Aruba

Aruba.....Jamaica.....oooh I wanna take ya.......
Ernesto, Smita, Sean and I went to Aruba for a long weekend. Smita and I chipped in on a silent auction at work and we ended up getting certificates to the Raddison for a great deal. (plus we shared one room so it was perfect) The boys in one bed and the girls in the other.




I was in heaven they had so many parrots there!! Everyday at 11am they took them out for feeding and handling...needless to say I was all over that!!



It was so beautiful, the water was so blue. We went on a 1/2 day catamaran trip and snorkel a ship-wreck (not great). Sean brought his guitar and entertained us on the beach. We did a lot of relaxing on the beach.



Kristen and her husband were also staying at the Raddison, so one night for dinner we all ate at a restaurant where our feet were in the sand and the water was 2 steps away, it was so beautiful. What was the name of that place?? oh and the wine we drank too?? I need to keep my travel journal more handy!

Feliz Navidad 2005

This is the Christmas card that Neto and I sent out this year. It was such a hit. We got a lot of laughs from the lucky recipients. We thought this would be a great tradition to start. Taking our santa hats on a trip to make that years x-mas card. This year was on south beach in Miami. Ernesto took me there for my birthday and surprised me with a bead show that was going on. It was a great time! Who knows where it will be next year?

Loquito

Lupe
My Little Loquito!!!!
Ernesto bought me Lupe when we first started dating, 5 1/2 years ago. This was when I was working for DL in Columbus.... I remember he came to pick me up from work and Lupe was in the back seat in a box, but I didnt know. When we got home, I went to the bathroom and when I came out, this baby bird was on the floor. I was so excited!! Neto had bought a huge cage too, I think to this day it's the best present he has ever bought me!
I love him so mutz! He has such a funny personality. He is not as sweet as he once was. He used to like people, but ever since Nester chased him around with a leather tiger he has been a bit jaded. He still loves his mommy though (even though he will bite me from time to time...I call them love bites)
He loves to dance with me, whistle, mumble, take baths, and eat or drink anything I am....
"Nester...stop giving him Corona"

A couple years ago Brrrrrian made this for me. He loves to be creative with Photoshop and I love it!!







Yes, I am a bird lady......
Today I have 3. In April I bought a blue parakeet. Then last weekend I walked into PetCo and they were on sale for $12.99...I had been thinking of getting another so little beep-beep would have a friend (Lupe is a BULLY) so I bought another. They are so cute!!!

Marbella Spain

It only took one second for us to say YES when Ernesto's brother, Tavo asked us if we wanted to go to Spain. A friend of his has a condo in Marbella. On the Costa Brava...southern coast....where we had never been. We had gone to Spain with Ernesto's family right after he graduated from OSU. We went to several different cities and LOVED it! This time we stayed in one spot. Marbella is a GORGEOUS town right on the water.......

NEED I SAY MORE?

Mezcolanza

Check ME out on the MEZCOLANZA's website:

PUCKWAA

Bill Arnold
This is my hilarious brother Bill, also known as Puckwaa.
I love him, he is so damn weird! He is the entertainment in our family, always making us laugh. After looking at his picture, you might think he is a redneck. He cut this mullet (ie. haircut that is business in the front party in the back) after letting his hair grow for 3 months. It was supposed to be a "mullet contest" between him and Nester, but Nester is chronic hair snipper and couldn't do it. Fortunately, he only kept this haircut for a couple hours, after which he shaved his head. His wife, Barbie, didn't want him to leave the house looking like this, however, he did walk over to my sister Jenny's house. I happened to be on the phone with her when he walked in, and oh, the cackle that came out of her mouth.....I knew it was something funny. Later that day I was looking at this photo and chuckling myself. What a
PUCKWAA!!! Usually he is very normal looking....

No really, here he is at his wedding June 2004!! Extree cute!!

Mi Familia

This is my family (most of it)at my cousin Annie's wedding. It was in July 2005 and we had such a great time! Weddings are always a blast with my family, we love to party together. They are my best friends and I am so lucky to have them!

ISTANBUL IN 5 PHOTOS

Who knew Istanbul was so beautiful?  Not I.  Ernesto and I were amazed. What a gorgeous place with friendly people, delicious food, unbelievable architecture!  Let's not forget the markets either!
After winning 4 nights at the Sofitel Hotel in a silent auction at work, I started dreaming straight away!!  We walked for 5 days and walked some more.  Istanbul is a huge crazy city, so it was great coming "home" to the luxurious hotel, complete with pool!! Very different our other trips, luxury accomodations are never high on the list.  This was a perfect mix of sunbathing and siteseeing!  I highly recommend it! 

I leave you with these 5 photos:

Cancun 12-04 w/joanne

It was our last official DL trip together! Joanne is leaving DL and starting as a flight attendant for NetJets. A quick beach trip was in order to celebrate!!!

Here she is with her welcome packet for her new job!! She has such a great smile, "Welcome Aboard!" The funniest thing, we were getting ready for bed and we pulled out the same nightgown...very weird......
...and now the models pose on a very UGLY beach..
When we were sitting on the beach Joanne's cell phone rang, "hello?" "yes, I'm sitting on the beach in cancun, what are you doing?"

At that moment I thought, God we are lucky...sometimes you need that little slap in the face to see what you take for granted.....

Buenos Aires to Belize

AHHHHHHHHH San Pedro, Belize.....

Joanne and I had been wanting to go to Belize, so when Delta announced their new flight from Atlanta...we started planning. We actually flew on American Airlines through Miami on the way there and took DL's innagural flight home 4 days later. Funny story though.....I went to Buenos Aires with my friend Andrea for her birthday a few days before and we were denied boarding on the way homebecause of cargo issues. We did get to eat some steak, go to the cemetery, etc.

The Cemetery

El Palacio de la Papa Frita

When we didnt make the flight that night we cozied up in our plush robes at the Grand Boulevard Hotel.

Problem was...I was meeting Joanne at the airport to go to Belize and now since we were one day delayed out of BA, I was to arrive only 2 hours before our flight to Miami. Crazy, but this is a great example of mi Neto......I called to tell him what happened and he said he would just pack my bag for the beach and and bring it to the airport. I ended up spliting up with Andrea to get home. I flew through Brazil instead of waiting to be denied again out of BA. (she didnt have a Brazilian visa so she couldnt) Ernesto was waiting for me outside the airport at 7am. I gave him all the wine I had bought, and he gave me a new bag packed for the beach. It worked out perfectly!!! What a man!!!

We were sweating when we finally got on the AA flight in Miami. We had some problems with our tickets at the counter and then security...we only made it on 2 seconds before they closed the door....very lucky. Joanne and I are ususally lucky on our trips together!

We flew into Belize City and then bought a little flight to San Pedro on this puddle jumper.

We stayed at a place called Ruby's right on the beach. We booked it online, it was $60 bucks per night!

Below was the main drag of the little town, where we got our coffee and breads in the morning and checked our email. It is just a little sand road and almost all the traffic is golf carts. At night the lights strug over the road look like a summer wonderland! You may not know this, but Belize is known for great scuba and snorkeling. The boats were parked at the dock right in front of Ruby's. On two mornings we did 1/2 day snorkel trips. We went to different areas of the reef and saw EVERYTHING!!! Big colorful fish, sharks, octopus, manta rays, eel, turtles, lobster...it was awesome! Our guide swam with us and pointed so we would not miss anything!
YIKES! Sharky-sharks!!



Ahhhhh Breakfast on the beach...does it get any better?