Christmas in PV

We flew back to Vallarta on New Year's Eve morning - left Milwaukee at 5:30 am and were home around 2:30 pm. We had planned to have our own little Christmas celebration at home with Michelle who was flying in later that day and open some presents that we bought for Soph in Mexico and didn't want to bring all the way home to Wisconsin! So we rushed home, flew to the grocery store, did some on-the-fly cooking and then settled down around the tree for snacks, a late Christmas and fun!

Soph was quite a helper (as usual) in the kitchen! First helping to grate the cheese.


Then deciding it would just be easier to eat the cheese whole.


And when the taco dip base was spread, well, her little hands were busy.


Anyone notice a couple finger marks?



Once Michelle arrived, we snacked and opened presents.

Then Soph opened more presents.



Then she opened her adorable plastic kitchen - about half her size - but in approximately 30 parts and 20 stickers to assemble. Goodness, do these people not realize we had slept 4 hours, flown through 2 countries, driven home, cooked and only now we learn we need to assemble as well?
So I take a try - going right for the booklet of instructions.


I failed. Pablo took a stab at it sans instructions.


He failed.
The kitchen remained in parts and we distracted Soph with her brand new bike!!!





And so we spent New Year's Eve, celebrating a late Christmas with our little Mexico family and in bed waaay before midnight!

The next morning, we played and played.

After a complete night's rest, the kitchen pieces magically snapped together and we played kitchen.


We played more kitchen.


And more kitchen.



And so went our New Year's Day. Kitchen, kitchen, kitchen.

For those of you who missed my Christmas in Wisconsin blog (due to my silly blogging ways, go here.)

My 2010

Happy New Year! We are back in Puerto Vallarta after three wonderful weeks - first a quick vacation (more like a near-five-year-later-honeymoon) in the Bahamas, and then two weeks at home with the fam and snow! I have lots of photos to post (which I'll work on later this week) but before we are out of January and in to February, I wanted to share with everyone my resolution for 2010 (mostly because I'm going to need to be reminded of it often!)

Now, I am a big fan of making resolutions I don't keep - like most people, I think. I set lofty goals for myself and work hard to try to keep them for about a month. Maybe two. Three tops. Then, quite frankly, its April and the thrill of New Year and its resulting resolutions has long worn off and I'm living in survival mode to get through the spring wedding season.

And this year may have been the same, except I've come up with the Resolution of Resolutions if I do say so myself. Of course, before I came to rest on my promise to myself in 2010, I considered nearly every commitment out there - exercising daily, going on a diet that lasts longer than a month, supressing my workalohism and making time for myself, promising to work on that novel I've always wanted to write, etc. I even contemplated being a vegetarian for a year. That lasted an hour or two until I opened the fridge and saw bacon. My goals of vegetarianism quite quickly drifted off into an early 2010 sunset.

What I'd really love to achieve in 2010 (and yes, this is where things take a more serious, solemn turn) is a so-called-normal-life, if that exists for someone with our business. I'd love to not get up, spend all day, go to bed and dream about what we are doing/planning/working on/dreaming up/fretting over in future weddings. I'd love to not work from sun up until sun down on weddings. I'd love to have time to go downtown and actually walk through PV's shops. I'd love to take Sophia to swimming lessons. I'd love to read a book. I'd love to shut my computer off at the end of a work day and know I don't have to turn it on again as soon as my baby is in bed and continue working. (Sniff, sniff. Poor ole me.) But I also know that this is a fact of life in our business, and I am appreciative and thankful every single day that we actually have jobs. So while I'd love less work, I don't want to complain about it and I don't want to wish it away. My point, you ask? In my thought process for 2010 resolutions, I can't resolute to work less when so many people are suffering from not having work.

So what could I possibly set as a goal for myself that wouldn't become a frivilous fad or seem an unappreciative response to having been so blessed in our work... And then it struck me. As Pablo would so eloquently say, "Duh." (Yes, he says "Duh" to me in my weaker moments.)

