Top 10 List - Mazatlan

In no particular order ...

10. 3 Body Massages and a pedicure...all around $35 each! Not to mention meeting the amazing Cucka masseusse. Not only was she amazing...if you were lucky, which Jaime and I were, she would even offer you some of her tamale she had been saving for lunch. We thouroghly enjoyed our pedicures as we talked of economics, politics and passports and visas with our lovely Monica and Lucy. Jaime's Spanish really came out that day...I was so proud.

Note to self: when getting a pedicure in MX, stick with a solid paint color...now I know why they didn't ask us if we wanted a flower on our big toe.

Getting our pedis

Cuckita and Me

Getting ready for our last massage

9. Having our favorite friends Danny and Jaime with us to celebrate their 14th anniversary and our 10th anniversary. We weren't sure if it was a sure thing as the Summerhays' had recently sold their house and bought a new one. Luckily the closing dates aren't for later this month and they graced us with their presence for 5 nights. Not only are they great BFF's, but they also work part time as referees and had to work a couple of hours on our infamous night of words.


8. Getting a sweet deal at the "90 minute" timeshare meeting. We received: breakfast, 2 rounds of 18 holes, 2 - 1 hour massages, $300 in meal vouchers and a city tour that was never used. Thank you Cheryl...even though you came to hate us in the end, we toasted to your name each night we were eating out in style!

To Cheryl....

7. Playing Phase 10 every night...except for one...(but that game was made up the next day.) Each night Leo would break out the playlist and anytime a song was requested, if he had it...he would play it. But only after he got to choose 6 Spanish songs. The games wouldn't have been complete without a kitchen break for Danny every 5 minutes or a preauthoriezed signature line if you wanted to opt out of the game. Jaime was eventually crowned Queen of Sinaloa State (Mazatlan).



6. Alberto and his cute, bushy eyebrows. His brows were so full of animation each time a question arose. This guy was the best waiter ever...kind, friendly and not easy to offend. Don't ever be afraid to tell your waiter that your guacamole and cheese taste like Caballo...horse, because mine did. He was there on our beautiful last night, and walked over to Angelo's to get Jaime and our our chocolate cheesecake that we had been craving.

Alberto...or was it Alfonso?


5. Our wonderful boys from Monterrey Mexico..also on vacation. They seemed to have brought their woofer, subwoofer and their whole sound system as a carryon. They set up shop right next to us by the pool daily and took our requests (only Country) kindly. If you were lucky...which we were, and if they had enough to drink, they would even sing to the songs. This all came to a complete hault after another guest at the hotel complained. Was it the loudness, or their 50 foot extension cord that wrapped into some strangers room... or the hazard of having all those expensive electronics near a pool....we will never know...we never got their names. To us they will always be: The Monterrey Boys

They basically looked like this...only dark and with hair

4. Our wonderful, yet dangerous rides on the Pominos...and our ever favorite chauffer Miguel. We were pleasured to have Miguel pick us up as we ventured to Joe's Oyster Bar that was supposedly a couple of blocks away. As we started getting nervous being in a questionable part of town...out of nowhere came Miguel, speeding thru the street with Def Leopard blasting. We survived a few near crashes as he amused us with his stories and partial slurring while telling them. Our last night was complete in Mazatlan when we went to hail a taxi (Pamino...golf cart) and Miguel was the driver. We requested Def Leopard, had him take us to our usual and concluded with a picture together. It would've been icing on the cake if he would've remembered us...our suspicions were correct during our first encounter...he shouldn't have been driving that night...he was a little tipsy.

Miguel

Rocking out to Def Leopard

3. Juan Carlos...enough said. This little Dustin Hoffmann look-a-like gave Jaime and I whatever we requested...although all we requested was a late checkout and an iron...he always came thru and quickly became known to me as "Mi Amorcito"...My Love. Come to find out he was the Manager of the Hotel and was humbled at the request to be in our picture.

Us with Juan Carlos

2. Converting pesos to dollars and vice versa. Since we had $300 in meal vouchers (in $50 increments) we had to plan accordingly. It was a "use it or lose it" philosophy...if you didn't order $50 worth of food, there was no money given back on the vouchers. So, Jaime and I sat down and carefully planned out the alotted amount we could use each night. All of that usually went out the window once Leo and Danny ordered or when Jaime and Danny ordered...somehow I always got the short end of the stick...like my chocolate cake that was eaten by the Summerhays with my points.



1. Relaxation...just being by the beach and the pool was all I needed to be happy for the week. Along with some American food from Sam's Club that basically consisted of The Cheesecake Factory stuff and Belgian Waffles with whip cream. There was never a shortage of poolside margaritas and daquiris along with huge orders of chips and guacamole and reading The Time Travelers Wife and chatting it up with Jaime as we meticulously timed each side of our layout sessions.

Gonzo's visit San Diego!

