Andrew and Kelsey

Cabo Vacation Part 1

2009-10-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we woke up at 3:00AM to get ready and finish some last minute packing. Andrew’s Uncle Pat came to pick us up from our apartment at 4:30AM. Once we arrived at the airport check-in was a breeze and we headed to security which was also pretty simple. That is until Andrew’s jacket zipper got stuck and he cut his finger pretty bad trying to get it unstuck. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to find a first-aid kit at the airport. We finally had to have a lady at our gate go onto the plane to get us some gauze and a band-aid.

Our first flight was fairly uneventful. We flew into Mexico City, which is one of the most confusing airports I have ever been too. First we went to an information stand and they told us to go through immigration. So we found a stand that said immigration and he told us to go to gate 25 which was right next to the information stand. Since nothing was at gate 25 we went back to information and they told us to go to gate 15. As we are headed there we reached a checkpoint and the man there told us we haven’t gone through immigration and to go back to gate 25. Luckily, at this point we ran into another couple on our plane that flew through Mexico City all the time. Turns out there is a sign near gate 25 that tells you to go downstairs for immigration. There were hundreds of people going through the line. First we had to fill out a form asking if we have had coughs or anything in the last two day which Andrew and I promptly lied on since we both had colds. Once we made it through immigration and had our passports stamped we went to a waiting area where we had to watch a screen to see which gate we needed to go to. We ate some lunch and then finally heard that we needed to go to gate 9. We got on the plane and there was a lot of turbulence when it took off. So much that I grabbed Andrew’s arm and was holding onto it for a good 10 minutes with my eyes closed and a few tears getting out. After flying my whole life I suddenly have a fear of flying and I don’t know where it came from.

When we finally land in Cabo there are hundreds of people from different flights waiting to get their bags of off one conveyor. Once I have two of our bags I hurry to get in line to go through customs because by this point the line is very long. As soon as Andrew meets up with me they open another line and we are the second ones so we get out fairly quickly. Then we have to make our way through all the time-share people pretending to be our hotel so they can whisk us away for a few hours of presentations. Luckily, our hotel had emailed us ahead of time tell us to just go to the right and walk all the way outside where we will see the real shuttle that is taking us to our hotel. While I was trying to get to the door outside some guy kept yelling “Miss” and something else in Spanish after me. Andrew later told me he was trying to tell me I wasn’t allowed to go through the door I was headed too. Thank goodness for the directions from the hotel.

When we got to our hotel we checked in and Andrew asked if we could be upgraded to an ocean view room (we had booked a garden view). There weren’t any ocean views available so instead we were upgraded to a pool view. When they took us to our room we were blown away. It was absolutely breathtaking! All of the decorating is beautiful and the view was spectacular, looking right out over the three infinity pools. After unpacking we decided we needed to head to the local Mega Store in order to get a few things for some meals at home since it would be way too much to eat ever meal out. The store was only about a 20 minute walk away and when we were done we took at taxi back for $5. When the taxi dropped us off at the lobby they asked our room number and took our groceries up for us. Lucky too, because Andrew and I managed to get lost on the way back to our room and they found us wandering the next hallway over. After a light dinner and shower we both decided it was time for bed as it had been a very long day and we had to go to the owner’s update presentation in the morning.

On Friday we woke up at 7:00 to get ready for our presentation. It would be including a breakfast as well so we didn’t have to worry about that. We were in a private presentation and our guide first took us to Flor de Noche which is a restaurant in the middle of the pools where they were serving us breakfast. It was such a beautiful morning with such a wonderful breakfast.

After breakfast we were given all of the information to buy more points for vacations and then they took us on a tour of the best rooms in the resort. First we stopped by the wedding chapel which is a four-story open air chapel. It looks right out over the pools with the beach and giant waves crashing in the background. Next they took us to a 2-bedroom ocean view room which was gorgeous. The next room was the 3 bedroom penthouse which was unbelievable. Only pictures could describe it. After our presentation was finally done (1 ½ hours turned into 2 ½ hours) we put on our bathing suits and headed out to the beach where we had heard about a place that gives 1 hour massages for $35. Sure enough we found it right between two resorts. We ended up getting the massages for $30 a piece and they were wonderful. They were just as good if not better than any massages we had received before. We have plans to go back one more time before we leave (which makes sense since we can both get 2 massages for the price the resort would charge for just 1 of us). On our way back to the room we decided to stop at the pools for the first time to take a quick dip. The water was just the perfect temperature and exactly what we needed to relax even more. After about an hour in the pool we decided go back to the room and clean up before we head to the town of San Jose Del Cabo which was about a 20 minute walk. We had heard of a wonderful little restaurant called Habeneros and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Andrew had a steak burrito and I had a pulled pork torta with fresh mango, avocado and apple slaw. It was delicious. Andrew admitted that I had the better meal and is looking forward to ordering it when we go back. After lunch we decided to walk to the downtown of San Jose Del Cabo. We had read the it was a nice quite little town with a quaint feeling. While the town square itself looked like it had potential if they finished construction of the fountains, the rest of the town was pretty dead. We only saw a handful of tourist and most of the souvenirs had dust all over them. We didn’t spend very much time there before we decided to walk home. After the walk back to the resort we decided we had done quite a bit for the day. Plus, it looked like my face was getting a little too red. We came back to the room and just lounged around for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we have reservations on a catamaran to go snorkeling and spend the day in Cabo San Lucas. We also hope to go parasailing later in the week.

