.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homer Donut</td></tr>
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I seriously had so much fun on this vacation! I'm so sad to be back in real life (and back in Elko). But now it's time to start planning for our next vacation.....PARIS!! :D</div>
Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-48628656166334422182014-10-11T23:48:00.000-06:002014-10-11T23:48:35.947-06:00Elko and Lamoille CanyonOh hi. So it's been over a year since I blogged....sad face. But I thought I'd do a little post about Elko, since that was kind of a huge life change...<br />
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So we've now been in Elko for about 2 months. Hans is loving his job, and especially his coaching. He's coaching JV football (linemen) at Elko High and they're doing really well (4-2). Meanwhile, I've been working at Marshall's for about a month now. I actually really like it...not sure why I've never worked retail before, since, ya know, I love shopping and fashion and all that. But I'm over the womens'/juniors department and I get to do all the features and mannequins and stuff. So that's pretty fun. Other than that, it's just an adjustment living out in the middle of nowhere. The town itself isn't terrible, it's just that it's not really close to anything, and there's not much to do here. But I'm slowly getting used to it. (Hans could live anywhere...I don't think he's had as hard a time adjusting as I have).<br />
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So in other news, our moms are here to visit for my birthday this weekend, and we took a little trip up Lamoille Canyon. It. Is. GORGEOUS. Like, I seriously have a hard time believing that a place like this exists out in the middle of all this dust and scrub brush. But it does, and I love it. I desperately want to do some kind of photoshoot up here while the fall colors are still there, but who knows if that'll happen, so I just took a few pictures while we were up there. Enjoy :)<br />
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<br />Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-84628579756369032092013-07-18T21:10:00.000-06:002013-07-18T21:10:49.431-06:00Rice!Well hi. I wish I were good at blogging. I actually meant to write this one a while ago. BUT. I have a good one for you. I want to tell you all about the miracle of....<div>
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RICE!</div>
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Yes, I know, you've all heard it before. Dropped your phone in water? Put it in dry rice. Well, maybe some of you have wondered if that was legit or not. I am here to tell you that it is definitely legit. About a month or so ago, I dropped my phone in water. I grabbed it out immediately, but started panicking. At first, it was still working, but I figured I probably only had seconds. I looked up "what do do if you drop your iPhone in water" on google and found some detailed instructions. The first one (after drying off your phone as much as possible - use q-tips to get in the crevices) was to immediately turn off your phone. Well, by this time, the water had apparently seeped further in to my phone...and the on/off button had stopped working. So I had to skip that step. Next step: fill a ziplock bag with dry rice (non-enriched is better if you can find it, because it won't leave as much residue on your phone). Place your phone in the bag and make sure it is covered. Seal the bag and make sure you get all the air out. The next step was the hardest...waiting. You have to leave it in the bag for 36 hours. </div>
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Well, at this point, my phone was dead. And since the on/off switch button wasn't working, there would be no way for me to see if it was working unless it turned on itself when I plugged it in.</div>
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So I waited. </div>
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After about 24 hours, I took it out to see how it was going. I plugged it in for probably about 10 minutes...and nothing happened. So I started mentally preparing myself for the fact that I would have to spend too much money on a new phone...and put my phone back in the rice bag.</div>
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The next day, I took my rice-bagged phone and my charger to work with me. The 36 hours would be up around 11am. So that day, after I got back from lunch, I took my phone out of the rice, and plugged it in. My first indication that the rice may have done its job was that the on/off button was working again. My phone was still dead, but when I pressed the button, the charging symbol popped up. I was hopeful for the first time in at least a day or so. After maybe...oh, maybe 10 or 15 minutes? The little apple appeared...my phone was turning on!! I can't even tell you how excited I was. The rice had worked! My phone was fully functioning! ...except for one little detail...the main camera. Well...I was somewhat okay with that if it meant that I didn't have to drop a few hundred on a new phone. More than all this, I was super amazed that the rice had actually worked so well!</div>
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So over the next couple weeks, I learned to live without the camera. The front-facing camera worked still, but only in a couple of my photo apps, not in the actual camera program. So if I really needed to take a picture, I could (with some difficulty) take it backwards. I would just have to open the app and press the camera flip button.</div>
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I kept testing the camera, but lost hope after a while. Then, on July 4th, I was watching fireworks and decided to take a front-faced picture of Hans and I...I opened up one of my photo apps, and before I even pressed the camera flip button, I noticed...tada! It was working!!</div>
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So, in conclusion, rice completely fixed my phone! I had to be a little patient for the camera, but it came back! So if this unfortunate event ever happens to you, now you know what to do! Oh and also, I found the website (for more detailed directions): <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2013/04/11/dropped-iphone-into-water-save-damage/" target="_blank">http://osxdaily.com/2013/04/11/dropped-iphone-into-water-save-damage/</a></div>
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Yay!</div>
Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-39592747591423762422012-10-21T20:03:00.000-06:002012-10-21T20:04:41.432-06:00Life update...Ah wow, I suck at blogging. Well, here are some updates...<br />
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My parents sold their house. Then they came out to look for a house. Then they found a house, had their offer accepted, drove out here, closed on the house, and moved in. Except that my dad had to go back to VA to finish out this year at work. Sooo yeah. My mom lives here now! And my dad will come out around Christmas. I've gotta say, it's pretty great.<br />
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Along with that, Hans and I will be moving out to Saratoga Springs to live in my parents' basement come December. It'll be nice to have more space, although the commute will take some getting used to.<br />
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Besides that, what have we been up to...let's see...lots and lots of football. Oh, we went to the Train concert in September. And it was awesommmmme! Hans will tell you otherwise...it was his first concert and I don't think he was one for the packed crowd. Also, he doesn't really like Train. But he likes me, so that's why he went :) It was cool because it was a smaller venue (Gallivan Center in SLC) so the bands all kind of interacted with the audience. I had a lot of fun, except for the many, many, drunk people, one of which kept whistling loudly in my ear, and another of which almost got in a chick fight. Like, seriously, it was actually pretty scary. I think what happened was that the lady in front of me bumped into the drunk chick's husband, and so the drunk chick had a spaz and started swearing at the other lady and trying to fight with her, so finally she left, and the husband was trying to calm her down so she took a swipe at him. Then he took a swipe back and she swore at him and stormed off. I didn't see her the rest of the time (thank goodness). Lesson: if you can't handle alcohol, don't consume it. Other lesson: Train is awesome in concert.<br />
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And speaking of concerts, I also get to go to the All-American Rejects/Boys Like Girls concert on Tuesday! I'm excited...that was my first concert back in 2006, and it was a blast. Really rough, because apparently BLG, Motion City, and the Format are extreme moshing music.... (?) ...but fun nonetheless.<br />
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And finally, I turned 24 last week. It's weird being this old haha. I mean, I know it's not old....but it's the oldest I've ever been! :D haha. But really...I hope that eventually I stop feeling old and just start feeling normal. I dunno...maybe once you become an adult, you just feel old for the rest of your life...makes sense...right? Anyways, for my birthday, we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (mmmm California Club Pizza....) and then we went to the Haunted Forest in American Fork. The Forest was fun, but also not as fun as it used to be...it's possible that I'm getting to old for that too haha. And then Hans bought me Just Dance 4 with a Kinect for our Xbox. Yeah, he did a good job. Probably because he's awesome? Yeah, probably.<br />
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K I'm really going to try to be better at blogging!<br />
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<br />Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-37456848045526100122012-08-21T22:33:00.001-06:002012-08-27T21:34:16.592-06:00Vegas VacayHey there. So apparently I'm really bad at blogging. Oh well, at least it's here for whenever I'm feeling...bloggy.....<br />
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So we got back from our vacation to Vegas a little over a week ago. It was sooooo nice to just do nothing for a whole week! And sleeping in every day was very much needed. We spent most of the time going to the pool, playing video games, and checking out the malls and the strip. But some of the highlights include:<br />
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1. Hans taking me to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant for our anniversary...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The menu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our table</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complimentary dessert--delicious mousse!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazelnut chocolate mousse cake. omgsogood.</td></tr>
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...and then going to a drive-in movie double feature: Dark Knight Rises and Spider-man. Which was romantic in theory, but drive-ins are better watched in non-compact cars...<br />
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2. Going to see the Hoover Dam...</div>
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...and driving through the cute little old town part of Boulder City on the way back:</div>
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3. Walking through some of the awesome hotels and casinos:</div>
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4. Stopping by the Las Vegas sign:</div>
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5. Eating delicious FRENCH PASTRIES!</div>
