Our Mexican Adventure

Mexican Fiesta - US Style

2011-10-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

Yet another Summer Vacation Post! I'm really enjoying my life and journey in Mexico and I wanted to share a small taste of Mexico with my family and close friends. So, I invited relatives and friends to join me for a Mexican Fiesta night at the parents house.

I planned a fun menu, simple decorations complete with a interactive photo station. I had so much fun pulling together all the details together for the group. Here are the photos to tell you the story. Even the weather somewhat cooperated. The day I held the party had to be the hottest and THE MOST humid day of my entire time back for vacation. Definitely close to PV Summer weather, but not too close.

The Food Set-Up:
Appetizers consisted of Fruta Picada, Fresh Veggies with Mexican Dip, Salsa, Guacamole and Tortilla Chips!

Some of the details and decorations!

I was a grillin master with Arrachera, Quesadillas, Stuffed Banana Peppers and all the fixins!

The Drink Station - Complete with homemade Sangria, Margaritas and Mexican Beer!!!

Lots of conversations and Fun was enjoyed by ALL!!!

It also happened to be my cousin Jessica's Birthday!!

And the FUN Photo Station Photos. I'm pretty sure everyone was a bit skeptical about the photo station, but from the look of the photos, it wasn't soo bad.

Even Mike the most skeptical of them all sure looked like he was having a good time!!

Thank you to all my family and friends that traveled to visit with me and enjoy a piece of Mexico!

Miscellaneous Vacation FUN!!

2011-09-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

I realize that I've gotten a little blogger happy in these past few weeks, but I'm trying to get caught up before our fall/winter season of weddings begin.

Here's a little mix of random photos from Summer Vacation.

Official 4th of July Photo with Grandma and McKenzie!

Seriously, can you resist that cute smile!!

After Rob, Melissa, McKenzie, Max and Brady left we headed back down the the lake to relax on the pontoon and clean up after the math of the 4th of July weekend!

The weekend after the 4th Mike & Karen invited me along to have fun on the lake with some wave-runners. Who am I to say NO! I LOVE wave-runners!! They are soo much fun!

It was such a fun day!!! Thank you!

Mom, Dad & I spent an entire afternoon with Dawson. We went mini-golfing and then the movie theater to watch Transformers 3. It was such a fun day!!

4th of July Fun!!!!

2011-09-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

The weekend of the 4th of July was filled with surprises, amazing fireworks and memorable moments with family and friends.
I took the Liberty this year of trying to get a family photo that we all didn't have to spend a ton of money on matching outfits. I was able to find Old Navy Patriotic T-shirts for really inexpensive and thought..."Why not?". Hoping that everyone would be in the mood and up to getting their photo taken. They turned out really awesome! What a adorable and growing little family we have. :)

The Black Family - July 2011

I was also able to get a photo with Mom & Dad separately as well.

The Pontoon got all decked out for the boat parade.

When it was time for the parade, we all hopped on the boat and joined in on the celebration!! We grabbed our food and we were on our way. Karen's Mom, Dad had just arrived in time.

Aren't they cute?

Karen's Mom and Sister Crystal.

My adorable Niece and Nephew!

And as we all were partaking in our 2nd round of drinks delivered by Mike, our tummies were full and we were enjoying the lake and family. Little did we know that we were all in for a surprise..especially Karen. Mike PROPOSED!! It was soo amazing, beautiful, emotional....... AND...she Said "YES!"

The couple is planning a July 2012 wedding. Super Excited!!!

Then it was time to head back to the Landing as family and friends were starting to arrive for the BIG CELEBRATION!!

Mom and I sporting our matching sandals. Thanks Mom!

Pam enjoying a little McKenzie time.

David getting some experience!

Family and Friends enjoying the Lake!

Then it was time to start prepping for THE SHOW!!!

Going over the game plan!

The INSANE amount of fireworks.

Then it was time to all get loaded onto the boats as the show was about to start.

The view of the Landing from the VIP boat!

The VIP Boat Members! Do you notice who might have been a tad bit chilly. :)

And The Fireworks were AMAZING!! GREAT JOB MIKE!!!

And here's a little quick snap shot of the day and fireworks prep.

And here's a quick clip of Mike's Spectacular Show!!

Here's one of my ABSOLUTE favorite photos from the weekend! Thanks Pam!!!

May God Bless America!!! Hope you all enjoyed your 4th as much as I did!

The Days Leading Up to the 4th of July & Black Family Reunion Time

2011-09-02T23:08:00.001-05:00

My Summer Vacation Stateside this past July was AMAZING!! Yes, that word deserved to be in all CAPS!! It was that GREAT!! (yes CAPS again)
I boarded my plane from Puerto Vallarta on June 30th. Adios PV and the Hot & Humid weather.

Loved this book!! Could NOT put it down the entire flight.

Hello CHICAGO!!!

The view outside Chicago O'Hare on the Shuttle bus to Madison, WI! (I was dying to see my family and my precious niece McKenzie)

See told you it was an awesome book!! Ticket and book in tow!

The next day I got to hang out with Melissa and McKenzie until it was time to head up North. We took a quick trip to Target.

Ok..seriously...she HAS to be the happiest cutest baby ever.

Aunt Shelly was in charge of keeping her entertained on the ride up North to Mom & Dad's. Let's just say...even Aunt Shelly was running out of things to do. We all sure enjoyed the Nutter Butter's though.

Next day was lake and the Black Family Reunion. I don't have much commentary for this blog, so for this I will let the pictures tell the story and take the lead.

One area of the landing ready for the weekend!! Does anyone notice all the coolers lined up on the left????

There was breakfast making. Family tradition is to make buttermilk donuts over the campfire. Mike was the fryer and I was happy to take on the sugaring duties. This is one of my favorite memories with Grandma and Grandma Jung and the many Summer's we spent camping together.

Dad with his coffee in tow. Yes, The Black's do it up the RIGHT WAY!! heehee

There was a TON of McKenzie bonding time. I felt so blessed and happy that my family allowed me to be a baby hog for the weekend. She was soo much fun!

There was tubing and skiing breaks!

Mike went skiing.

This was supposed to be the photo of him dropping the ski.

Then Dad was out to fetch it.

There was boating on the pontoon.

And some more McKenzie bonding....

The water sport boat coming back for a break.

Jeez....really????

Then it was Family Reunion Time and family photos!

Here's Aunt Janet & Uncle Tom's Clan.

These boys are getting sooo big. YIKES!!!

Then it was Aunt Wendy & Uncle Butch's clan.

These boys are super cute and we have an amazing 3rd generation starting.

Next up was Aunt Jan Jan & Uncle David's Group. (minus Jessie, Mike and the girls)

All the cousins...Does anyone else notice a trend here.....The Black gene pool...Boys...Boys...and more Boys....I felt so bad for Aimee. The only girl in all of those boys.

Grandpa sure does LOVE his grand-daughter. A LOT!

The brothers discussing who knows what.

Cutest couple. (Aunt Janet & Uncle Tom)

Ryan taking part of the McKenzie fever. :)

Chad was loving a little McKenzie one on one.

Even little Colin LOVED little McKenzie.

Noah & Colin together. I have a feeling these cousins will be the best of buds forever!

A little father/son catch action.

A little grandson/grandpa bonding time.

And now for some videos...
First we have Colin and McKenzie:

Then a brief reenactment with Uncle David & Dad as Crazy Guggenheim. (I apologize for the sound quality, but it was the best I could do)

Then after we got home, Dad was telling more stories and the family background of Crazy Guggenheim. We all had a long day and a few cocktails. We were all feeling pretty darn good. :)

Stay tuned for more posts coming up from my AMAZING Summer Vacation Stateside. Hope you enjoyed the first of many posts.

YUMMY NEW RESTAURANT

2011-06-26T20:04:00.001-05:00

Last week I was invited with My Mexico Family to go and try out a new restaurant and it was sooo yummy!!

We went and tried out Las Adelitas a newer restaurant close to home. It has a little taste for everyone's palette.

They brought us our drinks and a quick snack. I ordered a mojito. It came frozen in a terra-cotta glass. It stayed soo cold and tasty for soo long!!

You can see the little snack they brought us in the background. Cucumbers and Jicama picados with limon y chile. LOVE THIS STUFF!!

The restaurant was soo cute and you really felt like you were in old world Mexico (well besides the flat screens). The owner did a GREAT job with this restaurant. I loved everything about this restaurant.