Me, Christy Reed & Lisa

After almost 10 years of not seeing each other, me and 2 of my very good friends were able to have a "reunion" in San Diego. We have been trying to get together for the last couple of years, but our lives have all been very busy.

We decided it would be easier for us (Gonzo's) to head down to Cali since we can fly for free. So, we packed up the whole fam damily and headed out. Leo even surprised us and pushed back his business trip so he could come with us for 2 days.

We arrived and celebrated Michael's 13th birthday at Cafe Coyote in Old Town. Then we hooked up with Christy and her boys and Lisa and baby Reed. Leo kindy watched all 10 kids at the condo while us girls went to El Torrito and talked for hours.

It was so good to see Christy and Lisa! I won't even go into the details of how we met...let's just say we all dated/married 3 brothers and at this point in time we have all married 3 non-related men....and we are all MUCH happier.

The next few days flew by...we went to visit the San Diego Temple, The Cabrillo Lighthouse, Old Town, In and Out Burger, and our favorite....Coronado Beach! The kids had a blast and we were all toasty and sunburned by the time we got left. The highlight of the beach was even a pair of dolphins that swam about 50 feet from where the kids were in the ocean...Christy first thought it was a shark and bolted out to save the kids...what a good Aunt!

We stayed up late at night, and of course Brandon and Mason woke up at the crack of dawn and the rest of the kids slept in. By the end of the 4 days I was probably the only dead tired! And then came the flight home alone with 6 kids...everyone did pretty well, but I don't think I will be flying solo anytime soon!

Until next year Ladies....

Sweet Sixteens!

Liz & Steph

Steph

Liz

We are officially parents of two 16 year olds! Steph and Liz turned the big 1-6 today and we are filled with mixed emotions. Yes..yes....we want them to be able to drive, date and all the rest of that teenage stuff...but it is also sad as parents when your kids grow up...especially the oldest ones. Soon they will be dating, then graduating, leaving for college and then getting married. Time does fly...especially when it comes to your kids.

When Leo and I first met, Steph and Liz were only 3 years old. They were so little, sweet, cute and had the highest pitched screams and giggles. I fell in love with them instantly...even before I fell in love with their Dad. They have always been accepting of me as their Mom and I am so thankful to them for that. They are wonderful girls and have so many great qualities, I could seriously go on and on and on...

And to speak for Leo...his Twins are his life. He loves those 2 girls more than anything...he always has. So, it is only fitting that Daddy would want to spoil his Twinners on their 16th birthday with the only thing 16 year olds have on their minds.....

a Twinmobile

Leo and I had discussed over the last few months about the twinmobile situation. He is ready for a newer car...so we decided that the Twins would inherit his once they got their license. We also agreed to pay for their insurance as long as they keep their GPA at a 3.6 or higher...if not, they will have to pay it.

Well, they can't get their license until December because they just finished Driver's Ed and you now have to have your Learners Permit for 6 months before you get your license. But, Leo still wanted to deck the car out with bows and make sure it was sparkly clean. I thought it was kind of funny...he spent 2 hours cleaning it out, even shining the tires to surprise the Twins...even though he will still be driving the car until December. But, he wanted to do that for his girls. It was pretty cute!

After we suprised them with the car (their two BFF's were with them)...they asked to drive Kayla and Eliza home which is literally 3 houses down the street. They all jumped in the car and Leo and I stood at the end of the driveway watching. We could hear their giggles and excitement. Once they got to their friend's houses, Leo called them on their cell phone and asked them if they got there okay. Obviously, we were watching the whole time...it was just to tease them.

Happy Birthday Steph and Liz...we love you so much!

Now onto Dating.....

Lake Powell 09'

So in January we (adults) started up a neighborhood Phat Club. This was a weekly exercise competition which lasted until June 1st. We decided that after the 6 month long challenge, Lake Powell would be the reward.

Last week we headed on down to Lake Powell. The kids were VERY excited as were the adults. I was a little bit nervous...camping isn't really my thing, and this was camping on the beach itself. Luckily, we had the good old tent trailer we bought from Barb. Once we arrived I was happy to see that there were indeed bathrooms on the beach!

Lake Powell

We had 2 boats, 4 wave runners and tons of toys for the kids to play on and with. We spent most of our days on the boats and toys, hauling the kids on the tubes. The highlight of the trip was the cliff diving. We set out to find the perfect cliffs (which were probably only 20 feet high...but they were still cliffs) and all the kids and some adults got out and jumped and jumped and jumped. On our way home from cliff diving we got lost...so we didn't get back to camp until it was almost dark. We love adventures!

"Cliff Diving"

Some of the things the kids enjoyed most were:

*Tubing on the Taco

*Feeding the Carp's licorice at the gas station

*Talking and telling stories in the tent until late at night

*Making Smores..not eating them but feeding them to Mom and Dad

*Singing Kareoke

*Playing "I've Never.."