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<span id="goog_343679851"></span><span id="goog_343679852"></span>6. And floating in the pool and the lazy river:<br />
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Then, on the way home, we stopped in Navajo Lake for the weekend with Hans's fam, and since we were in the middle of nowhere, we got to see the Perseid meteor shower!<br />
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Overall, I'd say it was a successfully relaxing vacation :) Now, if only I could just trade my job for a permanent vacation that I get paid for....hmm....<br />
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See more pictures on my facebook :)</div>
Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-39810689036849423012012-06-12T22:59:00.001-06:002014-10-12T00:16:36.576-06:00Oh hey.Well hi there. It's definitely been a while. I figured that as long as I can't sleep, I might as well write a post updating you all on what's been going on.<br />
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So I quit both jobs that I had at the point in time of my last post (Bella Baby and La Jolla) and am now working at Myler Disability as a legal assistant. It sounds a lot fancier than it is. But it's full time and that's what I need right now. Myler Disability is an advocacy group for Social Security disability claims. I started out in the call center (everyone has to) but was promoted last week to hearing management! This means that I handle the clients' claims once they get their hearing scheduled. So far it's just been a lot of training, but I already like it better than the call center. Because let's face it: call centers suck.<br />
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So that's pretty much what's new with me. Other than that I think I've become pretty boring. Oh I guess I've had a few photo shoots lately...that's been fun. I shot my first solo wedding, and it was great! It probably won't be up on the blog for a while though, cause I'm swamped! But keep checking :)<br />
http://kristinaileenphotography.blogspot.com/<br />
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Hans is just working as usual. He'll be starting grad school in the fall at BYU and he said he's excited to be able to not work and just focus on school. So hopefully this new job ends up being something I really like, because I'm gonna have to be the money maker for the next couple of years!<br />
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Other than that, we're planning a vacation for our anniversary week in August. We'll be going to Vegas and got a sweet hookup on a hotel thanks to my parents' time share trade. I'm super excited, but mostly just because it means no work and lots of sleeping in for a whole week!<br />
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That's pretty much it for us right now. Although I am anxiously awaiting the sale of my parents' house, which is currently on the market. The sooner they sell, the sooner they can move out here, which I'm so excited for :) For one, I haven't seen them on a consistent basis for like 6 years (I know that's what grown-up life is like, but seriously...it's kind of crazy!) and for two, when we move in with them I won't have any sleeping problems due to people watching loud movies ;)Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-58753620861700551232012-03-19T20:51:00.001-06:002012-03-19T20:53:51.520-06:00Think TwiceHello. So for any of you who don't know (or who didn't notice my facebook status), my purse got stolen this past Saturday. It was stolen from a room that was supposed to be locked outside of the laser tag arena at Nickel City. You see, when you go to play laser tag, you are taken into the room where you get your gun/vest and the attendant tells you to leave your stuff under the rack that you take your vest from. They tell you this every time. They tell you this because they then proceed to lock the door and stay in that room until your game is over. Unfortunately for me, the girl that was running laser tag that night was apparently a complete idiot and let some girls in to look for their "cigarettes" in the middle of our game. After they looked, they took my purse. I can only hope that girl was fired for her idiocy. But the point of this post is not whose fault it was or how it played out. The point is, there are some people out there who think that stealing is a good idea. I could not tell you why they think that. Maybe they grew up in such a situation where stealing was not demonized as it should be. Maybe they are trying to impress friends. Maybe they desperately need money for whatever reason. Maybe they just have no soul. I really don't know. But when you steal something, think about this: how will that affect the person you're stealing from? I know that if you're stealing someone's stuff, you've probably dehumanized that person anyway so as to not feel guilty. But really, consider this:<br />
<br />
My purse contained the following:<br />
-Keys to my car and house (including a little teddy bear keychain I got from New York when I went there with my family over Christmas break)<br />
-My wallet (including not just my cash and bank cards, but a whole host of other cards, including my temple reccommend and a mini diploma sent to me by BYU. Also, I guarantee I'll never find another wallet like that one. It was my favorite I'd had in a long time)<br />
-My cell phone (including many photos that I had not downloaded on to my computer; notes about photoshoots, books I wanted to read, ideas I'd had, etc.; my calendar, which is basically my brain; and all my work schedules)<br />
-My iPod (lovingly named Fred II after my first iPod, Fred, who died of natural causes)<br />
-Various lipsticks, chapsticks, and a necklace that I had just rediscovered<br />
-And last and possibly worst, my camera (which I had owned for seven years, which contained recently-taken photos, and which I could still take better photos with than most people can with their fancy new cameras, even though it was so old and only 6 megapixels. It was the best point and shoot ever. That was my FIRST digital camera. Knowing I'm a photographer, equate that to me losing a beloved pet.)<br />
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So, aside from looking at the actual items stolen (amounting to over $1000 worth in losses), look at the memories that were stolen from me. But of course, the thief never would have thought of that. Because if you are so depraved as to steal someone's belongings, then you are probably past feeling anything about anyone besides yourself. So I just wanted to say that if any of you are for some reason considering stealing something from someone, or if you are ever tempted, just take a second and think twice about it. Not only are you breaking the law. Not only are you demoralizing yourself. But you are hurting someone. And you never know how that will affect them. Luckily for me, most of those things can be replaced, and eventually, I'm sure the hurt suffered at the loss of those memories and precious things to me will heal. But say my circumstances had been different. Say that camera had been given to me by someone now gone, whose photos on that camera had been all that I'd had left of them. Maybe that's a little extreme, but you get the idea. You never know how you're hurting someone. So, thieves, wherever you are, I invite you to rethink your life choices.<br />
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And if I ever see you again in real life, you'd better be fast runners.Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-88917002607505180312012-03-09T21:37:00.000-07:002014-10-12T00:23:25.823-06:00The value of a quiet spot.Maybe because I grew up an only child, I never truly understood the true value of peace and quiet. Never in my life (besides when the nephews/niece came to visit) have I had to wake up to screaming children or the pounding of feet. Maybe that was a disadvantage for me...obviously I'm going to have to put up with it someday. Except I swear if my kids make enough noise to make it sound like the house is caving in, they're going to get in trouble. Because as much as I didn't realize it until now, I very much value my quiet time. This is something that I have unfortunately come to realize of late because of my utter lack of it. The most quiet time I get is when I work at the hospital in Mother/Baby (yeah, ironic that the quietest part of my day is in the section of the hospital with all the screaming babies). Today was the first day in a couple months that I've actually been woken up by my alarm instead of the sound of my ceiling being pounded to pieces, and I suspect that that was only because I've been so exhausted this week that I slept right through it, because there was the pounding about twenty or so minutes after I'd woken up. And it's not just in the morning that that happens. It's at night, too. And it's constant. Not just a couple thumps and we're done. It literally sounds like the stampede from Jumanji is running around upstairs. Since I grew up with a very low noise level, I have a hard time concentrating when there's any sort of loud noise. I could never study when there was music playing, I find it difficult to focus in a room full of chatting people, and I'm having the hardest time getting any of my book read in my current living situation. Which is a real shame, because I very much enjoy reading. I can't tell you what I would give for a comfortable, sound-proof room with a big, cushy couch and some large windows (to let in the beautiful and rarely-seen-in-my-apartment sunlight) at this current moment in time.<br />
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I swear I'm never having visitors when I get my own house (please please please let that be a not-too-distantly-in-the-future acquisition!). Or maybe I'll just have a separate guest house so they can't disturb me with their absurdly over-the-top volume.<br />
<br />
That being said, maybe I should look at this as a blessing...so I can acclimate myself to high noise levels...for the future....<br />
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No but let's be serious. The sooner I get my own place, the better.Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-59935567611415625142012-02-27T22:52:00.000-07:002012-02-27T22:52:17.854-07:00What George eats for dinner...So, pretty sure I had never seen anyone more famous than President Hinckley (not that that wasn't awesome) until last summer, when I saw James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) at Universal Studios in Orlando (see <a href="http://hansandkristin.blogspot.com/2011/06/orlando-and-most-awesome-moment-of.html" target="_blank">this</a> post). Well, here we go for famous person number 2 (or 3 I guess, since Fred and George were 1 and 2).<br />
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So usually I don't work on Monday nights. However, I was scheduled tonight (Divine inspiration? Entirely possible), and when I got to work, who should I hear had a reservation there, but Jason Alexander! That's right, ladies and gentlement, this character right here:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifW79HM-eT2SIAYGB1kvfdldVGlGkpBzFNRm-O223sPCS76RZfJXziL2VyAMSmgbpnoHNYqPQM_22jCKQst6MD357pcNOeJi6rr9vl_Wh3Fpmc9eVhU-_3daI-4Xb5WJ5uoggxekJrvR4U/s1600/george.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifW79HM-eT2SIAYGB1kvfdldVGlGkpBzFNRm-O223sPCS76RZfJXziL2VyAMSmgbpnoHNYqPQM_22jCKQst6MD357pcNOeJi6rr9vl_Wh3Fpmc9eVhU-_3daI-4Xb5WJ5uoggxekJrvR4U/s320/george.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Best known for his role as George Castanza on Seinfeld. Apparently he's in town doing some sort of acting seminar at UVU. Well, kids, I about flipped out. In fact, I did flip out. And definitely acted like a creeper for the rest of the night. He came in at 6, and I watched him go back with his little entourage to the private terrace dining area. Then, I went back to the kitchen and giggled myself silly (a ridiculous nervous reaction that I sometimes have). So then I spent the rest of the night creepin' on him through the windows and trying to get a picture from the bakery (there is a window that separates the bakery and the terrace). I did, however, get to go into the terrace to deliver food to one of his group members (thanks to my awesome manager for that one).<br />