We have been so blessed, in this last year and the years prior. And so I decided this year, 2010, is the year to dedicate myself to being thankful and letting my daily actions reflect how blessed we have been.

As an adult, I have had a favorite Bible passage that guides me (or perhaps it is my mom's voice as she repeated this phrase to me when I was a child that followed me into adulthood), but either way, it has always been a part of the way I think and would like to act. I find myself using it when I pray, I find myself asking for help in achieving it as I drive to every wedding day not knowing what we may face in the day ahead. I find myself using it as my mantra when standing in line at the grocery store or driving in traffic or irritated with the pizza man. I'm certainly not all that great at following it, but thus, my resolution . . . to become better.

So here goes...

Matthew 5:16.
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So this year folks, I will try harder than ever. I will slow down. I will smile at people more. I won't cut in front of people in traffic just because I'm in a hurry (or at least I promise not to more than once a day). . . it is Mexico, after all; cutting in front of other cars isn't considered rude, remember? I won't swear, even the words that aren't the worst ones. I will prioritize. I will take time for devotion in order to fuel my resolution. I will do my best to act like a Christian in the moments when it feels hardest to do so. I will let my light shine in the hopes that someone may notice and connect the dots.

(And I'm really really hoping that the heat from my light may melt a few pounds off my thighs at the same time . . . but that may be asking for just a little too much in the area of blessings.)

Happy New Year!


xoxo

Busy Busy December!

Alright, as usual, not much time to write, but I'll share a few photos from our busy December which by the end of the month included 8 flights, 3 countries, 2 very long car rides, lots and lots of snow, even more holiday cheer, dozens of Christmas cookies, family family and more family and tons of fun!

So I present you with photos from the December craze!

Pablo and I dropped Sophia off in Milwaukee with the Crawford Clan and took off for a few days on a cruise in the Bahamas - it was kind of our almost-five year honeymoon. Haha! We were a little bewildered at how completely boring the ports were - perhaps because we think we live in the best little coastal town that exists! (Hint hint, anyone want to visit Puerto Vallarta?) But we had a wonderful time on the ship, ate yummmmy food (conch excluded from yummy food category) and relaxed. Really really relaxed. Yeah!









Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, Sophia and her grandparents were busy getting ready for Christmas! Pablo and I got back home just in time to decorate the tree and make cookies!











Christmas Eve was spent at church and then the Black family came over and hung out for dinner and hanging out!






Christmas morning began with egg dish and mom's amazzzzing cranberry and white chocolate chip scones - yummmmmmm! Some more family time, presents (mostly for Sophia!) and lots of decorating with bows (also Sophia).











Lunchtime came and we went to Rhinelander to see the Grandparents McKenzie, The Weigmans, Gini,Zachary and Kevin! Finally! It had been too long catching up with cousins!








Back home with family, finished presents, ate dinner and exchanged white elephants - just the adults! Super fun! Who knew six adults could get so worked up over unknown presents! Should definitely become a tradition cause it was sooo much fun it had us crying!

But, as all good things do, it came to an end! We had to say goodbye to Dan and David!



(Soph learned to Smile pretty for the camera over Christmas as you can see. We tried to mimic her in the below photo and she, of course, held a straight face.)



Almost time to pack up and head to sunny PV! But first, sledding with grandma!

First relaxing as grandma pulls down the snowy street - all wedged in so I don't fall out!




Then, well, maybe I'll take a turn at pulling this thing.


Hmmm... that didn't go so well. I think I'll push.


Ahhh darnit. I'll just sit in the snowbank and grin.


Soooo... that leaves us (with only a few events missing cause I didn't pull out my camera) just about to leave for Puerto Vallarta on New Year's Eve morning. Home by two and a little Christmas left for New Year's Eve night - with Michelle and our little family back at home! But we'll leave that for another post . . .