Our California Adventure

Today I flew out to Az to meet up with my long life BFF.  Khonnie and I have been friends since jr high....many many years ago!!  

She picked me up and we started our drive to California.  

We will be driving the Pacific coast highway!!!

its been awhile

I just realized its been awhile since I last posted OK more like a month or more. life has just been really busy--with kids, school, my Scentsy business and the Shrine--life seems really busy

well I am super excited to say I am going to Dreamweaver Lodge to get some scrapbooking done.

I leave on Wednesday night and I will be home on Sunday---I cannot wait to get some scrapbooking done & caught up....

more layouts from 2009 Pages 51-90

here are some layouts I did back in the year (just never got around to photographing them) some of them were done back during spring break---

here is our camping trip with the Masonic Lodge (kit by Scenic Route)

here is the kiddos @ the Old Fort Days in Ft Sumner (kit by Scenic Route)

the kids love their slip & slide (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

my kiddos with their friends (@ their grandparents house) (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

Me & my mom--Ensenda, Mexico (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

more of our Mason camping trip--my kids love to rock wall climb (kit by Scenic Route)

Me & my mom--Cabo, Mexico (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

me & my mom--Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

me & my mom (& kiddos)--the blow hole, Hawaii (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

my babies being my babies (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

me & my mom--colorado/NM border (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

my baby boy is 4 (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

back in May--me & mom (& some close friends) went to a weekend retreat in Colorado---I took an album from my senior year of high school (a band trip to CA for the Tournament Roses parade that we got invited to march in)---I finished ALL the photos of that trip!!!!

here is us--on a yet another practice march (kit by Scenic Route)

a layout of us getting ready to leave the high school to go to Albq. to catch the plane (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

here is a layout of the morning of the parade...very early & very cold (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

a layout of us in the airport...ready to go home (kit by Scenic Route)

Us @ Universal Studios (kit by Scenic Route)

us @ medieval times (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

the parade!!! (kit by A Page 4 All Seasons)

a day @ the beach (kit by Scenic Route)

Vacation with Mom-Day 6 , 7 & 8 (thursday, friday & saturday)

More on my vacation with my mom.....you can read here for Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day4, Day 5

Day 6 was a quiet day at sea. Read lots & explored lots. Saw a show & some of the staff was introduced. There are lots of people who make the ship run.


went to the disco with new friend, Angelica. we meet lots of people, like new friend, Alli
On Day 7...we arrived in Ensenda, Mexico


This is our room.....well somewhere in all those windows

Us waiting for our excursion tour bus, we were taking a city tour

we went to Riveria de Pacifico....originally opened in 1929 as Playa Ensenda Hotel & Casino. Owned & operated by Jack Dempsey & his financial backers (Al Capone is supposed to be a silent partner) The opening act in the hotel ballroom was Bing Crosby, back by the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, which included a singer named Margarita Carmen Cansino (a Baja native, later known as Rita Hayworth)

what the casino looked back in the day....the water came up to building...now it doesn't'

the casino was only allowed to serve one kind of liquor. so the owner, 'leased' out 7 different bars to 7 different companies to serve different liquor. smart huh?

could you imagine, the dancing, the music....the history

The ceilings were amazing
When the building was closed. due to the depression, fixtures and such were sold off, except this chandelier, because it was so heavy & would not fit through the doors

The ironwork was pretty cool. There is a woman, with flowing hair. I didn't see it (mom did) but I couldn't until NOW :D yippee I see her now

us in front of the casino

back on the tour bus to go visit the oldest winery in Ensenda

We went to see Bodegas de Santo Thomas--
the oldest winery in Mexico (established in 1888)
We got to tour where they used to make wine (just a touring center now)
see what wine is stored in
wine bottles

where they would stomp on the grapes. Did you know you had to weigh a certain amount to be a grape stomper...you couldn't' be overweight!!

then we went back to the store, where we could taste a few wines (my fav part)...and since mom isn't much of a wine drinker (or any kind of drinker for that matter)....

I got to have her wine too!!!
we left with 3 bottles......back to the ship...dinner/show/bed....back to San Diego in the morning

Day 8...we woke to be back in San Diego. The night prior we got baggage #s. We were # 23, that was the number group we were in to get off the ship. Out of 25 groups :D
here we are waiting....of course I was happy to have cell service again
me & my new friend Angelica

after we got off the ship, back to the truck and on the road. we decided we would make the drive (as far as we could go) back to NM.

here are some random pictures along the way.


we drove back straight thru, it didn't make sense to get a hotel room to sleep for a few hours. made it back on sunday about 5am or so

it was a great vacation with my mom!!!

Vacation with Mom-Day 5 (wednesday in Cabo)

if you are joining us now...you can caught up on the Vacation here with Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day4...
On Day 5...its Wednesday and we docked in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico....which by the way is my 36th Birthday!!!
me and mom took a city bus tour. it took us around the city etc. then we took a boat ride (free drinks) out to Los Archos very pretty!!! Its also known as Playa del Amor (lover's beach)
(info taken from Best Beaches Cabo San Lucas)
The towering rock formations are just one piece of the beauty. The other key is the pristine water that surround the rock and beach. Two bodies of water meet at Playa del Amor; the Pacific Ocean on one side, and the Sea of Cortes on the other.
Hidden behind Cabo San Lucas' landmark, El Arco, or The Arch at Land's End is Playa del Amor - Lover's Beach!
and saw some seals
we pretty water & rocks
we saw a pirate ship...or at least it look like one :Dthen we were taken to a beach to relax and have some beers. We got our feet wet.
then washed off the sand and headed back to the boat.
we saw a pirate ship...or at least it look like one :D
we also saw some of the pretty housesand our ship
once we got back on the ship. we got changed and ready for dinner. where my mom had a cake for me delivered to the table and of course happy birthday sang for methe cake was yummy