Day Four of Our Trip...

I know it's taken me forever to finish posting on our trip. I took SO many pictures and video, it's hard to narrow them down. I wanted to warn you that this post is lengthy...yet fun all around:o)

Saturday, we woke up and we were in COZUMEL, MEXICO! This is what we saw when we got off the ship.

Here's the dinky Carnival Ship next to our beast of a boat...and here's Bryce & Whitney.

After we got everyone together, we took taxis to the dock...and boarded onto a ferry boat. The ferry took us to the mainland.

When we arrived, we were able to look around at the shops. Randy found some cool masks and decided to pose for us all!

Then, we took vans over to Xel Ha. It was "all-inclusive...and was so great!

Before enjoying all the activities at Xel Ha, we decided to eat at the YUMMIEST Mexican restaurant there. Here's the Conklins, Christophersons and us eating some dang good food. My personal favorite...loading everything I could on some corn tortillas for the greatest taco experience ever! It really was THAT good!

Here's Collin, Jerry, and Randy in all their glory:)


After eating we headed out. We went snorkling and saw some amazing fish and sting reys. This lame guy that worked there wanted to take a picture of the Christophersons and us. None of us had life vests on, and he wanted us to "move closer together". Anyways, long story short, Raelene and I kept kicking eachother with our fins and almost drowned because we were laughing SO hard! Then, after almost drowning, he asks if he can take another picture! Hello! He wouldn't leave, so we yelled at him to "take the stinking picture". It was hilarious! After we were done, we went cliff jumping. I was so freaked out to go, but ended up going once. About halfway down, I wondered what the heck I had just done! I also had a wonderful bathing suit malfunction...that was fun:) After jumping in from the cliff, we swam over to a rope "bridge"... there's one rope up high that you hold onto, and one that you walk on... It was seriously so funny! I really wish I had pictures of this...but knew my camera would get wet. While walking around, we saw LOTS of iguanas!!! Two of them actually ran right for us!

This is the part of Xel Ha where we went snorkling. It was beautiful!


Here's a picture of Damon and me back on Cozumel. We were able to go shopping for a bit, and had a near-death experience with one of the taxi drivers! He was going FULL SPEED towards a pedestrian, then slams on his breaks nearly hitting this man...then started laughing like it was the funniest thing! I have to admit, we thought we were going to die...but when he started laughing...we felt a sigh of relief and laughed with him.


Look at this spectacular sunset!

Then, we headed back to the ship.


That night at dinner it was Rhett's turn to be surprised with birthday wishes from all the crew...and from us!


This made me laugh...this waiter is using the butter lids as "symbols" when singing to Rhett!

Later on we all went to a show. I think it was just nice to sit. Here's the Smiths, Emmetts, Conklins, Christophersons, Collin and Randy at the show.

And...we couldn't skip out on karaoke...now could we??? Here's Dave and Randy.

Michelle and Cary...

Collin and Kirk...

This picture made me laugh! There were a bunch of girl singing and they invited Bryce to go up there with them. He's totally dancing with all of them, and Whitney is sitting on the side hysterically laughing!


We had such a great time! I just need to figure out a way to edit my videos...then I'll post them! Thanks everyone for a most memorable day!!!

A Little...About Damon...

I have been tagged a lot recently. I thought this one would be fun... It's a list of questions that I had to ask Damon. This is how our conversation went down...

Me: What is your full name?
Him: Damon

Me: How long have we been married?
Him: 8 ½ years…almost 9.

Me: What's your dream job?
Him: Full time investor
Me: I thought you’d say some kind of sports figure
Him: Well, yeah…um…No.

Me: What's your dream car?
Him: Audi RS4

Me: What's your claim to fame? ...Being seen on cops??? (If you know Damon very well, you'll understand why I made that comment).
Him: No. (He laughs) I can’t think of anything. Oh, sitting with the General Authorities and their wives in the MTC at a devotional.

Me: What do you like to do?
Him: Spend time with my wife and kids.

Me: What's your biggest fear?
Him: (Seriously thinking this through) Um...Uh...Hmmmm...Getting lost in the middle of the forest…I don’t know!
Me: (laughing)…In the middle of a FOREST??? I thought you'd say 'Getting lost in the middle of downtown Los Angeles!' You didn’t even say 'in the forest... at NIGHT!'
Him: I mean, at night (trying to be soooo tough!)

Me: What animal describes you?
Him: This is definitely a dumb question! (5 minutes seriously passed…) I don't know...A tiger because that was the animal for the Chinese New Year the year I was born.
Me: (staring at him) That’s NOT why you’re most like a tiger!

Me: If you could live in any era which one would it be?
Him: During Christ’s ministry

Me: What's a goal for 2008?
Him: That’s a broad question! Have our business off the ground and making money, worry less and have more fun.

Me: What your guiltiest pleasure?
Him: Anything with chocolate, coconut and almonds.
Me: So, basically an almond Joy?
Him: Yes.

