Good Morning, Los Cabos!

It feels like I was just here!  (Maybe because I was about 6 weeks ago.)  After spending a few stressful hours in Mexico City yesterday I landed here in Cabo.  The weather here is SO different that Riviera Maya - it's about 76-80 with no humidity which is a nice break.  The whales have come down from California to Cabo and are having babies and you can see the whales fom my balcony.  Today we have a large group coming in that I'm told is quite a rowdy bunch so we'll see what this week brings! 

My Favorite Things

I know I'm not Oprah ... although I'd like to have her bank account!  As I'm sitting here working this morning I started thinking about the things that I love about Mexico.  Of course, I really do miss my family more than I could ever describe BUT since I'm here, I better find the positives.  Right?  So, here goes!

I love that I wake up to sunshine and palm trees.
I love that it's not even 8:00 a.m. and I'm sweating my you-know-what off and I haven't run!
I love that I can go to bed at night with my patio door open and listen to the waves hit the beach.
I love that when I ask someone to do something for me the response is always "It's my pleasure" without hesitation.
I love that I can eat the freshest of my favorite fruit every day.
I love knowing that I will go home with a tan!
And finally .... I love that everytime I come here I shed a few pounds even though I'm eating like a horse.  Now granted, some may call it Montazuma's Revenge but I call it STRESS!  (Day 3 here and 4 lbs. down though from when I arrived so I'm really not complaining!) 

So there you go, Miss Maggie.  There's Mommy's list of favorites so when you talk to your class about why Mommy likes Mexico you have something to go on. 

I miss you guys - LOVE YOU lots!

Well, it's not snow!

Riviera Maya ... cold and pouring rain?  What a bummer!  Don't these people know that I can't go to Cabo on Thursday without a tan?  :)  I know, I know, I can't complain.  It's cold and snowy at home but baby it's cold outside here!

Good Morning, from Riviera Maya, Mexico!

It's starting out to be a lovely day here today - already 75 and a little overcast but that will pass soon.  Today is day 2 of the nearly 2 week trip away and I'm already counting the minutes until I walk in my back door.  I'm staying at a resort called Grand Velas Riviera Maya.  If it weren't for work, I'd never be here - the rates range from $800-$1,200 per night normally which really isn't in our current vacation budget!  :)  My room is nice - modern, big and I even have my own pool on my patio which you can sort of see on one of the photos.  Anyway, this is where I call "home" until Thursday.  The weather's great, room is beautiful, food is good, I'm already eaten up by mosquitos but as I always say ....... there's no place like home.  (Even if that means snow and cold.)

A New Favorite

I've been a lot of places - cities, resort towns, countries, parks, theatres, arenas, you name it.  But one place that's always been on my bucket list has been Vancouver and I hadn't had an opportunity to visit ... until last week.  It was everything and more that I had imagined.  Beautiful, hip and cosmopolitan city that reminds me a lot of Seattle and just 10 minutes outside of the city you'd swear that you were in Alaska.  In one day I experienced 50 degrees and rain downtown Vancouver (it doesn't snow in the city because it's too close to sea level) and up on top of Rouse Mountain in 0 degrees and blustery snow.  Did I mention that Vancouver is not only home to Ryan Reynolds and Corey Monteith from Glee (and YES, I was on the look out THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS THERE) but it's also the most used city by Hollywood to film movies in because they can turn it in to just about any location needed.  While I was there they were filming Mission Impossible 4 right outside my hotel room and Tom Cruise and his entourage were out and about.  No, I didn't see Ryan or Corey but, heck - I'll be back in April!  :)  Enjoy!

Just an Expirament...

To see what it's like to update my blog on the iPad. I'm trying to get a well rounded look at how it all works before I take it on my trip this week. So far so good!

Speaking of trips, next stop: Vancouver, British Columbia. I've never been there and it's ale ays been a stop on my bucket list so we'll see! I have huge expectations which is usually a set up for disappointment but I'm hoping for the best! I'll be back soon with an update but for now ..... Hugs and kisses, get to bed. Momma loves you!

Happy 2011!

So, since this is the first post of the year, I decided to start the year off right ... according to us Mantel's, that is.  Today it is a balmy 9 degrees here in northeastern Wisconsin, and I'm not talking about the windchill that is coming from the 40 mph winds.  Our FAVORITE time of the year is summer and we are all dreaming of the days at the pool, soaking up the rays and splish splashing around!  Here are some of our favorite's from 2010 and here's to hoping that 2011 is as good, if not better than last!