Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A New Hairdo!

I had to get all dolled up a week or two ago for work- it was a formal party for the end of our festival.  Anywho, I had come home to put on a dress and put my hair up.  Standard ballroomprotocol is some sort of low bun; I began the process.  


I first made a little poof in the front with my "bangs"...no, I did not use a bump it I just went to school in Utah and learned how to make a poof with the best of them.  I was planning to take the tails that had made a poof and do something with them and then pull the rest into a bun.  Figuring that it would be easiest to pull the hair into a bun and then figure out what to do with the tails, I pulled the tails in front and pinned them so they would stay out of my way long enough to make the bun.  After I made the bun I looked in the mirror and realized that the tails kind of looked cool.  I wrapped them all the way around the poof and pinned them in place.  There was a mass of bobby-pins, thus I covered them with a flower.


I think it turned out pretty cool and am excited to try and replicate this hairdo sometime.  I got that it looked like Audrey Hepburn, french, like a little hat, and 40's-esque.  (And yes, I am wearing false eyelashes...again, standard ballroom protocol!)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Christmasy Weekend

Nicholas had asked me for a date last Friday.  I cooked dinner and then we went to Handel's Messiah at some church on I-10.  I had never heard The Messiah all the way through and it was fun to attend that kind of concert again...Nick and I used to go to concerts and symphonies and such all the time when they were super convenient at BYU but now they are a little harder to come by (at least affordable ones!).  After the concert there were refreshments served, so Nick didn't even have to buy me a treat afterwards!  

We rode around uptown to see some Christmas lights.  We found this one little spot and got out and walked around a bit.  There were these big candles in the center of a pointsettia wreath, and we couldn't help but have some fun with them.  I tried to blow them out and Nick thought they set him on fire :)

The next evening was The Marvelous Dancers Christmas party; The Marvelous Dancers is a student organized group of members of the studio.  They had invited Nicholas and me and so we decided to crash the party.  It was fun to attend a dancing event where I wasn't working and thus could actually dance with Nick instead of only students. (Don't worry, I still got a few dances with students in!)  The students had really gone all out and the party was really well done.  We managed to remember to get one picture at the party!

Happy Holidays!  

Darwin Awards

This was forwarded to me by my sister-in-law Erin and I thought it was too funny not to share it with someone...so enjoy it knowing that you are not the dumbest one out there!

Yes, it's again that magical time of the year when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.


Darwinmico2.jpg


Here are the glorious winners: 

1. When his 38 - caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up inLong Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked. 

And now, the Honorable Mentions: 

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.
 
3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard inChicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space...understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from  Harare to Bulawayohad escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer: $15.  (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)

7. Seems an  Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a  New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the purse-snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King inYipsilanti, Michigan , at 5 a.m, flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

** **** A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER*****

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Going "Home"

Another thing Nicholas and I did while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving was take a trip down memory lane...I showed him the "house" my dad built with his own hands where I lived until I was 4 years old.  The house isn't there anymore since we sold the land to a developer, but they have built a church now where it used to sit.  It is kind of sad, but at least it is a church that is there are not a Wendys or something. 

The pump house is still standing though and I managed to get a picture of the new church with the pump house so you can see where the church sits (which really only makes since if you knew where our old house sat).  


It was fun to show Nick a little bit about my roots, even if I don't remember them all that well.  The other photo is just of Maple Mountain and the moon...it was far too beautiful that day and I couldn't help but snap a bunch of pictures! 

Skiing in Park City

When Nicholas and I were in Utah for Thanksgiving, we took one afternoon to go skiing.  Skiing is something Nick is very passionate about and I feel terrible that I dragged him down to Texas where he can not go anymore.  Thus I made sure that we made a little skiing trip happen.


(Please notice the full moon in the picture above!) I have been skiing enough times you can count them on one hand, however Nicholas has been a great teacher and I have even gone down a black run already (we won't comment if it was on my feet or not!)  We were looking forward to me getting a proper lesson from a real pro, Nick's dad Paul, however he had caught a cold and stayed warm at home.


