a little r & r in mexico...

was the absolute perfect christmas gift!  after the craziness that is the month of december, we headed to the maya rivera for four nights and five days of rest and relaxation.  seriously, we did nothing but relax and enjoy uninterrupted conversation for five days.  it was perfect!!  here are the ONLY pictures i took, but they completely capture our vacation.

mark soaking up the sun.  i am now over 30 and very aware of my wrinkles so i love the shade.  :)

my favorite part of the trip was our little beach cabana where we spent most of our time.  it even had our name on it.  

here it is-- shade, a little bit of sun, the ocean breeze, the sound of the waves, and the most friendly staff.  perfection!!

and here was our view.  can you tell i loved it?

ok, i'm ready to go back.  so mark if you are actually reading this, let's start planning our next beach vacay.  thanks babe, for know me so well and spoiling me with great trips like this.  love you!!

vegas vacay...

mark and i just got back from a fun little get-a-way to las vegas!! it was such a treat to have time away and have uninterrupted time to talk and spend time together. we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary early this summer (june 23) so we used that as our excuse to plan a vacation for just the two of us. it was a really great trip. again, i didn't take many pictures, but at least i have a couple to remember our trip.

mark in front of our hotel, aria. beautiful wall of water.

i was obsessed with the BEAUTIFUL hydrangeas at the bellagio. they are my favorite flower and were gorgeous there.

frog singing "what a wonderful world" at the wynn.

my new favorite activity in vegas- BINGO!! i recognize this makes me an old crazy lady, but i loved it. mark was sweet enough to play with me. he liked it too, i think! :)

just one picture to represent the AMAZING food that we had while we were there. this won my vote for the "best presentation" for dessert. funnel cakes with delish dipping sauces. yummmmmm!!

while we were away the kids had their own vacation staying with all of their favorite people- b and pop, chrissie, the fifers, and ending the week with nana and gramps. i am so thankful for a family that loves being with our kids and is willing to have them so mark and i can get away.

cashing in on a really great gift...

last year for christmas my chef brother gave mark and i are really great gift- a private dinner party for 6 of our friends. so fun!! well it only took us almost a year to cash in on this great gift, but last week we did and it was wonderful! sean and mark came up with a fantastic menu and i had fun setting the table and getting the house all ready. i was only able to take a few pictures because my camera was still making its way home, but here are a few from our fun night!

chef sean in the kitchen workin' hard.

we ate outside in our backyard. i love any excuse to use my lanterns. it was a little chilly, but i still think it was the perfect setting for a perfect meal!

chef sean explaining our meal.

thank you sean for giving such a wonderful gift and for creating such a special evening for mark and i and our friends. we are hoping for a repeat gift this christmas! ;)

happy everything...

happy 30th birthday to me! happy 8th anniversary to mark and i! AND happy 30th to my sweet husband!! because all of these events happen within a 2 week period we decided that a vacation was in order. after some discussion about going to the beach to relax versus a big city to play and site see, we landed on san fransisco. it was a GREAT decision. we had a fabulous time just being together. here are a few highlights from the trip... (we were very touristy- not usually our style)

we went to a beautiful spot to view and take pics of the golden gate bridge...
we watched the sea lions at pier 39...

we rode the trolley...

we went to alcatraz...

we went on an incredible tour of napa valley...
we had drinks at the "top of the mark" and experienced an incredible view of the entire city...

we even had the chance to see an old friend, paul (the smartest person i know)... it was great to catch up with him and walk all around his quaint san fran neighborhood...
we also ate some amazing food and enjoyed just walking around the city. the hills of san fransisco reminded us how out of shape we really are, but they were good for working off the extra calories we were eating! :)

and i have thank my mom and dad (nana and gramps) for watching my kids while we were away. jack was sick and not in the best of moods, but nana spoiled him by holding and loving on him constantly. olivia had a ball at the farm with gramps, playing at the lake with the family, and hanging out with nana watching movies and swimming. thanks mom and dad!! :)

back from mexico...

(the view from our balcony)

we have been back for a little over a week and i can't believe that i have not a moment or two to blog about our super fun trip. we had a really great time, and of course my kids loved the vacation at nana and gramps' house. i will let the pictures retell the highlights of the trip...

"cheers to a fabulous first night and a relaxing vacation!"

the boys-- brad, mark, and steve

the girls-- kristy, me, and mary

all six of us!! (fun times with the camera timer and lots of wind!!)

i would not allow mark to take a picture of me sitting and reading (for obvious reasons), which is what i did most of the trip and LOVED it!!