So around 8-ish (when I was in the bakery creepin' again), he and his entourage quickly got up from their table and made to leave. So, like a good little stalker, I went and walked out to the main dining room, trying my best to come up with a fast plan to get a picture or video as Mr. Alexander walked by. Well, as he got to the front, the server who had served his party asked if she and the managers could get a picture with him. He obliged, and I shot up to the front and leaned against the wall hopefully. And THEN, after they took their picture, I asked if I could take one of my own, since my dad is such a HUGE fan. And then he was like, "what, are you not cool enough to be in that group?" And I was like, "apparently not, haha," and then, after some height adjustment (he about came up to my shoulder), we took a picture. AND HERE IT IS:<br />
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</div>That's right folks, I met and took a picture with freakin Jason Alexander!! KRISTIN FTW!!!! Anyways, this moment totally made my week. I kind of felt like I was living out my dad's dream (he is LITERALLY the worlds biggest Seinfeld fan. I'm not exaggerating in any sense. In fact, that's probably a gross understatement). So yeah. Freaking awesome night. Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, he had the salmon (with no sauce) and diet coke mixed with cranberry juice. So, if you want to eat like a star, come on in to La Jolla Groves and try our oven-fired salmon :DKristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-83442585998387712312012-02-21T23:16:00.002-07:002012-02-21T23:16:25.229-07:00The obligatory Valentine's Day post.Hey friends. So I'll be honest. I'm only posting about Valentine's Day to brag. Hans did an excellent job this year, and I just want to show off :)<br />
So first of all, we had to celebrate on the 15th this year, since Hans was working on the 14th. No big, it's not like the date actually matters, it's just a fun excuse to go out and give each other stuff. So I got home from work on the 15th and hurried to get ready, since we were supposed to leave once Hans got home. Well, I get done with my shower, and what do I see when I exit the bathroom?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdkCtoLx6HCB9EnsgCJoKYALRUdJvusZEVdJG5XgsZIa2CwjjxznLpDOQSXjvPa1daBhuqMqkZ20Xc-x-hidN3b6_hd30kknOoFQlRdxrQ_9EjFMc1uDtG0dzzOVcYdQr9F793EfdfyNs/s1600/IMG_2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdkCtoLx6HCB9EnsgCJoKYALRUdJvusZEVdJG5XgsZIa2CwjjxznLpDOQSXjvPa1daBhuqMqkZ20Xc-x-hidN3b6_hd30kknOoFQlRdxrQ_9EjFMc1uDtG0dzzOVcYdQr9F793EfdfyNs/s400/IMG_2312.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
That's right. My cutes husband smiling at me from next to a carefully displayed vase of beautiful flowers and the BIGGEST box of chocolates I've ever seen. Seriously. It's hard to see in this picture, but here's one that I took for scale purposes:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dx5CVEbdMsTz9HtspW04IH7E4kuKicNT6kaOwV8N2mPYNLOti5tvNSL2y7_Ie6ieayAhrYOLE1QkXBwOwKcP92DMueRNXUKEV8P3BQUSvUi44j4hGTRVQaaMqH8tnZyAeUFh2bPjsUJV/s1600/IMG_2311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dx5CVEbdMsTz9HtspW04IH7E4kuKicNT6kaOwV8N2mPYNLOti5tvNSL2y7_Ie6ieayAhrYOLE1QkXBwOwKcP92DMueRNXUKEV8P3BQUSvUi44j4hGTRVQaaMqH8tnZyAeUFh2bPjsUJV/s400/IMG_2311.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
See?? It's GINORMOUS! I was...astonished, I think is the right word. AND....this part just made my heart melt...the flowers, Hans explained, were chosen specifically because they were our wedding colors. HOW FREAKING CUTE IS THAT?!? And you think guys never think about detaily stuff like that. That's why Hans is so awesome.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwPB2L2myHr3mMqc45G6McbDpi3kKwZ3RYwt1GuPDvWrhpNmO5tUgu56Uq5C-uVPZ0XSRIc8PV4BvYc33_37O2DnjUiwNBXas7PCyTq2AhqT6457vg9tVfz88qU95It1vGfuGorbIfXj9/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwPB2L2myHr3mMqc45G6McbDpi3kKwZ3RYwt1GuPDvWrhpNmO5tUgu56Uq5C-uVPZ0XSRIc8PV4BvYc33_37O2DnjUiwNBXas7PCyTq2AhqT6457vg9tVfz88qU95It1vGfuGorbIfXj9/s400/IMG_2322.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautifulllllll!! And they really are light purple. I know they look pink. But they're not.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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So then that night, Hans took me out to Macaroni Grill (he picked, I told him I would have no part in the choice. LOVE IT.) And I had the most DELICIOUS meal of my life. I THINK it was called Chicken Scallopini. But I can't really remember. But in any case, it was delicious, and I reccommend it to ALL OF YOU.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Soooo yeah. It was pretty great. Oh and then afterwards, we went to play laser tag with some friends, which is a new weekly hobby that we recently discovered. It was actually kind of funny...Hans's friend texted him to see if we wanted to laser tag as usual that night, and Hans (being ever so thoughtful) texted me to see if I wanted to, since it was "Valentine's Day" and all...and I honestly did, so I told him yes. And this, he informs me, is why he likes me so much...because I'll go play laser tag with him on Valentine's Day :) True love.<br />
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And now I will leave you with more photos of my giant box of chocolate. I hope you can tell how excited I am about it. I'm not even halfway through eating it. (Not to mention the box of Belgian chocolate I got from my dad...I'm such a lucky girl :) )<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-60966496147053151522012-02-18T20:48:00.000-07:002012-02-18T20:48:15.133-07:00A note on restaurant serviceDear world,<br />
Let me just start out by saying this: if you cannot afford to tip your server, then you cannot afford to eat out. Go eat at Burger King, Tabo Bell, Zupa's, or Costa Vida, where tipping is not necessary.<br />
Now that we've covered the basics, let me explain how to tip, since obviously, a lot of you have forgotten. The STANDARD for tipping is 15%. That means that if your server is STANDARD, you should give them 15%. If your server is, in any way, above average (say, extra friendly, gives you good recommendations, refills your drinks, etc.), you should tip them 20% or more. ONLY if your server is INCREDIBLY below average should you tip 10%. And by this, I mean that your server either COMPLETELY ignored your, or very obviously spit in your food for no other reason than that they felt like being an idiot to you. If your food took a long time, NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN, it was NOT your server's fault. DO NOT penalize them for this. Most of the time, they are in the kitchen, trying their hardest to get your food out to you faster. IN ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you EVER tip your server under 10%. You might think you're making a statement, but let me tell you what you're ACTUALLY doing. You are SCREWING OVER YOUR SERVER'S LIFE. In case any of you don't know, servers make approximately TWO DOLLARS an hour. That's not even a THIRD of minimum wage. In other words, SERVERS RELY ON TIPS. So when you think you're being smart by not leaving any sort of tip, or leaving your pocket change, you are not only RUINING that server's night, you are also WASTING THEIR TIME, because they could have spent that time they spent on you taking care of another table that actually knows how to tip. So next time you go out to dinner, think to yourself before hand, "Hmm, do I have the money to leave a decent tip for my server?" If not, rethink your decision to dine at a restaurant, and maybe go pick up some Lean Cuisine from the grocery store. Thanks.<br />
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Much love,<br />
KristinKristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-52927371453652460882012-02-13T15:42:00.000-07:002012-02-13T15:42:10.708-07:00Yay Hans!So Hans just got accepted into BYU's school psychology grad program! I'm so ridiculously happy for him, I knew he could do it! At this point we're just waiting to hear back from U of U, because that's our other top choice, but as of now, we at least have some sort of a plan! ...which is much better than having a wishy washy plan and like 10 back-up plans haha :) Anyways, short post. But I am so, so, SO proud of my amazing Hansy. YAY!!Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-43942145671074947982012-02-02T15:28:00.000-07:002012-02-02T15:28:33.445-07:00Just a short rant...I don't know what it is that makes people think they can tell other people how to do their job. I mean, okay, if you're in the same business, and you're genuinely trying to be helpful because you are also good at that job, that's one thing (still sometimes obnoxious, but more generally acceptable). But when you literally have NO IDEA what you're talking about, you probably should not try to give others advice on what THEY do for a living. For instance: I have been doing newborn photography for almost 2 years. I have photographed literally HUNDREDS of babies. I also have a degree in photography. So yeah, I'm pretty good at photographing newborns. I know what I'm supposed to do because there is absolutely no variation in my routine from baby to baby. Soooo thanks for all those "helpful" tips you're trying to give me, random relation of mom in hospital, but I'll be completely honest, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine without them. I mean, were you in there when mom was delivering, too? Maybe telling the doctor that he should do something this way or asking if he's sure that will work? No. I didn't think so. So kindly stop bothering me with your obnoxiousness. Thank you.Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-14157733094883380922012-01-28T22:42:00.000-07:002012-01-28T22:42:19.475-07:00I'm just gonna put this out there...Sometimes, people are just stupid, and there's really nothing you can do about it. It's just kind of a fact of life. And it's frustrating, because sometimes, you really just want to do something about it. But all you can really do is just let the stupid things they do roll off your back. This is something that I am working on. Maybe it's a blessing that I have to work on it, because then, later in life, I'll be better at it.<br />
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Also.<br />
<br />
I want a house.<br />
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Like, bad.<br />
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Not a big, fancy house. Just a small, cute one that I can decorate. Mostly thanks to Pinterest, I now have all these cute decorating ideas that need to be expressed somehow. And that only way that they will be able to be expressed is if I have a house. So, at this current moment in time, that is my top want. (Besides going to Paris, which is ALWAYS my top want). Unfortunately, that probably won't happen for a while...so I'm going to need to find some other way to creatively express myself. Maybe if I got a sewing machine....Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-36543628899757357352012-01-19T10:35:00.001-07:002012-01-19T10:39:41.200-07:00East Coast ChristmasWell, Hans and I are back from break with my fam. I'll say that only one of us is really happy to be back. The other one misses her family quite a bit :( However, the trip out was definitely worth it! I had such a great time being with everyone and we did sooo many interesting things! We flew in on Christmas Eve, and then my sister and her kids came up on Christmas. Christmas at my parents' house was, as usual, amazingly perfect. Beautiful decorations, yummy snacks, a delicious Christmas dinner with perfectly-cooked turkey. I could probably do that every day. No joke.<br />