Me: What do you love about me?
Him: You put up with my crap.
Me: (complete silence)………..................Is that it?
Him: And…you treat me like a king.
Me: You are so lying through your teeth!
Him: And…your sense of humor! And…of course your hair and (laughing) your butt…or you could say, your back-side.

He was so funny with this "interview"! Hopefully you found out a little more about my husband and weren't offended by his last comment:o) If you want to play along...I tag you!

Blogging Slacker?!

Well, I have been a blogging slacker...if you haven't noticed:o) Sorry! We have just been busy with my sister Blythe, her family, and my dad. We had fun at Kangaroo Zoo and just hangin out.

It was great! This was the first time I let all the kids fend for themselves! Aside from Colton bringing us games and toys from the counter, it was very "relaxing". So...

Blythe and I decided to take pictures of ourselves. I don't know why I like doing this, but it's pretty humerous! In this one we had to make a funny face, and as many double chins as we could. I'm lookin pretty scary, but it was so funny!

Here's little Kendyl. This was the first time I was able to see her, and she is a cutie!

And...a cute picture of Peyton. My sister has the rest of the pictures on her camera, so I'll have to post one of cute little Terryn later. What a fun time! Thanks for visiting!

Cozumel Karaoke...day three of our trip...

Ok...I finally had the Geek Squad come over and fix our computer. So, here is Collin entertaining us all on our trip to Cozumel. Elizabeth...you really missed out;o) It was hilarious! Enjoy!

Day Three of Our Trip...

So, on Friday we woke up at about 10:30. We missed breakfast by the time we got out the door, so decided to go lay in the sun. After awhile, we met up with the Christophersons and Conklins for lunch at Johnny Rockets, then enjoyed the sun a little more.

That night was "formal" night at dinner. It was fun getting dressed up! We decided we wanted to be "cool" so we ordered the 3 NON-alcoholic wines they offered. I cannot express to you how incredibly NASTY they were! Such a waste of money! It was funny though because Randy sent

the rest of the "wine" to Collin in a gobblet, and had the waitress tell Collin it was from the gay

guys sitting at the table behind us. SO HILARIOUS!!!

At dinner, someone told the head waiter that it was my birthday. Yeah...my birthday was in December...but it was really funny hearing all the waiters, from different countries, singing "Happy Birthday"! The best is at the end when someone said that I just turned 24 and have "never been kissed". The waiter's voice got super squeaky and he was asking for someone to kiss me! How funny!

Here's all of us on the staircase in the dining room on the ship.

I took this picture of Jason, Josh and Damon from this angle to make their muscles look even more massive then they already are;o) Isn't Damon a HUNK???

After dinner, we headed over to the karaoke lounge. It was a BLAST! Amelia Emmett, Michelle and Dave Smith, and Collin Kartchner all sang and it was very entertaining!

After karaoke, we played "Battle of the Sexes". Randy had the greatest BARK ever! The boys won because of their cheating nature...but we all had a great time! Then, we headed back over to "The Dungeon" and danced to our heart's content...again until about 2am! What a great day!

*For some reason, our computer won't allow me to upload any more video. As soon as I figure out the problem, I'll post clips from our karaoke nights...so check back:o)

Day Two Of Our Trip...

Day two of our vacation was probably the longest day I remember having...EVER! It was super fun, don't get me wrong! The day started really early, and I don't think we stopped going the entire day!

We checked out of the Hilton, had breakfast, and met as a group in the lobby. We took a bus ride to the "Everglades Holiday Park".

We went on airboats through the Everglades...

And saw 4 crocodiles. (Yes...this is a real picture...of a real croc...and it was really THAT close to us!)

For some reason I thought we'd be a little higher off the water than we were. When that first croc swam right up next to the boat, I screamed and almost knocked some people over (sorry Raelene!). It freaked me out! The Everglades are really pretty!

We saw iguanas and vultures! Our driver was very interesting. We'll just leave it at that! After the airboat ride, Damon and I were able to hold a baby crocodile.

Then, we took another bus ride over to the ship. Did the whole passport/paperwork thing and had a lifevest drill...thanks Jason L & Liz for making that more interesting;o)...By the way, this picture is on here solely for entertainment!

and went mini golfing on the ship with the Emmetts.

It was great at dinner because we all sat in the same section in the dining room...all 48 of us! During dinner, the ship started to move and we were finally sailing towards Cozumel! We shared a table with the Christophersons and the Conklins.

Let me tell you...the steak was awesome! You know what else is awesome??? Not cooking, cleaning, or making a bed for a whole week!

Later that night, we roamed around the ship...and decided to have a game night. It was Collin K, the Smiths, Emmetts, Christophersons, Conklins and us Casabars playing BS...and we all had a lot of fun!