*Cliff Diving

*Building endless sandcastles

*AND last but not least, and very, very gross..(but I was told that everyone at Lake Powell does this)... they loved to pee in the water while they were out swimming...all of them.

On our last night there I started to feel kind of sick...I had had way too much sun the day before. When I woke up, my lip was so swollen I could barely swallow. We decided to leave a few hours early and head home so I could start on some medication. After we packed up in record time, we started on the main road, not even 2 minutes into the drive we realized our trailer tire was flat. No Gonzalez trip is ever complete without a blown out tire or two.

So, we pulled over, Leo changed the tire, put on the spare....and you guessed it..the spare had a hole in it too. Did Barb sell us a lemon or what?

So, we drove to Page, AZ picked up 2 new trailer tires, hung out in town until they were ready and then went back to change the tires. Our 7 hour ride home turned into an 11 hour ride home..but we had a blast. The kids even got into a bologna war with Leo while he was driving.

The next time we go back to Lake Powell, I think we will be staying at a hotel...do they even have any?

6th Grade Dance

Michael and Haili

Last week Michael and Haili had their 6th Grade Dance. I thought it was SoOoooO funny because Michael had been prepping for this for the last 3 weeks. This was not your typical 6th grade dance...they had to dance the Waltz, Cha-Cha, Country Swing among other things their teachers taught them.

So, Michael was way excited to dance with some of the girls he liked...Shatara, Danielle, Emma...etc. He kept talking about what he should wear...and really wanted to wear a black button up shirt. Well, I totally spaced it off and on Thursday night he reminded me the dance was the next morning. So, he went through Leo's closet and found him a black button up shirt...a few sizes to big. I told him it was too big, but he insisted.

So, the next morning came. Haili was excited, but not to the degree Michael was. I helped Haili straighten her hair and accesorize her earings and stuff. Michael got all ready...and of course, no outfit is complete without at least a few sprays of Axe Cologne. My house smells like this each morning...normally it is only 2 sprays...but the 6th grade dance is a big deal, so he felt 4 sprays was necessary.

Haili & Emma

BFF's

Emma, Aubrey & Haili

They came home and said they had a great time.

BTW..Michael is 5'8" already...people always ask where he gets his height. Isn't it obvious, me!

Ktichen Update...finally done!

Back in December we started updating our kitchen. First we took down the hideous light box and put can lights. Then we replaced the white countertops, and FINALLY...FINALLY after 2 1/2 months of staining cabinets...it is finished!

Can I mention that the cabinets wouldn't have taken me SoOOOoooOO long if I would've gone with my gut instinct about the finish. I didn't want a shiny finish and the least amount of sheen I could use was Satin.....(the Matte was oil-based). So, I finished the cabinets and HATED the shininess. Leo told me to just leave it, he thought it looked fine. But after spending that much time on a project, I wanted to make sure it was exactly how I had imagined it. So, I sanded the cabinets all down a couple of weeks ago and spent the whole day painting them again! I am now satisfied.

Before

After

Before

After


So I put all our appliances on KSL classifieds and they sold the next day. I wasn't prepared to go a whole month without a stove, dishwasher and microwave. The kids hated me for doing that...they had to handwash dishes for a whole month. Here is Leo holding up the old microwave...we couldn't figure out how to get it out. So, we took turns holding it on our back for 30 minutes until our friend came over to help.

My only bit of advice for redoing cabinets...use the Gel Stain

Meet Daisy Gonzo...and maybe Buzz

Daisy Gonzalez

So...we did it again, we bred Lulu for the 4th and LAST time! The 3rd time was supposed to be the last...but our little puppy Rosie was hit by a car and passed away when she was 12 weeks old. On April 18th, we welcomed 8 puppies to our family. 5 girls and 3 boys. Mason named them all after Princesses, even the boys. Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Aurora, Fiona, Jasmine, Ariel & Melodi. WE, the kids and I, named the girls after flowers and Brandon named the boys. We have: Daisy, Daffodill, Lilac, Tulip, Chrysanthemym, Yo-yo, Jo-jo & Buzz.

Daffodill, Daisy, Buzz & Tulip

Mason & Tulip

Beezer & Tulip

They have been so much fun, as usual. The neighborhood kids all come over before and after school and play with them and they have named the puppies other names as well...so basically we are going to have 8 puppies that are going to be confused as heck about their identities.

We have sold 4 of them and have 3 left to sale since we are keeping Daisy. Brandon has really gotten close to Buzz, and wants to keep him as well. I am a dog person, but 3 dogs is a little much for me...even though we have a big backyard, we like to keep Lulu inside with us. I am trying to come up with some long, drawn out story about a sick little boy who really wants Buzz for him....crossing my fingers that that will work so Brandon will give him up.

Buzz and Beezer

Until then, if you know of anyone interested in some really cute puppies, tell them I will give them the deal of the century!