Civil War Days

2009-09-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago I decided to take a leaf out of my mother's book and attend a community event. While I was driving through the library parking lot one day I noticed a sign about Huntington Beach Civil War Days. The only thing the sign said was Labor Day Weekend, so I had to do some searching to find out more information. I finally found out when it started (but not when the battles were), so at 9:00AM Saturday morning at was at Central Park walking through the camps.

This is the Irish Regiment Camp.

One of the first camps you see when you walk in.
However, I soon found a sign that told me I wouldn't be able to see a battle until 4:00 later that day. I stayed for a while in the morning and then went back in the afternoon for the battle. The only disappointment of the day...the Union lost the battle.

2 years

2009-08-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that we have already been married for two years! Time is going by so fast. We have managed to do so many things in the past two years that I don't even know where to start. We both have different jobs than we did on our first anniversary. Andrew is working at Designbyhumans.com and I am working at Fairmont Private Schools.

This year we went to Hawaii over Christmas with our friends Chris and Annette. We had such a wonderful time and hope to go back someday!We also got to go the the Rose Bowl game this year to watch our favorite team USC play. Of course they won and it was so much fun! Next month we are off to Cabo for another vacation with some friends! We are really looking forward to the time off and some relaxation!

I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and all that he does for us. I truly am blessed and I can't wait to celebrate our next anniversary and see what the next year has in store for us.

4th of July

2009-07-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved from Nebraska it has always been difficult to find ways to celebrate the 4th of July that make it really feel like the 4th of July. This year Andrew and I decided we would get beach cruisers (borrowed, not bought) and ride up and down the beach path all day. The original plan was to ride from our house to Newport Beach. However, on the 3rd we decided we would take a test ride down to the pier (9 miles one way). It was a good thing we did because by the time we got to the pier we realized there was something very wrong with Andrew's bike. Luckily there is a bike shop near by and I had brought some cash with me. We were able to fix the bike and ride back home. After that ride we were extremely tired and didn't think we would make it that far the next day. We started out at about 1:00 in the afternoon and started riding along the beach. After stopping for a bit on an empty stretch of beach to relax we decided to take some pictures.

Here we both are halfway to the pier on the 4th.
Andrew on his USC beach cruiser. Fight On!
Me on my beach cruiser.

By the time we got to the pier our backsides were quite sore from two days of riding so we decided to take a little break. We locked up the bikes and started walking around Main Street. All of main street was shut down to cars and there were vendors and sales going on everywhere. Andrew and I ended up sharing a Greek Kabob, which is actually wrapped in a Pita and it was delicious.

We didn't stay to watch the fireworks at the beach. Instead we went with some friends to another friends house for a wonderful display of illegal fireworks. The person who puts this on does it every year and is very smart. He doesn't save the best for last because the police are bound to show up and shut it down, which they did, leaving with some fireworks that were really just a decoy to get them to leave. The best of the fireworks were safely hidden in the garage. All in all it was a great day and we are proud to say Happy Birthday America! Oh, and Happy Birthday Cody!

Crash and a New Car

2009-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

As most of you have heard, President's Day was very eventful for Andrew and I. As I was running errands on my day off I managed to run my car into the back of someone else's car. Everyone was okay, and there was no damage done to the other car, but my car was not so lucky. The radiator was damaged and by the time I got home (the crash was only a few blocks away) the car was smoking. When Andrew came home, he gave me two choices: We could either fix my car, or we could by a new one (and he would rather me by a new, safer car, that would manage to stop at red lights when it was raining). I agreed with him and we went straight to the dealership. We found the car almost immediately and proceeded to negotiate the price. At one point, when they would not give us the price we wanted, Andrew thanked the man and told him we would keep looking. We left and got in his car and proceeded to drive away. However, before we had left the parking lot, the came out to us and said we could get the price we wanted. :) My husband is such a wonderful negotiator! A few hours later (9:00 pm) I was driving off the lot in my brand new 2009 Honda Fit Sport! I absolutely LOVE this car! It is soooo wonderful! And while I am a little sad about my old car, as it was my first car and given to me by my wonderful dad, I am very excited to be driving this new one around!

Finally gave in...

2008-10-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I finally gave in and decided to create a blog for Andrew and me. I probably won't post too much though because we know no one wants to pay much attention until we have kids to share about. :) Right now it's just the boring two of us. :) Andrew will probably think this is silly right now, but it is just for the family anyway.