Then we headed off to the club and danced to our heart's desire. We missed Collin's "dance-off" (which was supposedly hilarious), but had a lot of fun! The last time we went dancing was over a year ago, so it was great to get out there again! Damon and I didn't leave the club until after 2am. Then we slept in until 10:30 and called it good! What a life huh?

Day One Of Our Trip...

We are back from our wonderful cruise to Cozumel, Mexico!!! We had SO much fun! Here's what we did on Day ONE of our vacation...

At 5am on Wednesday morning, we headed off to the airport. We met up with everyone...about 50 of us total...and took off to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We arrived late afternoon, took a bus ride to the hotel, checked in, went to the beach for a bit, and met up with everyone for dinner. Here are some views from our room in Florida...

We had such a fun time hanging out with everyone, and dinner was hilarious! Aside from the craziness of our "topic of discussion" at dinner, an interesting event occured. I ordered a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri...and about a half hour later the waiter finally brought it to me. The first sip was just nasty...it was WAY too sweet! I just kept sipping it because it was sitting in front of me. Anyways, after half of my daiquiri was gone...I smelt alcohol. Yep! The waiter forgot the "virgin" part! I had NO idea cuz I had never tasted alcohol before! Everyone started calling me an alcoholic...and I was unable to live it down throughout the trip. It was so funny! Anyways, after dinner, we just walked around and enjoyed the warmth of Florida. We found a little bar with live music (and NO...I stopped drinking at dinner...thank you), and went window-shopping...It was wonderful!

Can't Wait...

Colton has been really sick the past few days. It's been really hard because he's just wants his mommy! The screaming today almost sent me over the edge! Luckily, his constant 102 degree fever broke this afternoon, and he's feeling a little better! I am SO HAPPY that he's feeling better because my mom is in town for the next week to watch our kids...so we can go on a little trip to Cozumel, Mexico!!! We leave our home at 4am on Wednesday!
I'll post pictures when we get back!!! And...if you noticed the time of this post...we're just up packing! Can't wait!!!

The Viewing of Our Prophet...

I was a little upset when I heard that the Viewing for President Hinckley would only go until 7:00pm tonight, but had a little glimmer of hope when I turned on the tv. I was watching the 6:00 news this evening and heard that they "would not turn anyone away" from seeing our Prophet! I took that as a clear sign to go! Damon got home from work at just about 7:00, I found a last minute babysitter (thanks Emily), and we were off. I was thinking, 'I'd rather atleast TRY to see him, than sit at home wondering if I could've seen him.' We got to the Conference Center at 7:45pm. I could not believe how many people were there! We stood in line for a good 2 1/2 hours, then were seated in the Conference Center for about an hour. The most wonderful thing was walking into the Conference Center and seeing a video of President Hinckley at his birthday celebration! He was so cute...singing to himself, and waving his cane in the air!!! Love that! Then, the video turned off, and all you could hear was the Tabernacle Choir singing, 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again'. It was such a beautiful and peaceful moment for me! I just can't explain it!
While we sat there, we were able to see the preparation for his funeral tomorrow. There were SO many flowers...it was amazing! Just sitting in that room, knowing that it was President Hinckley's vision...was remarkable!
After awhile of sitting, we were taken to View our Prophet! The feeling in the room was indescribable! President Hinckley looked so small and frail. I tried to soak up everything...and I was completely overcome with emotion. I just love that man!
When we left the room, we were taken back into the Conference Center and were able to view pictures of the Hinckley family. One in particular really stood out to me. It was a picture of President and Sister Hinckley, sitting on a bench with the most beautiful flowers surrounding them. They looked so happy and peaceful! I could only imagine that they were embracing eachother at that very moment...on a big cloud in heaven! Truly a night I will never forget!!!!!

Spiderman Party!!!

We decided...kind of last minute...to celebrate Micah's birthday with his friends. Yes, his birthday was a month ago, but with the craziness of December, and the start of a new year, we thought this was the perfect time! Micah decided he wanted a "Spiderman Party"! I was super surprised when he came downstairs dressed like Spiderman! So cute!

When Micah's friends came in, we had them all decorate their own pizzas! It was cute to see what they came up with!

After decorating pizza, we had a contest with silly string...to see who could hit the middle of the web first! I'm sure the kids would've played this all day if we hadn't run out of silly string! It was a lot of fun! Then, we let the kids have a go at a pinata. Unfortunately, Micah wanted to be "very last" and didn't have a chance to hit the pinata before Braden busted it open, but they all had a fun time grabbing at the candy!

Lucky for me, Micah was easily convinced to have spider web cupcakes. Sure saved me a lot of time!

Micah started to open his presents...and there was a knock at the door.

It was Spiderman himself:0) He took pictures with the kids (that weren't afraid of him), and was a fun guest to have for this special day! At the end of the party, Micah said, "Spiderman was AWESOME!" That just made the entire party worth it for me!!! THANKS ANDREW!!!