Ummm...Check out that full RACK of RIBS!! They were soooo tender and YUMMY!! See..even if you are in Mexico, you can have a little taste of good home cookin food!

Kristin had a french dip.

And I ordered baja style shrimp tacos. Everything was soo good. The sauce, the coleslaw..everything!

And to end this post, we have a couple of pictures of Luna. She went to the vet yesterday and she's all vaccinated and ready. She weighs 13 kilos 600 grams or just about 30 pounds. She's healthy and ready for action. I love my little PV city and Luna's vet. Got Luna vaccinated, nails clips, her but glands cleaned (i attempted, but did not succeed. Not something I can clearly do by myself.) heartguard and a front line application for all $500 pesos. She's good & healthy until next year!!!

This week I'm getting ready for my trip back to the States for the annual visit! Getting excited everyday! Here's just a peek.

Salsas & Margaritas...OH MY!!!

2011-06-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I headed off to a great event planned by my friend Louise Daly. She has been an amazing help to me at events and has given Kristin a bit of a break from coordinating the wedding day. She volunteered for the PURR project here in Puerto Vallarta which is a no-kill cat shelter.

We went to an amazing Salsa and Margarita Tasting event with raffle and live auction items. It was such a great afternoon!!
Started with a HOT & STEAMY Bus ride to the restaurant.

I got there in time for a refreshing Mojito & Live Music!

The first pairing was a tamarindo margarita with a fresh pico de gallo. I didn't get a picture of this one, but was soo tasty! This was the 2nd pairing. Regular lime margarita with a Mango salsa. This salsa was AMAZING!!

The 3rd pairing was a Jamaica Margarita with an AMAZING guacamole salsa. Sooo much garlic it was YUMMO!

The last pairing was a chocolate margarita with a chipotle salsa. SOOO GOOD!! YEP!! I said CHOCOLATE.

And the lady of the hour...Louise Daly. She did such an amazing job pulling this event together! Miss you my friend!

Here's a quick video from the afternoon!

My Mexico Family

2011-06-19T22:15:00.000-05:00

I feel so blessed to have such a great bond with such an amazing family. I had such an amazing day today with them and enjoyed some really great food!!!

Here are just a few photos from the last four years of my Mexico Adventure.

Love my little Mexican Family!!! Los quiero mucho!!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

This year 2011, brings the 37th Father's day for my wonderful, adorable and loving Dad! (and I realize that I just made myself feel a little bit older....ugh) LOVE you Dad!

And... 2011 brings the 9th Father's Day for Mike! Wow..can't believe Dawson is 9.

AND...most excited for my baby brother, Rob who will be celebrating his VERY FIRST Father's Day!

AND..another special guy in my life. Pablo will be celebrating his 3rd Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. We love what you do and for me, my Dad is my hero!

Luna Meet Oreo

2011-04-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

For the next week, Luna and I are "puppy-sitting" while a PV friend is on vacation in Florida. Today is just the first day and I seriously can't stop laughing. I'm sitting here working on some emails and have two dogs playing at my feet. Literally....playing at my feet. You'll be able to see in the video that I post below. I think I'll have a permanent worn out track around my sofa from them chasing after each other.

Here is a picture that I took of my welcome when I got home from work tonight. Usually there is just one little floppy ear'd puppy waiting for me. Tonight I had two. :)

Meet Oreo!

Here are a few photos that I've been able to capture during the timeout times. :)
I LOVE Oreo's eyes in this Photo. Sooo adorable... I'm chuckling soo hard writing this blog.

Here's Oreo coming back for more.

Here's one video. I'm soo proud of my baby. She was sooooo kind to share her FAVORITE toy with Oreo. She just watched her play with it. If you watch Luna's head closely when Oreo starts to move it around, Luna's head follows right along with her toy. She's sharing all of her toys very nicely. MOM IS VERY PROUD!

Sorry, had to post another video of them tonight while they were playing. Sorry about the angle, but like I said above they are playing at my feet.

Stayed tuned for more Luna and Oreo adventures to come.

Vallarta Friends (treasured moments - FOREVER)

2011-04-12T22:16:00.000-05:00

This blog post is dedicated to the wonderful friends that I've made along my Mexican Journey. I'm not starting from the beginning rather just photos snapped at small get-togethers, Ladies Nights or just out for a couple of drinks.

Had to put this on the blog post. Notice how they spell "Budweiser and Bud Light"! :) LOL

A Day at The Dazzling Details

2011-04-12T21:21:00.000-05:00

As we are on the brink of the starting our high season, I couldn't help but pull out my camera one day when everyone was in great moods and Pablo, Kristin and I were all listening to our own tunes in our own way. Kristin with a live performance, Pablo concentrating on his "around town" list, the guys pounding and sawing away in the workshop and Doryan doing what she knows best...sewing all those beautiful linens you get to see at our events. Kristin dreams up the ideas and somehow everyone does their part to pull it all together to make our couples Dream Wedding Day come true.
Enjoy this video snapped while we were all working away. :)
**Luna was coming along for the ride with me on this day too! ***

Look Who Turned TWO!!!

2011-04-08T22:36:00.000-05:00

Since Luna's adoption, I don't know her exact birthdate, but I like to celebrate her birthday around the first part of April (approx. 6 weeks from adoption date). She was such a good girl this year laying down waiting for her Mom to snap some quick shots before she decided it was time to play. I love her soo much! I don't have any children (of my own) to share my abundance of love with right now so she gets some of it. I share another portion with my beautiful nieces and nephews that have blessed my life.

Soo..without further adieu I present..LUNA my two year old toddler. She is otherwise known as lunatic, lunatica...crazy girl or the energizer bunny.

The warmer weather (which means right along with it the humidity) has sneaked up on us and with that means fans are starting to run. So, in this next picture, the fan kept blowing the sign I made, but Luna was sitting soo cute and her face expression is sooo her I had to post the photo anyway.

OK....Sooo how cute is she???

ok...how could anyone refuse kisses or giving kisses to this cutie???

Then she proceeded to get comfy.

Sunsets....

2011-03-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

I LOVE living where I have the opportunity to watch the sun fall into the ocean daily. ***jealous***...don't you wish you could watch this everyday????
I captured a few pictures tonight along with a video for you to celebrate the March 31st sunset with me!! Wish you were here to watch with me.

It still gets me when tourists get all excited and applause and hoot and holla when the sunsets every night. :)

Meeting McKenzie Rose

2011-03-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

During early February, I had the opportunity to meet and bond with my beautiful niece, Mckenzie Rose. She was born January 23, 2011 to happy and beautiful parents Rob (my baby brother) and Melissa (my caring Sis-In-Law). Here are just a few snapshots of the very short 5 days I was able to bond with her. Even though those days were short, I will never forget those moments I was able to bond with her. I'm counting down the days until I get to see her again in July.

The cutest little family!!!

I just couldn't get enough!

I love being her aunt!!!

Brady wanted his picture taken too! :0

She's such a doll!!

The bond between Dad & Daughter will never be broken! It's a special bond that will last a lifetime!

A selfie attempt!

What a precious little girl!!

I love her sooo very much!!!

Her face expressions were pricelesss!!

I had soo much fun bonding with her.

Max will be her 2nd protector after her daddy.

Another selfie attempt!!

Luna's Close Up

2011-03-30T22:39:00.001-05:00

In February Luna had her 30 seconds of fame. :) My photographer friend here in PV, Elizabeth Lloyd grabbed some really amazing photos of Luna and I. Here are just a few of my favorites. You'll have to excuse me because there are a LOT a LOT of favorites. :) We went down to the river as I know that Luna would kind of freak out going to the beach as she has never been there. She enjoyed every single second of being in a new place, smelling new smells and hearing new sounds. Beth was able to really capture Luna in all her glory. It's going to be sooo hard choosing which ones to get printed.

And for just another touch of Mexico. We have youngters playing in the river. Gosh I love it here!!

That's My Luna!