So then the day after Christmas, we went to Mount Vernon (George Washington's Estate). I'd been there before, but it was cool to see it again now that I'm older and can appreciate it more. It really is beautiful...right on the Potomac and surrounded by acres of fields and forests.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSWrPtTlqZKFs2GgSq4TvaddBsaFX-LlGBbu6FHkkMH7alnjjVv7ei2zdX7CeAC2Mdd_qNHfCtxYzvlid6N5o08ar0xpvSa8esf_dy4JX6GZ61VXbqISoZyGg1b7opJELXgIvDoqBIgPm/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSWrPtTlqZKFs2GgSq4TvaddBsaFX-LlGBbu6FHkkMH7alnjjVv7ei2zdX7CeAC2Mdd_qNHfCtxYzvlid6N5o08ar0xpvSa8esf_dy4JX6GZ61VXbqISoZyGg1b7opJELXgIvDoqBIgPm/s400/IMG_1702.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Mount Vernon, the girls went shopping while the boys went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. Luckily my dad was on top of things picture-wise (much to Hans's dismay, I'm sure :) )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR41DvJH8SxuhjF06m-i_G27gCIPfaXRMKE7pmmBJrw4B1uzwg8b_Phzr1E9DquZZGNqOUrM_HEVICPQyGg7NtiRLzStvIYAl6YqRW4Fm4rguGKhInzkHcG6dPso650FL_pFLENqXom4o4/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR41DvJH8SxuhjF06m-i_G27gCIPfaXRMKE7pmmBJrw4B1uzwg8b_Phzr1E9DquZZGNqOUrM_HEVICPQyGg7NtiRLzStvIYAl6YqRW4Fm4rguGKhInzkHcG6dPso650FL_pFLENqXom4o4/s400/IMG_3108.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tuesday, we went to the Holocaust museum. It was a really cool experience; they have a lot of really interesting stuff there. Then at the end, they had a video of Holocaust survivors telling their stories. They were so sad to hear, but so amazing at the same time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wednesday, the kids left. While Rachel and mom were taking them to the airport, dad, Hans and I went to the National Museum of American History. I think this is a really cool museum. They've got all sorts of things from American culture throughout the years. The first thing that we saw was the ACTUAL AMERICAN FLAG that inspired the national anthem. Tell me that's not so cool! I couldn't get any photos because it was a low-light room to preserve the flag, but trust me when I saw that it was awesome. We also saw stuff like the original muppets, Lincoln's hat, and old trains and cars. There are a ton more photos of this on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/krissieT?sk=photos" target="_blank">facebook</a>, but here a couple just to give you a peek:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lincoln's hat:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2cc7nYFrBtioPMW66gbXPkfWO3rF9y-xYyybh9jJY96jCO4yfKVL1l2RKlvgQZoRfr4RhkHyqpUE5EOSTHocQ_L2KlOlWFnPcOKeKN4yZgUL2UKSqvrnB412RNZbr4M82mCdovOZ_By/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2cc7nYFrBtioPMW66gbXPkfWO3rF9y-xYyybh9jJY96jCO4yfKVL1l2RKlvgQZoRfr4RhkHyqpUE5EOSTHocQ_L2KlOlWFnPcOKeKN4yZgUL2UKSqvrnB412RNZbr4M82mCdovOZ_By/s400/IMG_1805.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet old car:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkz97BV3xDlGcz28e2wDI4cmcDT49cJp73FKZjgjjB520rnMHyAD0UD6bKsLplHJuOiOpnNnr32rLqmeIYvrCgoMs3Eq-15f1qoCT6OpkMuYpwjC65hUGzfPGF6tY62iP5d6atGtOUb4q/s1600/IMG_1822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkz97BV3xDlGcz28e2wDI4cmcDT49cJp73FKZjgjjB520rnMHyAD0UD6bKsLplHJuOiOpnNnr32rLqmeIYvrCgoMs3Eq-15f1qoCT6OpkMuYpwjC65hUGzfPGF6tY62iP5d6atGtOUb4q/s400/IMG_1822.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In an old timey train station...which one is real?!?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCuRBF5Jk4jJLOIooVRPdNbeSBoghQBJPJUhUjFMJm5E6TbxAY8LyLooXLHqQdGjQ4vQnF6IEqqoeOa2mKlASxBqBCuAIE3-N7EvaL5Cnju2uH1K8GR6LjLK4Q9WwwtW1LoOSbghfuKiy/s1600/IMG_1816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCuRBF5Jk4jJLOIooVRPdNbeSBoghQBJPJUhUjFMJm5E6TbxAY8LyLooXLHqQdGjQ4vQnF6IEqqoeOa2mKlASxBqBCuAIE3-N7EvaL5Cnju2uH1K8GR6LjLK4Q9WwwtW1LoOSbghfuKiy/s400/IMG_1816.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the American History museum, mom and Rachel met us at the Spy Museum! This museum is also very cool. Unfortunately, it's not free, but it's kind of worth it. You get to see all kinds of sweet stuff that's been used by actual spies! And there are interactive activities where you can pretend to be a spy. You also have to assume an identity a the beginning and remember everything about your identity so you can be tested on it later. It's a super fun place and I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting DC.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GinOYWsv7-1YVJaYLnD2N-yQdnlE5FbSVkylSxsWZfV-E8-COGkbpJqYy-9yTwU0-Wri_6E_HSOAyZxVaI0qYEQ9ZAf5nx10ZIWVolmcBOtROOZmgkZ6aOdtB_aNhsFz_XUHR9d9H3nV/s1600/IMG_1830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GinOYWsv7-1YVJaYLnD2N-yQdnlE5FbSVkylSxsWZfV-E8-COGkbpJqYy-9yTwU0-Wri_6E_HSOAyZxVaI0qYEQ9ZAf5nx10ZIWVolmcBOtROOZmgkZ6aOdtB_aNhsFz_XUHR9d9H3nV/s400/IMG_1830.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next day, Thursday, we set off for New Jersey to visit Missey et. al. and to go to New York. Along the way, we got to stop in Gettysburg for Hans. Hans has been wanting to go to Gettysburg pretty much his whole life. He said it was like going to Disney World for him haha. First we got to go in the museum, which included a movie, a cyclorama (which was actually a HUGE painting covering the whole round room, that was painted in the early 20th century by a French guy. Too cool), and a bunch of really neat old stuff from the battle. One of my favorite things was a pair of opposing bullets that had collided in MID-AIR!! How cool is that?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Part of the cyclorama painting:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHHpnZSIlZ9pf_eWLIySb2fNXk7DUF46Dxh6gsxV24C18mYBRQxCt7K0h-uvUzehOnuUEHnK1UcG3Oq3UVSw-mQb6pHfqQJRpUj7r9qqnNIUoIT9-wa6j1B1uaieDvpN_HaW_jFY_LUyF/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHHpnZSIlZ9pf_eWLIySb2fNXk7DUF46Dxh6gsxV24C18mYBRQxCt7K0h-uvUzehOnuUEHnK1UcG3Oq3UVSw-mQb6pHfqQJRpUj7r9qqnNIUoIT9-wa6j1B1uaieDvpN_HaW_jFY_LUyF/s400/IMG_1847.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fused bullets:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZBbSYNSW95ekteh33tX2Jwqw2E2S0JkjWDThaOj1bs76ExaA4scuSl6xVdu6-taWyq-mvJAlbymqwmQ5JHnscC3n-Y9WfiPVdExMt7j7zp7bBWskRHPUoJWdGSGegJcRI21KeqOnDseT/s1600/IMG_1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZBbSYNSW95ekteh33tX2Jwqw2E2S0JkjWDThaOj1bs76ExaA4scuSl6xVdu6-taWyq-mvJAlbymqwmQ5JHnscC3n-Y9WfiPVdExMt7j7zp7bBWskRHPUoJWdGSGegJcRI21KeqOnDseT/s400/IMG_1856.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the museum, we went out to see the battlefield. The museum took a lot longer than we'd expected, so we didn't get to see the whole battlefield, just the Confederate side and a tiny bit of the Union side. It was really neat to see the landscape where the battle took place and to see all the different monuments for each Confederate state.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hans scoping out the battlefield:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWrmkR2KmLnpmU3AsofhXSVWh85KaB1RzQWOENSDncT7ZvgSZcLhOKKjLSCERlZGhp4V26wZwScfTjEExBzv-vVbN5j6EJdiS8ievmluBdmTAxxz6aTQESIRFn66aBj9B4xOKtilfpPj_/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWrmkR2KmLnpmU3AsofhXSVWh85KaB1RzQWOENSDncT7ZvgSZcLhOKKjLSCERlZGhp4V26wZwScfTjEExBzv-vVbN5j6EJdiS8ievmluBdmTAxxz6aTQESIRFn66aBj9B4xOKtilfpPj_/s400/IMG_1865.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Virginia monument:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-W7SYG1L1bUzEWVqN6dT5glERKlM-8hqeoLH_SOWAySUCtJ1qMX_81ba8fhCEXCoHbKpGUPPkqZYM6pBrc5s2pC1B0ISuNfiOAVKJJYi86uL0NPZAnc5mAPzK11xVG-xxQ7K0OSVdNQO/s1600/IMG_1889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-W7SYG1L1bUzEWVqN6dT5glERKlM-8hqeoLH_SOWAySUCtJ1qMX_81ba8fhCEXCoHbKpGUPPkqZYM6pBrc5s2pC1B0ISuNfiOAVKJJYi86uL0NPZAnc5mAPzK11xVG-xxQ7K0OSVdNQO/s400/IMG_1889.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Georgia monument:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmtPdf2Js6YLbr60JCa-ThMdjYSEscXBR7E3SvMxZ9QI3YzD2tZ7LTrKlqacXPuhaRwxDk49nbOSbwq4f09OU9do3aeGgzl0ZBav-1G1ECvv8_lM4PcfoAHM6LLVWGGxn3pXWbYLklxDJ/s1600/IMG_1905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmtPdf2Js6YLbr60JCa-ThMdjYSEscXBR7E3SvMxZ9QI3YzD2tZ7LTrKlqacXPuhaRwxDk49nbOSbwq4f09OU9do3aeGgzl0ZBav-1G1ECvv8_lM4PcfoAHM6LLVWGGxn3pXWbYLklxDJ/s400/IMG_1905.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After only a few short hours in Gettysburg, we continued on to NJ. For anyone who's thinking about visiting Gettysburg, IT IS A FULL DAY'S TRIP. Don't expect to just spend a couple hours there, like we did. The museum takes at least 2 hours, and we were rushing. Then the driving tour takes something like 3 or 4 hours, and I'm sure that doesn't count you stopping and looking around. There really is a lot to see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we got into NJ and were able to spend some time just hanging out with family. Then the next day (Friday), we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which I was really excited about because as many times as I've been to NYC, we've never thought to do that tour. Unfortunately, we were already pretty museumed-out by the time we got to Ellis Island (I'll be honest, I didn't know it was a museum), so we only spent maybe half an hour there and didn't really take full advantage of it. But it was still cool to see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-b2arN18IkIjxI3m8ZDd53E6ULgEHaWhRbrzc-h3i5l7E5yu0C2sEpOfmLAyA1V7hI8uiWNwdTRi53EWZkGAAsia_BgujP6UeIijbvXSbkKaZuo8OPwJ_cLozxY5fBqt-ar-Y-GtIDb6/s1600/IMG_1985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-b2arN18IkIjxI3m8ZDd53E6ULgEHaWhRbrzc-h3i5l7E5yu0C2sEpOfmLAyA1V7hI8uiWNwdTRi53EWZkGAAsia_BgujP6UeIijbvXSbkKaZuo8OPwJ_cLozxY5fBqt-ar-Y-GtIDb6/s400/IMG_1985.