Alpha Phi

Each year, Meg's sorority (Alpha Phi) gives the girl's moms the opportunity to become honorary members. There is an induction ceremony and an initiation ceremony where we learn about the sorority, it's founders, it's history, it's vision, and it's symbols.

One interesting fact: Alpha Phi is actually a fraternity. The term "sorority" hadn't yet been coined when Alpha Phi was organized in 1872.

The day began with a mom's breakfast at Sullivan's. I splurged on the banana pancakes...yummy!

My favorite Alpha Phi's...Kimmie and Meg. Moms and daughters after the induction ceremony. Almost official...the initiation ceremony is this evening.

Celebratory dinner at the Garden House. Kristy, the blonde in the center, is both Meg's and Jessica's "big sister."

The new inductees and their daughters.

All the Alpha Phi's who joined us for dinner that night.

Viva Elvis!

You know I love Elvis, right? If not, be sure to read my "All Shook Up" post of 8/19/09. I am headed to Cedar City this weekend to become an honorary member of Meg's sorority...and since I have to fly in and out of Las Vagas...and since Cirque du Soleil has produced an Elvis show honoring him on the 75th anniversary of his birth...and since I am a self-proclaimed Elvis freak...and since passing through town without attending was absolutely unacceptable...Meg and I decided to see the show. And what a show it was!! Singing, dancing, costumes, and best of all, obscure video clips of Elvis mixed throughout.

If only he were real!!! How do you think Chris would look in Elvis' famous gold lame suit?

Belize in Your Dreams

Chris and I took a little side trip to Belize while we were in Cancun this week, mixing a little business with pleasure.

We flew from Cancun to Belize City and then hopped on one of these little 10-seaters for the 30-minute flight to Dangriga. You know its risky when they position you inside the plane according to your weight! I got to sit in the far back...I hope that means I was one of the lighter passengers!

It's always a relief to step down onto the tarmac

after flying in one of these little puddle jumpers!

This is our fourth trip to Belize and we always stay at the Jaguar Reef Resort near Hopkins Village. They have these beautiful cabanas right on the beach. This is the view from our front porch...beautiful and serene. It's quite possibly my most favorite spot on earth! On our first trip to Belize in 2001, Chris and I bought a beach-front lot just down the beach from Jaguar Reef and it looked alot like this...primitive and overgrown.

Now it looks like this. Here is the view from the road. The same people own the lots on both sides of ours. The big house is where they live and they built the little house as a rental property.

Here is the view of our lot looking back from the beach... And here is our own piece of the waterfront! Here is the view looking south towards Sittee Point from our lot. You can see that this stretch is quiet and undeveloped...quite different than Cancun!

The reason that Chris and I decided to make this quick trip is because the gentleman that owns the lots next to ours wants to buy it flat out or trade it (plus $$$) for this rental property. We knew we had to see it in person to make an informed decision. This is the front...

...and this is the back. This home was just completed a few months ago and was built with the intention of adding a second unit directly on top of the first unit. We spent the morning talking and taking photos and then said, "Enough business...Let's relax!"

We grabbed a couple of bikes from the resort and rode the short distance into Hopkins Village. This cemetery is in a part of town that we haven't explored before.

These Garafuna women were doing their afternoon shopping. There are very few cars in Hopkins Village. Most people walk or ride bikes.

This is Alex Anderson. He had a small table set up by the road to sell the jewelry that he makes from shells and coral. Chris bought a black coral necklace with a genuine boar's tooth (perfect for Mic-o-say ceremonies at scout camp!)

This restaurant is new since the last time we were here. Rob was a chef at a resort down the road and decided to step out on his own. The food was awesome so we believed Rob's wife when she said they are busy every night. Notice the house in the background that is unpainted and on stilts...very typical of Hopkins Village.

All to soon it was time to return to Cancun. This is the site that greeted us as we landed in Belize City.

Sometimes I just can't wait to get back to the United States!!!

El Mundo de Wally (Wally World, Mexican-style)

We are in Cancun this week...Hooray for sun and sand!!

For the past several years, Chris and I have travelled to Cancun with our friends, Dan and Pam Williams, who have a time share there. We always make a trip to Wal-Mart to stock the condo kitchen. Unusual sites abound....

This is definitely the tourist section. We rarely see locals on the

beach unless they are trying to sell us something!

Fresh, whole papaya. Some people love it but I prefer mango.

Anyone care for a fresh roll or pastry? Notice there is no glass on the front of the display case. In this self-serve bakery, you pick up a tray, choose your items (with your hands), and then take them to a counter where an attendant bags and tallies your selection. Thankfully, she uses plastic gloves to do so.

You can even purchase cake by the piece!

By the way, the price was not $4.50 US but 4.5 pesos, which is approximately fifty cents. This is Wal-Mart, after all!

This cactus is a staple in the Mexican diet. You could purchase it whole or chopped. It was right after I took this photo that the store manager told me in broken English, "No photos, no photos!" You can see that I continued taking pics but I was a little more discreet and often used Chris to run interference!

There were no glass cases in the meat or seafood departments

either. Since we were right on the Gulf of Mexico,

the fresh (?) seafood selection was incredible.

Octopus, anyone? Which kind of milk do you prefer...skim, 2%, whole? You can get it here in the unrefrigerated dairy section...in a carton, not a jug! Many things are different at the Wal-Mart in Mexico, but many things are the same. No matter what you call this little guy, we all know who he is!

Orchestra Fest

Chase participated in his last orchestra festival tonight. He played the cello in 5th grade and moved up to the bass in 6th. Next year he has decided to drop orchestra in favor of choir and drama...who knew?!? For a kid obsessed with football, I'm glad to see he's interested in the arts as well but sad he will not continue with his music. You can see that he barely tolerates having his picture taken these days. I had to promise this would be the last one! Chase's favorite piece was El Toro and it was fun to watch him play it because you can tell he was really enjoying himself!

The Ghost of Valentine's Past

It's snowing...again!! Last year on this date is was 70 degrees!!

It's been quiet today. Marissa is skiing with Meg this weekend in Utah, so our traditional Valentine's Day dinner has been postponed until tomorrow. As the kids get older and go off to school, many of our traditions are having to be postponed until we are all together again but last year, everything was different. Only Meagan was missing, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, and there was a party going on at the Kaw River Ward. Little did they know, two famous celebrities from the 60's and 70's had been booked as part of the evenings entertainment....

Will the real Sonny and Cher please stand up? I always wanted long, dark hair! I can hardly keep a straight face here. Chris was not so enthusiastic when I tried to get him to rehearse at home!

Who knew Chris was such a ham?!? I guess all he needed was a spotlight and an audience!!

I got you, babe!!! I got you to kiss goodnight I got you to hold me tight... I got you, I won't let go I got you to love me so.

Don't let them say your hair's too long 'Cause I don't care, with you I can't go wrong.... It was a fun evening and to see the surprise and delight on the faces of the audience was well worth the arm twisting I had to perform in order to get Chris to play with me!!!

It's Ba-ack!!!

Snow, that is...and I love it! Big, fat, fluffy flakes...lot's of them that just keep coming!

There's something about snow that attracts kids. There was no school today so the snow couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It would have been sad to have been cooped up in a classroom during this snowstorm! A month ago at this time, there was a beautiful blanket of snow covering the ground. As it began to melt away, the dead grass and dried up leaves were, once again, laid bare. I much prefer the way snow softens the edges and creates a sense of magic and wonder.

As with any day off from school, a trip to the mall was the top priority. Marissa and I didn't let the snow deter us but enjoyed the added a sense of adventure as we manuevered our way there and back, arriving home safely with great deals galore!