Prom Dresses

A brief break from Cancun…

Our stake, along with several others in Southern California, participates in an LDS (Latter-day Saint) Prom as an alternative to high school proms.  The difference is—the youth must actually adhere to the standards for dress and conduct. It is also less expensive, but of course, much of the prom expense comes down to attire.

There were several girls who desired to go to the prom, but who did not have a dress and could not afford to get one.  I told the YW leader, “No problem, I’m sure I can borrow dresses for them to wear.”

That was an understatement.

On Thursday, 8 days prior to the prom, I put a message on our ward’s Relief Society bulletin board and sent out messages to the YW Presidents in the stake.  By Friday afternoon, I had gotten offers for over 60 dresses!  By Saturday, I was turning dresses away!

I was BLOWN AWAY by the generosity of people, many of whom I had never met.  I drove from one end of our valley to the other on Saturday morning picking them all up.  I had rented a coat rack to store them. My boys rigged up the cars so the dresses could hang as I transported them.  I systematically tagged them all so that I could return them to their owners after the fact. 

I had a fabulous time with the YW on Tuesday night as they tried every single one of them on.  It was a swirl of taffeta and silk in every style and color.

My head is now awhirl… If I can collect this many dresses in 2 days, just think what could happen if I actually PLANNED something…!

Just Another Day in Cancun

Bryce knocked #43 off of his bucket list when we got cool frosty drinks at the swim up bar.

Pool or ocean, the water looks the same.

Now that’s what I like to see.  Of course they can’t see because I’ve got them squinting into the sun.

A little bit of this.

Now he’s looking authentic.  The Nike socks and Vans complete the ensemble.

Tyler picked this out just for me. 

I didn’t buy it.

XPLOR

On Monday we met the bus and headed out for a day at an eco park

You must wear helmets throughout the park…very stylish!

Jeff and I were cringing from our sunburns, but it turned out that XPLOR has a lot of underground activities, cold water, and shade—perfect!

We started out on the amphibious vehicles:

Then we moved on to the hammocks:

You zip over the water and then land in the shallow pool on the other side.  Jeff got a defective hammock his first time out and it got stuck halfway, so he had to jump into the water below and “be rescued”.  Funny stuff.  The boys and I were dying laughing, but were sure he’d be put out by the whole thing.  Not even, he wanted to go again and again.

Next stop:  underground river swimming.  Now, I am not a fan of cold water.  On the bus ride over, the staff person was not making this part sound very fun as he was describing the 56 degree water.  I was shivering just thinking about it.  There was no way that water was 56 though, because I could get right in.

It actually ended up being one of our favorite parts.  Quiet and peaceful.

We also tried it with rafts, but I was glad to get off the raft.  Have I mentioned how uncoordinated I am?  I think Jeff was a good sport having me as a partner.  Also, you kind of have to check your vanity at the door when you’re wearing the helmet and walking around in a bathing suit with unevenly burned skin and not even a touch of mascara.

Here we are, triumphant after coming off the rafts…

Last event:  ziplines.  Jeff confessed to being a bit skittish about this, but the boys couldn’t wait.  You climbed endless stairways to reach the start, zip to the bottom and then climb up another tower and repeat.  Each one in the circuit was a little different, some with water landings and one actually ends on a water slide:

You may wonder, “How did you get all those great pictures?”  Well, my friend, it only takes money.  They have this great system where each of the helmets has a number on it.  They have cameras all over the park and at the end of the day you can give them your helmet numbers and they pull up all of the pictures taken during the day, conveniently placed on a flash drive.  Pretty cool.   They know that once you see the pictures, you won’t be able to leave without having them.  We only got a few pictures in our set of people we really didn’t know.

Some places in the park actually have “viewpoints” where you pose and push a button to take a picture.  We never could get the timing right with this one:

Oh, the funniest part of this day was the bus ride back.  The boys wanted to sit in the back and they ended up sitting near 4 very inebriated Frenchmen who each brought a six-pack on the bus with them (and they discovered the mini fridge in the back so they could keep em cold until needed).  It was amazing to me that one of those guys could chatter (loudly!) non-stop for an hour and a half.  Whatever he was saying must have been hysterical because he kept his buddies laughing the entire time.  Everyone else on the bus was exhausted after the long day, but not them!  Good thing they weren’t driving anywhere.