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So then after Ellis Island, the boat took us over to the Statue of Liberty. This ended up being a kind of poorly-timed visit because the Statue is currently being renovated, and no-one is allowed inside. Still, it was awesome to see it up close. I took about a billion pictures (duh). It was also really neat to see Manhattan from across the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKYqmm-gwZiRQZ_EKnpVpqZ8i020ntLtD3xsgBfHSHLQEOdlQ-huQaK3NpcfouXI9pWMUxKsWqXeCmU5mo88UDRs42jzq6LnCQnlwfiJtN87fyR0AscwPvmSzpYR1Jbq1sx-xCizNAFb5/s1600/IMG_2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKYqmm-gwZiRQZ_EKnpVpqZ8i020ntLtD3xsgBfHSHLQEOdlQ-huQaK3NpcfouXI9pWMUxKsWqXeCmU5mo88UDRs42jzq6LnCQnlwfiJtN87fyR0AscwPvmSzpYR1Jbq1sx-xCizNAFb5/s400/IMG_2043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other cool thing of the day was that we got to see the New Jersey 9/11 memorial, which I didn't even know existed. But it's there, right by the terminal for the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tours. We were originally going to go to Ground Zero, but apparently you need tickets, and none of us knew that until the week before we left, which is too late. So it was cool that we at least got to see one of the memorials for 9/11. It was a really pretty, but relatively simple memorial with all the names of NJ residents whose lives were lost inscribed on it. And in front of it, they had pieces from the actual structures of the towers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday, we went into Manhattan. For any of you that were keeping track, Saturday was New Year's Eve. Yeah, we went into Manhattan on New Year's Eve. That wasn't on purpose, it was just accidentally poorly planned. Luckily, though, we went in the morning and it wasn't TOO crowded, although people were already starting to gather in Times Square (imagine just standing there ALL DAY just to get a good spot for the party....crazy!). So anywho, we walked around for a bit, then got lunch at this random little deli/sushi place, and THEN we went to see WICKED!! For anyone who hasn't seen this, I highly reccommend it. I mean, it's definitely not Phantom or Les Mis, but it was definitely a good one! Interesting plot, great set and costumes, and really amazing singing! Overall, definitely a must-see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs4C6OYRRrom6iuz-jvTKs6jDOnoWjt_KYpchu8HW7L20NsoFeJInrDO1_yIXP3vgXgGE19cJlCy94rgeFM-XJpsGbYk_5nzZIyE2cFe_ylbpsdJ-Aj9d6HYIPEzP9-VzLdokcY91vLOk/s1600/IMG_2181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs4C6OYRRrom6iuz-jvTKs6jDOnoWjt_KYpchu8HW7L20NsoFeJInrDO1_yIXP3vgXgGE19cJlCy94rgeFM-XJpsGbYk_5nzZIyE2cFe_ylbpsdJ-Aj9d6HYIPEzP9-VzLdokcY91vLOk/s400/IMG_2181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So after the play, we drove Rachel to the airport (sadface) and then returned to Missey's house to wait out the new year. And I must say, this new year definitely started out better than last (if you don't know that story, ask me, I won't go into it here).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then Sunday, we drove home. I think we ended up driving a weird way (thank you, weirdie GPS), and so found ourselves driving through Philadelphia. Well, this was very exciting because I didn't think we'd be going this way, even though I'd asked if we could, because another one of Hans's life goals was to eat a Philly Cheesesteak from Philly. So as soon as I realized where we were, I quickly looked up a list of good cheesesteak places (ah, the wonders of a smartphone), and navigated us to not just any old cheesesteak place, but the cheesesteak place that started it all! Pat's King of Steaks...how cool is that?? The guys who started this place actually INVENTED the Philly Cheesesteak. Another Hans Life Goal accomplished...with bonus points!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, that the line wrapping ALL THE WAY around the building. Philadelphians take their cheesesteaks seriously!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7EGhP6m_huh1POfPwamSax-OLelo1pY-DAEyKu1kTBH_K1WySlZ8YIl2Oo0Wn-rzya67fDQyRC4GqX7AKGCsYLvp2BUG031L9VZTW7_CyMQ91JW_89Mbo9algcISTCdxHmbuhpyEJsBy/s1600/IMG_2226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7EGhP6m_huh1POfPwamSax-OLelo1pY-DAEyKu1kTBH_K1WySlZ8YIl2Oo0Wn-rzya67fDQyRC4GqX7AKGCsYLvp2BUG031L9VZTW7_CyMQ91JW_89Mbo9algcISTCdxHmbuhpyEJsBy/s400/IMG_2226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hans's first official Philly Cheesesteak:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_mxiDmQZxjnnwqHaCI48gVhC_5ON2HImUqfykU1_62eJNVY3AgnyqwmRZSh17iT-OenlryZHk5SIKAzBday-0tlh7tzRSy94HkO6m0mjxJw0A0fugdsBnOqG0Y_BRIqGHESh2IPwLAYm/s1600/IMG_2222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_mxiDmQZxjnnwqHaCI48gVhC_5ON2HImUqfykU1_62eJNVY3AgnyqwmRZSh17iT-OenlryZHk5SIKAzBday-0tlh7tzRSy94HkO6m0mjxJw0A0fugdsBnOqG0Y_BRIqGHESh2IPwLAYm/s400/IMG_2222.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that was pretty exciting. Other exciting events on the way home included seeing the Ravens' stadium and the Eagles' stadium (which was literally right next to the highway and had a game going on when we passed it. Win.), making three total NFL stadiums that we saw on the trip (we passed the Giants' stadium while in NJ).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Monday was our last day in VA :( but it was definitely not wasted. We went shopping and SHOOTING! That's right, folks, I actually shot a gun. My dad took us to a shooting range and we all took turns shooting his old 9mm and revolver from his cop days. And I won't lie, we're all pretty good shots. Although right when I was really getting the hang of it, we ran out of ammo for the 9mm and had to switch to the revolver. Let me tell you, shooting a revolver is just not fun. Hans liked it because it was smaller and fit his hand better, but I very much disagreed. Since it's smaller, it's got a lot more kick to it, and it hurts when it pulls back :( But that's okay, because we had fun anyways, and now I know how to shoot a gun. Dangerous :D Ha.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So anyways, then on Tuesday (at some unearthly hour of the morning), we flew back to UT. Sad, sad. But it really was an amazingly fun break! If only real life could be like that all the time :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_958612429"></span><span id="goog_958612430"></span></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-747133970810658122011-12-05T21:07:00.001-07:002011-12-05T22:27:59.296-07:00Where the heck did November go? Oh right...it went to Mexico :)So it's suddenly December, which came much too fast, given that half of my November was missing from real life. Not that I'm complaining. At all. Hans and I were ever so lucky enough to spend the last week and a half of last month on a cruise to Mexico with his family. All eleven of us. And can I just say that I had a blast? Really. I think I could get used to living on a cruise ship permanently. And not just because your room gets cleaned for you twice a day, or because you can eat all the food you want, any time you want, without having to pay extra for it, or because there are lots of fun free shows and stuff to do, or because that bed was probably the most comfortable thing I've ever slept on, or because you get a new towel animal in your room every day. Mostly it was just being able to wake up the next day and be somewhere NEW. I think that is awesome. For anyone who doesn't know me very well, I'm a traveler. I always have been, and I always will be. That doesn't necessarily mean that I just travel all the time (although I have been to my fair share of awesome places), it just means that I have this need within me to travel. Cheesy-sounding? Maybe. But true. So spending nine days going from beautiful Mexican city to beautiful Mexican city was fantastic (although truthfully, some parts of these places were not so beautiful...but we'll get there).<br />
<br />
So now for a recounting of the adventure.<br />
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Our ship departed from San Pedro (LA), CA. So the adventure starts with a rental car and a ten hour drive. The family was split into three groups. In our car were me, Hans, Reinhard, and Freya. We left at around 3 pm and stopped in St. George for dinner and Vegas to stretch our legs. From Vegas, it was only about 5-ish hours to San Pedro...which put us there, oh around 2:30 am. The rest of the fam had decided to stop at a hotel in Barstow (middle of the desert, about 2 hours from San Pedro). But since we're cheap and we also wanted to make sure we were there on time (I, for one, have a tendency to oversleep), we just drove straight through. We followed the directions almost all the way to the pier...not quite all the way, mostly because it was dark, very foggy, creepy, and to get to the pier you have to drive through like industrial/cargo shipping piers. So basically I just thought we were lost and we'd wait til morning to find the actual ship. In the meantime, we needed to find somewhere to park and sleep, since creepy-pier-in-shady-area-of-town wasn't quite doing it for us. So, on my almost-dead phone, we found a Walmart location in nearby Long Beach. Well, maybe that area is nice in the daytime, but at night it was just short of terrifying. The fog and the modern, light colored buildings made me feel like we were in some creepy si-fi movie with Big Brother watching us or something (yeah, okay, that was nerdy). Along with that, the only person we saw until we got to Walmart was a man in an overcoat pushing a baby in a stroller...at 3 am...but really it ended up being his garbage bag full of belongings...<br />
So anyway, we got to Walmart...and it wasn't like a normal Walmart with a huge parking lot and a friendly, welcoming design, it was like a city Walmart, with pay-parking garages and a ton of shady-looking people hanging out in front. So, needless to say, we decided we'd try a different Walmart. We ended up about 20 minutes away in Torrance. I don't really know anything about Torrance, but it seemed a heck of a lot friendlier than early-morning downtown Long Beach. So we parked towards the back of their typically big Walmart parking lot and tried to get some sleep in our over-crowded Chevy HHR. Hans and I didn't sleep great, but I'm pretty sure Reinhard and Freya were out. In fact, I'm sure they were. So a little before 7am, Hans and I joined the crowd (yes) of people waiting for Walmart to open, then went inside and picked up a few things we needed, along with breakfast from McD's (mmmm, McGriddle....). And then at 8:30-ish, we drove back to the pier, and eventually found our ship, the Carnival Spirit. We parked and waited for the others to show up at our designated meeting time (10am). Two hours later, we were finally getting all of our stuff out of the car to wait some more in front of the terminal while Hans, Pete, and Raiden drove the rental cars back. ANOTHER two hours later, we finally began the boarding process. We pulled out of the port after it was dark, and were accompanied by a small (herd? flock? school?) of dolphins. Good luck, right? Pretty much :)<br />
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So the next morning, we awoke in Ensenada. Unfortunately, our excursion had been cancelled because of...inclement weather...?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfdaq-Nq4iwtDwBpuNDWdQLTYKiurcwDorz3VreHm964WWf-jsT6GKK83OetWhJ6KQxjnBRZ_zyfmXQv8JH-dTP0WBQYrsQyl8O4VrpGZxSvxUWyXAp3JHwWQHyRrNDBiMywabp1rtFZr/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfdaq-Nq4iwtDwBpuNDWdQLTYKiurcwDorz3VreHm964WWf-jsT6GKK83OetWhJ6KQxjnBRZ_zyfmXQv8JH-dTP0WBQYrsQyl8O4VrpGZxSvxUWyXAp3JHwWQHyRrNDBiMywabp1rtFZr/s400/IMG_0762.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yeah I don't really know either...I guess maybe it was a tad not-hot-enough for a resort...but oh well, we made the best of it. Raiden, Hans, Freya and I ventured into the town to check out the shops. This was my first taste of the persistence of Mexican vendors. And really, they are persistent. I heard everything from, "Hey, come in and buy something you don't need!" to "Hey, I need your money, too!" But it was fun anyways. I loved looking at all the little Mexican crafts and such.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1T7uWNHhruDuWF9SlHctq3VG91lZvLvcIjYxPsP5xAi7eGQrECQp14SKTf2Im4H1f_fzKfZ8_KPdGNCkZG_zCz5bPqZ0OsYwl7mNmBuKQjljSeInbiBiGPpwgAeKD7tLxuTBFZ7VMr-9R/s1600/IMG_0766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1T7uWNHhruDuWF9SlHctq3VG91lZvLvcIjYxPsP5xAi7eGQrECQp14SKTf2Im4H1f_fzKfZ8_KPdGNCkZG_zCz5bPqZ0OsYwl7mNmBuKQjljSeInbiBiGPpwgAeKD7tLxuTBFZ7VMr-9R/s400/IMG_0766.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh and PS-coolest sighting of the day? Sea Lions! Apparently they're like everywhere around Baja California, but there just happened to be a big family of them just outside of the entrance/exit to the ship!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-cw0ZY3ZJC6jfRZVLAZYUyMhwjhFgb20Gte9b3FqLbXRxDiqqMw2_axCW7UdV5Af7GkuZHUFOTUHuZQxPRuwBQqPEagcF-DmY3DCi6uzAOLwl00SqU5nifD1hXJIbHwmoLEHUEdQ1L3q/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-cw0ZY3ZJC6jfRZVLAZYUyMhwjhFgb20Gte9b3FqLbXRxDiqqMw2_axCW7UdV5Af7GkuZHUFOTUHuZQxPRuwBQqPEagcF-DmY3DCi6uzAOLwl00SqU5nifD1hXJIbHwmoLEHUEdQ1L3q/s320/IMG_0754.