2011-03-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

*** This has been in my draft folder for a while now because of the video. I've been able to record another video to see if this one works. ***

Ok, so I'm going to go totally out of order here, but I have to share this amusement with all of you. You see I try to bring Luna to the office with me 2-3 times a week because she needs to release some of her bottled up energy and playing with Joe and Luna seem to help her behavior issues. And honestly, poor thing needs to get out once a while. So today I brought her to work with me and while I'm working away on a project for an upcoming event I captured the video moment that so speaks Luna & Camila. Luna being crazy and energetic and Camila just relaxing and playing along as long as she doesn't have to get up. Love them both. Will someone PLEASE let me know when this energizer of a bunny stage will subside. :) heehee

Enjoy!! (please excuse some of the full on butt shots of Luna, but I knew if I would move they would stop playing)

And while watching Sophia this week (UPDATE - this was written while little Jacob was being born) Luna was staying at the Vargas residence with me. Here are some other photos that were captured of the puppies hangin out with me while working and while Soph and I were hanging out.

This picture is priceless. Joe doesn't care too (TOOOOO) much for Luna because she is just a little to hyper for Joe. But to see them in close proximity like this is basically a gift for me!!!

Luna doing something I wish I could have been doing...Sunbathing!!!

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

DEEP Apologies!! - Christmas 2010 - PV Style

2011-02-19T09:44:00.004-06:00

Hello my blogger friends and family!

I know...it's been far too long since a blog post. So today as I sit here at home thinking about my nightly plans I thought it was ABOUT TIME to post some updates. So, please bare with me as I go through the last couple of months of life and post some updates for you all.

We'll first start with Christmas 2010 - Puerto Vallarta Style! I really enjoyed getting my apartment all decorated for the Holidays this year. Last year I didn't put hardly anything up as I thought I was going to have an eye surgery done, but that was pushed until February. Nonetheless, I digress to what fun it was this year.

The Christmas Decorations - Puerto Vallarta Style

*** Just a note - this was my very first Christmas Ornament. Who knew that 37 years later that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook! :)

Next post will be Christmas inWI with family and friends!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T23:04:00.009-06:00

We weren't able to celebrate on Thanksgiving because Kristin and I had a food tasting with a couple that was in town for their April 2011 wedding. We celebrated on Friday with friends and it was soo much fun! Still the same feeling of eating too much and enjoying family and friends for the evening.

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

After dessert, we all rested our bellies and then we cracked out the Wii! Watch out family, I have practiced my bowling skills yet again for the annual Christmas tournament! :)

The girls thought it was soo much fun to cheer on Eduardo!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!

2010 Halloween Events

2010-11-28T15:25:00.008-06:00

This year Halloween was soo much fun! I really didn't plan on a costume for the "adult" part of the weekend, but with the help of my creatively talented cousin we were able to throw something together really fast! Literally - two hours and it was DONE! I had the "face" planned. I bought false eyelashes and some glitter details to add to my face. It was fun pulling the details together and I was really looking forward to hanging out with my friends and having a FIRST adult halloween experience in Vallarta!

Here's how the night played out! First, some assistance from my family pulling the details of the "costume" together.

My gal pals - Marisol and Andrea!!

Even the spider (he was the mascot for the evening) was thirsty!

The evening after we celebrated and went trick or treating! This year we tried out the Boardwalk in the Marina. SOOOO much more enjoyable this year! You could walk and didn't feel like you were going to get trampled by anyone!

We met up with Doryan, Nesto, Melany and Chloe.

This is where the rich people store their fancy boats....

Soph's costume turned out sooo cute!!

She finally got excited!!!

Some other children came out a bit later!

Pablo, Kristin and Baby #2:

The whole group:

Look at what I bought!! (haahaa - only in my dreams) - BUT, I did put it on my list for Santa!

We found a pretty cool restaurant to grab a quick bite!

And to wrap up this blog post a quick video of Sophia on her Halloween!

New Friends

2010-10-26T20:28:00.011-05:00

For 3 1/2 years now since I've started this wonderful and exciting Journey - I've really been missing one thing....Friends! Yes, I have my wonderful Crawford-Vargas Family and I have wonderful furry companion - and I have some really great friends that I work with, but in the wedding biz it's really hard to get schedules together to hang out.

I've been given an opportunity this Summer by a gal that took it upon herself to create a group called "Ex-Pats - Younger Generation. The first outing was a bowling activity in which I met a group of great individuals!

I really hit it off with an adorable couple - Sean & Marisol! It has been a great time hanging out with them since late August.

We have fun hanging out and I really enjoy their company. Our first get together - I was invited to their cute apartment for dinner.

Drank some wine and played the Mexican version of Jenga.

Before heading out - Marisol & I

Sean showing us his Jenga skills!

Then we got together and ripped up Puerto Vallarta together a few weeks ago!

Don't know what was going on with my camera - but I must have had it set on a weird setting.

UGH - it was HOT!

The owner of Twisted Palms - Alan and I.

Then, this just this last weekend we got together for dinner at Joe Jack's Fish Shack where I had my first Ginger Mojito - and was it YUMMY! The little mermaid in the photo was hanging off my mojito - it was soo cute!

We then headed over to Twisted Palms for some yummy Martini's.

Perfect opp for a group foto! Like Marisol said - The Three Musketeers! Couldn't have said it better!

We headed over to one of my new favorite joints for some dancing - Roxy's!!!

And finally a picture of my new friends - Marisol and Sean!

And for an update on Luna. She is healing really well. Took her to the vet this past Saturday and Dr. Pena said she is healing as to be expected. I don't have to take her back now for another checkup until January. She's really starting to act like herself - jumping around and acting crazy! Ijust picked up from the vet some cute little flower thingees (gosh - not sure what to call them) but this local company that helps orphaned animals. Here's a few photos of my lovely furry companion - LUNA!

Until next time - Love and Miss you all!!

Dinner Party with Friends

2010-09-26T20:39:00.011-05:00

Late September I had a fun get together with a small group of friends. It was fun, entertaining and great night! I made for the first time Rum Punch (with help from Dorota) and tried out some new canapes with help from Kyle.

I wish I had more time to have more intimate get togethers. I'll let the photos tell the story.

A little bit of prep beforehand!

I had a tray full of fruit, veggies and kalamata olives!

Aunt Wendy's pretzel dip was a HIT!

A lot of fun conversations and mingling going on!

Dorota and Pablo

Pablo and Alberto

Vanessa and Dorota - hanging out!

Marisol & I

Sean and I

Ruben and Andrea

Stewart and I

It was a great evening and I had so much fun pulling it all together for everyone to enjoy! Hope you enjoy the blog as much as I had fun showing you the story in photos! Thank you for everyone that came! Hope to do it again soon!!!

Here's a little video coverage:

Family Enchilada Night

2010-09-09T21:25:00.009-05:00

Enchilada night at Michelada's house!! I had some really special guests over tonight. We had scrumptious chicken Chile enchiladas and homemade apple crisp for dessert. Oh..and Sophia threw in some dancing entertainment as well!!!

Picture of the loving family that accompanied Luna & I for dinner!

Here is how the finished Enchiladas turned out! Sooo..absolutely yummy!

And while Kristin, Pablo & I were resting our bellies..Sophia put on a beautiful interpretive dance for us to enjoy. Which I caught on video!! Isn't she just absolutely adorable. Just two seconds before she was jumping around to faster music and then a slow song came on and she gave us this interpretive dance. Either Dancing With The Stars or So You Think You Can Dance is in this toddlers future!! :) Take note of her passion and pure crazziness. If you pay close attention, you'll see the water gushing out of the drainage pipes in the background. Hop on over to The Dazzling Details to check out what we are doing to help the families in need due to the tremendous amount of rain we are getting here lately.

Michelle's Famous Enchiladas

2010-09-08T19:02:00.014-05:00

Ok..this blog post goes out and is dedicated to my beautiful cousins Kristin & Pam! You both have wanted my version of the recipe and this time I took time to document my process with photos.

First - the recipe!! I found 3 1/2 years ago and have re-vamped with my own flair mainly because I can't eat RED tomatoes and I've never seen prepared enchilada sauce here in PV. :)
The recipe can be found on Betty Crocker Website.

Ingredients that I use and what you'll need:

1 box Dona Chonita Tomatillo Broth
1 box Del Monte Salsa Verde
1 block Monterrey Jack Cheese
Package of Tortillas (I don't like the burrito size, I think they are too big)
1 container of sour cream
1 can of chilies
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 onion chopped
chicken seasoning and 1/2 block or cube of bouillon

1st thing I do is poach the chicken breasts. I add about a teaspoon of chicken seasoning and 1/2 block of bouillon to the boiling water. Let them cool and dice into bite size pieces.

Then I shred the cheese. The recipe calls for a lot of cheese, but I've found that 1 block of your preference cheese is fine. I prefer Monterrey Jack over Cheddar, but again this is a personal preference.

