Trip to Mexico

As kind of a last minute deal, we decided to go to Mexico with Alison and Micah. (We thought maybe Sam and Audrey were going too, but they didn't want to go without the boys and had no passports for them). Part of the reason for the trip was because Micah had a business trip there, so they only needed to pay for Alison to get there too. Plus they were celebrating a trip without the kids and Micah finishing his PE test and lots of hard work the past few months. Ron and I were celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary. (and the chance to spend some time with Al and Micah- hope they didn't mind us tagging along :) I know when I print my blog it will put all of the text together and then all of the photos, so I might as well just do it that way- instead of adding captions or explanations of the pics ;)
On Monday, May 4, Al and Miach flew from SLC to LA to PVR and we flew from SAT to IAH to PVR. The traffic was heavy for us to get to the airport by 7:30am, but at least it was moving and no delays. Both of our flights were good and on time. It took us a little while to wait for Al and Micah to arrive and then get through the PVR airport. I had already arranged transportation to the Grand Mayan, through the resort. We didn't get through the "timeshare vultures" unscathed though :) (We went to a presentation at Garza Blanca on Tuesday.) Monday evening we had dinner at an outdoor cafe at the resort. The presentation on Tuesday included transportation, breakfast, some discount tickets, more transportation to Wal Mart and cash to spend there. Garza Blanca is a very "elite" resort- we didn't make it through the whole presentation...so we didn't even get the price. haha We did get our ride to WalMart and shopping there- then went back to the Grand Mayan and fixed dinner. (Ron, Alison, and Micah tried out the beach for short time that day). On Wednesday we went to the beach and pools at the resort. In the evening we went to "Rhythms of the Night". A boat ride, dinner, and a show at an outdoor theater. The weather was perfect. Dinner was better than I expected for 150+ people. There were several different areas- our specific table was on a terrance and our buffet served about 30. The show was interesting...very different than anything I have seen before. Thursday was beach and pools again, then shopping and dinner in downtown Puerto Vallarta. Dinner was at a good Mexican restaurant- PiPis. Friday was another boat ride, snorkeling, hiking, and visiting a small fishing village. Only problem was Alison, Micah, and I were all feeling SICK on the boat :( Saturday was sleep in, then pack up and get to the airport. Again our flights were good and on time- PVR to IAH to SAT. Got home about 10:30 pm. Al also made it home late that night. Micah rented a car and drove to where his business meetings were, for the next week. The resort we stayed at was The Grand Mayan, Nuevo Vallarta. Great place- great trip. (Mom got some extra care at home while we were gone. Ladies from Home Instead came in twice a day.)

The Grand Mayan, Nuevo Vallarta, 2015

REAL Texas Hill Country Flowers

So our little measly wildflowers, in our yard, are nothing compared to these. We took mom and went on the Willow City Loop yesterday. About 13 miles north of Fredericksburg, there is this small (barely) two lane road winding through several Texas ranches. Wild flowers every where. Since we went in the middle of the day, we didn't see any wildlife...except a snake going across the road. That is when I stopped getting out of the car and taking photos- lol. Our only little glitch along the way, was when we stopped at an HEB in Fredericksburg, for a potty stop. When mom and I came back out, I saw that one tire on the car was low and had a metal screw in it. Ron had to change that tire.

Wild Flowers

 Last fall we went to a place called "Wildseed Farm", near Fredericksburg. Ron bought a 100 pound bag of wild flower seeds. (We won't mention how expensive that was- lol) But...even though we didn't expect much to come of those...especially since the deer seem to eat everything...we have some wild flowers POPPING up around the house. There are still plenty of weeds and thistles too, but it is fun to see little specks of color here and there. Some of them are Blue Bonnets. Others are yellow, orange, white, and red. We also have some Four OClocks coming up again. Some Petunias have come back and some Sun Flowers are coming back. Ron spent all day yesterday weeding the large flower bed in the front, being careful to leave what looked like flowers and only pull weeds. Then he also spread mulch throughout. One of our neighbors has lots of Spanish Lavender plants. We need to get some of those- one of the few things that deer won't eat. For the past couple of weeks everything here has been covered with YELLOW oak pollen. Since we got rain here on Thursday night, that helped to wash some of that away. It was so bad, that things looked like yellow tempra paint had been dumped on everything. Here are some photos that I took tonight...including a few of  "Ron's Cat" :)

My SnapDragons have come back after being completely pruned off by the deer.

Four OClocks coming back from last year.

These were my Valentines gift.

We think these are all Sun Flowers.

Even some of the Petunias that I thought were dead, have come back.

Look really, really close, tiny specks of color.

Lots of these, that are probably a "blooming weed" :)

Ron's (spoiled) Cat :)

Any day now, I expect the deer to come and prune everything off, but for now things are BLOOMING.

Simms Easter 2015

I had to grab Annie's Easter photos from her blog. I love her description on the kids. She said, "Savannah wore her pretty Easter dress and the boys put on whatever tie they could find. She is our rose among thorns. :)