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvZiNLvBZ1ZBP1A9xAO8vcA9QA49BNeE5l65qO9CgySjBqy3mrzllXgCG_IkV77IO-C40ZwSYAj9-8FP_0jatuWI5ADvN7xhFvxWCEdd6eNTTtG4yjqdvN3UsEyCFS2AyOXdZGkqyxRN7/s1600/IMG_0785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvZiNLvBZ1ZBP1A9xAO8vcA9QA49BNeE5l65qO9CgySjBqy3mrzllXgCG_IkV77IO-C40ZwSYAj9-8FP_0jatuWI5ADvN7xhFvxWCEdd6eNTTtG4yjqdvN3UsEyCFS2AyOXdZGkqyxRN7/s320/IMG_0785.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The day after Ensenada was a Sea Day. Basically just a day stuck on the ship. They do have activities, but to be honest, most of them aren't that great, and it was too cold for the pool. They do have some fun comedy shows at night, though. AND. K event of the cruise...no just kidding, but it was pretty monumental for me...they had this thing called Superstar Live, which was basically karaoke with a live band. So I went to watch, and then I decided that I wanted to do it. SCARY. I don't sing in public. I don't even sing in front of friends or family members, unless it's to the radio or something. But I decided I needed to get over my fears and just do it. So I went back to the room to grab Hans, and signed up to sing Mercy by Duffy. I was the last one to go, and I'm pretty sure I rocked it :) I mean, I was totally frozen to the spot the whole time, and I could barely hear myself above the band, but the crowd was cheering and Hans said I did really well, so I'd like to think that my foray into public performance was successful. Score one for Kristin. (I wish I had a picture or video to prove that this actually happened, but I don't, so you'll just have to trust me :) )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So after the Sea Day, we had 2 days in Cabo San Lucas, which was my favorite town, not counting resorts. We had to tender into the dock (take a smaller boat from the ship, which was anchored out a little ways), and it was just a cute little seaside town.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZFgfWS4VV02mSs_m89kNpp7y5fsulEWkwtcaTUFf6eyjRnZVY2KqSFI540Lyk3OSMydZus9Mv5OpUq2IS9tSW1bEpwnHyfrSE7y0tNF2IvA573PC4wbPNoEM_CpvkIl7K3IBKTkoB0Sv/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZFgfWS4VV02mSs_m89kNpp7y5fsulEWkwtcaTUFf6eyjRnZVY2KqSFI540Lyk3OSMydZus9Mv5OpUq2IS9tSW1bEpwnHyfrSE7y0tNF2IvA573PC4wbPNoEM_CpvkIl7K3IBKTkoB0Sv/s400/IMG_0794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-_o7mN2ZFia9nnjsUqqn_rqCg56gvUIkXfiLUL3rRHFUbBsiFr-SICIuvCbyASHc-2uIMdSsK1YmU20cN-CiribTUr02XQeTHULop8rNgi5piHEode2ObV9v_kWnCBZqOw1HCAXxurxr/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-_o7mN2ZFia9nnjsUqqn_rqCg56gvUIkXfiLUL3rRHFUbBsiFr-SICIuvCbyASHc-2uIMdSsK1YmU20cN-CiribTUr02XQeTHULop8rNgi5piHEode2ObV9v_kWnCBZqOw1HCAXxurxr/s400/IMG_0796.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the scenery was completely gorgeous. Cabo is famous for its rock formations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrDeWlZcmbbUaB64BPh0Sc2kREreZ0ClTiyUmuKJ6pcxmtKluc9SQRPLew0mkkVcNE2g0yHIH_TlBydnFf91wjE6UokbkFUkUaohgMzxeGNuisEiDri6bPVLYMp7PDGcemyRnLgE9tl5Z/s1600/IMG_1070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrDeWlZcmbbUaB64BPh0Sc2kREreZ0ClTiyUmuKJ6pcxmtKluc9SQRPLew0mkkVcNE2g0yHIH_TlBydnFf91wjE6UokbkFUkUaohgMzxeGNuisEiDri6bPVLYMp7PDGcemyRnLgE9tl5Z/s400/IMG_1070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We spent the first day in Cabo at a resort. The pool was FREEZING, so we spent the day laying in the sun or in the HAMMOCKS (win!), and eating lunch at the beachside buffet. (Also, FREE 5-minute massage. Excellent).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The resort:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2dKPJJDnrHLC9ozZSBFHyWOYug0iGgIrgPXfAyRLHkPVgRqF35Y-AXULFUsZbn95nvVKJZfqS3826wFTDv03DZDFGvErAChi-FVo1LIXfIVE2IaIitt9eTQZimmfsfWvlzXn_mWc7Yss/s1600/IMG_0803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2dKPJJDnrHLC9ozZSBFHyWOYug0iGgIrgPXfAyRLHkPVgRqF35Y-AXULFUsZbn95nvVKJZfqS3826wFTDv03DZDFGvErAChi-FVo1LIXfIVE2IaIitt9eTQZimmfsfWvlzXn_mWc7Yss/s320/IMG_0803.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">View from my hammock:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjVI-gAON4UhDA1jV6iUNhvp5gs12aAnBBh2wPReMz-6Li5onWKiz3ePK48yj18ShbnG3goR5qsA-yPuRqx_1HXahrMka7Sx6zufQg-cfThfo2K0f6epNbPPnSVLAfkzVvGn2wtlkd4HU/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjVI-gAON4UhDA1jV6iUNhvp5gs12aAnBBh2wPReMz-6Li5onWKiz3ePK48yj18ShbnG3goR5qsA-yPuRqx_1HXahrMka7Sx6zufQg-cfThfo2K0f6epNbPPnSVLAfkzVvGn2wtlkd4HU/s320/IMG_0809.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from the restaurant:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wYjiDVw1y4ZTWhoEQsAeBIwavgIeHN-RElXmiHqP-X6O1ngUgqvfu092SiYO9BhyL4n257MAoL0QEmdYdeObYqKuhDoSxhmF4uWEwap35gR_3EYybjhyqvhKtrglM8mo_0kE0-oeJ8Kn/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wYjiDVw1y4ZTWhoEQsAeBIwavgIeHN-RElXmiHqP-X6O1ngUgqvfu092SiYO9BhyL4n257MAoL0QEmdYdeObYqKuhDoSxhmF4uWEwap35gR_3EYybjhyqvhKtrglM8mo_0kE0-oeJ8Kn/s320/IMG_0829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lunch:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoumYWHSHlKP2Ihb-JdeDskWarP6MaMcqE3QUGXM_j2VDgWFSftWqWDzveJ1-h63jJd4cUOd-EHsYryJBJALLRa-ndq0bIgUl5ESTXwqeRas16XOPf03zlqVyXYtkQMsPXib_s0QXKto6/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoumYWHSHlKP2Ihb-JdeDskWarP6MaMcqE3QUGXM_j2VDgWFSftWqWDzveJ1-h63jJd4cUOd-EHsYryJBJALLRa-ndq0bIgUl5ESTXwqeRas16XOPf03zlqVyXYtkQMsPXib_s0QXKto6/s320/IMG_0832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The beach:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEmODvoONh_hLweXpRE_UalQOmc8MqQ_Nxdwpz1nhZL1CEODBxilDSI5bMUbMzXZLsh67do5WWEdE_3oZu0KLvGWWIfpLOQbM3Z0rnWNN-SmcscQpX8qU4zgvhIp0Y_SsgTg1rSwQWH5r/s1600/IMG_0837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEmODvoONh_hLweXpRE_UalQOmc8MqQ_Nxdwpz1nhZL1CEODBxilDSI5bMUbMzXZLsh67do5WWEdE_3oZu0KLvGWWIfpLOQbM3Z0rnWNN-SmcscQpX8qU4zgvhIp0Y_SsgTg1rSwQWH5r/s320/IMG_0837.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next day, I went horseback riding on the beach with Freya, while Hans went parasailing with Reinhard. To get to the ranch where the horses were, we had to ride a bus for an hour across the peninsula. It was kind of terrifying...we were driving through desert and half the road was made of dirt. And I don't mean like a normal dirt road, I mean like, this thing was apparently being constructed, so it was like red dirt + the scariness of construction zone driving. But eventually we made it. First we rode through some cactus-y area to get out to the beach, then we rode down and back up the beach and back to the ranch. It was fun, I just wish we could've gone faster :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaR2kGlRGLak5hNJB88Km_VDDPFNVCt-rDDbJzjx9ArRBSKITWN8M1k01BhrhaHIQuJeFpwCxyub4IWvuA_6NtLjyMPKyQ8JPu0JKgTbNTpTe4_1elSu3yz5y-0AamobsQdRnU9lfGzMlL/s1600/IMG_0858_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaR2kGlRGLak5hNJB88Km_VDDPFNVCt-rDDbJzjx9ArRBSKITWN8M1k01BhrhaHIQuJeFpwCxyub4IWvuA_6NtLjyMPKyQ8JPu0JKgTbNTpTe4_1elSu3yz5y-0AamobsQdRnU9lfGzMlL/s400/IMG_0858_2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5mnO9aYIuVcfAZtq9nGdHwG8-jVXaOm2aq7sJNTWs6A2hT51bpE1EoHoH48LefZZONhLpbFKHX52IrsSQeh3ei4u-mSx0TJYEOf5EfVH1BC9SSosWR5UDwwajvCVEMD8kiOr1Gwa2WiJ/s1600/IMG_0863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5mnO9aYIuVcfAZtq9nGdHwG8-jVXaOm2aq7sJNTWs6A2hT51bpE1EoHoH48LefZZONhLpbFKHX52IrsSQeh3ei4u-mSx0TJYEOf5EfVH1BC9SSosWR5UDwwajvCVEMD8kiOr1Gwa2WiJ/s320/IMG_0863.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY8kcDun5n8pUFFiUP_HoGdzG89Oq-vphWr8N-UHdasyqnKYsDutySryXKS9n06MZznADGpN85DC369hnHcGKyMqUbXybmJbZ0H03NOFkwqsVqiII83kvFolwLkbw-2U1OR-JNOEn0IYV/s1600/IMG_0886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY8kcDun5n8pUFFiUP_HoGdzG89Oq-vphWr8N-UHdasyqnKYsDutySryXKS9n06MZznADGpN85DC369hnHcGKyMqUbXybmJbZ0H03NOFkwqsVqiII83kvFolwLkbw-2U1OR-JNOEn0IYV/s400/IMG_0886.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZAJvymAvvlYSoOWLKQPG2M8YIJ9TFqTBhmG2NIMaxtpveToDBLHd915Hxji8Jn8ie7uLQxJy8YtdewRXTv5rN_DwiVrP2bDjmOMHUIvWhzuwcJtVWgzCAGjqzAPBS9O98OVtJkzTCB_7/s1600/IMG_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZAJvymAvvlYSoOWLKQPG2M8YIJ9TFqTBhmG2NIMaxtpveToDBLHd915Hxji8Jn8ie7uLQxJy8YtdewRXTv5rN_DwiVrP2bDjmOMHUIvWhzuwcJtVWgzCAGjqzAPBS9O98OVtJkzTCB_7/s320/IMG_0900.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that, we went back to the ship for lunch, then ventured back into town for some shopping! I found the Hard Rock Cafe, where I bought a city shirt (unfortunately, it looked exactly the same as the Nassau city shirt...part of the island tour collection I guess...oh well, such is the price of collecting...), and we also came across Johnny Rocket's (Dad's fave)! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQVjwzIDpqGToeJxzF6f4PrYZX9CKT4XrBlkHQ3nx6HcZq2UXECx0gwvrDQrB1_7Uz4TwBNISKRbY2H9jHPiJiVdScVow-Rn9mOEXM8ls1Or5-AnGHxe0WC_sBy6_TyLk0JL_iUnLbp56/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQVjwzIDpqGToeJxzF6f4PrYZX9CKT4XrBlkHQ3nx6HcZq2UXECx0gwvrDQrB1_7Uz4TwBNISKRbY2H9jHPiJiVdScVow-Rn9mOEXM8ls1Or5-AnGHxe0WC_sBy6_TyLk0JL_iUnLbp56/s320/IMG_1029.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, after a quick photoshoot on the beach (just a short walk through a slightly-scary military compound), and a half-hour wait in line to get back on the tender, we were back on the ship and leaving beautiful Cabo. (PS-check my <a href="http://kristinaileenphotography.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">photo blog</a> in a couple weeks for that photoshoot!)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next day, we landed in Puerta Vallarta. Our excursion here was to Las Caletas, a little strip of beach and jungle that included sea kayaking, free lunch and unlimited drinks, parrots, and monkeys! To get there, we took an hour-long boat ride, the purpose of which was to show us the BEAUTIFUL city. All the buildings were set on the mountains that rose RIGHT out of the ocean. It seriously was so cool to see.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGMZCuXebs7B9pGuNV_bs0cl_C5TDEef-kvqnaCVi1t3IrXEs_pT2XK43Pr5WpBe0L27nOWppg5cL69OyvkdLMxVBuJuyaKXWjT2qGolXT8yMLLA2_K58s0Y3p_YKrr_WJdJoNidpQlZ3/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGMZCuXebs7B9pGuNV_bs0cl_C5TDEef-kvqnaCVi1t3IrXEs_pT2XK43Pr5WpBe0L27nOWppg5cL69OyvkdLMxVBuJuyaKXWjT2qGolXT8yMLLA2_K58s0Y3p_YKrr_WJdJoNidpQlZ3/s320/IMG_1123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23LQGbCLLikYTHTxEN2vbdQJ1lUwbpWbI5dDAENlceUjkiL_N4dyhuLQTnvbVJtWjqouA-mXaxxfBQ5HAttgf4cjUfgWEZXZUNjoU5lYS9ot-W3eTmoycV6Sq4Y41qrf5l27gVnDQ5Yke/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23LQGbCLLikYTHTxEN2vbdQJ1lUwbpWbI5dDAENlceUjkiL_N4dyhuLQTnvbVJtWjqouA-mXaxxfBQ5HAttgf4cjUfgWEZXZUNjoU5lYS9ot-W3eTmoycV6Sq4Y41qrf5l27gVnDQ5Yke/s400/IMG_1124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic05TKT7yJ5XsvVcSUO_i_DcSlXFq7HQuxgP0rl9kLoknVmafZCM6xn4jtE-gVYMUj8B4yYPudLXlhEFh3fzD26kMugxCd6u2Lou9bV4GSzNabM8SHEX8vuZIavB41Le2lGX9f5jJ2rJQm/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic05TKT7yJ5XsvVcSUO_i_DcSlXFq7HQuxgP0rl9kLoknVmafZCM6xn4jtE-gVYMUj8B4yYPudLXlhEFh3fzD26kMugxCd6u2Lou9bV4GSzNabM8SHEX8vuZIavB41Le2lGX9f5jJ2rJQm/s320/IMG_1137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also passed through some more cool rock formations</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZV_8U9JPyBm7J1qor8Fny6mu4gtKCBZINkokBBrVxxF9NCpNhfxSbbNBNaA-OzlbQl2KoR6spljEYOmCWRYQOksPaGtdVRhkjgLetd5VrY4DJhyphenhyphenrwLef4ybIR44IrY1JwLutuGoVHm4y/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZV_8U9JPyBm7J1qor8Fny6mu4gtKCBZINkokBBrVxxF9NCpNhfxSbbNBNaA-OzlbQl2KoR6spljEYOmCWRYQOksPaGtdVRhkjgLetd5VrY4DJhyphenhyphenrwLef4ybIR44IrY1JwLutuGoVHm4y/s320/IMG_1164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIWTpHSgkF9_DHYOvOch_h_mP7r52ndLGf_aetxUNI74Tw2-BCNRQjL2hivZrbks2e0YFH9tVQk5z3mPdhBcq8FSfVqgfskFOZIFMc1ca_YVQnlZ1OJYRIepTde9NpdjLZGWH9kF0UxAo/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIWTpHSgkF9_DHYOvOch_h_mP7r52ndLGf_aetxUNI74Tw2-BCNRQjL2hivZrbks2e0YFH9tVQk5z3mPdhBcq8FSfVqgfskFOZIFMc1ca_YVQnlZ1OJYRIepTde9NpdjLZGWH9kF0UxAo/s320/IMG_1172.