Next, I like to add a little onion to the enchiladas, but again this is just a personal preference because I'm a HUGE ONION FREAK! I chop a 1/4 onion, add the chicken, about 3/4 of the cheese, sour cream (per recipe), chilies and about 1/4 cup of the tomatillo broth. I usually add some extra chicken seasoning and pepper to the filling mixture because I find sometimes it's just a little bland.

***NOTE: If preparing this in Mexico, DO NOT dump the entire can of chilies in. Chilies are much different here than in the US!! I made that mistake already. If preparing this in Mexico, I add about 3 tablespoons of chilies with a little of the juice from the can.***

Spread about 1/4-1/2 box of the tomatillo broth in the bottom of your greased 9x13 pan. Now, comes the FUN PART - filling and rolling the tortillas. I do follow the recipe here and place about a 1/3 cup of filling into each tortilla.

Continue filling and rolling your tortillas until you have filled your pan. After I have all of them in the pan, I usually sprinkle on a few extra chilies just to add a little more heat.

*** Note: This pan was made for youngsters as well. The two enchiladas on the side were made without chilies, etc.***

Next, pour the remaining tomatillo broth and the entire box of salsa verde over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.

Next, I follow the rest of the recipe as directed. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish foil sprayed side down.

Bake 35 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until hot and cheese is melted.

I do have on hand to garnish - sliced green onions, chopped avocado and extra sour cream. I HIGHLY recommend the green onions and avocado. It just adds something YUMMY!!

I've made this the night before and it takes a little bit longer to bake because everything is cold, but it works and tastes FANTASTIC!! I have yet to freeze it.

Enjoy my lovelies!!

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the FINAL PRODUCT and the dessert! I'm having guests for dinner tomorrow that have specifically requested this dish! :)

Luna being Luna

2010-09-07T19:56:00.005-05:00

Tonight folks while Luna is recuperating, I'll post a video of a couple days ago when we were playing around.

Luna is recovering comfortably and I am praying for a speedy recovery.

I shot this video on Sunday evening. She goes nuts when I ask her if she wants a treat. It's absolutely adorable. Please excuse my laundry hanging all over. I don't have a line to hang clothes on, so my kitchen, dining and utility areas are my clothes lines. :)

Enjoy the video:

Here are some photos that I captured today with her bandages and all. I put her on my bed because I had to get her bed ready and she doesn't want to move and I've decided to just let her be.

LUNA Dedication Post

2010-09-05T19:53:00.006-05:00

Before you all go ballistic on me, don't freak out that I haven't been blogging lately. But today's post is going to be all dedicated to my sweet baby Luna. A few weeks ago she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Well..we noticed that she was having difficulty when I returned from vacation and the diagnosis went on for a while and finally after an x-ray it was determined that she had Hip Dysplasia. After a couple of weeks of thinking about my options, I have decided to move forward with her surgery. She will go into surgery on Tuesday, September 7th.

What exactly is Hip Dyslpasia you ask? When a dog has dysplasia, it has an abnormal development of the ball-in-socket join that makes up the hip. In a dysplasic hip, the ball (the head of the femur, or thighbone) and the socket (the acetabulum, a portion of the pelvis), do not fit together snugly. The result is a painful and damaging friction. When a dog bears its weight on the joint, the friction strains the joint capsule, which is a fibrous tissue that surrounds the joint and produces joint fluid. The straining then damages the cartilage and leads to the release of inflammatory proteins within the joint. Thus begins the cycle of cartilage destruction, inflammation, and pain the symptoms we associate with arthritis.

At this point, Luna has no cartilage left and is basically looks to me a dis-located hip. I can definitely see now how painful it is getting for her within the past few weeks. She's been a real trooper through this and sometimes the way she acts jumping around, mainly when we are going out, then it makes me wonder.

So..for today I'm posting just about Luna and hoping that everyone reading this blog will keep Luna in their thoughts and prayers on Tuesday. Oh..and a little thought for me will be appreciated too because I know I will most likely be an emotional mess on Tuesday as well. :)

So...Here we go with just a few pictures of my sweet little baby!!

Adoption Day (May 14, 2009):

1st Summer away from her for Vacation (July 2009):

This April during our CRAZY Spring - She was literally another Member of our Team.

One of her favorite Spots - outside on the patio.

Take a few weeks ago - hangin out with Joe, Camila & I at the office.

Another one of her favorite spots - my area rug. Lately (obviously because of the heat), I've caught her laying around like this. TOOO FUNNY!

One morning when I got up for work - I headed back into my room to make my bed and she had curled up. How can I be mad at a face like that!! Gosh I love her sooo much!!!

Last Summer 2009:

1st Birthday:

Last Summer - September 2009:

Luna being adorable:

Look at how little she was!

That's my walk down the Luna memory Lane. Love to you all!!!

A Night Out

2010-06-06T12:53:00.005-05:00

Last night I headed out downtown with some friends from work. It was soo much fun to get out and enjoy a little bit of the night life! There was a little bit of drinking and a little bit of dancing. It was really enjoyable!!!

We went to the Karoke bar and had fun watching people singing and having fun!! There were definitely some talented singers and then not some.

Doryan, Michelle and Jethro

Nesto, Doryan and Michelle

Doryan and her adorable man - Nesto.

Michelle and Jethro

What would one of my blogs not be with a picture of Luna. Here she is from this morning hanging out on the patio.

Guadalajara Mexico

2010-06-06T12:14:00.008-05:00

Last week Kristin and I made a VERY quick trip to Guadalajara. One very quick trip. Kristin had to take care of some passport business, we were able to visit our fabulous flower provider, walked the flower market and took in some sights. 10 hours of Bus Travel..10 hours of Guadalajara and back to PV in less than 24 hours. It was a VERY quick trip!

Kristin and I started off in the bus station trying to keep our eyes open, did a quick change of clothing and off it was to the American consulate. We stopped for a quick breakfast. We should have just stopped with these delicious muffins (they were YUMMY and buttery) and our coffee and hot chocolate, because we ordered plates, but didn't even eat them.

A view of one of the skyscrapers from the corner cafe.

We were chauffered around town my our flower provider. We checked out his store, ran across the street to the flower market and I saw some really intresting flowers.

Our Tour Guides:

This flower is actually called "alium" and is actually the flower from garlic. It would be soo cool to use these, but I don't think they would appreciate the garlicky aroma they give off.

These sunflowers were absolutely breathtaking!

I can't remember the names of these, but soo cool!!

Aren't these sooo cute....

While we were being chauferred around I caught some very quick pictures of the city. Guadalajara was such a HUGE city. We asked about the size of the city and they compared it to the size of LA. Not my town..I definitely realized that I'm a small town girl. Could never handle that size of a city.

Sophia Turns Two!!!

2010-06-06T11:51:00.006-05:00

It was a fun weekend for all!! Sophia turned Two on May 12th and Kristin and Pablo threw her an adorable Backyardigans themed party with family and a few close friends.

Waking up from her afternoon nap and everything was all decorated and ready to go!! Lorena (Sophia's Nanny) worked really hard to get her a backyardigans Pinata and came through with flying colors.

There were balloons everywhere - thanks to Grandpa Vargas.

All Dressed up and ready to go!!

Enjoying time with Zarely and Grandma Vargas!

Where's that Pinata???

Ready to blow out those Birthday Candles!

Look at how adorable this little family is all decked out in their own Backyardigan masks!

Tasha (aka Sophia), Pablo (aka Kristin) and Tyrone (aka Pablo).

BeeHives....YES...BeeHives

2010-06-06T11:33:00.005-05:00

I was re-organizing all my picture frames deciding which ones to put back up on my NEWLY painted walls and found this strange looking object behind one of them. At first glance it freaked me out..but then taking another glance I realized what it was...part of a beehive. It's still amazing how different things are here compared to the States. Would never find a 1/2 formed beehive behind your picture frames..would you????

You can see part of the honey pods starting to form here.

And for those of you that enjoy sunsets..here was one that I captured one night while working away at my computer on some wedding project I'm sure.

Easter 2010

2010-06-06T11:08:00.005-05:00

I know....I know...it's been like two months since my last post but it has been very crazy on the workfront. So..we'll catch up a bit on the blog front and hopefully my blog followers will forgive me for not blogging the last couple of months.