There wasn't too much snow yet and so there were only a few runs open, but we rented some skis and bundled up and headed out to Park City Mountain Resort.  It came back faster than I was anticipating!  I only lost my ski once!  We really enjoyed skiing together and it was a beautiful, albeit chilly, day for it.  I hope there are many more ski trips in our future!


*One interesting side note- when we were putting our ski boots on in the parking lot a car was coming down and aisle and it slowed down and then stopped right by us.  The driver immediately got out and started running towards us...it was our friend Schmidtty! (Megan)  We hadn't seen her since before we were engaged and it was so fun- and random- to run in to her there!*

Monday, December 7, 2009

Midnight Snack

One night I wanted chips and salsa while we were going to watch an episode of something in our room before bed.  Nick said he would grab the salsa...
It came out a little faster than expected.
The pictures don't do it justice...it was a really funny moment in the Vernon household. :)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Halloween: Part 2






Gosh, am I really so backed up that I am putting up Christmas decorations and blogging about Halloween?  Oh well.

For my work at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, I had to travel to Las Vegas to compete in an All-Star teaching competition...it consisted of a written exam and some teaching simulations.  I had won in the category of "Rookie" (because I haven't been teaching that long) in our studio, district, and area and so I was on to the finals in Vegas.  It was an all-expense paid trip for me and so I convinced Nicholas to get a ticket and come with me.  It was only two weekends after our first anniversary, so we decided we would celebrate over Halloween weekend in Vegas.

Tara was there, working of course, and my mom joined her to be her helper.  We met them at the Luxor hotel- where the event was held- on Friday when we got in.  Then Nick and I were off to explore.  We walked across the highway to get to an In & Out, and it was worth every step!  That evening we went to the show La Reve at the Wynn; Tara had given us "paper" tickets for our first anniversary (which is "paper").  It was an amazing show with ballroom dancing, 
acrobatics, diving, and much more!  We walked along the strip on the way back and did a bit more exploring.

Saturday morning was my big competition- the written part went really well and I didn't miss a question!  The simulation was a bit trickier and I didn't get through all of my thoughts before they told me time was up...nuts!  At least it was over!  Nick and I did a bit more shopping and such that afternoon and then came back to the ballroom for the Saturday evening session.  We had a great dinner and enjoyed a few social dances as well as lots of great competition and a show by a very handsome Italian (and his partner/wife).  They also announced the winners of the All-Star competition...I did not win any big prize money, however I wasn't expecting any at that point!  We were too pooped out to hang around for the staff party, which can get pretty wild, an
d so we retired to our room.
Sunday we slept in a bit and then got ready to check out.  After we ate breakfast, we were going to just drop our bags in Tara's suite and head off to play again, but when we got there we found 
it a much better idea to just turn on the Broncos and relax.  Tara joined us in a bit and we walked down the strip and found some lunch before Nicholas and I headed home.  
It was perhaps an unconventional way to spend 
Halloween, but it was fun and Nick and I had a fun time in Las Vegas together. (Although I was disappointed with H&M this time.)  Viva Las 
Vegas!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

As promised....

So I can't figure out how to rotate the movie...everything I try says I am not allowed and won't do it, so if you work on a Mac and know how to help me, that would be appreciated.  Otherwise just tilt your head to the left and enjoy this amazing feat.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Halloween: Part 1

For Halloween at work we dressed up like the Flintstones.  I was Pebbles.  I cut and painted a shirt for a couple of dollars and bought a big rawhide bone and that was about it.  I was amazed that I actually managed to keep the bone in my hair with only my own hair wrapped around it and lots of bobby pins.
Koshka really enjoyed the bone afterwards :)
For the actual day of Halloween, Nicholas and I were in Las Vegas for a work event for me.  Stay tuned for that post.

Friday, November 20, 2009

A few more pictures of Koshka...

