The end of April we spent getting the townhome we rent out in Ogden ready for new peeps to move-in. We had never painted or re-carpeted and it needed it. Sadly I haven't seen what the 'after' looks like, but the new renters are in and all is well (minus the noisy pipes that I've been told will cost $500-800 to fix with a new pressure valve. Doh!). Huge thanks to our neighbor for going with Mark and spending all day helping him paint and get it ready.
sorting out and playing with 'treasures'
dang cute
Loved doing another session of The Gauntlet training with Liz and these ladies at Crossroads Fitness. I have frozen my membership for summer so that I'll play outside more and be with the kiddos!
While Mark was working on the townhome thing, I was writing lists in the dark: We were getting ready to leave the kids for a week so my mind was just worrying and racing. I'd write things down if it was keeping me up at night. All my worry and tetris-like planning paid off. Once we left I didn't worry at all! I love them dearly, but I think it was good that I didn't miss them like I thought I would. Mark and I had a great time, and they did as well. Everyone slept and ate well, no one got sick, and we all lived happily ever after :)
Mark was hired to shoot a destination wedding in Jamaica (of a couple who lives in Utah). This was the first time he'd shot outside the U.S. and with it falling about the same time as our 10 year anniversary, we decided to make a trip of it! I just LOVED the climate. It emphasized what a deserty desert we live in. My face was cracking and peeling for a good two weeks after we got back. The resort was nice, and even better for all the crazies who took advantage of the unlimited drinks. It took a little over an hour to get there on the shuttle from the airport. It's a run down country and there is a lot of poverty. It was sad to see, but at the same time I think its probably sad for them to see all these tourists come in and enjoy excess. And it's true, they boast Bob Marley and reply "Yah Mon" to everything. The water and beach was beautiful.
The food was good, not great, because I don't see how you can prepare really good food for so many people. I loved all the fresh fruit and vegetables that were always available like passion fruit, melons, apples, pineapple, beets, cucumbers. They had ox tail, chicken liver, lamb and terrible ice cream. The made-to-order pasta and omlets were our favorites. The jerk chicken was a lil spicy for me, but Mark loved it. I read Behind the Beautiful Forevers and another book called The Fast Metabolism Diet, both of which I enjoyed. Mark read The Boys in the Boat and The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. We watched old episodes of The Office and The Lord of the Rings (what was I thinking agreeing to that-totally gave me nightmares). Our favorite was the morning we took a trip to Blue Hole Falls. It was a crazy bumpy ride there, but well worth it! Our guide was a 25 year old guy (who looked like a 16 year old boy) and you could tell this was his backyard. He knew every nook and cranny and jumped from crazy high heights. The entertainment they had for the guests was awesome-steel drum bands, lip syncing elvis impersonator, an NBA game projected on a screen on the beach one night, and classes and things going on all day. I had a hard time for the first day, it took time to relax and enjoy not being busy. By the end I wouldn't have minded one more day :)
Me jumping at Blue Hole Falls
our flight didn't leave until after midnight...the enthusiasm dwindled as the night/morning went on.
but then we arrived to this!
paddle boats and sea kayas to use whenever
coconuts are such a cool fruit/drink/delicious
I love reading
it was windy but nice, and only rained once
we mean business
yes, we participated in beach water aerobics
Hottie! So thankful to be married to him.
compare this picture to Nacho Libre jumping into the wrestling ring, very similar I think ;)
Huge thank you to all the peoples that made our trip possible, including the couple that got married, my mom, Liz, Tim & Sarah, Kelli, Amy, Adina, and Kris!
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