First - We start with Easter 2010. I made the same egg dish as last year, just switched it up a bit and then I tried my hand at making homemade Sangria. It turned out pretty good. Here are some pictures to help explain the day. We started out with a family photo.

Then it was time for Soph to see if the Easter Bunny arrived after Church. Sure enough he brought some really cool goodies for her.

She received some really fun sidewalk chalk and Mom & Soph enjoyed decorating my steps!

One of the baskets that the Easter Bunny dropped off for her. That bunny is soo sneaky hiding baskets in my pantry.

Trying out the sidewalk chalk.

Here is a picture of the Sangria that I made. YUMM!!

And the Easter 2010 Dinner Table!

I'll be posting more soon so stay tuned!!

Look who Turned One!!

2010-04-03T23:07:00.008-05:00

Luna is Officially One Year Old!! When I adopted her she was approximately 6 weeks old..so I did an approximate count and figured her "Birth" day around the 2nd of April. We woke up on Friday morning to a beautiful day as I gave my baby girl her birthday hugs and kisses and her special Birthday gifts.

I tried to get her smile at me with the balloon, but she was NOT happy with me and the whole balloon thing.

Here is a picture of her birthday gifts that she received. (ohh...she was mad) :)

And a couple pictures of Luna enjoying her special Breakfast Birthday treat!!

It was a fun day for Luna as she got to go and hang out with her buddies Joe & Camila. They played all day!!

I can't believe what a first year it has been for her.

From her very first Photograph:

Until Today and healthy and happy 1 year old puppy!!

She has brough so much joy to my life this past year!!! We both have learned a lot together.

Fiesta De Ninas

2010-04-03T19:38:00.004-05:00

It's Official....Sophia took part in her first sleep over!! Last Friday night we packed up a bag and walked to the apartment for our very fun sleep over. We got settled in, took Luna for a walk and on the way back we stopped by tienda and headed home. We played, had a HUGE dance party, made dinner, took a shower/bath, painted our fingernails, snuggled and read books and slept in my big bed. It was soo much fun and I can't wait for the next sleep over!

Soph had fun playing on my big bed while I was changing sheets.

Soph is such a good eater. We made smoked Polish sausage, asparagus, kiwi and some cheese.

I attempted some selfies...I must get some expert advice from Kristin, because she takes awesome selfies that turn out.

In the morning we woke up, snuggled, made breakfast, got ready and headed back to Mom & Dad's. Can't wait for our next sleep over!!!

Live, Laugh, Love

2010-03-25T21:40:00.010-05:00

While the weather has been absolutely beautiful in PV, we are gearing up for the next couple of months at The Dazzling Details that are going to be rough starting in the next couple of weeks. I have some surprising news to share with all of you that will make these next rough couple of months on the work front be MUCH more enjoyable on the homefront!!!

Here's the Living Room Before:

Living Room AFTER:

Kitchen/Dining Room/Laundry Area Before:

Kitchen/Dining Room/Laundry Area AFTER:

*** somehow the orange tones make the not very pretty blue kitchen tile look somewhat elegant...what do you think?!?!? ***

AND....the piece de resistance!!! (if I only knew french) My favorite part!!!

I now have a plan for all of the decorative items (with the help of Kristin) that I've recieved and/or accumulating over the past couple of years for my walls. Can't wait to get them accompished. Hopefully before we are knee deep in weddings!!! YIPEE!!

Oh...and some news on the Luna homefront. While I was back in the US for my eye surgery, Luna came into her "women hood". Guess what's up on hte schedule for her next week. A visit with Dr. Pena.

A Special Night & Updates

2010-03-15T23:08:00.006-05:00

Hey All! I wanted to share with you a Special Night/Afternoon that I had with Dad the night before I headed back home to PV! Dad and I spent MANNNY hours in the car together on and off from February 18th until March 8th. The night before I flew out, we headed over to the Mall of America to just walk around and then he mentioned having a drink at Rainforest Cafe. It was fun hanging out with Dad and chatting together.

I also have some other exciting news (well exciting for me anyway). I finally got my towel bars and bathroom cabinet installed. Just have to wait for the doors to get fixed and everything should be good to go!! YIPEE!!!

Until next time my friends...I bid you adieu from Puerto Vallarta. Hugs & Kisses!!

It's Spring Time in WI

2010-03-06T12:42:00.010-06:00

Since I've been back in WI for the eye procedure I've witnessed some things that one person would only witness while living in WI during Spring. As the Dazzling Details Crew is wrapping up final details for the event tomorrow in PV, Grandpa got out Dawson's 4-Wheeler and he was tearing up the driveway in NO TIME!! Here's some pictures and I was able to capture a video of his racing skills!! Although the weather is surprisingly nice here in WI, I can't help but feeling sad, guilty and disappointed that I'm missing an event tomorrow. I'll definitely be thinking of the Dazzling Crew as they get up tomorrow ready to go for Alison & Curt's wedding..Wishing I could be there.

I LOVE this shot!! (I was playing around with some features in a new program I downloaded Picasa 3)

What FORM!! Could be a potential racer here...hmmmm....Good thing it is programmed to only go 10 mph TOPS!

Grandpa giving some assistance! Boy..what would Grandsons do without thier Grandpa's!!

AND..now for the Video: This was soo much fun watching!!

"Michelle" Day

2010-01-31T16:29:00.007-06:00

So...as you all can see.. Today was a VERY busy what I call "Michelle" day!! I many things on my "to do" list today and I've just about accomplished it all!! This was on my list:

Book airline ticket for eye surgery - CHECK!!
Update Blog - well it hadn't been updated since September - It was DUE! - CHECK!!
Call Jami - my good dear friend in AZ (Liza's Sister) - CHECK!! (she just had triplets earlier this week)YES..I said TRIPLETS!
Call Family - CHECK!
Transfer clothes from dresser to new closet drawers - almost done.

As many of you know and that follow this blog, I've been wanting to purchase some awesome art for my walls! Well, a couple of weeks ago I saw that Soriana (the local grocery store) had a vendor inside the store running a GREAT DEAL!! I had asked Kristin to go along with me earlier in the week for some help and off Sophia, Kristin and I went early this evening. I'm sooo excited because tonight I not only found art for the living room, I also found inspiration for my bedroom.

New Living Room Art:

Bedroom Inspiration:

I've also been working on well for quite a long time on designing a closet for my apartment. Well, it's almost done and I'm soo happy with the way it turned out. There were a few things that were a little bit missed in translation, but for the most part it's better than what I DIDN'T have!

Here are some pictures of how it has turned out:

I've also had this project ALMOST done for a very looooooonnng time and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. The bathroom cabinet for above the toilet is almost complete too. The doors have to be hung and handles installed and then it can be hung. Anybody know of someone that can help me....(hint..hint: Dad????)

With out the doors leaning up against the cabinet:

I just leaned the doors up against the cabinet to capture the picture:

I also noticed that it's been a while since I've posted an update on my dear LUNA. Well, a couple of weeks ago I noticed that she wasn't herself and something was just "off". So, off to the vet we went. She offically weights 13 kilos (28 lbs) and is a healthy 9 month old puppy. However, she is starting to come into "woman hood". heehee. So, in the next couple of weeks we'll be scheduling an appointment for another visit for her. Many of my neighbors/friends have asked me why I want to do that and not breed her for puppies. I keep saying..ummm..do you not see all the other "homeless" puppies on the streets of PV. So, we a bid a well OVER DUE HOLA (hello) from Warm and Beautiful Puerto Vallarta!!

We have an event coming up this Friday and my next goal is get some paint on these VERY WHITE apartment walls!! Happy Belated 2010 to everyone and I have a feeling that this is going to be an AWESOME year!!!

My 36th Birthday

2010-01-31T14:26:00.009-06:00

Every year, January is always a BIG month for me. I'm all into special moments!! Like I celebrated my 3 year anniversary in PV. Can't believe it's been an entire 3 years. CRAZINEZZ how time flies by sooo quickly. I've enjoyed every SINGLE moment of my adventure and know that it is only going to get better!!!

This year was one of my most memorable birthdays ever!! On my actual birthday, the wonderful Dazzling Details team celebrated with me at lunch with a delicious chocolate cherry cake.

After our working hours, Kristin and I headed for a pedicure! The following evening we got together with some of my really good friends here in PV. We celebrated at Banana Cantina, a definite big hit with me. It was a new restaurant for all of us and it was really GREAT food and GREAT martinis and flavored margaritas!!