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we got to Las Caletas, we ate a delicious Mexican lunch, then checked out the animals. We actually got to hold the parrots and the cute monkeys!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRFHtvDIjW4lGOsPX5DxvdJ9JJvecusIzd108O9DCxsxDHFxOeJWOASdt5WtQPn3PYgbqGbdap4MXA8fFOBZN0COFS0q4fbJiLVDnLfzDzwzX2DfiSlmgSu1morL9mkyt7JIT7zlkpzi0/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRFHtvDIjW4lGOsPX5DxvdJ9JJvecusIzd108O9DCxsxDHFxOeJWOASdt5WtQPn3PYgbqGbdap4MXA8fFOBZN0COFS0q4fbJiLVDnLfzDzwzX2DfiSlmgSu1morL9mkyt7JIT7zlkpzi0/s320/IMG_1275.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IiaigIkWaR6COJdAe8eDsfwYW7WqrlOsmPEK0uVV6fDW71IMGJQEcMZ-9kmy5EFKdeEmRc99KF04zOZklvaK0pq8ylWBREBUlzTEAagHi1evgIrVUIZEDkSWHCxH8fOqiMotnwdHy95J/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IiaigIkWaR6COJdAe8eDsfwYW7WqrlOsmPEK0uVV6fDW71IMGJQEcMZ-9kmy5EFKdeEmRc99KF04zOZklvaK0pq8ylWBREBUlzTEAagHi1evgIrVUIZEDkSWHCxH8fOqiMotnwdHy95J/s320/IMG_1278.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hans even kissed the parrot! Ick!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-AQMfE7Mhnfi-G_eC5vHf6vT2pbXITokl8kZ3K8ttCyGJiAhNdtL8FJ3hDmtKKIesohAHFZ7ZefL_tXhyphenhyphenF4JYDujlPHLMNqxrHVtL9QdkVAC0K3gQWi7yN4WPZvZrK0SFA1ekNknBY4R/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-AQMfE7Mhnfi-G_eC5vHf6vT2pbXITokl8kZ3K8ttCyGJiAhNdtL8FJ3hDmtKKIesohAHFZ7ZefL_tXhyphenhyphenF4JYDujlPHLMNqxrHVtL9QdkVAC0K3gQWi7yN4WPZvZrK0SFA1ekNknBY4R/s320/IMG_1279.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that, we lazed on the beach, played in the water, went kayaking, explored the rainforest, and discovered about a million crabs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvgzQ7kG3PPRH5gk9GthL4BoiSH76gxDQ_3IpDT86Ky9_vCZxl0oW02J1arEqCHOTc7ZjyA6pcm3sOF-Tg-C95tijoQ_DUneYFeYMK3ZF9pvp1kvjN3oAzohIT9zYZftB74X2qqzaaqIT/s1600/IMG_1252_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvgzQ7kG3PPRH5gk9GthL4BoiSH76gxDQ_3IpDT86Ky9_vCZxl0oW02J1arEqCHOTc7ZjyA6pcm3sOF-Tg-C95tijoQ_DUneYFeYMK3ZF9pvp1kvjN3oAzohIT9zYZftB74X2qqzaaqIT/s200/IMG_1252_2.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusH8ddOFGNwMOdpQFR8tf18U5VyRsxLDYXKlV4n8a9CVBl9rvSMMhlsACmKrw4JFUHskz6UjMkeI5uOXhkIhC86ThLL1MpGIcPSgUyrpmB4eIZqX-shYdaLpr0I9i_AwCySVx_6zMoZlj/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusH8ddOFGNwMOdpQFR8tf18U5VyRsxLDYXKlV4n8a9CVBl9rvSMMhlsACmKrw4JFUHskz6UjMkeI5uOXhkIhC86ThLL1MpGIcPSgUyrpmB4eIZqX-shYdaLpr0I9i_AwCySVx_6zMoZlj/s200/IMG_1297.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99BQI1qZLek8elcE-dPCKKubX1AWWl8yLM8iU5GFCMuN5mrk1j7c5zQCRxeu254zGL7es1X9Csxlb6HXyy751dNtOn6ganpI-gh6LYSDkbaWR5b0OfjqibTN2lz8tCwceJjuaMcoMKIMk/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99BQI1qZLek8elcE-dPCKKubX1AWWl8yLM8iU5GFCMuN5mrk1j7c5zQCRxeu254zGL7es1X9Csxlb6HXyy751dNtOn6ganpI-gh6LYSDkbaWR5b0OfjqibTN2lz8tCwceJjuaMcoMKIMk/s320/IMG_1304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, on the way back to the ship, our crazy boat crew performed a Grease medley and a Queen medley, complete with costumes. Very entertaining, if I do say so myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grease:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAetmnBnM1_3wWoghOGLOpBzLeYJs_nQwLcSI9tf3epJTcpHcRu357aOo-2QWAHLl2b-Fk-6-KybzFuNw-YbpGHgot72mLPehvxyU62lx1QiwIpz6Lk7anqmZugLUeXjydpZ769oF6vQlO/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAetmnBnM1_3wWoghOGLOpBzLeYJs_nQwLcSI9tf3epJTcpHcRu357aOo-2QWAHLl2b-Fk-6-KybzFuNw-YbpGHgot72mLPehvxyU62lx1QiwIpz6Lk7anqmZugLUeXjydpZ769oF6vQlO/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Queen:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-eUdcs_cBYOHjr3q2uRlXW0D5BWjhfT_Ooyd7ORZb86xp3juB0m7yvQDaPmmQ_Xu2RY-zUzS0Ced1GLo_U-B22OH5fxCTUa2WWvGQfkbhf6Vz-B0ZsS115Or0LPXJ-4-DpQh0fz0OFqp/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-eUdcs_cBYOHjr3q2uRlXW0D5BWjhfT_Ooyd7ORZb86xp3juB0m7yvQDaPmmQ_Xu2RY-zUzS0Ced1GLo_U-B22OH5fxCTUa2WWvGQfkbhf6Vz-B0ZsS115Or0LPXJ-4-DpQh0fz0OFqp/s320/IMG_1396.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our last port was Manzanillo. We were supposed to stop in Mazatlan instead, but apparently tourists were being beheaded or something like that.....yeah.....so instead we went to Manzanillo! Which, might I say, is kind of a trash hole. Or, as the next night's comedian put it, "That was some raggedy sh**." Luckily, we got to go to another resort. And this one was seriously amazing. It was like a tropical paradise next to a beach, with as much free food and drink as we wanted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hans jumping into the pool:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7zeT9SIqFXxYXS-3oDU6m3HJ6esSBQ5x4wQk226mBn-3FhnEEjiZ9Xr_IJ_LJzaw9DtmVb6l2OLiGzAnsQvqMkAEvNKubL2hLq20K3n4PrejnF-MvTgW6uXkvo-rCPdxPv3K9IAl_zD7/s1600/IMG_1448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7zeT9SIqFXxYXS-3oDU6m3HJ6esSBQ5x4wQk226mBn-3FhnEEjiZ9Xr_IJ_LJzaw9DtmVb6l2OLiGzAnsQvqMkAEvNKubL2hLq20K3n4PrejnF-MvTgW6uXkvo-rCPdxPv3K9IAl_zD7/s320/IMG_1448.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the beach:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9o7p2dHRSsTxKKhP598cytJdUFivM2mc54Dh0_aNZ0KppG8ZfjxZQfn79xb_POGi4xfPfpc-BD_Z5lEagxMF4Qqu7FaUbLp1HGxJWUTZa4GB-FtdfkUgLDoOBP3ByGLmovGSO8obzP-/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL9o7p2dHRSsTxKKhP598cytJdUFivM2mc54Dh0_aNZ0KppG8ZfjxZQfn79xb_POGi4xfPfpc-BD_Z5lEagxMF4Qqu7FaUbLp1HGxJWUTZa4GB-FtdfkUgLDoOBP3ByGLmovGSO8obzP-/s320/IMG_1449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beach Beds!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvcO2qn7qArCq3d_3JG87-W4EKKSTCLKDba9MO0_jbJi4zAGe-k5yTYNDDw8Qhi30mdldWaHZm5xIYwX9mDZ2ABICp0s-psICGLsjT0gsF5VCY9S_hJ76aAH9e1DmVXJ7rZB6UEAzHWz1/s1600/IMG_1451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvcO2qn7qArCq3d_3JG87-W4EKKSTCLKDba9MO0_jbJi4zAGe-k5yTYNDDw8Qhi30mdldWaHZm5xIYwX9mDZ2ABICp0s-psICGLsjT0gsF5VCY9S_hJ76aAH9e1DmVXJ7rZB6UEAzHWz1/s320/IMG_1451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Part of) the pool area:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fz0sKylJEusql8IFLPYLk86WfpZ2XgXDLI2l-NxWWbCZsL9eW1OB-f3YV1dvxMkmMZJe9hnKa4a1FkQKYaf8y0RFHpgu3JNjS62pEbTVZtg25rr6vv_J9KtWySHRLN6KKUncZxg5bc2k/s1600/IMG_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fz0sKylJEusql8IFLPYLk86WfpZ2XgXDLI2l-NxWWbCZsL9eW1OB-f3YV1dvxMkmMZJe9hnKa4a1FkQKYaf8y0RFHpgu3JNjS62pEbTVZtg25rr6vv_J9KtWySHRLN6KKUncZxg5bc2k/s320/IMG_1457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from the bar:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DXnfDEzSEtCg75UfRDV0HJB6DWeWRFAmVhArXI71PAyr12FMQiUFzSMe_W0IS2neW3cnietXsSwU_OW70WEqiC4WugmHNZX_4LGbVlCwdjduGo8yQA2mDniCQtS-ocn0fQ4x5NYNSsH1/s1600/IMG_1463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DXnfDEzSEtCg75UfRDV0HJB6DWeWRFAmVhArXI71PAyr12FMQiUFzSMe_W0IS2neW3cnietXsSwU_OW70WEqiC4WugmHNZX_4LGbVlCwdjduGo8yQA2mDniCQtS-ocn0fQ4x5NYNSsH1/s320/IMG_1463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inside the (very ritzy) Aztec (or Mayan?)-themed hotel:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHMcF-9T22rfn-1QF-3A-4640TsX8-Ex8T_dwtPWZpbijNnC12Rfv8A3ZYWv_lkqszYvBOsUUDk59LigT_rm7T9CNtpRQg5G5eumquxtzC9agRxMWUwKPvxVuwi-oIgPGkcH_WjLJuOmy/s1600/IMG_1464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHMcF-9T22rfn-1QF-3A-4640TsX8-Ex8T_dwtPWZpbijNnC12Rfv8A3ZYWv_lkqszYvBOsUUDk59LigT_rm7T9CNtpRQg5G5eumquxtzC9agRxMWUwKPvxVuwi-oIgPGkcH_WjLJuOmy/s320/IMG_1464.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we left Manzanillo, it was a two-day sea voyage home, with not much in the way of events, except for Thanksgiving dinner with the whole fam...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNqQv4gqOsExXqUMB610pP0qjFTdER8KeC9iX474hbjzr2-DHO17M0sTKOU6jUCSRiycbPpiwhpzqpOfyTBYWFZLblhIkoex05F5Q-Fp0Isgsc6SVG_QamsFhxEI-wRAPi7M9FhsZsGxN/s1600/IMG_1467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNqQv4gqOsExXqUMB610pP0qjFTdER8KeC9iX474hbjzr2-DHO17M0sTKOU6jUCSRiycbPpiwhpzqpOfyTBYWFZLblhIkoex05F5Q-Fp0Isgsc6SVG_QamsFhxEI-wRAPi7M9FhsZsGxN/s320/IMG_1467.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIRI_lB-bLSXEs9lSlxOKtDrLemNxr4Fokk-etWjcJSu3PKxGzo2vrPR4NKlHTwfxMEC71vH0wl6u4gPUX0ktPd_gFiBXdKo8azc3sETgedWbmg1wvNrDc1sPpy6RN5Ktac1yz9vYhu9l/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIRI_lB-bLSXEs9lSlxOKtDrLemNxr4Fokk-etWjcJSu3PKxGzo2vrPR4NKlHTwfxMEC71vH0wl6u4gPUX0ktPd_gFiBXdKo8azc3sETgedWbmg1wvNrDc1sPpy6RN5Ktac1yz9vYhu9l/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...western family photos (the real one of which I don't have because you had to buy it)...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSi0RO716Pd8AcOIO7AHh4MlLKjPlWwyY_z7xzlBSC8vl5AN93wbcp-9NolPxiPW24dAugezdCzmbpz9vLw2SZ2MxgIRZ5OjLQ2ekKvoHnzmJvC5-IPnpDghItUO_pvQKRA46kqjSyeCUT/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSi0RO716Pd8AcOIO7AHh4MlLKjPlWwyY_z7xzlBSC8vl5AN93wbcp-9NolPxiPW24dAugezdCzmbpz9vLw2SZ2MxgIRZ5OjLQ2ekKvoHnzmJvC5-IPnpDghItUO_pvQKRA46kqjSyeCUT/s320/IMG_1473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...trying some frogs' legs (not terrible, but not something I would order again...they just tasted like tough fish)...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilanJeF6l2Nj-TMM3qAQql3d26n6gX8bmhPzteTViDeYKOkFjd3reARabkAU2kiGkD67tmY7xwBxXqK5Yf-FQQLPYCDvlHwVXr3f8Vsvc7JxgxFucV_8_mfM8g3IhnjhCedZi-P4yImWsy/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilanJeF6l2Nj-TMM3qAQql3d26n6gX8bmhPzteTViDeYKOkFjd3reARabkAU2kiGkD67tmY7xwBxXqK5Yf-FQQLPYCDvlHwVXr3f8Vsvc7JxgxFucV_8_mfM8g3IhnjhCedZi-P4yImWsy/s320/IMG_1528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...and watching sunsets...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xdXbUexvAX9DsacJBdNmORqfvGQIKVXHHVrC7_YNegVmlMbZtLbJC11vjyPxWfbpSjMnHbaQ3_GkDzoaJKwnC952UeK5GOts6lb_DB9vEIrLa4jAfGWQjg1RmE8LFpwLT77w5xvM7dZK/s1600/IMG_1492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xdXbUexvAX9DsacJBdNmORqfvGQIKVXHHVrC7_YNegVmlMbZtLbJC11vjyPxWfbpSjMnHbaQ3_GkDzoaJKwnC952UeK5GOts6lb_DB9vEIrLa4jAfGWQjg1RmE8LFpwLT77w5xvM7dZK/s320/IMG_1492.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we got back into San Pedro, it was just a quick 11-hour (?!? I don't know where those 2 extra hours came from...) drive back to Orem, where we were greeted by dead trees, frigidly cold air, and a very fat, very happy cat :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjjNPVhjyjxsSkcGQNZOzmrL8Sg9e7Y6YlTM60F4C9Bq0K4k3CECBa359BIH45ksYhpBreflYRycToTuK2KmoZbJTcD3ubp61AvH4gWKcW5OEP2I0sBSmcg8nA-Sdson9hEXOfna9XmHB/s1600/IMG_1555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjjNPVhjyjxsSkcGQNZOzmrL8Sg9e7Y6YlTM60F4C9Bq0K4k3CECBa359BIH45ksYhpBreflYRycToTuK2KmoZbJTcD3ubp61AvH4gWKcW5OEP2I0sBSmcg8nA-Sdson9hEXOfna9XmHB/s320/IMG_1555.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Vacational success? Most definitely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~~I know this post was very long...but I hope you enjoyed it anyway :) ~~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~~For more/better pictures, see my facebook~~</div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-54957478844187119052011-11-12T00:22:00.000-07:002011-11-12T00:22:35.622-07:00My hubby the champion!So for those of you who don't know, Hans has been participating in a tackle football league for the past year or so. Well, he'd had some rough luck with a couple of his previous teams, but this season he was able to get on to the new UVU-sponsored team with a bunch of other guys who were actually pretty good at football...and guess what? They went undefeated and won the championship! Woohoo!! Anyways, I think that's pretty cool. My husband, the UTFL world champion! Or something like that ;)<br />
