Tag Archives: Carlene

Family Gathering

It’d been some time since we were all together (admittedly because of my very full schedule), but we were finally able to spend a day with Linda’s parents at Easter.  A delicious honey-baked ham and a whole array of side dishes filled our bellies well.

Afterwards, we all played dominoes and ate even more.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Maag!

We are truly blessed with such wonderful family.

Happy Mothers Day

Anna and Emily stayed up late and then got up early to finish up the banner that they hung over the entry into the kitchen.

They took every free moment they had yesterday to create cards on the computer.  We really had a nice time before church.

The girls served as alter servers this morning, giving me and Linda the opportunity to sit quietly in the pew to enjoy the service…and then a family with 4 kids under age 5 sat right behind us.  God sure has a great sense of humor.

We had lunch at Zardas (awesome barbecue) and dinner at Jose Peppers (even more awesome mexican) – mm, mm, good.

Finally, as a special gift, I mowed the lawn so Linda wouldn’t have to.

Where have we been? Puerto Vallarte

It’s been almost 3 weeks since the last post – it’s been a busy three weeks.

Most importantly, the 4 of us and Linda’s parents traveled to Puerto Vallarte, Mexico for spring break.  This was an absolutely fun time – and it was warm.  Upper 70’s every day…much better than the 30s and 40s back in Kansas.

Here are some pictures to show just how fun it was!

Here we are whale watching – we followed a mother and baby humpback whale for at least an hour (all with food and beer provided).

The girls loved playing in the water.  There was also a very nice pool that found some splashing and swimming, as well.


This was the view from our balcony – just beyond the trees is the water.  The room was comfortable and close to the stairs that emptied out onto everything.  Great spot.

We had lots of stuff to do – obviously sitting by the pool or the ocean.  Several open bars with drinks flowing (I loved the margaritas and Coronas; the girls loved the virgin strawberry daiquiris).  The buffets were full and had plenty of choices to choose what to eat.  The fun stuff included a climbing wall and a shooting range.

One of the days was spent on a bus tour of the city and the surrounding mountains.  We had lunch at a really nice open-air restaurant that served awesome seafood next to a cascading river.


We went to a flea market and got to haggle prices…

I also found a cigar shop across the street that made their own cigars there – got a nice box to bring back home.

We finished the tour off with a tour of a Tequila factory – got to sample several different varieties.  Also got a couple bottles to bring home so I can remember my great time in Mexico.

Our last night on vacation was spent at a candle-lit dinner on a secluded beach – 45 minutes away by a cruise boat at sunset.  The dinner was precluded with a show filled with native drums, dancing and singing all in ancient costume (as noted in the pictures below from Vallarta Adventures.)   What a great end to a great vacation.

photo courtesy of http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/tours/rhythms-of-the-night#