We all had a great night!!! Here are some photos that documented the evening.

How cute is that smile!!!

The whole group!!! (Kristin, Doryan, Michelle, Melany, Sophia, Eduardo, Zarely, Pablo & Nesto)

A Melany (Doryan's daughter) Selfie!! She's the same age as Dawson and is absolutely adorable!

My Birthday dessert - chocolate covered cherries!! YUMMO!!!

Pablo and Eduardo discussing the next video game marathon!!

Me and Sophia!!!

Tim Mahoney came to Puerto Vallarta

2010-01-31T12:44:00.012-06:00

That's right folks!! Last weekend I got to have a little taste of home. Tim Mahoney and GB Leighton came into PV with a tour company. I was soo pumped for an entire week straight and when last Friday came I was in FULL Tim Mahoney mode. I listened to his music all day at work and when I was getting ready for girls night out on the town!

I was able to get us girls VIP Passes and FREE tickets. Don't get too excited guys..the VIP Passes didn't mean much, but we were able to get free tickets..so I was pumped by that!!

The night started out at Pipi's for dinner and drinks and then we hopped a cab to Senor Frog's for the BIG EVENT!!

I was just a TAD excited to see Tim Mahoney.

Here are just a few pictures of the band performing!! It was a great start of the night dancing to Tim's songs!!

Following their performance..which ROCKED by the way! I wanted to talk to Tim. You see I wrote him an email on Facebook and wanted to talk to him after his performance. So....you know it!! I went up to him after he was done with his performance and introduced myself, told him I was the one that wrote him the email and he remembered. WOW! We chatted for a bit he offered me to do a shot with him (which I did - oops) he gave me a free download and a bumper sticker. Tim said he was already out of CD's, but he offered me tickets to see him the next day acoustic at the hotel and I was like HECK YEAH..but I never got those tickets. Oh well...it was great seeing him perform and talking with him!

Me with the girls!!

Tim Mahoney and his band opened up for GB Leighton, which put on a great show as well!!

Later on after GB had performed we grabbed a group shot with Tim Mahoney and Chad from his band. It was such a GREAT night!! I can't wait to hear that they are going to make a yearly trip!!

Broken Bones & ME OH MY SOME MORE

2009-09-23T23:13:00.005-05:00

Well folks you won't believe it..I have yet again broken another bone. A few weeks ago, we were all walking back ON THE SIDEWALK to the car and I twisted my foot. I didn't think anything of it at first because I was still able to walk on it and there was no immediate pain with it. No Big deal - I was thinking. Well, lo and behold I was wrong.

So, here is how it all panned out. Twisted foot on Sunday, September 6th. Called into work on Monday, September 7th because foot was pretty swollen and wanted to keep it elevated, etc. Tuesday went into working foot feeling better, Wednesday was feeling a little bit better, Thursday foot was feeling really much better and Kristin and I had a meeting and site visit with a November Bride. We met, walked around her wedding venue. After work Kristin and I headed downtown to do some fabric shopping for our upcoming October events and we were almost done and I started to not feel so well. Sat down on the floor and decided that I couldn't go on any more. Friday afternoon - well foot was a hurtin unit, but I pushed through it. Decided later that afternoon I should at least go and have it checked out. Xray tech came back and gave me the results - you have a small fracture.

I happened to fracture the most NON FUNCTIONAL bone in my foot - LUCK OF THE DRAW. ARGH!!! So, no cast but it's use of crutches (or a walker) for me for the next few weeks. I'm in the home stretch now. Only have one more week left and return for a check up and keeping fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers for speedy recovery that he clears the crutches and says we are good to go.

We start our 2009-2010 wedding season next Saturday (October 3) so hoping all is good and I'll be in good shape for our first wedding.

The Sunday following all of this drama Kristin, Pablo & Sophia came to visit and play with Luna for a while. Here are some pictures of the fun day!!

Isn't she just the face of PURE CUTENESS....

Waking up from a nap and cuddling with Mom & Dad...

Strikin a pose - a FUTURE Dancing with the Stars Contestant..

Luna relaxing with Pablo....

ewww - I hate this picture but had to post on of "gimpy"

Luna and The Shadow of the Sun

2009-09-17T22:17:00.002-05:00

Luna has a new invisible friend that she isn't sure if she likes or dislikes. About the same time every night when the Sun starts to set it freaks Luna out and she goes absolutely NUTS. Enjoy the video below.

Home Improvements, Enchiladas, Dance Party and MORE!!

2009-09-02T21:10:00.008-05:00

It's official!!! I've been on the look out for an area rug for a while and a couple of weeks ago I had success!!! Kristin and I headed to Home Depot to get out of the heat and into some a/c and found one that I fell in LOVE with. OH...Plus it was ON SALE!!!

Shortly after I returned home to PV I really wanted to put a hammock chair on my balcony. So, I called up a friend of a friend and he hooked me up. Last week Toro put it up and I couldn't be happier with it. Now, all I'm missing is a couple of pillows and I'll be set. I love just hanging out thinking and reading out on the balcony.

Kristin and Soph enjoyed it too!!

I had Kristin, Pablo & Soph over for enchiladas last week and boy were they YUMMY!! We ate, had a dance party and entertained. It was a great day with family!!

Luna is doing fine and being a puppy monster....She says HOLA from PV!!!

Weekend Boredom, Puppy Vaccinations & More..OH MY!

2009-08-18T15:21:00.011-05:00

Well, this weekend was another jam-packed one. Friday afternoon I decided I wanted to get out of the heat and see a movie. So, I called up my good pal Doryan to see if she was interested. Sure enough...we were on!! We headed out to see "The Hangover". I seriously laughed through the ENTIRE movie! It was soo funny.

Saturday after work Luna had an appointment with Dr. Pena, her vet for her last round of vaccinations. She is officially vacinated and here is her tag to prove it!! We have to head back in a month for her heartworm treatment and hopefully she will just be allowed to be a puppy for a while with out weekly/bi-weekly trips to the vet. It feels like her adoption date of May 14th, we have been making trips to see Dr. Pena. You should have seen Luna get excited and her tail just a waggin' when we walked into his office. Don't you all wish your pets were that excited to see their vet. Hee Hee.

After we returned home we got ready for our night guests. I invited my friend Zarely and her son Eduardo over for dinner and a movie. Although the dinner I made didn't get eaten, I seriously need to learn that Mexicans eat their big meal at lunch time...you think after almost 3 years I would get it...but know I like to entertain and I tried out a new recipe (which turned out really good). It didn't get eaten, but I brought it into work and it will get eaten here. Zarely and I watch "The Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, while Eduardo entertained and wore out Luna. It was nice having them over.

Sunday, I got up and headed over to play/hang out with Joe and Camila. Joe and I played fetch while Luna chased Joe up and down the street. Then it was Camila's turn and Luna & I took her for a nice walk. By mid-afternoon it got to a point where I needed to get into some air and was bored from just being in the heat. I remembered that I had some apples in the frig so I thought..hmmmm..apple crisp???? So, onto the www to find a EASY & YUMMY recipe for apple crisp. I found one over at allrecipes.com - EASY EASY EASY!! Check this recipe out!! I do recommend reading the comments as I would tend to agree that it turned out really sweet. I don't like peeling apples so I left the skins on and it turned out fine. I used a combo of granny smith, fuji and gala apples because that's what I had and it turned out just fine!! I did add some cajeta (mexican form of carmel) to the water/apple mixture and instead of a white cake mix all I found was a butter recipe cake mix. Brought it to work today to share with my AWESOME co-workers!! :)

Well and finally it rained last night after of about..oh i don't know..15 days without rain. I seriously lost count. But, we definitely needed it. It was the first time since I've been back that I actually had to cover up with my sheets and not sleep right under the fan. YAHOO!! Here is a couple of shots of the sunset last night with the storms rolling in.

LUNA THE BEAST

2009-08-10T12:38:00.016-05:00

Well, Luna is offically in PUPPY MODE!! I arrived back to home to PV with a sweet greeting from family and puppy kisses!! She had grown by leaps and bounds in the 3 weeks I was on vacation. I couldn't believe my eyes!! It's a bit more difficult to take selfies now as she is just a tad too long for me to hold her in my arms and at the same time snap a shot (as you will clearly see below). She LOVES her new pet bed that I found on Ebay. She makes these cutest Fleece snuggle sacks that fit a standard size pillow. I know Luna enjoys laying on the cool tile floor right now, but after time the floor has to get hard and uncomfy.