Make sure to scroll down to the next post for Koshka's story (pronounced with a long "o" like "kosher").
Koshka's shaved belly and wrapped up paws after her surgeries...there won't be any little Koshkas in the future and hopefully fewer scratches!
I love when she does the "superman" pose.
Looking so regal when I tried to snap a "family photo" one evening . (Yes she has a blue collar and she is a girl, but they were out of pink when I went to the pet store and she needed one before she went to get spayed/declawed!  She has a black one with a bow that we are waiting for her to grow into. )
She loves her furry bed...
...but sometimes Koshka isn't quite sure how to get comfortable...we all toss and turn, but this is serious! :)
She is a mommy's girl because she loves cuddling with "puppy" (my childhood blanket) almost as much as I do!
A morning ritual...waiting for us to shower!
A daddy's girl as well, she loves egg nog, cheese, marshmallows, and watching sports!

Our little addition!















So 
it has been months (4 in fact) but I haven't posted on our little addition...so here it goes.  There was a student at the studio where I work that works in a vet office; they had come across some tiny abandoned kittens and were trying to find homes for them.  Of course she remembered previous conversations where I had told her I am more of a cat person than a dog person (my 
co-worker has 3 of each and we frequently talk about pets)...so she asked if I would like a kitten.  
Of course I would!  However, Nick and I had to talk about if we really thought it was a good 
idea right now.  Eventually I won when Nick saw pictures...he is kind of a sucker for our little girl!

Rachel brought her to us on July 14th- she was so tiny!  Barely weighing in at a pound, we tried to make her feel at home.  We discussed all sorts of names, but decided on Koshka which means "cat" in Russian.

She has been a joy for us- we love watching her play and grow!  She now weighs over five pounds and sure loves to play and jump...and then sleep a ton.  We weaned her off wet food (since she was only 4 weeks old 
when we got her and barely off a bottle) and have started to try to teach her tricks with some treats. Stay tuned for a video of her playing football!  She is definitely a part of the family-she sleeps right in between us on the bed (if not actually on us) and is offended each time we try to leave the apartment without her.  She is starting to be more independent and "cat-like", but she is still our little kitten and loves attention.  Despite the scratches and chewed through cords, we are so glad that she has come to join our family. :) 

(Side notes: She loves to chew on all things and quickly chewed through our home phone cord 
and ipod dock/alarm clock cord.  They are not cheap to replace!  Now we have all of our cords covered in those plastic cord-keeper things.

Another one of Koshka's eccentricities is that she loves water.  She often gets in the shower with us and will dive in if we ever take a bath.  In the picture above she is in the sink- I tried to get her out by turning on the water and she didn't 
move.  So I tried plugging it and letting the 
water fill up...still she was content to sit there!  Weird-o cat!)

(Pictures are as follows: Koshka and Daddy having a nap, loving dinner time!, her new bed, 
hanging out while Dad reads, she was so tiny when we first got her!, the picture we got of her before we got her...the one that turned Nick's heart into mush!, in the sink- like that parable of the frog that got cooked in the pot of boiling water!)

Friday, November 6, 2009

Husband of the Year Points

So I haven't been very good about keeping track of Husband of the Year points.  I give them all the time- Nicholas is a fantastic husband and my bff- but then when I go to put them on the blog I forget (or get lazy because I have to sign into a different gmail account to do them).  

I just wanted to document why Nick is a great husband though.  Tonight he brought me home Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory...a holiday favorite of mine that happens to be located right by his office.  Then he escorted me to the Cypress Market Night out in our front common area where there are all sorts of vendors set up- crafts, food, music, etc.  He not only let me but encouraged me to buy some jewelry I really wanted...plus some other various items.  

Speaking of Cypress Market Nights, this was our 2nd one and we knew what to expect this time.  I knew there would be a farmer's market selling fresh produce, so I was excited and prepared to buy some home grown veggies.  I am positive the green beans are going to taste amazing!

So that is all for now...I know nobody will comment because there aren't pictures, but there you go.  Cypress Market Nights are cool and I have the World's Best Husband. :)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Random thoughts from people my age...

Nicholas sent me this forward from someone at his work...while I didn't favor all of the thoughts, there were a few that I either found very hilarious (mostly because I can identify with them!).  Here are a few for you to enjoy :)

1. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

7. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.

8. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may
know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately
choose not to be friends with?

9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it
wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would
magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did
we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message
boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

11. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger
and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I
first saw it.

13. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand
than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to
finish a text.

20. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and
hunger.

21. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a
Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

24. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just
nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

29. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure
I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

30. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how
the person died.

32. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get
dirty, and you can wear them forever.

34. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

37. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every
year?

39. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to
go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so
incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this
shouldn't be a problem....

40. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at
work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

41. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

44. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this
ever.

46. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Nuts!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?

47. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

48. When I meet someone new, I'm terrified of mentioning something they
haven't already told me but that I have learned from facebook.

49. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

54. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not
to answer when they call.

60. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Hope you got at least one laugh out of these...even if you aren't "my age" :)


Sunday, October 4, 2009

Craft Time!

I have been into crafts lately...well, always actually.  But recently I have been more motivated to actually do a few that require more than a little effort.  I am so pleased with them that I decided to share them with everyone.

First off is my wreath.  I bought one plain wreath that I could experiment with...you know the kind that is just brown twigs.  I made it into a springy/summery wreath a while back, but it desperately needed to be redone.  I went to Hobby Lobby and found some fall leaves and berries and such and tried to put it all together one day when Koshka was sleeping.  Now it does help that I have the cutest wreath hanger invented, but I am really happy with how it turned out.  Pretty good for my second time ever to make a wreath!

Then there is the ottoman.  This one was a bit more complex.  See, we got new couches (which we love) but we hated to lose the ottoman.  After realizing that we could break the set apart since it wasn't going to anyone specific, I was determined to recover the ottoman and bring it back home.  I found some old fabric from one of my other undoubtedly great ideas that went wrong and made a prototype before I went to the store and bought more expensive home decor fabric.  I also sewed part of the ottoman together so there wouldn't be crevases...that was hard work and I am not sure how to explain what I did really but lets just say it was very necessary and was very hard on my hands.

When Nicholas went to the Priesthood meeting last night, I headed to JoAnns.  Now the fabric I wanted was $25 a yard and I needed 1 2/3 yd...nuts.  I found some microsuede that would match the fabric of our new couches that wasn't home decor (so just not as thick and nice) that was $13 a yard, but on sale for $5 a yard...but they didn't have black!  I went back and forth a bunch of times in the store on what to do and finally found the black microsuede by the courdroy...clearly in the wrong spot!  I was so happy to find it!  I got my fabric and batting and headed home.  I used my dad's staple gun to affix the batting and then pinned my new fabric in place, sewed it, slipped it on and stapled it to the underside.  Then I reattached the feet of the ottoman and Nick helped me bring it home.  It looks so much better and we are so excited to have our ottoman back!  (Above is the new ottoman...below is what it used to look like!)
I am so happy to be crafty.  It brings me such joy and a great feeling of accomplishment that I can do things and make things...it makes me sad for people who don't take pride in making things or cleaning their own home or just doing things for themselves.  I am so excited that one day (hopefully) this will get to be my full-time job! :)

Friday, October 2, 2009

Take Us Out To The Ball Game!

Last weekend I was left to "hold down the studio" while all of the other staff went up to Dallas for a competition.  I wasn't exactly thrilled to be working all weekend.  However, my boss had tickets to the Astros game and obviously couldn't use them because they were going to be in Dallas; thus, he was looking for a new owner.  I couldn't use them all- I had to work during the games Thursday and Friday nights and Sunday was church- but I could go to the Saturday evening game.

We asked my parents if they would like to go with us, and they said yes.  So we picked them up and headed to Panera where we bargained that if they would get "dinner" we would get parking downtown.  We ate dinner- by the way, the new BBQ Chicken Salad is fantastic- and then headed down to the game.  We were within sight of the ballpark and so we started looking for parking spots.  I said "How about that one?" and Nick whipped into it across a few lanes of traffic.  It was a metered parking spot but the meter wasn't running so after reading a few signs to make sure we could park there, we headed to the game.


The 'stros lost to the Cincinnati Reds, but it was fun to see a game in person...TV just doesn't do sports justice.  Our seats were out in right field, but in the 8th row and so we had a pretty good view.  We watched until the bitter end and then headed back to see if our car was still there.  It was!  So not only were the tickets free, but so was the parking...and the dinner!  (Disclaimer: we did buy my mom a Diet Coke in a souvenir cup at the game!)

