Welcome Home!!!

Nothing like coming back from a relaxing trip in Mexico to a shaky welcome from California. WOW! That was a good one, to say the least! You can't tell when I'm teaching that I'm really not a fan of earthquakes (you know, don't want to scare the little ones) but I'm a total basket case when I'm by myself. My mom can attest to this. But I did do better than our cats :). Beacon took solace in the kitchen sink while Bonzai found it more comfortable behind the TV for about an hour.

This one is at the top of the list of ones I'll remember, right behind Big Bear and Landers earthquakes. Not much damage; but we do win over Kristy (sister-in-law) who had an overturned sippy cup. Stuff on top of our fridge fell, candles fell on the floor, there were quite a few crooked pictures, and my car alarm was blaring in our garage. Just another day in California.

Anniversary Cruise to Mexico

I'm not sure where to start and feel somewhat overwhelmed to try to describe a fun-filled week of vacation into a small blog. So, I don't want to bore you, and will spare you the details...as I'm sure I'll be able to tell most of you in person anyways.

In short: The cruise was super rocky the first two days of our cruise and I'm not sure if it has to do with the ever so fun hurricane "Dolly." Either way, it was definitely rocky at first but definitely got better as the week went on (thank goodness).

Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas, which was a lot of fun but incredibly HOT! We took a catamaran down to Chileno Bay where we snorkeled. Plenty of fish, sting rays, jelly fish, and an octopus later, we headed back just in time (10 minutes later after the LAST tender boat was to leave for the ship). Ooops!

Mazatlan followed Cabo; where we just took a tour of the town, ate at a "World Famous Shrimp" restaurant and did some shopping. It was a very nice day in Mazatlan which was a nice break after a scorching hot day in Cabo.

Puerto Vallarta was SO much fun! We zip lined from 12 platforms, some 75 ft. high, taking about an hour to get through, in a forest of Puerto Vallarta. Super fun! I've worked the zip lines at Forest Home before so I was a little familiar where Jeff has never done it before. We both loved it! Not a fan of the walk back though...

The days of cruising (3 total) were fun but we did get a little "cabin fever" at the end. It did help though to see the vast marine life in the ocean; whales, sea lions, and dolphins, which often swam along with the ship. Definitely entertaining!

Overall, it was SUCH a relaxing time! It's crazy to think it's been a year already! I love it!

Some pics: Our Ship: Vision of the Seas, taken as we were tendering back to the ship in Cabo.

Cabo San Lucas: "Los Arcos," which is the very tip of Baja California (for those who don't know)



Mazatlan: The rocks in the picture below are called the "Two Brothers." They say that the Pelicans come out at night and "paint" the rocks...also known as bird poo...

Yep, that's one of the 5 divers that dive off this platform everyday. The platform is about 45 ft. high and that water below is only 6 ft deep. There were 6 (not joking), one died 6 months ago doing this, yet they continue to do this and make a living off of tips from those watching below. CRAZY!!


Puerto Vallarta: This bird gave kisses. The tongue felt like leather against the skin. Good times!
Picture in front of our ship, waiting to go on our Canopy Tour (zip line). Just to the right is the Disney Magic ship. Both ships were always in port together.
This is SUCH a great picture, considering this line was a free spin, meaning you sat back in your harness as they spun you going across the line. This picture was in mid spin :)
Our friend JackWe were delayed 3+ hours in Puerto Vallarta because they routinely had to clean the bottom of the ship getting rid of barnacles, etc. Apparently there was a lot more than anticipated so they had divers cleaning the bottom of the ship for hours, causing a major delay. No worries though, as we waited we saw a huge storm come in which was awesome. Lots of thunder and a great lightning show!


I had to include these. Every night, you come back to a towel animal on your bed. The elephant was my favorite, and the second one...well, the verdict is still out on what that is. But it has the appropriate attire on it's head.

It's 9 days away!!!!

WOW!! I can't believe our one year anniversary is just 9 days away! ONE YEAR! It truly has gone by so fast!! I'm excited that we get to celebrate our one year on a 7 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Definitely looking forward to that!!! I'm also looking forward to the many years to come :)!! This last year has been awesome and I am so incredibly blessed to be Jeff's wife! He truly is an amazing man of God, patience, kindness and love! Jeff, I'll love you always!! Happy anniversary!

Our first 4th of July!

A little late, but here's some pictures of our 4th of July. The Cowell's got together as usual to play games, hangout, and watch fireworks at Hurless park. They set the fireworks off at the park, so needless to say, there's always a great view of the fireworks. 4th of July is, by far, one of my favorite holidays and look forward to it every year. Yep, I'm one of those that tear up every now and then while they play those familiar patriotic signs while they set off fireworks. I just love it!!

Here's a few pictures of the night:


Kristy and I

Hmmmm......

This is how our nephew, Judah, watches fireworks. He's not a big fan of them but these "big ears" as he calls them or actually his grandpa's ear protection when he works, makes him feel better.

Micah...super cute pic!

The fireworks

Let the sewing begin!

Ok, so some of you know that I'm getting back into sewing...which I haven't done since high school, which is over 10 years ago so I'm a little rusty. Not to mention, I've had to reteach myself on some of the very basics. But, anyways, I've thoroughly enjoyed it and have a renewed love for sewing.

With it, has come a whirlwind of craziness; in that, my sister-in-law and I have an online shop now of dresses and accessories, called "MooBabies." Ashlee, being the one who does the super cute accessories (hair bands, barretts, and so on). The shop definitely needs some work, but overall, I'm super excited! The shop's on a site where you can buy and sell handmade items, called "Etsy."

Out of all this dress making and accessory making comes modeling....which Ashlee's girls do so well at! We got together last week and had them model while my other sister-in-law, Kristy, took pictures. A lot of super cute pictures! Thanks Kristy!

Here are a few pictures. Feel free to visit our Etsy shop if you like, but remember, our online shop needs a lot of work still :). www.MooBabies.etsy.com


Fun white and beige linen outfits

Red and white gingham sun dress

I just love this picture! This top can also be a dress for the littler ones.

Super fun ladybug sun dress that can be reversible :)

Matching hair band. I love this!! Ashlee does such a good job!

Cute halter dress!