Here are a couple of snapshot of Luna enjoying her new bed.

Luna is NOW bigger than my shoe. Check these two pictures out. The first one was posted in a previous blog - when she was about 8 weeks. The second picture I shot this weekend at 4 months.

And here are my "selfie" attempts for this month. I came to the conclusion that I just will have to take selfies of Luna only.
This one was great with Luna finally - but umm what's going on with my face.

Luna..a donde vas????

Umm..so I switched areas thinking maybe if I sat down on the front steps it would help. NOPE..oh and if you click on the photo and look close you will see the beads of SWEAT rolling down my face. UGH...can you say GROSS!!

Finally, just a selfie of Luna.

And now for some 4 month portraits of her. I had to use a treat and her favorite toy (tennis ball) to get her to sit so still and cute!! Isn't she just sooooooo adorable. I can't get enough of her face I just love to give her kisses all the time.

Kristin, Pablo and Sophia are back in the US on vacation enjoying time with family and friends and I've been in charge of Kristin's plants and their two dogs Joe and Camila. While I was on vacation Kristin bought some beautiful plants for her patio and home and my "sweet" little Luna ate one of Kristin's new plants. I'm trying to nurse it back to health and YIPEE there is new growth!!!

Joe and Camila were happy campers this morning. Each night when I come to check on them and feed them, I bring Luna to play with both of them, well Camila likes playing with her and Joe and I hang out until they are tuckered out.

So, Kristin got me inspired to buy some plants too. Here is my new planting. I placed it by my front door so that I didn't have a little "beast" get into it and eat it while I was away. I loved out it turned out, but I think it's going to get a little crowded. So, disappointing when the Home Depot employee working in the garden area said, sure it will be fine. hmmmm....I guess I'll have to transplant eventually, but for now..I really love coming home to the plants everyday!! Thanks Kris for inspiring me!!!

Enjoying Vacation

2009-07-13T20:27:00.012-05:00

It's been an amazing vacation so far and I'm off tomorrow for MN to visit with friends!! Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

Mom and I spent last Wednesday afternoon in Wausau shopping for a baby shower gift and came home got ready and headed out to dinner at Silver Birch Restaurant in Tomahawk. I had my favorite Riesling by Chateau Ste. Michelle. YUMMY!! We were able to capture some really great family pictures (minus Michael - because he was being a pooper scooper). I WILL get a picture with him and I before I head back home to Mexico.

I was able to catch this attractive picture of Mike since he didn't want to participate in the family photo op.

Mom and I had a family baby shower to attend on Saturday and I was able to capture some great family pictures there as well. Pam and Aunt Janet came up early to visit and I had fun going through Mom's flower gardens to make an arrangement. I know...after a couple of weeks I wanted to get back to arranging flowers. It was actually FUN and I enjoyed pulling these textures together.

Isn't Lisa cute pregnant!! Her and Jen are only a few short weeks apart.

Saturday afternoon Dawson and Mike were outside playing soccer. Dawson is sooo excited to be starting Soccer at School. His first practice starts on the 27th!! Mike put up his soccer net and I was able to catch some action photos in between helping Mom with dinner. I had a TON of fun playing frisbee with Dawson and Dad too!!!

Sunday morning we all got up early and headed to Paul Bunyan's for a early breakfast because Dawson was heading off to his Mom's for a couple of weeks before he starts Soccer. We said our "See you at Christmas, be a good boy, etc" and then Mom, Dad and I headed off to Bond falls. It was a GREAT day and many trips down Memory Lane were taken.

This photo is a little dark, but I really like it!!!

Mom and Dad were troopers. We came down the well paved way and went back up the falls the "off road" way!! Dad was a hurting unit last night and today. For 60 plus years I was amazed they did it!!

I experimented with my camera's digital zoom and exposure feature and was able to capture this photo!! WOO HOO FOR ME!!

A blackberry blossom!!! YUMMY FRESH Blackberries.

We visited the VERY clean and NOT smelly outhouses!!

There were wildflowers growing everywhere!!

I'm really having a great time and looking forward to my trip to MN tomorrow for a few days!

4th of July FUN!!!!

2009-07-07T17:02:00.019-05:00

Amazing FUN, Amazing FIREWORKS and AMAZING FAMILY!!! Was enjoyed by all!! After a very LOOONNNG day of traveling I made it back to the States safe and sound!! Here are just a few pictures to document the fun time had by ALL this past weekend!!

Queen of the 4th:

4th of July Pontoon Captain #1:

4th of July Pontoon Captain #2:

The small lake association had two boat parades on the 4th. One at 10:00 am and one at 7:00 pm. This picture is of the 24 some boats that participated in the 10:00 parade.

Fireworks Prep and the "Pyros":

The guys discussing the "game plan":

Perfect Time for some Family Photos:

Dad prepping the torches to keep away the bugs and mosquitos!! THANKS DAD!!!

The New Dock was put in and looks GREAT!! The bench is especially comfy!!

Take me with You!!

2009-06-30T22:13:00.004-05:00

Last night as I was finishing up the last details of packing, Luna was right there wanting to know what was going on. Before I knew it, I turned around and she had hopped right inside my suitcase. It is definitely going to be a tough day on travel day!!
Here are a few snapshots of her wanting to get smuggled in my suitcase and a couple of selfies from this morning!

I am sure going to miss my little companion. She has made my life so much more enjoyable.

I will be seeing you all very soon!!!

Update from Luna Land

2009-06-28T18:34:00.011-05:00

Well, we just wrapped up our 2008-2009 Wedding Season and boy do I feel a break coming on!! I started getting things ready for my trip back to the States and realized that I haven't posted any recent news lately. Time has been a little "wedding" occupied. Saturday evening I started packing some things and Luna was curious as to what a suitcase was and I was wishing I would smuggle her into my suitcase and then grab her before I board my American Airlines flight, but I know that her Tio Pablo & Tia Kristin and Prima Sophia will take really GREAT care of her.

She had her 2nd round of vaccinations yesterday and she was such a trooper. Dr. Pena said she is much much better than the first time he saw her. I mentioned that she seems to be inhaling her food instead of chewing the croquettes and we upgraded to a different puppy croquette. Hope this improves. She loves these little rawhide sticks that I've found at the grocery store and these keep her entertained for at least 5 minutes. I'm going to find a couple of fun puppy toys for her when I'm back in the States.

She's walking sooo much better on a leash and is curious about every body and loves kids!! Luna has a TON of energy and is always trying to bite at my ankles. She has also experienced that if she gets too close or is on my left side that I don't know she's there and she gets stepped on a little.

Here are a few recent pictures so you all can see how much she has grown in the past few weeks. It's been really hard catching some still pictures lately, because she is always on the move and whenever I get out my camera to take a shot, she comes a running. Here are my best shots:

I captured this photo last night while I was packing up a few things. I was chatting with her telling her that I was going on a trip and that she will have fun with her Tia, Tio & Prima. Somehow I don't think she really understood what was going on, but she sure liked hanging out and laying on my bag.

We have officially started the rainy season and it's been raining quite a bit lately and it's almost like you can hear the mountains, trees and grass saying "ahhhhhh, finally!" Here's what I mean.

Before: (taken a couple of weeks ago)

After: (after a rain fall, the streets turn into rivers as you can see in the picture below, you should have seen the "current" last night - it was wicked!)
Before:

After:

Don't you love how green it's getting!!

I've doubled my size...

2009-06-06T19:37:00.005-05:00

Hello my fellow friends and blog followers....

I just can't resist posting some pictures of how big Luna is getting. We went to the vet this afternoon for another check-up. She is still having a little problems with skin infections (as you can see in some of the photos) Dr. Pena says she is getting healthy and has doubled in size. She is officially 2 kilos (or about 4.4 pounds). Oh...and one little detail - Luna has figured out how to maneuver herself out of the re-sized box as the last couple of days when I get home, here Ms. Luna comes prancing out of the bathroom!!

This afternoon after we got home from the vet she curled up on my lap and took a nap. How adorable is that face!!

I think this is one of my favorite pictures yet!!!

She's officially bigger than my shoes

And another nap this afternoon

I'm going to change gears a bit and post a couple pics of my little girl. I can't believe she's 1 and boy is she growing like a weed!!!

Hope you all are staying cool!