"Home" Improvements

I think I could be the best wife ever if it were my full time job.  As it is right now though, I have two other jobs that consume my thoughts and time and thus I haven't been doing that stellar of a job as a wife lately.  Oh I still make Nick's lunches and all, but we had just gotten lazy and I finally decided to do something about it.

Nicholas and I rarely eat dinner together at home.  I work Monday nights, we eat together on Tuesdays pretty well, Wednesdays and Thursdays I am at the studio, Friday and Saturday we don't really make meal plans because it is the weekend, and Sundays we are blessed to eat dinner at my parents' home.  You can see how I would justify our poor dinner schedule...really it was just poor effort on my part.  So I took out the calendar (the Utah one that my grandpa gave me that is hanging in our kitchen/entryway) and started planning out our meals.  I planned for one week what we were going to have every night...whether we are together or not.

This started on Monday and I think we have done a good job of it so far.  I went to the store and got everything I needed for the whole week and have actually prepared meals for us to enjoy together or apart.  It has been really nice.  I like knowing what I am going to eat/cook and I really have loved getting regular fruits and veggies...something that doesn't always happen when it is "microwave your own burrito night".


In this whole thinking about how to be better prepared for when staying at home is my full-time job (hopefully) I decided that Nick could grow in an area or two as well.  This part was largely influenced by Ben having to get Isabelle ready one morning during the Bees weekend.  I decided that if Nick could practice putting my hair in a ponytail he would definitely be able to do it if we had any daughters someday.  So last Sunday night I got out my brush and elastics and let Nicholas get his feet wet.  He put it in a few ponytails before I asked him to do pigtails.  All in all he wasn't half bad...at least for a first timer.  We will definitely have to work on speed as I doubt any little girl will sit for 10 minutes to get their hair parted, but I was very impressed not only with how well he did but how willing he was to try it.  One husband of the year point right there.


Thursday, September 24, 2009

Last port of call, Puerto Vallarta

We didn't schedule anything formal for our last port of call...we wanted to just enjoy relaxing.  So we woke up, put on our bathing suits, and headed out to explore.  (Picture above is the sunset, obviously, from Puerto Vallarta.  Picture below is of the city/beach from the ship.  We sat at the beach by that pink hotel on the left.
Right when we got on land (there was just the ramp to get off again...no need for any tender boats) there was a little market square filled with little souvenir shops.  They really know where to position themselves to sell you those trinkets!  We decided to shop on the way back, so we didn't look around much.  We walked down the sidewalk...it reminded me a lot of Waikiki, Hawaii actually.  There were lots of big hotels and we just ducked into one and went through the lobby, out the back door, and on to the beach.  
We found some nice chairs under canopies and we set up camp.  After we slathered up with sunscreen, we headed to test out the waters.  Nick found that he liked the water more and more this trip; he is becoming a better swimmer and really starting to enjoy the ocean.  I like it too...in moderation.  I am not as great of swimmer as he is and I still like my feet to touch. :)
The beach was pretty rocky in Puerto Vallarta once  you got close to the water, but after a few feet it got really soft and sandy again.  I experienced this the hard way when a big wave came and knocked me down while washing me to shore; I landed on the rocks and took a fair amount of skin off of my knees.  There is nothing like salt water in a fresh wound...guess that is where that saying comes from, eh?  Also during this same spill my sunglasses were knocked off and were gone for good.
We each took a stroll up the beach and then decided to head out.  We found a shower thing to wash our feet off at, and then wandered around until we found our way back to the ship.  We stopped and looked at a few souvenirs and even bought a few...even though we kind of got ripped off on one of them.  Oh well. :)  We headed back to the ship to wash up and head to dinner yet again.  Now it was just us and the boat for a few days while we sailed back to the great U S of A.  We were happy to have some time to enjoy the ship, but sad to know that it meant our vacation was coming to a close.  We had such a great time and can not wait to do it again!  Viva las Mexico!