<br />
Here are some photos for your enjoyment. Don't mind the mustache, Hans just grew it for the championship. Some kind of football fashion statement. I couldn't explain it to you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL68aBFI6hUXHVe-LVYz4K79p4U0OvcUpFPG3K7jGNIFRKb49rPTHv7IeONP8InQLqcd_dxeGQZySZyEQ2p5OYloZSD-axX_-uHqz38tf7Sw9BZC_n25YLynsq9L2jUjZExqimt-xPuVg/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL68aBFI6hUXHVe-LVYz4K79p4U0OvcUpFPG3K7jGNIFRKb49rPTHv7IeONP8InQLqcd_dxeGQZySZyEQ2p5OYloZSD-axX_-uHqz38tf7Sw9BZC_n25YLynsq9L2jUjZExqimt-xPuVg/s400/IMG_0625.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM_L0b09t5IYM3K1zsyILBXYKCEQCC4vA-tt3T-38czcpFUpgdcQxfPXwvyt5ndf4xH6BzOdUwOPcp0-cPUNNvo-r8q8DNwyUvRqFqQJKC9EZAj_bpHSRCEABnfJDzHD4Uc8i5vcjwKXZ/s1600/IMG_0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM_L0b09t5IYM3K1zsyILBXYKCEQCC4vA-tt3T-38czcpFUpgdcQxfPXwvyt5ndf4xH6BzOdUwOPcp0-cPUNNvo-r8q8DNwyUvRqFqQJKC9EZAj_bpHSRCEABnfJDzHD4Uc8i5vcjwKXZ/s400/IMG_0634.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquVmY3gPfz7vPM1Aqz2ulibwE6ewVZq60zim6Sn8vWcyH6UuyjJpLHsyfGw2XLaNJFPU6tkbW5BJXoEz-KQSOB_H1mrcRvGLo1wVBgV__G-XUyHPn4ZvNXfepgikmjWlxmd0dHhnGXNJm/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquVmY3gPfz7vPM1Aqz2ulibwE6ewVZq60zim6Sn8vWcyH6UuyjJpLHsyfGw2XLaNJFPU6tkbW5BJXoEz-KQSOB_H1mrcRvGLo1wVBgV__G-XUyHPn4ZvNXfepgikmjWlxmd0dHhnGXNJm/s400/IMG_0636.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF0ajMca_ti43F3epWyJ8JQypbqs7VAmgj05TDhkKxlK1cErCoHbfXWvXOE0WW10zwdJoRzTxTUvHvUfNfqWk7OgbWJcAl7bS-XmKHHsNff-q6QpSUriHIDD0PvtLdcWHTlwXPri0kzs8/s1600/IMG_0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF0ajMca_ti43F3epWyJ8JQypbqs7VAmgj05TDhkKxlK1cErCoHbfXWvXOE0WW10zwdJoRzTxTUvHvUfNfqWk7OgbWJcAl7bS-XmKHHsNff-q6QpSUriHIDD0PvtLdcWHTlwXPri0kzs8/s400/IMG_0637.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-76425736974388919912011-10-06T11:58:00.000-06:002011-10-06T11:58:54.580-06:00It's a slippery slope... {pun intended}...let's just consider this a continuation of my previous post.<br />
<br />
So I was on my way to work this morning...it was pretty dreary and grey with maybe a light drizzle...not surprising since it rained all day yesterday. Anyways, as I drove off the highway into American Fork, it started to rain just slightly harder. Then, through my rain-spotted windshield, something pulled my attention momentarily away from the road. But it couldn't be, so I dismissed it.<br />
And yet, there it was again.<br />
<br />
A snowflake.<br />
<br />
{Insert swears}<br />
<br />
THIS IS WHY I WANTED SUMMER BACK!!<br />
<br />
Because snow is NOT acceptable until January--MAYBE December.<br />
<br />
Because, as lovely as fall is in THEORY, it doesn't exist in Utah! Fall is just a gross mixture of a few beautiful fall days and a bunch of nasty, slushy, snowy messes. As soon as summer is over, winter thinks it can take over. And I haaaaaate winter. Because there is nothing good about cold and because snow, as pretty as it seems, is only pretty until you have to go somewhere, and then it is an extreme nuisance.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my husband, like so many other men, enjoys the colder months. So there's probably no chance I could convince him to live in Arizona. Sigh.<br />
<br />
I miss you, summer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcTf3y-moEv-3m1Er-0QVMrcDWP-gAfivjRRIz3sMm6MGYxL98pO-0FpIaNQagJfEMI0wk7UKLxxZrwX3UjuL-BPb5XJQtdO-XYGKaVa-TlDTr-NyA1z3u9lPoZyAIjxK-wv8srdwVZkC/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcTf3y-moEv-3m1Er-0QVMrcDWP-gAfivjRRIz3sMm6MGYxL98pO-0FpIaNQagJfEMI0wk7UKLxxZrwX3UjuL-BPb5XJQtdO-XYGKaVa-TlDTr-NyA1z3u9lPoZyAIjxK-wv8srdwVZkC/s400/IMG_9941.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-75282738862946486132011-09-25T20:58:00.000-06:002011-09-25T20:58:59.070-06:00Come back, summer!K seriously, where the heck did summer go? One day, I was enjoy the warm sun and pretty smells of my favorite season, and suddenly, it all disappeared in the fastest September I've ever experienced. Now it actually gets chilly at night, and it'll be OCTOBER this week. That's not okay, because sometimes it snows here in October. And it can't snow, because it's still supposed to be summer!<br />
<br />
Right?<br />
<br />
Okay but for reals, can somebody please tell me why summer came and went so quickly? Because I swear we like just barely got done with winter, and I am so not ready for another one.<br />
<br />
I guess I'll just have to move toooo....Hawaii? Yeah, Hawaii sounds good. In the meantime, though, summer, I would appreciate it if you would come back and stay for another 5 or 6 months.<br />
<br />
Thanks.Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-51901629742938515272011-09-15T21:50:00.000-06:002011-09-15T21:50:06.709-06:00Bunny Breakthrough!So, for those of you who know about my bunny, Luna, you'll know that she had previously earned herself a reputation for being evil, along with the nickname "Bunnicula." Well, in a bizarre turn of events, Miss Luna has now become the good pet! I'd noticed her becoming more docile since I got Scout, probably because I didn't try and take her out of her cage and play with her as much, seeing as kittens demand much more attention than bunnies. Luna also has gotten into the habit of coming up to the side of her cage to greet me when I walk past, and she lets me give her a little scratch on the head, something I trained her to do by giving her treats. She also will occasionally let me reach my hand into her cage (aka her safe zone, where you usually would NOT want to mess with her) and pet her. However, up until tonight, whenever she was out of her cage, she would frantically run away every time I walked up to pet her or pick her up. BUT! Tonight, as she was scampering around, having a cat-free blast (Scout was safely locked away in the bathroom so she wouldn't harass Luna), I cautiously approched her and reached out my hand. She sniffed at it for a second and then just sat there, so I reached out and gave her a little head scratch, and....TA DA!! She stayed put! She waited until I was done, and then scooted away to continue her exploring. I know that to most of you, this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but I honestly can't tell you how disappointed I was when my adorable, soft, precious little new bunny wanted nothing to do with me and would frequently let me know that by grunting and trying to bite me. So for me, the fact that we're friends now is very exciting :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtkwoj16pP3GTvflbhDCDa0bhvJXRzeHBQZY3TJRBWiE9eUD5J4UBVfqt0c28-ajKYltb2AYZ9dxHmnkZNzr4S2-IHXYm8NLYza4utH886VsgezEktVlrX-1RcRCF5O7s9_7LSBxLqZCL/s1600/IMG_9262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtkwoj16pP3GTvflbhDCDa0bhvJXRzeHBQZY3TJRBWiE9eUD5J4UBVfqt0c28-ajKYltb2AYZ9dxHmnkZNzr4S2-IHXYm8NLYza4utH886VsgezEktVlrX-1RcRCF5O7s9_7LSBxLqZCL/s400/IMG_9262.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829727879838078407.post-21872573576780297102011-09-01T22:09:00.001-06:002011-12-21T00:02:59.059-07:00Little CatSo for those of you who don't know, I am the owner of the world's weirdest cat. Seriously. She's super cute, but she is the definition of a psycho. Some of her hobbies include licking anyone who sits too close; running frantically around the house; attacking the bunny, people's hands, plastic grocery bags, her tail, and anything that's not nailed down; sucking on fluffy blankets; and pulling herself around on the carpet by laying on her back and dragging her body up by her front paws. She's pretty sure she owns the house. No amount of sprays in the face will stop her from doing something she wants to do, and she eats more than Hans does, which is saying something. But still, she's my little love cat. I love that she's here to keep me company when Hans isn't (because let's be honest, although my bunny is cute and fluffy and soft, she DOES NOT like to cuddle...but she does seem happier and more well adjusted now...if only by a slight degree).<br />
Anyways, I feel like I've kind of gotten a glimpse of what it's like to see your child grow up. I know, I know, all you mothers out there are scoffing at me..."It's a kitten, not a child. What does she know?" I KNOW she's not a child. Don't worry. But just seeing how big she's gotten in four months is crazy...I miss my tiny little kitten that followed me around everywhere. Now I have an almost-grown cat that whines when I leave but then doesn't like to cuddle with me unless it's on her schedule.<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here she is at about 5 or 6 weeks, when she fit in my hand:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F4b4uRalptmTpCctqtII3Oz4V7jemp-U10YxTzxVThxoKw7qQ29RmT6Sd8Jv88vwBAIWjYghErtgjwHjdSCtFOtHHBIpB-duhYsmLigkM_mG5JGWR1XTLJMyMlY7fMXafFTSIsiCgDKz/s1600/IMG_9648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F4b4uRalptmTpCctqtII3Oz4V7jemp-U10YxTzxVThxoKw7qQ29RmT6Sd8Jv88vwBAIWjYghErtgjwHjdSCtFOtHHBIpB-duhYsmLigkM_mG5JGWR1XTLJMyMlY7fMXafFTSIsiCgDKz/s400/IMG_9648.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIW47xVIPbbsFtLhXasBju50F45KD_-idaVDZDSSx7TvCXyGzHn-dmgz9CH0lVrQGFn9IIUKRO03O48XDcqGvD73EWBiqi5QWsDVk2j3PimCU0V-pMMebypLQwiG6xuQz4PD0vNfjmDsf/s1600/IMG_9666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIW47xVIPbbsFtLhXasBju50F45KD_-idaVDZDSSx7TvCXyGzHn-dmgz9CH0lVrQGFn9IIUKRO03O48XDcqGvD73EWBiqi5QWsDVk2j3PimCU0V-pMMebypLQwiG6xuQz4PD0vNfjmDsf/s400/IMG_9666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">And here she is now. She's longer than my forearm:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevJMh5Veu4Ou7wFl0m4a-KIB8EaiSEY039yrcVSflF0UUYgfmPDhDTjokxApLAAxe9vrL0Uvs7ilcuM7WaDxOytW1DORXAQ1n8XQLamkAC9syeCS6t0dSlVCednidp_qirUYt9s4gjN7G/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevJMh5Veu4Ou7wFl0m4a-KIB8EaiSEY039yrcVSflF0UUYgfmPDhDTjokxApLAAxe9vrL0Uvs7ilcuM7WaDxOytW1DORXAQ1n8XQLamkAC9syeCS6t0dSlVCednidp_qirUYt9s4gjN7G/s400/IMG_0461.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAgAh4wIGIS3ne-HUqUzXtZCrovqf87d3i01hXtLRfjshD3Azo84T_h69oYXYbsZgccE8tTmI2X7b6vuWclilaKwFPMnvxR26DHNAFSIsklo8G4kOuBwgfHpM_wAoYkk2BJWTGzzOJneC/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAgAh4wIGIS3ne-HUqUzXtZCrovqf87d3i01hXtLRfjshD3Azo84T_h69oYXYbsZgccE8tTmI2X7b6vuWclilaKwFPMnvxR26DHNAFSIsklo8G4kOuBwgfHpM_wAoYkk2BJWTGzzOJneC/s400/IMG_0458.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
So now I'll end with a cute story that Hans is going to kill me for. So Hans was pretty anti-cat...it took a lot of convincing to get him to let me get her. Once we had her, he had to admit that she was cute...but still maintained that he would hate her once she wasn't a tiny babe. However, as time went on, Hans continued to prove that he couldn't resist her adorableness. One night, we were watching a movie, and the three of us were cuddling on the couch, with Scout on my chest, and Hans leans over and totally kisses Scout on the head. SO CUTE! I loved it. It was adorable. Anyways, that's all for now!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Hans <3 Scout</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DXACzd-SmBv2oQ83gxyqegTyuK2R2_vmf7Q3KlQ4d35gfiO4tj8vl2frC3Y202OPgG2AIIbnlrEPtvW56tVUe5QtZUx9FnhsM_xP07xJPl_BLtuu3VNCTqiBPm9fJ0-kB3Bc_uq5HERU/s1600/IMG_9687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DXACzd-SmBv2oQ83gxyqegTyuK2R2_vmf7Q3KlQ4d35gfiO4tj8vl2frC3Y202OPgG2AIIbnlrEPtvW56tVUe5QtZUx9FnhsM_xP07xJPl_BLtuu3VNCTqiBPm9fJ0-kB3Bc_uq5HERU/s400/IMG_9687.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01766760938733228090noreply@blogger.com3