Last week Jordan and I went to Rocky Point, Mexico (Puerto Penasco). We go often with Jordan's family, but this time we went just with a couple in our ward--Jonathan and Rachel DenBeste. It was a blast!! It was the "last hurrah" before Jordan and I are tied down forever with kids :) and Jonathan is going to be deployed by the marines for 6 months of training and 6 months in Iraq, so in a way, it was Rachel and Jonathan's last hurrah too.
The trip is a 13 hour drive, but with my pregnancy, and Rachel's small bladder...well, you know how it is... but it was still worth it to drive!
Instead of boring you with paragraphs of information, I'll just highlight some of the fun or not-so-fun memories:
* The beautiful, calm beach! It's the best! No strong undertow, nice and clear, and water as warm as a bath. We saw dolphins only 50 yards away on the first day! It was awesome.
* We stayed in a great house just one row up from the beach. All of the homes in this "American community" called "Las Conchas," are really cool--very different architecture.
* Jordan especially liked it when the tide was receding. He just loves digging around the (as I call them) GROSS sea creatures in the rocks.
* Jordan and Jonathan sitting in the water. That's how calm it is! Rachel and I also did this and read our books!
* My absolute favorite thing to do at Rocky Point is simply to float around in the water on a tube. It's the best. Jordan and Jonathan would take turns with the goggles (since we didn't bring snorkeling gear) and dive about 30 feet below to look at "stuff" :) This beach though, doesn't have much to see under the water.
* Jordan and I sang a lot of "Baby Beluga..." and I even attributed it to me, since I felt like a huge beached WHALE :) He also sang, "I swallowed the ocean," changing the words to that song by Toad the Wet Sprockett, "Walk on the Ocean."
* Jordan really enjoys digging in the dirt :) He made this really cool octopus!! And then another day, he did a turtle, and I "helped" by making a starfish.
* And he also wanted to be buried. I had no problem doing that :) I was trying to find the cash and make a run for the "cholla mall" but thought better... Here I am "picking" him like a vegetable!
* Poor Rach...always the weak target for the silver jewelry vendors :) She did great though!! And she is getting better at Spanish!
* Jordan and Jonathan took out a canoe one day (the owner has it at the house and let us use it) but they said it was way too big and slow, so that was about it for the canoe ride...
* Gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!!
* Eating at "Mary's." It was our favorite place!! And cheap!! We'd eat for like $20 for all four of us. The best were the scallop tacos and the shrimp quesadillas... yummm... (AND we didn't get sick...that' s a plus! We went there twice during our trip)
* We got shrimp right across from Mary's from a guy named Alberto, at "Jimmy's" or something like that. 2 lbs. of Jumbo Shrimp for $14. He even "deveined" them for us.
* NOT doing all of the cooking as a MAJOR plus!! Here, Jordan and Jonathan are cutting up watermelon and pineapple...but the best part of them in the kitchen was the fact that they made this AMAZING coconut SHRIMP with the jumbo shrimp we bought. It was better than ANY restaurant coconut shrimp.
* Here is the coconut shrimp they made. YUMM. The secret ingredient was using "Manzana Lift" (a soda there kinda like "Apple Beer") in the coconut, egg, sauce, mixture. We loved this so much, we had to go back and get more shrimp later on in the week so we could have it again!
* For all this great food, we did do a little grocery shopping at "Super Ley" the grocery store there. It was fun as usual!
* We also went shopping at the "Cholla Mall," which really isn't a "mall" but a recently paved road lined with souvenir shops and Mexican "artifacts." Of course, since Jordan and I are PROS at bargaining, and Jonathan and Rachel too, we made out like bandits!! Ok, this pic is of Rachel with the mannequin--we had to take it because that mannequin's boobs were HUGE, and it was so funny.
* Jordan and I had fun trying on these crazy glasses!! Shopping was fun, but man, it was HOT! We were literally DRIPPING in sweat. Gross.
* And here's Jonathan with the sombero he purchased, in a typical store full of wall-hangings etc.
* Here's what Jonathan and Rachel got! Rach liked the turquoise ring because it looked like it had the "tree of life" in it :)
* Jordan and I got this really cool turquoise/mother of pearl/onyx mask and this egg-shaped sconce, I guess it would be called? made out of "Barro de Uajaca" Basically, you put a lightbulb inside and the light shoots out of the holes in the "egg" and there's even a place for the cord to plug into the wall. It's going to be really cool once we get a bulb for it!! Jordan and I love getting cool things to put in our house from different countries/places.
* But that's not ALL Rachel liked! She ogled over EVERY child in Mexico...even offering to buy them for herself :) Easy adoption, right? This one was apparently running the store! Crazy!
* Unfortunately, Rachel stepped on a stingray in the water. It hurt like CRAZY! Fortunately, there was WiFi at the house and we were able to "google the cure." Hot water. Apparently it neutralizes the poison and helps with the swelling. So, Rachel sat all night with her foot in a bucket of hot water! Poor Rachel!
* We also went to the Lighthouse restaurant one of the nights and had the most HUMONGOUS Pina Coladas!! After drinking those first, we were SO FULL. They must have been like 1,000 calories each, because none of us could even eat our food after that, so we had it the next day for dinner!
* We had visits from disgusting huge cockroaches from time to time... one in the kitchen and one in each of our bathrooms. GROSS!! Jonathan named theirs "Herman." But fortunately, he killed it too. Jordan killed ours after I screamed bloody murder upon seeing it on the shower curtain! WAY too gross to capture on film.
* Jonathan wearing his plaid speedo--yeah, didn't want to post a picture of THAT! :)
*Going to the Rocky Point Branch on Sunday! It was so fun! I did a little translating for Rachel, and there actually was the option to go to gospel doctrine in English, but we stayed in the Spanish class. I actually made a few comments and so did Jonathan (Rachel and Jordan are the ones who didn't serve Spanish-speaking missions, but Jordan could understand a bunch, and he can actually speak pretty well!) The teacher asked me to give the closing prayer, actually, and I was surprised I could even DO it :) It was great!! We all loved how cool it was to hear just really simple messages in Sacrament Meeting-- one talk on fasting, one on tithing... just very basic. It was really nice.
* The car ride...man, it's long... Jordan and Jonathan are pooped. :)
Yes, this is the invitation to the baby shower--my Mom made these--aren't they so cute?? 
Ahhhhh baby showers...so fun. I have always loved going to them, but being the PURPOSE of the shower is REALLY way better :) It's like Christmas, but for baby stuff!! I'm so glad I'm having a girl, because I totally LOVE girl clothes--but who doesn't, right?
Here I am with (left to right) my cousin, Ashley and her baby girl, Kate, me, Rachel, my wonderful neighbor and friend, and Sacha, the queen of the night with her awesome gifts and advice!! I totally look HUGE in this photo...oh well!
Ok this is totally not from the shower, but Heather's little Lauren was there, and I have this CUTEST picture of her, so I had to post it anyway!
And here's (from left to right) my cousin, Dayna, her mom, Ruth (my Mom's sister), and Grandma Evelyn!
And me opening a present!
My Mom got me these CUTE onesies, and the little baby sack thing you put them in--what's it called again? And a bunch of adorable receiving blankets!! That top pattern is my favorite (the receiving blanket on top of the stack)
And this adorable outfit from Ashley! I especially love the "SWEET" on the back--so cute!!
And my cousin, Dayna got me these sweet little onesies and bibs. My Grandma Evelyn got me the cute booties and a gift card... they are so awesome!! 