Another Luna Post

2009-05-29T21:29:00.005-05:00

I know..I know.... what you all must be thinking. Isn't there something else going on that she could be blogging about, but right now Luna is getting soooo fun and cute. I had to post a few recent pics. She has changed so much in just the last few days!

In fact, she is growing faster and faster before my eyes, so much that I had to have Toro adjust the box.

Here's her new sized box - I hope this holds her off for at least a while now. Hopefully at least until she officially "potty trained".

Can we get back to playing now... PPPPPLLLEEAASSEE - I went potty like you told me too...and oooh ooh...can you give me one of those yummy treats that I got from Kristin, Pablo and Sophia??? They are soooo yummy!!

I LOVE my new home!!

I'm definitely growing....what am I going to do...

Well...these rawhide things are interesting now.. (notice my new collar) YEPPERS..still a little big, but LOVE it and it matches my leash too. And you know what, walking on a leash isn't all that bad. We went for a walk tonight and it really wasn't that bad - as long as Mom waits for me and/or picks me up and carries me for a while.

Here are a couple of selfie attempts. Until next time folks...we bid you farewell from HOT & STICKY PV!! (hee hee - I now have a reason to take selfies)

Luna is 8 weeks and getting healthy!!

2009-05-25T22:02:00.005-05:00

I've really been having fun with Luna. She is starting to feel better and is definitely starting to play like a puppy should be. This past weekend was the first time I left her alone as we had an event on Friday. It broke my heart to hear her crying as I left. She did a great job and we snuggled when I got home at 3:00 am on Saturday morning and I took her to the office with me to work on Saturday for a few hours. She has started to follow me in the street as we go out for short walks, go to the office or run to the corner tienda.

This was after an intense session of play time and she just passed out. Even puppies realize how HOT it is....

I'm just as long as Mom's flip flop!!!

Jeez Mom..I just don't have to GO right now!!!

She likes to hang out in the bathroom and nap while I'm getting ready for work in the morning.

One afternoon when I was doing laundry, I was frantically looking for her and found her sleeping in my pile of clothes. I think she knows my scent.

I think I've saved the best for last. I was playing with her on Saturday afternoon and shot this while she was coming back for another round of tug of war!!

Meet Luna

2009-05-14T22:58:00.004-05:00

Meet the newest member of my family. I would like to introduce Luna!!

She is a 6 week old mixed breed puppy that I adopted from the local shelter here in PV yesterday afternoon. With all the street dogs that we have in PV, I really wanted to do something meaningful. What better way than to donate and adopt from our local pound. There were so many adorable dogs to chose from it was dificult to decide if I wanted a puppy or a dog picked up off the street. There were some really adorable dogs that I would have considered, except that their owners had 3 days to come and claim them.

I've been thinking about this seriously for probably about 9 months to a year. Her mom has similar coloring and is a smaller medium sized dog and not very big. I have NO idea what her father looks like, so I hope she'll take after her mom's size. I fell in LOVE with her basically right away. She has a short stubby tail that she was born with, the rest of the litter had longer skinny tails and she has a little patch of coloring on the top of her head that kind of looks like a Moon.....hence the name.

Her first night home was very successful night. I read that if you plan to crate train, that you should keep them in the crate, but close to you. When they need to go to the bathroom, they will start whining. Sure enough….3 times last night we got up and we had successful pottie time on the disposable pad. She was a real trooper!!! This morning she wouldn't eat any breakfast or drink any water. This really had me worried. I thought maybe I was just overreacting after all she is only a baby. Sleeping all the time, but I thought aren't babies supposed to eat, sleep and poop???

I did a lot of research on how to potty train a puppy/dog when you work long hours. I decided that I would try "crate-training". I'm worried about my little girl when I'm gone for 18 hours or sometimes more at a time at events. If anyone has any tricks or advice, I'm open as I've always had pets that were outdoor pets.

So, after worrying majority of the day and trying not to break into tears as she hadn't eaten ALL DAY and her poop was well...not pretty. I took my little girl to see a Vet. He was the sweetest vet I have ever been to. He was patient with my Spanish as pet ownership which brings a WHOLE NEW vocabulary and he diagnosed her and helped to put me to ease. She weighs 1 kilo or approx 2.2 lbs. Dr. Pena diagnosed Luna with parasites/worms, etc which were passed from her Mom and that she was Anemic. She was given an oral injection for the parasites and he opened up a can of food and as soon as he opened it up, she started eating. This was a heavy lift. She was finally eating. I walked out of the Vets office with a gel packed full of vitamins, a can of yummy food, that obviously she LOVES and a powder solution to put into her water for electrolytes.

We'll go back next week for a check up and Dr. Pena will give introduce Luna to her first round of vacunications. Pobrecita.....

Her Puppy Meds:

Her first car ride home:

As I was composing this blog tonight I was looking around to find my little chica and she had made her way and snuggled up under my feet next to the couch. Asleep again....

Until next time..we are sending Greetings and LOVE from HOT AND STICKY PV!!! (yes..did I mention it's starting to get YUCK HOT!!)

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:05:00.006-05:00

This post is dedicated to all the lovely women that are Mom's out there! I have so many special ladies in my life that I felt they deserved a special post.

First, My Mom!! You are an extraordinary woman and I'm so grateful for all the values you have instilled in me. Thank you for everything you do and everything you are. You were there when I took my first steps and you were there until I took those steps across the airport to begin this amazing journey. Thank you for all of your support throughout the years.

Here is wishing all of the special ladies in my life a very Special Mother's Day! I love you all and today while composing this blog I wished I had pictures of us together. Happy Mother's day to my Aunt Betty, Aunt Janet, Aunt Jan Jan, Aunt Judy and Aunt Wendy and to my special cousins that are Mom's - Diane, Jessie, Kristin and Pam! Also, I have to send special wishes to my best friend Liza, who will be a Mom to baby #2 in just a matter of weeks!! I'm so excited to meet him in July!

I love all the special women in my life!! Enjoy your day!!!
xoxoxo

Dia de los Ninos

2009-04-30T17:51:00.007-05:00

Today is a special day in Mexico. April 30th is El Dia de los Ninos!! El Día de los Niños Celebrating Young Americans is a gift from the Latino community to all children. Many nations throughout the world, and especially within the Western hemisphere celebrate “Día de los Niños” on April 30th to honor and celebrate children—who represent the hope and dreams of every community. So, today even though I don't have any children of my own to celebrate their lives, I would like to pay special tribute to the little ones that are a very important part of my life!!!

To all my little cousins....I treasure each and every day that your bring light and smiles into someone elses world!! To all the other children that are out there and don't have families....you are special and one day in God's plan you will be swept up by that very special family. Until then..you all have a very special place in my heart!!

Now...today is extra special for one little guy.... My Nephew Dawson Andrew turns a BIG 7 today!! I can't believe that it's been 7 years. It only seems like yesterday, when I was making the very quick drive to Madison to witness your birth!! Happy Birthday Buddy & Feliz Dia de los Ninos!!

The other two special children in my life that I would like to reflect upon are Sophia and Summer. This two special little girls I have witnessed so much and sooo proud to be part of their lives!! Feliz Dia de los Ninos..to my special little girls!!!

Sophie...I can't believe you are going to be 1 in just a matter of weeks!! You are such a big girl!!!

Summer...what a big girl you are getting to be. I can't believe you are going to be 4!!! You are going to be such a WONDERFUL AND SPECIAL BIG SISTER!!!

That thing called "The Flu"

2009-04-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post today that we are all ok here in PV. We have had some flu-like systoms, but have visited the doctors and are now on anti-biotics. I've had a sore-throat since Saturday and it has moved into my ears, but we are all ok.

Today I learned that every school, daycare and public event across the entire country of Mexico will be cancelled until May 6th. All bars and discos in PV are closed as well. Unfortunately many of the peeps in Mexico City thought, "hmmm... kids are off school - what a great opportunity to head to the beach!" Grrr.... But the government has taken precautions and is screening all visitors by land, sea and air to current non-infected cities (like Puerto Vallarta). We've been advised to hunker-down at home and keep trips into public places to a minimum and only if necessary.

We've been trying to take all precautions and have decided not to work at the office this week. I headed to the office this morning to pay the employees for the events we had this past weekend and headed back home to rest and work. I think we all might be feeling a bit anxious by tomorrow. I'm hoping after 24 hours of anit-biotics I'll be feeling better.

Please keep us all in your thougths and prayers!