Beds, Beach & Burns

First things first, sleeping arrangements.  Our unit included 1 master bedroom and a living room with a pull out couch.  We ordered a rollaway bed.  Tyler has seniority so he got to pick and he of course picked the rollaway bed.  Bryce is nothing if not persistent and probably argued for switching beds no fewer than five times each day (he finally got the rollaway on day 4).  Poor kid, at 13, to have such an “aching back”.  At one point he slipped into our bed, thinking we might not see him…

Off to the beach, he drowned his sorrows in super nachos…

Note that the kids are fully shaded while Jeff and I (I was sitting in the chair on the left) were in the sun.  You’d think we’d know how our pale bods will react in the sun after 40+ years, but no, we end up with this:

and burns in other miscellaneous spaces on my body.  I looked polka dotted.  My feet were so bad that they swelled up the rest of the week.  Hideous burning totally cancels out the cute toes I had to have before we left.  Jeff also burned, more of an all over burn, but the kids were fine.

Oh, and we learned a very important cultural lesson this day.  In Mexico, it is considered rude to bring you the check before you ask for it.  We just thought they knew our room number so it would just be taken care of—how nice that they don’t hover for a tip (although he totally deserved it—bringing the food all the way down to the beach!).  Nope.  We apparently dined and ditched.  We were on the beach for a couple of hours after the food and the waiter would ask us if we needed anything else, not realizing by “else” that he actually meant, “do you want your check”?  Never fear, 10 minutes after we returned to the room, they tracked us down.  Tyler went to go sign for it but he didn’t leave a tip.  (I was in the shower, so was unavailable to give my usually explicit and detailed instructions!)

I’ve had guilt ever since.

I’m Having Guacamole Withdrawals

Cancun over Spring Break:  Way fun. 

Coming back to reality:  Not so much.

So much to tell.  I know, I know.  No one is interested in vacation slide shows.  Too bad.  It’s my scrapbook.  Look away if you must, but I will try to make it a little interesting.

Day 1:  Travel begins at 3 am.  On a positive note, no traffic at all to LAX this early in the morning.  Double bonus:  Aero Mexico has no baggage fees unless you’re overweight (your bags, not you personally, fortunately for us).

We have a 3 hour layover in Mexico City (Justin is SOOO close!) and hit the food court.  Why has all my Spanish left me (and Tyler, I might add, who should be more current!)?   All Tyler can remember is how to ask where the library (la biblioteca) is. 

Jeff tries to order from the menu by number but is actually ordering by price (!)  Tyler is determined to find REAL Mexican food like all those cow head street tacos his brother keeps talking about.  Bryce is freaking out a little and orders:

Yep, folks, those are chicken nuggets.  Or, as they say in Mexico City, nuggets de pollo.  I think it’s hilarious that “nuggets” is the same in any language.

After we establish that we are, in fact, ALREADY IN Terminal 2 we go about the business of finding our gate for our next flight.  There are two main thoroughfares to gates at either side of the terminal, separated by about 60 yards. We find our flight on the board but no gate number is listed.  We then proceed to walk back and forth several times between these two main entrance points, like ducks in a shooting gallery, trying to translate that difference between the two and passing the informacion booth no fewer than four times.  Effective.  At least we are exercising.

I give up.  I ask the lady in the booth who uses beautiful English to make me feel even more ridiculous.  Oh!  That entrance!  Pass through security, gate will be posted 45 minutes before flight.  Duh.

All goes smoothly, luggage arrives, and we make our way to the Westin Lagunamar Resort.  You can’t really tell from the picture but there is a prodigious amount of pink and purple paint accenting the décor.  And, this is one of the more subdued establishments.  I really love how fearless Mexicans are with exterior paint colors!

This is our room.  Ya, baby.  Spit and you hit sand.  Doesn’t get much better than this.

Bryce contemplating the fact that he is the luckiest kid in the world.

See, not SO boring.  I know you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for the next installment.  Here’s a sneak peak:

Orange Love

{I have just peeled an orange and begin to eat it.}

Bryce:  I can’t eat oranges anymore.  The last orange I had was dry and it has ruined it for me.

Me:  I know.  A dry orange is hard to get over.  I have a hard time buying them again after I get a dry batch.  But, {holding a section out to him} this one is juicy, see?  Do you want a bite?

Bryce:  {considers for a moment…}  No.  I’m not ready to love again.*

*This message has been approved for blogging by Bryce.**

**The FACT that this item has been approved by Bryce has been approved for publication by Bryce.***

***Etc.

Nerds

Bryce (offended over something someone has said…): 

“I’m not a nerd!”

 

Tyler:

“ Bryce, face it.  You are a nerd.  I’m a nerd too.  It’s ok, embrace it.”